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Archive for the ‘Superchunk’ Category

Superchunk / Tee Vee Repairmann (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, September 10, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Superchunk, Tee Vee Repairmann on September 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 10, 2025] Superchunk / Tee Vee Repairmann

I’ve been a fan of Superchunk forever, but I only got to see them a few years ago for the first time.  I saw them once more and kind of thought I didn’t need to see them again.  However, when they announced this show at Ardmore Music Hall, I thought it would be a great place to see them.  So I grabbed a ticket and was really looking forward to the show.

When I found out that my favorite artist made a poster for the tour (see right), I was even more excited to go.

I had been to two shows already this week (Pulp being basically spontaneous), so it was strongly suggested that I should stay home Wednesday night.  I had already given up on going to see Supergrass on Thursday, so I thought I might be able to sneak in this show, but I stayed home instead and had a delightful evening.

Tee Vee Repairmann is Sydney, Australia’s Ishka Edmeades.  There must be something n the air in Australia, because Edmeades is almost as prolific as King Gizzard.  He is (or is in) all of these bands (I haven’t heard of any of them): Satanic Togas, Set-Top Box, Research Reactor Corp, Gee Tee, Remote Control, Mainframe, 3D & The Holograms.

As Tee Vee Repairmann he writes short (like 2 minute) songs that are pop/garage punk.  Fun and simple, they’d be a perfect match for Superchunk.  (Live, he has a full band, who I assume played with him for these shows.

 

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Superchunk / Cable Ties (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, September 10, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Cable Ties, Superchunk on September 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 10, 2023] Superchunk / Cable Ties

I’ve seen Superchunk twice in the last half dozen years or so.  The put out one of my favorite shirts (it looks like wordle).  Their shows are filled with energy and fun and the band is always on fire.

Somehow, I don’t see quite how that translates to Ardmore Music Hall, a smaller venue with no room for Mac to jump around.  Plus, I feel like after both shows I’ve seen everything I need to from them.

Cable Ties are a band from Melbourne Australia.  Their blurb says

frenetic lead lines tethered to a hypnotic rhythm section. They take the 3 minute punk burner and stretch itpast breaking point. Suddenly the garage rock gives way as primitive boogie, kraut and post-punk take things way out to the horizon

I like their sound quite a bit, although I’m on the fence about their singer.

I am, however, quite taken with the whole rock scene from Australia, so I’m sure they’d win me over.

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Frantic City 2022 (Orange Loop Amphitheater, Atlantic City, NJ, September 24, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Atlantic City, NJ, Car Seat Headrest, Control Top, Frantic City, Fred Armisen, Protomartyr, Snail Mail, Superchunk, Titus Andronicus, Yo La Tengo on September 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 24, 2022] Frantic City 2022

When I saw this show listed, I knew that it would be a fun opportunity for my son and I to go to a Festival. Only one day, kinda far but not too far, and headlined by his favorite band Car Seat Headrest.

The whole lineup was pretty exciting, in fact,

  • Car Seat Headrest
  • Yo La Tengo
  • Snail Mail
  • Titus Andronicus
  • Superchunk
  • Rocket from the Crypt
  • Protomartyr
  • Murder City Devils
  • Shannon and the Clams
  • The Raveonettes
  • Samiam
  • Control Top

And Fred Armisen will serve as host, so you can expect his specific brand of musical comedy to move the acts along.

I wasn’t sure what time we were going to arrive.  I wanted to see Control Top, who it looked like would go on first, then I was kind of okay with not seeing some of the other bands.

I feel like I should know Samiam, but I don’t exactly.  I feel like I don’t like The Raveonettes.  I didn’t really want to see Shannon and the Clams.  I don’t know Murder City Devils.  I have seen Protomartyr, and would have been happy to see them again.  I liked the first Rocket from the Crypt album, but haven’t thought of them in years.  I have seen Superchunk twice in the last few years and don’t need to see them again, although they are great.  I have not see Titus Andronicus who I don’t love, but who I understand are amazing live.

I do want to see Snail Mail (who I was supposed to see in April, but didn’t).  I have liked Yo La Tengo for years and have never seen them.  And then there was Car Seat Headrest, whom we had both seen in April.

Then on September 17, Car Seat Headrest pulled out of the Festival because of Will Toledo’s health.

I probably should have turned in the tickets right then, but I didn’t want the Festival to crumble from people returning their tickets–I do hope it comes back next year.

But that really put the kibosh on my son’s desire to see the festival.

On the day of, he said he really didn’t want to go and honestly that was fine by me.

 

 

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Superchunk (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 11, 2022)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Superchunk, Torres, Union Transfer on June 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 11, 2022] Superchunk [moved from March 2, 2022]

I saw Superchunk four years ago.  It was my first time seeing a band that I have liked for decades.  They have put out a ton of music and I don’t know all of it, but I still enjoyed their set a lot.

Enough to see them again when they put out a new album this past year.

Last time, they played a ton of stuff from the then new album (8 new songs).  This time, for whatever reason, they played only five songs from the new album and the rest of the set was chock full of songs from throughout their career.

Indeed, they played 21 songs with only 7 duplicates (and I think we’d have been upset if they didn’t play those seven).

The band was, like last time the (nearly) original members: Mac McCaughan of course on vocals and guitar, Jim Wilbur on guitar (he joined after their first album) and Jon Wurster on drums (he joined after the third album)–they’re bonafides!  The only one missing was bassist Laura Ballance.  She plays on the albums but because of her hyperacusis, she no longer tours.  So, on bass we had Jason Narducy who has played with anybody who is anybody. (more…)

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Torres (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 11, 2022) [SUPERCHUNK]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Superchunk, Torres, Union Transfer on June 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 11, 2022] Torres [moved from March 2, 2022]

This was my forth time seeing Torres play.  I was excited to see her open for Superchunk, but I was (obviously) even more excited to see her play as a headliner.

The headlining gig was great, and I was curious to see how much it would differ when she opened for a well known but not huge indie band.  Especially since she is not exactly the same type of music.

Her new album is a love/lust letter to her new wife and in a close setting like Johnny Brenda’s she explored the album in great detail.  But her she was able to rock it out with amazing intensity.

She switched her setlist a little to open with the more rocking “Are You Sleepwalking” and followed it with the slower opening “Don’t Go Puttin’ Wishes in My Head” (even though it is ultimately even more catchy). (more…)

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Superchunk / Torres (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 2, 2022) [postponed]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Superchunk, Torres, Union Transfer on March 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: March 2, 2022] Superchunk / Torres [moved to June 11, 2022]

I saw Superchunk four years ago and really enjoyed their fast and furious set.  I realized that most bands that I like, I want to see twice.  So when they announced a new show, I was ready.

In mid February, when Omicron was surging, they announced that they were going to postpone their tour until the summer, which makes sense given their new single is “Endless Summer.”

It actually worked out alright for me as I was out late the night before seeing Dazey and the Scouts.

I’ve seen Torres four times and she always puts on a great show.  I’m glad she’ll be playing with them in June as well.

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Eric Spitznagel–Rock Stars On The Record: The Albums That Changed Their Lives (2021)

Posted in "Weird Al" Yankovic, Adam and the Ants, Against Me!, Alice Bag, Alice Cooper, Amanda Shires, Asia, Bad Brains, Beach Slang, Bjork, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, Buggles, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Craig Finn, Crass, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Dip-in Books, Don McLean, Donny Osmond, Drive-By Truckers, Elton John, Eric Spitznagel, Fishbone, Frank Turner, Frank Zappa, Fugazi, Gwar, Henry Rollins, Hole, Interviews, Iron Maiden, John Lennon, Kiss, Kristin Hersh, Laura Jane Grace, Leonard Cohen, M.I.A., Mac Demarco, Mannequin Pussy, Mark Mothersbaugh, MC5, Minor Threat, Mitski, Nickelback, Oasis, Pom Pom Squad, Procol Harum, Rainer Maria, Sex Pistols, Soul Asylum, Stevie Wonder, Superchunk, Suzi Quatro, The Buggs, The Left Banke, The Mothers of Invention, The Runaways, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Todd Rundgren, Van Halen, Wendy & Lisa, White Denim, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yoko Ono on August 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »

SOUNDTRACK: see below.

[READ: August 2021] Rock Stars On The Record

I saw this book at work and rolled my eyes.  I thought well, here’s another book about musicians talking about music.

Really, most musicians aren’t very interesting and it was probably just the same old same olds talking about albums that have been praised to high heaven already.

But then I saw a few names that intrigued me.  So I read it.  And it was fantastic because Eric Spitznagel did a magnificent job with this task.

Not only because he chose diverse people (some hardly even rock stars, really) who had interesting things to say, but because of the way he followed up his questions with better questions–questions that the musicians seemed excited to answer.

And also because the list of people turned out to be really interesting.  I didn’t recognize a number of names, but that’s because they might have been the guitarist for a famous lead singer).  And this made it really interesting.

I don’t know if it’s worth stating the why’s of each person here (each interview is basically four pages) but I will state each person’s favorite record (with a few extra comments here and there). (more…)

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Waxahatchee (Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, April 16, 2018)

Posted in Allison Crutchfield, Feminism, Katie Crutchfield, Kevin Morby, Philadelphia, PA, Superchunk, Swearin', Union Transfer, Waxahatchee on April 16, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 16, 2018] Waxahatchee

I really enjoyed the newest Waxahatchee album and I was keen on seeing them/her.  Waxahatchee is more or less the work of Katie Crutchfield.

It amused me that I had purchased a ticket for this show and then a few weeks later I got a ticket for Superchunk and their opening band was Swearin’.  One of the lead singers in Swearin’ is Allison Crutchfield, Katie’s sister.  So I’d be seeing both Crutchfield sisters in less than a month.

I also learned recently that Allison usually performs with Katie in Waxahatchee when they tour.  And she did.  So I have seen and heard Allison Crutchfield quite a lot in the last month or so.

They played for an hour and ten minutes.  How do I know this?  Because the guy in front of me filmed the entire show on his phone and I could see the timer at the top.  And not just standing still and filming, he was swooping and angling, zooming in and trying to get every scene.  It was a little creepy to be behind him, I must admit.

Both Katie and Allison called Philadelphia home for a while, so this was a homecoming for them.  Katie said that she wrote most of the new album while in Philly.   (more…)

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Superchunk (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 4, 2018)

Posted in Allison Crutchfield, Katie Crutchfield, Philadelphia, PA, Sebadoh, Superchunk, Union Transfer on April 4, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 4, 2018] Superchunk

I’ve been a fan of Superchunk for what seems like ever.  Their music is reliably punky and poppy.  Fun, sometimes funny, with clever lyrics and always a big hook.

I’ll admit that their music sounds pretty samey, but there is something to be said about that.  After they put out their 2001 album Here’s to Shutting Up, they didn’t exactly go on hiatus, they just kept a low profile for a half a dozen years or so, releasing limited edition records and such.  When they returned in 2007 I realized just how much I’d missed them.

When I saw that they were playing Philly I knew it was time to go see them.

It was really cool that the band was the (nearly) original members: Mac McCaughan of course, Jim Wilbur on guitar (he joined after their first album) and Jon Wurster on drums (he joined after the third album)–they’re both bonafides!  The only one missing was bassist Laura Ballance.  She plays on the albums but because of her hyperacusis, she no longer tours.  So, on bass we had Jason Narducy who has played with anybody who is anybody. (more…)

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Swearin’ (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 4, 2018) [SUPERCHUNK]

Posted in All Dogs, Allison Crutchfield, Katie Crutchfield, Philadelphia, PA, Superchunk, Swearin', Union Transfer, Waxahatchee on April 4, 2018| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 4, 2018] Swearin’

I was so excited to see Superchunk, I didn’t really care who opened for them.  But I was rather excited to see that Allison Crutchfield’s band Swearin’ was reuniting for this tour.

I didn’t know the band, but in the past year or so I have heard (and liked) more and more from Allison Crutchfield and her sister Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee).  It’s not fair to lump them together, but they were in a band together at one point and Allison has toured with Katie’s band, so I think it’s fair to discuss them in the same paragraph.

But this show was all about Allisson (and Swearin’ co-founder Kyle Gilbride, who might be overshadowed somewhat in the Crutchfield love).  On drums was original drummer Jeff Bolt and on bass was their friend Amanda Bartley (of the band All Dogs). (more…)

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