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Archive for the ‘The Cowpokes’ Category

Wax Jaw: EP Release Show (Silk City, Philadelphia, PA, October 21, 2023)

Posted in Grace Vonderkuhn, Philadelphia, PA, Silk City, The Cowpokes, Wax Jaw on October 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 21, 2023] Wax Jaw 

Wax Jaw has only been around for a little over a year.  In that time, they have released a couple of singles and amassed a huge local following.

Wax Jaw was born out of the summer-time daydreams and blossoming friendship of Greg Blanc (bass) and Sean Vannata (guitar) in June 2022. They immediately shared a vision of writing lively, upbeat tunes that would make even the most reserved audience member come alive during their shows. Keeping this priority in mind, a five-person lineup was curated one member at a time until the band reached its final form in January 2023. Since then, Wax Jaw has wasted no time sinking their teeth into the bleeding hearts of Philly audiophiles through their animated stage presence, vintage visuals, and high-energy performances. They recently played back-to-back sold out shows at Silk City and PhilaMOCA – most notably sharing a stage with nationally acclaimed acts Wine Lips and Acid Dad. With a six-song EP set to release in September, Wax Jaw is the innovative, all-gas-no-breaks band to watch!

I could have seen them open for Acid Dad a little while ago, but decided to stay home that night. (more…)

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Grace Vonderkuhn (Silk City, Philadelphia, PA, October 21, 2023) [Wax Jaw EP release show]

Posted in Grace Vonderkuhn, Philadelphia, PA, Silk City, The Cowpokes, Wax Jaw on October 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 21, 2023] Grace Vonderkuhn 

Grace Vonderkuhn has been on my list of bands to see for a while now, although I don’t exactly remember how I first heard about this band from Deleware.

Grace Vonderkuhn is a 3-piece rock band from Wilmington, Delaware. Uniting in 2016, the outfit consists of Grace Koon, songwriter, singer, and guitarist, Brian Bartling—bassist, and Dave McGrory, who plays the drums and sings. They combine shoegaze, post-punk, and psych influences with sharp pop sensibilities. The band toured throughout the US, showcased at SXSW, recorded an Audiotree live session, and were featured on NPR following the release of their first full-length album, Reveries (2018 Egghunt Records). Grace Vonderkuhn went on to release their sophomore album, Pleasure Pain, on Philly-based record label Sheer Luck Records in 2021. They have shared the stage with countless bands including Camp Cope, Shame, Ought, Titus Andronicus, Lower Dens, No Age, and The Districts. The band is currently working on their third full-length album and playing shows.

I had heard good things about them, but I guess I didn’t actually listen to them that much before the show because they blew me away.

Grace Koon is a killer guitar player. She’s not showoffy at all, but she can play great solos, weird chords and a pretty diverse array of sounds. She also sings in a couple of different styles from gentle to deep and menacing.  Brian Barling on bass doesn’t just keep up with Grace, he often plays counterpoint to her melodies.  And Dave McGrory on drums is the secret weapon. He plays different patterns and rhythm and his backing vocals are great–he often sings high over Grace’s low, grittier vocals. (more…)

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The Cowpokes (Silk City, Philadelphia, PA, October 21, 2023) [Wax Jaw EP release show]

Posted in Grace Vonderkuhn, Philadelphia, PA, Silk City, The Cowpokes, Wax Jaw on October 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 21, 2023] The Cowpokes

So much was going on tis evening that I didn’t know what I’d get to see.

A long time ago I had purchased a ticket to see Genesis Owusu on this evening.  Then this Wax Jaw show was announced.  I’ve been really wanting to see wax Jaw live, so I decided maybe I’d go to that show instead.  Then I found out that the Wax Jaw show would be over by like 9:30 (because of a late night DJ show at Silk City). Then mu daughter decided to have a birthday party that night.  Fortunately she didn’t need me to be there.

So I left after picking up the food and figured that I’d probably miss The Cowpokes.

Cowpokes are a country rock band from Philadelphia. Comprised of Jia Binder, Cami Bachman, Dylan Michael, and Winnie Malcarney, they are among the enlightened few to understand that the Byrds are better than the Beatles.

I wasn’t sure I’d mind missing them as the whole country angle doesn’t appeal to me.  But a country PUNK band turned out to be a lot of fun.  I arrived in the beginning of their set but missed a song or two.

They were stomping and pogoing.  There was a kind of country twang in the vocals, but it was like a Philly country twang which I rather liked.

I don’t know who was who, but I enjoyed that the guitarist who I presume is male was wearing a house dress.  I loved that the guitar who presented female also played  flute solo and then later played lap steel!  And the bass player/singer had a great voice.   I also loved that the drummer had some really fast fills and rolls and even knocked one of his cymbals off its stand at some point (someone in the crowd jumped up on stage and replaced it).

I don’t know what they played (they have only one song out on bandcamp), but it was rocking and good fun.  I’m glad I caught them.

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