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Archive for the ‘Brooklyn Bowl’ Category

Kishi Bashi (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, October 8, 2024)

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Kishi Bashi, Philadelphia, PA, Sweet Loretta, Tall Tall Trees on January 9, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 8, 2024] Kishi Bashi

This was our SIXTH (!) time seeing Kishi Bashi and it was so different from the last time!

The previous show was an anniversary show of his debut album.  This one was supporting his new album.

The previous show was at the tiny Foundry and this one was at the (relatively) huge Brooklyn Bowl.  And, K. came out with a fantastic outfit (stunning jacket and pants) and a kick ass keytar!

Tall Tall Trees was on banjo and keys, but his backing band was the guys from Sweet Loretta!  And they suited him perfectly.

K. busted out a violin of course, and stayed with some of the newer dancier songs for a while.

There was a couple in front of us who were pretty grossly all over each other (their elaborate dance routines took up way too much space).  But they were also huge fans and knew all the songs, so I couldn’t be too annoyed.

Although the first songs were new, he didn’t leave out the old stuff, jumping right into It All Began with a Burst (and he still builds the songs with a looping pedal).

I loved the way he mixed up the albums he played from, with a dancey and lovely Can’t Let Go Juno, followed by a beautiful (fantastic harmonies from Sweet Loretta) Marigolds.

After playing Colorful State from the new album, he did a fun beat boxing improv which he said he hoped someone recorded and might send it to him so he could develop it later (I did, but he didn’t acknowledge it).

The rest of the band stayed away as he did a fantastic solo rendition of I am the Antichrist to You.  K. has always had a great voice but it has gotten even better over the years.  Then he busted out an acoustic guitar for the lovely, gentle Summer of ’42.

The band returned for the appropriately large Violin Tsunami and then played the Talking Heads cover.

And  then things got crazy.  The band returned dressed in costumes including one of the crew dressed in golden wings like Icarus for Escape from Knossos/Icarus with some seriously heavy rocking from the Sweet Loretta guys (some killer guitar soloing) and some wicked use of the keytar.  The chaos settled into a big dancealong of Hahaha Pt. 2 a very unexpected (but welcomed) song choice!

Lilliputian Chop continued the dancey/funky vein and then we were joined by Mr Steak (how much I love how silly Kishi Bashi shows can get).  Mr. Steak danced to his song and we all danced along.

Kishi Bashi has not gotten to the point where he’s not going to play some of my favorite songs because he has so many songs.  But he didn’t leave out the fantastic Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It! (complete with beatboxing and looping).

The set ended with a fun clapalong of Honeybody.  And yes everybody was in the best mood after that.

For the encore, K and  the band all moved to the center of the floor (we hung back away from the throngs.  They gathered round and stood on a chair and sang the sweetest Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear.  It was like a campfire in the dimly lit room.   It was followed by a more soaring Manchester.

Then they ended with a fun cover of Rod Stewart’s Ooh La La with the chorus I wish that I knew what I know nowwhen I was younger.  They continued to sing the song from the middle of the floor to backstage.

What a fun-filled night.  I’m only surprised more people don’t know about him.  We look forward to show number 7!

 

2024 Brooklyn Bowl 2022 The Foundry 2019 Union Transfer
Violin Akai € Intro / Pathos, Pathos ∇ Marigolds Ø
Chiba Funk € Manchester ∇ F Delano Ø
Late Night Comic € Bright Whites ∇ Hey Big Star $
It All Began With a Burst ∇ It All Began With a Burst ∇ Say Yeah $
Can’t Let Go, Juno $ Wonder Woman, Wonder Me ∇ Carry on Phenomenon ∠
Marigolds Ø Atticus, in the Desert ∇ Honeybody $
Colorful State € I Am the Antichrist to You ∇ Honeybody Remix $
solo improv Beat the Bright Out of Me ∇ Can’t Let Go, Juno $
I Am the Antichrist to You (solo) ∇ This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads cover) Theme From Jerome (Forgotten Words) Ø
Summer of ’42 (solo) Ø Q&A ∠ I Am the Antichrist to You (solo) ∇
Violin Tsunami Ø Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear Ø This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads cover) (solo)
This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads cover) (solo) Marigolds Ø Violin/Banjo improv
Escape from Knossos € I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) (Meat Loaf cover) Bright Whites ∇
Icarus IV € The Ballad of Mr. Steak ∠ Q&A ∠
Hahaha Pt. 2 ∠ Honeybody (began with studio arrangement which bled into performing in the style of the Mattsoro remix) $ Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear Ø
Lilliputian Chop € encore Angeline Ø
The Ballad of Mr. Steak ∠ Violin Tsunami Ø Violin Tsunami Ø
Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It! ∠ Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It! ∠ Ode to My Next Life $
Honeybody $ Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It! ∠
encore Atticus, in the Desert ∇
Penny Rabbit and Summer Bear (acoustic, in crowd) Ø (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life (Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes cover)
Manchester (acoustic, in crowd) ∇ The Ballad of Mr. Steak ∠
Ooh La La (Rod Stewart cover) (acoustic, in crowd) It All Began With a Burst ∇
encore
Annie, Heart Thief of the Sea (acoustic, in crowd) Ø
Manchester (acoustic, in crowd) ∇
Summer of ’42 (acoustic, in crowd) Ø

 

 

 

2016 Union Transfer 2015 TLA (opening for Guster) 2014 New Brunswick (opening for Rod y Gab)
Stranger Things Theme [recordong] violin improv violin improv
Statues in a Gallery $ Atticus, in the Desert ∇     It All Began With a Burst ∇
Hey Big Star $ Bright Whites ∇ Bittersweet Genesis for Him AND Her ∠
m’lover $ Bittersweet Genesis for Him AND Her ∠ Atticus, in the Desert ∇ 
Atticus, in the Desert (featuring extended banjo percussion solo) ∇     The Ballad of Mr. Steak ∠ Bright Whites ∇
Bright Whites (with improv interlude featuring flute solo) ∇ Q&A ∠ Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It! ∠
Carry on Phenomenon ∠ Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It! ∠ Manchester ∇
Who’d You Kill $ Manchester ∇
Can’t Let Go, Juno $
Say Yeah $
Ode to My Next Life $
I Am the Antichrist to You ∇ (solo)
The Ballad of Mr. Steak (featuring Mr. Steak) ∠
Philosophize in It! Chemicalize with It! ∠
It All Began With a Burst (with “Don’t vote for Trump” vocal loop) ∇
encore
Honeybody $
Q&A ∠
Manchester ∇
€ Kantos (2024)
Ø Omoiyari (2019)
$ Sonderlust (2016)
∠ Lighght (2014)
∇ 151a (2012)

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The Damned / Baby Shakes / Fucked Up (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, October 29, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Baby Shakes, Brooklyn Bowl, Fucked Up, Philadelphia, PA, The Damned on October 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 29, 2023] The Damned / Baby Shakes / Fucked Up

It’s hard to believe I had three opportunities to check out his show.  I had originally blown it off thinking I didn’t care for The Damned enough to go to any of them.  But then the first show was situated right between two other shows–three nights in a row is a challenge.  Then the next two, including this one, were scheduled for nights that I already had a ticket to a show.

And maybe I wanted to see The Dammed, now, but I wanted to see Hooveriii much more.

I doubt they’ll come back again, but who knows.

~!~~

I saw the Damned in 1998 at Coney Island High (RIP) with my friend Garry.

I honestly don’t remember all that much about the show.  Although Setlist actually has the details from that show! (see below).

I was never really a fan of the band.  I like “Neat Neat Neat” but don’t know much else. When this new tour was announced I was mostly interested in seeing Fucked Up again.  (more…)

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Boris (Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2023)

Posted in Boris, Brooklyn Bowl, Mr. Phylzzz , Philadelphia, PA, The Melvins on September 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 21, 2023] Boris 

I can’t believe it has been four years since I last saw Boris.  Their shows leave a powerful impression on a person.

I couldn’t make their last tour back in 2022, but that’s okay.  Their last show tided me over for four years clearly.

This tour announcement was interesting because they had just released an album called Heavy Rocks, but this tour was them playing Heavy Rocks, the album they released in 2002, in its entirety.  [They have released three albums called Heavy Rocks, all different–in 2022 they played the 2022 Heavy Rocks in total].

I’m pretty delighted that with the three shows I have seen such a variety of songs.

I don’t really have a favorite Boris album, but this one is pretty fantastic.  With several really heavy songs, several sing a long moments (whether or not you know Japanese) and even a few mellow, quieter moments.

As with each time I’ve seen them, Takeshi stands to our right with his double neck bass/guitar.  Atsuo is in the middle with his drum kit and gong and Wata stood on our left with her guitar and effects pedal.  The previous two shows she had more gear, but since this show was for a twenty year old record, she didn’t need anything else.

The show started, as it should, with Atsuo smashing the gong.  And then the sludgy riff of “Heavy Friends” introduced us to Heavy Rocks.  The lights were still way too red, but it didn’t impact the sound, which was immense and awesome. (more…)

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Melvins: Twins of Evil Tour (Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2023) [BORIS]

Posted in Boris, Brooklyn Bowl, Mr. Phylzzz , Philadelphia, PA, The Melvins on September 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 21, 2023] Melvins 

Despite everything in the world indicating that I should be a Melvins fan, I have never really gotten into them.  I mean, I’ve loved thigns about them for decades.  I loved that they put out three “solo” albums that looked just like the Kiss solo albums.  I love that Boris got their name from one of their songs.

And yet, for whatever reason, I just never followed them. They may just be a little too much in every way for me.   Love them in theory nut not in reality.

So I’ve never wanted to see them live.  And when this dual bill with Boris was announced, it made sense, but I wasn’t that excited about it.  I actually thought that if Melvins were headlining, I might leave to get home early.  Although, honestly, how could I leave without at least laying eyes on Buzz Osbourne in the flesh.

So Melvins were playing their Bullhead album in its entirety.  I didn’t know it. I don’t know if it’s special in any way in their catalog.  But it does contain the song “Boris” so…. (more…)

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Mr. Phylzzz (Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2023) [BORIS]

Posted in Boris, Brooklyn Bowl, Mr. Phylzzz , Philadelphia, PA, The Melvins on September 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 21, 2023] Mr. Phylzzz 

Mr. Phylzzz were described as a “two-piece loud-ass noise rock band from Chicago, IL.”   And indeed, they were a two-piece and in the way of man two-piece bands, they were loud-ass.

Mr. Phylzzz (pronounced Flyzzz) consists of Clinton Jacobs (guitar/vox) & Danny Sein (drums).  Since Sein is behind the kit (and seriously pummeling it), it’s up to Jacobs to be the entertainment.  He pretty much never stood still. He ran back and forth around the stage, he climbed into the audience, he waved his guitar around, he looked very intimidating.  And yet he had a completely childlike (comically so) speaking voice.

Were the songs simple?  Sure!  Did they rock?  Yes indeed.

There was a real classic rock feel to many of the songs (probably because of Jacob’s falsetto).  A song like “Pretend Friends” is only a couple of notes, but they are catchy.  And after the verse (single notes really fuzzed out) the song gets huge when Jacob plays the whole chord.

And there was much entertainment at the end of the song when Jacobs and Sein crashed the chords/cymbals at the same time and Jacobs roared his guitar during the pauses.

Incidentally, Sein was wearing a shirt and tie and Jacobs had on a suit–although the jacket was ripped from the bottom up to the sleeve for maximum free movement. (more…)

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ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party (July 29, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party, Brooklyn Bowl, Cafuné, David Kushner, DJ Reed Streets, Grouplove, Max Davey, Philadelphia, PA, Portugal The Man, Snacktime, The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Foundry, Voilà on July 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 29, 2023] ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party

I received a notification that Portugal. The Man were going to be playing at The Fillmore.  They are a band who are high on my “wanna see” list.  So I grabbed a ticket even though I had a ticket for another show that night.

Then I learned a short time later that the Portugal. The Man show was part of this ALT 104.5 Fishtown FestivALT Block Party.  It’s an all-day affair in three locations.  Much of it is free, although the Portugal. show is not.  Well, then it turned out that we were picking up my daughter from camp that day–so that knocked out going into town early.  And then we got invited to a farewell party for a friend who was leaving the area.  So there went the evening show.  I tried to resell my tickets but I guess Portugal. The Man is not on the top of everyone’s “must see” list.

As for the free bands, it’s amazing how much TikTok is making new bands into favorites.

There are three venues involved. (more…)

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Panchiko / Horse Jumper of Love / LSD and the Search for God (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, June 2, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Horse Jumper of Love, LSD and the Search for God, Panchiko, Philadelphia, PA on June 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 2, 2023] Panchiko / Horse Jumper of Love / LSD and the Search for God

The story of Panchiko is absurd.

The band first received public attention in 2016 when their 2000 demo EP D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L was discovered by a 4chan user in a charity shop in Sherwood, Nottingham and shared online. The EP’s status as lost media led to a dedicated cult following and a community devoted to tracking down its band members. This was unbeknownst to the band until 2020, when Davies was found and contacted by a fan through Facebook.

Panchiko has since released two compilation albums remastering their older music: a reissue of D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L combining their first two EPs and Ferric Oxide (Demos 1997-2001). In December 2021, the band performed their first show in over twenty years in their hometown of Nottingham, after which they embarked on their first tour in the United States.  In November 2021, they amassed over 10 million streams on Spotify.

I mean, not to mention that the word they are talking about is actually Pachinko.  But whatever.  I listened to the EP back in 2019 or so and liked it.  I considered seeing them when they came around in 2022, but it fell through for some reason.

I didn’t actually hear about this show until a few days ago and it was too late to make plans to go. I haven’t even really listened to the new music to know if I wanted to go, so no big deal.

Back in 2021, when I looked up Horse Jumper of Love, I discovered

They play downbeat, rather depressing mope rock.  With occasional flares of noise attached.  I’d hope they’d be more lively in concert.  But I doubt it somehow.

LSD and the Search for God are pretty interesting.  I listened to a few of their songs and really liked them. And then, just as quickly, I got tired of them.  Drugs, huh?

LSD and the Search for God hit the Northern California coast in 2005–seemingly from another space and time–dosing San Francisco’s underground psychedelic music community with hypnotic live shows built upon swirling guitars, otherworldly drones, fuzzed-out pop hooks, and youthfully flirtatious male/female vocals.

I suspect they’d be very good live.

 

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Fruit Bats / H.C. McEntire (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, April 19, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Fruit Bats, H.C. McEntire, Philadelphia, PA on April 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 19, 2022] Fruit Bats / H.C. McEntire

Exactly one year ago to the day, Fruit Bats played Philadelphia.  My wife really liked the song that was on the radio, so when the show was announced I grabbed us tickets.   We never listened to anything else by them, and when the night of the show came up, we had other things to do, so we didn’t go.

It’s a year later.  I don’t even know if they have new music out.  Suffice to say we didn’t plan to go.

H.C. McEntire is from North Carolina.  She plays piano and sounds (at least on “Rows of Clover” remarkably like Tori Amos (with more of a southern accent).  On another song she sounds less like Tori and more Southern.  I probably would have enjoyed her as an opening act.

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Cosmic Guilt / Garcia Peoples (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, March 31, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Cosmic Guilt, Low Cut Connie, Philadelphia, PA on March 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 31, 2023] Cosmic Guilt / Garcia Peoples

This missed show continues my streak of not going to Brooklyn Bowl.  I has nothing to do with the venue. It’s right next to venues that I have been next to many times.  Something always seems to come up with shows here.

Although what came up with this show is that I don’t really like the headliner.

The show came to my attention because Garcia Peoples were playing.  Shockingly for me, Garcia Peoples were opening for Cosmic Guilt.

Although with a very minimal amount of digging I have now learned that Cosmic Guilt were formed by the former lead guitar player for Low Cut Connie and are based in Fishtown.  So yes, this is a hometown show with a popular home town dude.

I happen to not really like Low Cut Connie, so it’s probably not surprising that I feel the same about Cosmic Guilt.  I find some of what they do to be good, but overall, it’s not quite right for me, despite their billing as “a ten-piece, psych-tinged, heavily fringed folk outfit.”

I love Garcia Peoples, but I wouldn’t see them open for a band I don’t really like especially since they tour all the time and I can see them headline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Me First and the Gimme Gimmes / The Black Tones / Surfbort (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, October 13, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Philadelphia, PA, Surfbort, The Black Tones on October 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 13, 2022] Me First and the Gimme Gimmes / The Black Tones / Surfbort

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes was a band I knew nothing about but didn’t like, based on their name.  Then I learned that they are a cover band doing punk covers of classic rock songs and I thought their name was actually pretty perfect and now I want to see them live too.

This tour seemed really fun.  Although, they were ALSO playing in NJ two nights rom now and the show included Anti-Flag.  Both of these shows were during a mad week of concerts and not only did I have tickets to a show this night already, but there had been a possibility of a show every night this week (which didn’t happen).

I hope they tour again, although I understand its a rare treat.

The Black Tones is a band that I hadn’t heard of.  According to one blurb they infuse the spirit of punk rock in their modernized version of blues rock, in a really cool and subversive way. And all of that, of course, wouldn’t matter if they weren’t a killer live band.

Surfbort are a legendary underground band who I wished I’d seen the last time they came around. I mean:

Channeling inspiration from the 80’s punk scene to produce rousing, explosive music, their feedback strafed, guitar-shredding music says no to a digital age full of intolerance; they radiate love and friendship. All are welcome in the SURFBORT FREAK FAMILY!

Sounds like a great night.  And it’s yet another show at Brooklyn Bowl that I missed.

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