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Archive for the ‘Johnny Brenda’s’ Category

Mondo Cozmo / The Cobbs (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 11, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Mondo Cozmo, Philadelphia, PA, The Cobbs on September 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2025] Mondo Cozmo / The Cobbs

Two years ago my wife and I saw Mondo Cozmo and it was great.  A ton of fun and lots of singing along.  This year he was playing Johnny Brenda’s but I’d already had two possible shows lined up for this night.  So, he didn’t really stand a chance.

Interestingly, the night before we saw them, they played Ardmore Music Hall with the same lineup as this show.  Here’s what I wrote two years ago.

We got tickets for the Saturday night show.  And I’m so glad I did.  For two main reasons.

  1. Mondo Cozmo played a song called “Your Motherfucker” which was hilarious and outstanding.  He didn’t play it in Ardmore because his mother was there.  So I’m glad we go to hear it.
  2. He told us that after about four songs in Ardmore, the fire alarm went off and everyone had to leave.  They didn’t go home, but I’m sure some people did.  Then the resumed, but that would have been really annoying.

I don’t know what else he played in Ardmore, but whatever it was, he played exactly what I wanted to hear in Underground Arts, so I ‘ll just be happy with the great show we had. (more…)

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Nanocluster : Immersion | Suss (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 1, 2025)

Posted in Immersion, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Suss on April 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 1, 2025] Nanocluster : Immersion | Suss

I stumbled upon Suss one night when I was looking for music to relax to.  I got a kick out of the name–my kids had been using it as slang quite a lot at the time–and really enjoyed their music.  The seem to be described as “ambient country” which would have turned me off.  I’d rather think of them as a soundtrack to the open spaces in the midwest and west (even though all three members are from New York City.

The trio is Jonathan Gregg: Pedal Steel, dobro ; Bob Holmes: Mandolin, baritone guitar, acoustic guitar, harmonica, violin, Keyboards ; Pat Irwin: Electric guitars, National guitar, eBow, harmonium, keyboards, melodica, loops.

Then one night I was listening to Echoes on NPR and they had an interview with Suss.  Which seemed coincidental.  And they mentioned this album that they had made with Immersion.   Immersion is a project from Colin Newman of Wire.  He and Malka Spigel (his wife) who played in Minimal Compact started this electronic project some 30 years ago.  Then in 2021 they started doing Nanocluster projects where they collaborated with others.  Volume 3 featured Suss.  So this was a tour of the album (which is short) as well as sets from each band.

I almost never sit in the balcony at Johnny Brenda’s.  I like to be up by the stage.  But this show, which promised to be very chill, seemed like a great opportunity to go upstairs and grab a stool!

Suss came out first.  They were clustered close together because there was so much gear on the stage.   They had two screens behind them.  Each one projected the same thing (which was weird when it was a  camera panning over a landscape since it seemed like it should continue from one screen to the next rather than being the same thing, but that’s fine.

The three guys bent over their instruments and made beautiful instrumental music.  Keys, slide guitar and other instruments created a dreamy feeling of being in open spaces.  After about 15 minutes or so they were joined by a bass player (whose name I didn’t catch),  he didn’t add fancy bass lines, just a nice low end.  They ended as a trio with one of the guys whistling a sad mournful melody.  (more…)

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The Bevis Frond / Oneida (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, March 1, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Oneida, Philadelphia, PA, The Bevis Frond on March 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 1, 2025] The Bevis Frond [moved from October 11, 2024]

I feel like I’ve always been aware of The Bevis Frond, but I don’t think I’d ever heard them.

When they announced their first US tour in 25 years I grabbed a ticket without even being sure if I really liked them,  So I listened to them a bunch and, yes, I do like them.

I felt lucky to be able to go to one of these shows as there were only 8 shows on the tour.

And then in late August it was announced

The Bevis Frond’s first US Tour in over two decades has now been re-scheduled for 2025. Fans can expect a selection from the Frond’s colossal catalogue as well as new music from their recent Fire releases, for what promises to be an historic live show.

When the new tour was announced, I was pretty excited to have one of my first shows scheduled for 2025.  And I was looking forward to this show for months.

And then, my family had plans during the day of March 1.  And the day was very good and we enjoyed ourselves quite a lot.  And we dithered about what time t o head home.  And the thing that bummed me out the most is that we dithered long enough that by the time we got home, we were just late enough that I wouldn’t have been able to make the show.  If we had stayed out later to have made it undoable entirely that would have been fine. But to make it so that I basically was just unable to go was a real bummer especially since I doubt he’ll be back for another tour.

Oneida is described as an experimental band from Brooklyn.  But the few songs I listened to weren’t that experimental.   They strike me more as a garage rock/psychedelic lumbering entity.  Joyful Noise, their record label says

Oneida has long straddled gray-area boundaries between the NYC punk/psych/rock world and the art/experimental world, playing at gritty rock clubs and elevated cultural institutions, including the Guggenheim, MoMA PS1, ICA London, MassMOCA and the Knoxville Museum of Art. The band has been known for extended live improvisational performances,

I’m guessing they would have been pretty fun.

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Jessica Lea Mayfield / MARGAUX / lowercase roses (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, January 28, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Jessica Lea Mayfield, Johnny Brenda's, lowercase roses, Margaux, Philadelphia, PA on January 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 28, 2025] Jessica Lea Mayfield / MARGAUX / lowercase roses

I saw Jessica Lea Mayfield in 2018 and really enjoyed her set.   Since then, I have been following her on Instagram and I enjoy her social media presence.  I genuinely have no idea if she has released any new music since 2018 (when I loved her song Sorry is Gone).  Huh, in fact she has not put out any new music since then, although she does have an EP coming out soon.

Looking at her setlist, she played almost the same set as when I saw her in 2018.  With songs mostly from Sorry is Gone and few more songs from her album Make My Head Sing.  I’m sure I would have enjoyed this show, but I wasn’t all that interested in going.

Margaux is yet another new singer going by a mononym.  Margaux Bouchegnies is a singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY.  She is inspired by Motown, Pixies, and Dirty Projectors. (more…)

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Third Annual Abortion Access Benefit: Control Top / Dark Thoughts / Mopar Stars / Money Nicca / Nina Ryser / Noun / Pinkwash / (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, January 25, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Control Top, Dark Thoughts, Johnny Brenda's, Mopar Stars, Nina Ryser, Noun, Palberta, Philadelphia, PA, Pinkwash, Rachel Fogletto, Screaming Females, Third Annual Abortion Access Benefit on January 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 25, 2025] Control Top / Dark Thoughts / Mopar Stars / Money Nicca / Nina Ryser / Noun / Pinkwash

I bought a ticket to this show primarily for Control Top.  And I added an extra donation because I felt the cause was really important.  And then I grabbed tickets to Soccer Mommy which was a show that was easier for me to get to.

Ground Control Touring’s 3rd Annual Abortion Access Benefit Series takes place in NYC, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, DC, Austin, and Raleigh on January 25, 2025! Visit their website to see the variety of bands at each show and specific event details! 100% of proceeds from all shows are donated directly to NOISE FOR NOW who will allocate the funds raised to local abortion funds in need. You can also text GCT to 53-555 if you can’t make it out but would still like to donate.

Proceeds support: Abortion Liberation Fund of PA, Access Reproductive Care – Southeast, ACCESS Reproductive Justice, The Afiya Center’s SYS Fund, Baby2Baby’s Disaster Relief and Emergency Response, Carolina Abortion Fund, DC Abortion Fund, Feminist Women’s Health Center, Lilith Fund, Midwest Access Coalition, New York Abortion Access Fund, Northwest Abortion Access Fund, and independent abortion clinics in California, DC, Illinois, New York, North Carolina, the Pacific Northwest and Pennsylvania via Keep Our Clinics.

And here’s the blurb from Johnny Brenda’s

Ground Control Touring is thrilled to announce they’re teaming up for the third year with NOISE FOR NOW, a non-profit specializing in reproductive justice, to take action and bring awareness with its third annual Abortion Access Benefit Series. The series has expanded to take over EIGHT cities, coinciding on Saturday, January 25th, 2025 – Los Angeles at Lodge Room, New York City at Bowery Ballroom, Chicago at Sleeping Village, Atlanta at The Masquerade (Purgatory), Philadelphia at Johnny Brenda’s, Austin at Hotel Vegas, DC at Songbyrd, and Raleigh at Kings. Since its inception in 2023, the Abortion Access Benefit Series has raised over $110,000 via eight completely sold out nationwide events, with performances by nearly 100 artists and silent auction bundles provided by dozens of community sponsors and local businesses.
Each benefit show will feature a special night of music and festivities in support of abortion funds, community, and bodily autonomy. 100% of proceeds will go to NOISE FOR NOW who will then allocate the funds raised to local independent abortion clinics and abortion funds in each region.
More about NOISE FOR NOW: NOISE FOR NOW is a national initiative that enables artists and entertainers to connect with and financially support grassroots organizations that work in the field of Reproductive Justice, including abortion access. Reproductive health care services, including access to legal abortion, are under attack. By organizing benefit events and campaigns, NOISE FOR NOW provides opportunities for artists and entertainers to use their talent to raise money and send a clear message that Reproductive Rights are human rights. Since their inaugural benefit concert in 2017, NOISE FOR NOW has worked with over 450 artists and entertainers to raise $1.36M for 54 partner organizations. In 2023, NOISE FOR NOW established a record label and has released 3 benefit compilations, 2 of which are streaming on all digital platforms.

(more…)

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Kurt Vile (solo acoustic) / Mike Polizze (solo acoustic) (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, January 18, 2025) early and late shows [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Kurt Vile, Mike Polizze, Philadelphia, PA, Purling Hiss on January 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 18, 2025] Kurt Vile / Mike Polizze

I asked my wife if she wanted to see Kurt Vile (whom she loves) but we kind of both felt that we didn’t really want to see him play solo acoustic.  And that’s fine.  We had seen him not too long ago, and honestly I enjoyed his electric sound a lot more.

And then it sold out in a minute anyhow.  Later I managed to get tickets for Bruce McCullough on the same night.  But I hadn’t realized that they’d announced an early show (5:30) that night as well.  We could possibly have done both!

Mike Polizze is the main guy behind Purling Hiss, a band I’ve seen once and really liked.  I don’t think I even knew that he was an opening act for this show until I started to write this. (more…)

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Geordie Greep / NNAMDÏ (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, January 14, 2025) AND (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, January 16 & 17, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Black Midi, First Unitarian Church, Geordie Greep, Johnny Brenda's, NNAMDÏ, Philadelphia, PA on January 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 14, 16 & 17, 2025] Geordie Greep / NNAMDÏ

Geordie Greep is one of the vocalists in Black Midi.  He’s a fascinating dude with a fascinating voice.  When I saw that he was doing a solo tour, I was really intrigued.

But when I went to the Johnny Brenda’s site, both night were long sold out.

Sometime later he added another date, but this one was at the Church, so I knew I wouldn’t be going to the show.

I’m not too heartbroken about it, but it would have been interesting to be sure

i saw NNAMDÏ open for Wilco four years ago and I loved their set.  I wrote

I felt like he was digging into prog-rock territory and yet I guess it would be more accurately labelled as jazz with rapid time changes, incredibly fast parts and wicked jamming.   And yet the roots of most of his songs were a kind of pop/R&B vibe.

This is a solid double bill, with three shows I couldn’t make.

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Basic / The Early / Totally Automatic (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, December 7, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Basic, Chris Forsyth, Johnny Brenda's, Nick Millevoi, Philadelphia, PA, The Early, Totally Automatic on December 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 7, 2024] Basic / The Early / Totally Automatic

I have seen Basic twice in recent months and didn’t really feel compelled to go again. I do enjoy their music (and would have enjoyed seeing them at Johnny Brenda’s, but I had tickets to see Ride tonight and there’s no way I was passing up them for this.

The Early says about themselves

Formed in north Jersey in 2004, The Early’s music metabolizes the textural grandeur of post-rock, the communicational intimacy of jazz improvisation, and the patient grooves of minimalism. Currently operating out of Philadelphia, PA.

So what does that mean?  Interesting and improvisational-adjacent jazzy instrumentals, from the sound of their most recent record.  The Early appears to be Alex Lewis – electric guitar, korg minilogue and Jake Nussbaum – drum set, percussion, contact mics.  I’m not sure if there were more people on stage.

The Early released an album with Totally Automatic this year.

Totally Automatic was formed by Anne Ishii, Eugene Lew and Matthew Smith Lee in the summer of 2021. They play unarranged music with each other, on drums, saxophone and electronics, and can be found around Philadelphia.

So this set would be even more improvised, this time with saxophone.

Probably not the most enjoyable night I could spend, but it would have been kinda fun.

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Illiterate Light / Palmyra (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 14, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Illiterate Light, Johnny Brenda's, Palmyra, Philadelphia, PA on November 14, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November, 14, 2024] Illiterate Light / Palmyra

My wife and I saw Illiterate Light two times within a few months back in 2019.  Since then they’ve played Philly a lot and I haven’t bothered to see them again.  I’m sure they’re still great–we enjoyed both shows–but they have just fallen off my radar.   Interestingly, they played Johnny BRenda’s back in February as well, so clearly they must be popular in Philly without my help.  So, good for them.

Palmyra is a trio from the Shenandoah Valley.  Here’s a fun review from Getalternative.com

Palmyra is a folk trio from the Shenandoah Valley. Teddy, Manoa, and Sasha have personalities that spill out all over the stage and feel like friendly strangers you strike up a conversation with outside a gas station, waiting for the car to fill. Their lyrics ponder an intimate, contemplative side of things. Sasha sings lead vocals and their voice drips with a beautiful desperation, every single word holding an earnestness you don’t find just anywhere anymore. Teddy and Manoa’s harmonies are screw-tight and the collective sound compliments the guitar, mandolin, and upright bass like whipped cream compliments peach cobbler.

I’ve listened to a couple of songs and they vary from rocking to super-folkie.  They’re probably fun live.

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Finom / Meg Elsier (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia PA, November 13, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Finom, Johnny Brenda's, Meg Elsier, Philadelphia, PA on November 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 13, 2024] Finom / Meg Elsier

I saw OHMME open for Jeff Tweedy a few years ago.  Then in August 2022 Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart announced that they had changed their name from OHMME to Finom, for legal reasons.

I really enjoyed them (a lot) when I saw them live, but for one reason or another I haven’t been that interested in seeing them again.  I haven’t really listened to their new music, so it’s not really fair that I haven’t been interested in them, but that’s what happens sometimes.  Although ultimately, the reason I didn’t go is because I had tickets to see Ratboys and Palehound for the same night.

I understand that each of their records is quite different.  The few songs from the album remind me a bit Lucius, but with noise sprinkled into the mix.

Meg Elsier is from Nashville via Boston and plays an indie rock with synthy pop flourishes and noises and other eccentric moments.  The little I heard from her was quite good. She seems like a real character and I’ll bet she’s fun live.

I’ll definitely look for both of them next year.

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