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Archive for the ‘Johnny Brenda’s’ Category

The Rural Alberta Advantage (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2026)

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Jordan Burchel, Philadelphia, PA, The Rural Alberta Advantage on February 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2026] Jordan Burchel

Jordan I saw The Rural Alberta Advantage two years ago at The Foundry and it was such a great show I couldn’t wait to see them again.  I even grabbed a ticket for my wife because I was sure she’d love them.  She didn’t feel up to going but I did and it was even more fun than last time.

The RAA is a trio with an unusual setup: Keys, guitar and drums, with the drums on the right side and the drummer facing the other two.  Nils Edenloff sings and plays acoustic guitar.  Amy Cole plays keys and (most importantly) bass foot pedals that add so much to these songs. She also has a floor tom that she occasionally bangs on.  And Paul Banwatt plays drums (which is the biggest understatement I can make).

I wrote this last time and I’ll say it again

But no drumming could compare to Paul Banwatt.  He has a fairly small kit, but it’s amazing that it’s still standing by the end of the show.  He throws in all kinds of fills on the snare and even the hi-hat.  He has speed and power and is simply amazing to watch.  I think that since the songs themselves are fairly simple, it gives Banwatt the ability to fill in any open spaces as needed.  Banwatt, who is also a lawyer (!) has to be the most underrated drummer out there.  The way he plays the drums in counterpoint to the guitar in “Drain the Blood ” is just incredible to watch.

He broke two drumstick by about the fifth song.

Amy Cole has a lot to do in the songs, but she also has parts where she doesn’t do anything.  So she skips around the stage, claps, or just hangs out in the back of the stage until one of her responsibilities is called upon.  She and Paul seem to communicate a lot on stage with meaningful looks.  They even had a kind of dance move for one of the songs when Nils was singing by himself.

For a band whose songs are so intense (Nils’ voice is so intense, I love it) they have a lot of fun.

They are not very prolific–they were still calling their last album (2023) their new album.  Although Nils did say that his friend got him to participate in a “write a song a week” session which really loosened up his creativity. They have been around for almost 20 years and have put out 5 albums (an easy band to get caught up with). (more…)

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Jordan Burchel (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2026) [THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Jordan Burchel, Philadelphia, PA, The Rural Alberta Advantage on February 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2026] Jordan Burchel

Jordan Burchel is a folk singer from Florida.  He writes clever lyrics over simple, catchy melodies. I’d never heard of him before the show but I liked him a lot.  I almost bought a T shirt from him (they were cool designs) but the line was too long.

He sang and played guitar and his wife (I’m fairly certain) Sam (he mentioned her last name briefly, but said Sam several times) sang the harmonies (which added so much to the songs!)

He joked that he wrote the setlist on a plate (a Johnny Brenda’s tradition, I feel) but that he couldn’t read the plate from where he was.

He was very funny telling stories between songs.  He even joked that he felt weird about bending over to get his water because he was afraid he looked like Marco Rubio in that video where he bent out of frame to drink a water–and he doesn’t want to be associated with that man in any way.

He made a joke comparing Florida where he was born and raised to his Aunt Jane while at his wedding. She hit on all of his friends.  Like Florida, he loves his Aunt Jane, he just wishes she were different.

And on another song he has a lyric about taking all the spoons and knives.  He said he didn’t really know what that meant and if anyone had any ideas they could tell him.  He said that after one show a very intense guy came up to him and said I know what it means.  You took the spoons and knives…. but you left the forks [end of statement]. (more…)

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Mdou Moctar (solo) / Koof Ibi (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 4, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Koof Ibi, Mdou Moctar, Philadelphia, PA on February 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 4, 2026] Mdou Moctar / Koof Ibi

I have seen Mdou Moctar twice, both in 2024.

His shows (first electric, second acoustic) were really enjoyable.  He’s an amazing player and really charming.  I’ve not seen him solo and I’m not sure if it was electric or acoustic.  But I didn’t feel like going out to this show.  I’m sure I’ll see him again in thefuture though.

Kooh Ibi is a trumpet player born in New Jersey who is now in Philly.  He loops and samples music to create his trumpet pieces.  I listened to a few minutes of one and it was remarkably subdued–but really interesting.

This was probably a cool chill evening of jazzy music.

 

I really like The Messthetics (including the name).  The band has at its core drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally who were both in Fugazi.  Along with guitarist Anthony Pirog, they make cool and interesting instrumental rock.  They have been pretty high on my list of bands to see. (more…)

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Speedy Ortiz / Phoebe Rings / @ / Dylan Baldi (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, December 8, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Cloud Nothings, Dylan Baldi, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Speedy Ortiz on December 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 8, 2025] Speedy Ortiz / Phoebe Rings / @ / Dylan Baldi

When I bought the ticket for this show, I thought it might be my last show of the year.  I also thought it would be fun to end the year with another Speedy Ortiz show.  But then I found out that Chokecherry, a band I’ve been wanting to see again, was playing the following night.  And since I’ve seen Speedy a bunch, I blew this show off.

It turns out this was a 25th anniversary showcase night for bands on the Carpark label.  All four bands are on the label.

We had just seen Phoebe Rings open for The Beths.  When this was first announced I wondered how Phoebe Rings could get two gigs so close together.  It was planned that way.  After two nights with The Beths, there was no rest for them as they moved on to conquer Johnny Brenda’s.

We saw @ open for Waxahatchee.  I wrote They are kind of interesting and experimental, with lots of sounds layered on to straightforward lyrics.  But live, they were the least dynamic duo I’ve ever seen.  So I’mnot sad to be missing them.

The only person I didn’t know was Dylan Baldi, although I see that Dylan Baldi is guitarist and songwriter for Cloud Nothings. I’ve heard of Cloud Nothings–in fact I feel like I even know them.  But I don’t think I do, they’re kind of pop punky.  He doesn’t seem to have any solo albums out so I assume he was going to sing Cloud Nothings songs.

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Stinking Lizaveta / channls (album relase) / Deathbird Earth (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 21, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in channls, Deathbird Earth, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Post Animal, Stinking Lizaveta, The Slaps on November 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 21, 2025] Stinking Lizaveta / channls (album relase) / Deathbird Earth

For reasons I don’t entirely remember, I’ve added Stinking Lizaveta to the list of bands that I’d like to see.

I think what inspired me to check them out is that they are an instrumental band who play complex music.

And this is the third or fourth time that I am not seeing them.  But for some reason I didn’t really feel like going to this show.

channls is a heavy post rock band from Philadelphia.  This show was an album release show for them, although they weren’t the headliners.  Their bandcamp page says

Formed in 2023 by drummer Jay Yachetta and guitar player Steven Rosplock – veterans of the progressive outfit Phantasm – channls is rounded out by two key figures from the Philly music underground: bassist Vincent King (In the Presence of Wolves) and guitarist Jace Miller (Alright Junior). In a move that borders on poetic irony, the band boasts three frontmen in a project where vocals are conspicuously absent.  The band’s sound, rooted in post-rock but unafraid of distortion-drenched aggression, occupies a liminal space between beauty and brutality.

I’m now thinking that this would have been a really good show and I should have gone.

Deathbird Earth are a dup from Philly (BJ – BASS, SYNTHESIZERS, VOCALS; DAVE – DRUMS, PERCUSSION, SYNTHESIZER).  I really enjoy watching two people make a ton of noise and their recording has a lot going on.  They note:

Deathbird Earth’s sound tends to eschew typical genre classification but is made from a mix of heavy drums and distorted bass layered with keyboard sounds that may or may not be lifted from your favorite classic science fiction films.

I guess you’d call them heavy metal, but there’s a lot going on in this heavy metal. They’re the only band with and singing tonight.

 

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Merce Lemon / Hemlock / Soup Dreams (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 12, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Hemlock, Johnny Brenda's, Merce Lemon, Philadelphia, PA, Soup Dreams on November 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 12, 2025] Merce Lemon / Hemlock / Soup Dreams

We saw Merce Lemon open for The Decemberists in July.  They came out as a five piece (although Merce Lemon is apparently the lead singer and it is her project).  They played six songs, each one at least 5 minutes long.  The songs started out quietly but they usually had really exciting moments and the crowd was easily won over by them.  The last song in particular had a great build up and conclusion.

I assume this isn’t a solo show, but I didn’t love them enough to want to see them headline.

Hemlock was not the heavy metal band from Las Vegas but rather, as their (hilariously old school looking website) describes them they are the ongoing folk experiment of Louisiana-born multi-disciplinary artist and independent musician Carolina Chauffe, and various rotating collaborators.  They play “swamp-raised, phone-fi, alt-folk🕊️🕊️ louisiana & chicago-based, but more often on the road 🕊️ END ICE + FREE PALESTINE.”

According to their tour list, this show was a full band.  Their sound is indeed slow and swampy.

Soup Dreams are a Philly based project.  Get Alternative describes them pretty well

Philly’s Soup Dreams play a familiar style: a dusty, rearview-gazing kind of alt rock that seems perpetually en vogue. With Hellbender, though, they do it very, very well. Much of the appeal lies in Emma Kazan’s voice, which carries some of the same self-assured quiver as Katie Crutchfield’s; in fact, Waxahatchee is a fair comparison point for Soup Dreams, who occasionally come off like the … more alt, less country version of them).

I would say like a combination of Remember Sports, Wednesday, and Ratboys.  They are fairly new and I’m sure I’ll see them open for someone else next year.

 

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Post Animal / The Slaps (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, Novmber 8, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Post Animal, The Slaps on November 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 12, 2025] Post Animal / The Slaps

I saw Post Animal open for Temples back in 2023 and they blew me away:

They came out on stage–all five of them–and proceeded to blow me away with a fusion of what I heard as Rush meets King Gizzard.  The Rush component came in some of their extended, prog-like songs that ended in chord patterns that were very much Rush adjacent.  The King Gizzard part came from some of the frenetic guitar soloing.  And what was really really fun about them was that every song was really different.

I was really excited to see them again and thought Johnny Brenda’s would be a perfect venue for them.  The show had sold out.  I listened to their latest album and it was pretty mellow and straightforward.  I was surprised and lost interest in going to the show.

Since I had a show the night before and the night after, so I blew off the show.  Although looking at the setlist, I gather they did play a lot of their earlier weird stuff too.

The Slaps play a quiet soft folk sound with some quirky elements.  It did suggest that Post Animal would be more mellow. Although perhaps they are louder live, as this review from DC says “a three-piece from Chicago, who cross that great divide between long jazz-inspired passages and straight ahead rock.”

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Guerilla Toss / Godcaster / Special World (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 17, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Godcaster, Guerrilla Toss, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Special World, Speedy Ortiz on October 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 17, 2025] Guerilla Toss / Godcaster / Special World

I’ve been interested in Guerilla Toss for a few years now.  They seem to play a lot in the area, but something always comes up.

They opened for Karina Rykman but I had tickets to a different show that night and later this year they’ll open for Built to Spill but I have surgery scheduled(really bummed about missing that double bill).

I don’t even really know all that much about their music. It’s weird and sounds like if The B52s (without Fred Schneider since the singer of GT is a woman) were more of an underground indie band (so, yes, if The B52s were WEIRDER).  I’ve heard that their live show was a lot of fun–althouhg apparenty it used to be a lot more crazy since they have all matured.  But As one person said it “Guerilla Toss is a chance for experimental, fans-of-the-fringe, noise heads to fuck with mainstream indie-pop, and for mainstream indie-pop heads to fuck with the noise.”

Sounds perfect.  I was all set to go, but we had a family situation and I stayed home.

I feel like I’ve heard people talk about Godcaster, or I just like the name.  Their recording for Audiotree says

Godcaster is an experimental heavy rock band founded by Judson Kolk and Bruce Ebersole who became close friends in Elementary School. The project is known for their ecstatic live shows and serendipitous, incendiary sound.

Listening to the Audiotree set, they are definitely out there.  I’m guessing “experimental” is the new buzzword for hard to describe.  Because they have a very Frank Zappa weirdo vibe.  With lots of complicated melodies and a singer who seems to just sing the weird melodies–there’s even a flute.

Wow, I really want to see them now.

Special World is Andy Molholt, a Philly based experimental musician and guitarist for Speedy Ortiz.   I knew he made cool sounds with Speedy, but this is some pretty trippy bedroom experimentation.  Voices are blurred, sounds echo.  There’s a melody, but it’s bathed in oddity.  Probably a fun war up for the weirdness to follow

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Goat Girl / Maria BC (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 13, 2025) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Goat Girl, Johnny Brenda's, Maria BC, Philadelphia, PA on October 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: October 13, 2025] Goat Girl / Maria BC

I saw Goat Girl open for Parquet Courts back in 2018 and I really enjoyed their set.  I liked how they played a variety of styles, sometimes playing very loudly, but other times having a kind of drunken country feel.  THey were fun and I was interested in seeing them again.

But then in August they announced that they had to cancel the whole tour:

Hello everyone We’re really sad to share that, due to personal reasons, we won’t be able to go ahead with our North American tour next month. This was not an easy decision, and we’re truly sorry to everyone who was looking forward to seeing us. We were so excited to come back to the US and Canada – it’s been a while, and it means so much to know you’ve been waiting to see us play. This isn’t goodbye, we fully intend to be back as soon as we can. Thank you for your understanding, and for all the love and support you continue to give us.

Maria BC is an American ambient musician.  She sings over quiet, slightly creepy music–catchy melodies with unusual instrumentation.  Interesting and pretty different from Goat Girl.

I assume they’ll be back again.

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Hotline TNT / Dusk (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 12, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Hotline TNT, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA on October 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 12, 2025] Hotline TNT /Dusk 

Hotline TNT have played Philly a few times in the last year.  I was a little bit obsessed with them since I missed them back in January 2024 (and then fell in love with their record).  When they played a show in June that I missed, I wrote

Hotline TNT plays what I can only describe as classic shoegaze, which is definitely having a moment again.  Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, they don’t really mess with the classic shoegaze vibe all that much–not adding elements at all.  Their music warms my heart and I’d love to see them live.

I would have loved to go to this show–reviews say they killed it. But it was the night after two long standing nights with My Morning Jacket, and that was just too much.

I can’t figure out who Dusk is.  There’s a number of bands called Dusk.  The most likely one here seems to be the band from Wisconsin, although they are kind of country, which doesn’t quite fit.  There’s an industrial black metal band called Dusk, but I assume it’s not them.  And there’s a band from Austria called Dusk.  It’s as confusing as the fact that I couldn’t find a poster for this mini tour or this show and the only thing I could find was this ad for LPR.

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