Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Johnny Brenda’s’ Category

Charly Bliss (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 24, 2023)

Posted in 2nd Grade, Charly Bliss, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA on April 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 24, 2023] Charly Bliss

This was my third time seeing Charly Bliss.

This was their first headlining tour in three years.  It made me wonder what they’ve been doing, but I see they have been playing shows in the meantime.  Nevertheless, this one sold out immediately.

The last time I Saw them, I marveled at Eva Hendrick’s energy–she pogoed throughout so many songs.  The whole band was great and that was the case at this show as well.

They played a kind of greatest hits.  Six songs from their debut and six from their follow up.   The rest of the set was filled out with an oldie and four brand new songs.

Spencer Fox on guitar also seems to really enjoy himself–doing fun poses and dances while playing.

He and Eva also have an amazing rapport, especially when she plays guitar and they jam with each other.

Drummer Sam Hendricks is spot on, keeping these songs moving perfectly and bassist Dan Shure contributes lots of keyboards to flesh out the songs.

But really all eyes are on Eva.  She is a bundle of energy–in the way she sings so intensely and the way she dancey and smiles when she’s not singing.

Her outfits are often very interesting too.  Last time I saw the, she was wearing a skirt made of feathers.  This time it was a kind of Chain Mail made of little rubber (?) tchotchkes.   I saw kitty cats and dogs and letter and all kinds of things.

They seemed super psyched that we came out for (and sold out) the show.  She said she wasn’t sure if anyone still cared about them.  But we sure did.

For an encore, they showed their appreciation the only way they knew how–by playing a cover song t hat everyone knew but me: A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton whom I’ve ever heard of. But the song was fun anyhow.

They ended with “Julia” and with Spencer and Eva on their knees on the floor totally jamming out.

It was a ton of fun.  And I’m glad I was able to get a ticket.

April 24, 2023 November 14, 2019 October 8, 2018
Urge to Purge $$ Capacity ¥ Westermarck ⊗
Capacity ¥ Hard to Believe ¥ Scare U ⊗
DQ ⊗ The Truth ¥ Heaven $
Westermarck ⊗ Threat $ Gatorade ⊗
Chatroom ¥ Glitter ⊗ Ruby ⊗
Nineteen ** Supermoon $ Supermoon
Percolator ⊗ Camera ¥ Percolator ⊗
Heaven $ Ruby ⊗ DQ ⊗
Ruby ⊗ Heaven $ Black Hole ⊗
Black Hole ⊗ Under You ¥ Glitter ⊗
Boyfriend  ** Hurt Me ¥
UDK ** Bleach ¥
Calling You Out ** Blown to Bits ¥
Hurt Me ¥ Young Enough ¥
Hard to Believe ¥ Chatroom ¥
Fighting in the Dark (whole band) ¥ encore
Young Enough ¥ Percolator ⊗

encore
A Thousand Miles [Vanessa Carlton cover]
Julia ⊗

*2018: they played everything but “Totalizer” and “Julia” from Guppy.
*2019: they played everything but “Fighting In the Dark” from Young Enough.

** new songs (2023)

$ = Supermoon EP (2019)
¥ = Young Enough (2019)
⊗ = Guppy (2017)
$$ = Soft Serve EP (2014)

Read Full Post »

Overcoats / Halima (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia PA, April 25, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Halima, Johnny Brenda's, Overcoats, Philadelphia, PA on April 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 25, 2023] Overcoats / Halima

I saw Overcoats twice back in 2018 and I was really quite taken with their music and their friendship.

Over the years I’ve cooled on them somewhat.  I’m not sure why, exactly, but I wasn’t interested in seeing them again.  So, that’s okay.

Halima’s bio says

Raised by her mother between Lagos and London, and now based in Brooklyn, Halima draws from a tri-continental well. …  From early explorations of folk and piano to later studies of jazz and R&B, Halima’s career has evolved, making pit stops in pop-punk, neo-soul, and electronic along the way. Now, her sound pulls unapologetically from a broad musical spectrum, nodding sonically to those defining experiences and pushing forward toward a more pointed exploration of self.

I listened to one song and only heard R&B and didn’t like it.

Read Full Post »

2nd Grade (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 24, 2023) [CHARLY BLISS]

Posted in 2nd Grade, Charly Bliss, Gladie, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA on April 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 24, 2023] 2nd Grade

I could have seen 2nd Grade play with Kiwi Jr. last month.  But I went to a different show that night instead.

Originally, Gladie was supposed to open this show.  But at the last minute, 2nd Grade took their place.  I had been looking forward to seeing Gladie again as I thought they were great.  But I was happy to see 2nd Grade since when I looked them up last time I found

They are a gentle boppy indie pop band.  Super catchy and poppy with delightful harmonies and a childlike quality (as befits their name).  Most of the songs are around two minutes.

And that’s how they played fourteen songs in some 30 minutes.

“Favorite Song” is a fun song about how people’s favorite songs changed during their relationship.  “W-2” is, as he said, a song about taxes.

They have some fun titles.  “Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider” is super catchy with lyrics that are not challenging.

The band is lead by guitarist and vocalist Peter Gill (who actually played bass at our show).  Catherine Dwyer played second guitar and had a nasty word for the PPA who had recently thrown “3 hour limit” parking signs all over the area.  The applause wasn’t as strong as it could have been, probably because most people walk there.  But for me, I was 100% in agreement.

On lead guitar was John Samuels who also played at Johnny Brenda’s the night before with someone else.  His guitar was a little too loud (or I was standing too close to the amp), but his solos were interesting.

Gill had a good rapport with the audience (for a Philly band, they seemed largely unknown, although there were definitely some fans–one of whom even requested a song).  “My Bike” was supposed to come after Sharona but he said they were going  to skip it–you don’t want to hear that. But later on someone did request it, so they dropped the last song on the setlist “Work Til I Die” to fit it in.

They had fun with Controlled Burn which has a big chant at the end: “if you know the title “Controlled Burn” you can chant along.  Which we did.

Most of the songs were indeed under two minutes, with a couple running a little longer.  They were delightful pop nuggets that ricke da little harder than on record–but not much.  A delightful opening band.

  1. Favorite Song ⊗
  2. W-2 ∇
  3. Strung Out on You €
  4. Dennis Hopper in Easy Rider ∇
  5. Me and My Blue Angels €
  6. Superglue ⊗
  7. When You Were My Sharona ∇
  8. Controlled Burn €
  9. Made Up My Own Mind *
  10. Velodrome ∇
  11. Hands Down €
  12. My Bike ∇
  13. Shooting From the Hip ∇
  14. As Long As We Can Talk About It ⊗


€ Easy Listening (2022)
∇ Hit to Hit (2020)
⊗ When You Were Here Tour Revisited (2018/2021)

Read Full Post »

Chris Forsyth / Purling Hiss / Garcia Peoples (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia PA, April 21, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Chris Forsyth, Garcia Peoples, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Purling Hiss on April 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 21, 2023] Chris Forsyth / Purling Hiss / Garcia Peoples

I had planned to attend fewer shows this year.  It turns out there haven’t been that many days that were overbooked with shows.  This was  the first one that was totally overbooked.

I had tickets to M83 and also to Acid Dad and it was a hard decision which one to go to.

So this show didn’t really stand a chance.

I love Chris Forsyth, and would love to see him again.  However, I have seen him fairly recently and at Johnny Brenda’s.  The show would be reliably great, but as I said, already booked.

I saw Purling Hiss back in 2017 about which I said

I knew that the bulk of the band’s catalog was basically Mike Polizze making music for himself.  It was pretty noisy and abstract with lots of jam moments.  They are now a band–I’m not sure who the other two guys in the band were (based on the latest album, I’m assuming Ben Hart on drums and Dan Provenzano on bass)–and they have gotten more musical since then.  But thy are still noisy.  So I expected a lot of squalling feedback and pummeling sounds.  I was quite pleased with how melodic the band’s songs were (no idea what songs they played, but I assume most of it came from their newest album).

I’d definitely see them again.

Garcia Peoples are joining this tour in Brooklyn.  If they had been in Philly, this would have been a much more difficult choice.

UPDATE: Turns out they DID play as well.

And here’s video proof from the always reliable Markit aneight

Here’s video of Purling Hiss

And here’s Chris Forsyth

Read Full Post »

The Sadies / Carson McHone (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Carson McHone, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, The Sadies on April 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 18, 2023] The Sadies / Carson McHone

I could clearly spend most of my time at Johnny Brenda’s, but somehow, I seem to blow off these show more than any others.

I’ve been aware of The Sadies for a pretty long time, although I’ve never really listened to them much.  I kind of assumed they were a country band.  Wikipedia describes them as a a Canadian rock and roll / country and western band.

They are quite beloved by other musicians (in and out of Canada) and just about everyone has sung guest vocals with them (their first three songs on Spotify feature Neko Case, Kurt Vile and Gord Downie).  Just as I was becoming more familiar with them, their singer Dallas Good died suddenly.  I assumed that that was the end for the band, but they have continued.

My brother-in-law saw them recently and said they were great.  I would have liked to see them, but I had tickets to the Final Skinny Puppy show.  So I wasn’t going to miss that.

Carson McHone is a singer-songwriter from Austin. In describing her music, Nashville Scene Magazine says “she’s a young country singer who expresses herself through the form while avoiding the formalism that etiolates the work of many country purists.”

I wouldn’t have specified her as country as much as these review do.  She doesn’t have a twang, but I can see the connection to country.  I like her anyway,

This would have been a good bill.

Read Full Post »

Black Belt Eagle Scout / Claire Glass & Adobo (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 17, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Adobo, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Claire Glass, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA on April 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 17, 2023] Black Belt Eagle Scout / Claire Glass & Adobo

When I first heard about Black Belt Eagle Scout back in 2018, I was really inrigued:

Katherine Paul grew up on a small Indian reservation in the Pacific Northwest. The singer, who performs as Black Belt Eagle Scout, identifies as a “radical indigenous queer feminist” and is influenced by Native American tradition as well as indie rock.

But when I listened to her song, I found it kind of bland.  Her voice is soft and pretty, but the indie rock component was pretty minimal and was, as I say, kind of bland.

It’s now five years later and the new Black Belt Eagle Scout album, The Land, The Water the Sky, ups everything that I found missing that first time around.

I rather wanted to go to this show and a friend of mine says it was really good.  But I have a birthday party to attend to coming up and I’m out tomorrow night so it was important to stay home.

Claire Glass Claire Glass is the solo project of Claire Puckett (of Hikes and Mother Falcon). This iteration highlights intricate classical guitar compositions overlaid with delicate vocals, with lyrical content prodding the deeper meanings of everyday wonders. Her newest release, “Dust”, explores themes of spiritual seeking after religion, alluding to Phillip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy. It blends classical guitar with airy synths to create an ethereal, otherworldly feel.

Adobo Adobo is the solo project of Filipinx naturalist Nay Mapalo (of Hikes); Adobo is a foray into patient, emotive songs that pull inspiration from pop composition and the intricacies of classical guitar technique.

The listing said Claire Glass and Adobo were performing together, but photos made that seem incorrect.

 

Read Full Post »

Kiwi Jr. / 2nd Grade / Kate Davis (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, March 31, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in 2nd Grade, Johnny Brenda's, Kate Davis, Kiwi Jr., Philadelphia, PA on March 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 31, 2023] Kiwi Jr. / 2nd Grade / Kate Davis

I was supposed to see Kiwi Jr. open for Nap Eyes back in 2022, but the show was cancelled.

When I briefly listened to them then, I mused

Kiwi Jr. is a fun Canadian band, recently described as “clever, easy-going jangle pop” that I’d really like to see live. So I hope this lineup stays the same when Nap Eyes comes back to Philly again.  Some day.

I thought they were a little more punk pop, but i can see how they would fit pretty well with Nap Eyes, even though they are more upbeat.

I was supposed to see a band called Grade 2 open for Anti-Flag but that show was cancelled.  Turns out Grade 2 is not the same as 2nd Grade.  Grade 2 are a classic punk band from the UK.  2nd Grade are an indie band from Philly.

They are a gentle boppy indie pop band.  Super catchy and poppy with delightful harmonies and a childlike quality (as befits their name).  Most of the songs are around two minutes.

I just heard about Kate Davis on All Songs Considered a few weeks ago.  They say

Kate Davis was trained as a jazz musician but after moving to New York and being influenced by bands such as Dirty Projectors and Grizzly Bear, she found her own sound.

Her song was slow and broody.  I didn’t love it, but she probably comes across well live.

 

 

Read Full Post »

Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul / Rentboy (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, March 29, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bolis Pupul, Charlotte Adigéry, Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Rentboy on March 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 29, 2023] Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul / Rentboy

Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul put out an album (with a very cool cover) in 2022 that was on most Year End lists.  Musically it is described as effortlessly propulsive electro pop, but lyrically it is sharp and targeted.

Cultural appropriation and racism. Social media vanity. Post-colonialism and political correctness. These are not talking points that you’d ordinarily hear on the dancefloor but Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul are ripping up the rulebook with their debut album Topical Dancer. The Ghent-based duo, who broke out with their 2019 Zandoli EP on Soulwax’s record label DEEWEE, are rare storytellers in electronic music: they take the temperature of the time and funnel them into their playful synth concoctions – never didactic and always with a knowing wink.

Their new studio record – which cements them as a duo under both their names for the first time and is co-written and co-produced by Soulwax – is both a triumph of kaleidoscopic electro-pop and “a snapshot of how we think about pop culture in the 2020s.” It captures Charlotte and Bolis’s essence as musical collaborators and the conversations they’ve had over the past two years on tour, as well as their perspectives as Belgians with an immigrant background, Charlotte with Guadeloupean and French-Martinique ancestry and Bolis being of Chinese descent.

It’s not really my type of thing, but I thought it would be really interesting to experience.  If i had less going on this week, I would have tried harder to get to the show.

Rentboy is a Philadelphia based disco collective whose last album, Memory Forever, is a meditation on body memory and queer musical history

Read Full Post »

Rural Alberta Advantage / Georgia Harmer (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, March 25, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Georgia Harmer, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Sarah Harmer, The Rural Alberta Advantage on March 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 25, 2023] Rural Alberta Advantage / Georgia Harmer

I had tickets to see Ibeyi, but when The Rural Alberta Advantage announced their show the same night, I decided I’d go to that show instead.

I wasn’t sure what our plans were for Saturday night so I didn’t get tickets ahead of time (what’s the point of buying two tickets you don’t use?).  But when I went to get tickets before the show, it was sold out!

I never would have guessed that a relatively obscure Canadian band would sell out, but they did.  Good for them/Bad for me.  I hope this means they will come back again soon.

Georgia Harmer is the niece of the outstanding Sarah Harmer.

She sings in a similar style as Sarah–their voices even have a similar timbre.  Her songs are pleasant and enjoyable–she’d be a great opening act.

Read Full Post »

King Tuff / Tchotchke (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, March 22, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, King Tuff, Philadelphia, PA, Sleater-Kinney, Tchotchke on March 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 23, 2023] King Tuff / Tchotchke

King Tuff is Kyle Thomas.  Thomas was a member of Ty Segall’s band for a time (and Segall plays on his albums).

I really enjoyed his Black Moon Spell album, but when I saw this show was anounced, I listened to his newer album and didn’t think all that much of it.  At this point I’m kind of looking for excuses not to go to shows–there’s so many I want to go to that I’m happy to pass on iffy shows like this.  So that was a good enough reason not to go.

Tchotchke is a band from New York comprised of Anastasia Sanchez, Eva Chambers and Emily Tooraen.  They used to be called Pinky Pinky which I think is a much more apt name for the style of music they play–it’s a kind of an updated doo-wop, pop sheen aesthetic.

Really not my thing, although I heard that if you went to their merch booth after the show they handed out a tchotchke to each person.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »