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Archive for the ‘Johnny Brenda’s’ Category

Garcia Peoples / The Tisburys (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, June 12, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Garcia Peoples, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, The Tisburys on June 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 30, 2021] Garcia Peoples / The Tisburys

I ‘ve seen Garcia Peoples a bunch of times.  I like to think of them as my local jam band. I’ve seen them enough that I’ve actually missed them a few times and not been too upset about it because I am pretty sure I’ll be able to catch them again.

This show was the same night as a show by Diane Coffee who I had really wanted to see, so I didn’t even bother looking into tickets.

The Tisburys sounds like a band from Canada to me.  But they are actually from Philly.

Their sound is actually pretty much exactly what I’d expect from a band called The Tisburys.  Jangly power pop with a retro edge and a vaguely country vibe.  Think Jayhawks, I guess.

They’d probably frt pretty well with Garcia Peoples, who I’m sure put on an amazing show.

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NNAMDÏ / Ghösh / Lizdelise (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 31, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in GHÖSH, Johnny Brenda's, Lizdelise , NNAMDÏ, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, Philadelphia, PA on May 31, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 27, 2022] NNAMDÏ / Ghösh / Lizdelise 

I saw Nnamdi Ogbonnaya open for Wilco and Sleater-Kinney.

I really enjoyed his set which went in all kinds of interesting directions.  As this blurb puts it he

makes dreamy, fractured, and frisky music that rarely sits still. He pulls from indie rock, hip-hop, and jazz on songs that mine his experience as a self-described “Black, Jewish, first-generation Nigerian-American.” He was terrific last year at the Mann Center opening for Wilco and Sleater-Kinney, though he couldn’t play guitar because he had broken his wrist skateboarding.

That’s the show I saw, too.

I’m not sure why I didn’t go to this show.  I’d say just taking it easy at the end of May.

Ghösh seems like an unlikely fit for this bill.  I very much want to see them, but sandwiched between two mellow artists this seems a little off.  XPN explains them

Ghösh combines the darkest elements of aforementioned 90’s rave — pummeling beats and washy, distorted samples ala Atari Teenage Riot or Front 242– with the lyrical intensity of a 2009 LiveJournal entry co-written by Angela Davis and your little sister: they’re pissed off, informed, and ready to party.

It’s a weird mix on the surface, but with songs like “Dear Daddy” intoning how bad all cops are (“even my dad,” Symphony shouts) over a dizzying jungle beat, to a cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” where buzzsaw riffs that tear through the an avalanche of Miami bass empowered 808 kicks where they scream-rap “my suggestion is to keep your distance / right now I’m dangerous”, it’s clear the genreless entropy is not just intentional, but beautiful.

The band has honed their sound in the usual spots: basements, dive bars, the batting cages, defying the usual punk orthodoxy with ever slurred, tripped out vocal sample, every re-appropriation of 90’s hip hop and nu-metal, every radical, queer, noisy explosion. And it’s true, Philly gravitates to bands that push, explore and distort a myriad of experiences and influences, the eclectic shit, as much as we love three chord punk, staid indie rock, and meathead hardcore.

Lizdelise was described by NPR as

Liz de Lise is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who writes alternative folk songs with jazz influences. She creates lush soundscapes with acoustic and electric guitar, vocals and a loop pedal. She completed her one-video-a-month-for-a-year project in 2015.

For ease of searching I include Nnamdi, Ghosh.

Here’s a video of Ghosh

GHOSH  PhilaMOC

 

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Bit Brigade / Super Guitar Bros. (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 27, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bit Brigade, Johnny Brenda's, Legend of Zelda, Philadelphia, PA, Super Guitar Bros. on May 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 27, 2022] Bit Brigade / Super Guitar Bros.

I saw Bit Brigade in 2018 and really enjoyed the show.  The premise of their live show is terrific

The band plays the soundtrack to a video game while their resident gamer plays the game.  The band is heavy and the sound is amazing.

Last time I saw them, they were playing The Legend of Zelda and it was phenomenal (The music is really good).  They came around last year playing a different game but I couldn’t go.

This time they were playing Zelda and Castlevania.  I’m sure it would have been a lot of fun.  But I just didn’t feel like going out.  They’ll be back, I’m sure.

Opening for this show was Super Guitar Bros.  They are two guys from Detroit who play acoustic guitar versions of video game theme music.  As their blurb says: “Gentle Video Game Guitar Covers For Relaxation.”

Sounds like a perfect pair.  And I’m absolutely ready to see them again.

 

 

 

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Lo Moon / Social Animals (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 24, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Lo Moon, Philadelphia, PA, Social Animals on May 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 24, 2022] Lo Moon / Social Animals

Lo Moon is a kind of soft-rock indie rock band.  Their big influences are Talk Talk and Prefab Sprout.

There’s delicate, soft voices and pretty melodies.  I don’t really like them all that much, although I think that their single “Dream Never Dies” is outstanding.  It was the constant play of this song that made me even considering seeing them live (and hearing Matt Lowell hit those high notes).

But this show sold out before I even heard about it and I had plans already anyway.

Social Animals is a more rocking band that Lo Moon.  There’s a more propulsive feel to their songs which sounds a lot like other bands–I keep thinking they sound like someone else when I hear a song by them.  I’m not sure I’d want to see them, although maybe a short opening set would be good.

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Shad / Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 20, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Christine Elise, Johnny Brenda's, Kuf Knotz, Philadelphia, PA on May 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 20, 2022] Shad / Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise

SHAD’s 2010 album TSOL is one of my favorite rap albums.  Of all of the rappers that come around to Philly to tour, SHAD is the one I’m most interested in seeing.

SHAD is from Canada although he was born in Kenya.  He raps about real issues but also has a thread of positivity through his songs, which I appreciate.

This happened to be a really busy week of shows for me, though, so I had to blow it off.

He comes to town every couple of years, so I assume he’ll be back maybe in 2024.

When he came to town in 2018 he played Boot & Saddle (RIP) and I couldn’t make that show either.  For that show Kuf Knotz also opened.

Kuf Knotz is a Philly rapper who blends hiphop poetry with deep grooves of soul and beats sun kissed with the spirit of Lo-Fi & 90’s era vibes , Kuf’s inimitable style focuses on unsubtle spirituality, that, like his music, focus on unity, positivity and creativity.

For this tour, he was with harpist Christine Elise

Christine Gallagher, MA, MT-BC, LMT, LPC “Christine Elise” is classically trained harpist, pianist, and vocalist.  In 2018, Christine and Kuf founded a community music therapy outreach performance project called Higher Grounds Music, using the power of music, clinical training, and performance experience to foster personal growth. Working in a strength based model, the workshops/performances are designed to support participants in building skills to build confidence, increase motivation and drive and strengthen self-care skills.

If they all tour together next time, I’ll have to go for an night of positivity.

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Barrie / Rentboy (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 11, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Barrie, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Rentboy on May 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 29, 2023] Barrie / Rentboy

Barrie is a singer that I know exclusively from NPR Music.  I enjoyed a song or two from her, but it seems very unlikely that I would have gone to this show.   I’m a little surpirsed I included it in my list of shows to check out.

Rentboy is a Philadelphia based disco collective whose last album, Memory Forever, is a meditation on body memory and queer musical history.  They seem a little too disco for Barrie’s gentler sound.

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A Place to Bury Strangers / Lunacy / Glove (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 9, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in A Place to Bury Strangers, Glove, Johnny Brenda's, Lunacy, Philadelphia, PA on May 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 9, 2022] A Place to Bury Strangers / Lunacy / Glove

A Place to Bury Strangers is one of those bands that I have heard about for years whose music I had never heard.  And like The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die, they have a long name that is rather evocative but which implies a heaviness that may or may not be there.

I put this show on my “check out” list mostly because I was curious as to what this band actually sounded like.

When I played their songs on Spotify I was taken aback by how much they sounded like The Church (at least on “Always Gonna Be the Same”).  That’s their latest single (okay I’m writing this long after the concert happened).

Their other songs are a lot louder and darker, which means this Wikipedia entry makes sense

Commonly known by the initials APTBS, the band plays a heavy, atmospheric Wall of Sound–influenced blend of noise rock, shoegaze and space rock. The band is known for the loudness of their intense live shows. A Place to Bury Strangers are commonly referred to by music writers as the “loudest band in New York”, a reputation the band developed even before the release of their first album.

Fascinating.

Sometimes you can tell a lot about a band by their openers.  The two openers for this show were darkwave and a kind of 80’s synth alt rock.  I think I would have enjoyed this show about twenty years ago.

Glove is a retro synth band, in the vein of Depeche Mode or New Order.  They’re from Tampa but look like they are straight out of the 80’s UK music scene.

Sounds kinda fun.

Lunacy is Pennsylvania’s industrial darkwave monk who plays Dark, dystopian vibes; deep electronic cuts that shake and rattle with power.

I suspect I know exactly what this show was like and there was very little movement in the audeince.

 

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Born Ruffians / Sham Family (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 30. 3022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Attack on Titan, Born Ruffians, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Sham Family on April 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 30, 2022] Born Ruffians / Sham Family

I blew off seeing Typhoon so I could see Born Ruffians, a Canadian band that is hard to pin down exactly, except that they make hyperactive poppy punk that is catchy but not super catchy.  They’re probably not even going to sell a million records, but they should have a pretty devoted fan base.

The band is a trio–singer/guitarist Luke Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier, and drummer Steve Hamelin.  They put out a trio of albums in 2020/2021 all thematically similar. Juice was my favorite.  They have a great set available from The Live at Massey Hall series (see video below).

However, my wife and daughter were out that night and I was home with my son.  We started watching Attack on Titan and I decided that I would much rather spend the night with my son than these bands, so I blew off the show and we enjoyed some bonkers anime. (more…)

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Gustaf / Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 14, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Gustaf, Johnny Brenda's, Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo, Philadelphia, PA on April 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 14, 2022] Gustaf / Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo 

I saw Gustaf open for Idles and they were weird and wonderful and someone I definitely wanted to see live again–preferably headlining.  They have a very late 1980’s punk aesthetic with spoken words and random sounds.  Plus a lot of humor.  I was really excited for this show.  But by the tuime it came around, having misse da whole bunch of shows that I was really looking forward to, I wound up blowing off this one as well.

Shame, really.

Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo is the project of Steven Perez, a Philadelphia musician with sincere love for hip hop, poetry, punk and hardcore, pop, R&B, salsa, bachata, merengue, and even more. Perez has lived in Philly since 2016, writing, playing punk and indie, and he started releasing solo material under the Pedazo moniker in 2019 after years of struggling with doubts about sharing his own music.  Pedazo is a kaleidoscopic project, pinned on samples from past recordings of pop and merengue, salsa, bachata and other styles of Caribbean music, all of which Perez heard in his family’s home in Florida growing up.

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Pillow Queens / Deanna Petcoff (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 12, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Deanna Petcoff, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Pillow Queens on April 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 9, 2022] Otoboke Beaver [postponed to October 2, 2022]

I really like Pillow Queens, an Irish band, with four members–two of whom sing great harmony vocals.  They write clever songs about growing up queer in Irish Catholic Ireland, and their music totally rocks as well.

I would have definitely gone to this show, although somehow I missed hearing about it.  Duh.

Well, plus I was in D.C. this evening.  But next time they come around, I’ll be there.

Canadian musician Deanna Petcoff has a powerful voice and a fun bouncy song called “Devastatingly Mediocre.” I think they probably sounded great togther.

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