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Archive for the ‘Johnny Brenda’s’ Category

Born Ruffians / Queen of Jeans (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 4, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Born Ruffians, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Queen of Jeans on October 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 4, 2025] Born Ruffians / Queen of Jeans

I have wanted to see Born Ruffians for a few years.  They are 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.

Back in 2022, I had a ticket to their show but a weirder thing happened this time.  My wife got free tickets to see Neko Case.  So we went to that show instead.  It was okay, but I think Ruffians would have been better.

Queen of Jeans is a Philly band who I’ve seen on a lot of marquees.  I feel like for a while, back before the pandemic, they were opening for a lot of shows that I didn’t go to.   I see now that they haven’t done much since 2019, but they came back with a new album last year.  They are poppy and delightful.  For some reason I thought they were more punky.  I’d be happy to see them live.

I’m definitely bummed I didn’t go to this one.

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Fazerdaze / Maiya Blaney (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 19, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Fazerdaze, Johnny Brenda's, Maiya Blaney, Philadelphia, PA on September 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 19, 2025] Fazerdaze

Fazerdaze is the creation of New Zealand’s Amelia Murray. I saw them open for Pond last year.  The songs are mostly mellow with gentle psychedelic notions thrown in.  Amelia has a terrific voice and the melodies were quite lovely.  Although overall the vibe was a little too mellow for me.  There were quite a lot of people there to see Fazerdaze.  The woman in front of me sang along to every song and actually left (my area) when they were done.

I didn’t like them enough to see them headline, but I was happy that they came back for another tour.

Maiya Blaney is a New York based, New Jersey born singer, songwriter, and producer. Her unique sound- highly influenced by both 90s grunge and UK electronic music alike- spans radioactive kiss offs, sorrowful meditations on yearning, and gossamer reveries about self-image.

I listened to two of her songs and they each sounded very different from the other.  One was more grungey, the other more trip hoppy.  She has a cool sound overall.

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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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Lucy Dacus / Julien Baker & Torres / Jay Som / Hop Along // Magdalena Bay / Remi Wolf / Annie Di Russo [A Make the World Better Benefit] (FDR Park, Philadelphia PA, July 25 & 27, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Annie DiRusso, Dell Music Center, Hop Along, Jay Som, Johnny Brenda's, Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Magdalena Bay, Make the World Better, Philadelphia, PA, Torres on July 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 25 & 27, 2025] Lucy Dacus / Julien Baker & Torres / Jay Som / Hop Along // Magdalena Bay / Remi Wolf / Annie Di Russo

Like every one of these benefits shows, the first day was made for me.

I love Lucy Dacus, although I have seen her twice this year already.

I would love to have seen Julien Baker & Torres together.  They cancelled all of their shows this summer and were replaced by Hop Along which was fine, but not as good as the original.  Interestingly, perhaps, Hop Along was supposed to open for Japanese Breakfast last year but they were replaced at the last minute.

Jay Som is a favorite underground artist whom I love and who has been pretty quiet as of late.

Day 2 was less exciting for me.

Remi Wolf is someone I’ve h heard about but don’t really know.  She appeared on American Idol so I assume she’s not someone I would like, even if she is listed as an indie artist.  I saw that she opened for Lorde in 2022 (which I didn’t go to) and back then I wrote

Remi Wolf is a singer songwriter whom I do not know.  The fact that she appeared on American Idol in 2014 makes me not like her.  That’s unfair, but whatever.

At least I’m consistent.

Magdalena Bay is a duo (I thought it was someone’s name, oops).  The duo consists of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, who met in high school.  They play synthy pop and I really like their song “Image” although the rest is more pop than alternative.  Dancy and probably a treat to listen to on a sunny summer day.

Annie DiRusso was the only person on the bill for both days whom I had never heard of.  She’s an interesting young musician who veers to the noisy while writing poppy songs.  She also sings about college and wrote a song called Ovid.  So she appeals to that side of my musical appreciation.  The Harvard Crimson (!) review says

The album is an evolution of her usual guitar-heavy rock instrumentals, experimenting with incorporating different genres while still maintaining a cohesive sound across the record.

I hope she opens for someone I’m seeing one of these days.

So why didn’t I go to Day One?  Well, I didn’t really need to see Lucy again.  Plus, this was in FDR Park which I know nothing about and I have really bad luck with outdoor venues in Philly.  So while I fully support the cause, I just wasn’t willing to make the effort for this one.  And obvsiously Day Two wasn’t my scene.

 

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Preoccupations / Goon (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, June 25, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Canadian Music, Goon, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Preoccupations on June 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 25, 2025] Preoccupations / Goon

I’ve seen Preoccupations twice already, once in the Foundry opening for Protomartyr.  They used to be called Viet Cong, but wisely changed that name.  They put on a great live show, but I was in a bit of a concert funk and didn’t bother getting tickets.  It’s possible that Preoccupations has changed their sound somewhat–a little softer and less abrasive perhaps.  They seem to have embraced a new wave feel.  I wonder how they deal with their older songs live if they’ve become kind of a different band.

Goon is a band created by Kenny Becker who is also an accomplished painter.  Fascinatingly, Becker suffers from a rare medical condition that periodically deadens his sense of smell and hearing, which for years shaded his day-to-day life with a dull pallor.   Similarly his songs are hazy and soft, synth pieces with soft vocals.  Considering Preoccupations opened for Metz last time around, this is quite a change.

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Girls Against Boys / Maafa (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, June 19, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Girls Against Boys, Johnny Brenda's, Maafa, Philadelphia, PA on June 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 19, 2025] Girls Against Boys / Maafa

I was into Girls Against Boys in the early 90s.  Not a huge fan, but I liked their sound and a bunch of their songs.  When this tour was announced, I didn’t know that they were still a thing (they’ve broken up and reformed a few times).

I was instantly intrigued about going to this show (especially at Johnny Brenda’s) but it was in between two nights that I was already going out.  I’m a little bummed to have missed it, but it’s okay.  I would have liked to see Kill the Sexplayer live though (and I’ll have to dig out their CDs to listen to).

I had never heard of Maafa, but they sound pretty amazing

MAAFA is a Brooklyn-based “Afro-progressive hardcore” band founded by Brazilian bassist, vocalist, and composer Flora Lucini. They fuse intense, abrasive hardcore punk with traditional African instrumentation and rhythms, featuring politically charged lyrics that address systemic oppression and the African diaspora.

Looks like this would have been a really fun show.  I should have reconsidered going.

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Model/Actriz / AFK (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 17, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in AFK, Johnny Brenda's, Model/Actriz, Philadelphia, PA on May 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 17, 2025] Model/Actriz / AFK

I My son and I saw Model/Actriz open for Dazey and the Scouts bac in 2022.  They were bizarre and intense and put on a wonderful performance.  I would really like to see them again–especially now that it has been a few years.

But I had tickets to see Puscifer, Primus and A Perfect Circle the same night and you can’t be in two places at the same time.

AFK is an Industrial Glitch-hop trio from the Hudson Valley/NYC. Mind-melting beats and razor sharp flows. Hip hop from the future.

I like glitch hop in small doses. I didn’t love what I heard on their bandcamp, but I imagine it presents well live.

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Sunflower Bean / Laveda (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 16, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Laveda, Oneida, Philadelphia, PA, Sunflower Bean, The Bevis Frond on May 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 16, 2025] Sunflower Bean / Laveda

I’ve seen Sunflower Bean twice.  The first time I loved them.  The second time I loved them for different reasons.  But since then they have drifted away from the sound I liked into a more.

Actually, I see that they have recently put out a new album that changes their sound quite a bit again.  So clearly they are a band who are experimenting with sounds. I will have to keep tabs on them for the next time they come around.

Laveda is an NYC-based indie rock band formed by Ali Genevich and Jake Brooks, known for their blend of dreamy, shoegaze, and ’90s grunge sounds.

I listened to a few songs and really liked them–possibly more than Sunflower Bean, although I’ll have to see what this new album sounds like.

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Hooveriii / Expo / Feaster (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 16, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Expo, Feaster, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA on May 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 16, 2025] Hooveriii / Expo / Feaster

I’ve been a fan of Hooveriii for a while. I got to see them open for Mudhoney and I really wanted to see them again.  I was excited for this show but when the date rolled around, we had a family crisis of some sort and I stayed home instead.  I have since seen that their set was only 45 minutes, but it sounds like the whole night was fun with these two weird opening bands.

Feaster is from Philly and describe themselves as One of the World’s Bands of All Time.  They’re weird in a really good way. They’re heavy and they rock and their vocals are kind of shouted and loud.  They seem like a lot of fun.

Expo is an experimental psych trio from Philadelphia and their music is exactly as they describe themselves there.  Wild drumbeats, funky bass lines and vocals that are squeezed on top.  I’d like to see them live.

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Tune-yards / JayWood (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 7, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in JayWood, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, tUnE-yArDs on May 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 7, 2025] Tune-Yards /JayWood

I saw Tune-Yards in 2018 and liked them well enough.  I hadn’t really considered seeing them for a while, but I was enjoying the new songs I’d heard from them.  But this show sold out in a minute.  I mean it’s not that surprising.  Last time I saw them at Union Transfer, and this one was at Johnny Brenda’s.

When this sold out, I tried to see Tune-Yards for their Free at Noon the day after, but the traffic was so bad I missed them.

And then later in the summer, when they played the XPoNential Festival,we arrived too late to see them–so I ‘m really just not meant to see them again, I guess.

JayWood is the stage name of Jeremy Haywood-Smith, a Canadian musician from Winnipeg, Manitoba whose music blends soul, funk, hip hop, indie rock and psychedelic rock influences.

I mean, on paper this guy is perfect for me, but I didn’t really like the sound all that much.  It felt too much like bedroom R&B to me.  Oh well.

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