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Archive for the ‘Milkboy’ Category

Thick / Jigsaw Youth / Puppy Angst (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, March 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Kississippi, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Puppy Angst, Thick on March 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 1, 2023] Thick / Jigsaw Youth / Puppy Angst

I’ve been a fan of New York band Thick for a few years (since I head about them on NPR).  I’ve been wanting to see them live for a while.  I had a chance in 2021, but that show was scheduled against something else I wanted to do.

So, here they were coming to Milkboy.  I had been to Milkboy once before–although apparently not the main Milkboy venue I just learned.  I know Milkboy is a pretty small place, so I figured this would be a great way to see this riveting band.

And then, I got really sick yesterday.  I’m assuming it was the norovirus.  And, wow, although I was feeling better by show timem there was no way I felt like doing anything.  So I had to miss Thick yet again.  I hope they come back again or maybe play NJ?

Jigsaw Youth is a punk band from Staten Island.  I listened to a few songs and liked some.  I preferred their newer stuff to their older songs.  I’m sure they would have kicked ass.

Puppy Angst is from Philly and was created by Alyssa Milman (they/them) who I saw play bass with Kississippi (and thought they were great).  Puppy Angst is a moody indie dream pop quartet that Milman formed alongside Eric Naroden (drums), Dan Leinweber (guitar, vocals), and John Heywood (bass).  [These would be the only men in the show, too].

Now that I realize who Puppy Angst is, I’m even more bummed that I couldn’t make this show.

 

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I Fight Dragons / MC Lars / Schaffer The Darklord (Silk City, Philadelphia, PA, November 17, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in I Fight Dragons, MC Lars, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Schaffer The Darklord, Silk City on November 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 17, 2022] I Fight Dragons / MC Lars / Schaffer The Darklord

This show was moved from Milkboy to Silk City pretty close to showtime.  I’ve never been to Silk City, so I don’t know much about it.  Bu I assume it’s pretty small.

I have wanted to see MC Lars for a couple of years now and the shows keep conflicting with something else.

This show had two of the Four-Eyed Horsemen show that I wanted to go to back in 2021.

But I hadn’t heard of I Fight Dragons.  They are an American chiptune-based rock band from Chicago. Their music is a combination of rock with chiptune, featuring electronic sounds made using Nintendo Game Boys and Nintendo Entertainment Systems.

A review from Greeblehaus says

If you have never seen I Fight Dragons live, their sound is chiptune-based, which I think (in some ways) sells them short as musicians, because that sounds like they rely on video games to make their music. Every single one of the guys is incredibly talented musically, and just like any good performer, these self-proclaimed geeks use those clips to make their songs – and performances – more interesting.

I rather wish I had gone, although I think I’d like to see MC Lars as a headliner.  But I Fight Dragons sound pretty cool. (more…)

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El Ten Eleven / So Totally (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, April 16, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in El Ten Eleven, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, So Totally on April 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 16, 2022] El Ten Eleven / So Totally

El Ten Eleven are a great duo who play incredibly complex instrumentals with just an incredible drummer Tim Fogarty and an amazing multi instrumentalist Kristian Dunn who plays doubleneck guitar/bass and tons of pedals.

I recently got turned onto them and I really want to see them live.  This show was announced long after the other two shows of that day had been secured, so there was no way I was going to this one.  But I’d still have liked to.

Fortunately they are opening for Peter Hook & The Light later this year.  It won’t be as good as a headline show, but I’m still psyched to see them.

So Totally are a wild band from Philly who I would love to see as well.

The four members of So Totally initially put out a cathartic EP a few years ago called a cheap close-up of heaven. Earlier this month, they followed up with their earnestly determined debut full length in the shape of…. The quartet is made up of Roya Weidman and Matt Arbiz both singing and playing guitar, Ryan Wildsmith on bass, and drummer Joe McLaughlin.

So Totally cites The Pixies, Swirlies, and Medicine as influential favorites. They add: “The Smashing Pumpkins have a lot of influence on our rhythm section as far as drum style, and Interpol who usually have melodic bass lines rather than just playing with the guitar. We also love the idea of mixing genre and combining classic-influenced rock with fuzz and psychedelia, so we like music that keeps you on your toes rather than feeling predictable!”  So Totally comically tagged “fuck a genre” on the album’s Bandcamp page.

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Brother Ali / Open Mike Eagle / DJ Last Word (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, September 24, 2020) [rescheduled date–CANCELLED]

Posted in Brother Ali, Coronavirus, DJ Last Word, Milkboy, Open Mike Eagle, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, They Might Be Giants on September 24, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: September 24, 2020] Brother Ali / Open Mike Eagle / DJ Last Word [rescheduled from April 8]

indexI thought that the September date would give me a chance to go to this show, but I understand why it was cancelled.  I hope when Brother Ali decides to tour again, he brings Open Mike with him.

I don’t know Brother Ali aside from the fact that he releases a “deeply personal, socially conscious, and inspiring brand of hip-hop.” He says “Beauty in all of its forms is the outward manifestation of love and virtue. It soothes the soul and pulls it gently toward the truth it communicates.”  I can get behind that.

But really I was interested in this show for Open Mike Eagle.  Open Mike is a great “alternative” rapper from Chicago.  His lyrics are thoughtful and political and his music is more than just beats.  His last two albums were fantastic.  I just saw that he says that They Might Be Giants are a major influence on music which is pretty wild.

DJ Last Word is Brother Ali’s DJ.  He gets a little opening set.  When I looked him up all it said about him was that he is a real life pilot.  Which is pretty funny.

Milkboy is a tiny venue, a great way to see an artist–especially since the videos of Brother Ali show him in much bigger venues.

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Karina Rykman / Heaven Man (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, May 16, 2020) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, Heaven Man, Karina Rykman, Marco Benevento, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine on May 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: May 16, 2020] Karina Rykman / Heaven Man

indexI know Karina Rykman as the bassist for the Marco Benevento band.  She is without doubt the happiest musician I have ever seen.  She is also so much fun to watch and just exudes how much she loves what she does.  Her bass playing is fantastic as well–such a great sound.

I really don’t know much about her solo music.  She has two songs out and they are kind of electronic (and neither one is all that exciting).  There’s no jamming bass work or anything.  But who knows what she’d do live.

If it was a choice between her and The Lemon Twigs (playing the same night), at first it would have been her, but I think The Lemon Twigs would have won out.

Heaven Man is a Philadelphia based trio who plays a kind of psychedelic garage rock. I’ve listened to a few songs and rather like them musically (I’m not sold on their singer though).

I have to wonder if this was her choice for opening act, if she was going to play similar music.

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Brother Ali / Open Mike Eagle / DJ Last Word (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, April 8, 2020) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Brother Ali, Coronavirus, DJ Last Word, Milkboy, Open Mike Eagle, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Quarantine, They Might Be Giants, Tropical Fuck Storm on April 8, 2020| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: April 8, 2020] Brother Ali / Open Mike Eagle / DJ Last Word [moved to September 24]

indexI don’t know Brother Ali aside from the fact that he releases a “deeply personal, socially conscious, and inspiring brand of hip-hop.” He says “Beauty in all of its forms is the outward manifestation of love and virtue. It soothes the soul and pulls it gently toward the truth it communicates.”  I can get behind that.

But really I was interested in this show for Open Mike Eagle.  Open Mike is a great “alternative” rapper from Chicago.  His lyrics are thoughtful and political and his music is more than just beats.  His last two albums were fantastic.  I just saw that he says that They Might Be Giants are a major influence on music which is pretty wild.

DJ Last Word is Brother Ali’s DJ.  He gets a little opening set.  When I looked him up all it said about him was that he is a real life pilot.  Which is pretty funny.

Milkboy is a tiny venue, a great way to see an artist–especially since the videos of Brother Ali show him in much bigger venues.

I wasn’t going to this show because it was the same night as Tropical Fuck Storm.  But with it postponed to September, I now have a chance again.

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Swervedriver (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, October 21, 2019)

Posted in Asbury Park, NJ, Milkboy, Milly, Philadelphia, PA, Swervedriver on October 21, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 21, 2019] Swervedriver

Back in the 1990s, Swervedriver’s “Son of Mustang Ford” was one of my favorite songs.  I consistently put it on mix CDs at the time.  I still love it and it was the thought of hearing Swervedriver play it live that inspired me to check out this show (which I literally just found out about a few days ago).

The show was at Milkboy in Philadelphia.  I had never been to Milkboy before and really didn’t know much about it–except that it was pretty small.  It’s got a capacity of about 200.  The venue is upstairs from a bar, which looked quite nice.

I arrived early because I didn’t have a ticket (the ticket fee was over $8 for a $25 ticket!).  I arrived just after 7:30 and found a parking space right across the street from the venue (and did my worst driver’s side parallel parking job ever).  I actually couldn’t find the place at first and when I did, I wasn’t even sure which was the entrance.  So I wound up going in the wrong entrance and then having to ask where the band was (I could hear them upstairs).

The nice bartender pointed me the way and said they were running late.  It was actually Swervedriver still doing a soundcheck.  And the stairway to the venue was blocked by a chain.  The bartender said it wasn’t near sold out so not to worry about the ticket.

When the soundcheck was done, they opened the doors at a little after 8 and I went upstairs and was the first one in the venue… (!) [So much for an 8PM start time]. (more…)

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Milly (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, October 21, 2019) [SWERVEDRIVER]

Posted in Milkboy, Milly, Philadelphia, PA, Swervedriver on October 21, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 21, 2019] Milly

It turns out that there are two bands named Milly that are currently active.

One Milly is the musical project from Seth Milberger and Johnny Grushecky. (The Composure, The I Drive).  The two formed Milly in 2014 in Pittsburgh, PA. After a few years of crafting their songs and cutting their teeth on stage, [they released] their debut album Place In My Mind in 2018.

Milberger describes the band: “Milly is a little more simple and pop-driven with overlays of some oldies meshed with a fresh, modern, familiar sound.”

This is their logo on the left.

The second Milly is from Los Angeles.  This Milly is the lo-fi slowcore project of Brendan Dyer, and they’ve released two singles via Dangerbird Records with a new EP out in November.  (That’s the EP up on the right).

It was this second Milly that opened for Swervedriver, and they were an excellent choice (not the least of which was because the rhythm guitarist was wearing a Swervedriver shirt. (more…)

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Philly Music Fest (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, September 28, 2019)

Posted in Ali Awan, Arnetta Johnson, Arthur Thomas, Ceramic Animal, Chestnut Grove, Darlingside, Federal Donuts, Foxtrot and the Get Down, Genesis, Ill Doots, Ill Fated Natives, Jeremiah Tall, Johnny Brenda's, Man Man, Milkboy, Palm, Petal, Philadelphia, PA, Philly Music Fest, Remember Sports, RFA, Rosali, Sammus, Secret American, Sixteen Jackies, Speedy Ortiz, Stereolab, Sun Ra, Sun Ra Arkestra, Tate, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, The Districts, Thin Lips, Vacationer, World Cafe Live on September 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 29, 2019] Philly Music Fest

For those counting, this makes four concerts in four nights, which is frankly insane (and thanks to my poor wife who tolerates such excesses).

But the whole reason I wanted to go this evening was to see Man Man (more in their own post).

But, in fact, the entire Philly Music Fest was pretty fantastic.  I would have certainly gone to three of the four nights if I could have.  This little festival is a testament to the amazing music that Philadelphia is producing, and they didn’t even include two of my favorite Philly bands, Mannequin Pussy and Control Top.

The first night I actually didn’t know any of the bands.

  • Wednesday 9/25 at Milkboy (a venue I haven’t been to yet)
  • Secret American
  • Sixteen Jackies
  • Ceramic Animal

The second night was an amazing line up! (more…)

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