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Archive for the ‘Milkboy’ Category

Speedy Ortiz (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, July 30, 2024)

Posted in Grocer, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Queen Rat, Speedy Ortiz on August 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 30, 2024] Speedy Ortiz

I saw Speedy Ortiz back in 2018 and then… they sort of disappeared.  When they returned back in 2023, I saw  them twice, for a Free at Noon before the release of their new album and then a month later when they played the new album in full.

Speedy Ortiz was supposed to play Milkboy on New Year’s Eve, but the show was cancelled because of COVID in the band.

So this show was the rescheduled show from New Year’s (New Year’s in July).  And then in June, Sadie Dupuis posted this

 i had a bike accident monday after a car cut me off and, considering philly drivers and roads, i’m way lucky i’m alive and it didn’t go worse. 🚴😵‍💫  my elbow is, as they say formally in the medical-industrial complex, “totally effed,” but i’m scheduled for surgery monday and i’m being led to believe i’m in the best orthopedic hands out there. it’s going to be a long and annoying road to recovery but i love guitar more than anything and i’m famously stubborn so i’ll get there, don’t worry

They had to cancel shows with Mary Timony, but Sadie said she’d do anything to get this Milkboy show done, even if that meant not playing guitar and teaching all of her parts to Dylan Baldi of Cloud Nothings.

Sadie said it was like doing karaoke.  And when she realized that she’d be a “stand up” singer, she asked for a tambourine to keep her hands busy.  Then she learned that people who play tambourine off their thigh tend to protect themselves from serious bruising. (more…)

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Grocer (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, July 30, 2024) [SPEEDY ORTIZ]

Posted in Grocer, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Queen Rat, Speedy Ortiz on July 31, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 30, 2024] Grocer

This was the third time I could have seen Grocer.   The first time I didn’t go to the show and the second time was when Speedy Ortiz was supposed to play this show in July.

I thought I knew Grocer from NPR music but I didn’t (I think i got them mixed up with Florist who sound NOTHING like them).  Grocer is a trio from Philly: Cody Nelson – Drums/Vocals, Danielle Lovier – Bass/Vocals and Nicholas Rahn – Guitar/Vocals.  Each member sings and each singer’s musical style is a little different making for a wide ranging musical set all held together by this great band having a lot of fun.

The first song “Mating Call” opened with quiet guitars, quiet vocals from Cody Nelson and bird calls.  By the end of the song, the band was furiously singing “It powers on, but the signal’s gone.”

Up next was “Arts & Lit” sung by Nicholas Rahn.  It had an interesting riff, a jumpy melody and fun backing vocals.  I really enjoyed the sounds and effects that he used.  He had some kind of foot pedal that he slid back and forth which manipulated the sound and made his guitar soar into space. (more…)

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Queen Rat (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, July 30, 2024) [SPEEDY ORTIZ]

Posted in Grocer, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Queen Rat, Speedy Ortiz on July 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: July 30, 2024] Queen Rat

I was worried that I’d be a little late for this show but I parked (illegally it turns out) and managed to get into Milkboy pretty easily.

Queen Rat came on just as I leaned I could sit on the comfy stool to the left side of the stage (I assume a bouncer sits there during heavier shows?).   But it was perfect for my presently handicapped state.

Their bio says

Queen Rat is a rock trio born in Ohio, growing up in Philly. Drawing from rock heroes ranging from Hole to the Raincoats to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the band pairs pensive, observant lyricism with a versatile grunge-rock style. Following the release of their debut album, Until It’s Not, in 2022, they relocated to Philadelphia and released their latest single, Cut Me A Garden, in 2023. Talk to Queen Rat about books, jumping, or birds.

I found them to be much less aggressive than any of the bands listed above, playing an almost lo-fi vibe.

There were fuzzy guitars, for sure, but the pacing was slow and thoughtful with a few moments that rocked out–especially when drummer Kate Bertrand really kicked it in.

I particularly enjoyed the way Tile Floor ended with a lengthy outro of more or less the same lyrics repeated: (more…)

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Previous Industries ft. Open Mike Eagle + Video Dave + STILL RIFT / Cavalier (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, July 27, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Cavalier, Milkboy, Open Mike Eagle, Philadelphia, PA, Previous Industries, Still Rift, Video Dave on July 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 27,  2024] Previous Industries ft. Open Mike Eagle + Video Dave + STILL RIFT / Cavalier

I saw Open Mike Eagle at the end of last year and really enjoyed his set.  Previous Industries is a low key supergroup, I guess.  (Although, it’s arguable that many people don’t know them individually).

Open Mike Eagle, Video Dave and STILL RIFT have worked together in various ways over the years and here they are together–rapping with each other on the songs.

The songs are kind of slow–emphasizing the lyrics rather than the melodies.  The songs are also thoughtful and not lyrically interesting.  One of the songs, for instance, references The Giving Tree (even mentioning Shel Silverstein).

And  a fun lyrics from Open Mike

Got it made, got it made, like I was hot for the teacher
It’s a sound blaster car with the Altec Lansing speaker
I like David Lee Roth and not the other guy
It’s ’95 South, so I can learn to do the butterfly
It’s Triple F.A.T. Goose stocked even in the summer time
My sweatshirt counting sheep with both words underlined
Yeah, and Mrs. Fields to the cookie stop
As quick as Mr. Owl licked the center of a Tootsie Pop

This is exactly the kind of rap event I would really enjoy.  I couldn’t go mostly because it was a Saturday and our schedule was pretty busy that week.  (more…)

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MC Lars / Schaffer The Darklord / Shubzilla + Bill Beats / MC Snax (Silk City, Philadelphia, PA, May 19, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in MC Lars, MC Snax, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Schaffer The Darklord, Shubzilla + Bill Beats, Silk City on May 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2024] MC Lars / Schaffer The Darklord / Shubzilla + Bill Beats / MC Snax

This is now the fourth time that I have not gotten to see MC Lars.  I was really looking forward to this show and then my plans changed and I couldn’t make it (I guess Sunday nights are tough).

I really want to see MC Lars.  I am on the fence about Schaffer, who is a bit more crass, but is undoubtedly very funny live.  I hadn’t heard of the other two performers but their blurbs below make them seem pretty delightful.

The good news is that MC Lars tends to come around every year.  So I can only hope that next year the stars align for me.

MC Lars
For over twenty years, MC Lars has built a fanbase across the US, the UK and the rest of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. In addition to touring, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, South by Southwest, San Diego Comic-Con, Slam Dunk, Truck Festival and as part of the VANS Warped Tour. He has performed on stage with numerous artists, including Bowling for Soup, MC Frontalot, Wheatus, Say Anything, Gym Class Heroes, Simple Plan, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, Nas, and Koo Koo Kanga Roo. His work includes collabs with a wide range of musicians – among them, “Weird Al” Yankovic, KRS-One, Sage Francis, Watsky, Mega Ran, Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup, Wheatus, the Matches, Kool Keith, Spose, MC Frontalot, YT Cracker, Schäffer the Dark Lord, Beefy and K.Flay. He has been featured on CNN, NPR, and MTV and has been profiled in Rolling Stone, SPIN, and Alternative Press. (more…)

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Jhariah / Pollyanna/ Save Face (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, April 13, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Jhariah, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Pollyanna, Save Face on April 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 13, 2024] Jhariah / Pollyanna / Save Face

I saw Jhariah earlier this year open for Pinkshift.  I loved his set so much.  Everything about it was great.  I thought my daughter would love to see him as well, so when they announced a show at Milkboy, I grabbed tickets for both of us (after discovering that she was allowed to be in the over 21 club as long as she stayed with me the whole time).  Then it turned out that she was invited to a birthday party and she chose to go to that instead.  Which, fair enough.

I already had a ticket for Swans for this evening, which I figured I’d blow off to go out with my daughter.  When she opted for her party, I figured I’d go to the Jhariah show–I was more interested in it that she was.  I really enjoyed his set a few months ago and would have loved to see him again, especially headlining.

Milkboy is a great venue but it is a massive pain in the butt to get to.  I also started to think about how young the crowd would be for this show.  Since I had just had surgery, the last thing I needed was to be in a crowd with people slam dancing and shoving.

So I decided to go to the Swans show as I had originally planned–the music would be louder, but much slower.

Pollyanna was supposed to open for Pinkshift along with Jhariah.  But for whatever reason they did not play that show.  But I really grew to like them a lot.  So when they were announced as a last minute third band at this show I was super excited to finally get to see them live.

Save Face is a Jersey-based band who were signed to Epitaph but are now independent (which is pretty fascinating).  I’d never heard of them, but apparently they did a song with Jhariah in September (which is really good), so that certainly explains the touring together business.   They come from the screamo/post hardcore scene, although to me they sound a ton like My Chemical Romance.  Their last Epitaph album features a guest vocal from Thursday’s Geoff Rickly.

 

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Tyler Ramsey / Jeremy Lister (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, February 21, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Jeremy Lister, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Tyler Ramsey on February 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 21, 2024] Tyler Ramsey / Jeremy Lister

Tyler Ramsey was the guitarist for Band of Horses for many years.  I don’t know why he is no longer the guitarist for Band of Horses.

He has released some solo albums, including this new one called New Lost Ages.

Musically the songs are interesting.  His voice is also pretty good.  But it all sounds a lot like Band of Horses, just not as good.  Sorry.

Jeremy Lister is (from what I can see) in high demand.  He doesn’t have anything on bandcamp, but he is a featured guest on lots of songs.  His bio says

he is known for his ability to write and perform across a wide spectrum of genres, from pop to folk to crooner jazz. In November 2021, Lister released his full-length big band holiday album “Happy Holidays, Everyone.”

His voice is interesting and evocative.  He reminds me of a bunch of offbeat singer songwriters like Michael Penn or more theatrical songwriters like Rufus Wainwright.

I wasn’t planning on going to this show because I had other shows later in the week.

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Speedy Ortiz / Foyer Red / Grocer (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, December 31, 2023) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Coronavirus, Foyer Red, Grocer, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Quarantine, Speedy Ortiz on December 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: December 31, 2023] Speedy Ortiz / Foyer Red / Grocer [CANCELLED]

indexI saw Speedy Ortiz back in September and the show was fantastic.  I already had tickets to see Phish on New Year’s Eve, so it was unlikely that I’d be going to this show.

A few days before  the show, the band announced that they had to cancel because someone in the band had COVID (it’s a few days later and the message is gone, so I can’t quote it here).

So that sucks for them and for everyone who was planning on spending New Year’s Eve there, including the other two bands.

I could have seen both bands back in 2022 at different shows.  Here’s what I wrote then:

Foyer Red has crazy sounds, weirdo words and multiple singers.  And somehow despite all the weirdness (their 2021 album is called Zigzag Wombat), the songs are catchy

Post-Trash says

Foyer Red is a Brooklyn five-piece that makes sweetly sung, charmingly zany art rock. In 2022 they hit the ground running with several great singles — “Pollen City,” “Pickles,” and “Flipper.” In December, the band celebrated signing to Carpark Records by releasing the delightfully spontaneous single, “Etc.”

That first line is enough to make me want to see them. (more…)

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Karina Rykman (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, December 15, 2023)

Posted in Boygenius, Butthole Surfers, Coyote Island, Karina Rykman, Marco Benevento, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Tom Tom Club, Ween on December 16, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 15, 2023] Karina Rykman 

I‘ve seen Karina Rykman play bass with Marco Benevento three times.   She exudes a joy that is infectious.  And her sound with Marco is outstanding–her fuzz bass is unparalleled.

So I’d wanted to see her solo for a while, even though her solo songs are a bit more discoey than I would have liked. She opened for Guster back in April and she and her band blew me away.  In fact, my wife liked her so much that she was totally on board with seeing her again.

Yes, her singing voice is rather discoey (she must use lots of effects on it to sound so echoey and outer-spacey, but man, when she jams, she gets down and dirty and often quite heavy.  But she also steps back and lets her impressive guitar player Adam November take over.  And her drummer Chris Corsico is pretty awesome too.

She sold out Milkboy (I was supposed to see her there in 2020 and I think it would have been a very different show) which she was pretty thrilled about.  And the crowd was 100% dancing to her groove.

She opened with three songs from her album Joyride (which had not come out in April).  “Joyride” and “All That You Wanted” are softer songs that accentuate her way with melody and hooks–the choruses are dynamite. (more…)

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Coyote Island (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, December 15, 2023) [KARINA RYKMAN]

Posted in Coyote Island, Karina Rykman, Marco Benevento, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA on December 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 15, 2023] Coyote Island

Coyote Island opened for Karina Rykman.  I hadn’t heard of them and when I listened to a song or two I thought they sounded kind of folkie and mellow.  Turns out

Coyote Island is the musical vision of producer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Mike O’Hehir. For many years Mike travelled the country with guitar in hand. With roots in folk music, the sound quickly expanded into a new genre-bending realm of psychedelic indie. With good vibrations, dancey grooves, and tropical psychedelia, Coyote Island offers you a sonic vacation from the doldrums of existence.

Okay, so that’s promo blather but it’s not far off.

When the band started, they played an excellent instrumental jam.  It rocked and was really grooving.  Their second song was kind of lite-reggae.  I don’t like reggae, but I enjoyed this song because it deviated from the formula in little ways.

Their next song was, as the blurb says, kind of tropical psychedelia.  There’s definitely the tropical element in the drums from Ryan Benoit.  And five-string bassist Garrett Roy Jones played a great low-end.

It was lead guitarist Amir Rivera who really blew me away.  I loved the way he casually played some really amazing solos.  He was fast, but also very clean and tasteful.

I don’t have any song titles, although I do know that they played a super fun and hugely surprising cover of “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue–sung by Amir.  Another really fun moment was when Mike broke a guitar string–a low E of all things–and had to get a new guitar.  He climbed off the stage to their gear which was stacked up in the crowd.  While he grabbed and tuned a guitar, Amir led the rest of the band in this rippling fun instrumental.  None of this is to dismiss Mike, whoc joined in about halfway through and added a ton of little details.

Indeed, Mike is a fun and engaging front man.  He’s got a smooth island-inflected singing voice [I was stunned when he said they were from Maine as they sound like the least Maine-sounding band I could imagine].  He had on a fun outfit and was generally smiling and happy.

When the set was over he walked through the crowd and happily talked to anyone.

Without question they would make an excellent opening band in nearly any situation.  I hope to see them again.

 

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