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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

The Spirit of the Beehive / Mary Jane Dunphe (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 8, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Mary Jane Dunphe, Philadelphia, PA, The Spirit of the Beehive on September 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 12, 2023] The Spirit of the Beehive / Mary Jane Dunphe

I saw The Spirit of the Beehive six years ago and they were outstanding live.  I’d never heard of them before that show but they blew me away with their set which was a great mix of shoegaze and noise.  I said then that I’d like to see them headline a show.

Well, here they are.  But it’s the same night that we have tickets to see Beck and Phoenix.  So, sorry SOTB.

It turns out that the show has sold out, so they didn’t me anyway.

Mary Jane Dunphe is a poet and musician who tells stories–not through direct narrative but through embodied presence and performance, through cinematic and fragmented memory, the wild transmission of feeling. Her versatile songwriting has garnered critical acclaim in past projects such as the visceral punk of Vexx and Gen Pop, the minimal dream pop of CCFX and CC Dust, and the lonesome country-rock of The County Liners–and now Dunphe’s debut solo album, Stage of Love, is the start of a captivating new chapter.

I listened to a couple of her songs and I like the big fat synth sounds she uses but I don’t really like her voice.  I feel like I wouldn’t enjoy her set.

 

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The Tallest Man on Earth / Andrea von Kampen (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 8, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Andrea van Kampen, Philadelphia, PA, The Tallest Man on Earth, Union Transfer on September 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 8, 2023] The Tallest Man on Earth/Andrea von Kampen

Last year, after many failed attempts, I finally got to see The Tallest Man on Earth–Kristian Matsson, a Swedish folksinger with a great guitar picking style and a deep powerful gritty voice.

It was a fun show only marred by the very vocal drunks behind me who talked during the show and then sang along really loudly to the words they knew.

I thought it would be fun to see him again–and to hopefully be in a different spot than the drunks this time.  So I grabbed a ticket.  Completely not realizing that I had already purchased tickets to see Beck/Phoenix tonight.

Alas.

Andrea van Kampen is an American folk singer.  She has a gentle fingerpicking style and a nice voice that reaches to a powerful falsetto.

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Battles (Fillmore Philly, Philadelphia, PA, September 6, 2023) [MR. BUNGLE]

Posted in Battles, Helmet, Mr. Bungle, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia, Tomahawk on September 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 6, 2023] Battles

Back in 2007 my friend Lar told me that he saw Battles in concert.  I was really impressed by the video he sent and really liked their unusual sounds.  The band was originally a four-piece.

Sixteen years later and I have finally seen Battles live.  I had kind of forgotten about them, even though I did really like their first few records.  But seeing them as the opening act made me even more excited to go to this Mr. Bungle show.

Battles is the working of two guys.  In my opinion, it is drummer John Stanier who is the star of the show.  Even though Ian Williams is the guy making most of the actual music, Stanier is right up at  the front of the stage with Williams and he is incredible to watch as he smashes his drums with everything he’s got.

Basically, Stanier (who used to play with Helmet and Tomahawk, so you know he has heavy bonafides) sits to our left with his small Tama kit.  He’s got an electronic pad that adds all kinds of good stuff.  And one cymbal which is insanely high up in the air.  It’s almost comically out of the way.  Why?  In 2011 he said (more…)

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Weyes Blood / Sir Chloe (The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 8, 2023) [BECK / PHOENIX] [DID NOT ATTEND-missed them both]

Posted in Beck, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, Sir Chloe, Weyes Blood on September 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 8, 2023] Weyes Blood / Sir Chloe

When this show was announced, I was really excited for it.  Beck always puts on a good show and Phoenix have some really fantastic songs.

I saw that our opening acts were going to be Weyes Blood, whom I heard put on a great live show and Sir Chloe, who I knew a little bit.

Well, it turns out that this show was scheduled to start at 5:30.  On a Friday.  In Philadelphia.

So, yea, there was no way were going to see Sir Chloe.

And then the forecast was so ugly!  Thunderstorms near us and in Philly.  The Mann Center closes or postpones if there is lightning.  So we weren’t even sure if we were going to go at all.

I was pretty sure we would not see Weyes Blood either, but by the time we left (and made sure that we weren’t going to drive all the way there and then find out it was cancelled), I realized we would be lucky to make the beginning of the Phoenix show.

I like to blame the Mann Center for any delays when I go to shows there. But there was no fault of theirs tonight.  Parking was even (relatively) easy and unlike at Phish shows, the line to get in wasn’t very long at all.  In fact, no complaints about the Mann in any way.  It has made me rethink my overall desire to not go there for shows.  Maybe I just need to go to less popular shows. (more…)

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Ex Hex / Slomo Sapiens (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, September 7, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bat Fangs, Ex Hex, Helium, Philadelphia, PA, Slomo Sapiens, The Foundry on September 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 7, 2023] Ex Hex / Slomo Sapiens

Ex Hex is a kind of indie supergroup comprised of Mary Timony (Helium, Wild Flag) and Betsy Wright (from Bat Fangs who I saw and liked).  The third member is drummer Laura Harris.

Ex Hex is the most commercial sounding music Timony’s made and I actually found their first album a little boring.  They were kind of straight ahead punk pop songs that might have been revolutionary in the 90s but felt kind of staid in 2014.

The newer album, the one they are touring (which actually came out in 2019) is a little more complex and more interesting as a result.  I would have been rather interested in going to this show.  Unfortunately, I only found out about it early this afternoon and there was no way I could get to it.  Oh well.

Slomo Sapiens continues the tradition of great band names from Philadelphia.  I didn’t know much about them, but they are described as a psychedelic “sludge rock” trio, which sounds pretty good to me.

I’ve listened to a couple of songs and psychedelic sludge rock is right on the nose.

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Speedy Ortiz (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2023)

Posted in Hurry, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Speedy Ortiz, Washer on September 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2023] Speedy Ortiz

I saw Speedy Ortiz back in 2018 at a sold out PhilaMOCA show )I was right in front of Sadie Dupuis).  Their show was great–a fan-favorite selection of songs from throughout their career.

It had been five years since they released a new album and they were celebrating by playing the entire album at our show (the only show they were likely to do so).  [I didn’t know that until she told us].

I had heard a few of the new songs at the Free at Noon show, but this one promised to be so much better.

And so, they played Rabbit Rabbit start to finish.  There were a few moments where she joked about what a pain it was to tune between songs (which is why most bands don’t play the album straight through–they group songs with similar tuning together to minimize drag.

I had listened to the album about three times, so it wasn’t familiar but I recognized many moments.

The band is mostly the same.  Of course, Sadie Dupuis is the main force–her guitar playing is excellent and complex and her voice sounds amazing.  Andy Molholt is still with them playing lead guitar and more.  I especially enjoyed Audrey Zee Whitesides (now a full time member of the band) absolutely screaming backing vocals on a couple of songs.

What was great about seeing the album live like this is that songs that hadn’t quite grabbed me yet on a listen were really powerful live.  Sadie said “Cry Cry Cry” was her favorite song on the record, and after she said that I paid more attention to it and it was great.

Speedy Ortiz doesn’t do encores, so instead they played three older songs to wrap up the night–one from each of the the previous full lengths.

I like Twerp Verse the best so I liked hearing “Buck Me Off”  And “Raising the Skate” is a great song off off Foil Deer.

The final song of the night was “Plough” a great song from their debut–the only bummer about that is that’s what they ended their Free at Noon set with as well.  But that’s a very minor complaint because it’s a killer song.

They have gotten a new drummer since five years ago Joey Doubek has replaced Mike Falcone and unless I am very much mistaken, Doubek hits the drums a whole lot harder.  I feel like he adds a very heavy element to these songs.

Hearing the album like this was really great and I’ve enjoyed it even more after seeing it live.  There are of course other songs I would have loved to hear (made a super long encore?), but I enjoyed this set a lot.  And when I see that in other cities they play maybe 7 or 8 songs (out of 13) off of Rabbit, I feel especially lucky.

 

Johnny Brenda’s 2023 Free at Noon 2023 PhilaMOCA 2018
Kim Cattrall ¥ The Graduates € Buck Me Off ⇓
You S02 ¥ Scabs ¥ Lean In When I Suffer ⇓
Scabs ¥ Ghostwriter ¥ Lucky 88 ⇓
Plus One ¥ Silver Spring ⊗ Raising The Skate €
Cry Cry Cry ¥ Plus One ¥ The Graduates €
Ballad of Y & S ¥ Lucky 88 ⇓ Silver Spring ⊗
Kitty ¥ You S02 ¥ Plough ♠
Who’s Afraid of the Bath ¥ Plough ♠ Alone With Girls ⇓
Ranch vs. Ranch¥ I’m Blessed ⇓
Emergency & Me ¥ Taylor Swift [single]
The Sunday ¥ You Hate The Title ⇓
Brace Thee ¥ Moving In ⇓
Ghostwriter ¥ Villain ⇓
Raising The Skate €            * Swell Content €
Buck Me Off ⇓ * “Silver Spring” was Dvrk Wvrld €
Plough ♠ on setlist

 

¥ Rabbit, Rabbit (2023)
⇓ Twerp Verse (2018)
€ from Foil Deer (2015)
♠ from Major Arcana (2013)
⊗ from Sports EP (2012)
[single] from (2012)

 

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Washer (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2023) [SPEEDY ORTIZ]

Posted in Hurry, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Speedy Ortiz, Washer on September 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2023] Washer

I hadn’t heard of Washer before this show.  Turns out they are a duo–another duo who can make a good holy racket with just guitar (or bass) and drums.  Washer is Mike Quigley: guitar, vocals and bass and Kieran McShane: drums.

Quigley setup right in front of me (off to the side of the stage a bit), so I couldn’t really see McShane all that well.  Of course, the lighting was super dark so I couldn’t see him much anyway.

They started with a slow song, “King Insignificant” with Quigley playing guitar quietly and McShane keeping time.  It sounded good, and not at all like it was missing anything.  But then about 90 seconds into the song, McShane went bonkers on the drums and the song ended in a furious punk rock screamfest and they sounded massive.

Washer clearly don’t have time for things like solos.  Some songs barely have time for a chorus.  They played the first four songs of their newest album–two of which are 90 seconds long and two of which are just over two minutes.  And I liked each one better than the next,

They dipped into a couple of other new songs, but  they also played some older ones as well. (more…)

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Hurry (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 5, 2023) [SPEEDY ORTIZ]

Posted in Hurry, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Speedy Ortiz, Teenage Fanclub, Washer on September 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: September 5, 2023] Hurry

I was supposed to see Hurry open for two previous shows.  A Restorations show that was cancelled because of COIVD and a Nada Surf show that I didn’t go to because it was the same night as something else.

I was positive about them, but a little dismissive as well.  Perhaps it took them to release their newest album Don’t Look Back for them to perfect their blend of perfect Nada Surf/Teenage Fanclub pop songcraft.  Indeed, their album is named after a Teenage Fanclub song.

Originally, the project was a solo venture for Matt Scottoline who played bass in another band.  Scottoline has a knack for simple pop hooks and songs that you can’t help but tap your toes to.  The rest of the band is Rob DeCarolis: Drums; Joe DeCarolis: Bass; Justin Fox: Lead Guitar and , a fifth member who (amusingly) sang occasional backing vocals and banged a tambourine but mostly just seemed to hold a drink in his hand.  Turns out this guy was Ian Farmer of Modern Baseball (and owner of their record label) who sat in for this whole set.

I was sucked into their music right from the get go.  The melodies and harmonies were wonderful.  All of the songs were from this new album (which came out last month).  The only exceptions were “When I’m with You” (which is their biggest hit and was features in two TV shows a few years ago) and “Don’t Look Back” the Teenage Fanclub song that they got their album name from. (more…)

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Strawberry Moon / Wax Jaw / Hot Seat / Wallace, Tonight (Ortlieb’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Hot Seat, Ortlieb's, Philadelphia, PA, Strawberry Moon, Wallace Tonight, Wax Jaw on September 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 1, 2023] Strawberry Moon / Wax Jaw / Hot Seat / Wallace, Tonight

I have recently discovered the Philly band Wax Jaw and I am mildly obsessed with them.  I have yet to see them live, but I really want to.  When I saw this show at Ortlieb’s, I thought it might be a great time to see them.

But there were a couple of problems.

The big one is that my son was moving to college the next day.  Yea, there was no way I was not going to be home to help him (and we were up until almost midnight getting everything together).  The second, obviously minor thing is that Wax Jaw was not the headliner.

Strawberry Moon was the headliner.  I hadn’t heard of them, but imagined they would be kind of a psychedelic band.  And nothing could be further from the truth.  Their bandcamp summary says:

rock and roll with big ole vocals and dancey riffs

And that’s pretty spot on.  There’s some great rocking riffs and lead singer Katie Bowles has a powerful voice that never turns into screaming.  The rest of the band is Liam McElroy – guitar ; Gray Stephenson – bass ; TJ Meade – drums.  The poster says “Introducing Christian” which I assume means another member of the band, but who knows.

They are  a classic sounding band who probably put on a killer live show.

Wax Jaw I only know from a show I didn’t see (which had video online afterward).  There’s something wonderfully primal about them–kinda surfy but with a real punk rock feel.  Or as, this review in Before Tomorrow says

With a blend of surf rock, new wave, and popost-punk influences; Wax Jaw can only be described as something akin to the love child of The Cure, Siouxsie and The Banshees, and The Dictators all wrapped up into one package of sound that you may have expected to hear leaking from the doors of The Hot Club in the late 1970s. In the seemingly brief time they have been together, Wax Jaw has already garnered an extensive roster of sold out shows across the Philadelphia area and after our experience, it is undeniable that this streak will continue.

The review also goes on to say that it sounds like they stole the show. (more…)

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Dysrhythmia / Stinking Lizaveta / Countdown from Ten (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, August 31, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Countdown from Ten, Dysrhythmia, Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, Stinking Lizaveta on August 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: August 31, 2023] Dysrhythmia / Stinking Lizaveta / Countdown from Ten

For reasons I don’t entirely remember, I’ve added Stinking Lizaveta to the list of bands that I’d like to see.

I think what inspired me to check them out is that they are an instrumental band who play complex music.  Indeed, it appears that not a word would be sung this entire evening.

After reading about and then listening to all of these bands, I decided that I would go to this show after all.  So I grabbed a ticket.  And then it turned out that there were so many  things going o this weekend that spending Thursday night jamming to metal math rock just didn’t fit into the plans

Bummer. (more…)

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