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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

Otoboke Beaver (おとぼけビ～バ～) (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 24, 2023)

Posted in おとぼけビ～バ～, Otoboke Beaver, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on February 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 24, 2023] Otoboke Beaver 

I saw Otoboke Beaver back in October and since they decided to swing through Philly again, I immediately grabbed a ticket.  The show sold out a few days before it happened (good for them).  And this venue is twice the size of Johnny Brenda’s (from 300 to 650 capacity) so even better for them.

There were several rules up on the wall before the show.  Basically they didn’t want people on stage (understandable) and they didn’t want people taking their setlist (this one I still don’t get) and no posting videos to YouTube (although Instagram is okay–I don’t quite get that either but whatever).  This also meant t hat there was a barrier up between the band and the stage (unusual for Underground Arts).  Sadly this meant that guitarist Yoyoyoshie would not be crowd surfing.  Of course, I didn’t arrive early enough to get that close anyhow.

Nevertheless, I had a pretty good spot up front, but as soon as they started playing, the mosh pit started and I got pushed off to the side a bit.  And by the end of the show I was all the way off to the side in a not especially great place.  That kind of sucked because they are so much fun to watch that I was bummed I couldn’t see them from the front.  But it was neat being near bassist Hiro-Chan who plays barefoot!

They sing (almost) exclusively in Japanese so I can’t really tell which song is which.  And most of their songs are short and fast so who knows what they played (again, not seeing a setlist), but it doesn’t matter because their whole set is about fun-wild fun.

One thing that really impressed me was that before one of the songs, singer Accorinrin stood with her arm raised and the whole band waited for her to begin.  The crowd, not taking the hint, whooped it up, but she was clearly waiting for silence (I understand Japanese audiences are very quiet between songs).  She stood and waited (like a teacher), until eventually she lowered her arms in a quiet gesture and everyone was quiet.  Their songs are very tight and need to be coordinated well.  As soon as their was silence, she was able to start and everyone was in synch.  (more…)

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Gladie (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 24, 2023) [Otoboke Beaver]

Posted in おとぼけビ～バ～, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cayetana, Gladie, Otoboke Beaver, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on February 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 24, 2023] Gladie

Otoboke Beaver had a different local band open for each of their shows on this tour.  After the show I spoke to Gladie and they were really psyched to have been chosen to open.

This was actually the fourth time I was supposed to see Gladie.  Most of the shows they were opening for someone and the show as postponed due to COIVD. So I was glad this one actually came through.

They don’t quite fit musically, but they were an excellent warm up.  Gladie are a Philly-based band that was created out of the ashes of other Philly-based band.  Singer Augusta Koch was the singer of beloved band Cayetana, who I only really found out about as they were breaking up (and who actually only put out two albums!).

The band also has Matt Schimelfenig and some other people who may or may not have been on stage that night.

Augusta Koch is clearly in charge of things.  She is a fun frontwoman and made some funny comments about the show.  She was saying how much she loves Underground Arts and how much it reminds her of the club in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (that’s pretty accurate). (more…)

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Gilla Band (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 22, 2023)

Posted in Gilla Band, Girl Band, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Pure Adult on February 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 22, 2023] Gilla Band

When Irish quartet Gilla Band first became a band back in 2011 or so, they were called Girl Band.  I first heard about them in 2015, when the single “Why They Hide the Bodies Under My Garage” came out.  It was noisy and abrasive and painful and wonderful.

I lost track of them for a bit (WIkipedia says they had a hiatus for health issues).  Then in 2021 they announced they were changing the name of the band because it was a “misgendered name” and that their former name could have been “propagating a culture of non-inclusivity.”  Which is pretty cool.  They changed it to Gilla Band (keeping the G and the Band).

The quartet has remained the same since the beginning: vocalist Dara Kiely, guitarist Alan Duggan, bassist Daniel Fox and drummer Adam Faulkner.  This is probably a good thing because I don’t see how anyone could reproduce what these guys do.

They opened with a bunch of older songs.  First up was “Lawman” which has scraping guitars and a mechanical sliding bass. as Dara sing/speaks (in a manner not unlike Mark E. Smith) as the song slams forward.   The end of the song features some high pitched noises that I don’t now how guitarist Alan Duggan even thought to make.   That song pushed six minutes and they followed it with the 90 second blast of noise called “Heckle the Frames.”  I loved the guitar that was just a high pitched note sliding up the neck.  (Is it about making fun of Glen Hansard’s band?)

“Pears for Lunch” was largely quiet (relatively) until about half way in when the guitars turned into a wall of noise.  “Fucking Butter” was amazing because bassist Daniel Fox was playing these really nigh notes that didn’t sound like a bass at all. The guitar was just a buzzsaw of scraping playing along with the drums.  Somehow the guitar made a increasingly higher and higher sound that seemed to keep going up and up long after he reached the highest point of his strings. (more…)

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Pure Adult (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 22, 2023) [GILLA BAND]

Posted in Gilla Band, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Pure Adult on February 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 22, 2023] Pure Adult

I knew about Gilla Band and have listened to a few of their songs.  They’re a bit too abrasive to listen to for fun, but I imagined that their live set would be amazing.

I had no idea who would open for them, and had not heard of Pure Adult.

Pure Adult is technically a duo: Jeremy Snyder and Bianca Abarca.

Although on stage there were five people.

Pure Adult is that wonderful kind of band that I feel like was more prevalent in the 1990s (and maybe bands like this have always been around and I don’t know them).  They play weird music that doesn’t really fit a style or pattern.  There are catchy parts and non-catchy parts and sudden stops and starts and vocals that may or may not match with the music.  The singers are weird and the lyrics have no context and feel like they are story songs.  In other words, they will never be popular and never make any money.  But they may find some fans on college radio stations.  And they will always be amazing live.

They came out and Jeremy Snyder looked like someone straight out of a 70s movie (possibly pornographic).  He had on tan pants (maybe polyester) with a button down shirt and a jacket.  He had shaggy hair and a bushy mustache.  He jumped around the stage shouting and relating his lyrics.

Bianca Abarca was on keys, but they traded off when she sang the lead parts.  She also did some cool moves–the Johnny Brenda’s stage was way too small for them.

Their guitar player Nelson Antonio Espinal (in the dim light I pictured him as Paul Rudd in a big curly wig) played some wild solos and made some great noises as well.  I also really enjoyed the sounds that their bassist created ( I didn’t get the name of him or their drummer who was solid and handled the wild time changes easily). (more…)

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Flogging Molly / Anti-Flag / Skinny Lister (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, February 18, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Anti-Flag, Flogging Molly, Montclair, NJ, Skinny Lister, Wellmont Theater on February 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 18, 2023] Flogging Molly / Anti-Flag / Skinny Lister

I actually saw Flogging Molly twenty-three years ago when they opened for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  They had just released their debut album and I remember enjoying their mix of Punk and traditional Irish music.  I never would have guessed they’d still be around all this time later.

I also just found out that the lead singer of the band is Dave King the singer from the 80s heavy metal band Fastway, who I liked a bunch back in the day.

I wasn’t all that interested in seeing Flogging Molly–I haven’t listened to them since–although I’m sure they put on a super fun show.  But I was interested in seeing Anti-Flag (again).

Anti-Flag is a punk band who I should have known about but only learned of through my son.  Their live show was awesome and I definitely want to see them again. (more…)

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Dry Cleaning / The Spirit of the Beehive / Nourished By Time (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Dry Cleaning, Nourished By Time, Philadelphia, PA, The Spirit of the Beehive, Union Transfer on February 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 5, 2022] Dry Cleaning / The Spirit of the Beehive / Nourished By Time

Dry Cleaning are a kind of trendy British band.  They are of the spoken deadpan vocal/wild guitar noise variety.  I don’t love them, but I think their music is really interesting.  I thought they’d be fun to see live once.

But we had a family emergency and it wasn’t time to go to a show.  So, I didn’t really mind missing this one. (more…)

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Anthrax / Black Label Society / Exodus (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, January 31, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Anthrax, Black Label Society, Exodus, Montclair, NJ, Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Wellmont Theater on January 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 31, 2023] Anthrax / Black Label Society / Exodus

Anthrax is the only band of the classic heavy metal landscape that I’ve never seen (who I want to see, anyhow).  I thought seeing them in Montclair would be an easy decision.  They’re back to almost their original lineup (okay, not original, but “classic” lineup).  And I thought a Tuesday night show less than an hour away would be perfect.

They had played this tour in Philly back in August and I just wasn’t feeling it.  I don’t really care about Black Label Society, and it just felt like a lot of work.  But a close show seemed like a much better idea.

S. said she’d like to go too, so I got us both a ticket.  About a month ago I found out that it had sold out.  And I realized that I didn’t really want to go to a sold out metal show at the Wellmont.  I assumed it would be well attended, but a sold out show gave me visions of the worst metalheads all smashing around each other and it suddenly felt really unappealing. (more…)

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Oxymorrons “Melanated Punk Mini Tour” (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, January 20, 2023)

Posted in N.E.R.D., Oxymorrons, Philadelphia, PA, The Foundry, The OBGMs on January 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 20, 2023] Oxymorrons

My son and I saw Oxymorrons open for grandson about a year ago.  No opening band has made such an impact o me. They were intense and fun and catchy and crazy and just all around wonderful.

So when they announced this mini tour and that it would hit the Foundry, I knew that he and I would have to check them out again.  But I was sure the tint Foundry stage wouldn’t be big enough to keep them in.

I was also sure that the show would sell out and we’d be in for a massive thrashing mosh pit.  That’s why we stayed to the side the whole night (he wasn’t in the mood for slam dancing).

This meant we were right next to guitarist Jafe Paulino.  I suggested that the stage was too small for them and he laughed and said he’d be hopping over those guardrails in no time.

When they came out, drummer Matty Mayz, (I had forgotten how much fun he was) had his laptop set up and he got the intro pumping as the frontmen, Demi “Deee” and his brother Kami “KI” came bouncing up on stage.

Deee and KI were great at engaging the audience.  They are excellent at getting everyone hyped up. (more…)

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Pinkshift “Melanated Punk Mini Tour” (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, January 20, 2023) [OXYMORRONS]

Posted in Oxymorrons, Philadelphia, PA, Pinkshift, The Foundry, The OBGMs on January 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 20, 2023] Pinkshift

I was really excited for the show–the Melanated Punk Mini Tour featuring Oxymorrons and The OBGMs.  At the last minute, Pinkshift was added to the bill, which made things even better!

I’ve seen Pinkshift three times.  Each show is really intense, because this band does not hold back.

This set felt a little different.  First because they were playing songs mostly from their new album.  I hadn’t heard the new album yet but it turns out I’d heard many of the songs live before.

Pinkshift is officially a trio now.  Although they do have a bassist of tour with them, the main trio was made up with pretty cool eye makeup.

This was the closest I’d been to the band so I really got to see drummer Myron Houngbedji in action.  He was, frankly, amazing.  In fact, a few times, someone in the audience shouted something like My man on the drums is really bringing it! (more…)

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The OBGMs “Melanated Punk Mini Tour” (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, January 20, 2023) [OXYMORRONS]

Posted in Crash and the Boys, Oxymorrons, Philadelphia, PA, Pinkshift, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Foundry, The OBGMs on January 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 20, 2023] THE OBGMs

I was really excited for the show–the Melanated Punk Mini Tour featuring Oxymorrons and The OBGMs (who I didn’t know but after listening to them, I realized how good they were.  At the last minute, Pinkshift was added to the bill, which made things even better!

The show was listed as starting at 7:30 (which on a Friday night usually means a lot of traffic).  Bu then Pinkshift said the fun started at 7, so my son and I left stupidly early to avoid traffic and arrived earlier than ever only to find out that the show did not start at 7.

And that’s fine.  It’s nice to be early.  Also, that Pinkshift wasn’t the first band.

The OBGMs (The oOohh Baby Gimme Mores) are from Toronto.  They came out and proceeded to tear the roof off of the place.

After playing a weird riff that sounded like a wild version of Black Sabbath, the whole band started bashing out “Cash” from their new album The Ends.

Dreadlocked lead singer Densil McFarlane also played guitar as he pogoed and screamed the lyrics.  (more…)

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