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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

METZ / Spiritual Cramp (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2022) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Deerhoof, Hello Mary, Metz, Philadelphia, PA, Scarlet, Spiritual Cramp, Underground Arts on October 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: October 24, 2022] METZ / Spiritual Cramp

I saw METZ open for Modest Mouse four years ago and my ears might still be ringing.  I knew of Metz from their noise filled chaotic but amazing albums.

Their live show was less about the abrasiveness and more about their intense stage presence.  I knew I wanted to see them headline a show.

I was unable to see them on their headline tour last year.  But I was pretty excited for this year’s 10 year anniversary tour.  But then, sort of out of the blue it was announced that they’d cancelled the fall leg of their tour (all of October).  There’s still no word on what happened [UPDATE: they did play the December shows, so, maybe they didn’t want to be on the east coast for Halloween).  No word yet on a rescheduled date.

Spiritual Cramp are a San Francisco punk band in the old school Ramonesy fashion.  Simple clean and fast with a singer who kind of blurts out the words.  They’re kind of refreshing, frankly.

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Algernon Cadwallader / Eight / Lizdelise / (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Algernon Cadwallader, Big Nothing, Eight, Lizdelise , Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 24, 2022] Algernon Cadwallader / Sun Organ / Customer

Algernon Cadawaller is another show where I fell for the hype and then couldn’t go.

Since I couldn’t go to the Saturday show–King Gizzard–I could have tried to go to the Monday show.  However, I had been to a show on Friday and Saturday and had shows lined up for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the next week.  Something had to give.

Eight is the recording project of Mimi Gallagher, based in Philadelphia. Delight in Eight is the debut record, assembled from recordings done at home and at the Bunk with a revolving door of friends — anchored by the core trio of Mimi Gallagher, Cat Park, and Pat Brier.

I listened to a few songs from the album and I really like it.  It has a Julian Hatfield (circa 1995) feel–gentle vocals over some good old fuzzy guitar rock.  I really liked them.

Lizdelise opened for NNAMDÏ / Ghösh in May and was described by NPR as

Liz de Lise is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who writes alternative folk songs with jazz influences. She creates lush soundscapes with acoustic and electric guitar, vocals and a loop pedal.

Big Nothing is from Philly and have a very open feel about them–like you can hear all of the strings on the acoustic guitar strumming.  The lead singer sounds a lot like Bob Mould.  I’d say this is more Mould solo than Sugar.  Perhaps a little too poppy, but could be fun live.

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Leah Senior (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2022) [KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD] [rescheduled, rescheduled again]

Posted in Australia, Franklin Music Hall, Full show video, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Philadelphia, PA on October 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 22, 2022] Leah Senior [rescheduled from May 22 and then October 22, 2020 and again on October 23, 2021]

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard created a record label (Flightless) and they released Leah Senior’s latest album.

I had listened to Leah Senior when it was first announced that she was going to open for them on the tour.  I think her new album wasn’t out yet, because I found what I heard to be fine, decent folk music.

Or as NME says:

Her first two albums, 2015’s ‘Summer’s On The Ground’ and 2017’s ‘Pretty Faces’, are sparsely arranged folk records – usually just Senior and her guitar, maybe a bit of piano – with songs she says were often born from anguish. But on ‘The Passing Scene’, Senior moves away from the sounds of early Joni Mitchell to something echoing the late-’60s, jazzy, jam-band sound of Karen Dalton’s ‘In My Own Time’. Senior says she approached recording with a sense of playfulness for the first time.

Because live, these songs were delightful!  Fun and bouncey with a fantastic band and, the killer ingredient: backing vocals by her sister, Andi.  Together the two of them sang beautiful harmonies.

I expected to like her set, but I was enchanted by it.  By her voice, by the way her band fleshed out these songs and by the overall vibe she generated.  She played guitar for the first few songs and then switched to piano/keyboards for the rest.

I was less enchanted by the loud dude near me who felt compelled to talk a lot about which King Gizzard albums he had and how much he hated baseball and how mean the Aussies were during the lockdown.  Fortunately, the person he was talking to moved away from him and he was left talking to no one and we all enjoyed the last few Leah Senior songs ever the more.

I couldn’t see her all that well–a wall of KGATLW fans were in my way, but her voice soared over any obstacles.

Markit Aneight has a video of the whole show

  1. Time Traveller §
  2. Daisy
  3. Graves §
  4. Pony [new]
  5. Ocean Quilt Lady §
  6. There’s No Fish §
  7. Where Am I
  8. Love Outlast My Heart ♥
  9. Evergreen §
  10. Bug in a Bath §

§ Passing Scene
♥ from Love Hurts compilation

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Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 21, 2022) [rescheduled date]

Posted in Acid Dad, Philadelphia, PA, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Underground Arts on October 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 21, 2022] Psychedelic Porn Crumpets [rescheduled from May 5, 2022]

I’m not exactly sure how I discovered Psychedelic Porn Crumpets.  They are an Australian band and they are weird and pretty wonderful.

I wondered if they had any connection to fellow weird and wonderful Australians King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, but Perth and Melbourne are over 2,000 miles apart and it takes about 36 hours to drive from one to the other.  Which is about as long as it would take for someone in NJ to drive to Las Vegas.

Seeing them at Underground Arts was really fun because I was right up on the stage–I got to see Rodney the Turtle sing backing vocals).

I’ve listened to the band’s records a bunch, but somehow I didn’t expect the crowd to be quite so frenzied.  The songs are fast and frenzied (and not really psychedelic at all) and a Friday night Philly crowd is just waiting for a chance to slam and surf.  I was luckily just off to the side so I wasn’t in the pit at all.

PPC have three guitarists.  Jack McEwan is the band’s vocalist and main songwriter (he’s actually British, but moved to Australia when he a teenager.  Luke Parish is the lead guitarist for the band, although McEwan also plays lead and Chris Young plays the guitar/keyboard (which also includes lead–sometimes all three play leads at the same time).  Danny Caddy is the band’s drummer.  Wayan Billondana plays bass.  He was in front of me on the stage and his bass playing was outstanding.

The show opened up with the band placing Rodney the Turtle front and center.   I was concerned that someone might try to walk off with Rodney, but the fans behaved themselves.  And he sat patiently until a spotlight shone on him as operatic music started.

As the operatic song came to a close, the band came out and bashed into “Tally-ho,” a fast song full of wild guitar and funky rhythms that set the tone for the night.

The band jumped all over their discography, playing songs from their 5 albums.

Songs like “Lava Lamp Pisco” feature these wonderfully catchy high notes (sung and played on guitar) that act as a massive hook.  But no hook is as big and catchy as the riff of “Bill’s Mandolin” which got the crowd bouncing.  The floor would have been bouncing if we weren’t underground on bedrock.

More terrific riffs followed in “Mundungus” and then things slowed down for a breather in “Found God in a Tomato” the first of many from their debut album.  Things stayed mellow and actually got jazzy for the only track from High Visceral Part 2, “November.”

Like Acid Dad, PPC projected psychedelic images behind them.  It was cool when it showed up on them and their faces swirled around.

People went berserk for the riff of “Hymn for a Droid.”  I assume that most of us knew PPC because of And Now for the Whatchamacallit which i think was the first (and only for a while) PPC record you could get here.  I happen to love this song especially the middle section which sounds like one of my favorite Supergrass songs.

Even though they released their latest album Night Gnomes fairly recently, they only played two songs from it (“Lava Lamp” and the thumping and rocking “Acid Dent”).

The band was genuinely excited to be playing to a large (for them…in the States) crowd.  They had previously played to 100 person rooms and this room was four times the size.  And the crowd was really into it.

They ended the set with three songs from High Visceral Part 1–the three opening tracks in reverse order.  “Marmalade March,” has a series of great catchy riffs as the march proceeds to stomp all over the song.  “Cubensis Lenses” continues the riffing that culminated in a spectacular encore of “Cornflake,” which they stretched out far longer than its three minute recorded version.  It shifts back and forth between a big catchy riff and very mellow verses.

My son’s friend had seen them in New York the night before and he said I would love the show and I absolutely did.  It really got me out of my funk of less than stellar shows.  Which is just as well as there were two more shows in the next two nights.

  1. Tally-Ho ¿
  2. Lava Lamp Pisco ♠
  3. Bill’s Mandolin &
  4. Mundungus ¿
  5. Found God in a Tomato
  6. November
  7. Mr. Prism ¿
  8. Hymn for a Droid &
  9. Acid Dent ♠
  10. Marmalade March
  11. Cubensis Lenses
    encore
  12. Cornflake


♠ Night Gnomes (2022)
¿ SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound (2021)
& And Now for the Whatchamacallit (2019)
¶¶ High Visceral (Part 2) (2017)
¶ High Visceral (Part 1) (2016)

 

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Algernon Cadwallader / Sun Organ / Customer (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Algernon Cadwallader, Customer, Philadelphia, PA, Sun Organ, Union Transfer on October 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 22, 2022] Algernon Cadwallader / Sun Organ / Customer

Algernon Cadawaller is another show where I fell for the hype and then couldn’t go.

I hadn’t heard of the band but apparently they were legendary.  I wouldn’t have bought a ticket without listening to them, of course, but seeing that they were an emo/math rock band was enough to pique my interest.

So I grabbed a ticket before it sold out.  Only to discover that it was the same night as my King Gizzard show (and of course, King Gizzard wins that).  So I’ll never know if it was worth the hype.

Sun Organ is a kind of shambolic noise band from Philly.  The first two songs on their album Candlelight Showertime are kind of slow and ponderous (as if the vocals are slowed down) and I was about to give up on them, but the third and fourth songs are more interesting both in tempo and sonic construction.  I’m sure they’d be fun live.

Customer is a New York based post punk / power indie pop band.  They have two songs out and they’re both really good.  All of the members have been in other bands and I love the way Nicola Leel sings in a slightly out of sync way.  Cool stuff.

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Acid Dad (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 21, 2022) [PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS]

Posted in Acid Dad, Philadelphia, PA, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Underground Arts on October 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 21, 2022] Acid Dad

I became aware of Acid Dad through the Reverberation Appreciation Society and Levitation Records which aired a number of live shows during lockdown.  I’ve actually learned about a half dozen really cool bands from these lockdown shows.

I was especially intrigued about Acid Dad and had hoped to see them with Hooveriii at Philamoca (but I went to see Torres that night instead).

But here was Acid Dad opening for Psychedelic Porn Crumpets–a great opportunity to see two bands on my gotta see list.

I hadn’t realized that Acid Dad have no bassist (well, there is bass on the records).  Rather, for this show there were two guitars Vaughn Hunt and Sean Fahey and their drummer, Trevor Mustoe   I also didn’t realize that both guitarists sang lead on different songs. And the way the guitars played off of each other (with them each playing riffs and using all kinds of pedals) the bass was not missed (and I love a good bass line).

Rather, they played their kicking riffs and catchy choruses one after the other, which each guitarist showing some soloing chops.

They have a great retro sound because it seems to reference a whole bunch of musical styles–there’s a classic rock vibe, but there’s also a Jesus and Mary Chain feel (in the vocals and the fuzz).

I was really surprised by how hard they rocked live.  Their recorded output is a little gentler, but they ripped their songs (maybe with just the three of them they played harder).  Indeed, Mustoe broke a stick three quarters of the way through the show.  He threw it to the crowd but it got stuck in the cables at the front of the stage (amazingly no one climbed up to get it).

They played for about 45 minutes, which was great as they played through a bunch of new songs, including their brand new single, as well as a few older songs too.

I also really enjoyed their backdrops, which was full of all kinds of cool psychedelic images.  It was like a retro show with oily colors drifting behind the band, except that it was wholly modern and high tech.  It totally captured the band’s vibe.

  1. Mr. Major ∀
  2. Searchin’ ⊗
  3. Get Me High [single]
  4. RC Driver ⊗
  5. Don’t Get Taken $
  6. Dissin’ ∀
  7. BBQ ⊗
  8. She Only Eats Organic ⊗
  9. Living With a Creature [single]
  10. Marine ∀

⊗ Take It from the Dead (2021)
∀ Acid Dad (2018)
$ Let’s Plan a Robbery (2016)

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An Evening with The Flaming Lips (Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ, October 20, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Montclair, NJ, The Flaming Lips, Wellmont Theater on October 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 20, 2022] The Flaming Lips

I have seen The Flaming Lips six times and they never disappoint.  In fact, the last time, I said to myself that I wanted to bring my kids next time so they could enjoy the spectacle of inflatables, and confetti and balloons and lights and everything.

But this show happened to be right on my daughter’s birthday.  For some, that might be an awesome birthday present.  But she doesn’t really know them and didn’t want that to be how she spent her birthday (fair enough).

So we didn’t go to this one.  But I’m sure Wayne and the guys will be back again.

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The Black Angels (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2022)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The Black Angels, The Vacant Lots, Union Transfer on October 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 18, 2022] The Black Angels

The Black Angels are a psychedelic band from Austin, Texas.

I’ve known about them for about ten years.  Their music sounds pretty similar from album to album–fuzzy guitars, catchy riffs and Alex Maas’ recognizable haunting voice.

I Wasn’t really sure what to expect in a live show from them–I assumed some psychedelia.  So I was a little surprised at how stripped down their stage was.  There was a five panel screen and some vertical lights between them.  The l ights shone all different colors and patterns and set the tone of the stage.  The overhead lights were mostly there to add mood.

In other words, I could barely see anyone.  Which was kind of cool.  It created a dark ambiance and meant you focused more on the music than the band members.  The only person I could see with any real clarity was drummer Stephanie Bailey, who pounded the hell out of the drums.  The other three guys, Christian Bland, Jake Garcia and Ramiro Verdooren all played guitar or bass or keyboards.  There was so much switching around of instruments–even though both Bland and Garcia play left handed guitars!

I stood in front of Bland and it was really fun watching him solo and riff and make some really interesting sounds out of his pedals and amps.  He had a bicycle bell on his mic stand (the roadie rang he bell while setting it up), but he never used it in the set. (more…)

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The Vacant Lots (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2022) [THE BLACK ANGELS]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The Black Angels, The Vacant Lots, Union Transfer on October 18, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 18, 2022] The Vacant Lots

The Vacant Lots are two guys from Brooklyn.  And wow are they loud.

The two guys are Jared Artaud who played guitar and sang and Brian MacFadyen who did pretty much everything else.  MacFayden stood at a keyboard rig and played keys and drum loops (I’m not exactly sure what was looped, as some of the songs were repetitive, but it was clear he was trigger some drum sounds live.  He also played a cymbal, which was a nice live touch and meant that he was never not busy.

The music was essentially electro, but Artaud’s live guitar added a layer of “live-ness” that elevated the whole affair.  As did Artaud’s whole vibe.  He had on big black boots, a fringed jacket and sunglasses.  He stood there playing Jesus and Mary Chain kind of drone guitar and it worked a treat. He also walked around a bit and added some feedback, really cementing the live feel.

But it was MacFayden’s rig that was so loud.  The drums were maxed out and echoing and I had earplugs in from the get go.

I slightly preferred the songs that MacFayden sang, but they weren’t radically different from each other.  I don’t think I’d listen to them as a studio band, but live they were pretty great.

 

  1. Departure (single)
  2. Never Satisfied ψ
  3. Consolation Prize ©
  4. Thank You ©
  5. Fracture ⇔
  6. 6 AM ψ
  7. Mad Mary Jones ψ

© Closure (2022)
⇔ Interzone (2020)
ψ Departure (2014)

 

 

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Muse / Thick (Beacon Theatre, New York, NY, October 16, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Beacon Theatre, Muse, New York City, Thick on October 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 16, 2022] Muse / Thick

I’ve seen Muse twice and each show was amazing.  I told myself I would make a point of seeing them every time they toured here.

In June of this year they announced a short tour of American theaters, rather than arenas.  It sounded pretty great, but the closest one was The Beacon Theater in New York City and that is just too much of a pain in the ass to get to.  Even for Muse.

I also didn’t like the new album as much as previous ones so I wasn’t that excited to see it without the bombast.

A review of the show makes me happy I didn’t go (the show was only 80 minutes).  Brooklyn Vegan says

At Sunday night’s (10/16) show at Beacon Theatre, the band played six songs off their new album Will of the People, including the seasonally appropriate “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween.”

Their 80-minute set also included “Uprising,” “Psycho,” “Supermassive Black Hole,” “Hysteria,” “Minimum” and more, and they finished with spaghetti western epic “Knights of Cydonia.”

I had no idea that Thick was opening.  I didn’t even learn it until writing this. I might have gone just for the double bill as Thick are pretty awesome.

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