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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

The Menzingers / Lucero / The Dirty Nil (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, June 7 & 8, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Canadian Music, Jersey City, NJ, Lucero, The Dirty Nil, The Menzingers, White Eagle Hall on June 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 7 & 8, 2024] The Menzingers / Lucero / The Dirty Nil

I have seen The Menzingers twice.  The first time I missed most of their set.  The second time I was in a terrible location and the sound was dismal.  I told myself that I really wanted to see one good set with them.

But they’ve come around a few times since then and I really just don’t care anymore.   So I guess I’m done with them.

I thought I had posted about Lucero before, that they had opened for someone else before, but  there’s no posts about them.

I have learned

Lucero is an American country-punk/alternative country/alternative rock band based in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Lucero’s sound has been described as a “synthesis of soul, rock, and country [that] is distinctly Memphisian.” They have released 11 albums and one live DVD, mostly through their own label.

I have grown to like country punk more over the years, but I’d have no real desire to see Lucero.

(more…)

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babybaby_explores (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, June 6, 2024) [MELT-BANANA]

Posted in babybaby_explores, Melt-Banana, Philadelphia, PA, The Flying Luttenbachers, Tomato Flower, Underground Arts on June 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 6, 2024] babybaby_explores

TI moved to the other side of the stage which might have been a mistake as I had something of a worse view for the next three bands.

Up next was babybaby_explores a trio from Providence, RI.  The band members are Lids B-day: effected vox & sampler, sam m-h: electric guitar, and Ramona Cano-Daly: drum machines.

So, basically there was a guitar on stage and two people playing with effects boxes.  Experimental barely covers what’s going on here.

Lids B-day was a weird and funny front person, with a kind of I don’t give a shit attitude.  They were just kind of stomping around and flailing and recite/singing the lyrics.  They projected a great fun attitude. (more…)

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The Antlers + Okkervil River [FREE AT NOON] (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, June 7, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Okkervil River, The Antlers on June 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 7, 2024] The Antlers + Okkervil River [FREE AT NOON]

Since Okkervil River and The Antlers were playing at Ardmore Music Hall that night, the Free at Noon was recorded there as well.  They don’t do this often, but have done a few at Ardmore Music Hall.

I have been interested in seeing Okkervil River, but not aggressively so.  They play in the area a lot, but I’ve never been fully motivated to go see them.

The Antlers have been around for awhile and their 2009 album received some buzz.  But when I discovered that main composer Peter Silberman described ‘Hospice’ as the story of an emotionally abusive relationship, told through the analogy of a hospice worker and a terminally-ill patient, I stayed far away from that depressing saga.   Ever since I’ve just assumed their music is sad and depressing and I’m not willing to investigate further.  The review from WXPN says (more…)

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Tomato Flower (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, June 6, 2024) [MELT-BANANA]

Posted in babybaby_explores, Melt-Banana, Philadelphia, PA, The Flying Luttenbachers, Tomato Flower, Underground Arts on June 6, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 6, 2024] Tomato Flower

I was really excited to see Melt-Banana and I had to assume that any bands that opened for them would be interesting.  I had listened to a little bit of Tomato Flower before the show and I was really interested in them.

And they proved to be utterly fantastic.  I loved everything about them.

Their songs were jagged and indie, weird and delightful.  They reminded me of Palm (one of my favorite weirdo bands) for the unexpected shifts in tempo and direction.  They had two singers Jamison Murphy and Austyn Wohlers (who is also a novelist).

I was in front of these two so couldn’t really see bassist Ruby Mars.  And I couldn’t see drummer Mike Alfieri at all.

Austyn sang most of the lead vocals with Jamison adding a lot of second vocals (not really backing vocals but unique melody lines).  Although the opening song “Destroyer” has Jamison screaming the title word between two quiet guitar lines.  It’s catchy but decidedly weird. (more…)

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Say She She / Carly Moffa (McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell, Haddon Heights, NJ, June 5, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Carly Moffa, Collingswood NJ, Haddon Heights, NJ, McLaughlin Norcross Memorial Dell, Philadelphia, PA, Say She She, Scottish Rite Auditorium, Summer Concert Series on June 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 5, 2024] Say She She / Carly Moffa

My wife has been really enjoying Say She She as of late.  I was a little surprised that they hadn’t done a show in Philly in a little while and then it was announced that they were playing the Summer Concert Series in Camden County. I had been to this location once two years ago and really liked it.

I thought we would both enjoy going to this delightful outdoor setting to enjoy some gorgeous harmonies.  We even both took off work the day after (for unrelated reasons).  But then it decided to rain.  A lot.  We weren’t sure of the show was going on (there are no tickets, so no way to let anyone know what was going on).  We decided not to risk it, so we stayed home.

I found out later that the show had been moved to the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood. I don’t know anything about that venue and probably wouldn’t have wanted to go there, so I don’t feel bad that we stayed home. (more…)

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Sir Chloe (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, June 2, 2024)

Posted in Deux Visages, Philadelphia, PA, Sir Chloe, The Foundry on June 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 2, 2024] Sir Chloe 

My daughter was excite to see Sir Chloe.  We saw them back in April.  I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to go for various reasons, so I snagged a ticket to this leg of the tour just in case.

She actually didn’t love the April show as much as I did, and I wasn’t sure if she’d want to go, but she did.  And we’re both glad we went.

Because she was on crutches, and I had my cane, they put is in a handicapped spot which was next to the sound board and roped off from everyone else, but still plenty close to the action.

Last time, there were people talking a lot through the set.  This happened tonight as well–a group of guys mostly standing at the back (in front of our area) and just ignoring everything.  Fortunately, since they were in front of us, we couldn’t really hear them, they were just annoying.

I felt like Sir Chloe were more into this show than the Philly show.  Or maybe it was just easier to focus on this show (the Foundry show had a lot of distractions).  I swore that they played more songs for us than in Philly, but that was not true.  The one nice feature of  the show though was it was Asbury Park’s Pride Day, and the band made a special point of talking about it and how they were honored to be playing that evening.

So the setlist was the same, but perhaps it’s because I knew the show , that I enjoyed it more?

Like last time, when she came out, she had an oddly disaffected appearance.  She seemed quite aloof, but i am certain this time it was part of the act, because between songs she was very friendly.

I really enjoyed her new album quite a lot.  The songs are a bit more dramatic and push the envelope from the first album a little bit.  Songs like “Salivate” and “Hooves” are weird and intense, with loud guitars.

The earlier songs, though are also pretty cool.  “July” is a little more delicate on the edges, but with a nice fuzzy sound and Sir Chloe’s poppy vocal style.  “Animal” is a pretty dark song (her delivery is great) and it plays with the loud/soft vibe really well.

I realize that Sir Chloe is more or less a TikTok creation and so her audience is pretty young, but I think she could easily bust out of that pigeonhole.  In fact the audience was pretty varied.

The end of the set was when she played the big crowd pleasers.  I really really liked “Sedona.”  Her delivery is deadpan, but really catchy.  She followed that with “Michelle” the massive hit that was the only song I knew.  The crowd went nuts and the song was really fun (Michelle, you are a monster from hell).

Turs out that even though that is her big hit–the one that made her famous, I don’t like it nearly as much as her other songs.

I was surprised that that wasn’t the final song, but I guess it was more fun to end on the far more dancey “Feel Again.”

“Easy on You” was a fast tempo rocker from her first album.  Then she busted out an unreleased song (in the old days, I feel like the encore was meant for real crowd pleasers, but it seems like more and more it’s now the place to throw in one more brand new song).  It’s got a catchy, bratty “aha aha” that really sticks with you.

Then she ended with “Too Close.”  Which is her third biggest hit (according to Spotify) and the crowd was suitably excited to hear it.  Everyone enjoyed singing “I think it’s time for you to go.”

My daughter knew two people at the show (one she knew was there, the other was a surprise) so that was fun too.

And, like last time, the show was fairly short (75 minutes) which meant we got home fairly early, too!  I don’t know if I/we will see her again any time soon, but I’m very curious what the next record will be like.

 

Asbury Lanes, June 2024 The Foundry, April 2024
Should I Õ Should I Õ
Salivate Õ Salivate Õ
Center Õ Center Õ
Know Better Õ Know Better Õ
Mercy ∇ Mercy ∇
July ¶ July ¶
Untie You ¶ Untie You ¶
Animal ¶ Animal ¶
Company ∇ Company ∇
Hooves Õ Hooves Õ
Seventeen π Seventeen π
Obsession Õ Obsession Õ
Over Again π Over Again π
I Am the Dog Õ I Am the Dog Õ
Sedona ¶ Sedona ¶
Michelle ¶ Michelle ¶
Feel Again Õ Feel Again Õ
encore encore
Easy on You ¶ Easy on You ¶
Forgiving [new] Forgiving [new]
Too Close ¶ Too Close ¶

π Single (2024)
Õ I am the Dog (2023)
∇ Single (2022)
¶ Party Favors (2020)

 

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Deux Visages (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, June 2, 2024) [SIR CHLOE]

Posted in Deux Visages, Philadelphia, PA, Sir Chloe, The Foundry on June 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 2, 2024] Deux Visages

I hadn’t heard of Deux Visages when they were scheduled to open for Sir Chloe.  They are from Miami and at the time of the show had only released three singles!

Since then they have released an EP from which most of the songs that night came. The band is a four piece fronted by Daphney Homono.  The rest of the band includes Antoine Lappin on drums, Jack Chiu on guitar, and Tony Jouvin on bass.

They play a really enjoyable mic of shoegaze, garage, and surf rock with a healthy dose of fuzz.  There’s some diversity within the style with Excuses being a bit heavier with chanted moments.  And Go Away has short verse lines that lead to a big fluid chorus.

Their first single Cheetah (the second song they played) is a killer tune–super catchy and fun. (more…)

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Broke Body / Grace Vonderkuhn / Spirit Weak / Whose Hands Are These? (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, June 1, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Broke Body, Grace Vonderkuhn, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Spirit Weak, Whose Hands Are These? on June 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 1, 2024] Broke Body / Grace Vonderkuhn / Spirit Weak / Whose Hands Are These?

I continue to try to see see Grace Vonderkuhn.  I’ve seen them once, and they do play around here a lot, but it just never seems to work out for me.  Ideally I’d like to see them headline (which they never seem to do).  Although this show seemed very promising, it fell at an awkward time for me (Saturday nights are hard for me to want to go out on after being home all day).  But the lineup was interesting.

Broke Body is from Philly.

A slow-burning force on the Philly rock scene, Broke Body is gearing up to release its next batch of new music.  The Paranoid Particles EP last September made for a solid project-length introduction to Broke Body via a punchy set of five post-punk infused atmospheric rockers. But the stage is where the band has truly shone in the time since, and this power trio — singer-guitarist Jackie McLaughlin, bassist Davey Jones, drummer Nolee Morris — has shaped its sound into something as bracing as it is body-moving.

I really love the bass work on their songs–playing some lead parts over the guitar chords.  And the drummer is tight and up for sharp tempo changes.  The vocals/guitars are also quite good.

Grace Vonderkuhn is simply great and as I say I can’t wait to see them again

Spirit Weak is from Philly.  And their bio is really spot on

If Drug Church, Weezer, and Pup walked into a bar, Spirit Weak would be the punchline! Spirit Weak is a South Philadelphiapunk adjacent band — spearheaded by Mazz Cardone. It was March of 2023 that a full band formed around Spirit Weak, with Chris Bryson on drums, Mike Brein on second guitar, a rotation of friends filling in on bass — and they played their first show on May

I definitely see the PUP influence, although they are not quite as fast, and their vocals have a slightly harsher edge.

Whose Hands are These? are from Lancaster and play driving rock.  Their publicity is a oddly pretentious, but the music rocks.

Now that i’ve written this I probably should have gone.  It seems like a really fun night.

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Camera Obscura / Photo Ops (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 29, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Camera Obscura, Philadelphia, PA, Photo Ops, Union Transfer on May 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 29, 2024] Camera Obscura

When it was announced that Camera Obscura had released their first album in 11 years and were touring for the U.S. for the first time in longer, I got caught up in the hype.  I didn’t really know them, but felt like I sort of did.  But it turns out I didn’t know them at all.  Then I thought, ooh, their Scottish, I wonder if they are interesting and unusual.

I listened to the new album a few ties and I like it, just not enough to go out a second night in a row.  The same thing happened when they played a song on the radio this morning,  I thought it was pleasant, but when they said it was Camera Obscura, I didn’t think it was anything more than pleasant.

They more or less broke up in 2015 following the death of their keyboardist but reunited to play at a festival headed by Belle & Sebastian.

I really wanted to like them, but nothing i listened to really stuck. (more…)

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Francis of Delirium (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 28, 2024)

Posted in Francis of Delirium, Johnny Brenda's, Julian, Philadelphia, PA on May 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 28, 2024] Francis of Delirium 

I was supposed to see Francis of Delirium open for The Districts back in 2022, but I wound up taking my son and his friends to see Ice Nine Kills instead.  I didn’t mind missing The Districts because I had seen them just a few months earlier, but I was bummed about missing Francis.

And here they were two years later on a headlining tour.  They had just played Boston Calling but tonight was their first proper show and they were ready for it.

I had also snagged tickets to see Negativland tonight.  A very different experience.  I was torn about which to go to see because I love Negativland’s culture jamming.  But I thought that Francis of Delirium was a better, more fun choice.  And I was so right!

I had listened to FoD’s new album Lighthouse, which is more mellow than their previous couple of EPs.  So I thought the show would be enjoyable but kind of chill.  But WOW, did they rock!  All of the grunge sensibilities of the early EPs were employed on the new songs as well and the whole night was like a perfect callback to the best elements of the best grunge songs, all with a new perspective.

Francis of Delirium is from Luxembourg (main Delirium, Jana Bahrich, was born in Antwerp but lived in Switzerland and Canada before her family settled in Luxembourg.   Her  backing band Denis Schumacher (drums) and Jeff Hennico (bass) are both native to Luxembourg.  I don’t know really anything about Luxembourg, but it seems so exotic.  And apparently being an indie rock band is REALLY exotic in Luxembourg, so they are like the most exotic band around, I guess.

The trio came on stage and Jana played am introductory guitar part using a metal slide–a sound not featured on the record.  But it was just a cool opening intro before she tossed the slide on the ground and they jumped into “Alone Tonight.”

I’m not sure what recent song really make me perk up my ears and find out who wrote such a great song, but I think it was “Blue Tuesday,” which hits all of my buttons for a great song.  Jana joked that it was a Tuesday night, perfect for playing the song.  It sounded even better than on record.

The new album has 11 song and they played 9, also mixing in some from the earlier EPs.  (more…)

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