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Archive for the ‘Venues’ Category

Meet Me @ the Altar (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, January 23, 2024)

Posted in Elliot Lee, Honey Revenge, John Harvie, Meet Me @ The Altar, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on January 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 23, 2024] Meet Me @ the Altar

I had tickets to see Meet Me @ the Altar last year but went to The Beths instead (good choice).  MM@TA were headlining The Foundry.  And now a year later they are headlining TLA.

My daughter and I saw them at the All Things Go Festival and I loved them.  I knew I wanted to see them again–especially as a headliner.

I thought that Meet Me @ the Altar were really really young (teenagers), but this summer, singer Edith Victoria announced that it was her birthday and that she was now 23.  I’m not sure how old guitarist/bassist Téa Campbell or drummer Ada Juarez are.

They play feminist pop punk.  Téa Campbell absolutely rips on guitar and Ada Juarez pummels back there.  I’m not sure how they play the backing sounds–basses and extra percussion.  I assume Juarez triggers a sampler and they play to the sounds as opposed to them being triggered on the fly.  I loved the sound of the guitars.  I loved Edith’s voice (and Téa’s backing vocals) and I loved their attitude.

From the start, they brought the pop punk.  In addition to playing a lot of new songs, they dig into their back catalog (which they have).

After a couple of songs they got a pit going and when they played “Hit Like a Girl,” Edith told the crowd that this pity was just for the women, which I thought was pretty cool.

When I saw them this summer, they played some excerpts from songs they’d wished they’d written.  I assumed that was just a fun way to endear yourself to a festival crowd.  But they’ve been doing this on each show of the tour (although mixing things up a bit).  I really enjoyed their cover of “Complicated” this summer.  They didn’t play that this time, instead playing “Since U Been Gone” and putting a great punk attitude on it.

The end of the set was a collection of killer tracks that the crowd was fully into.  We all sang along to “Kool” and they ended with the name of the tour: Say It to My Face absolutely shredded the room.

The show was only an hour, but they packed everything in and the crowd was really psyched by it.  On the way out I heard someone say how much better they were than at The Foundry last year.  So I think i picked the right show after all!

 

2024 (TLA) 2023 (All Things Go)
Same Language ⇔ Same Language ⇔
Brighter Days (Are Before Us) Δ T.M.I ⇔
Now or Never Δ Try ⇔
Beyond My Control ♦ Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson) (excerpt)
Try ⇔ Complicated (Avril Lavigne) (excerpt)
May the Odds Be in Your Favor Ø Take Me Away (Christina Vidal) (excerpt)
Hit Like A Girl § Hit Like A Girl §
It’s Over For Me ⇔ Say It (To My Face) ⇔
Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson) (excerpt) Garden Ø
Take Me Away (Christina Vidal) (excerpt) Kool ⇔
Burnin’ Up (Jonas Brothers) (excerpt)
T.M.I ⇔
Garden Ø
Feel a Thing Δ
Kool ⇔
Say It (To My Face) ⇔

⇔ Past//Present//Future (2023)
Δ Model Citizen EP (2021)
§ single 2021
Ø single 2020
♦ Bigger Than ME EP (2019)

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Aisha Burns (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, January 25, 2024) [TORRES]

Posted in Aisha Burns, Philadelphia, PA, Torres, Union Transfer on January 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 25, 2024] Aisha Burns

I hadn’t heard of Aisha Burns before this show, although the way she talked about her career, it sounded like she’s been playing music for years and years.  She’s in her late 30s and has been playing violin for ages.   She has appeared on several records as a featured violinist, but she has only released two solo albums in the last ten years.

She actually didn’t play as much violin as I imagined.  The first song opened with some looped violin, but then she played the melodica or guitar for most of the songs.  She had a partner on lead guitar with her but she never introduced him.  He played mostly backing solos and noises. They made a solid wall of sound.

Her songs were a little too slow for me overall.  There wasn’t a ton of variety.  But what she played was great.  I think just not in this setting, maybe–a seated venue with a great sound system would be an amazing way to experience her. (more…)

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Honey Revenge (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, January 23, 2024) [MEET ME @ THE ALTAR]

Posted in Elliot Lee, Honey Revenge, John Harvie, Meet Me @ The Altar, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on January 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 23, 2024] Honey Revenge

I hadn’t heard of Honey Revenge, but before the show I checked out a few songs and really liked them.

Apparently they have a pretty big fan base too, because there were several people who left the front after their set.  And one guy in front of me who was dancing in a very elbows-in-your-face kinda way.  I was very glad when he pushed further forward.

Honey Revenge has played Philly three times in about a year, once as a headliner at The Foundry, so the Philly love is big.

So Honey Revenge is evidently a two-piece: Devin Papadol (vocals) and Donovan Lloyd (guitar), although there were two other people on stage too–touring musicians Tay Fischer (@witchybassist) who was super fun and jumped off the bass drum at one point (and who will be playing with Jhariah in February) and drummer Matt Arsenault who I feel like I’ve seen play with other people too.

They play grungy 90s rock with great pop hooks.

Papadol is a take-no-shit front woman.  She encouraged people to mosh and to crowd surf (it’s not often that people crowd surf for an opener, but they did).  She asked who had never crowd surfed before and aid that tonight was the time to do it.  And, she threatened, if anyone gets dropped, I will stop the show.  It was really fun seeing little kids (with big era protectors) crowd surfing during the songs.

She also insisted that there be a pit AND a conga line.

Lloyd was a great guitarist too.  I didn’t really notice the guitar work at first because really, all eyes are on Papadol, but Lloyd pulled out some great sounds and some kicking (but short) solos.

I also really liked their lyrics which were empowering.  But also funny.  Like a song that is part slacker, part ass kicker

Sure, I could be doing more, but I could be doing lessUsed to going overboard and if I had to take a guessNever been too proud, I’ve always been too loud to ignoreMy mouth’s a messNow being annoying comes with reward and everyone’s impressed

Although one of their most popular songs is “Airhead” as in “damn, I’m such a” so there is definitely a sense of humor in the lyrics.

They were a lot of fun and I would absolutely see them again.

  1. Seeing Negative (Disappointment) ∞
  2. Worst Apology ∞
  3. Recipe for Disaster @
  4. Favorite Song ∞
  5. Habitual ∞
  6. Rerun ∞
  7. Murphy’s Law ∞
  8. Are You Impressed? ∞
  9. Airhead ∞
  10. Distracted ∞

@ new song 2024
∞ Retrovision (2023)
[from this album, they did not play Fight or Flight, Sensitive, Scapegoat]

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John Harvie (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, January 23, 2024) [MEET ME @ THE ALTAR]

Posted in Elliot Lee, Honey Revenge, John Harvie, Meet Me @ The Altar, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on January 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 23, 2024] John Harvie

I didn’t know who John Harvie was before this set.  He seemed like a slightly out of place artist since everyone else was female (token male on the tour perhaps?).  Although he was more of an odd presence because his songs are mega-emo rather than pop punky.

But he won me over pretty quickly because he’s a Philly guy and he was pretty psyched to be playing in his hometown.

Unlike Elliot Lee, Harvie had a live drummer.  Although like Lee, much of the rest of the music was on backing tracks. John did occasionally play guitar too.

The things that really made an impression on me were his stage presence and his voice.  he absolutely commanded the stage like a guy who has been playing for far longer.  And, even more impressive, his voice sounded like he was the singer for any number of long-time emo bands.  He strained his voice to the breaking point a few times (and may have paid for it by the end oft he show).

Most of his songs seemed to be a bout breakup, but there was some clever wordplay in the lyrics, which I appreciated.

I also chuckled when he said that “Beauty in the Bad Things” was about being an Eagles fan.

I wound up enjoying his set more than I thought I would.

  1. roses £
  2. A Little Bit Longer ©
  3. Alaina ©
  4. Beauty in the Bad Things ©
  5. at my worst £
  6. figure 8 £
  7. Bleach (On the Rocks) ©

£ single 2023
© Told Ya. (2022)

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Elliot Lee (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, January 23, 2024) [MEET ME @ THE ALTAR]

Posted in Elliot Lee, Honey Revenge, John Harvie, Meet Me @ The Altar, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts on January 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 23, 2024] Elliot Lee

Elliot Lee looks like they are about 12 years old. In fact, they are 26 and are simultaneously adorable and, for someone who commands a stage, really nervous-seeming.

I didn’t know anything about Elliot Lee before this show.  I listened to a couple of their songs and wanted to get there early enough to see their set.  I’m glad I did, even if it was only 20 minutes.

They played five songs and when the lights first dimmed a guy in a full on bunny costume (with really long ears) came out and either did nothing or triggered the sounds of the first song “Sicko.”

Elliot came out shortly after wearing a bonnet with small ears.  The whole outfit was wild–striped shirt, colorful bra on the outside and pink ski pants.  And they proceeded to bounce around the stage with abandon.

Her songs are catchy and poppy but with a dark edge.  On record, the production is really sharp with lots going on.  But live, the music was stripped down, letting Elliot’s voice shine.

“Fun” is pretty much a disco song with a dark edge (come to think of it, just like ABBA).

Elliot was pretty clear about what the songs were about, but here’s an article from Outwrite (more…)

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Fortune Feimster: Live Laugh Love (Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center, Red Bank, NJ, January 21, 2024)

Posted in Caitlin Peluffo, Count Basie Theatre, Fortune Feimster, Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, Red Bank, NJ, Set in New Jersey! on January 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 21, 2024] Fortune Feimster

My wife asked for tickets to see Fortune for Christmas.  I was pretty delighted to see her too.  I don’t know her career that well, but she was a favorite character (Dougie) on the short lived Life in Pieces.

I didn’t really know what to expect from her stand up, but I assumed it would be brash and funny.

What was really impressive is that she basically told four stories over the course of 75 minutes and each story was funnier than the next.

There’s weren’t jokes per se, there’s no real one liners, they’re just very funny stories.

The first was about her and her wife going on a honeymoon to the Maldives and her discovering mid-flight that in the Maldives being gay is a crime.  Her (over)reactions to everything that people did on the island was great.  (more…)

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Caitlin Peluffo (Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center, Red Bank, NJ, January 21, 2024) [FORTUNE FEIMSTER]

Posted in Caitlin Peluffo, Count Basie Theatre, Fortune Feimster, Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, Red Bank, NJ, Set in New Jersey! on January 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 21, 2024] Caitlin Peluffo

Being an opening band has got to be tough.  being a warm up comedian might be tougher (or maybe not, if the crowd is already pumped).

Anyhow, we didn’t know if there was a warm up act, and then as the show was announced we were told that Caitlin Peluffo would be warming us up.

I hadn’t heard of her.

She came out in jeans and work boots and joked  that she wasn’t gay, it was just a clothing choice.  She then announced that she had a boyfriend.  Peluffo has a very loud, aggressive style, which worked really well for some of the jokes, but here it almost felt defiant–that she was straight opening for a gay comedian.  Or something.

She had some good jokes about being a physically strong woman and how she liked to date smaller guys.  I enjoyed the gentle male bashing that she did, but somehow her jokes fell a little flat for me–smiles but not a lot of laughs. (more…)

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The Salt Collective / Sneakers (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, January 20, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Jersey City, NJ, Let's Active, Matthew Caws, Nada Surf, Sneakers, The Connells, The dB's, The Salt Collective, White Eagle Hall on January 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 20, 2024] The Salt Collective / Sneakers

I had not heard of The Salt Collective, but I felt like White Eagle Hall really promoted this show.  So when I clicked on  the link, I read that The Salt Collective is a

Supergroup featuring Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Mitch Easter (Let’s Active), Chris Stamey & Gene Holder (The dB’s), Lynn Blakey (Tres Chicas), & Rob Ladd (The Connells)

Now, in fairness, Nada Surf is the only band of these that I really know.  The rest I am aware of.  But I love Matthew Caws and believe he puts a good spin on everything.  So I did seriously consider going (especially after listening to the record).

But that was the day we dropped off my son at college, and it just seemed like a good night to stay home.

Sneakers was the band that came before all of these bands:

Before The dB’s and Let’s Active, there was Sneakers! Chris Stamey, an icon of indie pop, and friend Mitch Easter began to explore recording techniques in Winston-Salem, NC, during their youth. In 1976, Chris and his band, Sneakers (including drummer Will Rigby, with appearances from Easter), released a single on Stamey’s own Carnivorous Records. The sessions were engineered by Don Dixon, who would eventually produce bands like R.E.M. (with Easter) and The Smithereens.

They apparently put out a single and then in 2015, an expanded reissue of 9 songs came out.  Sounds like a fun night for jangle pop.

 

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The Teeth / Alejandro Morales (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, January 19, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Alejandro Morales, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, The Teeth on January 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 13, 2024] The Teeth / Alejandro Morales

I had never heard of The Teeth before I saw that they had sold out three nights at Johnny Brenda’s months and months before these shows happened.

So who were they?

The Teeth was an indie rock band from Philadelphia consisting of twin brothers Aaron MoDavis on rhythm guitar and Peter MoDavis

After abruptly breaking up 15 years ago The Teeth are reuniting for a pair of special shows at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia. Twin brothers Peter MoDavis (Bass) and Aaron MoDavis (guitar) will reassemble with Jonas Oesterle (drums) and Brian Ashby (guitar) on their favorite stage in the City of Brotherly Love.

Opening for this show was comedian Alejandro Morales.  I watched a clip of his standup and found it okay.  I wanted to like him more than I did.  The vibe was good but the jokes didn’t seem to land very well.

Here’s some more about The Teeth: (more…)

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The Charlatans (UK) & Ride (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 19, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Ride, The Charlatans, Union Transfer on January 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 19, 2024] The Charlatans (UK) & Ride

I was rather looking forward to this show.

I was never a huge fan of either band, but it seemed like the perfect way to check off an old itch of bands that I enjoyed back in the day.

I have the first three Charlatans records (but actually didn’t even realize they had been making music since then).

Like with The Charlatans, I really enjoyed the first couple of Ride albums.  Unlike The Charlatans, Ride broke up for a long time and then reunited about a decade ago.

This was also going to be my first show of the new year (and then two other shows crept in front).

As it turned out, there was a snowstorm on this day.  I don’t think the snow was all that bad, but there was a lot of hand wringing and street clearing and it seemed like it just wasn’t a good idea to drive down to Philly and try to find parking.

It was also the night before my son was going back to college, so it was nice to be home for that.

I suspect that if I had really wanted to go to the show, the snow wouldn’t have kept me away, so overall it’s not a huge loss.  I’m a little bummed though that Ride didn’t play their Free at Noon earlier in the day, because at least I would have gotten a chance to hear some of the show.

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