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Grails (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, June 30, 2024)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Soma, Grails on July 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 30, 2024] Grails

My friend Eleanor told me about this show and I immediately grabbed a ticket.

Grails opened with a mellow almost spooky instrumental with Jesse Bates playing synth and flute.  Alex Hall did something with his phone in front of his guitar’s pickups.  I wonder what app he was using.

Then the whole band kicked in drummer Emil Amos (who was incredible but who I couldn’t see very well because of the keyboard in front of me) played a delicate rhythm.  I stood almost in front of Ilyas Ahmed who played guitar in so many different styles, he was marvelous to watch.

And there was a keyboard player in the back who I literally never saw but who was playing low end and waves of sounds.

As the song progresses, Bates played slide guitar–a pretty melody  over the waves of music.  And the song builds and builds.

Through the course of the night, there were excellent bass lines, some wild drums, and more flute.

The whole night set was terrific.  The moods and emotions that they conveyed through these instrumentals were terrific.  What was interesting/amusing was the videos the venue showed behind the band. I don’t know if the band had any say in the video but I enjoyed screen shots like “Rivers turn to blood” and what looked like someone having a psychedelic trip.  At one point during a quiet moment I saw Amos look up at the screen and chuckle.

The set ended with Origin-ing–a fast bassline with some terrific starts and stops as the band was totally in sync.

It was a great show and I’m so glad I got to see them live.

  1. Word Made Flesh ♦
  2. Sisters of Bilitis ∇
  3. Immediate Mate ♠
  4. New Prague Ψ
  5. Burden of Hope ß
  6. Belgian Wake-Up Drill ≡
  7. Lord I Hate Your Day ß
  8. Evening Song ∇
  9. Sad & Illegal ∇
  10. Origin-ing ∞
∇ Anches En Maat
ß The Burden of Hope
≡ Black Tar Prophecies, Volume II
∞ Burning Off Impurities
Ψ Chalice Hymnal
♠ Doomsdayer’s Holiday
♦ Redlight

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Soma (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, June 30, 2024) [GRAILS]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Soma, Grails on June 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 30, 2024] Grails

I saw Soma play at a church in Asbury Park.  The night was an evening of cool video projections and transcendent music.

I really enjoyed their set which was based around sacred music inspired by Krishna.  At the church I really couldn’t see them because lights were low so the projections on the walls would show up better.

At this show the whole band was visible and I enjoyed seeing the vast array if instruments they played–including two double-barrelled flutes and a shell (I’ve never seen anyone blow into a shell to make a sound before).

The music has a trance-like element with repetitive phrases, chanting and simple percussive beats.  At this show a woman sat cross legged on the floor as soon as they started.  And a guy on the side occasionally burst out in joyous affirmation–which I thought was weird, but which the bands seemed to find normal.

There are two main vocalists and virtually every song is a call and response in which the rest of the band (and crowd) sing along.  I enjoyed watching everyone playing their instruments up close and seeing the random assortment of instruments that they were playing as well–so much percussion. (more…)

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Isiliel (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, June 21, 2024)

Posted in Isiliel, Necronomidol, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA on June 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 21, 2024] Isiliel

Seven months ago, I spontaneously bought a ticket to see Isiliel at PhilaMOCA.  The show was weird but fun.

I’m going to repost (almost my entire review from that show and then add some details for this one:

So, who is Isiliel?  She is Himari Tsukishiro who is the main singer in the Japanese band Necronomidol.  As her site puts it

Isiliel is a solo dance/vocal project by Himari Tsukishiro (NECRONOMIDOL).
Mixing genres as diverse as folk, blackgaze and city pop via a worldwide team of veteran songwriters such as King Dude and NARASAKI of COALTAR OF THE DEEPERS, through Isiliel Himari will express hitherto unexplored depths of pathos and beauty on stage.

As Isiliel, she has one album out.  It is, as implied, a heavy metal sounding album, with heavy guitars and a lot of double bass.  But she does not sing like a heavy metal singer.  Her delivery is quiet and slow (and it’s in Japanese).

I hadn’t heard of either her or her main band until about a week before this show was announced.  But when I saw what Necronomidol looked like, I wanted to go to this show too.  It turned out she has some real fans in Philly.  The audience was probably about 30 people, but the show had about a week’s notice.  And several of these fans brought identical small red lanterns which they waved in time to the beat (I asked the merch guy if he was selling them and he said no–they brought them in!)

She wasn’t in corpse paint (like the other band), rather she was dressed much like she is on the album–a midriff baring top (with a metal breastplate) and short skirt.  Her hair is crazy long.

When the music started she began dancing.  It was sweet and a little weird–it reminded me a but of when my daughter was little and she would make up dances that seemed to fit with the music. (more…)

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Isenmor (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, June 21, 2024) [ISILIEL]

Posted in Isenmor, Isiliel, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA on June 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 21, 2024] Isenmor

I hadn’t heard of Isenmor before this show.  They are

a dual-violin-fronted Gewyrdelic Folc Metal. Isenmor fuses the heart of the Old World with the spirit of those who sought out new shores.

They were good fun, dressed in vaguely period and vaguely authentic-looking costumes (not in the picture on the right), the two lead violins (Nick Schneider & Mark Williams) were great fun.  They both played lead, but there was also Pete Lesko on lead guitar who played solo or in harmony with the violins.  There were two lead singers.  Schneider was also the main lead singer and Tim Regan the second guitarist also sang a few songs.  David Spencer was on drums.  Folk metal has lots of stylistic changes and the drums have to match up–slow and quiet or some hefty double bass action.  (Keyboardist Jon Lyon was absent).

There were a surprising number of technical issues.  From the start, bassist Mike Wilson told us that he broke his bass just before the show!  So he was playing a guitar (although I thought his bass sound was still really good).  There were also a few glitches with the drums.  But they dealt with the problems very well and during one pause Schneider played a ripping jog that got the crowd clapping along. (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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Negativland and Sue-C: Live Performance of We Can Really Feel Like We’re Here / J Lesser (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, May 28, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in J Lesser, Negativland, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Sue-C on May 28, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 28, 2024] Negativland / J Lesser

I saw Negativland in 2000.  I was a big fan of  them in the 1980s and 90s.  So seeing them live was a real trip.  Hearing and seeing The Weatherman in person was something I never thought I’d be able to do.

I didn’t really realize they toured from time to time (they played PhilaMOCA in 2022!).  I really haven’t paid too much attention to them in the last twenty years, so when I saw this tour announcement I jumped at the chance to see them again.  It would have been cool to see them 24 years later.

I didn’t realize that it was the same night for a show that I really wanted to see, Francis of Delirium.  So I debated on which artist to check out.  A seated show at PhilaMOCA or a bouncy show at Johnny Brenda’s.  Logically, this was the show to go to, but I went with my heart and went to Francis instead.

Sue Slagle (SUE-C) is an award-winning artist, engineer and educator whose work in “real time cinema” presents a new, imaginative perspective on live performance. Her performances blend cinema and technology into an organic, improvisational and immersive act, created from live cameras, light pads and video algorithms. She has always pushed the boundaries of human-computer interaction, employing emerging technologies and inventing many of her own, both through performance and tinkering with hundreds of students in her well-established teaching practice.

I mean, it does sound like a cool show.  I’m just not in that headspace anymore. (more…)

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Skating Polly / Lord Friday the 13th / Froggy (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, May 21, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Froggy, Lord Friday the 13th, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Skating Polly on May 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 21, 2024] Skating Polly / Lord Friday the 13th / Froggy

I was pretty excited when this show was announced.  I thought my daughter would really enjoy this.  She loves PhilaMOCA as a venue and I thought she’d really enjoy this young(ish) punk band.

I saw Skating Polly seven years ago when they opened for X.  Unfortunately, I arrived really late and caught only a couple songs from them.  I’d been intrigued by them for a while–two sisters, both teenagers (technically Kelli was NINE when they formed), started a band as a duo and played some kick ass punk.  Seven years ago primary singer Kelli was only 19, older sister Peyton was 24 and their brother Kurtis (no age given) was playing drums with them.

They have been touring forever and put on a super fun show.  I knew it would be a good time.

Then things got in the way.  She had stuff to do after school and couldn’t go.  I thought about going myself but then had to do some driving duty.  And considering their set is fairly short and would be the same songs as last year, I decided to just chill at home instead.

Lord Friday the 13th is a dollar store trash-glam punk band based in Austin, TX. Fronted by siblings Felix (vocals) and Sloane (guitar) Lenz, their sound has been described as the Velvet Underground meets the New York Dolls, with hints of early Iggy and the Stooges. While honoring the origins of punk and the energy it birthed with it, Lord Friday continues the legacy of change and pushing boundaries on societal norms that true punk is known for. Challenging gender roles and conformity, Lord Friday is here to empower and inspire a new kind of punk for a new world. (more…)

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Kevin McDonald: Stories from “The Kids in the Hall” (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, April 7, 2024)

Posted in Kevin McDonald, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Scott Thompson, The Kids in the Hall on February 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 7, 2024] Kevin McDonald

I was so excited to hear about  this show as soon as it was announced.  When Scott Thompson came to PhilamMOCA in 2022 I completely missed it until after it had happened.  So I was psyched to get in on this before it sold out (and a second show was added, but without a musical opener).

The Kids in the Hall was one of my favorite shows in college.  I even liked their “massive bomb” Brain Candy.  I’ve read books about them and books by them. I assumed that I knew all of the good stories.  So I wasn’t entirely sure what Kevin could tell us.  Boy was I naïve.

Kevin came out and was immediately self-deprecating, shying away from our applause.  He then apologized, a lot.  He was sorry that he was a sketch comedian trying to do standup.  He apologized for destroying our childhoods and for making us all fail out of college.  It was a great start.

Kevin told us about the demographics of the people there–34% were 49 years old, dating someone for decades whom they would never marry and who were die-hard KITH fans.  The rest were people who had heard of KITH and lived within walking distance.  And there was a small extra part who were super die hard who loved Brain Candy–they were scary people.

He told us about a time when he was coming out of a place on Queen Street and a very drunk man looked at him and said, “It’s the guy from Brain Cancer!”  He kept shouting “he made brain cancer!” (more…)

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Joe Jack Talcum (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, February 7, 2024) [KEVIN McDONALD]

Posted in Joe Jack Talcum, Kevin McDonald, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Scott Thompson, The Dead Milkmen, The Kids in the Hall on February 7, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 7, 2024] Joe Jack Talcum

I was so excited to hear about  this show as soon as it was announced.  When Scott Thompson came to PhilamMOCA in 2022 I completely missed it until after it had happened.  So I was psyched to get in on this before it sold out (and a second show was added, but without a musical opener).

I didn’t know who the musical opener was going to be until day of the show where I saw it was Joe Jack Talcum from the Dead Milkmen!  I had somehow thought it might be someone from Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, although it makes 100% more sense that it was a local Philly fella.

I have never seen The Dead Milkmen even though I’ve been a fan forever.  I’ve also never seen Joe Jack in any context, so this proved to be a fun, if simple introduction.

He sounded much the same–slightly off-key and really into his songs.  He played acoustic guitar and harmonica and he sang five Dead Milkmen songs and 1 original.

I recognized the first song which was from the final Dead Milkmen album that I seriously listened to.  It made me want to relisten to the album. (more…)

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Frost Children [Speed Run] with support from Frost Children [Hearth Room] / Mother Cell (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, February 1, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Frost Children, Mother Cell, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA on February 1, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 1, 2024] Frost Children / Mother Cell

When this show was announced I grabbed a ticket pretty quickly.  I had seen Frost Children open for Yves Tumor and their set was wild and super fun.  I knew I’d want to see  them again.

I also loved that they billed the show as Frost Children with special guest Frost Children.  They were going to play their two new albums (which sound very different) as if they were two bands.

But when I listened to the new albums, they were far more sedate than when I’d seen them live.  And, actually, I wondered if their show, which felt so big to me could translate well onto the PhilaMOCA stage.

Then I saw that they had another opening band, Mother Cell.  They are described as a rhythmic noise pop band, but when I listened to the two most recent songs I found them far more mellow and poppy than noisy.

Since the show was sold out and I’d been to four shows in the last few days, I decided to give this one a miss.  I’m actually planning on going to fewer shows of young, noisy bands like this.  So we’ll see if that comes to pass too.

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