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Archive for the ‘Underground Arts’ Category

Mother Mother (The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, October 14, 2022)

Posted in Mother Mother, Philadelphia, PA, Radiohead, Sir Sly, Transviolet, Underground Arts, Vundabar on October 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 14, 2022] Mother Mother

Back in February (all of 8 months ago), I took my kids and one of their friends to see Mother Mother at TLA.  We all loved it.  The kids had a great time and I was really blown away by their show.  They were supposed to play at The Foundry, which of course would have been neat, but they put on a BIG show and the TLA was the superior venue.  TLA holds about 1,000 people (Foundry is 450).  So I was really surprised to hear that they were coming back to Philly in 8 months to play the Fillmore (capacity 2,500).

And, as I say, it was PACKED.  We were all very happy  to have seen them at TLA where we were super close.  But this show was also fun because the crowd was totally into it and the band seemed bigger and more intense.

Although the setlist was largely the same, the order of the songs was quite different.  In fact, they opened with a song that last time was way near the bottom of the set.  At TLA, Ryan said

they were going to play a song that they knew was weird when they recorded it.  But they had to put it out there.  And now, it sounds like the non-binary community has embraced “Verbatim” and made it their own.

They opened with “Verbatim” and the crowd went nuts.  After a rollicking “O My Heart” (the album that their most popular song is on and which has been revitalized by TikTok), they played a couple of songs that they didn’t play last time.  In all they played five different songs from the previous show (and didn’t play six songs that they played last time).

One of these new songs was “Creep” by Radiohead, which was a huge surprise.  When we saw them last time, Molly Guldemond sang “Pure Love” a nearly a capella song that highlights her voice nicely.  For this show, she did “Creep,” instead.  The crowd really responded to it.  The only problem for me was the guy right behind who wanted to prove that he knew all the words (like everyone else) by singing them very loudly in my ear.  It was especially crappy because Molly has a great voice and really hit all the notes perfectly (this guy didn’t). (more…)

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Yard Act / Gustaf (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 16, 2022) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Cancelled, Gustaf, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts, Yard Act on October 16, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: October 16, 2022] Yard Act / Gustaf

Yard Act are from that peculiar line of art punk that features noisy guitars and a lead vocalist who mostly speaks/yells/gripes.  Sometimes a little of that goes a long way and sometimes it works really well.

I actually didn’t know them all that well.  Although I know some people who hate them passionately–probably because they are much heralded.

At any rate, I was far more interested in seeing Gustaf who I saw open for Idles last year.  They were weird and artsy and amazing live and I need to see them again.  It seemed like a great opportunity to see what Yard Act was all about at the same time.

Then all of a sudden the show was cancelled.

I actually posted on the Gustaf Instagram to discover that Yard Act had been invited to appear at the Mercury Prize Awards on the 18th.  So we lost out on the show.  Good for them.  Bad for us.

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Vundabar (The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, October 14, 2022) [MOTHER MOTHER]

Posted in Mother Mother, Philadelphia, PA, Sir Sly, Transviolet, Underground Arts, Vundabar on October 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 14, 2022] Vundabar

My daughter has a Vundabar song, “Alien Blues” on her playlist and I really like it.  Turns out I’ve been aware of Vundabar since 2018 and would have enjoyed seeing them at any time.  They seem to tour a lot–at least I’ve seen their name around opening for people quite often.  I didn’t know that they were supposed to open this show.

The first opening band was Transviolet, who I didn’t know, although the lead singer Sarah McTaggart was hanging around the lobby wearing a fascinating outfit–fishnet stockings and something like leather underwear.  She was super friendly to all the fans.

Originally, Sir Sly was slated to be a second opening band.  Then one of the members had a baby and decided that he couldn’t be away from the baby (good for him) and Vundabar stepped up.

Had I known about Vundabar I would have encouraged us to arrive earlier.  We dawdled and knew that a Friday night would be very trafficky, but I didn’t really mind as I hadn’t heard of either band.  However, t turned out that Transviolet went on at earlier than 8.  And Vundabar started before 8 as well.  Or maybe they went on at 8 and between parking, buying merch and the like, we didn’t get into to see them until half way through the set.

Worse yet, the show was PACKED and we were stuck not only at the back but in the walkway, so we had to move constantly.  It wasn’t until we were really settled that I was able to enjoy whatever song they were playing.  Soon after they played “Alien Blues” and the crowd went berserk.  This is a big TikTok song apparently.  We even saw a fan face timing her friend who was dancing to the song as she streamed it.  Weird but fun.

Vundabar played one more wild song and I determined that I would very much like to see them again.

Then the crowd adjusted and we were able to get a little closer 9not a lot, but out of the walkway) for Mother Mother.

  1. Tonight I’m Wearing Silk ℘
  2. Diver ℘
  3. Ash in the Sun ∞
  4. Worn / Wander ∞
  5. Darla ∞
  6. Nosferatu µ
  7. Petty Crime ⇔
  8. Alien Blues ∞
  9. Oulala ∞
∞ Gawk (2015)
℘ Smell Smoke (2018)
µ Devil for the Fire (2022)
⇔ Either Light (2020)

 

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Mondo Cozmo / Illinois (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 14, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Cancelled, Illinois, Mondo Cozmo, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on October 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: October 14, 2022] Mondo Cozmo / Illinois

Mondo Cozmo is one of those bands that gets played on WXPN that I hear a bunch and quite like, but never really commit to.  So I decided to finally commit to seeing them.

I didn’t know that head Cozmo, Joshua Keith Ostrander was a Philly guy, which probably explains the radio play.  It’s actually been a few years since I heard anything from him, so I’m not sure how much I would have known what he was playing, but I hoped he’d play some songs I knew.

Then on August 5, the band announced

Hey everyone. We are incredibly sorry to announce that due to unforeseen circumstances we will not be able to do the upcoming October tour. This includes both the headlining shows and the additional Airborne Toxic Event shows. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. X Mc

Illinois is (confusingly) from Philadelphia.  Their bio says they make music that is

part indie-folk rock with some pop-rock and when it all comes together they label it as “suburban soul music”.

I listened to a few songs and really dig it.  It’s light and poppy but with a dark current.  And I really like the singer’s voice.

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The House of Love (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 13, 2022)

Posted in House of Love, Philadelphia, PA, The House of Love, Underground Arts on October 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 13, 2022] Alec Nicol [rescheduled from May 7, 2020]

I was pretty excited when The House of Love announced a 30th anniversary tour of the States in 2020.  It would be their first time playing here in 30 years.  Then COVID, obviously.

I was never a huge fan of the band, but I’ve liked them since college–part of the whole 90’s Creation scene.  And they have half a dozen songs that routinely get stuck in my head.

I hadn’t given too much thought to the band’s lineup.  I believe that when the 2020 tour was announced the original band was back together.  But this show had a

new HoL lineup that Guy Chadwick announced last summer after telling fans he’d parted ways with original members Terry Bickers and Pete Evans, as well as Matt Jury, who’d been on board since the group reunited in 2003.

The new lineup will find Chadwick backed by Keith Osborne on lead guitar, Harry Osborne on bass and Hugo Degenhardt on drums. The band also has recorded a new album, though its release has not yet been announced.

So that’s kind of a bummer.  Although Guy Chadwick wrote and sang all the songs, so I guess the rest of the band isn’t that big a deal.  The only thing I missed was Bickers’ backing vocals.

I knew there were a few songs I really wanted to hear (and they played them all), but I didn’t have a big set list in mind.  They played songs from their first three albums and then a bunch from the one Chadwick just released (which was kind of a solo album). (more…)

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Alex Nicol (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 13, 2022) [THE HOUSE OF LOVE]

Posted in Alex Nicol, Gomez, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on October 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 13, 2022] Alex Nicol [rescheduled from May 7, 2020]

I was pretty excited when The House of Love announced a 30th anniversary tour of the States in 2020.  It would be their first time playing here in 30 years.  Then COVID, obviously.

Opening for them was Alex Nicol.  Impressively, when these dates were rescheduled, Alex Nicol was still the opening guy.  The show was originally set for White Eagle Hall in NJ.  Rescheduled shows were moved around (no more NJ) but I would happily go to Underground Arts to see them.

A few weeks from now Travis is playing Union Transfer.  Opening for them is Ben Ottewell (of Gomez).  Every poster listed him as “Of Gomez.”  For some reason I got my anniversary tours mixed up and thought that “Of Gomez” was for this show.  So I went into Nicol’s set expecting him to sound like Gomez.  He doesn’t.

Alex Nicol is a musician from Montreal.  His bandmates all had wonderfully French sounding names Simon Trottier (guitar), Emmanuel Ethier (bass), and Bucky Wheaton (drums) [aside from Bucky, obviously]. (more…)

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The Contortionist / Rivers of Nihil (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 6, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Rivers of Nihil, The Contortionist, Underground Arts on October 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 6, 2022] The Contortionist / Rivers of Nihil

I saw The Contortionist open for Animals as Leaders back in 2019.

I enjoyed them quite a lot and definitely wanted to see them again.  I didn’t know much about them then and I pretty much forgot about them soon after the show.

But when I saw this tour and saw that they were playing two albums, Language & Exoplanet, in their entirety, I imagined it would be a pretty fun show–and the fans would be insane.

However, this show was scheduled for the same night as Cate Le Bon who I’d been wanting to see for a long time.  So, Cate won out.

Rivers of Nihil is an American technical death metal band from Reading, Pennsylvania.  I probably would have loved technical death metal if I’d heard it in college or high school, but I really just can’t get into it now.  Although I do tend to enjoy this kind of thing live more than on record for the sheer spectacle.

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Philly Music Fest 2022 (October 10-15, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Dolphin Tavern, Echo Kid, Empath, GHÖSH, Johnny Brenda's, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, Low Cut Connie, Mannequin Pussy, Max Swan, Philadelphia, PA, Philly Music Fest, REC Philly, Riverby, Screaming Females, Stereo League, The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Ire, Underground Arts, World Cafe Live on October 10, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 10-15, 2022] Philly Music Fest 2022

Every year since 2019 I have participated in Philly Music Fest in some way.  But this year I wound up giving the whole thing a miss.

Philly Music Fest is a non-profit endeavor focused exclusively on local bands, with all proceeds donated to local music education charities. Philly Music Fest features both established and up and coming artists, showcasing the diversity of the Philadelphia music scene.

It wasn’t because of a bad lineup or anything, it was that I had tickets to other shows every night.  I wound up not going to all of those shows anyway, but basically I was already booked for the whole Fest.

This year’s line up was even bigger than last year’s

October 10, 2022 at Ardmore Music Hall 

  • Marielle Kraft is a poignant indie pop singer-songwriter
  • Electric Candlelight is a heavy psychedelic band that I was supposed to see open for Fuzz
  • Mt. Joy is a band I’ve heard on the radio a bunch who I don’t particularly like, so not so great in the headliner here.

October 11, 2022 at Ardmore Music Hall 

  • Stereo League is apparently impossible to describe using concrete words as I can’t figure out what their music sounds like from the blurbs I’ve read.
  • Salika is an R&B singer
  • Mt. Joy of the two nights I wouldn’t have picked this one anyhow.

October 12, 2022 at World Cafe Live

  • Perpetual Motion is described as dynamic acoustic jazz who play blues, rock, jazz, and world music
  • Kayleigh Goldsworthy is a folk singer who I saw open for Frank Turner.  She was great.
  • Ron Gallo is not Vincent Gallo, which is what I think every time I see his name.  Ron is an indie guy who I’ve never heard but who must be pretty popular or interesting if he keeps popping up.
  • Lady HD is a kind of psychedelic pop band whose name reminds me too much of that Lady A fracas that bubbled up a few years ago.
  • Low Cut Connie is one of the bigger bands at the festival.  I’d never want to see them, but I like some of their songs.

October 13, 2022 at Johnny Brenda’s

  • This was the night I would have gone to
  • The Ire is a four-piece goth-tinged post-punk band.  I like their overall sound.
  • Ghosh is a band I’ve wanted to see: they’re pissed off, informed, and ready to party.
  • Screaming Females are terrific and even better live.  I thought this would sell out in a second.

October 14, 2022 at REC Philly

  • This was a free show.  A night of hip hop and beat curated by Working on Dying who I’ve never heard of of

October 14, 2022 at The Dolphin

  • The Dolphin is a new-ish venue that I’ve yet to check out.
  • Max Swan is saxophonist, vocalist, and producer influenced y likes of Stevie Wonder, James Blake.
  • Echo Kid is two guys from RFA.  This is a hazier, no-holds-barred, psychedelic reimagining of the way they’d approach their songwriting process with a languorous sense of ease, effortless genre-blending, and an amalgam of intentional recorded conversation
  • Shamir is an artist I’d like to see live.  They keep popping up as an opening act and then something happens and I don’t see them.  Here’s another miss.

October 15, 2022 at Underground Arts

  • This would have been my pick for show of the Fest, if I hadn’t already been overbooked.
  • Justmadnice is blues-dipped psychedelic jazz.
  • Riverby are a fun indie rock band with a loose sound (and a cover of “Walk Through the Fire” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
  • Empath is a band I was supposed to see open for Fucked Up but the couldn’t make the rescheduled date.  They are kind of noisy and poppy and punky and are probably very fun live.
  • Mannequin Pussy is one of my favorite new(ish) bands.  They are amazing live and are always worth seeing.

The 2023 Fest is bound to be great too.

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Tinariwen / Garcia Peoples (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Garcia Peoples, Philadelphia, PA, Tinariwen, Underground Arts on October 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 1, 2022] Tinariwen / Garcia Peoples

Tinariwen is a pretty legendary band.  They play a guitar driven “desert blues” in which the guitar is played pretty much non-stop.   It’s unique and original to American ears but is apparently part of a Mali musical sound that combines traditional Tuareg and African music with Western rock.

Like last time, their show happened to be booked at a time when I had a lot of other things going on.

I would very much like to see them so I hope they come back again before too long.

Having Garcia Peoples open was a stroke of genius booking and honestly only made me want to go to this show even more.  It happened to be on the same night that I had a ticket to see Indigo de Souza.  Which wound up getting cancelled anyhow.  But then I had another show the next night.

I hope they both come back together–what a great double bill.

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Batushka / Witching / Hideous Divinity / Hate (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 26, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Batushka, Deerhoof, БАТЮШКА, Hate, Hello Mary, Hideous Divinity, Philadelphia, PA, Scarlet, Underground Arts, Witching on September 26, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 26, 2022] Batushka / Witching / Hideous Divinity / Hate

I had heard of Batushka [БАТЮШКА] because there was an article about how there were two bands with the same name.  And, it was a case of the band breaking up and the guy who left taking the name–but the main band keeping it as well.  So both bands sounded vaguely the same as well, I guess.

Krzysztof Drabikowski formedthe band.  But a falling out between Drabikowski and vocalist Bartłomiej Krysiuk in 2018 led to Krysiuk starting his own version of Batushka, which released its own recordings and performs separately from the original band. Drabikowski protested the move and does not consider Krysiuk’s band legitimate.

Here’s some of the quotes from the controversy

Drabikowski stated that “There were attempts to take my creation Batushka away from me” and “the upcoming album Панихида (“Requiem”) will not feature his voice”

Krysiuk then “hired musicians to produce an album that he planned to release as the new Batushka record, behind [his] back”.

On 27 May 2019, Drabikowski’s Batushka released a new full-length album called Панихида (“Panihida”) (“Requiem”) and was very well received by both critics and fans alike.

On 12 July 2019, Krysiuk’s Batushka released a full-length album called Hospodi (“God Almighty”), the album received mixed reviews from critics[20][21] and was panned by some of the band’s fans, with most of the criticism aimed at their “illegitimacy” to use the name Batushka.

In the wake of the public falling out and ensuing drama between Drabikowski and Krysiuk several parody bands using variations of the “Batushka” name emerged online as a widespread meme, each also claiming to be the “true Batushka”, the most notable being “Batyushka” an anonymous project claiming to be from Russia and being actual Orthodox priests and adhering to the Orthodox dogma.  Their music is completely instrumental and have independently released over a dozen albums on Bandcamp which were met with indifference and annoyance, as well as mockery from fans of the real band, several people also pointed out how the music uses a drum machine.

Controversy aside, they sounded interesting a Polish black metal band formed by Krzysztof Drabikowski.  Their music and lyrics, which are written exclusively in Church Slavonic language, are inspired by the Eastern Orthodox Church.  The band members wear habits and Eastern Orthodox schemas during live performances to conceal their identities.

I’m not even sure which band this was.  I think it was Krysiuk’s version (known as Fakeuska, apparently) as Drabikowski hasn’t done much.   But if they’re wearing robes and hoods, who is to know?

After seeing behemoth back in April, I wasn’t sure if wanted to see another black metal show.  This one seemed especially daunting given that it was in the tiny Underground Arts.

So I opted not to go.  Maybe if they come back another time.

Polish band Hate opened.  I’m not too keen on a band that is simply called Hate.  They are a blackened death metal band.  They wear corpse paint and have had many lineup changes over the years.  Their singer growls, but I have to admit that the lyrics are actually audible, which is quite a plus.

Witching opened our show.  They are a metal band from Philly.  Their track Lividity opens with acoustic guitars and witching female singing and after two minutes the vocals get decidedly demonic and scary as the music gets heavier and pummeling.   It also looks like most of the band is women, which is pretty cool for the genre: Jacqui, Nate, Tatiana, Samantha and Hazel.

Hideous Divinity are from Italy.  I’m guessing they couldn’t make the first two shows of the tour and they started in Georgia.  They, like the others are heavy and growly.

I actually thought this show was four bands, which would have been just too much growling and heaviness.  Even three bands seemed like a lot.  Although now that I know more about Witching, they might have been a nice change for the show.   Nevertheless, despite the visuals, I’m not sure I was ever really planning to go to this show.

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