Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Underground Arts’ Category

Black Moth Super Rainbow / Ricky Eat Acid / Huron (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 12, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Huron, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts, Teen Suicide, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Ricky Eat Acid on September 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 12, 2025] Black Moth Super Rainbow / Ricky Eat Acid / Huron

I’d heard of Black Moth Super Rainbow and knew they were pretty weird (duh) but I didn’t know much about them.  I assumed I’d like them given that they are a psychedelic electronic indie rock project.  They are a solo project created by Thomas Fec.  Their visuals are startling and crazy.  But musically it’s very slow and I wasn’t that excited by it.  So I never hot tickets.

Ricky Eat Acid is the electronic project of Samuel Joseph Ray. He’s from Baltimore and is in the band Teen Suicide.  His music seems to be trippy and weird (as befits the name) and is mellow with samples and possibly no vocals.  Might be fun for a short set.

Huron is an electronic musician from Pennsylvania.  He is very hard to find online mostly because of Lord Huron but also because Huron is a very popular word in the United States.  He has a bandcamp site.  He makes very slow trippy music that I would hate to stand around listening to, but which I would definitely enjoy falling asleep to.

 

Read Full Post »

Pelican / Porcelain / My Wife’s An Angel (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, July 19, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in My Wife's An Angel, Pelican, Philadelphia, PA, Porcelain, Underground Arts on July 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 19, 2025] Pelican / Porcelain / My Wife’s An Angel

Pelican is an American post-metal band from Chicago known for their heavy, atmospheric and almost entirely instrumental style.

I’ve been vaguely aware of Pelican for a while, and when this show was announced, I listened to a bunch more and was really excited to see them.  But it was the same night as Weird Al, which was a family event.  So, no Pelican for me.  I hope they come back next year.

Porcelain played with Wax Jaw in March of last year.   But I didn’t go to that show.

They are from Austin.  Post-Trash says

The quartet of Ryan Fitzgibbon (US Weekly), Eli Deitz (Dregs, Votive), Steve Pike (Exhalants, CSSS), and Jordan Emmert (Super Thief, Pleasure Venom) bring a great deal of experience together from different pockets of the city’s noise rock and punk scene, the pieces coming together to create something better than the sum of it’s parts.

I’ve never heard of any of those bands.  I like the sound of their music but I don’t really like the singer.  I bet they crush it live though, their drummer sounds like a maniac.

My Wife’s An Angel is from Philly.  A review on Ghettoblaster of their most recent album was simply

Philadelphia noise rock enigma My Wife’s An Angel releases its Yeah, I Bet, an album that is equal parts thrilling and terrifying

They make a lot of noise with a screaming psycho as the vocalist.  No doubt terrifying live.

Read Full Post »

Wavves / Beach Goons / Chokecherry (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, July 13, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Beach Goons, Chokecherry, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts, Wavves on July 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 13, 2025] Wavves / Beach Goons / Chokecherry

This show came on my radar because of Chokecherry whom I saw a few months ago and absolutely loved.  I was 100% going to go to this show to see them again.  And then I realized that they were the first of three bands and that their set would be minimal.  I’m still not sure how long or what they played.

I also thought that I had seen Wavves before (I had seen Hovvdy back in 2017–different band, same double v).  I kind of thought that I didn’t like them, but they’re pretty fun.  They have a sloppy indie rock vibe that would probably be fun live.

In fact, looking at past posts about them, I was once quite the fan of the band, but I completely lost touch with them.

I’d never heard of Beach Goons, but when I looked them up I saw this reddit thread from two years ago:

Anyone know what’s going on with Beach Goons?  Seems like the members keep changing, lots of drama/controversy around getting kicked from tours/venues and scamming fans, and more importantly — no new music in 5 years with no communication of anything in a few months it seems. Is the band still alive?

with this follow up

The scene Beach Goons is a part of has splintered apart. Some bands cancelled due to controversies or have distanced themselves away from their origins (The Frights). I don’t know about Beach Goons drama but it doesn’t surprise me considering the state of the scene since covid.

and this one

Pablo is super egotistical, i was in high school going to backyard shows showing mad support for beach goons and members as he got more famous, seemed like he grew a crazy ego, then the controversies and drama started

I listened to some of their songs and quite liked them.  I guess maybe I should have gone to this one.

Read Full Post »

Anthony Green / Geoff Rickly / Kurt Travis (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, July 11, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Anthony Green, Dance Gavin Dance, Geoff Rickly, Kurt Travis, L.S. Dunes, Philadelphia, PA, Thursday, Underground Arts on July 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: July 11, 2025] Anthony Green / Geoff Rickly / Kurt Travis

I was not aware of Anthony Green until I saw L.S. Dunes.  I saw them in 2023, but it was really their April 2025 show that I got to really appreciate Green’s voice and on stage personality.  Since he was on my mind after the L.S. Dunes show, I considered going to this.  But I ultimately decided not to get a ticket.

I saw Geoff Rickly open for Sparta and really enjoyed his set.  I’ve now seen hm twice with Thursday and once solo, so I didn’t really need to see this show as well.  Even though I’m sure it would have been great.

Kurt Travis is the one guy I didn’t know.  He was in Dance Gavin Dance and A Lot Like Birds, two bands I don’t know.  His music is jazzy and poppy now.

Reviews of the show say it was great, but it was probably even better if you liked all of these guys original bands first.

 

Read Full Post »

Sasami / Jia Pet (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Jia Pet, Philadelphia, PA, Sasami, Underground Arts on May 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 12, 2025] Sasami / Jia Pet

A couple of years ago Sasami did a tour for her metal-adjacent album and it was wild.  I am so bummed I missed it.  I was pretty psyched to see her open for Destroy Boys.  But her sound has changed since that album and she is now in a far more poppy style of music.

I enjoyed her show–she’s still amazing performer, and I liked the music, but not as much as I liked the previous album.

This show coincided with my tickets for The Damned anyway, so she didn’t stand a chance,

Jia Pet plays poppy dance music.  It’s satisfying.  But I can’t find anything out about her. Here’s a review of her show in Dallas

First up was Jia Pet, an as of yet little-known solo musician whose drum and bass influence drives her tongue-in-cheek, ultra-sweet indie pop sound. The preface she gave to her first song, explaining that it was about “the rice in a rice cooker having a party,” established a whimsical mood for her set. To emphasize her bubbly personality, she brought out a bubble gun during her performance and gave new meaning to the term “pop music.”

The full review and photos makes it look like she still puts on a really fun show.  Maybe next time.

Read Full Post »

Orla Gartland / Fightmaster (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 25, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Fightmaster, Orla Gartland, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts on April 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 25, 2025] Orla Gartland / Fightmaster

I’ve known about Orla Gartland for a few years.  I really liked her song You’re Not Special, Babe.  And her newer song Little Chaos is great.

She falls into the grouping of youngish women singers who I really like one or two songs by but never looked into more of their stuff.  So I want to see them but I’m not super psyched to do it.

Usually when I go see them I enjoy their show.  But if I don’t, then I think about seeing them every time they come.

I had intended to see Beach Bunny the following night with my daughter, so I stayed home because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go out two nights in a row.  And I feel like I should have gone to this one.  I should definitely go if she comes back to the US.

Fightmaster is the solo music project of nonbinary artist ER Fightmaster.

ER Fightmaster has appeared on Grey’s Anatomy (!).  I gather that they have quite following and their live sets are pretty captivating.  Maybe they’ll open up for someone else in the future.

Read Full Post »

Magic Sword / Mega Ran / Starbenders (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 24, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Magic Sword, Mega Ran, Philadelphia, PA, Starbenders, Underground Arts on April 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 24, 2025] Magic Sword / Mega Ran / Starbenders

I’ve seen Magic Sword twice and I love their instrumental fake-soundtrack music.  Everything about them is super fun.  I would see them any time they came around.  But at the same time they’re kind of a second tier show for me.  Like if something else came along I might go to that instead?  So Cheekface the same night was a tough call.

But I wound up staying home instead of having to decide.

Mega Ran according to Wikipedia,

Raheem Jarbo (stage names Mega Ran and Random) is an American underground nerdcore rapper, chiptune DJ, and record producer. In February 2015, he changed his stage name to Mega Ran, removing Random from any releases.

Mega Ran keeps popping up at shows around here and I’d really like to see him once.  I hope it works out.

Starbenders sound like they’re a mid 80s hair metal band.  And I think that’s the point?  They seem to be considered a glam rock band.  I almost feel like they’re a joke band but I don’t think they are. I’m probably not the right audience for them.

 

Read Full Post »

The Dead Milkmen / The Ditches / The Rectors / EDO (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 18 & 19, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in EDO, Philadelphia, PA, The Dead Milkmen, The Ditches, The Rectors, Underground Arts on April 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 18 & 19, 2025] The Dead Milkmen / The Ditches / The Rectors / EDO

I saw The Dead Milkmen last year at Underground Arts and it was great–so much fun to hear these old songs that I loved and to see they still had great charisma.

I already had tickets to see L.S. Dunes on April 18 so I couldn’t go that night.  And the 19th is a special night in our house–no going out.  But I’m happy to know that The Milkmen are still playing live from time to time.  I hope to see them in 2026.

The Ditches played both nights.  The Rectors played on the 18th and EDO played on the 19th.

The Ditches says thy play garage Americana from Bucks County, PA.

The Rectors are a psychobilly band from Philly.  They play pretty fast but do have the rockabilly vibe.  I could see The Dead Milkmen enjoying them.

EDO in an article from WXPN

Since their formation at St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD back in 1987 – they moved to Philly soon after graduation – the band has continuously defied norms and expectations. Somewhere between Frank Zappa’s matter-of-fact weirdness, the Butthole Surfers’ freakout rock, and the outer space groove of Parliament Funkadelic, EDO (the meaning of the name has been lost to history) occupies a singular position in Philly punk history, even if you’ve never heard of them.

And here’s what someone else wrote about EDO

Some people say EDO is the house band on Pluto. Some people say EDO is more confusing than two cats and a barbershop.

They have a song called Upper Darby (Gives Me the Creeps) which makes me laugh in title alone.

They are clearly insane–someone describes them as the Delconian Primus.  I’s never heard of them until this announcement and now I sure hope to see them live someday.

Sounds like a couple of wild nights.

Here’s a recording of EDO uploaded by EDO

As for the Milkmen:

Alyssa Forester recorded the entire show on the 18th

DirtyMovies76 recorded the whole show on the 19th

Read Full Post »

Ida / Tsunami (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, March 28, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ida, Philadelphia, PA, Tsunami, Underground Arts on March 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 28, 2025] Ida / Tsunami

Back in the 90s I liked Tsunami.  I was never a huge fan, but I liked them enough.  Listening again, I maybe should have given them a better chance back then.

Here’s what philty mag said

“Daniel and I have a 23-year-old daughter, and her friends are interested in music from the ‘90s, and they’re like, ‘You’re parents are in Ida?!  What?!’” says Elizabeth Mitchell of herself and husband Daniel Littleton, co-founders of 1990s indie rock legends Ida.  This past weekend, Ida kicked off their first tour in more than a decade.  The tour has them paired with longtime friends and fellow ‘90s legends Tsunami, who haven’t actually toured since 1998.

Ida and Tsunami are currently amidst the Coin Toss tour, which has the bands double-headlining, sharing equipment and van space, and determining each night’s set order by the flip of a coin.  “I think it’s gonna have kind of a celebratory feel, more than just a two-band bill,” Mitchell tells me of the show, which will be at Underground Arts this Friday, March 28th.  Tsunami co-founder Kristin Thomson chimes in: “I almost made a shirt that said, ‘Expect Whimsy!’”

Ida was based in NYC and Tsunami in DC.  Tsunami’s own Simple Machines record label released Ida’s first three albums (1994’s Tales of Brave Ida, 1996’s I Know About You, and 1997’s Ten Small Paces) and the two acts regularly found themselves touring and collaborating together throughout the decade.  “It will be a very Gen X time!” Thomson jokes of the Coin Toss tour.

Honestly it sounds like a great time, even if I wasn’t too familiar with their music anymore.  But I had tickets to Ninja Sex Party that night and I wasn’t going to pass that up.

Read Full Post »

Helmet: Betty 30th anniversary / Effusion 35 / Slomosa (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, March 22, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Effusion 35, Helmet, Philadelphia, PA, Slomosa, Underground Arts on March 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 22, 2025] Helmet / Effusion 35 / Slomosa

I really liked the first Helmet album.  I bought betty, but I don’t remember much about it.  I probably haven’t listened to them in twenty years, and I think there have been some fifteen people in the band over the years, but I’ll bet they are still heavy as anything.  But I wasn’t that excited about this tour.

In Denver, War on Women opened, but not for us.  We had Slomosa and Effusion 35.

Slomosa is from Bergen, Norway.  They have created their own music genre, Tundra Rock.  It appears to be a meld of stoner rock and power metal.  I’m intrigued by them.  I listened to a couple of songs and found it okay, but a little flat.  They are probably great live though.

Effusion 35 is from Philly.  They seem almost like a heavy country band, although their earlier stuff is even less heavy–an odd pairing with Helmet to be sure.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »