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Archive for the ‘Underground Arts’ Category

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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Psychedelic Porn Crumpets / Spoon Benders (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 11, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Spoon Benders, Underground Arts on May 11, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 11, 2024] Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

Of all the shows I was sure I wouldn’t miss, it was this one.  I love Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and when I saw them two years ago the show blew me away.  I genuinely couldn’t wait to see them again.

So what happened?  Well, we had a house emergency and I spent most of the evening repairing a toilet.  And I had zero interest in doing anything after that.  I was also having terrible leg pain and couldn’t imagine standing for three hours–or getting in an inevitable mosh pit.

Plus, we were heading to the dreaded Freedom Mortgage Pavilion for Neil Young and Crazy Horse the next night and I didn’t want to be wiped out from this show for that one.

Sigh.  I need that crazy stamina back!

Spoon Benders are a progressive psych-rock powerhouse that has been relentlessly crisscrossing the United States, leaving a trail of newly acquired fans in their wake. Spoon Benders have become synonymous with an electrifying stage presence that can only be described as loud, controlled chaos.

When I first listened to some of their songs I wasn’t that excited, but I feel like I must not have been paying attention because their sound is very cool with lots of echoing guitars and a much-needed female voice on lead and backing vocals.

This really would have been a great show to see.  I hope PPC comes back soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 2022
2024 Tally-Ho ¿
2024 Lava Lamp Pisco ♠
2024 Bill’s Mandolin &
2024 Mundungus ¿
2024 Found God in a Tomato
2024 November
2024 Mr. Prism ¿
2024 Hymn for a Droid &
2024 Acid Dent ♠
2024 Marmalade March
2024 Cubensis Lenses
2024 encore
2024 Cornflake


♠ Night Gnomes (2022)
¿ SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound (2021)
& And Now for the Whatchamacallit (2019)
¶¶ High Visceral (Part 2) (2017)
¶ High Visceral (Part 1) (2016)

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METZ / Gouge Away / Rid of Me (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 20, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Gouge Away, Metz, Philadelphia, PA, Rid of Me, Underground Arts on April 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 20, 2024] METZ / Gouge Away / Rid of Me

I saw METZ open for Modest Mouse four years ago and my ears might still be ringing.  I knew of Metz from their noise filled chaotic but amazing albums.

Their live show was less about the abrasiveness and more about their intense stage presence.  I knew I wanted to see them headline a show.

I was really looking forward to going to this show and then the night of, I was just too exhausted to head out.  A lame excuse, but there it is.

They seem to be regularly playing though so I’m hopeful that I’ll get to see them next year.

The two bands that opened for them sound like a Pixies cover band and a PJ Harvey cover band.  I hadn’t looked them up before hand to see if either band sounded like the band they referenced.

Gouge Away is from Florida and are a perfect fit for METZ.  They are loud and abrasive with a female vocalist who can do quiet and screaming with equal fury.  I really like them and I’m even more bummed that I didn’t go now.

Rid of Me is from Philly and are described as “heavy melodic noise punk” which seems impossible.  They are definitely heavy.  Kind of slow heavy with lots of screamed vocals (lead and backing).  Lots of guitar riffs and a special Philly edge.

This would have been a great show.  Stupid lameness.

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Sleepytime Gorilla Museum / Stinking Lizaveta / Zoë Keating (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, March 16, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Stinking Lizaveta, Underground Arts, Zoë Keating on March 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 16, 2024] Sleepytime Gorilla Museum / Stinking Lizaveta / Zoë Keating

Underground Arts had a special year-end sale.  12 future shows for $18 each.  It’s a good deal if you plan to go to a lot of shows there.   And I find myself wanting to go to more and more shows there.

Well, my cost per show went up a bit because I wound up not going to this show.  My son was home from college, and that more important that checking out this strange band, although I would still like to see them sometime.

I actually only even paid any attention to this show because Stinking Lizaveta was opening for them.  They are a local Philly band that I have yet to see, but who I have missed now about six times.

This lineup was pretty fascinating.

Zoë Keating opened the show.  I have discovered that she recently played at ArtYard in Frenchtown and I’m going to want to check her out live.  Here’s her bio

I am a cellist and composer, born in Canada and currently based in Vermont. I use live sampling and repetition to layer the sound of my cello and create rhythmically dense, immersive music. I’m known for both my use of technology – which I use to sample my cello onstage – and for my DIY approach, releasing my music without the help of a record label. In addition to performing, I also write music for TV, film and dance.

(more…)

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The Dead Milkmen (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2024)

Posted in Flag of Democracy, FOD, Philadelphia, PA, The Dead Milkmen, Underground Arts, YDI on February 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2024] The Dead Milkmen

I don’t know exactly when I first heard The Dead Milkmen.  It was obviously in college, probably when I was working on the radio station.  I think it was Instant Club Hit, which hated on all kinds of other bands that I liked.  By the time they released Beelzebubba, I was a die-hard fan.

And yet in 35 years I’d never seen them live.  True they were broken up for a chunk of that time, but still…

So, I’ve tried to see them a few times over the last few years and things always fell through.  But this time I was determined to go.  And what a great show it was.  I admit that I haven’t listened all that much to their newer records.  Although their latest album, Quaker City Quiet Pills is really good.

I thought they’d play a bunch of new stuff and a few oldies, but holy cow it was like a greatest hits night for me (although I like a lot of their songs, so I guess that would be true for any old songs, but they played songs I really like).

Opening with “Dean’s Dream,” a classic from their debut, it featured Joe Jack Talcum singing and Rodney Anonymous hiding out behind the curtain.

I had deliberately placed myself to the side of the stage as I assumed there would be a massive pit for this show.  And I was 100% wrong.  There was no pit.  Maybe some pushing, but mostly it was just everyone wanting to sing along.  But this meant that I never saw bassist Dan Stevens or drummer Dean Clean.

Oh and Kurt Vile (and his brothers) was standing right in front of me.

One of the fantastic new songs is “Grandpa’s Not a Racist (He Just Voted for One)” and that got Rodney out on the stage doing his thing.  Despite not being the young bratty punk any more, he still has a ton of charisma and knows how to get a crowd going.  And his young bratty voice hasn’t changed all that much. (more…)

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Flag of Democracy (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2024) [THE DEAD MILKMEN]

Posted in Flag of Democracy, FOD, Philadelphia, PA, The Dead Milkmen, Underground Arts, YDI on February 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2024] Flag of Democracy

The only thing I knew about Flag of Democracy was that The Dead Milkmen song “Nutrition” ends with Rodney saying

And Mom and Dad say if I eat all of my foodI can go to the hard core show and see F.O.D

So The Dead Milkmen and F.O.D. have been friends for a long time.  F.O.D. writes intense political hardcore songs and, impressively, they’ve had the same line up for almost their entire existence:

Jim McMonagle – vocals, guitar (1982–present)
Dave Rochon – bass guitar, vocals (1983–present)
Bob Walker – drums (1986–present)

So Bob (who payed barefoot and held the sticks like a jazz drummer) is the new guy since he’s only been in the band for 38 years.

Most of their songs are 2 minutes long (except for “Aberration” (ha!) which was 5).  Even their most recent (2018) album has the same style of short intense songs like “Let’s Build a Wall” (more…)

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YDI (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2024) [THE DEAD MILKMEN]

Posted in Flag of Democracy, FOD, Philadelphia, PA, The Dead Milkmen, Underground Arts, YDI on February 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2024] YDI

I couldn’t make the show last night, but there was no way I was missing tonight’s show.

I really didn’t know anything about YDI before this show.

I still don’t really know that much about them.  There’s very little information about the band at all.

It’s not even clear who the band members were (in one article I only saw first names).   But the summary is that in 1983 Y.D.I. (pronounced: Why-die) put out a 7” EP “A Place In The Sun” (a blistering nine-track blast of american-hardcore fury). Two years later, the band had changed to a more filthy, metallic, damaged punk. The “Black Dust” (a concoction of PCP, heroin and formaldehyde) 12”- LP in 1985 was YDIs’ final recording. (more…)

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Deap Vally (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 16, 2024)

Posted in Deap Vally, Philadelphia, PA, Sloppy Jane, Underground Arts on February 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 16, 2024] Deap Vally

My wife and I saw Deap Vally open for Garbage and Blondie back in 2017.  Here’s how I summed them up seven years ago

So Deap Vally is a duo: Lindsey Troy (guitar, vocals) and Julie Edwards (drums and vocals).  And as with many duos these days, they are able to get a huge sound out of just a guitar and drums (even during the guitar solo which can often leave a big sound feeling a bit empty).

We enjoyed their brief but loud set.  And I kind of forgot about them.  They did a project with The Flaming Lips (Deap Lips) which I knew of but have never heard.

And then a few months ago, they announced that their project as Deap Vally was coming to an end and they were going to go on their final tour.  I had enjoyed their set and thought it would be fun to see them one more time.

They were playing their album Sistrionix in full.  It also turns out that they re-recorded the album recently because their record label had the rights to it and they wanted a new version (hence 2.0).

The premise of the band is pretty simple–simple bluesy heavy rock–a few chords and occasional riff and lots of fuzz and drum.  It works pretty well, although to be honest a headlining show is a little samey.

I wonder if they weren’t playing the album straight through if there would be a bit more variety in the set.

Which is not to say that the show was bad.  None of their songs are very long and so none overstay their welcome.  Lindsey clearly has a lot of fun up there, but I feel like she might enjoy a little more freedom to walk around or, as she does from time to time, jam over by the drum kit.  But most of the songs are pretty short and there’s not a lot of jamming time.

I enjoyed the set quite a lot especially with the addition of Smashley Williams on backing vocals.  She stood in the back and kind of danced and sang from time to time and she was a fun addition. (more…)

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The Dead Milkmen / Flag of Democracy / YDI (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 17, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Flag of Democracy, FOD, Philadelphia, PA, The Dead Milkmen, Underground Arts, YDI on February 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 17, 2024] Dead Milkmen / Flag of Democracy / YDI

I‘ve been a fan of The Dead Milkmen for over 30 years and have never seen them live.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see them in their reunion days, because I didn’t know if they’d play anything old.  But I have been trying to see them now since 2022–this was my third show that I was aware of, although I know they’ve done a number of Philly shows since 2017.

The last few times I had tickets something came up but this time I was determined to go.

And then something came up.

I was selling a car and when someone came to buy it, it wouldn’t start.  And then it seemed like it was out of gas.  And then somehow the keys got locked in the car.  It was hours long and really cold.  And when it was done I just wanted to take a nap, not go to a punk show.  So I stayed home.

But it was okay because I had a ticket for tomorrow night’s show as well (just in case).

I was intrigued to see F.O.D. who I literally only know about from the Dead Milkmen song Nutrition.

And I’d never heard of YDI.  But they have a pretty fascinating history.  Which will be included in the review of their show.

 

 

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Sloppy Jane (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 16, 2024) [DEAP VALLY]

Posted in Deap Vally, Philadelphia, PA, Phoebe Bridgers, Sloppy Jane, Underground Arts on February 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 16, 2024] Sloppy Jane

I was vaguely aware of Sloppy Jane before this show was announced. I didn’t realize that Phoebe Bridgers was in the band a long time ago.  I certainly didn’t know that they were a theatrical practically avant-garde sorta punk band with a front woman who was amazing.

Haley Dahl leads this band of fascinating musicians which includes a cello (Daniel Hass) two viola (one may be a violin) Ruby Wang and Isabella Bustanoby who also plays bass.

There’s also Lily Reszi Rothman on keys and flute.  Mostly hidden from my view was a drummer whose name is Kim (I couldn’t hear the last name) and a guitarist whose name is, I believe Ryan Howe.

The show began with an instrumental Overture–Haley conducted the strings and keys with some crazily wild moves, including jumping in the air.

The strings segued after some five minutes (and since I didn’t know what to expect, I thought maybe it was all like this) into “Party Anthem,” a quiet song that builds into a catchy song with lots of great backing vocals that turns into a really fun song with a lengthy “la la la” melody that everyone sang.

The song segued into the piano ballad which features the line “I pledge allegiance to Jesus and Your Living Room Floor.”  This mellow song segued into another mellow song, although this one was far from chill.  A classic murder ballad, “Judy’s Bedroom”

You cleaned the dirt from your shoes
Out of Judy Bruce’s bedroom
The gesture did not get you very far
Because when they found her dead
In the foldings of her dress there was
Fibers from the lining of your car

All with a very upbeat “la la la” section. (more…)

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