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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Torres (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, January 25, 2024)

Posted in Aisha Burns, Philadelphia, PA, Torres, Union Transfer on January 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: January 25, 2024] Torres 

This was my fifth time seeing Torres play.

Every time I see her, her set becomes more powerful and intense.  What was fun about this tour was that her new album, What an Enormous Room, was coming out the next day.

So we were able to hear most of these songs for the first time in a live setting, which was great.  Especially since she gave a little explanation of each song before playing them. I also love that she played a new song followed by an old song–a kind of mini greatest hits.

A lot of times when you hear a song for the first time, it may not land right away.  There were a couple of songs that are going to take a few listens to really get into, but for the most part, these songs were grabbers, doing what Torres does best–catchy powerful choruses with her great voice doing its thing.

I had wondered what the title of this album was supposed to mean, and she told us that life these days was overwhelmingly depressing.  And without trying to forget that, she felt that this album was a ray of hope–this is an enormous room, look what other things I can do in it.

She played a few songs from each of her recent albums (although only one from her lost-to-COVID album, Silver Tongue). (more…)

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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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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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Wednesday / Hotline TNT / Echotracer (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 17, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Echotracer, Hotline TNT, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Wednesday on January 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 17, 2023] Wednesday / Hotline TNT / Echotracer

Back in June, Wednesday headlined Union Transfer.  I wrote:

Wednesday were supposed to open for Beach Bunny at The Fillmore last year.  They bailed on the show and I was a little bummed because I had heard good things about them.  When they announced this headlining tour (at Union Transfer?  They’re big enough for there already?) I was intrigued.  I’d heard a song or two that I liked, but there was something that held me back.

I really like the fuzzy guitars and largely grunge sound, but there’s a kind of alt-country vibe that underpins their sound that I just can’t get past.  They have a lap steel guitar (which I either love or hate depending on how it’s used) and are often described as merging shoegaze and country.  So I didn’t feel compelled to go to this show after all.  And it was nice to have a Saturday night at home.

They have only gotten more popular in the last six months and I was interested in going this time.  However, it was on the night of a very special date for me–so I had other plans.

Hotline TNT plays what I can only describe as classic shoegaze, which is definitely having a moment again.  Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, they don’t really mess with the classic shoegaze vibe all that much–not adding elements at all.  Their music warms my heart and I’d love to see them live.

Echotracer is a couple of DJs or something.  They are members of a couple of Philly bands who make a kind of noisy dance collage.  I listened to a few minutes and didn’t like them.

 

 

 

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Baroness / Sheer Mag / Uniform / Zorn (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND–COVID]

Posted in Baroness, Coronavirus, Philadelphia, PA, Sheer Mag, Uniform, Union Transfer, Zorn on December 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: December 1, 2023] Baroness / Sheer Mag / Uniform / Zorn

I was really looking forward to this show.  I had seen Baroness in Kung Fu Necktie.  It was a fun show, but it was close and crowded and, while it was a great experience I wanted to see them in a bigger (but not huge) place.  Union Transfer was perfect.

Then I got COVID.

I was so bummed.  And with COVID being so weird these days, I wouldn’t have even tested if the tests hadn’t just come in the mail that day.  But I took it and couldn’t in good conscience go to the show.

I had been torn about when to get to this show, though.  It started at 6:30, which is insane.  And the openingest band was called Zorn.  Not John Zorn, but Zorn, a Philly based metal/punk band that I was really curious to see.  I mean check out this review from Punknews.org

During Zorn’s set, singer Eric Flea approached one of three already burning torches on stage, whipped out a sword, lit the sword on fire, and began waiving it all around as the flames grew up to some eight feet. I mean, that’s all I have to say about the Philly Vender Bender from October 28, 2022. What else can I say? A flaming sword!

I’ll admit, I was worried about Zorn. The band quickly released a string of excellent EPs which coincided with a string of excellent live shows (bandmembers jumping out coffins; people dressed like plague monks; chains being whipped at the audience; really kick ass death punk) but then, things seemed to go… silent. Was one of Philly’s most promising acts snuffed out in the bud before the flame could grow?

For one thing, Zorn was in raw and ragged and crazed top form. Their songs are as fast and as furious as ever. And, their strongest asset (aside from a great core concept) is that they’ve found that perfect sweet spot between metal and punk where the songs have the epic, grandiosity of metal as well as the slam-damn-heaviness, but they also have the unpredictable swing and danger of punk rock. A lot bands try to mix metal and punk and most of them are terrible. At the show, as the epics riffs swung upwards only for the screeched vocals to tear them back down, Zorn proved that it can be done and that the sum is greater than the parts.

The band also played some newish songs. the new tracks are more complex and frantic than earlier hits. This makes the band particularly effective because, while a lot of the spooky bands sound cool for a song or two, all their songs sound like those one or two songs. at the show, Zorn had a core style, but were able to flex it into a broad array of slashing. I’ll also add that the band has some degree of self-awareness, which, much likes Bauhaus, is the extra bit of pop that makes this band soooo good.

Also, did I mention that they started the show by having pallbearers bring out the aforementioned torches and a coffin, only for the vocalist to jump out of said coffin and throw said coffin lid at the audience? Now, THAT’S WHAT I AM HERE TO SEE.

(more…)

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Spiritualized (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 11, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Spiritualized, Union Transfer on November 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 11, 2023] Spiritualized [moved from September 23, 2022]

Last year when Spiritualized came around, I wrote

I wasn’t entirely sure that I wanted to see Spiritualized live.  I really like their album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space.  But I wasn’t sure how well they would translate live.  But I read some rave reviews of their live show, so I grabbed a ticket.

This year I forgot that those shows had been cancelled and thought that maybe they were just back again pretty quickly.

I didn’t buy tickets for this show.  I haven’t heard anything about the show either.

 

 

 

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Ty Segall (solo acoustic) / Mike Donovan (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, November 10, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Jersey City, NJ, Mike Donovan, Philadelphia, PA, Ty Segall, Ty Segall and the Freedom Band, Union Transfer, White Eagle Hall on November 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 10, 2023] Ty Segall / Charles Moothouse

Last year, about a Ty Segall show that I missed, I wrote:

I have become a fan of Ty Segall in the last few years.  He releases far too much music to keep tabs on him, but I’ve wanted to see his fuzzed out live show for a while now.

When I finally do get to see Ty Segall, I want it to be with a big noisy fuzzy band, not as an acoustic performer.

So, I opted to give this one a miss.  Wonder if I’ll regret it someday.

Well, it’s a year or so later and he’s back with a solo show in New Jersey and I feel the same way.  Luckily, I’m going to see him (I assume with a band) in April in Philly.

I went to high school with someone named Mike Donovan.  When I saw that this Mike Donovan was roughly the same age as me I wondered if it could be him.  But this one is from San Francisco.   He is “best known” as the guitarist and singer of Sic Alps (2004-2013).

He has a few solo albums that are kind of sloppy anti-folk.  Probably okay live but I’ll never listen to him on purpose.

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Nation of Language / Miss Grit (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 10, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Miss Grit, Nation of Language, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on November 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 10, 2023] Nation of Language / Miss Grit

I heard about this show because I follow Miss Grit.  I has seen her open for someone a while back and really enjoyed her show.  She had not yet even released an album, so I was curious to see how much better she was.

I thought I knew Nation of Language.  I even had a generally favorable idea of them.

But when I listened to them before buying tickets for the show, I realized that I didn’t really like them all that much.  They are very new wave synthy, which is fine.  But it wasn’t anything I needed to see.

So I’m bummed to miss Miss Grit whose playlist  was probably something like this:

  1. Perfect Blue
  2. Your Eyes Are Mine
  3. Nothing’s Wrong
  4. Lain (phone clone)
  5. Follow the Cyborg
  6. saibogeuleul ttalawa
  7. Like You
  8. Syncing

Interestingly, Nation of Language’s opening acts were all great and I would happily see a show with all three of them together: Miss Grit, Gustaf and Reggie Watts!

 

 

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Blonde Redhead / Marnie Stern (Union Transfer, Jersey City, NJ, November 9, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Blonde Redhead, Marnie Stern, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on November 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 9, 2023] Blonde Redhead / Marnie Stern

When Blonde Redhead announced that they were playing Union Transfer I was pretty excited.  I hadn’t listened to them in a long time, but I remember really liking them.  I assumed that they’d been broken up and had reunited for this tour. But it turns out that they’ve either never broken up or have gotten back together after a hiatus in 2014. Or something.

I listened to the new record.  And then I listened to the old records and I realized that I didn’t know them very well at all. I must have been really into them for a very short time.

Since there’s already a ton of bands that I want to see, I didn’t want to spend a night out on a band I THOUGHT I liked.

So I stayed home.

Marnie Stern is guitar god.  I had heard about her shredding skills, but wasn’t really aware of her music.  Then she got a gig playing guitar as part of the Late Night with Seth Meyers band.  She literally never did anything interesting on the show.  Which is not to say she was bad–she was a fine part of the band, but I couldn’t believe that she was the person everyone raved about because she was so still and quiet.

Now she’s back with a new album.   It’s pretty out there.  I wonder what she’s like live.

 

 

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Tortoise (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 6, 2023)

Posted in Basic, Chris Forsyth, Mikel Patrick Avery, Nick Millevoi, Philadelphia, PA, Tortoise, Union Transfer on November 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: November 6, 2023] Tortoise 

Back in the 1990s I really liked Tortoise.  I was especially fond of Millions Now Living Wil Never Die.  But as they released more instrumentals, (all of the songs are instrumentals–more or less), they veered more into a jazz and lite-jazz field.  I didn’t mind it all that much at the time but I definitely listened to them a lot less.

I didn’t even realize they were still an ongoing concern (their last album came out in 2016).  When this show was announced I was intrigued.  I knew my friend Lar had experiences with them (good and bad), but his description of both shows was enough to make me think I should check this show out.

It turns out they haven’t been to Philly since 2016, so this seemed like a reasonable enough reason to check them out.  I mean, even if the songs were jazzy, the musicianship would be excellent.

I was pretty excited to get their early enough to be on the railing.  So I could see everything perfectly.  Well, except that there were two drum kits right in front of the stage.  Which was awesome, but did tend to block my view of the vibes.

Yes, vibes. There were actually two sets of vibes on stage.  One must have been electronic (I was right in front of it and couldn’t see what it was), while the other was across the stage. (more…)

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