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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Superorganism / Blood Cultures (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 5, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Blood Cultures, Hugh Augustine, Philadelphia, PA, Superorganism, Union Transfer on November 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 5, 2022] Superorganism/Blood Culture

I had seen Superorganism four years ago.  They were buzzing around with a couple of left field hits and at the time I thought they could be the next big thing or an internet meme.  Well, they drifted away.  But came back somewhat surprisingly at the end of last year.

Although I hadn’t heard they even released an album when this show was announced.

I’d had a good time at the last show so I grabbed a ticket.  Evidently the show did not sell well as Union Transfer sent out this:

You are invited to bring a friend for FREE! No catches or hidden fees etc. Just roll up to the show with your ticket(s) and let the door people and ticket scanners know you are bringing your friend as a free plus one / guest. They’ll hand over a complimentary ticket for your friend to use on the spot and that’s it. Free show!

It had been a long week and the kids were both going to a homecoming dance, so we decided to stay home (even though I would have brought her for free).

The opening band Blood Cultures has a fascinating gimmick

Blood Cultures is an experimental indie pop group from New Jersey. First known as a single person and now recognized as a collective (a quartet as of 2019), the band’s members remain anonymous, their faces obscured by black hoods in all photos. As they have explained, their anonymity is crucial to their ethos and aims “to keep the relationship between the listener and the music as pure as possible”. Hailed as some of the most exciting music coming out of New York by NME in 2018, Blood Cultures’ genre-bending sound is often characterized as psychedelic pop, electropop, and chillwave. Blood Cultures released their first album, Happy Birthday, in 2017. The band released its second album, Oh Uncertainty! A Universe Despairs, in September 2019. Their third record, LUNO, was released on May 28, 2021.

They sound pretty interesting and I would have definitely enjoyed checking them out.  I’m also really surprised I hadn’t heard of them before.

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Beabadoobee / Lowertown (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 29, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Beabadoobee, lowertown, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 29. 2022] Beabadoobee / Lowertown

I saw Beabadoobee almost exactly one year ago.  I enjoyed the show and even concluded the show was pretty amazing (it was only her second show in America).

But I didn’t feel the need to see her again.  I actually had tickets to see Chris Forsyth that night anyhow.

Although I suspect that this show was only better than the last and maybe if she comes back I’ll go again.  It turns out that my daughter and her friend found out that I blew this show off and they were both very annoyed with me because they both want to see her.  Oops.

I saw Lowertown open for Wet Leg.  I missed some of their set, but enjoyed what I heard.

They are from Atlanta and this was their first tour.  They have an album and an EP out on bandcamp.  They say of themselves:

Hi We’re Lowertown! This is the band of Olivia O. (Olivia Osby) and Avsha the Awesome (Avshalom Weinberg). 🙂

! our music is a blend electronic and lo-fi instrumentation with meaningful lyricism and melancholy, narrative lyrics. Our music has been said to be indie with aspects of folk and electronica.

I enjoyed their set–Olivia had a Courtney Love thing going on–she slammed into Avsha a few times while he was playing.  There was certainly a punky element and they got our heads moving along.

 

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Algernon Cadwallader / Eight / Lizdelise / (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Algernon Cadwallader, Big Nothing, Eight, Lizdelise , Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 24, 2022] Algernon Cadwallader / Sun Organ / Customer

Algernon Cadawaller is another show where I fell for the hype and then couldn’t go.

Since I couldn’t go to the Saturday show–King Gizzard–I could have tried to go to the Monday show.  However, I had been to a show on Friday and Saturday and had shows lined up for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the next week.  Something had to give.

Eight is the recording project of Mimi Gallagher, based in Philadelphia. Delight in Eight is the debut record, assembled from recordings done at home and at the Bunk with a revolving door of friends — anchored by the core trio of Mimi Gallagher, Cat Park, and Pat Brier.

I listened to a few songs from the album and I really like it.  It has a Julian Hatfield (circa 1995) feel–gentle vocals over some good old fuzzy guitar rock.  I really liked them.

Lizdelise opened for NNAMDÏ / Ghösh in May and was described by NPR as

Liz de Lise is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who writes alternative folk songs with jazz influences. She creates lush soundscapes with acoustic and electric guitar, vocals and a loop pedal.

Big Nothing is from Philly and have a very open feel about them–like you can hear all of the strings on the acoustic guitar strumming.  The lead singer sounds a lot like Bob Mould.  I’d say this is more Mould solo than Sugar.  Perhaps a little too poppy, but could be fun live.

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Algernon Cadwallader / Sun Organ / Customer (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Algernon Cadwallader, Customer, Philadelphia, PA, Sun Organ, Union Transfer on October 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 22, 2022] Algernon Cadwallader / Sun Organ / Customer

Algernon Cadawaller is another show where I fell for the hype and then couldn’t go.

I hadn’t heard of the band but apparently they were legendary.  I wouldn’t have bought a ticket without listening to them, of course, but seeing that they were an emo/math rock band was enough to pique my interest.

So I grabbed a ticket before it sold out.  Only to discover that it was the same night as my King Gizzard show (and of course, King Gizzard wins that).  So I’ll never know if it was worth the hype.

Sun Organ is a kind of shambolic noise band from Philly.  The first two songs on their album Candlelight Showertime are kind of slow and ponderous (as if the vocals are slowed down) and I was about to give up on them, but the third and fourth songs are more interesting both in tempo and sonic construction.  I’m sure they’d be fun live.

Customer is a New York based post punk / power indie pop band.  They have two songs out and they’re both really good.  All of the members have been in other bands and I love the way Nicola Leel sings in a slightly out of sync way.  Cool stuff.

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The Black Angels (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2022)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The Black Angels, The Vacant Lots, Union Transfer on October 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 18, 2022] The Black Angels

The Black Angels are a psychedelic band from Austin, Texas.

I’ve known about them for about ten years.  Their music sounds pretty similar from album to album–fuzzy guitars, catchy riffs and Alex Maas’ recognizable haunting voice.

I Wasn’t really sure what to expect in a live show from them–I assumed some psychedelia.  So I was a little surprised at how stripped down their stage was.  There was a five panel screen and some vertical lights between them.  The l ights shone all different colors and patterns and set the tone of the stage.  The overhead lights were mostly there to add mood.

In other words, I could barely see anyone.  Which was kind of cool.  It created a dark ambiance and meant you focused more on the music than the band members.  The only person I could see with any real clarity was drummer Stephanie Bailey, who pounded the hell out of the drums.  The other three guys, Christian Bland, Jake Garcia and Ramiro Verdooren all played guitar or bass or keyboards.  There was so much switching around of instruments–even though both Bland and Garcia play left handed guitars!

I stood in front of Bland and it was really fun watching him solo and riff and make some really interesting sounds out of his pedals and amps.  He had a bicycle bell on his mic stand (the roadie rang he bell while setting it up), but he never used it in the set. (more…)

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The Vacant Lots (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2022) [THE BLACK ANGELS]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The Black Angels, The Vacant Lots, Union Transfer on October 18, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 18, 2022] The Vacant Lots

The Vacant Lots are two guys from Brooklyn.  And wow are they loud.

The two guys are Jared Artaud who played guitar and sang and Brian MacFadyen who did pretty much everything else.  MacFayden stood at a keyboard rig and played keys and drum loops (I’m not exactly sure what was looped, as some of the songs were repetitive, but it was clear he was trigger some drum sounds live.  He also played a cymbal, which was a nice live touch and meant that he was never not busy.

The music was essentially electro, but Artaud’s live guitar added a layer of “live-ness” that elevated the whole affair.  As did Artaud’s whole vibe.  He had on big black boots, a fringed jacket and sunglasses.  He stood there playing Jesus and Mary Chain kind of drone guitar and it worked a treat. He also walked around a bit and added some feedback, really cementing the live feel.

But it was MacFayden’s rig that was so loud.  The drums were maxed out and echoing and I had earplugs in from the get go.

I slightly preferred the songs that MacFayden sang, but they weren’t radically different from each other.  I don’t think I’d listen to them as a studio band, but live they were pretty great.

 

  1. Departure (single)
  2. Never Satisfied ψ
  3. Consolation Prize ©
  4. Thank You ©
  5. Fracture ⇔
  6. 6 AM ψ
  7. Mad Mary Jones ψ

© Closure (2022)
⇔ Interzone (2020)
ψ Departure (2014)

 

 

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L7 / Downtown Boys (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 10, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Downtown Boys, L7, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 10, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 10, 2022] L7 / Downtown Boys

I really liked the Riot Grrl movement and the bands associated with it.  L7 weren’t really part of Riot Grrl although I’m sure some of their success was because they were women when Riot Grrl took off.

I enjoyed L7’s music although it didn’t quite gibe with the other music I liked at the time.  “Pretend We’re Dead” was quite a hit/  And I rather liked “Andres,” but when this thirtieth anniversary show was announced I couldn’t remember much else from them.

I was initially intrigued by this reunion tour, but realized I didn’t care enough to see them.

Downtown Boys have been around for about ten years and yet I didn’t know them.

They create fiery punk rock with a sharp political edge. Their lyrics challenge white hegemony, entitled bro culture, and more while the music offers a distinctive mix of buzzsaw guitars and saxophone.

I don’t like saxophone, so that kind of turns me off.  But they have the same energy as L7, and I think this is a great paring of bands.

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Cate Le Bon (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 6, 2022)

Posted in Cate Le Bon, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on October 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2022] Cate Le Bon

Cate Le Bon has been on the top of my “bands to see list” for a few years now.  I have tried to see her a bunch of times to no avail.  In 2019, I sold Phish tickets so that I could see her at Boot & Saddle, but i was too burnt out to go.  Then in 2020, she was supposed to play with Kurt Vile, but that got cancelled twice.  She was scheduled to play Philly for a benefit show, but I didn’t want to see her in that kind of setting.  So, although I guess it has not been that long that I’ve wanted to see her, but prior to 2019, the last time she’d played Philly was 2017, and I feel like I found out about her right around that time. 

Whatever the case, I’d heard her shows were amazing and was really looking forward to it.

I went into the show not knowing her music all that well.  I knew a few albums and had listened to Pompeii (the new album which I knew she was touring), but I expected to be blown away by the performance.

And I wasn’t.

The whole show was fine.  The band (Euan Hinshelwood on sax, keyboards and guitar; Toko Yasuda on bass; Dylan Hadley on drums; and Alex Morrison on keyboards and guitar) were all very good.  There was a little too much sax for my liking, although I did enjoy the way Hinshelwood distorted the sound so it sounded like a guitar at times.  Toko Yasuda on bass was the highlight for me.  Her bass sounded great–ever fluid, deep and rumbly and just a nice low comforting presence amid all the rest of the higher notes.

I enjoyed the stage set up with Cate on a slightly raised platform off to the side (although I had adjusted myself to perfectly see the center microphone and there was a larger guy now blocking my view of Cate).  She mostly played a day-glo orange guitar shape as a sort of pentagon.

I think what it comes down to is that I think that Cate is pretty weird.  And I expected this concert to be weird in a wonderful way.  And really, it was just fine.  The lighting was muted colors.  Her voice is soft and chill.  It was all very laid back and mellow.  And that is simply not what I thought we’d be getting.

Obviously, this is my fault for having the entirely wrong expectations.  Not to mention her newest album Pompeii is pretty different from her weirder earlier stuff–the stuff that I was more familiar with.

Sometimes, you need to see an artist right when you first wanted to.

SETLIST

  1. Miami √
  2. French Boys
  3. Pompeii
  4. Daylight Matters √
  5. Moderation
  6. Running Away
  7. Typical Love *
  8. Mother’s Mother’s Magazines √
  9. Magnificent Gestures √
  10. Rock Pool ®
  11. Sad Nudes √
  12. Mug Museum ϖ
  13. The Light √
  14. Home to You √
  15. Remembering Me
    encore
  16. Harbour 
  17. Dirt on the Bed
* single (2022)
¶ Pompeii (2022)
√ Reward (2019)
® Rock Pool EP (2017)

ϖ Mug Museum (2013)

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A. Savage (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 6, 2022) [CATE LE BON]

Posted in A. Savage, Cate Le Bon, Parquet Courts, Union Transfer on October 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2022] A. Savage

A. Savage is the main voice behind Parquet Courts.  His deadpan deep voiced delivery is pretty recognizable.

As a solo artist, he plays slightly quirky folk songs.

I knew this show wasn’t going to sell out, so I didn’t buy tickets ahead of time.  I actually had tickets to see Turnstile this even in Asbury Park, but I didn’t feel like that kind of show.  So I blew that off and came to see Cate.

Traffic was a little heavy and I wound up arriving midway through A. Savage’s first or second song.

I had listened to his solo album earlier in the week and I knew pretty much what to expect.  And that’s what I got.  Enjoyable enough folkie kinds of songs.

He is a funny performer with good banter.  After the first song I saw he said something like By the way this is it–just me and the guitar–nothing else is going on.

I really like Parquet Courts for how weird they are.  But this show was not weird at all (except for some of his lyrics).  He is a great guitar player.  Nothing fancy, no solos that I recall, but very solid rhythm with the ability to make the songs feel really full even though it was just him.

I happened to not love his slow delivery, though, so the set was just okay for me.

  1. Unknown new song
  2. Buffalo Calf Road *
  3. Pulcinella (Parquet Courts cover)
  4. Wild, Wild, Wild Horses * 
  5. Winter in the South *
  6. Elvis in the Army
  7. Unknown (new song)
  8. Phantom Limbo *
  9. Minor Strummer
  10. Ladies from Houston *

* Thawing Dawn 

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Ibeyi / Madison McFerrin (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 4, 2022) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Ibeyi, Madison McFerrin, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, World Cafe Live on October 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: October 4, 2022] Ibeyi / Madison McFerrin [moved to March 25, 2023 at World Cafe Live]

I first heard of Ibeyi quite some time ago. They are sisters Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz.  They were born in Cuba but moved to France as small kids.  Both of their parents are musicians, and the sisters have a great musical connection.

I had heard that their live show was amazing and I put them high on my list of bands to see.   I was pretty excited to see that they’d be playing Union Transfer.

Then on September 7, I got this email:

Ibeyi have moved their US tour, including their Philadelphia date to Spring 2023. A note from the band can be read below.

“To our fans in North America, we’re sorry to announce that due to logistical complications, we have to move our originally scheduled North America September/October dates to the spring of 2023. For those who have been following Ibeyi from the beginning, you know how touring and performing is special to us, we can’t wait to come and play our songs for you, but it’s only a matter of time.

Please note the new date and venue for our show – original tickets will be honored, please contact your point of purchase for more information.”The Philadelphia show will now be taking place at a new venue, World Cafe Live on March 25, 2023.

The opening act, Madison McFerrin is Bobby McFerrin’s daughter.

She sings in a kind of classic soulful way.  Her voice is rather timeless.  I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed seeing her live, but I’ll probably never know.

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