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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Midwife (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 6, 2022) [DEAFHEAVEN]

Posted in Deafheaven, Holy Fawn, Midwife, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on March 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: March 6, 2022] Midwife

I was intrigued by the setup on the stage.  On the microphone stand there was a old-school telephone receiver.

Then Madeline Johnston came onstage with her guitar.  She spoke into the telephone and her voice sounded distant and far away.  It was pretty neat.

She then triggered a drum beat and started playing guitar over it.  She sang into it and her voice was spooky and sounded like it was coming from outer space.

Midwife plays was she calls Heaven Metal and falls into the “Slowcore” and “Sadcore” genre. (more…)

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Circa Survive / Tigers Jaw / Soul Glo (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 4 & 5, 2022) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Circa Survive, Philadelphia, PA, Soul Glo, Tigers Jaw, Union Transfer on March 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: March 4 & 5, 2022] Circa Survive / Tigers Jaw / Soul Glo

I feel like I should have known Circa Survive.  When this tour was announced there was a lot of hype about it.   I mean, two nights at Union Transfer! (they are a Philly band after all).  This was to be a tour of their ten year old (sort of) album Blue Sky Noise.  They’re alt and emo and I’m just really surprised I’ve never heard them.  The hype made me interested enough to check out the album and I liked it (although I’m not sure of Anthony Green’s voice).

And then just before the tour started, they cancelled it

Circa Survive have announced that they have decided to cancel their Blue Sky Noise Anniversary Tour in part due to the mental health struggles of frontman Anthony Green.

The band had this to say, “It breaks our hearts to announce that we are officially cancelling the BSN Anniversary Tour. This includes the dates that were being rescheduled for the summer as well.

“There are multiple factors at play here but most pressingly Anthony is currently struggling with a mental health crisis and unable to be on tour at this time. A focus on self and family is of the utmost importance right now therefore postponing or rescheduling any further doesn’t feel like the right thing to do.

“We’re absolutely devastated over this and feel awful for everyone it affects. We hope you will accept our most sincere apologies and regrets with this news and the last minute nature of this announcement. All refunds will be available at point of purchase (VIP buyers, check your email).

“Although we are somber and wounded in this moment, our art and this community have always been guiding lights of hope and healing for us in times like this. We look forward to better days where we can celebrate overcoming these hardships together.”

I saw Tigers Jaw last year when they headlined Union Transfer.  It was an album release show for their I Don’t Care How You Remember Me record.  I didn’t know them that well, but since this was an album release show, nobody did.  It was terrific and I was surprised that they were opening this one.  When this show was cancelled they announced a show in Garwood a few days later and I saw them there which was a lot of fun.

Soul Glo is a band I really want to see. They are an extreme punk band and will probably scare the heck out of me.  I’ve heard their live shows are really intense.  Although probably not so much as an opening band.

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Superchunk / Torres (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 2, 2022) [postponed]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Superchunk, Torres, Union Transfer on March 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: March 2, 2022] Superchunk / Torres [moved to June 11, 2022]

I saw Superchunk four years ago and really enjoyed their fast and furious set.  I realized that most bands that I like, I want to see twice.  So when they announced a new show, I was ready.

In mid February, when Omicron was surging, they announced that they were going to postpone their tour until the summer, which makes sense given their new single is “Endless Summer.”

It actually worked out alright for me as I was out late the night before seeing Dazey and the Scouts.

I’ve seen Torres four times and she always puts on a great show.  I’m glad she’ll be playing with them in June as well.

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Pinegrove (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2022)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Pinegrove, Union Transfer on February 20, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2022] Pinegrove

This is my fourth time seeing Pinegrove.  I have a sweet fondness for this band.  They were my first (and only) show at the First Unitarian Church–a show that was so vibrant and alive that I remember it very well even five years later.

Their shows don’t have a lot “going on,” just a lot of good music and a band that sounds better and better.

This new tour is in support of their new album 11:11.  I didn’t like this album as much as their previous collections–the songs were a little too slow for my liking (although there are some terrific songs on it).  They played the entire album (not in order) which might seem like a bummer given how I wasn’t crazy about the album

But instead, the band sounded so good, so dynamic, that it made me like the new songs far more than I did.  Perhaps it was the way they were spaced out.  Or maybe it was mixing older songs with the new ones.  Whatever the case, it made the new songs sound fantastic.

(more…)

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Lily Konigsberg (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2022) [PINEGROVE]

Posted in Lily Konigsberg, Philadelphia, PA, Pinegrove, Poise, Sixpence None the Richer, Union Transfer on February 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2022] Lily Konigsberg

I have seen Lily Konigsberg play with Palberta–she and her bandmates switched instruments throughout the set.  For this set Lily played guitar and sang.  Her Lily K. Band was a four piece.

Nate was on guitar, Charlie on bass and Charlotte Kahn on drums.  I am 90% sure I have seen Kahn play drums with someone else, but I can’t remember who that was.

Lily is a prolific songwriter.  Some are catchy.  Some are downright weird. I was actually surprised at how conventional some of these songs were.  Especially after she started out with the decidedly odd and wonderful “Alone” with its jumpy bass line and wicked guitars.

I loved the title of the next song “At Best a #3.”  Then she told is that “Proud Home” was about Stacy’s perspective from “Stacy’s Mom.”  It was good but not as catchy as he original. (more…)

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Poise (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2022) [PINEGROVE]

Posted in Lily Konigsberg, Philadelphia, PA, Pinegrove, Poise, Union Transfer on February 18, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2022] Poise

Poise is the creation of Lucie Murphy.  She has released an EP and an LP and the songs on them are quite varied.  She’s a got a few short rockers with great riffs and a few mellow, more brooding pieces.

They were a four piece for this show with Marguax on bass, Theo Munger on drums and Sam Skinner (from Pinegrove) on lead guitar.

They cam out with a short rocker.  Murphy’s voice is pretty great–she can hit some really high notes, but mostly she’s got a lot of power.  I really enjoyed the second song “Nothing You Can Say” with a super catchy riff.

She mellowed things out for a song and then allowed Skinner to make some really cool feedbacking squalls during the song with the otherwise quiet chorus of “Let me break your heart.” (more…)

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Indigo De Souza / Horse Jumper Of Love / Friendship (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 30, 2022) [rescheduled]

Posted in Cancelled, Friendship, Horse Jumper of Love, Indigo De Souza, Lucy Dacus, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on January 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: January 30, 2022] Indigo De Souza / Horse Jumper Of Love / Friendship [moved to May 2, 2022]

indexIndigo De Souza is a new (to me) musician who I heard about on NPR music.  Her song “Kill Me” is outstanding.  A great dynamic of sounds, very funny lyrics and memorable hooks.  I loved it immediately.  She announced a tour soon after I’d heard it and I grabbed a ticket to see her headline tour (!).

She’s ben making music since she was like 9 with a few EPs and a previous album.  I imagine she’ll be a fun and wild performer.

On January 13, Union Transfer announced:

Indigo has decided it’s best for all involved to move their tour to a few weeks later in the year. The Philly show will now take place at Union Transfer on May 2nd

That’s not too far off.

I hadn’t heard of either of the opening acts (such is the case when the headliner is fairy new herself).  (more…)

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Best Coast / Rosie Tucker (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 29, 2022 and Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, January 27, 2022) [CANCELLED]

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Best Coast, Cancelled, Mannequin Pussy, Philadelphia, PA, Rosie Tucker, Union Transfer on January 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[CANCELLED: March 20, 2020] Best Coast / Rosie Tucker [CANCELLED]

indexI had tickets to see Best Coast at Union Transfer in March 2020.  I like them although I was more interested in seeing their opening act Mannequin Pussy.

They were one of the first bands to cancel their tour outright back in May 2020 rather than rescheduling dates.

They announced a new tour for 2022 back in June.  I’d have rather seen them in Asbury Lanes, but that show was on the same night as our War on Drugs show.  So I considered going to the Union Transfer show.  It was supposed to be a busy week of shows, so I wasn’t sure I’d want to go or not.

But on January 6, the band announced they were cancelling the tour

Best Coast is canceling its upcoming tour in support of its “Always Tomorrow” album due to COVID concerns.

The tour was set to kick off on Jan. 11 at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz, California. The SoCal indie-pop group — consisting of singer-songwriter-guitarist Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno —was scheduled to hit August Hall in San Francisco as well as such cities as Chicago, Toronto, Seattle and Los Angeles.

“We are devastated to announce that our upcoming Finally Tomorrow tour is unfortunately canceled,” the band posted on Twitter. “It was an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one that we ultimately felt was right.

“The last two years have been so difficult for us as a band (and the entire world) — and we appreciate your support through it all.”

“Our last show was in Chicago (on March 11, 2020). It was about two weeks into a monthlong tour.  We had obviously been hearing a lot about COVID. But I think when you are on tour you exist in such a bubble of just what’s going on in the tour landscape. We were all kind of like, ‘OK, like I guess we’ll see what will happen with this.’ I fully didn’t think that the world was truly about to shut down. I did not see that coming whatsoever.”

“At this time, we are not rescheduling any of these dates, as the rollercoaster of the reschedule-announcement-cancelation cycle we’ve been stuck in is incredibly exhausting (for you too I’m sure!) and we just need a moment to decompress. We love you SO much and we hope to safely see you soon. Hang in there. love, bethany and bobb”

(more…)

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The Black Angels / L.A. Witch (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, January 28, 2022) [POSTPONED]

Posted in Coronavirus, L.A. Witch, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, The Black Angels, Union Transfer on January 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[POSTPONED: March 12, 2022] The Black Angels / L.A. Witch [moved to…]

index

I really got into The Black Angels with their 2013 album Indigo Meadow.   I’ve recently been enjoying their Live at Levitation vinyl.

They’re just one of a bunch of younger bands who are exploring psychedelic music in a heavier vein than the original psychedelic bands.  And I like it a lot.  Plus they are supposed to put on a trippy show.

I mean, their post says

HERE is an incredible show. It will shock and amaze you.

And a poster would never lie. (more…)

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Chicano Batman (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, December 15, 2021) [rescheduled date, rescheduled again]

Posted in Chicano Batman, Los Retros, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on December 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: December 15, 2021] Chicano Batman [rescheduled from May 3, 2020 and June 16, 2021]

I’ve enjoyed a bunch of Chicano Batman songs over the last few years.  When I saw the Tiny Desk concert, they seemed so cool, that I really wanted to see them live.

This show was postponed twice.  I waited until a couple of weeks before the show to get tickets, and I had no idea it would be my last show before COVID struck again.

The band started in a delightful way.  The (new) keyboardist came out first followed by their (absolutely insane) drummer Gabriel Villa.  The keyboardist started hitting a cowbell and Villa laid down a funky beat while bassist Eduardo Arenas and guitarist Carlos Arévalo came out to rapturous applause.  Moments later, singer Bardo Martinez came on stage in an Adidas tracksuit.

The band used to dress in full matching suits, so this was a bit of a surprise.  I was also surprised at how mellow and low key Martinez was.  I would almost say he wasn’t into the show, but he definitely was.  I guess he’s just a low-key kind of guy.

I had moved away from the center of the stage because a bunch of people wouldn’t leave their masks on.  I wound up in front of Arévalo who was a lot of fun to watch (his solo during “Color My Life” was awesome).  But to me, Chicano Batman is all about the bass lines.  Arenas lays down great lines and his sound was fantastic. (more…)

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