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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Jack Savoretti (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 21, 2019) [DIDO]

Posted in Dido, Jack Savoretti, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 21, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED:  June 21, 2019] Jack Savoretti

I bought these tickets for Dido back in November!  There was no mention of an opening act until recently.

I had not heard of Jack Savoretti.  I looked him up and saw that he was English solo acoustic singer of Italian descent.  His song “Candlelight” peaked at #70 in the UK Charts in 2019.

I assumed he’d be a solo folk singer.  But he had a full band with him.

Jack has a gruff voice–but not too gruff, S. informed me.  I rather liked him.  His songs were catchy and thoughtful.  Although honestly it was all kind of forgettable.

But my first thought was that he must certainly appeal to the hypothetical “woman of a certain age.”  He is in his 30s, handsome, rugged-sounding.  And he’s a family man.  I just imagined women throwing their knickers at him in Vegas someday.  Actually I suppose women don’t do that anymore, so whatever the 21st century equivalent is.  There were actually two drunk British women of a certain age behind us and when he came out they started yelling, “hey there, Jackie boy!”  They apparently also almost got into  fight with some one. (more…)

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Starcrawler / The Distillers [Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 1, 2019] [POSTPONED]

Posted in Brody Dalle, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Starcrawler, The Distillers, Union Transfer on June 1, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[NOT ATTENDED: June 1, 2019] Starcrawler/The Distillers [moved to August 14]

I got a ticket for this show more for Starcrawler than The Distillers.

I have heard that a live Starcrawler show is not to be missed and I was ready to watch them!

I wasn’t even really sure if I knew who The Distiller were, in fact.  Then I remembered I had seen an NPR Field Recording with Brody Dalle.  I didn’t love her solo song, but it got me to listening to a few songs from The Distillers, which I liked a lot more.

So I was pretty excited to go and I made sure that I got there early since I assumed there’d be a lot of Starcrawler fans there, too.

But when I drove past Union Transfer, there was a huge line out front.  Was I earlier than the doors opening time?  I found a parking spot and as I walked to the venue I saw people walking away.

When I got up to the doors, I saw the merch all set up, but the guy at the door politely said that Brody had herniated a disc in her back and the show was postponed.  And not for later in the night–she was in the hospital. (more…)

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Mono (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 20, 2019)

Posted in Acid Mothers Temple, Boris, Explosions in the Sky, Japan, Japanese Music, Mono, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on May 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 20,2019] Mono

It seems entirely possible that I could subsist on rock bands from Japan for a couple of months.  Between Acid Mothers Temple, Boris and now Mono, I have an amazing collection of experiences both on record and in person.

I was unfamiliar with Mono when Union Transfer announced that they’d be playing a “big, intense show, like usual.”  But I had to check them out…  (especially since tickets were only $10–a criminally low price for such an amazing show).

Mono has released some ten albums (plus EPs and more) since 2001.   They have been a band since 1999 with only one lineup change.  The original drummer left in 2018 and was replaced by New Yorker Dahm Majuri Cipolla. (more…)

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Emma Ruth Rundle (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 20, 2019) [MONO]

Posted in Boris, Chelsea Wolfe, Deafheaven, Emma Ruth Rundle, Mono, Philadelphia, PA, Sharon Van Etten, U2, Union Transfer on May 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 20, 2019] Emma Ruth Rundle

The night after Animals as Leaders, I was excited to check out Mono, primarily because I assumed it wouldn’t be all that crowded.  In fact, I didn’t even have a ticket ahead of time (risky if you’re driving over an hour, but it worked out fine).

My friends Liz and Eleanor had given me a Union Transfer gift card for my birthday and you can only use it at the box office, so I figured it was a nice time try it out.

The stage was pushed far forward to lessen the floor space (which is a cool thing they can do at UT).  I rather like when the stage is pushed forward as it makes the show intimate without being crowded.

I hadn’t heard of Emma Ruth Rundle and didn’t know anything about her.   I had no idea that she had a following (she has released three albums and plays in some other bands). (more…)

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Foxing (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 30, 2019)

Posted in Foxing, Philadelphia, PA, TV on the Radio, Union Transfer on April 30, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 30, 2019] Foxing

I feel like I should have known more about Foxing.  They have a huge following and have played Philly many times, but I really didn’t know anything about them.

Their new album was getting quite good reviews.  But the more I read about them the more confused I got.  Their music was described as emo, post-rock, math-rock, and even chamber-rock.

So I listened to a few songs, didn’t really grab on to anything, and decided I’d stay for them anyway.

And holy cow were they amazing.

One thing the reviews never really talked about was how heavy and loud they are live.  I have since listened to their albums and they really sound nothing like the explosion of intensity that their live show is.  You can hear the kernels of the songs in their, but live, wow.

Like Now, Now, it was pretty dark on stage, but the lighting was much more interesting and welcoming.  I could actually see most of the band most of the time. (more…)

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Daddy Issues (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 30, 2019) [FOXING]

Posted in Daddy Issues, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Nirvana, Philadelphia, PA, RAINN, Union Transfer on April 30, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 30, 2019] Daddy Issues

I love the name of this band, Daddy Issues.  And I loved hearing about how they came up with their name

When singer and guitarist Jenna Moynihan saw the phrase “Daddy Issues” scribbled on the bathroom wall of a now-defunct Nashville DIY venue, she mistakenly assumed it was the name of an all-girl punk outfit sure to become her next favorite band. Upon realizing that no such band existed, Moynihan and friends Emily Maxwell (drums) and Jenna Mitchell (bass) picked up their instruments, taught themselves how to play and started their own band.

I had seen Emily Maxwell play drums with Jessica Lea Mayfield, but I was really quite excited to see the whole band. (more…)

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Priests (Boot and Saddle, Philadelphia, PA, April 15, 2019)

Posted in Boot & Saddle, Daughters, Joy Division, Philadelphia, PA, Priests, Savages, Union Transfer on April 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 15, 2019] Priests

Priests is one of a number of bands that I know a little bit and feel like I should know more.  Most of these bands have one word plural names (Priests, Savages, Daughters–who sound nothing alike but who I have a hard time keeping straight).

Priests were supposed to play at Union Transfer, but their show got moved to Boot and Saddle.  Someone asked them why online and they responded, “Union Transfer is for bands that people actually like” or something like that.

And yes, Boot & Saddle is a considerably smaller venue.  But on the plus side, I wasn’t going to go see them at UT, but I was happy (excited even) to see them at B&S.

I knew a few songs by them, and I liked that their new album was called The Seduction of Kansas (from the book of the same name).  I knew that they were now a three piece (although there were four of them on stage), although I don’t know anything about why the fourth person left.  I also didn’t really know what lead singer Katie Alice Greer looked like.  So I was quite surprised to see a woman with a shock of blonde curls on her head dressed in a leather bodysuit (she must have been so hot!). (more…)

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And the Kids (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 5, 2019)

Posted in And the Kids, Johnny Brenda's, Lucy Dacus, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Voivod on April 5, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 5, 2019] And the Kids

Almost exactly one year ago I saw And the Kids open for Lucy Dacus.  They put on a great show, but I had heard that they would be even more wild if they didn’t have the time constraints of that show (there were two full sets that night, so the earlier one was kind of rushed).  Back in November they opened another show that I wanted to get to but couldn’t.  But here they were headlining, which is what I really wanted to see.

I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale.  But then I found out that Voivod was playing the same night across town.  Voivod is a band I have loved and never saw live.  So I chose Voivod.  During the headliners, YOB, I decided if I left I could get over to Johnny Brenda’s (about 10 minutes away) in time before And the Kids started.  I listened to one heavy YOB song and then took off.  I got on street parking a block away from Johnny Brenda’s and walked in a few minutes before And the Kids were to go on.  All signs indicated that I had made the right choice.

I was surprised at how crowded it was (good for them!)  But I managed to get past the drunken clumps and got right up at the edge of the stage, but to the side–near the steps where the band comes in.  It’s not a great vantage point (and the sound really isn’t as good, but it was better than standing in the middle of tall people.

Then the band came out.  Last time And the Kids were a four-piece.  But for this show they were only a duo.  I gather the core of the group has always been Rebecca Lasaponaro on drums and Hannah Mohan on guitar and vocals.  I have yet to find out why they were touring with just the two of them and not a full band.  I’m also not exactly sure how the bass and other sounds were handled.  I know it had something to do with Lasaponaro, but whether she was triggering them live or just starting them on a laptop, I don’t know.

In some ways this hindered their improvisatory nature.  But not really, because Mohan is a born entertainer and she was a ton of fun throughout the night–and made me glad I was standing where I was.

They played eleven songs in about an hour.   Five were songs from the new album, which I hadn’t heard yet. I hadn’t heard much by them when I saw them last time either, and I feel like hearing them live–even new songs–is absolutely the way to go.  The recorded versions are good, but the don’t quite capture the vitality and energy that their live set has. (more…)

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YOB (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 5, 2019)

Posted in And the Kids, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Voivod, YOB on April 5, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 5, 2019] YOB

I hadn’t heard of YOB before this show.  I was there for Voivod.  But I assumed they must be compatible if they were playing together.

I also had a ticket to see And the Kids (a very different type of band) that night at Johnny Brenda’s.  After jumping in to see Dilly Dally upstairs in the Foundry after the Guster show in The Fillmore, I thought, well, why can’t I go to both shows if one ends early enough.  Johnny Brenda’s is about ten minutes from Union Transfer.  The Johnny Brenda’s show started later than this show, so I considered my options.

After the pummeling from Amenra and the fun but heavy set from Voivod, I was pretty wiped out.  I had read that YOB was “Epic, crushing, and heavy beyond words.”

So I decided to stay for the first song and see if I wanted to hear more. (more…)

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Voivod (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 5, 2019) [YOB]

Posted in Amenra, Away, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Voivod, YOB on April 5, 2019| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 5, 2019] Voivod

I’ve been a fan of Voivod for decades.  But I never saw them live when I was most into them (late 80’s).  Then after Denis “Piggy” D’Amour’s death in 2005 I assumed I never would.

But amazingly they found a guy who plays guitar very much like Piggy did–a bizarre hybrid of prog, metal, dissonance and eerie harmony.  That man is Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain.  Chewy is able to play Piggy’s parts.  And his new parts are very much in the style of old Voivod, but are certainly his own (his soloing style is definitely different for instance.  And since recording songs with him in 2013, Voivod have been touring fairly regularly.  (They played Philly in 2015 and 2016–to see them at the Black Box in Underground Arts would have been amazing!)

For a band that’s been active (in one form or another) for over 30 years, they still had a lot of fun on stage.  If there’s one thing I love it’s seeing a band enjoying themselves.

Strangely, in the 30 years that they’ve been together, nearly everyone has been replaced (with some returns), and there have been a number of styles. (more…)

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