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Archive for the ‘Union Transfer’ Category

Lucius (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 22, 2025)

Posted in Lucius, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Victoria Canal on May 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 22, 2025] Lucius

I saw Lucius last year when they played the anniversary of their debut album.  I enjoyed the show and their performance so much that I knew I’d want to see them again.  And I knew my wife would really enjoy it as well.

But I had no idea she’s enjoy it as much as she did.  She said it was her favorite concert of the year [UPDATE: at year’s end she maintains that belief].

The stage was set up with two large cacti flanking the keyboard set up of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig.  I love that they dress alike (down to the wigs they are wearing).  They wore red, beautifully decorated ponchos, and it’s amazing that they face each other and more or less mimic each others movements–they’re not a tightly choreographed ship, which is good.  They are more like a loose duo who can allow the moment to overtake perfect choreography.  And they’re all the better for it,

But mostly, Lucius are instantly recognizable because of the gorgeous vocals of Wolfe and Laessig,  And it gives you goosebumps to see them perform live.

There’s a several Lucius songs that I absolutely love.  There’s also some that I’m iffy about (but the hits greatly outweigh the misses for me).  And I really like the vibe of the new album a lot.  I’m sure that has a lot to do with Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs who produced the album (his fingerprints are all over it).  The opening song Final Days doesn’t sound like The War on Drugs, but it does sound like Lucius covering a War on Drugs song.

They followed up with Gold Rush, which I was surprised to hear so early as its the big hit from the album.  They wound up playing five new songs in a row.  Trespassers Will Be Shot uploaded several songs from our show (see below).  Things had mellowed, but when Stranger Danger came on and the guitars went crazy and Jess and Holly came to the front of the stage–it was electrifying.

The band had a simple set up.  Jess and Holly in the center.  On our right side was drummer Dan Molad and on our left was multi-instrumentalist (but mostly, an amazing guitarist–the sounds he generates are amazing) Peter Lalish.

They played the quieter 24 and then moved to Wildewoman for the amazing Tempest.  Since they had just toured the album last year I didn’t think they’d play too much from it, so it was cool to hear this one.

Then for the really fun Joy Ride, they put on matching hats and sat stage right in a couple of folding chairs.  We got a kick out of them snapping their heads left and right to the beat.

They jumped back to Wildewoman again for the awesome (and even more awesome live Nothing Ordinary) and the fantastic Genevieve, which was delightfully percussion heavy (Jess and Holly playing cowbells) and full of cool lighting. (more…)

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Victoria Canal (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 22, 2025) [LUCIUS]

Posted in Lucius, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Victoria Canal on May 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 22, 2025] Victoria Canal

I had not heard of Victoria Canal before this show.

She has a fascinating backstory.  She was born in Germany but is of Spanish American heritage and was raised mostly in Spain.  And yet when she spoke she had no trace of an accent.

Canal was born without her right forearm.  What’s fascinating is that although she does not try to hide it at all, we didn’t notice for the first couple of songs.

Victoria played acoustic guitar and keyboards.  She also had really nice boots on.  Between songs she told delightful stories that really fleshed out songs like the new (and wonderful) Pseudo Zen Buddhist: A Screenplay.  Which she introduced by saying the song was about her ex boyfriend’s next girlfriend murdering him (she works in movies, hence the screenplay part).  It was great.

There was also a really funny intro to Yes Man, a song she write when on a songwriting retreat with Chris Martin of Coldplay.

Canal’s voice is soft and gentle with a really nice timbre.  And she can mix in some falsettos on a song like Totally Fucking Fine. (more…)

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Deafheaven / Gatekeeper / Trauma Ray (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 12, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Deafheaven, Gatecreeper, Philadelphia, PA, Trauma Ray, Union Transfer on May 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 12,2025] Deafheaven / Gatekeeper / Trauma Ray

This was the most embarrassing reason I’ve ever had for missing a show.  I thought it was the 13th, but it was actually the 12th.  I just wrote down the wrong date in my calendar.  WTF!

I had missed Deafheaven last year when they came around (scheduling conflict) so I was all about going to this one.  I only found out because I couldn’t get a ticket for my son online so I wrote the venue and they said sales were closed because the show was the previous night.  Holy crap.

Gatecreeper are an old-school death metal band from Arizona who formed in 2013.  They are loud and growly.  I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed them for the entire set.  But I would have enjoyed the first opener.

Trauma Ray opened for Panchiko last year and after listening to them I really wanted to see them

Among the current wave of shoegaze revivalists, Fort Worth’s trauma ray rank as high as any at capturing its complexity, intensity, and expressive devastation.   One of trauma ray’s greatest gifts is their ability to make doomy, sledgehammer heaviness sound like an ear-worm, without production tricks or gimmicks: “Riff, verse, chorus, three guitar parts – that’s all you need.

Once again, Deafheaven picks two diverse opening bands that each match their sound in their own way.

 

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Napalm Death / The Melvins / Weedeater / Dark Sky Burial / Titan to Tachyons (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2025/ Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA, May 6, 2025)) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Dark Sky Burial, Napalm Death, Philadelphia, PA, The Melvins, Titan to Tachyons, Union Transfer, Weedeater on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5 & 6, 2025] Napalm Death / The Melvins / Weedeater / Dark Sky Burial / Titan to Tachyons

I saw Napalm Death in 2022 and enjoyed the hell out of them.  They were fast and furious and lead singer Barney Greenway was awesome.

I saw The Melvins in 2023 when they toured with Boris.  I didn’t think I would like them for some reason, but they were fantastic live.

Even though I don’t really want to do a full night of metal anymore, this would have been a cool show to go to.  However, the first night was right after I’d been out two nights already that week and the second night was the night we had tickets to see Kishi Bashi. Coincidentally, the second night was in the same venue!  This show was downstairs in the huge room and our show was upstairs in the tiny venue.

For the first night, Weedeater and Dark Sky Burial opened.

I like the stoner metal sound of Weedeater but I don’t like the singer’s voice.  He sounds like a demon in a movie.  Weedeater have an instrumental song Wizard Fight that is pretty great though. They are a sludge/doom metal band from Wilmington, North Carolina, formed in 1998!

Dark Sky Burial have a heavy sound that’s very atmospheric–like a scary noir movie.  They really surprised me by including a saxophone on the wonderfully named Decay is the Matric of Fertility.  And Beware Your Subconscious Destroyer has dance beats! I didn’t realize that this is a side project of Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury.  This is his outlet for experimental music and retro horror/sci fi Movie vibes.

This might have bee a really fun show actually.

Titan to Tachyons is also unknown to me.  Turns out they are an experimental jazz-metal group led by New Zealand composer and guitarist Sally Gates, backed by the powerhouse rhythm section of Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle), Matt Hollenberg (Cleric), and Kenny Grohowski (Imperial Triumphant). The quartet instrumentally depicts the realms of Surrealism and science-fiction through eclectic and improvisational passages, juxtaposed by fluid grooves and metallic flurries.

That sounds amazing, frankly.  Well, here’s a bunch of new bands to check out.

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The BellRays (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 3, 2025) [THE DAMNED]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The BellRays, The Damned, Union Transfer on May 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 3, 2025] The Damned

I saw the Damned at Coney Isalnd High with my friend Garry on Feb 6 1998

The BellRays are a band from California that describes itself as an original punk, rock and soul band.  I had never heard of them and assumed they were a young band.  But they have been together since 1990.  I guess if I hadn’t heard of them in 35 years, they weren’t really on my radar.

So they came out and demanded quite a lot from the audience.  Again, I thought they were a new band, so this surprised (and annoyed) me.  Knowing that they’ve been doing this for so long, I get where the on stage banter and attitude comes from.

They rocked pretty well, but it really wasn’t my thing.  Actually, that’s not true.  If they had opened for someone else–someone soulful and almost bluesy, I would have enjoyed them more. But there’s really nothing punk about them (except their attitude, I guess).

The songs were basic, good rockers, but lyrically, they were pretty meh.

Having said that, singer Lisa Kekaula has a fantastic voice–soulful and powerful–and she and guitarist Robert Vennum, the founders of the band) have great chemistry.  I was thinking that a comparison of her voice to Tina Turner’s was lazy; however, in their blurb they say they have been described as ‘Tina Turner fronting AC/DC.”  I wouldn’t go as heavy as AC/DC for the band, but the description works.  Actually, they sound a lot more like an L.A. metal band circa late 80’s.  Although their cover of Ball of Confusion was pretty great.

If I was in the right mood for them I probably would have loved them, but I found them just okay.

The Damned toured around here in 2023 and I couldn’t go.  But Fucked Up opened for them and I sure as hell would have enjoyed THAT double bill.

  1. On Top £
  2. I Fall Down ♠
  3. Hard Drive ♠
  4. Wolf’s Sun ♠
  5. Changing Colors ‰
  6. Living a Lie £
  7. Down On My Knees ♠
  8. One More Night ♠
  9. Voodoo Train €
  10. Black Lightning £
  11. Startime €

♠ Heavy Steady Go
£ Black Lightning
€ Red White and Black
‰ Let It Blast

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The Damned (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 3, 2025)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The BellRays, The Damned, Union Transfer on May 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: May 3, 2025] The Damned

I saw the Damned at Coney Island High with my friend Garry on Feb 6, 1998.  I don’t really remember all that much about it.  I wasn’t a huge fan at the time, but I do think it’s cool I got to see them.

I hadn’t really considered seeing them again, but when they toured in 2023 I came around to wanting to see them.  I missed that tour (which was for a then new album), and in retrospect I’m glad I did.  That tour was predominantly that new album (and of course a while bunch of older songs too), but this tour was more of a complete retrospective (including some of the new songs too).

And, it featured three of the four original members: singer Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies.  [There’s no point in trying to talk about when who was or wasn’t in the band as it was a revolving door for a while].  But Paul Gray on bass has been with them since 1980 and Monty Oxymoron has played keyboards with them since 1996 so he’s not exactly a newbie.

So I don’t know a ton of songs by The Damned.  I have a few of their albums but the people around me knew everything they played.

Nevertheless, they played a fantastic selection of songs and it was so much fun to see Captain Sensible in his striped sweater and the ageless Dave Vanian looking great in his coat and puffy shirt.  And, most impressively–his voice sounded great. (more…)

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Bob Mould / J. Robbins (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Bob Mould, Hüsker Dü, J. Robbins, Jawbox, Philadelphia, PA, Sugar, Union Transfer on May 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 4, 2025] Bob Mould / J. Robbins

I saw this incarnation of the Bob Mould trio back in 2021 and they were great. I didn’t know if I needed to see them again, but when this show was announced, I thought I’d like to go again.  But it was the same night as the comedy special we were going to see with Paul F. Tompkins, which I could not pass up.

J. Robbins is listed as J.Robbins (Jawbox).  So I guess after Jawbox, he went solo.  I knew about Jawbox a little.  I have their self titled album.  I remember liking it, but don’t remember it much.

J Robbins’ solo music is with a band but he also plays solo.  I’m not sure what he playing this night.

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Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory / Love Spells (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 30, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in James, Love Spells, Philadelphia, PA, Sharon Van Etten, Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory, Union Transfer on April 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 30, 2025] Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory / Love Spells

It’s been a roller coaster of hits and misses with Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory this year.  I didn’t love Sharon’s previous two albums, so I wasn’t that interested in this show when it was announced.   But when they said she’d be doing a Free at Noon, I went and LOVED the new band and sound.  I thought about getting tickets to this show, but it had sold out.

Later in the summer my wife and I saw her headline XPoNential Fest and she was great.  Then my daughter and I missed her at All Things Go.

I don’t know how different her Union Transfer show was from her XPoNential Fest show, but the Fest show was so good, I don’t mind missing this one.

Love Spells is the mystic lovechild of 20-year-old singer-songwriter Sir Taegen C’aion Harris. Born and raised in Houston, TX, Harris marries ethereal vocals, delicate percussion, and soothing guitar riffs into a dreamy & nostalgic fusion of indie rock, psychedelia, and dream pop.

I listened to a song and it was soft and dream with whispery vocals.  A nice moody accompaniment to Sharon’s songs.

 

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The Linda Lindas / Pinkshift (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 21, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Pinkshift, The Linda Lindas, Union Transfer on April 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 21, 2025] The Linda Lindas / Pinkshift

When I saw this lineup, I assumed that The Linda Lindas were opening for Pinkshift.  But of course it makes a lot more sense that The Linda Lindas would be headlining since they are well known and opened for The Rolling Stones.

I got to see The Linda Lindas when they played The Foundry.  It was fun, they were fun, and I had a great time.  I wasn’t sure if I’d need to see them again so when they played Union Transfer (a huge jump) that was a good test for if I needed to see them again and the answer was not really.

Nothing against them and I wish them much success but I got to see it once and that was good enough for me.

I’ve seen Pinkshift three or four times now and I enjoy their energy and politics.  The last time I saw them I didn’t have quite as much fun for some reason so even they didn’t make me want to go to this show.

I’ll bet it rocked though.

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Ani DiFranco: Unprecedented Shit! / Wryn (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 15, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Ani DiFranco, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Wryn on April 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 15, 2025] Ani DiFranco / Wryn

Back in the day I loved Ani DiFranco.  I loved her independent spirit and that she released her own albums on her own label.  I loved her acoustic albums, I loved her more rocking albums. I saw her a few times and she was incredible live.  And then at some point she changed her sound.  She added horns and started to sound a bit more like Prince.  These aren’t necessarily bad things but I didn’t like the new stuff at all and so I completely lost touch with her.

I didn’t even realize she was still putting out records. Her most recent was Unprecedented Sh!t  and here she was touring it.  I had no plans to go but I am pleased she sold out Union Transfer.

Wryn plays acoustic guitar music that rocks once in a while.  They have a good voice and a good sense of melody.  The album is out on Righteous Babe, and there’s an early Ani feel. I might have to dive in a bit more.

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