I have wanted to see Iron & Wine for a pretty long time. But they’ve always been on my “casually” want to see them list. I knew I liked them (him) whenever I heard them, and I’ve known that Sam Beam has an amazing voice, but I didn’t really know many songs by them.
So it seemed like going to a full on show might be too much?
When this Free at Noon was announced, it seemed like the perfect way to see him. A 30 minute show in the middle of the day–not a major time commitment, and I could see if I really like him.
And I did!
It was just Sam and his guitar. He played a few songs from his new album and then a few older songs too. He chatted a lot, praised us for being so quiet and talked about how much he liked to play Philly.
At one point someone shouted What’s your name, which I thought was pretty odd. Then I saw the person and saw that he had special needs. Sam must have seen that too because he asked What’s Your Name. And then Sam made a joke that people ask if he’s related to Jim Beam. It was delightful how nice and friendly Sam was to everyone. He seems like a genuinely nice guy.
One of his new songs has the line “fuck the man” which he sang (on the radio!–I actually wondered if he forgot he was on the radio). Later on when he played All in Good Time it has the words shit in it, and he stopped himself from singing the word and then said, well, I already said fuck, so he sang shit. (more…)
[ATTENDED: November 13, 2025] WXPN Thank A Member Live Band Karaoke Party
When WXPN announced this event, it sounded like a lot of fun.
A chance to mingle with other members and to see (and maybe sing) karaoke. But the mostexciting part for me was that the live music was being performed by Pat Finnerty and the Full Band. I’ve seen Pat twice and I love his videos. It would be cool just to see him play and maybe hear him do a Little Stinker.
I put in my song choice–The Boys Are Back in Town by Thin Lizzy. And kind of regretted it. It’s in my range but I realized I don’t know the words all that well. But when we arrived we were allowed to put more songs in so that the band had more options to choose from.
My wife suggested I put in Surrender by Cheap Trick and I knew she was on to something.
So the night was quite a lot of fun. We aren’t minglers and my hip was bothering me, so we sat in the (empty) ADA section while people around us danced and drank (free drinks, but as my wife pointed out they didn’t use the top shelf stuff–we found out a few weeks later that World Cafe Live had lost its liquor license and probably shouldn’t have been serving anything!).
The night was emceed by Kristen Kurtis and Robert Drake. I always wonder if Radio DJs are “celebrities” or not. It was fun seeing them in person, but even if you listened to the radio, would you care that I got to see or meet them? We met Robert Drake at a Sloan show a few years ago and he was super nice, but I feel like he’s so present in Philly that everyone has probably met him.
I can’t remember all of the songs that people sang. But I did appreciate that they projected the lyrics to the songs on the wall so we could follow along. It also meant that I learned the words to a few songs that I had NO IDEA about.
A woman sang David Bowie’s Moonage Daydream. I’ve heard that song hundreds of times and realized I never knew any of the words and certainly never guessed they were:
I’m an alligator I’m a mama-papa comin’ for you I’m the space invader I’ll be a rock ‘n’ rollin’ bitch for you Keep your mouth shut you’re squawking like a pink monkey bird And I’m bustin’ up my brains for the words
Someone else did Space Oddity.
The night opened with DJ Jim McGuinn singing and playing guitar (Pat informed everyone else that Jim was the only other person who was going to be playing guitar–nobody get any ideas) on an Elvis Costello song.
Two women did Pink!’s Get the Party Started (and even brought little megaphones to sing into).
And as they introduced all of the singers, they were all listed as in choirs or singers in bands–one was even in a tribute band to the artist she sang. And I wondered if I was called up if I would be okay (having never done karaoke or sung in front of people before). (more…)
I have wanted to see The Mountain Goats for years–pretty much ever since my friend Andrew introduced me to them (with burnt CD copies of albums). I finally got to see them this summer while playing with Guster and that was great. I had no idea that the band had so much fun up there and I really enjoyed their set (as I figured I would).
So when they announced this Free at Noon, I jumped at the ticket. Sure I had just seen them two months ago, but they were great and I wanted more!
I walked in and the usher suggested I sit in the ADA section. I didn’t want to, as I like being closer, but the crowd was big and rather tall, so I grabbed a seat and happened to be right next to the very Andrew who introduced me to them. It makes sense that he would be there (he said the same about me) and it was a fun surprise.
The band came out and started with one of my favorite Mountain Goats songs, The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton. I cannot believe that the song is 25 years old!
I actually wondered how many different songs I’d hear compared to the summer’s set. Well, it was mostly the same, but of the nine songs they played, there were three that they didn’t play this summer.
But, it was also really fun to know the other songs. I had really enjoyed Bones Don’t Rust last time and I really really liked Broken to Begin With–a terrific song from the new album.
I really like seeing John Darnielle pogo during the instrumentals and bounce from one musician to the next smiling at the music they are playing–sometimes seeming maybe surprised by a move or another.
He explained that the new album is about a sinking ship (which he is on). Rocks in My Pockets is about it as is Great Pirates. (more…)
It seems like Goose and Geese both came out last year. But in fact Goose has been around since 2014 and Geese since 2016–so it’s taken both of them about ten years to get serious attention.
It’s also funny that the bands have such similar names since they are so very different. We saw Geese open for Vampire Weekend and they were kind of jammy but were decidedly weird.
Goose on the other hand is a pretty conventional jam band. Four members (guitar (Rick Mitarotonda), bass (Trevor Weeks), keys (Peter Anspach–since 2017), drums (Cotter Ellis-since 2024)
I haven’t been going to very many Free at Noons lately. It is such a hassle especially for a 30 minute show. On the other hand it’s an opportunity to see a band (sometimes a really big band) in a small, intimate setting. Goose, for instance, has sold out Madison Square Garden and is about to play the Mann Center. I wasn’t even sure if I really wanted to see them, and yet this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Especially since my office was closed for air conditioning work. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: May 8, 2025] Joseph / Tune-Yards [FREE AT NOON]
I had a ticket to this Free at Noon and drove into Philly to see it.
I have seen both Joseph and Tune-Yards and enjoyed them both, although I was more interested in seeing Tune-Yards. I’ve never seen a Free at Noon with two bands before and wasn’t really sure how this would work–but this was part of NON-COMM so who knew how things worked at that.
Joseph was a trio, but Alison had recently left (amicably) and so Joseph was now a duo. Tune-Yards was also a duo Merrill Garbus and multi-instrumentalist Nate Brenner. They played all new songs except for one older track.
In total, Tune-Yards played six songs and Joseph played five.
But I didn’t see any of it. Traffic was insane and I didn’t get anywhere near the venue until quarter after and since it was NON-COMM, there was no parking to be had. So, I blew the whole thing off and grabbed some Federal Donuts for lunch instead.
[DID NOT ATTEND: May 2, 2025] Gigi Perez [FREE AT NOON]
My daughter and I saw Gigi Perez when she opened for Girl in Red. She was great and I was interested in seeing her again.
She announced a show at the TLA, but I had a ticket for DEVO who I was not going to pass up. Then they said she’d be doing a Free at Noon, so I grabbed a ticket for it. But the day of, my wife stayed home from work, so I stayed home too. We listened online and I found that she was solo and I didn’t like her as much solo. So I was glad I didn’t go.
Since then, I have seen her open for Hozier and play a set at All Things Go, so I have certainly gotten mu fill of Gigi. And since I like her band stuff better, I don’t mind having missed the Free at Noon.
I’ve really enjoyed his Trio shows, too. I think I’d like to see him with a full band to really rock out, but even in this trio format, they can still rock.
The trio includes Craig Northey (of Odds) on guitar and Kevin Fox on cello. I saw this same trio in the same place six years ago and it was great to see them again.
Like last time, they played a mix of BNL songs and Steven solo songs. It was fun that they opened with It’s All Been Done (Steven acoustic, Craig electric) and the crowd Whoo hoo hoo’d along with them. They followed it with Steven’s A New Shore (Land ho!) and the on to another BNL song, Jane.
The conundrum is that I love the BNL songs as much as anyone, but I feel a little bad that he doesn’t play more of his great solo stuff. And yet, when he satted Alternative Girlfriend–one of my all time faves, it was a glorious moment. The fact that it segued into Odds’ Someone Who’s Cool was a wonderful touch. (more…)
Menno Versteeg is a Canadian musician who fronted the awesomely-named (but I’ve never heard or heard of) Hollerado. I wasn’t aware of him until this show, and I’m not sure how “big” he is in Canada.
Menno was very funny–a lighthearted storyteller (even if the stories were kind of dark). Sadly, we walked in during the first song (WCL can be a real pain to get to), but we didn’t miss much.
It was him and his acoustic guitar playing songs from Why We Run, his debut solo album–although he has released music under the name Mav Carlo as well.
His songs were about a rough life as a youth in Canada
We would to drink enough whatever there was
To kill a clydesdale every night
But we’d do enough drugs and punching,
To bring that same horse back to life [from Videostore]
There was a country vibe, but like most of Canadian country music, there wasn’t that awful twang in the vocals.
I particularly enjoyed the two dog songs. The 4o some second I Got a Dog which is (entirely):
My mother is dyslexic
Sometimes her letters switch around
She failed grade 10 like a good artist does
And passed those ğood ġenes down
She faints plowers, like she saints pun-sets
Haints her Peart when She bolds a hush
And she assured me I would rind my dog
When I wasn’t in a fush
And then Bad Dog was a funny song story about a real bad dog–but Menno loves him still. (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: April 11, 2025] Gruff Rhys / Chris Forsyth
This was a dream show for me. I love Gruff Rhys (and can’t believe it was all the way back in 2018 that I saw him) and then to find out the Chris Forsyth was opening? Oh dream night. And it was in the upstairs part of World Cafe Live (because hardly anyone knows Gruff). It would have been intimate and amazing.
But my wife was still recovering from her surgery and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her.
Markitaneight recorded the hold night so I got to watch what I missed. Chris played electric guitar. He played about 25 minutes. No set list was recorded, but he played some instrumentals and some songs with words.
I didn’t realize that Gruff was going to start the night with a 15 minute moving screening! Which he then followed with music on his acoustic guitar. The rest of the show was him talking about his American Interior project with slides and a soft spoken narrative. The video has a hard time recording his spoken voice which is a bummer (but he’s fine singing).
He played songs from the album (but not in order). And Chris Forsyth played a tasteful solo over Lost Tribes. It looks like it was a weird, fun night.
CHRIS FORSYTH set:
Tomorrow Might as Well Be Today
You’re Gonna Need Somebody
Boston Street Lullaby [slow, serious instrumental (he had to sit for it)]
long instrumental [looped himself and played a solo over it]
GRUFF RHYS set:
American Interior ∀
Iolo ∀
Bad Friend ≅
Shark Ridden Waters ∞
Pang! ∏
Walk Into The Wilderness ∀ Lost Tribes ∀
If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme) ∞
Liberty (Is Where We’ll Be) ∀ The Last Conquistador ∀
The Swamp ∀
* set two*
Allweddellau Allweddol ∀
100 Unread Messages ∀ Y Gwenan Gorn ∀
∞ Hotel Shampoo
∏ Pang!
≅ Sadness Sets Me Free
∀ American Interior
Markitaneight recorded the night. Here’s Chris Forsyth:
Here’s Set 1 of Gruff’s night
And what he’s calling Set 2
Super Furry Animals was one of my favorite bands of the 1990s. Their music was great and I loved that they were Welsh. It’s unfathomable that some of their singles weren’t huge here. Even their all-Welsh album Mwng is catchy as anything.
Since the mid 2000s they’ve been in a different musical space (and on hiatus). Lead singer Gruff (pronounced Griff) Rhys has released several solo albums and just recently released the album Babelsberg.
I hadn’t heard any of Babelsberg, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to see Gruff live for the first time. (I saw SFA back in the 90s, but this would be very different).
Gruff was supposed to come to Johnny Brenda’s a few years ago (he explained), but Visa issues caused him to miss the Philly date. That show was supposed to be solo, but for this show he had a four piece band: bassist Stephen “Sweet Baboo” Black and Osian Gwynedd on piano (who I could never see because he was behind Gruff, but whom I talked to after the show). And he had Kliph Scurlock from the Flaming Lips on drums (!). Kliph was selling the merch (while the other guys were talking Welsh backstage) and I chatted with him for a bit. He has moved to Wales! (more…)
[DID NOT ATTEND: February 7, 2025] Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory
I saw Sharon Van Etten live back in 2019. I really enjoyed her set more than I thought I would. And yet since then I haven’t really been that interested in her music as much.
She’s had a few songs (like this year’s Afterlife) that I’ve really liked, but when she announced a show at Union Transfer in April I was pretty meh about it.
Then it was announced that she and her new band were doing a Free at Noon, and I though that that was the best way to check her out. And I’m so glad I went because her band (and the whole set) was fantastic.
I’m not sure how long these musicians have been playing with her, but word is that she solidified them as a band with this album and they record the album as a band rather than as a SVE project with backing musicians. The Attachment Theory is Teeny Lieberson on keys, Shanna Polley on guitar, Jorge Balbi on drums, and bassist Devra Hoff. When I saw her last time I didn’t know any of her band except for singer Heather Woods Broderick whose voice is amazing. But Teeny Lieberson’s backing vocals suited Sharon’s perfectly, creating that hauntingly beautiful sound that Sharon does so well.
I was right in front of Devra, whose bass work was great (there was a some cool stuff on a fretless as well as a fretted bass). The bass was a little loud in the mix for me since I was right in front of the speaker, but the opening bassline of Trouble was fantastic and I loved watching Devra play it. (more…)
I have wanted to see Iron & Wine for a pretty long time. But they’ve always been on my “casually” want to see them list. I knew I liked them (him) whenever I heard them, and I’ve known that Sam Beam has an amazing voice, but I didn’t really know many songs by them.
I Just Read About That... 