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Julia Pratt (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, May 9, 2023) [HOZIER]

May 9, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 9, 2023] Julia Pratt

I was so excited to get tickets to this Hozier pop up show.  I actually assumed there would not be an opening act.  Although with the show slated to start at  7:30, surely they must have someone first.

And indeed, a few days ago they announced it would be Julia Pratt, a young Philly musician who will also be playing Philly Music Fest this year.

Julia has a powerful voice and seems like the nicest person in the world.  She was really sweet on stage and was genuinely delighted when people made heart signs back to her.

Her songs were simple (she told us which ones had been released or not) but catchy.

However, she did the thing that I hate the most in singers.  She turned one syllable words into seventeen syllable words by hitting every note on the entire scale.  It sets me on edge when singers do this and she did it constantly.  To me it sounds like compensating for a weak voice or someone who can’t hit a note.  But her voice was really nice when she sang normally.

But the crowd seemed to really enjoy the acrobatics so she kept doing it.  And she seemed really nice so I hope she gets lots of success.

But for me, it was an unpleasant 30 minutes, but also because there were drunken women next to me who almost got in a fight when one tried to sneak past the other.  Good grief.

 

Posted in Hozier, Julia Pratt, Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live | Leave a Comment »

Yves Tumor (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2023)

May 7, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 5, 2023] Yves Tumor

Yves Tumor had been on my list of artists I wanted to see live.  So when they announced a show at Franklin Music Hall, I grabbed a ticket pretty quickly.  I didn’t think it would sell out.  In fact I thought that Franklin Music Hall would be too big a venue for them.  I mean, had anyone even heard about them?

When I arrived (much earlier than I expected, thank you light traffic), there was hardly anyone in the parking areas that are usually packed.  And the entrance was pretty swift.  But when I got to the floor, it was surprisingly crowded.  Not jam packed or anything, but I couldn’t get anywhere near the stage.

I also realized that this crowd was YOUNG.  I’m usually one of the older people at a show, but this time the gap felt pretty large.  That doesn’t bother me, because usually, the young hyperactive folks rush to the front and I hang out in the middle.  But in this crowd everyone was jumping and bouncing and carrying on.

I’m still not sure how people have heard about Yves Tumor.  My kids hadn’t and they have fingers on various pulses.  I know them from NPR Music, which I think of as a slightly older crowd.  But by the time Yves came on, the crowd was pretty packed in and ready to party.

I had heard that Yves Tumor’s show were must-see.  Their earlier releases were challenging with samples and loops and unexpected diversions.  The songs were spare with Tumor’s voice being one of the things that really held them together.

But on the newest record (and I’m guessing the previous EP), there’s a more glam rock feel to the album. Tumor’s vocals remain the same (which is good) but there are melodies and riffs galore.

Yves Tumor is a star.  They own the stage with everyone following their every movement and step.  Their microphone has some kind of cool attachment  to it (I couldn’t see it from where I was, but it was like a wolf’s head facing them.  They prowled the stage in leggings and short shorts.  They wore a leather jacket and a shirt that simply said FUCK.  Their hair was two-toned.  They were beautiful.

The stage had industrial metal crates with lights permeating from the center.  The lights and feel changed according to the mood and it was quite effective.  The band was few in number but huge in sound.  Gina Ramirez on bass and harmonious backup vocals; Yves Rothman on guitar, keyboard, and samples; Rhys Hastings on drums and lead guitarist Chris Greatti.

Greatti was a star himself, shredding like crazy and being very present as Yves walked around the stage–filling in front and center if Yves walked away and being there when Yves needed to hug someone. Continue Reading »

Posted in Franklin Music Hall, Frost Children, Philadelphia, PA, Pretty Sick, Yves Tumor | Leave a Comment »

David Wax Museum / The Squawk Brothers (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, May 7, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 7, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 7, 2023] David Wax Museum / The Squawk Brothers

My family saw David Wax Museum in a wonderfully intimate setting in 2018.  Since then we’ve become supporters of the band, as they built a new studio on their property.  And we’ve pledged to help them get records released.

David Wax Museum plays American Folk, Indie Rock and Roots Rock with Mexican inspiration based in Charlottesville.

David Wax and his wife Suz Slezak are about the nicest people I’ve ever met.

But this show (I think their first in Philly since 2016) fell at an awkward time.  So we didn’t feel compelled to try to get to it.

But we continue to give them moral support.

The Squawk Brothers describe themselves as “The preeminent Country band in all of the Northeast… of Philadelphia” which makes me like them.  They do indeed sound like a country band–but without all that Southern twang that I hate.  I can’t really find much more about them online.

Posted in David Wax Museum, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, The Squawk Brothers | Leave a Comment »

Pretty Sick (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2023) [YVES TUMOR]

May 6, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 5, 2023] Pretty Sick

Yves Tumor had been on my list of artists I wanted to see live.  So when they announced a show at Franklin Music Hall, I grabbed a ticket pretty quickly.  I didn’t think it would sell out.  In fact I thought that Franklin Music Hall would be too big a venue for them.  I mean, had anyone even heard about them?

Of the two opening bands, I was looking forward more to seeing Pretty Sick, whose recordings are pretty great.  Their blending of noise with hooks is really terrific.  They allude to all of the best moments of 90s alt-rock.  Grungy guitars, squalling feedback sounds and lead singer Sabrina Fuentes recalls Courtney Love’s best vocal moments.

On their latest album she seems to leave it all on the floor with her intensity.

They came out and I expected a wall of noise and feedback.  But wow, was their sound tepid.  I have to blame the venue, because I think it got better as the set went on, but when they started out, the guitars sounded like they were coming from a teeny amplifier.  Fuentes’ voice sounded out of tune with what I was hearing and the whole thing felt so small after Frost Children.

The rest of the crowd seemed to really enjoy them, so maybe I was just wrong about it.  But I was so disappointed by the set–it felt really puny for some reason.

I’ve since listened to their records and they sounded even better, so maybe I need to see them again in a diffeent setting.

At the end of the show, the guitar player crumbled up a set list and threw it into the crowd right to the guy in front of me (his girlfriend was a big fan, so that was good for them).

There’s no setlist available for the show, but recent shows indicate these songs were played

  1. Angel Landing ∇ 
  2. Black Tar Ü
  3. Devil in Me ⇓
  4. Allen Street ⇓
  5. Superstar ⇓
  6. Human Condition Ü
  7. PCP Ü
  8. Dumb ⇓

Ü Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile (2022)
⇓ Come Down (2021)
∇  Deep Divine (2020)

Posted in Franklin Music Hall, Frost Children, Philadelphia, PA, Pretty Sick, Yves Tumor | Leave a Comment »

David Cross / Sean Patton (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2023)

May 5, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 5, 2023] David Cross / Sean Patton

My wife and I saw David Cross back in 2016.  He was hilarious.

He’s consistently one of my favorite comedians.  I have enjoyed David Cross since the old days of Mr. Show, and the as Tobias on Arrested Development and even in Alvin and the, well, actually I’m just happy for him that he got a lot of money for it.

It was really puzzling that this show was at Union Transfer (as opposed to a seated venue).  I assume that they put in seats-who wants to stand up for a stand up?

This show was scheduled for the same night as Yves Tumor who I had very much wanted to see.  So David didn’t get my ticket purchase.  But the show sold out so he doesn’t care.

Sean Patton opened.  He’s a comedian I’d never heard of.  He had a special on Peacock, with a theme about people being broken.  People are like glow sticks–you gotta break them before they can shine.  He sounds dark but optimistic.

Posted in Arrested Development, Comedy Album, David Cross, Funny (ha ha), Mr Show, Philadelphia, PA, Sean Patton, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

The Walkmen (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2023)

May 5, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 4, 2023] The Walkmen

When I got a ticket to this show, I was swept up in the excitement of this reunion tour.  I didn’t really know The Walkmen, but I knew of them.  I mostly knew Hamilton Leithauser from his solo work.  But I was also very familiar with their hit “The Rat.”

They announced two shows at Union Transfer and then added a third one because the first two sold so quickly. So I was caught up and bought a ticket.  Although I’m quite certain this last night did not sell out.

As the day approached, I wasn’t even entirely sure I was going to go to this show because I was going out tomorrow night as well.

But I decided to head out and not feel like I missed anything.

I got there much earlier than I intended so I was right up front, which was cool.

After a time, the band came out and wow were they different from the wild chaos of Liily.

So the band was the classic lineup: drummer Matt Barrick, guitarist Paul Maroon, and multi-instrumentalist Walter Martin [all former members of Jonathan Fire*Eater–I had no idea] and bassist/organist Peter Matthew Bauer and singer Hamilton Leithauser [who playd in The Recoys]. Continue Reading »

Posted in Liily, Philadelphia, PA, The Walkmen, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Frost Children (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, May 5, 2023) [YVES TUMOR]

May 5, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 5, 2023] Frost Children

Yves Tumor had been on my list of artists I wanted to see live.  So when they announced a show at Franklin Music Hall, I grabbed a ticket pretty quickly.  I didn’t think it would sell out.  In fact I thought that Franklin Music Hall would be too big a venue for them.  I mean, had anyone even heard about them?

I hadn’t heard of either opening band.  But when I looked up Frost Children, I was intrigued.  Frost Children are siblings Angel and Lulu Prost from St. Louis, now living in New York City.

I listened to their album on Spotify and liked it enough.  Hyperpop with sound effects and glitches and interesting pitch-shifted vocals.  There’s was lots of cursing and aggression, but it was all really catchy.  Going back through their catalog, it’s clear that in the last three years since their debut, they have gotten much more inventive with their creations.  There’s not a lot of depth to the lyrics, but who cares when a chorus like

Like oh my god
what the fuck
who are you?

is so damned catchy and singalong able. Continue Reading »

Posted in Franklin Music Hall, Frost Children, Philadelphia, PA, Pretty Sick, Yves Tumor | Leave a Comment »

Ministry / Gary Numan / Front Line Assembly (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 4, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 4, 2023] Ministry / Gary Numan / Front Line Assembly [rescheduled from July 18, 2020, April 17, 2021; moved to March 9, 2022]

Ministry had several tour dates scheduled and cancelled in the last few years.  Most were pandemic cancellations, but some seemed out of the blue.

I had once really like Ministry, but I haven’t listened to much by them in ages.  So I think I’m pretty much done with the idea of seeing them live.  Seeing Skinny Puppy took care of my industrial needs and I suspect the Ministry crowd is more aggressive.

Gary Numan is a pioneer in the genre. And boy do I dislike him.  Actually, that’s not fair.  I hate the song “Cars” so freakin much that I’ll never get past it to explore him further. So, even if I had wantedto go to this show, Gary Numan might have kept me away.

Front Line Assembly was supposed to open for Ministry on the original 2020 tours.  They were eventually replaced.  FLA was one of the few bands on the industrial label Waxtrax that I never really got into.  I liked many bands on the label, but really never had much exposure to FLA (in the days before you could listen to things online).

 

Posted in Franklin Music Hall, Front Line Assembly, Ministry, Philadelphia, PA, Wax Trax! | Leave a Comment »

Liily (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2023) [THE WALKMEN]

May 4, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 4, 2023] Liily

I wasn’t even entirely sure I was going to go to this show.  I only really knew one song by The Walkmen.  But I decided that I wouldn’t stay home.  I’d go check out this reunion show.

The opening band was Liily who I had not heard of before.  They came out–a four-piece from L.A.–and Charlie Anastasis the bassist (who had an awesome mop of curly hair), played a chord that rung out and feedbacked for about 90 seconds.  All the while the singer Dylan Nash stood at the front of the stage kind of confrontationally.

Then the band kicked into “Wash.”  It had a stomping bass and squealing guitars from Sam De La Torre.  But it was drummer Maxx Morando who soon claimed all my attention. Continue Reading »

Posted in Liily, Limp Bizkit, Magic Sword, Philadelphia, PA, The Intelligence, The Walkmen, TWRP, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

The Walkmen / Lilly (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 2 & 3, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 2, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 2-3 2023] The Walkmen / Lilly

When the Walkmen announced this ten year reunion tour I must have missed it entirely, because by the time I heard of it, these first two shows were sold out and they had announced a third.

When I got a ticket to this show, I was swept up in the excitement of this reunion tour.  I didn’t really know The Walkmen, but I knew of them.  I mostly knew Hamilton Leithauser from his solo work.  But I was also very familiar with their hit “The Rat.”

The third night proved to be plenty of fun and I really enjoyed the opening band Lilly.

From what I can see, it looks like The Walkmen played an extra song on the second night.  But I think we got the best Lilly set.

Posted in Liily, Philadelphia, PA, The Walkmen, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

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