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Basic (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 6, 2023) [TORTOISE]

November 8, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 6, 2023] Basic

Basic is a trio comprised of Chris Forsyth and Nick Millevoi on guitars and Mikel Patrick Avery on drums.

When I found out that Chris Forsyth would be opening this show for Tortoise, it pushed me into the “I gotta go” category.  I knew that whatever it sounded like, I would enjoy it.

I sat near Millevoi, who I didn’t know–he’s a Philly guitarist in Desertion Trio who has released a bunch of solo stuff as well.  For the first song he was pretty quiet while Chris Forsyth soloed.   But for the second song he played a lot more loudly.  He seemed to be the low end–paying riffs and chords while Forsyth was the high notes.

The only problem for me was that Millevoi’s guitar was pretty loud and we were standing in front of his amp, so it made Forsyth’s solos a little hard to hear.

Avery had a tiny bass drum that he hit with a mallet.  On it was a kind of woodblock, which he hit with a plastic mallet.  That’s all he had.  Millevoi often started a drum machine as he started playing so technically Avery didn’t have a lot to do, but seeing and hearing him add bass drum was a nice touch.  Avery also played with some electronics on a table near him.

They played five songs.  The first three were about ten minutes each.  The fourth one was a little shorter, and when I assumed they’d be finishing up around 8:45, at 8:40 they started a new song which took them to a full fifty minutes of jazzy guitar improv.

It was pretty great.  Catchy and fun and interesting to watch these three dudes jam with each other.

They didn’t introduces songs so I have no idea what they played.  In fact the only words spoken their whole set were at the end when Chris said, “that was Basic.”

Great instrumental fun.

And Markit Aneight recorded the whole set

 

 

Posted in Basic, Chris Forsyth, Mikel Patrick Avery, Nick Millevoi, Philadelphia, PA, Tortoise, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Fievel is Glauque (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 7, 2023) [CANCELLED]

November 7, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[CANCELLED: November 7, 2023] Fievel is Glauque

I saw Fievel is Glauque open for Stereolab and really enjoyed them.

Fievel is Glaque is the duo of American keyboardist Zach Phillips and Belgian singer Ma Clément.  They played a weird jazzy alt rock.  The songs were mostly just over a minute long.  And Clément sang in a French-inflected English that was really quite lovely.  They were practically like the anti-Stereolab.  Like if Stereolab had a younger, brattier cousin.

The audience during their set was terrible, so it might have ben fun to see them.

I hadn’t gotten a ticket, but when I went to check on the show a few weeks ago, I saw that the whole tour (which was like four shows) was cancelled.

There was no explanation.  And, in fact their socials had been quiet until very recently.

Weird.

 

Posted in Cancelled, Fievel is Glaque, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Jeff Tweedy with Seth Meyers: World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, November 7, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

November 7, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 7, 2023] Jeff Tweedy with Seth Meyers

Usually any show with Jeff Tweedy is one I want to go to. For one reason or another I wasn’t really feeling the need to see Jeff Tweedy read from his book.

Ironically I just finished listening to his first book (on audio with Tweedy reading) and loved it.  So, really there’s no reason I shouldn’t have gone.

Later on, when I found out that he was going to be interviewed by Seth Meyers, my personal choice for Late Night hijinks, I was really bummed that I didn’t get a ticket.  By then it was sold out.

I guess I didn’t realize it would be a kind of fun night of q and a and reading or whatever.

Oh well.

I did get to go to Isiliel that night, so it’s all good.

That night or the night before or earlier that day (who knows) Jeff was on Seth’s TV show.  I wonder if they talked about the same things in Jersey City as they did in NYC.

 

 

 

Posted in Jeff Tweedy, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Philadelphia, PA, Seth Meyers, Seth Meyers, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

Yard Act (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, November 5, 2023)

November 7, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 5, 2023] Yard Act 

I had tickets to see Yard Act last year.  I bought the ticket mostly because I wanted to see the opening band, Gustaf, whom I had recently seen and really liked.

That show was cancelled at the last minute because Yard Act was called back home to do a live TV appearance for the Mercury Prize (surely a lot more lucrative than playing a gig at Underground Arts).

When this new tour was announced I decided to give them a go.  They are very British (being from Leeds).  On record, “singer” James Smith mostly rants and speaks angrily.  His lyrics are placed over some very cool guitars from Sam Shipstone and some really grooving bass from Ryan Needham.  Drummer Jay Russell keeps things together.

For this live show they had a keyboardist/saxophonist who seemed to allow Shipstone to go even more berserk.

I really had no idea that Shipstone would be playing the kind of noisy, feedback drenched sounds he did.  Which is not to say that he was not playing melody because he was, but as the rest of the band took over a song, he was just wild on the far side of the stage.  I was a little annoyed that I couldn’t see him well.  The woman in front of me was dancing and taking up a lot of real estate so I couldn’t lean in around the guy next to me.

Needham’s bass had a great sound and was often the only thing holding the melody down while Shipstone went nuts.  He also provided backing vocals.

But the focus of the show is clearly James Smith.  And the best part of the show is that he doesn’t casually recite his lyrics.  He is a non-stop machine of gestures and quips, singing and screaming lyrics.  Whispering and delaying satisfaction.  He has the entire audience in his hands and he is not afraid to make then do what he wants.  It was amazing to watch.

He was also quite taken with Philadelphia (he apologized that they missed last year’s show…but they had other commitments).  There was even a point where he shouted I love Philly!  And then fell to he knees shouting “And I’m not just saying that!”  He also said if he HAD to move to the States, he’d want to live in Philly.

So I’d listened to the album a couple of times and knew what the band was about, but I didn’t know any of the songs really.

Really, it’s the lyrics though, that keep you coming back, even if they are spoken like in “Dead Horse:” Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, PVA, Underground Arts, Yard Act | Leave a Comment »

PVA (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, November 5, 2023) [YARD ACT]

November 6, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 5, 2023] PVA

I had not hear of PVA before this set.  I listened to one song before the show and liked it.  Then I read this blurb

South London trio PVA’s stunning debut BLUSH consolidates the beating pulse of electronic music with the raw energy of a life-affirming gig and reveals more than they’ve ever shared before. Ella Harris & Josh Baxter (who share vocals, synths, guitars & production) and drummer Louis Satchell, create 11 blistering tracks from a formula of acid, disco, synths, the dancefloor & queer-coded post-punk.

PVA was sitting on the stage when I walked in.  They were still doing sound check and looked pretty bored.  I think they got their set started a little late because of this.  I say this especially because thy played two fewer songs at our show than the previous night’s show and the audience was really responsive to them.

The woman in front of me, who I picked to stand behind because she was fairly short, turned out to be a dancer.  Which is fine.  Except that she took up about four people’s space when she danced.  She moved a lot, so I couldn’t get anywhere close to where I thought I’d be standing.  She also did that very irritating thing that young women do of stacking one hand up in the air randomly.  So, she was annoying but not terrible. Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, PVA, Underground Arts, Yard Act | Leave a Comment »

Spiritualized (White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, November 6, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

November 6, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 6, 2023] Spiritualized [moved from September 23, 2022]

I had forgotten that Spiritualized was supposed to play our area last year, but they cancelled the show last minute for a medical emergency.

I wasn’t planning on going to this show (White Eagle Hall has really fallen off my radar lately).  But I feel like it must not have been very well attended as a week before the show, White Eagle Hall was giving $10 off per ticket.

I decided to go see Tortoise instead.  Interesting that both bands are from the same era.

But I really enjoyed Tortoise, so no regrets.

 

 

 

Posted in Jersey City, NJ, Spiritualized, White Eagle Hall | Leave a Comment »

The Head and The Heart (State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ, November 4, 2023)

November 5, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 4, 2023] The Head and The Heart

My wife and I saw The Head and the Heart in 2019 and it was terrible (not the band, the crowd)

I wrote:

But holy crap, the people around me sucked so bad that they ruined the whole night.  I am writing this ten days after the show and I hate to say that I am still annoyed by them all.  …

So I had quite possibly the worst concert experience of my life at this show.  And I want to reiterate it had nothing to do with the band.  There may have been a song or two in the middle that I wasn’t too excited about, but overall, they sounded great, played some really fun songs and seemed to be really enjoying themselves.  I wouldn’t mind seeing them again to make up for this show, but I probably won’t.

So last time they came around, I decided not to see them.  But I figured they were coming to the State Theatre, how bad could the audience be?

And indeed, they weren’t too bad.  They talked a lot during Drew Holcomb, but were largely good during THATH.  The strange thing to me was how many kids there were there.  Like dozens of them.  Which is fine, it was just surprising as they’re not a notably kiddie band.  Although when I asked some parents about this, the dad said they were not offensive, which is very true. Continue Reading »

Posted in Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, New Brunswick, NJ, State Theatre, The Head and the Heart | Leave a Comment »

The Last Dinner Party / Mothermary (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 4, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

November 4, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 4, 2023] The Last Dinner Party / Mothermary

I heard about The Last Dinner Party a few weeks ago.  Right around when I found out they were doing a very short US Tour and Philly was one of the places.

I was intrigued by their gimmick, but also by their music.  And I snagged a ticket even though I knew we had tickets to see The Head and the Heart. I figured this would sell out and I’d rather not be able to go because I had something else to do than not be able to go because it was sold out.

So what is this band about?  Well, they dress as you see here, and they play a kind of “art-rock bombast” with a “distinctive baroque-pop sound and look.”  Lead singer Abigail Morris sings in a very aristocratic way with very long vowels.

And they dress up.  Often in corsetry and baroque outfits.

Because, yes, they are all university students.  And there are few things more fun than British University students starting a band. Continue Reading »

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Mothermary, Philadelphia, PA, The Last Dinner Party | Leave a Comment »

Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors (State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ, November 4, 2023) [THE HEAD AND THE HEART]

November 4, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 4, 2023] Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

I had purchased these tickets a pretty long time ago–a chance to see The Head and the Heart again after the disastrous last time we saw them.

Then The Last Dinner Party announced that they were playing a couple of shows i the U.S. and I grabbed a ticket trying to decide if we could blow off The Head and the Heart.  But I thought it would be more fun to see a show with my wife, so we went.

Then Drew Holcomb came on and I was sure I’d made the wrong choice.

Holcomb is a Tennessee country singer.  Ouch.

His voice wasn’t the worst in terms of twanginess.  But his songs were so generic and bland it was sad.  His lyrics were also really meh.

In the first song he lists a bunch of things that “I am” an endless list which included Continue Reading »

Posted in Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, New Brunswick, NJ, State Theatre, The Head and the Heart | Leave a Comment »

Japanese Breakfast (Fillmore Philly, Philadelphia, PA, October 31, 2023)

October 31, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 31, 2023] Japanese Breakfast

This was my third time seeing Japanese Breakfast. But more importantly, it was my first time going to a show on Halloween (that’s not true, I saw Skinny Puppy on Halloween in 1988), but this is my first time since I had kids.

I wasn’t sure we could pull it off–my daughter wanted to go trick or treating after all.  And I was willing to not go to this show.  If my daughter wanted us home, I would have happily stayed home.  Although this did promise to be a super fun show.  Costumes, a cool poster and the notification that this would be the last J Brekkie show for at least a year.

Zauner had shared her plans for her second book, mentioning the year-long hiatus she plans to take in Korea.  “I’m moving to Korea December 29th to live for a year and work on my second book where I am going to study the language and document that process,” she told Hsu. “And I think it was such a natural response to writing a book that was so rooted in the past and so much of what was hard about it was like it was so obviously emotional, but also it was hard to remember all of that.”

Our daughter gave us permission to go out and we arrived at the show in time to see the opening act. I could (should?) have waited on line for a poster (the above picture with a foil outline), but I decided against it.

Originally Hop Along was supposed to open but that changed at pretty close to the last minute.  (Well, they had enough time to make posters with the new band, Crooks and Nannies) on it.  I’m not a huge fan of Hop Along, but I do like the and was a little bummed at the loss.  But Crooks and Nannies proved to be weirdly delightful.

After Crooks and Nannies finished (at 8:30) it was a short wait and then a woman in a clown outfit came on.  It was comedian Sarah Sherman who Michelle Zauner said “insisted she come out on stage.” She did her routine which was funny and irritating.  And when she was done, Japanese Breakfast’s crew started setting up for their show.  I was sure that the comedian was  a way to distract us while the crew set up.  But instead, it was just a delaying technique.  J.B. didn’t go on until 9:45.  Good grief.

And indeed, it was Sherman who returned, this time dressed as Gollum, ready to introduce the band.  And when she did, it was revealed that the whole band was dressed like Lord of the Rings characters.  And there were clips from the movie (and cartoons and more) projected behind them for the whole show. Continue Reading »

Posted in Crooks and Nannies, Hop Along, Japanese Breakfast, Little Big League, Philadelphia, PA, Sable, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

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