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Poppy (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 3, 2025)

April 4, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 3, 2025] Poppy

A few years ago Poppy was supposed to open for Deftones.  The show was postponed and on the new dates, Poppy was no longer available.  I wound up not going to the show anyhow.  She has played Philly once before as a headliner in 2022, but I had plans that night.  So I decided, why not check her out this time around, now that she has fully embraced her heavy metal persona.

I didn’t know how crowded it would be (somewhat), nor how enthusiastic the crowd would be (very).  I casually know Poppy’s music and assumed she’d put on a good show  But people there knew every song.

With five minutes to go before showtime, a countdown clock appeared on the curtain (this was a great idea I thought).  And when it reached zero, a voice read out a whole bunch of thingsas the words were projected onto the screen  I don’t know if this is part of a song or what.  But when it was done, the band emerged.

Her stage was set up with soft fabrics, including a keyhole entryway with soft curtains that she went through a number of times.  Her band was on the left on a large platform.  She was on the right on a large platform.  The view would have been spectacular except the guy who was earlier next to me was now in front of me and he swayed and pogoed in my face for about half the show.  Sigh.

So Poppy has a great stage presence.  She was dressed in what I can only imagine was a fairy wedding dress without the train, which was replaced by short shorts.  Poppy is, of course, an internet creation, so she is well versed in her image.  She also know how to play against type, being cute and bashful in between songs while screaming her head off during them. Continue Reading »

Posted in House of Protection, Philadelphia, PA, Poppy, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Mars Volta (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, April 4, 2025) [DEFTONES]

April 4, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 4, 2025] Mars Volta

I liked Mars Volta when they came out, lost track of them over the years and then assumed they’d broken up for good.  But in 2022 I scored tickets to see them at The Met in Philly.  The show was great and I was really amazed at how good Omar Rodríguez-López’s guitar was and I was even more impressed by Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s voice which can still hit the incredible high notes.

So I was pretty excited that they were opening for Deftones on this arena tour.

But when they came out on stage I realized the flaw.

Mars Volta plays intricate, complicated songs with many parts and wild shifts.  Which totally got lost in this giant arena.  Plus, they were playing their brand new (not yet released) album in its entirety.

It’s fun to hear new songs for the first time live.  But it is tough to hear an entire new album for the first time in a giant arena with thousands of people around you who are only waiting for the headliner. Continue Reading »

Posted in Deftones, fleshwater, Philadelphia, PA, The Mars Volta, Wells Fargo Center | Leave a Comment »

House of Protection (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 3, 2025) [POPPY]

April 3, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 3, 2025] House of Protection

A few years ago Poppy was supposed to open for Deftones.  The show was postponed and on the new dates, Poppy was no longer available.  I wound up not going to the show anyhow.  She has played Philly once before as a headliner in 2022, but I had plans that night.  So I decided, why not check her out this time around, now that she has fully embraced her heavy metal persona.

I didn’t know who would be opening and when she announced it would be House of Protection, I assumed they would be a metal band that was super heavy.

I wasn’t expecting a duo.  Aric Improta ran out and sat at the drumset which was sideways and sitting at the front of the stage.  Seconds later Stephen Harrison also ran out.  He sang and played guitar.  But mostly he incited the crowd.

Improta sang the first song while drumming in a very elaborate (and yes, I’ll say it, a very California) style with lots of arms flailing around.  He was exceptionally theatrical, standing on his drum stool and waving a cymbal around, and really trying to get the crowd into it.

Harrison was equally as theatrical.  He literally ran all over the stage (his guitar was remote, so no cables held him in place).  He spun around, he punched the air, he swung his guitar around his neck.  He was exhausting to watch.

He also commanded the crowd in a way that an opening band very rarely does.  But it turns out that both guys were in Fever 333 (who I don’t know, but who sound pretty cool) and are veterans of the stage. Continue Reading »

Posted in Fever 333, House of Protection, Philadelphia, PA, Poppy, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Nanocluster : Immersion | Suss (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 1, 2025)

April 1, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 1, 2025] Nanocluster : Immersion | Suss

I stumbled upon Suss one night when I was looking for music to relax to.  I got a kick out of the name–my kids had been using it as slang quite a lot at the time–and really enjoyed their music.  The seem to be described as “ambient country” which would have turned me off.  I’d rather think of them as a soundtrack to the open spaces in the midwest and west (even though all three members are from New York City.

The trio is Jonathan Gregg: Pedal Steel, dobro ; Bob Holmes: Mandolin, baritone guitar, acoustic guitar, harmonica, violin, Keyboards ; Pat Irwin: Electric guitars, National guitar, eBow, harmonium, keyboards, melodica, loops.

Then one night I was listening to Echoes on NPR and they had an interview with Suss.  Which seemed coincidental.  And they mentioned this album that they had made with Immersion.   Immersion is a project from Colin Newman of Wire.  He and Malka Spigel (his wife) who played in Minimal Compact started this electronic project some 30 years ago.  Then in 2021 they started doing Nanocluster projects where they collaborated with others.  Volume 3 featured Suss.  So this was a tour of the album (which is short) as well as sets from each band.

I almost never sit in the balcony at Johnny Brenda’s.  I like to be up by the stage.  But this show, which promised to be very chill, seemed like a great opportunity to go upstairs and grab a stool!

Suss came out first.  They were clustered close together because there was so much gear on the stage.   They had two screens behind them.  Each one projected the same thing (which was weird when it was a  camera panning over a landscape since it seemed like it should continue from one screen to the next rather than being the same thing, but that’s fine.

The three guys bent over their instruments and made beautiful instrumental music.  Keys, slide guitar and other instruments created a dreamy feeling of being in open spaces.  After about 15 minutes or so they were joined by a bass player (whose name I didn’t catch),  he didn’t add fancy bass lines, just a nice low end.  They ended as a trio with one of the guys whistling a sad mournful melody.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Immersion, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA, Suss | Leave a Comment »

Ninja Sex Party (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, March 28 2025)

March 29, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 28, 2025] Ninja Sex Party

I found out about Ninja Sex Party when I saw TWRP and Trey Magnifique opened for them.  Trey was hilarious and I had to look him up.  I discovered that Trey is indeed Brian Wecht, who is Ninja Brian of NSP.  Brian is also a published theoretical physicist–his career change is fascinating and quite successful.  Brian played all the music until TWRP joined them in 2015.  But the focus of the band is singer Danny Sexbang [Dan Avidan], he of the glorious long hair and flowing cape.

Lyrically most of their songs are about sex and are NSFW, but some are just funny.  I had heard they put on a great show and that must have been true since the place was packed.

I enjoyed every minute of their set.  Dan is hilarious and Ninja Brian is an amazing sidekick.  They opened with Get Ready to Get Ready started the show and it is hilarious.  Every time I listen, it makes me laugh

So get ready To be ready To get ready
‘Cause we’re almost about to rock
We’re gonna melt your face
With time and space, at an appropriate pace.

For those who about to about to rock. (Rock!)
Please hang tight while I find my socks. (Socks!)
Gonna crack your skull like an aftershock
Just gotta call my broker, sell some stocks.

Cool Patrol is a pretty amusing song about the Cool Patrol teaching kids how to deal with bullies (with a very amusing dance).  Welcome to My Parents’ House is a hilarious seduction attempt, while trying not to wake up Danny’s parents. Continue Reading »

Posted in Montclair, NJ, Ninja Sex Party, TWRP, Wellmont Theater | Leave a Comment »

TWRP (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, March 28 2025) [NINJA SEX PARTY]

March 28, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 28, 2025] TWRP

I’ve seen TWRP twice and pretty much promised myself I’d see them whenever they came around.  I’m only bummed I hadn’t heard of them earlier.  They were the reason I went to this show, although I did know that Ninja Sex Party were friends with the band.  So much so that TWRP was the backing band (in costume!) for Ninja Sex Party.

I was really oping to get close for this show, but I underestimated how popular Ninja Sex Party was.  It was packed!  Luckily I found a slightly elevated space and settled in for some fun.

TWRP shows are an adventure, with a story line running through the show.  There’s lots of asides and banter.  However, when they are the opening band, they are streamlined (well, more streamlined) with some banter but no overarching storyline.

But otherwise everything was the same.  Dr Sung came out on his hoverboard.  Commander Meouch was on bass.  Lord Phobos kicked butt on guitar and Havve Hogan was on drums.  Although with the huge lighting setup of NSP, it was hard to see him back there. Continue Reading »

Posted in Montclair, NJ, Ninja Sex Party, TWRP, Wellmont Theater | Leave a Comment »

José Gonzáles (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, March 25, 2025)

March 25, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 25, 2025] José Gonzáles

I was pretty obsessed with José Gonzáles’ debut album Veneer.  The melodies were gorgeous and his singing voice was so calming.  His song Heartbeats was so darn good.  It was surprising to discover it was a cover (by The Knife, a Swedish band that no one I know had heard of).

I hadn’t really thought about seeing him, although the last time he came arounds my friends saw him and said he was amazing.  (He has played Philly in 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016 and 2021).  So when he announced this tour (which wasn’t even going to Philly), but was going to Montclair!   And was seated!!  I grabbed tickets for my wife and I.

I was also delighted that there was no opening act.  Normally I love an opening act, but this was going to be a mellow show and I didn’t fancy an extra 30 minutes of someone else being mellow too.

The stage was set up with a platform (which was great–it meant we could see him completely) and this cool-looking object on stage.  It was metallic and silver and looked like  cash register or some other kind of old-fashioned odd musical instrument.  And then a roadie came in and sat on it.  Turns out that with the lighting and perspective, this simple wooden (not metallic) chair looked like a fascinating object (the stranger next to me agreed). Continue Reading »

Posted in José González, Montclair, NJ, Wellmont Theater | Leave a Comment »

Helmet: Betty 30th anniversary / Effusion 35 / Slomosa (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, March 22, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 22, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 22, 2025] Helmet / Effusion 35 / Slomosa

I really liked the first Helmet album.  I bought betty, but I don’t remember much about it.  I probably haven’t listened to them in twenty years, and I think there have been some fifteen people in the band over the years, but I’ll bet they are still heavy as anything.  But I wasn’t that excited about this tour.

In Denver, War on Women opened, but not for us.  We had Slomosa and Effusion 35.

Slomosa is from Bergen, Norway.  They have created their own music genre, Tundra Rock.  It appears to be a meld of stoner rock and power metal.  I’m intrigued by them.  I listened to a couple of songs and found it okay, but a little flat.  They are probably great live though.

Effusion 35 is from Philly.  They seem almost like a heavy country band, although their earlier stuff is even less heavy–an odd pairing with Helmet to be sure.

Posted in Effusion 35, Helmet, Philadelphia, PA, Slomosa, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Basia Bulat / Mick Flannery (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, March 22, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 22, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 22, 2025] Basia Bulat / Mick Flannery

I saw Basia Bulat on a Tiny Desk Concert many years ago. She played the pianoette and sounded amazing.

That Concert is from 2011 and she has changed a lot since then.  I was going to see her in 2020, but the show was cancelled because of COVID. I listened to the new album and found it really poppy and totally not my vibe.  So I’m taking her off of my list of musicians to see.

I saw Mick Flannery back in 2021 when he opened for Kathleen Edwards.   He had a pretty strong Irish accent when he sings, and he had overtones of Van Morrison.  He’s been releasing music since 2007 and is apparently a pretty big deal:

Mick Flannery is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed songwriters and singers. The award-winning, double-platinum selling artist has released six studio albums, three of which reaching No. 1 status.

I enjoyed the set but didn’t feel compelled to seek out any of his music.

Posted in Basia Bulat, Mick Flannery, Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live | Leave a Comment »

Rx Bandits (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, March 13, 2025)

March 14, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 13, 2025] Rx Bandits

So I didn’t know Rx Bandits at all.  When they started this tour last year (and played Philly), I skipped it even though I wanted to see Zeta.

But in the year since, I listened to this album and found that I liked it quite a bit.  And U still wanted to see Zeta, so I grabbed a ticket and investigated Rx Bandits more.

Rx Bandits had a simple set up–two guitars (singer Matt Embree & Steve Choi), a bass (Matthew Fazzi) and drums (Christopher Tsagakis).  And for a couple of songs they even brought out some horns (trombone: Andrew Borstein & saxophone: Dennis Passley).

This was a tour for their album The Resignation, which they played straight through.  I didn’t realize that they were initially a ska band and that they had morphed into something else over the years.

The band is tight and energetic and they rocked the venue (the crowd was nuts–I was on the barrier and was fairly safe).  They brought out the horns for Prophetic (and played the slow denouement that segued into Newsstand Rock. Continue Reading »

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Rx Bandits, Zeta | Leave a Comment »

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