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half•alive / Tessa Violet (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, April 29, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 29, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 29, 2023] half•alive / Tessa Violet

I first heard of half•alive on a Tiny Desk Concert.

I’ve been interested in seeing the band because their stage show is legendary–they have two guys who basically dance–they choreograph dances for the songs.

My friend Lindsy is a huge fan and was very excited to go to the show.  I grabbed a ticket pretty quickly and then realized that it was the same night as Placebo.  I assumed Placebo would cancel, but when they didn’t I was able to sell my ticket.

Lindsy and her family got there pretty early and actually met some of the band.  She also handed out pieces of paper for the fans to light up color blocks during one of the songs.  And it looked pretty great.

I know they had a great time.  I’m still not entirely sure if I know (or would even like) their music, but I loved her dedication.

Turns out half alive is pretty dancey in an alt kind of way and I’m sure I’d like them. Especially live.

Tessa Violet Williams, previously known as Meekakitty, is a singer-songwriter, video blogger, actress, music video director, and former model.  She writes simple bedroom pop songs that are catchy and sound quite sweet.  Her narrators are awkward and on the verge of love.

For ease of searching I include half alive.

Posted in half•alive, Meekakitty, Philadelphia, PA, Tessa Violet, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

Altin Gün / Sessa (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 29, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 29, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 29, 2022] Altin Gün / Sessa

Altin Gün sounds like the kind of band I would love–a Turkish psychedelic band from The Netherlands.  (Their name means Golden Day).

Their live shows are supposed to be wonderful as well:

Altin Gün’s relentless grooves are truly immersive, anti-elitist, inclusive. It’s truly music for the dancefloor – all dancefloors. Altin Gün are the perfect 21st Century psych band, hinting at a deep record collection while still belonging to a living tradition and having a unique and distinctive voice
[from Forestpunk].

But when I listened to them I just couldn’t quite get into it.  Possibly because I knew I was so overbooked that night I didn’t want to have yet another band I was dying to see.

Sessa is a Portuguese musician whose record label says “a songwriter …. blessed with a flair for the intimate, the enigmatic, and the licentious. Sessa’s songs are sung in Portuguese, with visceral, sensual lyrics, and melodic flourishes.”  He seems more mellow than Altin Gün but I could see people on the dancefloor for both.

Posted in Altin Gün, Philadelphia, PA, Sessa, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Kevin Devine / Kayleigh Goldsworthy / Kississippi (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, April 29, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 29, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 29, 2022] Kevin Devine / Kayleigh Goldsworthy / Kississippi

The embarrassment of riches continued on April 29th as there were four more shows I was interested in going to.  And what’s so fun about Philadelphia is that among the eight shows in two nights none were in the same venue.

I’ve been a fan of Kevin Devine for a few years.  I feel like I’ve seen him a bunch because he so often plays around here.  And yet I have only seen him three time (twice solo and once with his Goddamn Band).  I would love to see him again and would absolutely gone to see this show except that it was at the First Unitarian Church, avenue I won’t go to again.  So, this one was really a no-go.

I saw Kayleigh Goldsworthy open for Frank Turner and really liked her.  I didn’t realize she was part of Kevin Devine’s circle of players until recently.  I’d have happily seen her again.

Kississippi is a Philly band who I saw open for someone else.  They write super catchy songs and I would happily see them again as well.  Some other time I’m sure.

Posted in First Unitarian Church, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, Kevin Devine, Kississippi, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Girl Talk / Hugh Augustine (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 29, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 29, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 29, 2022] Girl Talk / Hugh Augustine

The embarrassment of riches continued on April 29th as there were four more shows I was interested in going to.  And what’s so fun about Philadelphia is that among the eight shows in two nights none were in the same venue.

Girl Talk is the stage name of DJ Gregg Michael Gillis.  He makes music that is comprised of samples and mashups.  His 2010 album All Day album used overlapping samples of 372 songs by other artists.

His live shows are described as an experience not to be missed and so I immediately grabbed a ticket.  But the more I learned about the experience–a sweaty, writhing dancing mess of people, I wasn’t really sure I wanted to be a part of it.  So I decided to do something else that night instead.  I’m not sure if I missed out on something life changing, and I’ll never know.

Hugh Augustine is a rapper, chef and activist.

Posted in Girl Talk, Hugh Augustine, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Deafheaven / Clear Capsule (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 29, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 29, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 29, 2023] Deafheaven / Clear Capsule

I saw Deafheaven last year; it was an intense and enjoyable show.  A wild mix of utter noise and lovely shoegazey rock.

I’d consider seeing them again, although this show was scheduled for the same night as Placebo, so it wasn’t going to happen this time.

This show was announced with pretty short notice too.  The date was only listed in early March, so it must have been an impulsive show before they went to Europe.

Los Angeles’ Clear Capsule straddles alterna-metal heaviness and punky shoegaze.  Noot unlike Deafheaven, although a les extreme on both ends.  I rather liked the songs I heard and the high whispery voice of singer Bryce Pulaski.

Posted in Clear Capsule, Deafheaven, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Son Lux (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2022)

April 28, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 28, 2022] Son Lux

April 28th turned out to be a banner night of shows.  There were four I was interested in seeing–three of those I was really interested in.  It was very hard to choose especially since one of them was a show rescheduled to that night and I already had tickets to a different one.

I had seen Son Lux in an NPR Tiny Desk Concert (the NPR folks love Son Lux) and was blown away by all three of them.  Drummer Ian Chang is just amazing to watch as he plays all sorts of different things and in unusual rhythms.  But then I would notice that guitarist Rafiq Bhatia was making some incredible sounds out of his guitar and I would wind up watching him for awhile.  And all along, keyboardist and vocalist Ryan Lott would be singing and playing these heartbreaking melodies.

I knew I had to see them and since I had been waiting the longest to see them, they won out.

And it was amazing.  The band had just scored the film Everything Everywhere All at Once so there were some songs from that in the mix, but mostly this set came from their new trio of albums Tomorrows I, II and III.

The songs were gorgeous and soaring or quiet and meditative or jazzy and fun.  They each went far beyond their own length, with solos from all the members of the band.

At one point Ian and Rafiq played a wonderful interplay and Ryan just stood back away from his keys and watched as we all did.

The only concession to playing a “hit” is that they played an updated version of their song “Easy” which would be the closest thing they have to a popular song.  They even brought out local rapper Low G (I think) to do some freestyling over the middle of the song.

The rest of the set was wonderful and magical.

  1. Vacancy III
  2. Only I
  3. Prophecy II
  4. Plans We Made I
  5. Honesty I
  6. Easy £
  7. Last Light I
  8. Live Another Life II
  9. A Different Kind of Love III
    encore
  10. Unbind III

I Tomorrows I (2020)
II Tomorrows II (2020)
III Tomorrows III (2020)
£ Lanterns (2013)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Son Lux, The Foundry | Leave a Comment »

Built to Spill / Prism Bitch / Itchy Kitty (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 28, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 28, 2023] Built to Spill / Prism Bitch / Itchy Kitty

I saw Built to Spill twice last year.  I was surprised to see that they were touring again so soon, but it had been all of seven months.

This was supposed to have been a very busy concert week for me.  But after doing so much tree cutting and hauling this week, I was too tired to go even to see Doug and his band.

For the previous shows, the opening band was Blood Lemon which featured BTS bass player Melanie Radford. This time, one of the opening bands was Prism Bitch which BTS featured drummer Teresa Esguerra.

Prism Bitch was fantastic back in 2019.  They’d have been great to see live again.

The second opening band was Itchy Kitty.  Itchy Kitty are a band from Spokane, Wa. They specialize in a hyperkinetic blend of punk traditionalism and a sort of mangled glam rock pageantry. Their music careens from whiplash inducing riffage to flash delirium freak outs.  Originally, they were a cat-centered band with songs about cats and (if photos are correct) the drummer wearing a cat mask.  But now they just rock and scream and rawk.

I’m a little bummed about missing this, but I’m sure I’ll see them again.

 

 

The first time I saw him was at Union Transfer back in 2015 and he had a five piece band.  That was a couple of iterations ago and now he was back with a new band.

On this newly announced tour, his whole band was going to be different.  In fact, I have seen at least three different lineups for the band over the years.  This tour was going to feature drummer Teresa Esguerra of Prism Bitch (who opened for Built To Spill last time) and bassist Melanie Radford from openers Blood Lemon.

The last time I promised myself I wouldn’t get too close to the stage, but I did.  The problem with being so close is the way Doug Martsch has his guitar set up.  His amp is right next to him and it is so loud.  From where I was you could barely hear anything else.  Of course I’m there to watch Doug play, so it’s not too bad.  But I promised myself I would stand back to fully appreciate his band.

I love that Esguerra was on the side of the stage facing the other two (that’s how his band was set up with the previous trio as well).  This allowed for Esguerra  and Radford to communicate with each other while Doug was jamming.  And they had outstanding chemistry. Continue Reading »

Posted in Blood Lemon, Built to Spill, Itchy Kitty, Philadelphia, PA, Prism Bitch, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Trupa Trupa / Haldol (PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 28, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 28, 2022] Trupa Trupa / Haldol

April 28th turned out to be a banner night of shows.  There were four I was interested in seeing–three of those I was really interested in.  It was very hard to choose especially since one of them was a show rescheduled to that night and I already had tickets to a different one.

Trupa Trupa is a band from Poland who I found out about through NPR music.  Their music is dynamic and exciting and I understand they are amazing live.

By the time this show was announced I already had tickets for both Son Lux and Stick Men.  But I was so intrigued by this one that it quickly became my number two choice (sorry Stick Men).  I just wasn’t sure which one I was going to go to.  I honestly don’t know how often Trupa Trupa will be able to come to the U.S.  But I so very much wanted to see Son Lux, that they won out.

Haldol is a post punk band from Philly who I haven’t heard of.  But this review, especially about the 4AD/120 Minutes connection is pretty spot on.

While I was lukewarm on their previous record, The Totalitarianism of Everyday Life, Negation recaptures the fire of that self-titled record by pushing past its sound rather than returning to it. While Negation still has death rock-isms like chorus on the guitar and tom-heavy drumming, the guitars are janglier, the singing more expressive, and the songwriting more pop. Once again, Haldol is ahead of the trend; while everyone else is going Christian Death, they’ve gone full 4AD, sounding more like something you’d see on 120 Minutes in the late 80s than a band on a flyer for a Madame Wong’s gig. That seems to imply a softening of Haldol’s sound, but that’s not the case at all… they play with the revved-up energy of bands like the Cult and the Jesus and Mary Chain… it’s pop music as much as it is art project, and listening to it provides all the immediate pleasure that pop music is meant to.”

This would have been a good show.

Posted in Haldol, Philadelphia, PA, PhilaMOCA, Trupa Trupa | Leave a Comment »

Emily Wells (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2022) [SON LUX]

April 28, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 28, 2022] Emily Wells

April 28th turned out to be a banner night of shows.  There were four I was interested in seeing–three of those I was really interested in.  It was very hard to choose especially since one of them was a show rescheduled to that night and I already had tickets to a different one.

I didn’t realize that I knew Emily Wells, but I had recalled her albums getting reviewed on NPR music.  I particularly remembered them talking about her album This World Is Too _____ For You.  And then just recently they had reviewed her new album Regards to the End and the song “All Burn No Bridge.”

Emily is a classically trained violinist, but she has morphed into a kind of electro-classical-pop singer.  The songs are full of rage but are also quite delicate.  She seems to thrive on tension.

Live, she was entertaining, but I was unprepared for how powerful her voice would be and how well it would play off the loops of synths and violins (and occasional percussion).

When I an Chang came out to play with her, he was quite restrained, but his additions lifted the song up even higher.

  1. I’m Numbers
  2. Come On Kiki
  3. Love Saves the Day
  4. All Burn, No Bridge
  5. Two Dogs Tethered Inside (with Ian Chang on drums)

Posted in Emily Wells, Philadelphia, PA, Son Lux, The Foundry | Leave a Comment »

Stinking Lizaveta / Microwaves / Faking (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, April 28, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 28, 2022 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 28, 2022] Stinking Lizaveta / Microwaves / Faking

April 28th turned out to be a banner night of shows.  There were four I was interested in seeing–three of those I was really interested in.  It was very hard to choose especially since one of them was a show rescheduled to that night and I already had tickets to a different one.

Of the four shows this night, this was the lowest.  I would like to see Stinking Lizaveta, but I’d much rather see the others.

Microwaves is a noisy band from Pittsburgh

Faking is a noise rock band from Philly.  I assume I’ll be seeing both of them on bills going forward.

Posted in Faking, Kung Fu Necktie, Microwaves, Philadelphia, PA, Stinking Lizaveta | Leave a Comment »

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