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Destroyer (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, February 28, 2025) [FATHER JOHN MISTY]

February 28, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 28, 2025] Destroyer

I bought tickets for this show long before I knew who the opener was.  I was pleased that Destroyer was opening.  Destroyer was the last show I saw before the pandemic shut everything down.

Dan Bejar, who is Destroyer, is an unusual guy.  He’s got the vibe of a lunge singer, but he sings rather unusual lyrics (and has a rather unique voice).  None of which leads to a band named Destroyer of course.

Last time I saw them there were six members on stage.  This time there were only two in addition to Dan.  There was a drummer (who also played keys while drumming!) and a guitarist.  And of course, Dan was up front singing in his unusual manner–Dan’s microphone stand is set up so that the microphone was at his waist.  Basically he held onto the stand almost like a cane when he sang, and sang more or less to the floor.  And when there were instrumental sections, he would squat down so all eyes were on the other two.

He’s an unusual guy for sure.  I don’t know if he won anyone over–the Fillmore is a much bigger venue than he usually plays in Philly.  He’s also unabashedly himself, so he doesn’t really seem to care if everyone likes him, because a lot of people do.

The arrangements were stripped down to be sure, but I really enjoyed them this way.

He’s playing a headline tour in October, and I may just have to go.

 

2025 2020
The Music Lovers ♥ Crimson Tide ¿
Tinseltown Swimming in Blood ⊄ Kinda Dark ¿
It’s Gonna Take an Airplane ♥ The Raven ¿
Painter in Your Pocket ♦ Cover From the Sun ⊄
Times Square ∇ Kaputt ⊗
Cue Synthesizer ¿ Times Square ∇
It Just Doesn’t Happen ¿ Bangkok ∇
Stay Lost ⊄ It Just Doesn’t Happen ¿
Chinatown ⊗ Cue Synthesizer ¿
Poor in Love ⊗ University Hill ¿
Tinseltown Swimming in Blood ⊄
Chinatown ⊗
European Oils ♦
foolssong ¿
Bay of Pigs (detail) ⊗
encore
Poor in Love ⊗
Looters’ Follies ♦

 

¿ = Have We Met (2020)
⊄ = Ken (2017)
∇ = Poison Season (2015)
⊗ = Kaputt (2011)
♦ = Destroyer’s Rubies (2006)
♥ = Your Blues (2004)

 

Posted in Destroyer, Father John Misty, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Günter Grass–The Living Statue: a Legend (2022) [translated 2024]

February 25, 2025 by Paul Debraski

SOUNDTRACK: .

[READ: February 22, 2025] The Living Statue

This book came as part of my New Directions subscription.  It’s a “newly discovered” story written by Günter Grass in 2003.  It’s very short.  57 pages with big margins.

This story sees Grass (or a fictional substitute) travelling around to give book talks.  On a trip before the Berlin Wall fell, he and his wife went to Naumberg.  They visited a chapel which featured “life-size” statues.  But everyone on the trip is disappointed at how small they actually are.  One of the statues is of Uta of Naumberg [click for  the Wikipedia explanation of who she was].

The repeated phrase in the book is “you can do anything on paper.”  And so, he invites the 12 statues to lunch. It’s a jolly time with these ancient statues not really grasping modern behavior (they all hate the potatoes).  He was quite taken with Uta.  She ordered a Coke and then said she had to go.

He ran into her again after the Wall fell,  She was being a living statue outside of Cologne Cathedral.  She was very convincing, standing still and doing nothing.  He approached her and got very close whereupon he whispered to her that she should take a break and get a Coke with him.  She did not break character at all. But her manager/boyfriend came up and told him to get lost.

He saw her again some time later and wanted to approach, but the manager/boyfriend was staring. Continue Reading »

Posted in Fantasy, Günther Grass, Michael Hofmann, Novella, Romance, Statues, Translation, Translators | Leave a Comment »

Solvej Balle–One the Calculation of Volume I (2020) [translated 2024]

February 24, 2025 by Paul Debraski

SOUNDTRACK: .

[READ: February 21, 2025] One the Calculation of Volume I

I received this book as part of New Directions “membership” where they sent me a new book each month for a year.  I had never heard of Solvej Balle, who is a Danish author.  This might be her first book translated into English.  Barbara Haveland did the translation.  I was certain I had read something else she had translated, but I guess not.  Her phrasing is excellent and made this book an easy, enjoyable read.

This book is part of a seven-volume set (this book was only 161 pages) and given the scope of this volume, I’m unclear what might happen in the others–maybe they’re entirely unrelated?  Turns out that Book 2 is already out, although 3 and 4 are coming out in the fall of next year.  And I just checked, book 2 continues the story.

And the story is this.

Tara Selter went to a conference on November 18th.  She went to bed and when she woke up, it was November 18th again.

Yup, it’s Groundhog Day, the movie.  But it’s not that at all, because Tara does not find it funny.  Also, and I don’t think this is a spoiler, she does not try to kill herself (like in the movie) only to find that she comes back.

The book starts on day #121 of her repeated November 18ths.

She returned from the conference and her husband wondered why she was back so soon.  She explained everything and (fortunately for the book) he believes her.  They go through the whole day, wondering what happened and what to do about it.  And when she woke up the next day, the world had reset to November 18th, but she continued.  I really appreciated the way Tara had a burn on her hand and we see it heal as the days move on. Continue Reading »

Posted in Barbara Haveland, Bookstores, Collecting, Groundhog Day, Regrets, Solvej Balle, Translation, Translators | Leave a Comment »

Richard Thompson: Ship to Shore Tour – Solo Show (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, February 22, 2025)

February 23, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 22, 2025] Richard Thompson

This is my 12th time seeing Richard Thompson and my sixth time seeing him at McCarter Theater.  For a while it seemed like he was playing McCarter annually.  But we last saw him there in 2020 (he did play in 2023 but we didn’t go).  I was really hoping to see Richard with a full band, as most of the time that I’ve seen him it’s been him solo.  He was playing with a full band on this tour, but I missed those dates.  And, somewhat sadly (in context, but not actuality), this show was a solo.

I admit to not being as excited for this show as I tend to be for bands that I like a lot.  I feared that I had seen his solo show so much that I would be annoyed at how samey it was to other shows.

But, as soon as he started playing I was blown away at his mastery and at how great his voice sounds (at 75!).  We had great seats–row K, center stage–and I could clearly watch his hands as he did…everything.  I was amazed at the way he played the low sting perfectly in time with the beat as the rest of his fingers played intricate melodies and solos.  I was really quite in awe once again.

It’s interesting the way he seems to play certain era songs a bunch (I tend to see the same songs like three times in a row).  So he opened with If I Could Live My Life Again which came out in 2020.  But then he moved back to Walking on a Wire.  I’ve seen him play it 8 times and I never get tired of it.

Same with Beeswing.  I have a hard time believing there were four shows I’ve seen where he didn’t play it!  But hearing it so clean and perfect and watching his fingers play those gorgeous chords was like hearing it for the first time again.

I Feel So Good is one of my early favorites by him.  I haven’t seen him play it since 2013 and it was fantastic.  I guess someone in the front requested Matty Groves, and old Fairport Convention song and he played it–he is sometimes amenable to requests.  Later in the show someone shouted a song and he said.  Maybe later–much later.

Then he played a song that he said he wrote yesterday.  Most of Richard’s properly released songs are serious and intense.  But live he tends to play these goofy songs that are hilarious.  Maybe someday he’ll release an album of funny songs like You Love Me Like It’s 1969. Continue Reading »

Posted in Fairport Convention, Linda Thompson, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, Richard Thompson | Leave a Comment »

Alcest (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 20, 2025)

February 22, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 20, 2025] Alcest 

I hadn’t heard of Alcest before this tour.  I was mostly excited when I saw that Mono was playing Union Transfer.  But when I listened to Alcest, I rather liked them.  Especially their latest album Les Chants de l’aurore, which is the album they were touring.

So Alcest has been around for almost 20 years, although their first album came out in 2007.  After some lineup changes, the band was solely the work of Stéphane “Neige” Paut who played everything.  In 2009, drummer Winterhalter from Les Discrets joined Alcest, after eight years with Neige as its sole full-time member.  Neige still plays everything except drums on the records.

Since 2010, the live shows include Pierre “Zero” Corson on second guitar and backing vocals and Indria Saray on bass.

I was really pleased with my spot near the stage when, with moments to go before the band came out, two women pushed their way up next to me taking up more room than there was between us.  And when the band started she proceeded to either really get into it or was just messing with me as she kept putting her hands through her hair and then raising her arms high and wide for minutes at a time.  I’ve literally never had one person ruin a show as much as this sociopath did.

Fortunately she (presumably) got sick after four songs.  She was clearly very drunk, and then after a couple of songs she seemed to just stop and stare straight ahead of her and then after the fourth song she bolted for the back of the room (to which a guy behind me said, thank god).  Her friend (who was very short) then proceeded to take up enough space for both of them, headbanging in a way that ensured you didn’t want to stand behind her.  A song or two later, she received a text and then headed to the back of the room.  In my mind, the tall one got drunk and nauseous and them ruined the second half of the show for herself and her friend after she ruined the first part of the show for me and everyone around me. Continue Reading »

Posted in Alcest, Kaelan Mikla, Kælan Mikla, Mono, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Mono (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 20, 2025) [ALCEST]

February 21, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 20, 2025] Mono

I saw Mono back in 2019 and I was blown away by their show.  I haven’t been able to see them since, and I was mildly bummed that they were opening instead of headlining this show.  But any chance to see them is a good one.  And, it introduced me to Alcest!

The crowd was really really into Mono.  In fact a couple of people up front left after their set.

They played mostly new songs.  All of their songs are instrumental and sound vaguely similar, so I can’t tell them apart.  That’s not an insult, they play seven to ten minute epic tracks that build to varying degrees of intensity and I could listen to them all night.

I was in front of guitarist Hideki “Yoda” Suematsu who is described as a rhythm guitarist but who does a lot more than that.   Bassist Tamaki Kunishi was in the middle (except for the one song she played keys on).   And Takaakira “Taka” Goto was on the far side of the stage (and hard to see on the mostly dark atmosphere).

Their drummer Dahm Majuri Cipolla was tucked in behind a rack of amps, and it was hard to see him.  He also had a gong!  And I was a little bummed that I could only see a part of it, but it was cool to see him smack it on two different songs. Continue Reading »

Posted in Alcest, Kaelan Mikla, Kælan Mikla, Mono, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Kælan Mikla (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 20, 2025) [ALCEST]

February 20, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 20, 2025] Kælan Mikla

I had never heard of Kælan Mikla before this show was announced.  And, since I love music from afar  Was instantly intrigued by this is Icelandic band whose name means (according to Google) The Great Chill or (according to Wikipedia) Lady of the Cold.

They are a trio of Laufey Soffía on lead vocals, Margrét Rósa Dóru-Harrýsdóttir on bass and Sólveig Matthildur Kristjánsdóttir. on keys and more (although only keys for this show).

They came out on stage in dark and spooky lighting (later when I saw them at the merch table, I saw that they had interesting cracked and cobwebby makeup under their eyes.  And Soffia was dressed in an all black gown (seemingly made of toile) with super long fingernails.  It was like a goth flashback and I loved it.

So I guess this music is darkwave, a genre I don’t really know.  I feel like the few darkwave songs I’ve heard I didn’t like.  But maybe seeing it live is a different story, because the whole gothy presentation was fantastic.  I couldn’t really hear Soffia’s vocals (in part because they were in Icelandic, but mostly because of where I was standing), but she sang in variants of quiet, almost whispery singing and screams.  But it combined perfectly to generate a really retro spooky feel with cool modern feminist trappings.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Alcest, Kaelan Mikla, Kælan Mikla, Mono, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Victoria Grace Elliott–Please Be My Star (2024)

February 19, 2025 by Paul Debraski

 SOUNDTRACK: hiatus

[READ: February 19, 2025 ] Please Be My Star

My daughter brought this book home from the library and said that she liked it, but it was kind of weird, and that I should read it.

So I did.

I loved the art style.  It’s a style that I can’t really do, but which I find very appealing.  I liked that it had a manga feel but wasn’t manga.  I also really liked that there was a fair amount of Spanish in it.

The story is fairly simple.  Erika moved to a new high school.  She was kind of a loner in her previous school.  Having been rejected by friends and potential boyfriends at the old school means she is full of self-doubt.  This self doubt takes the form of a ghostly version of herself who criticizes her in speech bubbles that are black with white text.  And the ghostly version of herself is nasty!

Erika joins the drama club, but they are told that they are not going to be doing a school play this year.  Instead, whoever wants to, can enter a one act play in a local performance.  The writer/director will do everything from casting to set building to everything.

Erika has a massive crush on Christian, a hot boy in class.  His family is Mexican which is where the Spanish comes in.  I love that they go to his house and Erika is given a brief tutorial on how to behave in a Mexican household–and she gets to eat delicious homemade enchiladas de Potosí.  Erika decides to write a play specifically for Christina to star in.

He agrees and the bulk of the book is about them prepping for the play, getting sets and dialogue ready and Erika wondering and worrying about whether Christian likes her back (and why would he, since he is so hot and all).  There’s some minor friction with Paola, a girl who has known Christian forever and who is very possessive of him.  But that storyline is quickly dismissed. Continue Reading »

Posted in Café Tacvba, Elvis Costello, Graphic Novel, Play (Drama), Radiohead, Romance, Sonic Youth, They Might Be Giants, YA Books | Leave a Comment »

Lauren Mayberry (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 17, 2025)

February 18, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 17, 2025] Lauren Mayberry

I was a fan of Chvrches when their first album came out.  Then I kind of lost track of them.  But in that time my wife became a fan.  We missed their last tour in Philly (back in 2021 (!)).  When Lauren Mayberry released a solo album, we both loved the single “Something in the Air” and  thought it would be neat to see her live.

The show didn’t sell very well, which was surprising I thought, since Chvrches has sold out Franklin Music Hall, a much bigger venue.  But it meant that we had a really intimate show, which was awesome.

Overall I liked most of the album Vicious Creature, although there were a few songs that I wasn’t that excited by.  But wow, these songs were fantastic live!  

She had two band members on stage and, I think, a guy on the side with a bank of Apple laptops (I joked that it looked like an Apple store–there were about five!).  The two members on stage were Marian Li-Pino on drums and Heather Nation doing guitar or bass depending on the song.  Later in the set, Heather played piano and Marian played guitar for a song, too.

Heather Nation was ferocious on guitar–generating great sounds.  And Marian Li-Pino was a beast on the drums.  They had a cool cymbal that was bent and made a great metallic, non-cymbal sound.  And Lauren Mayberry was an excellent front woman–she knows how to perform a show.   And what a voice!  I mean, it was amazing.

She played the entire album.  The bangers were amazing–bigger and louder than I expected.  The quieter songs were pretty, a little too mellow for my enjoyment, but hey, you need to vary the mood.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Chvrches, Cult of Venus, Lauren Mayberry, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Cult of Venus (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, February 17, 2025) [LAUREN MAYBERRY]

February 17, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 17, 2025] Cult of Venus

It was a cold windy night when we headed out to this show.  Luckily, we managed to get really close parking (Monday night shows are good for that).  Which meant we were plenty early to see the opening act, Cult of Venus.

Cult of Venus has had a lot of mystery surrounding her.  I’m sure her identity is known (I didn’t look too hard to find it), but the two main articles I saw gave this info:

Forgoing any photos to remain completely anonymous and undefined, Cult of Venus have given themself the perfect platform from which to build and long and exciting career. ][They make] music that illustrates and illuminates the dystopian world today, challenging the patriarchy and resonating with the “divine feminine.” Her on-the-ground activist work includes support for incarcerated women and environmental protest movements. Her mysterious presentation is often shrouded in darkness, with her identity and face in the shadows. Her secretive appearance aligns her poetic soundscape in a way that not only drives more curiosity to her audience but is calming in a world so focused on desperate self-promotion.  With shows in all-female prisons and detention centres in the books already, as well as a show as part of New York City’s Women’s March, Cult of Venus have a big year planned while being rooted in reform.

They opened the show with a prerecorded message about strength in the face of oppression.  And then she came out, picked up her guitar and stood in front of the keyboard.  

The only problem to me was the fairly lengthy (I mean, it was probably less than a minute, but it was SO QUIET) pause before the first song started.  I feel like she could have timed that a little more smoothly.  But whatever.

She generated some beats and some synths and proved to have a fantastic voice.  When she played guitar, she clearly had it patched into an effects box because it didn’t sound like a guitar–it was very cool. Continue Reading »

Posted in Chvrches, Cult of Venus, Lauren Mayberry, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

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