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Miloe (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 11, 2021) [BEACH BUNNY]

November 13, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 11, 2021] Miloe

When my kids were little I was always driving around to some activity or another.  Well, how psyched was I to be able to drive one kids to a concert last night and another kids to a concert tonight?  And both were for bands I like, too!

I didn’t know Miloe, and they were a little hard to get details about because the band is so young.  Miloe is the brainchild of 20 year old Congolese immigrant Bobby Kabeya.

He put out an EP called Greenhouse during the pandemic and has had a few other songs percolating for a while.

Bobby was a great frontman.  He told us that these shows were the first time he’s played in clubs–his previous touring experience was house parties. Obviously this was his first time away from Minneapolis, too.

Miloe’s record is full of laid back, breezy indie pop with pretty guitar melodies and delicate vocals delicately delivered over songs “influenced by Congolese rumba, reggae and African folk sounds.”

Bobby was quick to smile and marvel at where he was.  But he was also quick to totally rock out.

Most of the songs had a soft shimmering guitar sound.  Interlocking guitar lines from the two guitars fleshed out the sound.  But a song like “Yellow” started out quietly, like a sweet summer song complete with some “la las” and then it just crashed away into a satisfying noisy conclusion, with both guitarists going nuts.

The one thing that made me laugh was that Bobby’s bassist was easily a foot taller than him, so when they stood next to each other it was quite dramatic.

I found out this fun tidbit.  He wrote his song “Winona” about Winona Ryder.  But, and here’s the fun twist, he discovered her through Stranger Things, not one of her Gen X projects.   The song is about how a friend of his looks like her.

I didn’t catch all of the songs he played, but I know he played “Winona,” “Yellow” and “Motorola.”

I really enjoyed his set.

 

Posted in Beach Bunny, Miloe, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Half Waif / Lightning Bug (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, November 13, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

November 13, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 13, 2021] Half Waif / Lightning Bug

I have wanted to see Half Waif for a couple of years. I’ve heard her live shows are great.  And a venue like Johnny Brenda’s would probably be perfect for her intimate songs.

Initially I wanted to see this tour (back in May, and then October) because Ian Chang was opening for her and he is an amazing drummer whom I need to see live.

But that didn’t take away from my desire to see Half Waif as well.  But this show happened right in the middle of a bunch of other shows and I try not to do too many nights in a row.

It transpired that most of the shows were cancelled anyway, but I had pretty much committed to being home so I didn’t go.  But she’s fairly local so I hope she plays again soon.  With any opener.

Half Waif is the project of former Pinegrove singer Nandi Rose.  I find her music very pleasing.

Lightning Bug is the project of Audrey Kang (although I believe she has a full band now).  She sings lovely, quiet songs, which seems like it would be a nice companion to Half Waif’s music.

Posted in Half Waif, Ian Chang, Johnny Brenda's, Lightning Bug, Philadelphia, PA, Pinegrove | Leave a Comment »

Anti-Flag (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, November 10, 2021)

November 12, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 10, 2021] Anti-Flag [postponed from March 17, 2020] 

I was pretty happy when my son asked if we could go see Anti-Flag.  I had heard him playing some of their songs and quite liked them.

Then I looked them up.  How could i have never heard of this band?  A politically charged punk band that has been making music and waves for over 25 years and I didn’t know them.  How was that possible?

The band came out on stage to a recording of “Blitzkieg Bop” and they were everything I wanted.

Anti-Flag has been around since the 1980s and had a few line up changes.  But things have been stable since 1999 when Chris #2 joined the band on bass and lead vocals.  He joined Justin Sane on lead vocals and lead guitar and Chris Headon rhythm guitar along with Pat Thetic on drums.

They are full of energy, or righteous anger and love and compassion for everyone present.

We were right in front of Chris #2 and it was incredible to watch him jump all over the place.  Way up in the air and at one point off the stack of amps.  His energy was incredible.

Justin Sane was a great front person–calmly telling us what was on his mind and then ripping guitar parts like crazy.

They played songs from throughout their career, occasionally dipping back in to their latest album 20/20 Vision with audio snippets introducing the songs.  The album is great although hearing trump’s voice again (even if it was used to mock him) was rather unpleasant.

The highlight for me though was looking over and seeing my son in a circle dance getting pushed around an having a great time. I can see him really moshing it up in a few years.  He did not crowd surf, although some people did (it was kind of a small club for that).

The band is obviously very political and they had brochures and activists there for all manner of causes.  They also had someone come out and say a few words about Punk Rock Saves Lives, an amazing organization whose mission statement is

to start focusing on Health Concerns, Equal Rights, Human Rights, and more. One of the keystones of the music community, especially Punk rock, is the ethos of taking care of one another. By championing this ethos through various campaigns hand-chosen by the artists, we can elevate their messages of hope, activism, and change to effect positive change and drive awareness.

Then as the show was nearing the end, Chris #2 had us do one of the coolest things I’ve done at a concert.  He had everyone–don’t give me any macho posturing bullshit, put their arms around the person next to them like a giant line of a group hug.  This was to tell everyone there that we are all on the same side, that the person next to us is our brother or sister.  It was a very moving moment for me.

And then, when we were all sweaty and gross from dancing and pushing each other around, we sang along to “Die for the Government.”

My only regret from this show is that I haven’t seen them like ten times already. Because I am ready to see them again.

  1. Blitzkrieg Bop (Ramones) [tape intro]
  2. Hate Conquers All ‰
  3. The Press Corpse ß
  4. Racists Æ
  5. Drink Drank Punk Ψ
  6. You Can Kill the Protester, But You Can’t Kill the Protest ⊗
  7. Trouble Follows Me Æ
  8. Bring Out Your Dead ⇓
  9. Disease Intro [tape intro]
  10. The Disease ‰
  11. Hymn for the Dead ß
  12. The Criminals Æ
  13. Turncoat ⊗
  14. Broken Bones √
  15. 1 Trillion Dollar$ ß
  16. Fuck Police Brutality Ψ
  17. Christian Intro [tape intro]
  18. Christian Nationalist ‰
  19. This Is the End (For You My Friend) ß
  20. American Attraction Æ
  21. Brandenburg Gate §
  22. Die for the Government Ψ

Ψ Die for the Government (1996)
⇓ Underground Network (2001)
⊗ The Terror State (2003)
ß For Blood and Empire (2006)√ The General Strike (2012)
§ American Spring (2015)
Æ American Fall (2017)
‰ 20/20 Vision (2020)

 

Posted in Anti-Flag, Asbury Park, NJ, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Doll Skin, House of Independents, Ramones | Leave a Comment »

Purity Ring / Dawn Richard (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, November 12, 2021) [rescheduled date, postponed again]

November 12, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[POSTPONED: November 12, 2021] Purity Ring / Dawn Richard [postponed from May 13, 2020 and April 21, 2021 ; moved to June 27, 2022] 

indexThe COVID resurgence has forced Purity Ring to postponed their tour yet again, with their new date over two years from their first dates.  Let’s hope everything is cool by June.

They have added Dawn Richard to the tour as well.  I didn’t know who that was and Wikipedia lists these fascinating credentials:

Dawn Angeliqué Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, model and animator.

That’s interesting, but I’m concerned by this:

Richard started her career after auditioning for Making the Band 3 in 2004. During this time, Richard became a member of American girl band Danity Kane, from 2005 to 2009.

I don’t know anything about Danity Kane but I have very strong opinions about made for TV bands.

Here’s the message from the band about the postponement (but not about Richard).

“Hey everyone, out of concern for the safety of our crew, our fans, ourselves and all our loved ones, we must postpone these tour dates once again. Simply put, the pandemic is not yet over. We’ve rescheduled our Fall tour dates for Spring 2022. Your tickets will be automatically transferred to the new date, and if the venue or location has changed they will be refunded. We’re not responsible for ticket sales so you must go to the place you bought them from to handle any changes. Unfortunately all dates for the EU/UK shows have been cancelled for the time being,”

~~~~

When Purity Ring cancelled their March 2020 dates due to COVID, they cleverly pushed their show back over a year.  It wasn’t far enough. The duo has had to push their show to the fall now.

~~~~

Purity Ring is a duo from Edmonton–multi-instrumentalist/producer Corin Roddick and vocalist Megan James.

They put out a couple of albums and then disappeared.

I rather enjoy the way Wikipedia describes their sound

a combination of pop and hip-hop styles and James’ “childlike” vocals and “macabre”, “gory” lyrics, that she takes from “books and books full of things she’s written” in the past.  Their music utilizes down-pitched, distorted vocals and percussive and vocal loops. A creative key to their sound is a sometimes aggressive use of a volume regulating technique called “sidechaining,” in which the rhythm of one instrument affects the volume of another.

After a five year hiatus, they returned in 2020 with a new album WOMB, just in time to have their tour postponed.

Posted in Canadian Music, Coronavirus, Dawn Richard, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Purity Ring, Quarantine, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die / Bent Knee / Gates (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, November 12, 2021//Absury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ November 13, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

November 12, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: November 12 or 13, 2021] The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die / Bent Knee / Gates

I don’t really know The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die, but I have been intrigued by their name for years.  I’ve heard very good things about their live shows and was interested in checking them out.

However, I will likely never go to First Unitarian Church again (the venue just didn’t work for me for a number of reasons, even though it is a very cool place).  I was planning on seeing them at Asbury Lanes, but for reasons I never quite understood, that date simply disappeared from their tour poster.

The poster to the right has that show listed, but as the date got closer the poster had been updated and no longer included that final show and there was no word about it anywhere.  Fascinating.

I had not heard of Bent Knee, but this introduction from Wikipedia sure sounds interesting:

Bent Knee is an American art rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2009. The band performs in multiple genres and draws from multiple influences, including pop, industrial rock, progressive rock, and avant-garde. The band is known for unpredictable dynamic contrast and the wide vocal range of singer Courtney Swain.

I’m certainly sold enough to check them out.

Gates is from New Brunswick, NJ (just down the road from me).  I was unaware of them, but their music sounds like it would be pretty good.

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Bent Knee, First Unitarian Church, Gates, Philadelphia, PA, The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die | Leave a Comment »

Bad Cop/Bad Cop (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, November 10, 2021) [ANTI-FLAG]

November 11, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 10, 2021] Bad Cop/Bad Cop [postponed from March 17, 2020] was originally scheduled to be Grade 2

Initially Grade 2 was scheduled to be on this tour, but they were replaced by Bad Cop/Bad Cop, who turned out to be amazing.

It was pretty fascinating having this band directly follow Doll Skin because the women in this band could easily have been Doll Skin’s moms (there were no men in Bad Cop/Bad Cop, but if there were they could have been Doll Skin’s dads, too).

I actually don’t know how old most of the women were on stage because damn, they rocked hard whatever their age, I only guess they are older since they sang songs about Breast Cancer and Detox.

Bad Cop/Bad Cop actually has three lead singers: guitarists Stacey Dee and Jennie Cotterill and bassist Linh Le alternated through the set.

We were right in front of Le and she was one of the most intense bassists I’ve ever seen–great poses, daring you to look her in the eye or daring you to look away.  I found out later that Le is the creator of the amazing series bassists against racists.

Drummer Myra Gallarza was great too, keeping the beat to these fast and furious songs.

I loved everything about Bad Cop/Bad Cop and I’m delighted to have seen them live.

  1. Retrograde ϖ
  2. Pursuit of Liberty ®
  3. Rodeo ⊗
  4. Breastless ®
  5. Perpetual Motion Machine ®
  6. I’m Done ϖ
  7. Simple Girl ®
  8. Take My Call ®
  9. Broken ϖ
  10. Amputations ϖ 
  11. Certain Kind Of Monster ®
  12. Womanarchist ϖ
  13. Wild Me ϖ

⊗ Boss Lady EP (2014)
ϖ Warriors (2017)
® The Ride (2020)

Posted in Anti-Flag, Asbury Park, NJ, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Doll Skin, House of Independents | Leave a Comment »

Caspian / Caracara / Holy Fawn (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, November 10, 2021) [DID NOT ATTEND]

November 10, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[POSTPONED: April 6, 2020] Caspian / Pianos Become the Teeth / Maserati

My friends Liz and Eleanor have told me that Caspian was one of the best shows that they had seen.  I have been planning to see them ever since.

They were supposed to play Union Transfer in April 2020, but that show was postponed/cancelled.  It’s kind of surprising that they went from Union Transfer to Underground Arts (which is about half the size), but who knows why things are scheduled where they are.

I was pretty excited to go to this show, except that we had tickets to the rescheduled Anti-Flag show for the same night.  So Caspian will have to wait. Continue Reading »

Posted in Caracara, Caspian, Holy Fawn, Mannequin Pussy, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Doll Skin (House of Independents, Asbury Park, NJ, November 10, 2021) [ANTI-FLAG]

November 10, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 10, 2021] Doll Skin [postponed from March 17, 2020]

I was really looking forward to this show because I was taking my son and his friend to their first punk show.  My son had been to a couple of other shows, but nothing where there was going to be as much call for a pit (the other shows were usually too crowded for a pit).

We arrived very early (even though I thought we were late).  Doll Skin didn’t go one for twenty minutes after stated time.  Which was fine because there was a ton of merch and political organization fliers in the back of the room to look at.

Then Doll Skin came on stage and there was a good chance that the band was younger than my son.  That’s actually not true, although when Doll Skin started, lead singer Sydney Dolezal was seventeen.  They are currently 20 or 21.

Meghan Herring and Tay (hired bass player) had COVID so they had Cameron Gile on bass, their driver Dustin Elias-Odgers on bass and multi instrumentalist Torri Ross on drums.

The band was amazing.  Syd was a dynamite singer–a great performer, an excellent voice and a lot of fun.  Their lead guitarist, who I think was Alex Snowden, was incredible–phenomenal riffs and a great sound.  And the substituting players were fantastic.  I don’t know how often they played the songs before, but they were tight as anything.

I really enjoyed their set.  And after the show Syd chatted with us and signed my son’s poster, so that was pretty cool too.

  1. Don’t Cross My Path ⊗
  2. Love Is Dead and We Killed Her ⊗
  3. Control Freak ♦
  4. Mark My Words ⊗
  5. Daughter ♥
  6. Eat Shit Ξ
  7. Puncha Nazi ♥

Ξ Eat Shit [single] (2021)
♦ Control Freak [single] (2021)
⊗ Love Is Dead and We Killed Her (2019)
♥ Manic Pixie Dream Girl (2017)

 

Posted in Anti-Flag, Asbury Park, NJ, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Doll Skin, House of Independents | Leave a Comment »

Grady Hendrix–The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires (2020) [audiobook 2020–Bahni Turpin]

November 9, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[READ: Summer 2021] The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

I loved the name of this book.  The fact that it was put out by Quirk Books was a major plus.

This book was read by Bahni Turpin and she was magnificent.  I was hooked right from the start.  I loved her Southern accents and the way she made each character unique and easily recognizable.

In the preface to the book, Hendrix explains that this novel is a kind of apology for his earlier novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism.   In that novel teenagers were the protagonists and parents were cast as trouble for them.  He felt the need to address the concerns of the parents this time around.

I love the way the characters clearly love their children but are also realistic about them:  “Being a teenager isn’t a number,” says Maryellen. “It’s the age when you stop liking them.”

The story opens in a hilarious way.

It’s 1988 and Grace Cavanaugh had started a book club,  She wanted all of the women in her circle to read the classics.  This month’s book was Cry, The Beloved Country.  Grace was the quintessential Southern woman.  Her house was perfect.  Her thick pile carpets were white and immaculate (the way she inwardly cringes as cheese straws land on the carpet is hilarious).  She did not allow for anything improper.  She expected people to do what was proper.  Like finish the book club book.

The story zooms in on Patricia Campbell.  She needed the book club,  But she did not read the book.

She was given twenty minutes to talk about the book.  And the way she tries to stretch it out is hilarious.  Eventually Grace calls her out on it.  And is very disappointed in her.  Soon enough, though, the other women reveal that they didn’t read it either.

On her way to her car Patricia is stopped by Kitty Scruggs, another book club woman.  She invites Patricia to join the book club that she has just started.  It’s going to be her and Slick Paley, a conservative Christian (with an amazing accent, thank you Bahni) who seems dumb but is far from dumb, and Maryellen, a Yankee transplant (who has a very different accent which is nice to hear).  Eventually, even Grace joins because they are going to be reading the most salacious true crime books they can find.

Each of the women is married and their families are very different.  Patricia’s husband is straight-laced.  Her daughter is just old enough to be sarcastic to her and her son, Blue (that name is explained about 3/4 of the way through the book) has suddenly become obsessed with Nazis.  Basically, she needs these women.

Five years later, the book club is still going and the women feel closer to each other than ever (although Patricia doesn’t feel super close to Grace, because who could, really).  Then one night, a night that Blue didn’t take out the garbage, Patricia walks to where the cans are stored and is attacked.  The assailant is an old woman.  She acts crazy and even though Patricia knows her, she can’t talk sense into her. The old woman bites off part of her ear (which becomes quite a conversation piece, obviously). Continue Reading »

Posted in Alan Paton, Bahni Turpin, Book Club, Death, Fraud, Funny (ha ha), Grady Hendrix, Marriage Trouble, Monsters, Murder, Nazis, Quirk Books, South, Vampires, Violence, Yuck! | Leave a Comment »

The Flaming Lips (Fillmore Philly, Philadelphia, PA, November 7, 2021)

November 8, 2021 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: NOVEMBER 7, 2021] The Flaming Lips

I have now seen The Flaming Lips six times.  (It’s hard to believe the last time was three years ago).

I love every show, but after each one I think I don’t need to see them again.  Not because they aren’t great live, but because six or even five times is a lot.

But each time I’m delighted to have gone.

Wayne Coyne is such a generous frontman, but with his energy and with his love for everyone there.  Sure, you come out with a fun spectacle, but you also come out feeling loved and appreciated.  Plus, the first two times were over 20 years ago when they were a very different band.

I actually didn’t love American Head as much as other Flaming Lips albums, but these songs translated live very well.  Plus, with The Flaming Lips, you’re getting a lot more than their music.

Unlike most bands, even watching them set up is fun.  Before the band came out to check their gear, Wayne Coyne came out on stage with his latest toy, a bird with a glowing red heart that flew around the audience.  I believe it was remote controlled, but it was hard to see.  He flew it around the audience, and when it crashed, people handed it back so he could do it again.  (He used it in a song a little later, too). Continue Reading »

Posted in Particle Kid, Philadelphia, PA, Rainbows, The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Flaming Lips, Unicorns | Leave a Comment »

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