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An evening with Dawes (McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, April 13, 2025)

April 13, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 13, 2025] An evening with Dawes

My wife and I first encountered Dawes in 2013 when they (inexplicably) appeared on Parenthood, a show we watched pretty regularly.  I thought they were a fictional band, but indeed they are not and had two albums out at the time.  I can’t recall at all what their plot line had to do with anything, but Dawes became something of a punchline for us.  The AV Club (who loves Dawes and the episode) jokes that the main character says the word Dawes so much it’s like he wants to be in the band.

And yet, over the years, we heard more and more songs of their that we liked.  It seemed like every new album brought at least one or two songs that we thought were really catchy.  I hadn’t really considered seeing them live until they announced that they were playing at McCarter.  I mean, a show that close to my house?  Sign me up!

So I got us tickets and wondered who the opener would be.  Well, it turned out there was no opener.  So we were given two full sets (20 songs… evidently the typical how on this tour got 17 songs, so I guess it wasn’t a huge difference (except that we got to go home earlier).

This show also happened a few months after the band announced that everyone except the two brothers: Taylor (vocals, guitar) and Griffin Goldsmith (drums) was out of the band.  I had actually wondered if they were going to play just the two of them.  But they didn’t–it was a full band, and they sounded great.

I think we were both a little surprised at what the band looked like, since I clearly never looked at them (since Parenthood).  This tour was for their new album Oh Brother, which I didn’t really know, although I did know and like the song Still Strangers Sometimes–a perfect catchy song from them.  But they started with The Game, a deep cut that I didn’t know but which I thought was quite good.

But I was really psyched when they played Living in the Future, and even though When the Tequila Runs Out is kinda goofy, it was really fun live.  Speaking of fun, this crowd was really really rowdy.  More so than the band, I’d say,  I had no idea that Dawes had such a devoted fan base (one guy was overheard saying he’d seen them a dozen or so times).

And the crowd went nuts for songs that I didn’t know.  I knew a few songs from Good Luck with Whatever, but I didn’t know Me Especially or Didn’t Fix Me.  Nor did I know Right on Time from the album All Your Favorite Bands (which I think we owned).

But that was just a few songs I didn’t know before they played Most People, a ubiquitous song that sounded great live.  They ended the with the mellow A Little Bit of Everything and then finished up the set with  Someone Else’s Café/Doomscroller Tries to Relax from Misadventures of a Doomscroller.  I felt like I knew the song, but it seems like an unlikely radio song–but that guitar riff was really cool.

After a little break, Tyler came out by himself and played a pretty, acoustic Moon in the Water. Continue Reading »

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Deftones (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, April 4, 2025)

April 5, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 4, 2025] Deftones

I liked Deftones pretty much from when they first came out (the riff for My Own Summer is so good), although like everyone else, it was White pony that really blew me away.

I was lucky enough to see them in 2016 after they released Gore (an album that I love even though many fans do not).  They played the Sands Bethlehem, not a great venue, but the band sounded great and the band was really interactive with the audience.

I knew I wanted to see them again but the pandemic had other ideas, rescheduling their shows a few times.  When the rescheduled show finally happened in 2022, I wound up going with my daughter to see Beach Bunny instead.  And my son (a Deftones fan) went in my place.  Interestingly, since then my daughter has become a big Deftones fan and wow I’m sure she wished we had gone to Deftones instead of Beach Bunny.

Indeed, when this show was announced, I grabbed four tickets for me, my son, and my daughter.  But then my daughter had a commitment she couldn’t get out of (oh no), so my son’s friend came along–he’s a big fan as well–and all was good.  Actually it wasn’t all good because my car died on the way down.  Luckily it died on the way to his school and not while we were on 95.  Okay it didn’t die exactly, but it gave me a very alarming warning beep that made me quite certain I would not be driving it anywhere except home.

So he drove us in his convertible.  And he handled the nonsense of rte 95, the bottleneck at the Wells Fargo Center and the fact that there was a baseball game at the same time next door very well.  The baseball traffic was the real killer and the reason we missed fleshwater completely.  While we were in line for the exit, a car swerved in front of us and it was one of my coworkers!  How weird.  They were going to the stupid baseball game.

But we had decent seats (straight back but not close) and after Mars Volta we waited with mounting excitement.  It was here that I realized how young (and female) much of the audience was (like my daughter).  I believe that TikTok has introduced them to a lot of new people (good for Deftones, but it means they pay arenas instead of large clubs now).

The lights went down and thier gigantic video screen behind them lit up.  The screen jumped between shots of the band playing and other random projected videos.

The show started with what I guess is their (now) biggest hit.  I believe that Be Quiet is the song that got all the younguns into them.  And it sounded great, even in the cavernous Wells Fargo.  And I was really impressed with how energetic and bouncy Chino Moreno (who is in his 50s now) was. Continue Reading »

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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 »

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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 »

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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 »

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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 »

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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 »

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