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Charly Bliss / Pronoun (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 10, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 10, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 10, 2024] Charly Bliss / Pronoun

This was a really tough choice for me.  I was super excited when Charly Bliss announced this show because the last time I saw them it was a ton of fun.

And then Yard Act announced that they were playing Union Transfer the same night.

I had seen Yard Act before, but only once.  And I’d seen Charly Bliss three times.  So I chose Yard Act because they are from the UK and are less likely to play Philly again soon.  And, if I’m being honest, I didn’t love the direction this new Charly Bliss album went is as much as I liked the older records.  So we’ll see what happens in 2025.  (Yard Act were great, btw). Continue Reading »

Posted in Charly Bliss, Philadelphia, PA, Pronoun, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Omni (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 10, 2024) [YARD ACT]

October 10, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 10, 2024] Omni

Omni is a trio from Atlanta. I hadn’t heard of them and thought they were a new band.  Well, they are, but the members of the band have been around for a while.  Guitarist Frankie Broyles on guitar was in Deerhunter.  Drummer Chris Yonker has been in some other bands that I didn’t know and Philip Frobos on vocals and bass has been in Carnivores.

This explains why this band of, what I assumed were young newbies, was so confident playing their off-kilter post punk.  And probably explains why I loved their set immediately.

I was in front of Frobos and it was cool watching him play bass lines that were more like lead lines than simply rhythm.  I also really liked the sound of his bass–clean but not sharp.

I was pretty far from Broyles, but I enjoyed that he played interesting guitar lines that complemented the bass–but it basically meant there was no simply chord playing going on.

Granite Kiss was staccato with fluid lead guitar lines over the stomping bass and drums.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Omni, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Yard Act | Leave a Comment »

Beat (Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center, Red Bank, NJ, October 9, 2024)

October 9, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 9, 2024] Beat

I have seen King Crimson five times, all in the most recent iteration of the band.  I never saw the earlier incarnations when Adrian Belew was the singer/guitarist.

When it was announced that Adrian was gathering troops together to play 80’s era King Crimson, I was intrigued.  The tour had the blessing of Robert Fripp AND it featured Tony Levin on bass.  So that was pretty much all it took.

I’m not sure why Pat Mastelotto wasn’t invited, but Tool’s Danny Carey was a great choice.  As was bringing in fellow Frank Zappa guitar player Steve Vai Although the two never played together).

This ear of King Crimson is not my favorite.  Although Discipline was the first KC album I’d ever bought, I never really got into the other two (a few songs from each, but never the whole things). Continue Reading »

Posted in Beat, Count Basie Theatre, Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre, Red Bank, NJ, Set in New Jersey!, Steve Vai, Tony Levin | Leave a Comment »

Julien Baker / Lucy Dacus / Katie Malco (Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn NY, October 8, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 8, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 8, 2024] Julien Baker / Lucy Dacus / Katie Malco

My daughter and I saw Julien Baker at Webster Hall on Sunday night, the night that Julien got sick and left early.  

She immediately announced a new show two nights later in Brooklyn.

We would have loved to have gone to this show but there were a few reasons we couldn’t.  My wife and I had tickets to see Kishi Bashi and we were pretty excited to go to that one.  Plus, Brooklyn is much harder for us to get to than NYC (which is much more challenging to get to than Philadelphia).

So, we missed out on this show which featured a “surprise” set from Lucy Dacus.  My daughter and I assumed that Lucy would be the surprise, and yeah we’re bummed we missed the show, but at least we got to see some of Julien on the first night.  (Plus, a video that I saw made it sound like the crowd was really noisy and rowdy–and consequently very distracting).

And, most likely we would probably have been too late to see Katie Malco, just like Sunday.

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY, Julien Baker, Katie Malco, Lucy Dacus, New York City, Webster Hall | Leave a Comment »

Julien Baker (Webster Hall, New York City, NY, October 6, 2024)

October 8, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2024] Julien Baker

My wife and I saw Julien Baker open for The Decemberists back in 2017.  I had liked a few songs on her album and I was happy she opened.  Then she announced a headline tour the following year and we grabbed tickets.

We left that show unsettled and I assumed I’d never see her again.

Then she joined boygenius and I found myself enjoying her third of the trio more than the other two who I liked better before the trio formed.  My daughter became a massive fan of all three of them and Julien in particular.  

So when she announced a few shows in New York, and my daughter found resale tickets for shockingly cheap, we decided to go to the Sunday night show.  

After The Ophelias, we were all set for Julien.  We assumed we’d be getting home pretty late since she wasn’t going on until pretty late already.  And just as the show started and we had a decent view, two people on the side of us pushed in front of us and proceeded to get all handsy.  Which is just weird and distracting.  And the one person was tall and the other person moved their head around a lot basically obscuring the stage for my daughter.

So Julien came out and I was surprised how much the show rocked.  There were flashing lights, a full band (kicking drums) and a huge sound.  Remember the last time I had seen her it was just her and a guitar and for a few songs, a violin.  So this was a massive departure, and I really liked it. Continue Reading »

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2024] Julien Baker

My wife and I saw Julien Baker open for The Decemberists back in 2017.  I had liked a few songs on her album and I was happy she opened.  Then she announced a headline tour the following year and we grabbed tickets.

We left that show unsettled and I assumed I’d never see her again.

Then she joined boygenius and I found myself enjoying her third of the trio more than the other two who I liked better before the trio formed.  My daughter became a massive fan of all three of them and Julien in particular.  

So when she announced a few shows in New York, and my daughter found resale tickets for shockingly cheap, we decided to go to the Sunday night show.  

After The Ophelias, we were all set for Julien.  We assumed we’d be getting home pretty late since she wasn’t going on until pretty late already.  And just as the show started and we had a decent view, two people on the side of us pushed in front of us and proceeded to get all handsy.  Which is just weird and distracting.  And the one person was tall and the other person moved their head around a lot basically obscuring the stage for my daughter.

So Julien came out and I was surprised how much the show rocked.  There were flashing lights, a full band (kicking drums) and a huge sound.  Remember the last time I had seen her it was just her and a guitar and for a few songs, a violin.  So this was a massive departure, and I really liked it. Continue Reading »

Posted in Julien Baker, Katie Malco, Lucy Dacus, New York City, The Ophelias, Webster Hall | Leave a Comment »

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs / Young Statues (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 8, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 8, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 8, 2024] Mass of the Fermenting Dregs / Young Statues

I saw Mass of Fermenting Dregs last year and the show was amazing.  It was at Underground Arts and it was packed and the crowd was insane.  I was really looking forward to seeing them at Union Transfer.  I knew a bigger stage would lead to an even better show (and better sight lines as I was too far back at UA).

And then Kishi Bashi announced his Philly show was going to be the same night.  And since my wife and I love Kishi Bashi, he took precedence.

The Kishi Bashi show was great, but I’m bummed to have missed MotD.  (Although looking at the setlist, it was mostly the same show.  But I still would have enjoyed it!). Continue Reading »

Posted in Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer, Young Statues | Leave a Comment »

La Luz / Mia Joy (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, October 8, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 8, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 8, 2024] La Luz / Mia Joy

It fascinates me when multiple shows that I want to see wind up on the same night.  It’s a bummer, of course, but weird, like why were there FOUR shows I would have gone to on October 8?

I know La Luz from a live Levitation recording that I really dig.  I don’t know a lot more about the band aside from the basic bio.  They are from Seattle and are known for their “surf noir” style, with layered vocal harmonies.  I didn’t know that their “energetic live shows often include Soul Train-inspired dance contests and crowd surfing.”  Which sounds really fun and makes me want to see them even more.

But again, this was the fourth show tonight and the band I knew the least, so I wasn’t going to go to this one.

Mia Joy Rocha, is an American indie rock musician from Oak Park, Illinois.  I haven’t heard of her but her music is described as ethereal indie pop that envelops the listener in a shroud of gentle, personal hymns that are both intimate & warmly inviting.

Listening to her stuff, that description seems very apt.

This would have been a delightful show.

 

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, La Luz, Mia Joy, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Sweet Loretta (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, October 8, 2024) [KISHI BASHI]

October 8, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 8, 2024] Sweet Loretta

Sweet Loretta is from England.  They’ve been around for a while but only recently released their first EP/album.  When I looked them up, the first song I heard featured Kishi Bashi.  How odd, I thought.  I liked the song–it reminds me of Kishi Bashi’s more dancey stuff.

We arrived a little later than I thought we would, so we were in the bathroom when the first song started.  Midway through the song we heard the beginning of the Star Wars theme song.  I’m not sure why, although a few songs later, guitarist/singer Fraser Blanchflower said it was singer/guitarist Quinn Humphreys’s birthday and the Star Wars bit was for him.  Very curious what happened there.

Fraser and Quinn were very funny frontmen.  I enjoyed their banter quite a lot.  Bassist James Stickland was quiet for the whole show and drummer James Clark was from time to time a maniac behind the kit, which was fun.  Quinn said that Kishi Bashi stipulated that they needed to have an album or EP out as a stipulation of touring with him.  Not sure if that’s true, but they played the entire EP (except the opening soundscape).

Musically, they were very retro in style and sound.  I felt like their songs could have been on a John Hughes movie soundtrack.   They have great harmonies with all three guys up front singing together at times in a wall of sound. Continue Reading »

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Kishi Bashi, Philadelphia, PA, Sweet Loretta, Tall Tall Trees, The Beatles | Leave a Comment »

The Ophelias (Webster Hall, New York City, NY, October 6, 2024) [JULIEN BAKER]

October 7, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2024] The Ophelias

The only thing I knew about The Ophelias before this show was this bit of information I looked up the last time I could have seen them (in 2022 they opened for Typhoon, but I didn’t go).

I love the origin story that Wikipedia gives for The Ophelias

The Ophelias are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. The group first met at a time when each were independently serving as the “token girl” in various male-fronted bands from their hometown. “Coming from varied musical backgrounds (ranging from garage-rock, to surf, to opera), the distinct talents and influences of each member collided in unexpected ways at the band’s first rehearsal. It was here the band discovered that their chemistry wasn’t rooted in a shared musical reference point, but in the creative relief from the expected censorship of being a side person.”

Although a more recent review notes Continue Reading »

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2024] The Ophelias

The only thing I knew about The Ophelias before this show was this bit of information I looked up the last time I could have seen them (in 2022 they opened for Typhoon, but I didn’t go).

I love the origin story that Wikipedia gives for The Ophelias

The Ophelias are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. The group first met at a time when each were independently serving as the “token girl” in various male-fronted bands from their hometown. “Coming from varied musical backgrounds (ranging from garage-rock, to surf, to opera), the distinct talents and influences of each member collided in unexpected ways at the band’s first rehearsal. It was here the band discovered that their chemistry wasn’t rooted in a shared musical reference point, but in the creative relief from the expected censorship of being a side person.”

Although a more recent review notes Continue Reading »

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2024] The Ophelias

The only thing I knew about The Ophelias before this show was this bit of information I looked up the last time I could have seen them (in 2022 they opened for Typhoon, but I didn’t go).

I love the origin story that Wikipedia gives for The Ophelias

The Ophelias are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. The group first met at a time when each were independently serving as the “token girl” in various male-fronted bands from their hometown. “Coming from varied musical backgrounds (ranging from garage-rock, to surf, to opera), the distinct talents and influences of each member collided in unexpected ways at the band’s first rehearsal. It was here the band discovered that their chemistry wasn’t rooted in a shared musical reference point, but in the creative relief from the expected censorship of being a side person.”

Although a more recent review notes Continue Reading »

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2024] The Ophelias

The only thing I knew about The Ophelias before this show was this bit of information I looked up the last time I could have seen them (in 2022 they opened for Typhoon, but I didn’t go).

I love the origin story that Wikipedia gives for The Ophelias

The Ophelias are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. The group first met at a time when each were independently serving as the “token girl” in various male-fronted bands from their hometown. “Coming from varied musical backgrounds (ranging from garage-rock, to surf, to opera), the distinct talents and influences of each member collided in unexpected ways at the band’s first rehearsal. It was here the band discovered that their chemistry wasn’t rooted in a shared musical reference point, but in the creative relief from the expected censorship of being a side person.”

Although a more recent review notes Continue Reading »

Posted in Julien Baker, Katie Malco, New York City, The Ophelias, Webster Hall | Leave a Comment »

Katie Malco (Webster Hall, New York City, NY, October 6, 2024) [JULIEN BAKER]

October 6, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2024] Katie Malco

My daughter has become a huge fan of boygenius.  We didn’t get to see them (well, we saw them at a festival) so when Julien Baker announced that she was playing a few shows my daughter really wanted to go.  I’m loathe to go to NYC for shows these days because of the massive hassle, but I made an exception for this (especially since there were only shows in NYC).  It turned out we were able to get surprisingly cheap resale tickets (I can’t imagine why) for the Sunday night show (the middle of three).

We left absurdly early and traffic was a nightmare!  I assumed it wouldn’t be on a Sunday but I was wrong.  I had imagined that we would get into the city an hour before doors opened and grab a bite and then mosey into the show and be maybe close to the stage.  Instead, by the time we parked (if only I had remembered that street parking was free and ample on Sundays) and walked the several blocks to Webster Hall, we were stupidly late.

We had to stand almost as far back as was possible and we had missed all but one or two songs of the Katie Malco set. Continue Reading »

[ATTENDED: October 6, 2024] Katie Malco

My daughter has become a huge fan of boygenius.  We didn’t get to see them (well, we saw them at a festival) so when Julien Baker announced that she was playing a few shows my daughter really wanted to go.  I’m loathe to go to NYC for shows these days because of the massive hassle, but I made an exception for this (especially since there were only shows in NYC).  It turned out we were able to get surprisingly cheap resale tickets (I can’t imagine why) for the Sunday night show (the middle of three).

We left absurdly early and traffic was a nightmare!  I assumed it wouldn’t be on a Sunday but I was wrong.  I had imagined that we would get into the city an hour before doors opened and grab a bite and then mosey into the show and be maybe close to the stage.  Instead, by the time we parked (if only I had remembered that street parking was free and ample on Sundays) and walked the several blocks to Webster Hall, we were stupidly late.

We had to stand almost as far back as was possible and we had missed all but one or two songs of the Katie Malco set. Continue Reading »

Posted in Julien Baker, Katie Malco, New York City, The Ophelias, Webster Hall | Leave a Comment »

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