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Sasami / Jia Pet (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 4, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 4, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 12, 2025] Sasami / Jia Pet

A couple of years ago Sasami did a tour for her metal-adjacent album and it was wild.  I am so bummed I missed it.  I was pretty psyched to see her open for Destroy Boys.  But her sound has changed since that album and she is now in a far more poppy style of music.

I enjoyed her show–she’s still amazing performer, and I liked the music, but not as much as I liked the previous album.

This show coincided with my tickets for The Damned anyway, so she didn’t stand a chance,

Jia Pet plays poppy dance music.  It’s satisfying.  But I can’t find anything out about her. Here’s a review of her show in Dallas

First up was Jia Pet, an as of yet little-known solo musician whose drum and bass influence drives her tongue-in-cheek, ultra-sweet indie pop sound. The preface she gave to her first song, explaining that it was about “the rice in a rice cooker having a party,” established a whimsical mood for her set. To emphasize her bubbly personality, she brought out a bubble gun during her performance and gave new meaning to the term “pop music.”

The full review and photos makes it look like she still puts on a really fun show.  Maybe next time.

Posted in Jia Pet, Philadelphia, PA, Sasami, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Frank Turner / Katacombs (Crossroads, Garwood, NJ, May 3, 2025[early & late show]) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 3, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 3, 3025] Frank Turner / Katacombs

Frank Turner loves playing Crossroads. Any time he’s playing in the area he sems to make a point of hitting this venue.  Where it’s super late (he went on at 11PM last time) or playing two shows in a day.

The problem is that he often announces the show and it sells out before I even find out about it.  That’s what happened tonight.

Which is fine because we were off to see a performance at my son’s school today anyhow.  But still, I need a little more notice to see this guy again.

Katacombs is the name Katerina Kiranos landed on after years of building sculptural furniture of bone and wood. Born in Miami to a Spanish mother and Greek father, she spent the majority of her early life bouncing between multiple cultures and wanting to adapt.

I’ve listened to a couple of songs and really like her vibe.  Acoustic but with Spanish elements (sometimes singing in Spanish, sometimes in English).  I need to keep an eye on her to see if she plays around here again.  Although, like with Frank, Id like to see her with a band rather than solo.

And then on the day of the show, they had to move the venue!  Here’s what Frank wrote

I am stoked to be back in the USA again, and was very much looking forward to two shows at Crossroads, NJ, tomorrow. I love the venue and the folks there are dear friends.

HOWEVER. Due to circumstances beyond my and their control, the venue has had to close for the weekend. There’s nothing we can do about this, and my heart goes out to my Crossroads friends.

BUT FEAR NOT. I’m here, I have my guitar, the show must go on! So it is that, after some incredible work from my team and theirs, we’ve managed to throw a last minute replacement show together. There will now be ONE show, at Black Box @ Williams Centre in Rutherford NJ, tomorrow night. Doors at 7pm, support from Katacombs, all ages welcome.

All tickets from Crossroads will be refunded. The show tomorrow night will have a cover charge of $25 to cover the venue’s costs. You can get them at the link in my stories or at the door; it’s a 600 capacity room so everyone who was coming to Garwood should be able to get in. Please do spread the word about this as much as you can.

Thanks all for bearing with us on this one. It’s not the ideal situation, but there WILL be a show, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all there.

Posted in Crossroads, Frank Turner, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Garwood, NJ, Katacombs, Philadelphia, PA, Rutherford NJ, Williams Center | Leave a Comment »

Nice Work If You Can Get It (Bart Luedeke Center Theater: Rider University, May 3, 2025)

May 3, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 3, 2025] Nice Work If You Can Get It

This was our second musical performance at Rider University.  Their theater program is fantastic and this entire performance was great.

The singers have great voices.  The actors have excellent timing.  And the spotlight on a tap performance was really fantastic.

Many of these performers have gone onto Broadway in varying roles.  And it really shows.

We have said of both of these shows that I’m sure there would be a difference between seeing this show on Broadway as opposed to a college.  Bigger budget, bigger stars, for instance.  But it would be hard to improve on the quality of the performances.

Comedy, Farce – A new take on the 1920s musical farce, Nice Work If You Can Get It features the iconic music of George and Ira Gershwin. Billie Bendix, a tough-as-nails bootlegger, and wealthy playboy Jimmy Winter, meet on the weekend of his impending wedding. Jimmy has a habit of marrying chorus girls, but needs to settle down with a respectable woman before his mother will hand over the family business. He has gotten engaged to Eileen Evergreen, the self-proclaimed finest interpreter of modern dance, hoping that this will be a better choice than his usual chorus dancer. Needing somewhere to stash 400 bottles of gin, Billie swipes Jimmy’s wallet and hides her stash in his empty Long Island beach house. However, when the wedding party arrives at the beach house, the bootleggers must juggle the guests and their business.

I wanted to include the cast here in case we wind up seeing anyone on Broadway some day Continue Reading »

Posted in Bart Luedeke Center Theater, Nice Work If You Can Get It | Leave a Comment »

Gigi Perez [FREE AT NOON] (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia Pa, May 2, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 2, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 2, 2025] Gigi Perez [FREE AT NOON]

My daughter and I saw Gigi Perez when she opened for Girl in Red.  She was great and I was interested in seeing her again.

She announced a show at the TLA, but I had a ticket for DEVO who I was not going to pass up.  Then they said she’d be doing a Free at Noon, so I grabbed a ticket for it.  But the day of, my wife stayed home from work, so I stayed home too.  We listened online and I found that she was solo and I didn’t like her as much solo.  So I was glad I didn’t go.

Since then, I have seen her open for Hozier and play a set at All Things Go, so I have certainly gotten mu fill of Gigi.  And since I like her band stuff better, I don’t mind having missed  the Free at Noon.

Posted in Free at Noon, Gigi Perez, Philadelphia, PA, tUnE-yArDs, World Cafe Live | Leave a Comment »

Niis / Pollyanna (Foto Club, Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 2, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 2, 2025] Niis / Pollyanna 

I was supposed to see Pollyanna open for Pinkshift a couple of years ago.  The date that I was going was rescheduled and a different band opened.  But I have been fairly obsessed with Pollyanna ever since.

They pay noisy, aggressive (yet catchy) punk and are politically motivated.

I’ve been following them online and didn’t even consider that they were not the headliners of this show.  Especially since I hadn’t heard of Niis.

But since reading about them, I’ve checked out Niis and really liked them.  They remind me a lot of the earlier unpolished Hole.  But with a real old school hardcore vibe thrown in.

NIIS—pronounced “Nice”— synthesizes the sounds of punk, hardcore, lo-fi garage, and early grunge…  Mimi, the band’s fierce ringleader, uses her guttural screams to orally dissert capitalism and sociopolitical constructs.

This sounds like it would have been a great show.  But I had been out the night before and was going out the following night, so I had to give it a pass  Bummer.  I hope to see both bands in the future.

Posted in Foto Club, Niis, Philadelphia, PA, Pollyanna | Leave a Comment »

Devo (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, May 1, 2025)

May 1, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 1, 2025] DEVO

As with most people my age, Devo has been (intentionally or not) part of my life for most of my life.  Even if I didn’t know their earlist stuff, Whip It was unavoidable in the days of MTV.

I never considered seeing them.  In fact I hadn’t really thought about them at all since college.  But a few years ago we saw a Mark Mothersbaugh exhibit in a Denver Museum and I went on a really deep dive of his stuff (and obviously I know he makes all kinds of great soundtracks).

Devo has played live over the last decade, but this was their first time playing Philly since 2008.  And I had heard that the shows on this tour were great.  So I was excited to see them.

And what a show!  They’ve always been a very visual band and this continued in their live show.  And the crowd responded in kind.  There were many people dressed in yellow jump suits.  There were countless energy domes, including one that a guy custom fit the inside with duct tape and other gadgets so it fit him perfectly (he of course had on a yellow jump suit too).

It opened with a funny video showing a where are they now look at the guy who tried to make them stars in the 1970s.  (Very funny, but also quite pointed).

They opened with one of their “new” songs (from 2010) which I vaguely knew.   And the backdrop was a full scale visual assault of colors and videos.

The band were dressed in black suit jacket and pants (with Devo printed on the lapel).  Mark Mothersbaugh looks a lot like Steve Martin now which is somehow even more fun. Continue Reading »

Posted in Devo, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Sparta / Moondough / Demmers / Elliot Fullam (Crossroads, Garwood, NJ, May 1, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 1, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 1, 2025] Sparta / Moondough / Demmers / Elliot Fullam

I really enjoyed seeing Sparta last year.  The songs were intense and great.  So when they announced this tour of the Porcelain album, I was on board.  I especially wanted to go to Crossroads because it’s relatively close to me.  But this show was th same night as Devo.  And I wasn’t missing out on them.

Moondough is the recording name of one guy.

Ken Raymundo is a talented Multi-Instrumental, Singer/Song Writer from Southern California, that goes by ‘Moondough’. Possessing a unique range of musical influences, he has created a signature sound that highlights his soulful melodies, smooth guitar progressions, and funky bass lines.

Doesn’t seem like someone that should open for Sparta, but who knows.  The rest of the lineup is also all over the place.

Demmers are from New Jersey.  Their brief bio says hardcore kids in non hardcore places.  But they are in fact older guys who have played in other bands.  They have one song out on bandcamp.  I like the music but not the singer.

Elliot Fullam is from New Jersey.  He reminds me of Elliot Smith–a whispered kind of vocal style over picked guitar.  Huh, he’s also an actor who played Jonathan Shaw in the horror films Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3

Posted in Crossroads, Demmers, Elliot Fullam, Garwood, NJ, Moondough, Sparta | Leave a Comment »

Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory / Love Spells (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 30, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 30, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 30, 2025] Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory / Love Spells

It’s been a roller coaster of hits and misses with Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory this year.  I didn’t love Sharon’s previous two albums, so I wasn’t that interested in this show when it was announced.   But when they said she’d be doing a Free at Noon, I went and LOVED the new band and sound.  I thought about getting tickets to this show, but it had sold out.

Later in the summer my wife and I saw her headline XPoNential Fest and she was great.  Then my daughter and I missed her at All Things Go.

I don’t know how different her Union Transfer show was from her XPoNential Fest show, but the Fest show was so good, I don’t mind missing this one.

Love Spells is the mystic lovechild of 20-year-old singer-songwriter Sir Taegen C’aion Harris. Born and raised in Houston, TX, Harris marries ethereal vocals, delicate percussion, and soothing guitar riffs into a dreamy & nostalgic fusion of indie rock, psychedelia, and dream pop.

I listened to a song and it was soft and dream with whispery vocals.  A nice moody accompaniment to Sharon’s songs.

 

Posted in James, Love Spells, Philadelphia, PA, Sharon Van Etten, Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 26, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 26, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT AnicTTEND: April 26, 2025] Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

I saw Nick Cave back in 2017 and it was a great show an a terrible show at the same time.  Nick was great but the crowd around me was so annoying.  And a lot of things went wrong that kept me from getting there at a reasonable hour, so I was really far back.  Blah Blah Blah.

I don’t really like Nick’s newest, mellow, sad album.  I hadn’t even listened to this new one.   And since this was the tour for this album, I didn’t really plan to get tickets.  I did look at them when they were announced and they were really expensive.  So I didn’t even bother getting a ticket.

Looks like he did play songs I wanted to hear and I’m sure the crowd would have been better behaved.  But it’s totally fine that I didn’t go.

Posted in Nick Cave, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Beach Bunny / Pool Kids (The Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 26, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 26, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 26, 2025] Beach Bunny / Pool Kids

I have seen Beach Bunny with my daughter three times.  Her shows are a lot off fun, so when she announced this show, I was sure my daughter would like to go to.

But as the night approached my daughter was too busy to go.  I offered the ticket to my wife, but although we had just gone to a seated show, she did not feel up to going to a GA show. So we stayed home instead.

Pool Kids are one of my favorite young bands, who I actually first saw when the opened for Beach Bunny at Pier 17.  This really was a great double bill and I’m bummed to have missed it.  But I did get tickets to see Pool Kids headline in September, and I’m sure Beach Bunny will be back soon.

 

 

Posted in Beach Bunny, Philadelphia, PA, Pool Kids, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

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