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Menno Versteeg (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, April 22, 2025) [STEVEN PAGE TRIO]

April 22, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 22, 2025] Menno Versteeg

Menno Versteeg is a Canadian musician who fronted the awesomely-named (but I’ve never heard or heard of) Hollerado.  I wasn’t aware of him until this show, and I’m not sure how “big” he is in Canada.

Menno was very funny–a lighthearted storyteller (even if the stories were kind of dark).  Sadly, we walked in during the first song (WCL can be a real pain to get to), but we didn’t miss much.

It was him and his acoustic guitar playing songs from Why We Run, his debut solo album–although he has released music under the name Mav Carlo as well.

His songs were about a rough life as a youth in Canada

We would to drink enough whatever there was
To kill a clydesdale every night
But we’d do enough drugs and punching,
To bring that same horse back to life  [from Videostore]

There was a country vibe, but like most of Canadian country music, there wasn’t that awful twang in the vocals.

I particularly enjoyed the two dog songs.  The 4o some second I Got a Dog which is (entirely):

My mother is dyslexic
Sometimes her letters switch around
She failed grade 10 like a good artist does
And passed those ğood ġenes down
She faints plowers, like she saints pun-sets
Haints her Peart when She bolds a hush
And she assured me I would rind my dog
When I wasn’t in a fush

And then Bad Dog was a funny song story about a real bad dog–but Menno loves him still. Continue Reading »

Posted in Barenaked Ladies, Craig Northey, Hollerado, Kevin Fox, Menno Versteeg, Philadelphia, PA, Steven Page, World Cafe Live | Leave a Comment »

L.S. Dunes (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, April 21, 2025)

April 22, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 21, 2025] L.S. Dunes

My son and I saw L.S. Dunes open for Pierce the Veil back in 2023.  We knew a little about them and then the merch guy told us that we would really like them.  But, as seems  to happen at the Santander Arena, the opening bands are just lost in the acoustics of the place.

So when this show was announced I grabbed tickets assuming that we’d like them a lot more if we could actually hear them.

Perhaps the coolest thing of all was that I won a contest on Instagram which gave me two signed posters from the band (strangely enough, one of this posters is not signed by one of the members, but that’s okay).  It was definitely a cool souvenir.

We missed the opening band Night Sins entirely.  And the place was PACKED.  I felt lucky that I could squeeze into the ADA seating area because if I couldn’t we’d have been crowded even further back.  It was not the ideal location–I really assumed we’d be really close to the stage.  And I was a little bummed to be relatively far from the stage–although I think it would have been way too crowded up front.

However, the crowd was 100% into it and it was kind of fun to be behind the crowd and see all of the fun.

We knew Frank Iero the best in the band (being MCR fans).  I feel like I should have known Anthony Green and Circa Survive, but I didn’t know them at all.  We had seen drummer Tucker Rule and bassist Tim Payne from Thursday, but I didn’t really know at all. We were closest to guitarist Travis Stever who plays in Coheed and Cambria–someone I’ve wanted to see but haven’t.  His soloing was great.

I had listened to the new album once or twice but didn’t really know their music all that well.  But I knew it would be great.  I loved the way Like Magick started slowly with Anthony Green singing over strummed chords and then boom, the song took off.  Fatal Deluxe showed the dichotomy of Green’s vocals–screamed intensity and then quieter very high-pitched vocals. Continue Reading »

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, From Indian Lakes, L.S. Dunes, Night Sins | Leave a Comment »

The Linda Lindas / Pinkshift (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 21, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 21, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 21, 2025] The Linda Lindas / Pinkshift

When I saw this lineup, I assumed that The Linda Lindas were opening for Pinkshift.  But of course it makes a lot more sense that The Linda Lindas would be headlining since they are well known and opened for The Rolling Stones.

I got to see The Linda Lindas when they played The Foundry.  It was fun, they were fun, and I had a great time.  I wasn’t sure if I’d need to see them again so when they played Union Transfer (a huge jump) that was a good test for if I needed to see them again and the answer was not really.

Nothing against them and I wish them much success but I got to see it once and that was good enough for me.

I’ve seen Pinkshift three or four times now and I enjoy their energy and politics.  The last time I saw them I didn’t have quite as much fun for some reason so even they didn’t make me want to go to this show.

I’ll bet it rocked though.

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Pinkshift, The Linda Lindas, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

From Indian Lakes (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, April 21, 2025) [L.S. DUNES]

April 21, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: August 3, 2025] From Indian Lakes

My son and I saw L.S. Dunes open for Pierce the Veil back in 2023.  We knew a little about them and then the merch guy told us that we would really like them.  But, as seems  to happen at the Santander Arena, the opening bands are just lost in the acoustics of the place.

But I was intrigued enough to want to check them out in Asbury Lanes.  My son and I went for dinner before the show and by the time we found parking, we had missed opening band Night Sins entirely.  And the place was PACKED.  I felt lucky that I could squeeze into the ADA seating area because if I couldn’t we’d have been crowded even further back.  Although I will say that it was not the ideal location–I really assumed we’d be really close to the stage.  And while we weren’t far away, it wasn’t ideal.

By the time we had fully settled in, From Indian Lakes were almost done.  I didn’t know anything about either band, but I was interested in them both and a little bummed to have missed them.

A brief bio: they released their first record since 2019 mid last year, which falls under a shoegaze, indie rock type of genre. The latest album of Head Void was a lot heavier than Dimly Lit in 2019, but compared to L.S. Dunes it’s quite tame.  They are apparently the brainchild of lead singer Joe Vann (Joey Vannucchi) and I don’t know who else was on stage with them.

Joe was totally understated as a front man, but he was also pretty funny, replying to fans shouting things and generally keeping the mood light.  He also had a very funny attitude about talking–just don’t offend anyone and it’s a win.  We saw about three songs in full and I really liked their vibe–very chill and shoegazey.  Although, live there was a harsher element than the soft shimmer of the album.

Overall I enjoyed what little I heard, and I’ve found that I enjoy their albums quite a bit too. Continue Reading »

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, From Indian Lakes, L.S. Dunes, Night Sins | Leave a Comment »

Fern Brady (NJPAC–Victoria Theater, Newark, NJ, April 19, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 19, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 19, 2025] Fern Brady

I have made a list of all of comedians from Taskmaster who I would like to see live.  It’s not everyone of course (some of them don’t do stand up and some I don’t think I would enjoy).  And then we started watching Taskmaster Australia and Taskmaster New Zealand, and I’ve added a dozen or so more to that list.

Fern Brady was the first comedian to be playing in the area and I found out about the show too late to take advantage of it.  Plus it was the same day as a special event in our house.

So, I would have liked to go, but it wasn’t going to happen.  I hope she comes back.

Posted in Fern Brady, Newark, NJ, Set in New Jersey!, Taskmaster | Leave a Comment »

The Dead Milkmen / The Ditches / The Rectors / EDO (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 18 & 19, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 18, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 18 & 19, 2025] The Dead Milkmen / The Ditches / The Rectors / EDO

I saw The Dead Milkmen last year at Underground Arts and it was great–so much fun to hear these old songs that I loved and to see they still had great charisma.

I already had tickets to see L.S. Dunes on April 18 so I couldn’t go that night.  And the 19th is a special night in our house–no going out.  But I’m happy to know that The Milkmen are still playing live from time to time.  I hope to see them in 2026.

The Ditches played both nights.  The Rectors played on the 18th and EDO played on the 19th.

The Ditches says thy play garage Americana from Bucks County, PA.

The Rectors are a psychobilly band from Philly.  They play pretty fast but do have the rockabilly vibe.  I could see The Dead Milkmen enjoying them.

EDO in an article from WXPN

Since their formation at St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD back in 1987 – they moved to Philly soon after graduation – the band has continuously defied norms and expectations. Somewhere between Frank Zappa’s matter-of-fact weirdness, the Butthole Surfers’ freakout rock, and the outer space groove of Parliament Funkadelic, EDO (the meaning of the name has been lost to history) occupies a singular position in Philly punk history, even if you’ve never heard of them.

And here’s what someone else wrote about EDO

Some people say EDO is the house band on Pluto. Some people say EDO is more confusing than two cats and a barbershop.

They have a song called Upper Darby (Gives Me the Creeps) which makes me laugh in title alone.

They are clearly insane–someone describes them as the Delconian Primus.  I’s never heard of them until this announcement and now I sure hope to see them live someday.

Sounds like a couple of wild nights.

Here’s a recording of EDO uploaded by EDO

As for the Milkmen:

Alyssa Forester recorded the entire show on the 18th

DirtyMovies76 recorded the whole show on the 19th

Posted in EDO, Philadelphia, PA, The Dead Milkmen, The Ditches, The Rectors, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Lucy Dacus (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 16, 2025)

April 16, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 16, 2025] Lucy Dacus 

I have seen Lucy Dacus quite a few (six) times and she always puts on a mesmerizing show. The first time I saw her was at Johnny Brenda’s (capacity 250), the most recent was at Union Transfer (capacity 1200).  And now here she was starting off her first tour after boygenius in her former home town of Philadelphia by playing The Met (capacity 3800).

And, wow, did she step it up for this bigger venue.  She had a gigantic backdrop designed to look like a museum wall.  There were picture frames and columns and it looked amazing.  And even this was presented theatrically as for the openers and for Lucy’s first song, the whole extravaganza was covered in a dropcloth.  The band even walked through the dropcloth opening at the center of the backdrop.  When it dramatically dropped away, the crowd went nuts.

And as she sang, one (or more) of the frames would display a picture that had something to do with the song she was playing.

Because this was the Forever is a Feeling tour, she played mostly songs from that new album (she played the whole album, but not in order).  The album opens with Calliope Prelude and so did the show.  It’s a short instrumental which is primarily strings and it worked very nicely as “walk on” music.

And then she launched right into Hot & Heavy, a song that opens quietly but builds really nicely to get the whole band involved.  I was surprised that she hadn’t opened with a song from the new album, but she followed that up with five songs in a row from it.  The band includes Sarah Goldstone (keys vocals), Dominic Angelella (bass), Alan Good Parker Guitars), Phoenix Rousiamanis (violin), and Ricardo Lagomasino (drums).

First was Ankles, the big single from the album–I’m always surprised when bands play their new single so early, but it worked to keep the energy up.  This also happened to be the first Lucy album I hadn’t listened to much before the show.  So I didn’t know these new songs all that well.  But Lucy is engrossing as a performer.  And it’s fun to hear a sing for the first time in a live setting.  Like hearing the words to Modigliani–while she projected a Modigliani painting on the screen. Continue Reading »

Posted in Boygenius, Jasmine.4.T, Katie Gavin, Lucy Dacus, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Katie Gavin (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, April 16, 2025) [LUCY DACUS]

April 16, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 16, 2025] Katie Gavin 

I Katie Gavin is the singer for Muna.  I didn’t really like the Muna album that much when it came out, but I was really impressed by their live show when I saw them at All Things Go a few years ago.

I felt kind of the same about the Katie Gavin album.  It was okay, but it didn’t excite me all that much.

In fact, I really wanted to see Jasmine.4.T because their song Elephant is one of my favorites this year.  Sadly, I didn’t realize the show started at 7:15 (I assumed 8) and when we rolled up at 7:45, Jasmine.4.T had already ended.

When Katie came out, she was met by thunderous applause, and as soon as she started performing, I was once again blown away by her stage presence.  She joked that people might not know who she is (the applause belied that).

I didn’t love Katie’s album as it leans a little too alt-country for me.  But as with anyone whose albums lean alt-country but who also rock out, in a live setting, the rocking comes to the fore.  And her four-piece band was outstanding, Both bassist Nana Adjoa and guitarist Eric Radloff provided backing vocals.  Adjoa even took a verse or two of some songs (she has a wonderful voice). Continue Reading »

Posted in Jasmine.4.T, Katie Gavin, Lucy Dacus, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Mercury Rev / Ryley Walker (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, April 16, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 16, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 16, 2025] Mercury Rev / Ryley Walker

I enjoyed Mercury Rev’s 1990s albums.  But the 2000s records lost me.  I was surprised that they were playing Johnny Brenda’s since Deserters Songs was a relatively big album.  But they really haven’t done anything much since then.

I wouldn’t mind seeing them live but this one wasn’t very appealing to me.

I’ve seen Ryley Walker a few times.  I’ve seen him play weird psychedelic instrumental jamming and I’ve seen him play rocking songs as well.  I’m not sure which way he went with this show–probably more traditional songs I’d assume.

I wasn’t all that interested in this show, but I was taking my daughter to see Lucy Dacus tonight anyhow, so it didn’t make much difference.

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Mercury Rev, Philadelphia, PA, Ryley Walker | Leave a Comment »

Tomato Flower / Zero Point Energy / Flock Econo (Silk City, Philadelphia, PA, April 15, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 15, 2025 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 15, 2025] Tomato Flower / Zero Point Energy / Flock Econo

I saw Tomato Flower open for Melt-Banana.  I didn’t know who they were but I loved them from the start.  Their songs were jagged and indie, weird and delightful.  They reminded me of Palm (one of my favorite weirdo bands) for the unexpected shifts in tempo and direction.  They had two singers Jamison Murphy and Austyn Wohlers (who is also a novelist) to make it all the more unexpected.

I absolutely wanted to see them again.  I couldn’t believe there were actually five shows I wanted to go to tonight.  But this one topped the list, especially since Silk City is small and has decent sight lines.

But my wife was still recovering from her surgery and I was planning on taking my daughter to a show the following night so I stayed home and missed them all.  I hope Tomato Flower comes back.

But, damn.  What bad timing.  I do hope they come back again in a couple of years.

Zero Point Energy is a Brooklyn-based duo consisting of Genesis Edenfield and Ben Jackson with a sound described as earthy electronic dance.  That’s a bio phrase but it works. They seem weirdly divergent from Tomato Flower, but there’s nothing wrong with that.  I don’t know what they’d do live, but I did like the songs I listened to.

Flock Econo is from Philadelphia.  Matt Loretti is Flock Econo and he says “Flock Econo emerges from an alternate timeline scored by Musica Popular Brasileira and ‘80s sophisti-pop. Sprung from his hermetically sealed chamber, a fool croons over bubbling syncopation and harmonies which meander, serpentine, before finding their way home.”   The songs I listened to were lo-fi and again don’t really seem like they’d play with Tomato Flower.  But who knows.

Either way, I’d love to see Tomato Flower again.

Posted in Flock Econo, Philadelphia, PA, Silk City, Tomato Flower, Zero Point Energy | Leave a Comment »

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