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Nekrogoblikon (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2026) [HANABIE]

March 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 21, 2026] Nekrogoblikon

My son and his friend went to see Nekrogoblikon back in 2023.  I had wanted to see them, but opted not to tag along.  So I was pretty happy that the goblin band were opening this set.

I didn’t know much about them except that they had a goblin in the band.  And, indeed, they do.  They inflated a giant goblin head in the middle of the stage and after a few minutes the band came out.

I couldn’t see the keyboardist on the far side at all (because of the goblin head), but I was on the perfect side for seeing John Goblikon.  Evidently the band has changed over the years.  I assumed that John Goblikon was just a mascot or something.  But now he actually sings.  And the really surprising thing is that he sings clean vocals while the human singer sings insanely unclean vocals. And, actually that’s where the problem was for me.  Dickie Allen doesn’t growl or sing in a deep way.  Instead, his vocals are at the higher end of things and sound kind of strangled.  On record it’s weird and maybe a little funny.   But live, he sang so fast that I genuinely didn’t know if he was singing words or just making off-putting goblin sounds.

But when John Goblikon sang, he had a really good voice and his parts were surprisingly catchy.  In fact, most of the songs were pretty catchy. I just hated hearing the main singer sing.

Because John Goblikon was pretty funny–a convincing goblin mask and hands and he danced around and made rude gestures.  There was someone near me with a Nekrogoblikon hat (green with pointy ears), so there were definitely some fans.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Enterprise Earth, Hanabie, Nekrogoblikon, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

Enterprise Earth (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2026) [HANABIE]

March 21, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 21, 2026] Enterprise Earth

I was surprised that this show was scheduled to start at 7.  I made it to South St and realized I hadn’t been to a show on South St on a Saturday night in a really long time. On a weeknight it’s usually not too hard to get a decent spot, but on a Saturday night–yikes.  I was lucky to score the last ADA spot a few blocks away.

By the time I got to the venue it was like 6:45.  I had actually thought that if I missed Enterprise Earth it would be fine, but the place was PACKED, so I’m glad I got there so early–I was able to sneak up to near the stage on the side safely away from a potential mosh pit.

I didn’t know Enterprise Earth who are from Spokane WA.  They are a deathcore band and have been around since 2014.  Huh, interestingly, none of the original members are in the band anymore.  And their singer and bassist joined in 2021.  And their drummer joined in 2024.  Fascinating.  The longest tenured member joined in 2017.

They are very heavy with growled vocals, but a lot of high guitar riffs thrown into the overall heaviness.  The crowd was properly into them.

They were pretty great as an opening band because they did everything they could to get the crowd moving.  During every song singer Travis Worland, encouraged or demanded either horns up, or a circle pit or crowd surfing or whatever else he could demand of people. Continue Reading »

Posted in Enterprise Earth, Hanabie, Nekrogoblikon, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

Zeta (Ukie Club, Philadelphia, PA, March 20, 2026)

March 21, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 20, 2026] Zeta

I’ve been a big fan of Zeta since I encountered them about 3 years ago.  I’ve now seen them 4 times and they never disappoint.  This was a tour for their tenth year of touring the US (when they left Venezuela).  I spoke to drummer Chino (who is their merch guy too) and said I was impressed that they were doing this for ten years and he said, they’d been touring the US for ten years but they’ve been a band since 2003 (which by my calculation, means he started the band when he was 13).

My son came with me to their previous headline show and really liked them.  This time I didn’t get him a ticket because we were going to Hanabie the next night.  But his plans changed and he wanted to come with me to this show, which was awesome.

By the time Zeta went on, the crowd had filled in somewhat (but, oof, what a large venue to have about 50 people show up).  Despite the small crowd, the band put on a killer show.

But the first surprise was that they were playing as a trio.  After a song, Bassist Antonio Pereira told us that Dani (their exciting guitarist/keyboardist) was staying in Venezuela because of the new T**** immigration policies.  Fuck, man, that guy ruins everything.  So, that meant the band had to redesign their songs for the stage without their most versatile member. Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Sodaseas, The Ukie Club, Zeta | Leave a Comment »

Sodaseas (Ukie Club, Philadelphia, PA, March 20, 2026) [ZETA]

March 20, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 20, 2026] Sodaseas

Sodaseas is from Philadelphia.  I can’t decide if their name has some meaning beyond the apparent seas full of soda image that comes up.  It speaks to the kind of melting pot and scene that Philly has that the band’s members come from Mexico, Venezuela, Chicago, Texas, California, South Carolina, and Baltimore.  And it should come as no surprise that they sing in Spanish and in English.

They are a six-piece band with all kinds of fun instrumentation.  Alex Ramirez sang (and screamed) lead vocals and played acoustic guitars. Next was Scarlet Brigham who played viola and sang backup on a song or two.  On the far side was Paul Awdisho on bass.  In the back was Vasco Madrid on drums.  In front of us was Brent Mackesey on electric guitar (mostly lead) and in the middle was Sasha Perlman on percussion.  The percussion was primarily a djembe (or something like it) but also included an array of electronic sound effects and samples.

I note this in particular because the electronics were WAY TOO LOUD.  This seemed like the kind of thing that could have been fixed. In fact, the electronics were coming from an amp on the stage and I could have easily walked up and turned it down a bit.  Sadly, sound was a bit of an issue for them the whole set.  The acoustic guitar was possibly not plugged in at first and I was a little bummed that I couldn’t hear Alex’s voice clearly except during the quietest moments.  I’m a little surprised because I’ve been to the Ukie Club a few times and never noticed a sound issue before. Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Sodaseas, The Ukie Club, Zeta | Leave a Comment »

Patton Oswalt (Helium Comedy Club, Philadelphia, PA, March 19 & 20, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 20, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 19 & 20, 2026] Patton Oswalt

I didn’t realize how much I like Patton Oswalt until recently.  He’s sort of always been there and I’ve always enjoyed him, but since I started following him on Instagram, I realized how funny his stand up is.

When they announced these two shows I was surprised that he was playing at The Helium Club which seems really small for someone of his stature.  Of course I don’t know how comedy touring works at all, so maybe this is the size venue he normally plays.  Well, anyway he sold out both nights, so it clearly works for him.

I wanted to go but I already had tickets to an event on the 19th and when I saw there was a show on the 20th, it was already sold out.

I hope he comes back around, but in the meantime, I have Instagram.

Posted in Helium Comedy Club, Patton Oswalt, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Sweet Pill / Heart to Gold / Spaced (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, March 19, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 19, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 19, 2026] Sweet Pill / Heart to Gold / Spaced

I missed Sweet Pill when they surprise opened for Pool Kids at the Ukie Club and since then I’ve been trying to catch them. I missed them two years ago when they played Union Transfer (that show is up on YouTube–see below).  Then they opened for Zeta at the Ukie club–a show I really wanted to go to but couldn’t make.

So this was an album release show for their new record and I was pretty psyched to go.  And then my son came home from college and I had a bunch of other commitments to take care of so I couldn’t make it either.

The funny thing is that my friend’s daughter whom I ran into at a Pool Kids show a few months ago loves Sweet Pill and she was at the show–it would have been crazy to run into her again.

Sweet Pill actually reminds me a lot of Pool Kids–similar impressive guitar work (finger tapping!) and great strong female vocals.  I really want to see them before they get too huge.

It turns out that Sweet Pill cancelled the rest of the tour a few days later for personal reasons.  I hope everything’s okay with them.  And I also hope that when they reschedule the tour, they throw in an other Philly show so I can see them.

Heart to Gold is from Minnesota and they play a similar kind of upbeat sounding punk with big guitars.  I guess they’re calling it high energy emo punk.  Whatever it’s called, I dig it

Spaced is a hardcore band from Buffalo.  They are certainly heavier than the other two bands and probably got the crowd really revved up.  Short songs, loud vocals.  Fun stuff.

I’m definitely bummed to have missed this show.

 

 

Posted in Heart to Gold, Philadelphia, PA, Spaced, Sweet Pill, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

The Hives / The Chats (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, March 16, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 16, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 16, 2026] The Hives / The Chats

When The Hives released their second album, I, like so many people, fell in love with the punchy songs and cool black and white look.

They have been touring from time to time.  I could have seen them last year but I was already booked that night.  I was more interested in seeing them this year because it seemed to be more of a greatest hits kind of tour rather than for an album.

But I went out last night and my son was home for spring break, so I didn’t want to be out too much.  Luckily I hadn’t bought a ticket for this so no biggie.

The Chats are from Australia.  They play what they call “shed rock”  They play old-school dumb punk rock about beer, smokes and fast cars.  The singer also retains his Australian accent which is fun.  They seem like a perfect opening act for The Hives.

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, The Chats, The Fillmore Philadelphia, The Hives | Leave a Comment »

An Evening with Mike Gordon (Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA, March 15, 2026)

March 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: November 28, 2016] Mike Gordon

When Mike Gordon announced a short March tour and one of the stops was Union Transfer, I immediately grabbed a ticket.  I have very warm memories of the last time I saw him.  I assumed it was like six years ago so I was really surprised to discover it was actually TEN.  I was also surprised to see that he had played UT in 2018 and I wondered why I didn’t go (I had tickets to Nada Surf that night).  But it has been 8 years since Mike has been here.

The 2016 lineup was guitarist Scott Murawski, percussionist Craig Myers, drummer John Kimock and keyboardist Robert Walter.

This years lineup was similar but different: guitarist Bob Wagner, guitarist Xavier Lynn, drummer John Kimock and keyboardist Robert Walter.

Like last time, Mike and friends played for almost 3 hours (a brief intermission in the middle).  And like last time, Mike didn’t do a lot of soloing–he’s not a show offy bassist, although he does play some great stuff–he always has a great groove and I enjoy when he messes with his pedal effects to create a variety of sounds.

There was a line to get in, but it moved quickly and when I got in the merch line was really short.  My wife had bought me a poster tube since I like posters so much and I actually brought it with me this time.  But while I stood there (and I could see into the hall) nothing was happening.  Then I saw that the card reader wasn’t working and these two guys were trying to fix it.  With a few minutes before the showtime, I quit the line and went in.  I had a great spot right in front of Mike.  Although the people around me were pretty odd.

One guy had a stuffed doll with him and he kept holding it up trying to take a picture of it with the band (which I get but holy cow he did it like 30 times).  After he moved away, the spot was constantly being filled by other people who really had no regard for personal space (which might just be a Phish thing). Continue Reading »

Posted in Phish, Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, Mike Gordon | Leave a Comment »

Rainbow Kitten Surprise / Common People (Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ, March 13, 2026//The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, March 14, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 13, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 13 & 14, 2026] Rainbow Kitten Surprise / Common People

With a name like Rainbow Kitten Surprise,  I thought this band would be a lot weirder.  I liked some of the songs I’d heard back in 2023 but they cancelled that tour.  Fever Pitch was a cool song with interesting components–lots of fun things going on in under 3 minutes.

The rest of their songs are similarly unexpected, and yet they aren’t quite as compelling.  I have heard  that their live show is unforgettable, but I had a lot going on and my son had just come home from school, so I blew off this show.

Common People are a newly formed band (2025) and they have a oxymoronically named classic indie sound.  They have five songs on Tidal and I like all of them.  Catchy, garagey, a good sound.  Fuzzy guitar solos, I’ll keep an eye on them because I’m definitely interested.

Posted in Common People, Montclair, NJ, Philadelphia, PA, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, The Met Philadelphia, Wellmont Theater | Leave a Comment »

Yasmin Williams with The Dream Quartet (Berlind Theater, Princeton, NJ, March 12, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 12, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 12, 2026] Yasmin Williams

I saw Yasmin Williams open for Michael Kiwanuka.  But she started early and I missed all but her last song.  It was wild fingerpicked guitar (she lays the guitar on her lap and has a kalimba at the end of it as well.  So much fun to watch.

I was psyched that she announced a show at McCarter and I snatched up two tickets.  But my son came home from college that night and we decided to stay in and celebrate his homecoming instead.

When I saw her she was solo.  For this show, she played with The Dream Quartet who I had never heard of.  Their bio says

The New York City based Dream String Quartet quartet is made up of founding members Malachi Brown, Dwayne Beach, Elizabeth Hendy, and Maggy Simon. The quartet was built on desire to invent, curiosity to experiment, and passion to collaborate. True to our name, we are dreamers at heart, dedicated to sharing our music and art with the world. The quartet takes pride in incorporating singing and movement into its performances and creations, bringing a dynamic and multidimensional energy to the stage. The four members thrive on improvisation.

I was looking forward to seeing her solo although I’m sure the Dream Quartet would have only added lovely components to her songs.

 

Posted in Berlind Theatre, Princeton, NJ, The Dream Quartet, Yasmin Williams | Leave a Comment »

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