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METZ / Gouge Away / Rid of Me (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 20, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 20, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 20, 2024] METZ / Gouge Away / Rid of Me

I saw METZ open for Modest Mouse four years ago and my ears might still be ringing.  I knew of Metz from their noise filled chaotic but amazing albums.

Their live show was less about the abrasiveness and more about their intense stage presence.  I knew I wanted to see them headline a show.

I was really looking forward to going to this show and then the night of, I was just too exhausted to head out.  A lame excuse, but there it is.

They seem to be regularly playing though so I’m hopeful that I’ll get to see them next year.

The two bands that opened for them sound like a Pixies cover band and a PJ Harvey cover band.  I hadn’t looked them up before hand to see if either band sounded like the band they referenced.

Gouge Away is from Florida and are a perfect fit for METZ.  They are loud and abrasive with a female vocalist who can do quiet and screaming with equal fury.  I really like them and I’m even more bummed that I didn’t go now.

Rid of Me is from Philly and are described as “heavy melodic noise punk” which seems impossible.  They are definitely heavy.  Kind of slow heavy with lots of screamed vocals (lead and backing).  Lots of guitar riffs and a special Philly edge.

This would have been a great show.  Stupid lameness.

Posted in Gouge Away, Metz, Philadelphia, PA, Rid of Me, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Sir Chloe (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2024)

April 20, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 18, 2024] Sir Chloe 

My daughter was really excited to see Sir Chloe.  I wound up buying resale tickets to this show (which thankfully weren’t crazy overpriced).

We arrived a little early (last time we went to a show that she wanted to go to I was very surprised to see how early everyone else had gotten there).   I had assumed we’d get really close (I always seem to get pretty close at The Foundry, which just proves that her bands are more popular than mine).  The close up area was already full, so we got some merch and then we found a spot.  My daughter doesn’t like to be touched by other so we hung back.  The Foundry is small enough that we could see fine (but man pictures there are really tough to get).

We were in a weird (for me) spot–on the right side close to the wall, where the secret entrance to backstage is.  Which meant that kegs were going by from time to time.  Had I realized where we wound up I would have suggested the other side, near the entrance where people tend to not congregate, but whatever.

Before this show I really only knew  the one or two Sir Chloe songs that she had played me.  So, to get ready I listened to the new album a bunch and some of the more popular songs on Spotify.  I found I really liked her quite a lot–she’s a little slow for my tastes, but I enjoyed the tone and style of the music.  And the lyrics were pretty great too.

When she came out, she had an oddly disaffected appearance.  She seemed quite aloof and almost like she didn’t want to be there. And yet, I assume it was all part of the act, because she sang great and didn’t seem like she not giving her all.

It was quite a change from the warm and friendly stage presence of Girl in Red the night before. Continue Reading »

Posted in Daffo, Philadelphia, PA, Sir Chloe, The Foundry | Leave a Comment »

Daffo (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2024) [SIR CHLOE]

April 20, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 18, 2024] Sir Chloe / Daffo

Daffo is a Philadelphia-ish musician (they are from the area but have also lived in NJ and other places, but they said this was a homecoming show).

Daffo’s voice is interesting for someone from the east coast as they have a bit of a twang–although not on every song.  But there’s some good bite in the lyrics: “I’m a shame collector, I’m a hoarder.”

They played two unreleased songs and then a few from the new(ish) EP Pest.

The songs are mostly mellow, at least a lot of them have slow introductions or first verses and then the band kicked in.  But I liked the way that “Collector” started slow, got a little bigger and then got huge for the chorus before settling down again.

“Runner’s High” rocked a bit harder to start with and then got quieter.

I really enjoyed the new song “Go Fetch” which seemed simple but had a lot going on it.

The lyrics to “Seed” were quite good too. Continue Reading »

Posted in Daffo, Philadelphia, PA, Sir Chloe, The Foundry | Leave a Comment »

VIAL / Sunday Cruise (Silk City, Philadelphia, PA, April 20, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 20, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 2o, 2024] VIAL / Sunday Cruise

I received a free ticket to this show through the Do215 free ticket promotion.  But I was planning to go see METZ, so I didn’t think I’d be going to this, even though I like Vial a lot.

VIAL is a Minneapolis-based indie punk trio of best friends: Drummer Katie Fischer (she/they), bassist Taylor Kraemer (she/they), and guitarist KT Branscom (they/them). The trio joined forces via Tinder in mid-2019 and has been blazing a path for themselves since, curating a unique multi-genre amalgamation. Indie rock meets punk influence in soaring melodic hooks ready to sink teeth into all listeners alike, from lifelong punk rockers to budding indie darlings.

I heard about them when they signed to Get Better Records (who release great music) and I would have happily seen them.

They remind me a little of THICK, but with a bit more metal edge.  But the same spirit of feminist independence is strong with them.

Sunday Cruise has a great website with the following band info:

Zoe – 19 Pronouns: She/They Instrument: Guitar and vocals Started Sunday Cruise at 15yrs old in 2017.
Levi – 17 Pronouns: He/Him Instrument: Drums Joined the band as a fill in drummer in 2018 and has been with them since.
Cam – 19 Pronouns: He/They Instrument: Lead Guitar In 2019, Cam received a text from Levi asking if he wanted to join a band.
Cassidy – 19 Pronouns: She/Her Instrument: Bass Joined in 2019 after meeting Zoe at a show.

They play punk songs that are not quite as heavy, but are still abrasive.  Their age brings in a lot of great angsty lyrics too.  This would have been a terrific show and I love seeing all of these women rocking out.

 

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Silk City, Sunday Cruise, VIAL | Leave a Comment »

Cave In (acoustic) (Alkemy Coffee Co., Flemington, NJ, April 20, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 20, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 20, 2024] Cave In

I wasn’t aware that there was a coffee shop in Flemington, NJ.  But it doesn’t surprise me.  My wife sent me a link to an article about the new coffee shop that was being opened.  Well, it turns out that I’ve seen the new owner live.

Benjamin Weinman, founder, guitarist and songwriter of metalcore band Dillinger Escape Plan (who also plays with thrash band Suicidal Tendencies), and his fiancée Valentina Killough are opening Alkemy Coffee Co. at the former home of Factory Fuel Co. in Stangl Factory.

Amazing! Continue Reading »

Posted in Alkemy Coffee Co., Cave In, Flemington, NJ, Suicidal Tendencies, The Dillinger Escape Plan | Leave a Comment »

AF2K (Crossroads, Garwood, NJ, April 18, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 18, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 14, 2023] AF2K

I recently met a guy through one of my daughter’s clubs.  He is a huge Rush fan, which is very cool.  He told me about this cover band AF2K (A Farewell to Kings) that was playing in Garwood.

I’ve said before that I don’t always care about cover bands all that much.  But it would have been fun to see this band with a new friend.

Musically they sound great.  I’m not 100% about the guy’s voice, but overall, they seem like quite the solid show.  They play primarily 70s/80s Rush songs, and that’s my favorite era.

As it turned out, I already had tickets to a show that night so I had to bail on this one.  But it sounds like they play around quite a lot.

 

 

Posted in Crossroads, Frank Turner, Garwood, NJ | Leave a Comment »

Girl in Red / Momma (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, April 18, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 18, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 18, 2024] Girl in Red / Momma

I had bought a ticket for my daughter and I to see Sir Chloe on this evening.  But when Girl in Red announced her show, I immediately grabbed a pair just in case this was preferred.  I figured they would both be easy to re-sell.

And then Girl in Red announced a second show on the night before this one, so I grabbed those tickets and planned to sell the tickets for this show.

It was kind of fun for her to go to two shows in a row.  Although she enjoyed the Girl in Red show a lot more than the Sir Chloe show.

I assume the show was similar to the show we saw , but I think out show may have been a bit more fun (what with the wedding and all).

Posted in Girl in Red, Momma, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Girl in Red (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, April 17, 2024)

April 18, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 17, 2024] Girl in Red / Momma

My daughter and I saw Girl in Red twice in 2022.  Her live show is a ton of fun and I was really impressed with how much she changed it over the few months between our shows.  Her new album is all about how she’s “back.”  This puzzled me a bit as she hadn’t been “gone” for very long.  But if you’re online all the time, two years is an eternity.

As soon as this show was announced I bought us tickets.  This venue was much bigger then the one we saw her in and her stage show expanded to fit it.

There was a giant video screen with cool visuals, there were steps and interestingly designed elements.  There was a gigantic swivel light which actually became a projection screen for a song.  And during one of the songs a part of the stage rose up and she was thirty feet above the stage.

She opened the set with the rocking title track.  She was a ton of fun as she ran back and forth across the stage.  Amazingly she was wearing a button shirt, sweater and suit jacket, and I was hot in shorts.   But her energy was infectious and the crowd was super psyched. Continue Reading »

Posted in Girl in Red, Momma, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Mike / 454 / Niontay / El Cousteau (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 17, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

April 17, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 17, 2024] Mike / 454 / Niontay / El Cousteau 

This one is embarrassing for me because I bought a ticket for this show thinking that Mike was somebody else.

I’ve wanted to try to see a few more rappers live–I really enjoyed Open Mike Eagle there’s a few alt-rappers who I like.  One of them is DAVE, from England.  Dave sold out TLA pretty quickly when he came two years ago.  So when it was announced that MIKE was playing, I bought a ticket thinking that a) the show would sell out and b) that MIKE was DAVE.

I had never heard of Mike and didn’t know there was another rapper with an insanely common first name as his rap name.  Obviously I should have confirmed that I wanted to see Dave not Mike, but I was caught up in the excitement.

Mike’s sound is pretty good although he’s a but of a mumbler.  I still figured that I’d go until Girl in Red announced a show for the same night and there was no way I was missing Girl in Red with my daughter. Continue Reading »

Posted in 454, El Cousteau , Mike, Niontay, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Momma (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, April 17, 2024) [GIRL IN RED]

April 17, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: April 17, 2024] Momma

As soon as Girl in Red announced these shows I grabbed a ticket for my daughter and I.

I was super excited that Momma was the opening band because their song “Speeding 72” is one of my favorite songs of the last couple of years.   I’ve heard it on the radio enough that I checked out their debut album and I love the whole thing.  They’ve got a 90’s alt rock (Veruca Salt) vibe that I’m thrilled to hear again.

I would normally have snuck closer to the stage, but my daughter’s not a close-up fan, so we hung at the back of the pit (which in The Met is not far at all).

I enjoyed Momma’s whole (but rather short) set.  They played four songs from Household Name, including Medicine, the show opener and Speeding 72.

They played two new songs which sounded like they are mixing their sound up a little going forward.   And they played a single from last year, which also sounded really familiar.

Center stage with newly died red hair was Allegra Weingarten, and off to her right was Etta Friedman.  They sang together perfectly in that close harmony, almost whispered vocals that are a little hard to hear (especially in a bigger venue).  But they sounded great.

The band is always described as just the two of them, but thee were two other people on stage too, a drummer and a bassist.  Toward the end of the set, Etta switched instruments with the bassist.

I was pleased that the crowd reacted positively to them (being an opening act can suck) and I’m glad I got to see them before they totally take off.

  1. Medicine
  2. Bang Bang §
  3. Lucky
  4. Ohio 2 [new]
  5. Rodeo [new]
  6. Motorbike
  7. Speeding 72

Posted in Girl in Red, Momma, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

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