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The Dandy Warhols / Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, March 6, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 6, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 6, 2024] The Dandy Warhols / Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor

I liked The Dandy Warhols quite a lot back in the 1990s and kind of lost interest in the early 200s.  They have a few songs that I like quite a lot still, although I don;t think about them that much.

When they announced this tour I wondered if I wanted to see  them.  And I decided that I really didn’t.

Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor have a great weird psychedelic name and when I listened to a few songs by them I was so disappointed I couldn’t believe it.

They basically combine all of the things I dislike about psych garage rock into one band.  I hate the singer’s voice.  I hate the overall vibe they project.  It’s just all exactly the opposite of what I thought they’d be like.

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor, The Dandy Warhols | Leave a Comment »

THICK (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024)

March 6, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 1, 2024] THICK

This concert was announced less than a month ago, but I was on board with seeing THICK again.  I had seen them open for Pussy Riot and they were great.  So, yea, only three months later I’d happily see them again.

This was their only show on their schedule, so I’m not entirely sure what inspired it. And with such short notice, I fear that they didn’t have a very large turnout.  In fact, after Teenage Halloween, a lot of fans of the band left, so there were definitely more people there for Teenage Halloween (who are from Asbury Park, let’s not forget) than THICK.

Also, I am quite certain the THICK set was cut short.  They had a pretty hard curfew of 11:30, and by the time they went on, it was close to 10:45.  So, they actually wound up playing one song fewer than they did when they opened for Pussy Riot!

The setlist was not too different from the previous show, although the opening and closing songs were different.

I was up front for the first couple of songs, but I decided to move back some because the sound was a little better in the back.  Plus, once the mosh pit got going (and it was small but it did get going–there was a guy with a huge mohawk who was pretty awesome).

They opened with the title track from 5 Years Behind, the album I know best.  It was great to hear them started off with the frenetic shouting of “always five years always five years always five years behind.”   They didn’t play this last time and it was fun to hear.  It was also the only song where Kate Black played guitar and the touring guitarist Gillian Visco (from Shadow Monster) played bass.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Big Girl, Teenage Halloween, Tetchy, Thick, Well Wisher | Leave a Comment »

Teenage Halloween (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024) [THICK]

March 5, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 1, 2024] Teenage Halloween

There were four bands opening for THICK at this show.  And I hadn’t heard of any of them before.  I listened to a few songs by all of them and thought they all sounded good.

But I didn’t expect to be as impressed by Teenage Halloween as I was.  And the crowd was out in full force for them (they reside in Asbury park, it turns out).

The band describes themselves as a Queer power pop ensemble from Jersey/NYC, S/T LP out now!!!

There are four members in the band: Tricia Marshall – bass vocals , Eli Frank – guitar, Peter Gargano – drums , Luk Henderiks – guitar vocals.

Luk seemed to sing more of the songs, but Tricia sang about four or five of the seventeen (!) they played.  Turns out the band was originally a solo project for Luk, so I think they get to have the majority of songs.  Plus, it turned out that Luk’s mom was in the audience (and might be their manager).

So the band plays short blasts of catchy emo songs–lots of punk feelings (their bio says)

At the heart of vocalist and guitarist Luk Henderiks’ lyrics is an urgent longing for community. Despite their often strikingly personal vulnerability, these songs reach out to the wider world, striving to hold themselves and those around them accountable for their actions and to make space for those that need to be heard.

and occasionally fantastic guitar solos (Eli Frank is a total shredder, but doesn’t overuse that skill).

Luk’s singing style is of the screaming variety–harsh, but not too harsh–and a good sense of melody.  And, again, the songs are pop punk and easy to sing along with.

The band spoke to the audience every couple of songs. And about half way through the set Tricia said how excited she was to be playing on this mostly women bill.  She then said she’s be singing songs written by a woman (her): Getting Bitter and Say It.  A few songs later she sang a really good cover of Pretenders’ Brass in Pocket (dedicated to Luk’s mom).  She later said that singing without a bass (Luk played bass for the song) took away the thing she hides behind.

It was really nice having a different singer for these songs to give even more variety to the music.

Throughout the set, the backing vocals (from Tricia and Eli) were great–really giving a lot of power and depth to the songs.

Frank was also a lot of fun, jumping around on stage and making (terrible) jokes throughout the set.  I don’t have much to say about drummer Peter because he suited the band perfectly–a good sound and nothing too flashy.

The rest of the set was equally good–the songs were catchy and fun and the crowd was really really into it.  I haven’t really had much time to delve into the lyrics, but the ones I’ve heard have been good–pointed and clever.

This was their first show of the calendar year (in March?!), but they have a tour planned in the UK (although Tricia and Kevin won’t be going–no reason given), so their popularity must not be local only.

I would absolutely see them again.

  1. Good Time ⇔
  2. Supertrans ⇔
  3. Takeaway ⇔
  4. Getting Bitter ⇔
  5. Say It ⇔
  6. Clarity Ó
  7. Sights Down ⇔
  8. Brass in Pocket (Pretenders cover)
  9. Doctor ⇔
  10. Lights Out ⇔
  11. Melodrama ⇔
  12. Oh The Drama ⇔
  13. Burn €
  14. Travelin’ On ⇔
  15. Holes Ó
  16. Stationary Ó
  17. Armageddon Now ⇔

⇔ Til You Return (2023)
€ The Homeless Gospel Choir/Teenage Halloween split EP (2022)
Ó Teenage Halloween (2020)

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Big Girl, Teenage Halloween, Tetchy, Thick, Well Wisher | Leave a Comment »

Well Wisher / Tetchy / Big Girl (Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024) [THICK] [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 5, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 1, 2024] Well Wisher / Tetchy / Big Girl

I saw at a rather late hour that THICK was going to be playing Asbury Lanes.  When I realized it was the same night as the SOMA show in Asbury Park, I wondered if I could do both.

And, logistically, yes I could.  So I bought a ticket to the show and then wondered how many of the five bands playing tonight I would miss.

I calculated that I might see some of Well Wisher, which was cool because they were interesting (actually, all five bands were interesting).  But as it turned out, the SOMA show went about 20 minutes later than I thought it would and I wound up walking in on the final chords that Well Wisher was playing before the got off the stage.   I had to run to the bathroom, so I didn’t even see them.  But at least I was there for all of the Teenage Halloween set. Continue Reading »

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Big Girl, Teenage Halloween, Tetchy, Thick, Well Wisher | Leave a Comment »

Luminous Abstract presents Sonic Mass featuring Soma (Trinity Church, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024)

March 4, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 1, 2024] Soma

Soma is an acronym for Sacred Order of Mystic Apogees.  It’s unfortunate that they go by Soma as there are about a half a dozen bands named Soma.  They are a New Jersey based band that plays spiritual/religious music.

I will display my profound ignorance of Indian/Hindu culture by saying that I realized by the end of the set that they were singing mantras like Hare Krishna, but I don’t know if only the Hare Krishna movement (?) sings this refrain.

I did look up some information about the Hare Krishna movement and learned this (from NPR)

The Hare Krishna movement is a branch of Hinduism, formally known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Its name comes from its chant — Hare Krishna — which devotees repeat over and over. It was started in the 16th century by Sri Chaitanya of Bengal (1486-1533). He emphasized the worship of Krishna and believed that chanting the names of God was so powerful that in addition to one’s own meditation on them, they should also be chanted in the streets for the benefit of all.

So that’s nice.

The band’s instagram handle is soma_kirtan.  Kirtan is (according to wikipedia) a

genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration or shared recitation, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas is a call-and-response or antiphonal style song or chant, set to music, wherein multiple singers recite the names of a deity, describe a legend, express loving devotion to a deity, or discuss spiritual ideas

There was no call and response at our set but there was a lot of chanting. Continue Reading »

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Cementation Anxiety, Soma, Tramutanas, Trinity Church | Leave a Comment »

Luminous Abstract presents Sonic Mass featuring Tramutanas (Trinity Church, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024) [SOMA]

March 3, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 1, 2024] Tramutanas 

The only thing I could find out about Tramuntanas online (in addition to their Instagram page) is this cryptic statement on their website:

Tramuntanas, a new instrumental duo from Baltimore, features Asa Osborne (known for his work with Zomes, Lungfish, and the Pupils) and Canadian sound and video installation artist Shan Collis. The duo will release their debut album in 2024.

So imagine my surprise when Tramuntanas (which means the north wind, I believe), turned out to be a trio.  Asa Osborne was on bass (a great bass sound), Shan Collis played keys (and I assume triggered the amazing visuals) and a third person played sax.

I’m not usually one for saxophone, but this gentleman (whose name was never given) was great.  He played elliptical lines and sounds–solos but never lengthy guitar solo type solos.  He accented the otherwise simple music and his sax was haunting throughout.

Unlike Cementation Anxiety, Tramuntanas’ songs were all short–3 minutes or so.  Some were super catchy with great bass lines, others were pretty and meandering.

Of the three bands, I enjoyed their lights the most–they really synched up with the music nicely.

I’m really quite curious to hear what their recorded output will be like–they have a bandcamp page but there’s nothing on it.

Such a mystery!

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Cementation Anxiety, Soma, Tramutanas, Trinity Church | Leave a Comment »

Luminous Abstract presents Sonic Mass featuring Cementation Anxiety (Trinity Church, Asbury Park, NJ, March 1, 2024) [SOMA]

March 2, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: March 1, 2024] Cementation Anxiety

This night of shows was curated by Luminous Abstract, “a production, design and artist collective” who do “audio visual events and projection mapping antics.”

It’s hard to find very much about them (aside from their instagram page, but they seem to occasionally curate a Sonic Mass (I believe this is the fifth one).  The events are listed as

Sonic Mass: An Audio Visual Experience to benefit the Trinity Church’s well being Program.

Donations were appreciated and they raised $500 for the Food Justice Program at Trinity Church, which strives to meet the immediate needs of hunger in Asbury Park and to organize within the community to prevent hunger and injustice in the future.

So that’s pretty awesome.

Cementation Anxiety was added to this bill just before the show started, so I didn’t have time check them out.

I have since discovered that the band is basically the solo project of Kyle Nelson from the punk band Bodiless (who I didn’t know).

Spotify says the band is a

sonic departure from the intensity of Bodiless, Cementation Anxiety still endeavors to explore the catharsis present in both genres—predominantly through guitar—but also field recordings, oscillators, noise machines, and hardware tools.

It was pretty bizarre not being able to see the musician at all.  Occasionally when the projections were more bright, you could see Nelson with his guitar, but I had no idea how the rest of the sounds were being generated.

So it was a kind of wall of sounds.  He played guitar (which may have been a tweak too loud, especially compared to the other bands) but it was really interesting to watch (when he was visible) because his strumming didn’t seem to directly relate to the music that we were hearing.  There must have been effects galore on his guitar because he would strum really hard and the you couldn’t hear the individual strums like you would in a punk show, it was like the intensity of the wave of music just got bigger.

He switched guitars a couple of times and that changed the timbre of the music.  It felt old school industrial, but not.  It was powerful, bordering on overwhelming.

I later chatted briefly on Instagram with Kyle and he told me that the first half of the set came from his EP Liminal Instability and the second half was from an unreleased album coming out in May.

It was a cool way to start the night and the visuals were a great accompaniment.

Much applause goes to Luminous Abstract and the three bands.

Continue Reading »

Posted in Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ, Cementation Anxiety, Soma, Tramutanas, Trinity Church | Leave a Comment »

Wax Jaw / Life in Vacuum / Porcelain / Born Loser DJs (Ortlieb’s, Philadelphia, PA, March 1, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

March 1, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: March 1, 2024] Wax Jaw / Life in Vacuum / Porcelain

I have recently discovered the Philly band Wax Jaw and I am mildly obsessed with them.  They recently posted that they have existed for one whole year.  In that time I could have seen them six times, but only saw them once.  And I am looking forward to seeing them again.

The confusing thing about this show is that I have seen two posters for it.  The one on the right implies that Porcelain arethe headliners.  The one below implies  that Wax jaw are the headliners.  What to believe?

I already had plans for this night and I didn’t want to give them up for a 20 minute Wax Jaw set.  Although it does sound like Wax Jaw is headlining.

Well, I already had plans.  Plus, Wax Jaw is playing in Bethlehem in a few weeks anyhow.

Porcelain is from Austin.  Post-Trash says

The quartet of Ryan Fitzgibbon (US Weekly), Eli Deitz (Dregs, Votive), Steve Pike (Exhalants, CSSS), and Jordan Emmert (Super Thief, Pleasure Venom) bring a great deal of experience together from different pockets of the city’s noise rock and punk scene, the pieces coming together to create something better than the sum of it’s parts.

I’ve never heard of any of those bands.  I like the sound of their music but I don’t really like the singer.  I bet they crush it live though, their drummer sounds like a maniac.

Life in Vacuum is from Toronto. Although Stereogum adds more details

Life In Vacuum are a band based in Toronto, formed in Ukraine, playing an aggressive form of indie rock that pulls from a few different subgenres. I hear some Fugazi-style post-hardcore and some Metz-esque noise-rock in the mix.

They play an abrasive thumping hardcore that’s lurching and unsettling. Probably amazing to see live.

Born Loser is a record label that Life in Vacuum is on.  I gather someone from the label will be spinning songs from the label between bands?

Posted in Born Loser DJs, Life in Vacuum, Ortlieb's, Philadelphia, PA, Porcelain, Wax Jaw | Leave a Comment »

Mary Timony / Birthday Girl DC (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 29, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

February 29, 2024 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 29, 2024] Mary Timony /Birthday Girl DC

Mary Timony is one of indie rock’s great guitar players.  I really enjoyed her band Helium, although I haven’t really listened to them in quite some time.

I have seen her play solo (with a band) twice and I recall not really enjoying her set all that much.   She (as you can judge by the photo below) indulges in fantasy and I thought that would make me like her solo records even more.

But honestly, nothing she’s done since Helium has intrigued me all that much,

So I wasn’t planning on going to this show anyway. Continue Reading »

Posted in Birthday Girl, Johnny Brenda's, Mary Timony, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Jann Arden–The Bittlemores: a novel (2023)

February 28, 2024 by Paul Debraski

SOUNDTRACK: JANN ARDEN-“Could I Be Your Girl” (1994).

It’s fascinating to watch the video for this song now, since all I really know about what Jann Arden looks like is the author photo and her TV appearances since the 2000s.

She’s got long dark hair!

The song is pretty and I guess lyrically it’s pretty dark and poetic.  This lyrics is pretty surprising for a pop song

And I am ashesI am JesusI am preciousCould I be your girl?

I don’t really care for the “oh my lord” backing vocals, for the sound, not the words.

Indeed, the whole song feels kind of bland.  For a song that seems pretty dramatic, I want a little more from the song.  Maybe the production is too smooth?

It’s catchy though and I suppose in the 90s it was pretty remarkable.  But really it’s just not my style.

At the bottom of this post, you can see Jann Arden talking about this song and basically telling me that I’m an idiot.

[READ: February 2024] The Bittlemores

I’ve known about Jann Arden pretty exclusively from her appearances on Canadian TV (she has her own sitcom too which is pretty funny in the parts I’ve watched).  She was a perennial guest on the Rick Mercer Report which I loved.  She was always funny and game for something.

Her music, on the other hand, is serious and poppy.

I didn’t know what to expect from this novel, but I knew I wanted to support her first foray into fiction (I won’t be reading her memoirs which sound very sad).

And I have to say that this story shocked me from the start because the home life she conveys in this story is so horrible, so miserable, that I was fairly shocked at the things I read.  And yet, her tone is never heavy, so even the most unpleasant things (an old man drowning kittens) are delivered in a tone that makes you not want to throw the book across the room and say “I thought you loved animals, Jann!”

But she pulls no punches as the story starts: “Harp Bittlemore is a horrible man.”  The Bittlemore farm was once a thriving farm but it is now mostly dried up and useless.  It is in the middle of nowhere, miles from anything and even more miles from the nearest city.  There’s a couple of sad cows and pigs.  And there’s a young girl.

Margaret is the Bittlemore child.  She hates living with the Bittlemores.  They are mean and unloving.  And she wants to get even with them.  What does a girl with no agency do to get back at the adults around her?  She gets pregnant.  At 14.

This didn’t punish the adults as much as it punished her, of course.   And as soon as The Bittlemores found out she was pregnant, they locked her in the house–for five months.  Margaret had been going to school but the adults told everyone that she had been accepted to a school in France and that she would no longer be in the area for a while.

When Margaret has the baby–at home, with Mrs Bittlemore stitching her up, Margaret makes a bold decision.  She runs away.  She climbs out the window of her room (while in a ton of pain) leaving behind her baby, and flees up the road with no destination.  She meets a truck driver (female, thankfully) named Tizzy who has a soft spot for this poor girl in trouble and she takes her as far as her route is going. Continue Reading »

Posted in Canadian Content, Canadian Music, Cows, Environmentalism, Farming, Fears, Feminism, Funny (ha ha), Jann Arden, Kidnapping, Mercer Report, Pregnancy, Rick Mercer, Sports | Leave a Comment »

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