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Melvins / Boris / Mr. Phylzzz (Musikfest Cafe, Steel Stacks, Bethlehem, PA, September 20, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 20, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 20, 2023] Melvins / Boris / Mr. Phylzzz 

There’s not a lot that could keep me away from a Boris show.  Although the last time they came to the area, it was the same night that my daughter wanted to see Kurtis Conner.  So obviously she won out that night.

This year, I saw that Boris and Melvins were touring together.  I’m not a big fan of the Melvins.  I like them in theory but never really got into their music.  And yes, I know that Boris gets their name from a Melvins song, so this tour is just too perfect.

Anyhow, the one thing that could keep me away from this show was the fact that I had tickets to see Igorr this very night and I wasn;t going  to pass up that rare opportunity.  PLUS, this very show was going to be in Philadelphia the next night.

Mr. Phylzzz are described as a “two-piece loud-ass noise rock band from Chicago, IL.”  Sounds like a perfect fit for this show.  I’ll find out tomorrow.

Posted in Bethlehem, PA, Boris, Mr. Phylzzz , Steelstacks, The Melvins | Leave a Comment »

The Breeders: 30th Anniversary Tour / Screaming Females (The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA, September 20, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 20, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 20, 2023] The Breeders / Screaming Females

When The Breeders released “Cannonball” 30 years ago (!), I fell in love with the song (and the video).  It had so much Pixies in it and Kim Deal sounded great.

I believed that I loved the whole album, but it’s possible that I only really liked a couple of songs.

When I saw that they were doing a 30th anniversary tour, I thought that I had to go to it since I’ve seen Pixies without Kim a few times now.  But this show turned out to be the same night that Igorrr and I’ve had tickets for that show since December and there was no way I was going to miss it.

I guess realized I liked The Breeders a bit more in memory than in reality.

Screaming Females opened the show.  I really liked them a few years ago.  I bought most of their records and saw them live twice. But recently, for reasons that are completely unclear to me, I’ve gone cold on them.

Oh well, no biggie.

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Pixies, Screaming Females, The Breeders, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Otto von Schirach (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 20, 2023) [IGORRR]

September 20, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 20, 2023] Otto von Schirach

I bought tickets to this show back in December–I was really really looking forward to seeing Igorrr after reading about his live shows.  I thought that I had missed him a few years back, but I don’t really see any evidence of him having played Philly since like 2018.

But I wasn’t missing this show.  I was pretty delighted to see that Melt-Banana were opening, but I didn’t know anything about Otto von Schirach.

So who is he?

Bermuda Triangle born Otto Von Schirach is one of a kind human/alien, His magical presence & energy makes you overwhelming happy. This Miami Native puts out many different types of epic Electronic music and always has new life and sounds to share, hence he is always touring around the earth. His Shows are more of a sonic ear cleanse, aura cleanse and will magnify your pineal gland! You will be extremely happy after his live performance.

Otto is really really into triangles.  He wears a headband with a triangle hanging off of it.  Unless I am mistaken, he has two songs about triangles (one of which “Triangle Pit” has these lyrics: Continue Reading »

Posted in Igorrr, Melt-Banana, Otto von Schirach, Philadelphia, PA, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

Bombino (City Winery Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 20, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 20, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 20, 2023] Bombino

Bombino is a Tuareg guitar player.

Ever since learning about Tuareg musicians from NPR Music, I’ve made a list of four bands that I’d like to see live, They are Mdou Moctar, Tinariwen, Imarhan and Bombino.

I was lucky enough to see Mdou Moctar recently.  Bombino is actually the first of the Tuareg guitarists I’d heard of and I was rather looking forward to seeing him when he announced he was playing the States.

However, this evening proved to be a night with FOUR shows I was interested in.  And, I already had tickets to one of them (Igorrr).  There was also a Breeders tour, and a Melvin/Boris show in Bethlehem (which would be an insane place to see them, but I’m seeing them tomorrow).

So, Bombino had to be pushed aside.  I’m sure he’ll be back and I’ll get to see him another time.  I imagine that Tinariwen are most likely the next band to come back to Philly.  We’ll see if I’m right.

The promotion for this tour has never mentioned if anyone is opening for his show.  I assume someone is, but I cannot find any information about who it might be.

This also continued my streak of NOT going to the City Winery.  I’m sure I’ll get there eventually.

Posted in Bombino, City Winery Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Claud: Supermodels tour / boyish (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, September 15, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 15, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 15, 2023] Claud / boyish

I saw Claud open for Soak back in 2019.  I really enjoyed their set–I really liked claud’s voice.  It was clear and quiet but not whispered.  I also really enjoyed the delicate guitar sounds that claud got–even when a song had a loud thumping bass.

Claud’s music is quiet and lo fi.  It would have been a chill night at the Foundry, but I wasn’t really that interested in going.

Boyish was formed by India Shore and Claire Altendahl in 2016 at Berklee College of Music.

Their blurb says Continue Reading »

Posted in Boyish, claud, Philadelphia, PA, The Foundry | Leave a Comment »

Babe Rainbow / Molly Lewis (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, September 15, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 15, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 15,  2023] Babe Rainbow / Molly Lewis

I know of The Babe Rainbow because Levitation Records (who put out all kinds of cool psychedelic music) released a Levitation Sessions album and I like to check out any band that plays a session with them.

Babe Rainbow is from Australia.  They do play psychedelic music but it lands squarely on the delicate 60’s folk side of psychedelia.  Meaning it’s fun to have on, but I don’t need to see them live.

Molly Lewis is an Australian born, Los Angeles-based, musician known for her whistling.

I wasn’t really sure how to describe the music that she whistles over, but Aquarium Drunkard calls it “Pacific impressionism” and I think that’s pretty spot on.  But the key is that she is an amazing whistler.

She works in what is oddly called “exotica,” filled with sultry Bossa Nova guitar, rain sticks, shakers, jazzy instruments and an overall feeling of being far away from everything.  It’s pretty dreamy.  It would also be interesting to see her whistle these lead lines in a live setting, although I feel like perhaps the overall vibe would be too chill to really appreciate.

 

Posted in Babe Rainbow, Molly Lewis, Philadelphia, PA, The Foundry | Leave a Comment »

Palm [FINAL SHOW–BAND CALLING IT QUITS] (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 14, 2023)

September 15, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 14, 2023] Palm 

I discovered Palm by accident back in 2016 when they opened for the band Dilly Dally (who have since broken up).   About that show I wrote:

So Palm was fantastic.  An amazing band to see live (especially from so close).  The band plays noisy, complex music that has parts math-rock and parts shoegaze.  They remind me of Battles, but only in part.  The two guitarists Kasra Kurt and Eve Alpert are constantly playing different (and highly unlikely) chords or notes.  Meanwhile the bassist (Gerasimos Livitsanos) is typically playing his own patterns that somehow meld with the two and keep everything grounded.  And the drummer (Hugo Stanley) is doing complex things of his own.  It’s so hard to tell who you want to watch.

I got to see them headline a few months after that at PhilaMOCA and that was great (although apparently I was shoved aside by a slam dancer at the show).

Six years later and I hadn’t had a chance to see them again when they announced that they were calling it quits as a band.

“Palm is ending. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, to the artists we’ve shared the stage with and to all our collaborators over the past 12 years”.

Not much more was said, and not much more was said in stage either. Continue Reading »

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Nourished By Time, Palm, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Eddie Izzard: The Remix Tour (Miller Theater, Kimmel Cultural Campus, Philadelphia, PA, September 14-15, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 14, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 14-15, 2023] Eddie Izzard

I saw Eddie Izzard 20 years ago in Boston.  The show was hilarious and since then she has been one of my favorite comedians of all time.

When I saw that she was coming back to the States to tour I immediately went to the Kimmel Center site to grab tickets.  But they must have been on sale for a long time already because both shows were almost sold out.

The Thursday night show was the same night as the final Palm concert ever, so I couldn’t miss that and then the Friday night show, well, let’s just say that it would have been a real challenge getting my wife and I to Philly on a Friday night for a show at the Kimmel–especially after her first full week back to work.

So I had to give this one a miss.  She tends to record her shows so I hope this one gets a release because it promised to be revisiting some of the best bits over the last thirty some years.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Eddie Izzard, Funny (ha ha), Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Miller Theater, Philadelphia, PA, Religion | Leave a Comment »

Nourished By Time (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, September 14, 2023) [PALM]

September 14, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 14, 2023] Nourished By Time

Nourished By Time is Baltimore producer Marcus Brown.  I could have seen him a while back, but didn’t make that show.  He’s also supposed to open for Vagabon later next month, but I think I’m not going to make that show either.  So this was my only chance to check him out.

During the Palm set, Eve said that they had been listening to his new album Erotic Probiotic 2 all the time.

Nourished By Time was, indeed, just Brown, with a laptop on the floor and keyboard on a stand.  I liked that he had a bandana round his mic cord–I imagined it was his way of keeping track of his stuff.

He played about six or so catchy songs.  They were kind of a blend of new wave and R&B.  His vocal delivery differed for each song, which I really liked.  His first song, “Staring Into the Fireplace” he kind of drawled and sounded almost bored as he rhymed his final lines.

Each song had an instrumental section–either middle or coda which had him playing solos over the prerecorded music.

Some of the later songs got bigger and were even more catchy.  I liked “The Fields.” Continue Reading »

Posted in Johnny Brenda's, Nourished By Time, Palm, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

The Lemonheads / Willy Mason (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, September 13, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 13, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 13, 2023] The Lemonheads / Willy Mason

I rather enjoyed The Lemonheads’ anniversary of It’s a Shame About Ray.  I thought I might also really enjoy the anniversary of Come On Feel the Lemonheads.

But when I asked my wife if she wanted to go, she said no. And, while I like that album a whole lot, I think I may have had my fill of Evan Dando.

Willy Mason is a folk singer with a deep voice.  I listened to a little of one song and didn’t like his vibe at all.  So that kind of helped me decide not to go to this tour.

Markit Aneight was there so I didn’t have to be

Posted in Lemonheads, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Willy Mason | Leave a Comment »

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