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Edgar Camacho–Super Trash Clash (2022) translation (2022)

June 3, 2023 by Paul Debraski

SOUNDTRACK: hiatus.

[READ: June 2023] Super Trash Clash

This graphic novel reminded me of Scott Pilgrim, but more for the drawing style than for the video game connection.

I have to admit I was a little confused in the beginning.  A young woman is walking down the street and she sees a video game in the window of…a pawn shop?

I misunderstood the jump cut.  Obviously, the woman is now opening a chest, but I read it as a dumpster–that she had found this video game in a dumpster.  This seemed further confirmed when she plus the game in and her initials are there.

Okay, so I misunderstood, but that’s more on me, I think.  Because the entire rest of the story is the flashback to her having the game in the first place.

We see Dul (for that is her name) saying she can’t go to the arcade wit her friend Misa because her mother needs her.  When he mother gets home, Dul reminds her (again) that it is her birthday coming up and she really wants a new video game because she mastered Italian Bros like a thousand times.  Her mother reminds her that she is not made of money. Continue Reading »

Posted in Edgar Camacho, Eva Ibarzabal, Graphic Novel, Huh?, Humiliation, Parenting, Top Shelf Productions, Translation, Video Games | Leave a Comment »

Panchiko / Horse Jumper of Love / LSD and the Search for God (Brooklyn Bowl, Philadelphia, PA, June 2, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

June 2, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 2, 2023] Panchiko / Horse Jumper of Love / LSD and the Search for God

The story of Panchiko is absurd.

The band first received public attention in 2016 when their 2000 demo EP D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L was discovered by a 4chan user in a charity shop in Sherwood, Nottingham and shared online. The EP’s status as lost media led to a dedicated cult following and a community devoted to tracking down its band members. This was unbeknownst to the band until 2020, when Davies was found and contacted by a fan through Facebook.

Panchiko has since released two compilation albums remastering their older music: a reissue of D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L combining their first two EPs and Ferric Oxide (Demos 1997-2001). In December 2021, the band performed their first show in over twenty years in their hometown of Nottingham, after which they embarked on their first tour in the United States.  In November 2021, they amassed over 10 million streams on Spotify.

I mean, not to mention that the word they are talking about is actually Pachinko.  But whatever.  I listened to the EP back in 2019 or so and liked it.  I considered seeing them when they came around in 2022, but it fell through for some reason.

I didn’t actually hear about this show until a few days ago and it was too late to make plans to go. I haven’t even really listened to the new music to know if I wanted to go, so no big deal.

Back in 2021, when I looked up Horse Jumper of Love, I discovered

They play downbeat, rather depressing mope rock.  With occasional flares of noise attached.  I’d hope they’d be more lively in concert.  But I doubt it somehow.

LSD and the Search for God are pretty interesting.  I listened to a few of their songs and really liked them. And then, just as quickly, I got tired of them.  Drugs, huh?

LSD and the Search for God hit the Northern California coast in 2005–seemingly from another space and time–dosing San Francisco’s underground psychedelic music community with hypnotic live shows built upon swirling guitars, otherworldly drones, fuzzed-out pop hooks, and youthfully flirtatious male/female vocals.

I suspect they’d be very good live.

 

Posted in Brooklyn Bowl, Horse Jumper of Love, LSD and the Search for God, Panchiko, Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Mike’s Dead / The Haunt / Crucial Device / Death Valley Dreams (Warehouse on Watts, Philadelphia, PA, June 2, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

June 2, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 2, 2023] Mike’s Dead / The Haunt / Crucial Device / Death Valley Dreams

The only reason I know about this show is because my friend Ryan Williams is in Death Valley Dreams.  He’s a great guitar player who has been bouncing around with bands for a while.  I’ve never actually seen him play live, and this was one where I thought I might be able to make the show.

But a Friday night show one very short notice (I found out two days ago) was really hard to secure.  So it didn’t happen.

I have never heard of Mike’s Dead.  His bio says:

Combining elements of legendary industrial/ hard rock groups such as Rammstein, Nine Inch Nails, & Limp Bizkit with modern trap/ electronic elements,  American rapper & producer, Mike’s Dead, has paved his own lane as a multifaceted artist.

Had I gone to this show, I probably would have left during this set.  Or, maybe he pulled it all together in a way I might have liked.

I have seen The Haunt open for The Hu and frankly I’m surprised that they weren’t the headliners.  But maybe they’re not that famous.  About that 2021 show,  I wrote

The Haunt, formerly known as AnastasiaMax are from South Florida. The band consists of siblings, Anastasia Grace Haunt (lead vocals), and Maxamillion Haunt (vocals, guitar and production).

Anastasia has an amazing voice–really power and diversity.  Max sang lead and harmony vocals and their voices sounded fantastic together.  The set was great and I felt like they really won over the audience.

Crucial Device is a ‘synth-punk’ band formed in 2022 by Steve Saputelli, leader of the 90’s industrial-cyberpunk originators Punch Drunk.  According to his bio, he is an active multi-instrumentalist and production enthusiast, he also built and performed with his own animatronic, signal controlled band members!

I’d totally want to see them if t here were animatronic players!

I only found out that Ryan was in Death Valley Dreams a few days ago.  I hadn’t even heard of the band before that.  Their bio (from before Ryan joined–I think he’s just a touring keyboard player at  the moemnt) says

Death Valley Dreams combines haunting guitar textures, infectious melodies, dark and thought-provoking lyrics, pulsing grooves, and almost nostalgic-sounding synth atmospheres. As one fan described, “It’s as if The Cars got David Bowie to sing and played something that could have been on The Lost Boys soundtrack.” The sound is familiar yet fresh and unique.

That Cars/Bowie thing is pretty accurate actually.

Posted in Death Valley Dreams, Mike's Dead, Philadelphia, PA, The Haunt, Warehouse on Watts | Leave a Comment »

Silversun Pickups / The Backfires (Xcite Center, Bensalem, PA, June 2, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

June 2, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 2, 2023] Silversun Pickups / The Backfires

Silversun Pickups were doing a four date mini-tour and I was sure I could finally get to see them.

I’d have preferred to see Silversun Pickups at Parx (even though I’ve had some really bad experiences there lately) because it is easier to get to.  But tickets there were $30 more than at Starland.  So the hell with that.

Anyhow, I have thought about seeing Silversun Pickups a few times and it never materialized.  They have two songs that I love and a few others that I like quite a lot.

I bought a ticket for NJ so I wasn’t likley to go to Parx as well.  Even when I didn’t go to Starland.  Alas.

The Backfires are a band from New York (and the lead guy lived in London for a few years).  They are a rocking alternative band in the Arctic Monkeys vein.  I enjoyed most of their recently released EP.  Word has it that they are going to be the next big thing.  Let’s find out.

Posted in Bensalem, PA, Silversun Pickups, The Backfires, Xcite Center | Leave a Comment »

Silversun Pickups / The Backfires (Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, June 1, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

June 1, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 1, 2023] Silversun Pickups / The Backfires

I tend to dislike Starland Ballroom, primarily because it can take forever to get into the building.  I missed an entire opening act while waiting online outside.   I’d have preferred to see Silversun Pickups at Parx (even though I’ve had some really bad experiences there lately) because it is easier to get to.  But tickets there were $30 more than at Starland.  So the hell with that.

Starland has acknowledged their shitty check in process by now instituting a $15 VIP/skip the line ticket.  So, reward them for being shitty at their jobs.  No thanks.

Anyhow, I have thought about seeing Silversun Pickups a few times and it never materialized.  They have two songs that I love and a few others that I like quite a lot.

This show was during a week that I had no other shows and during which nothing big was going on.  And, my friend Brendan was going to be there.  So I waited until the day before the show to buy a ticket.

Then I got home and life caught up with me and I had things to do and couldn’t go.  Alas.

The Backfires are a band from New York (and the lead guy lived in London for a few years).  They are a rocking alternative band in the Arctic Monkeys vein.  I enjoyed most of their recently released EP.  Word has it that they are going to be the next big thing.  Let’s find out.

Posted in Sayreville, NJ, Silversun Pickups, Starland Ballroom, The Backfires | Leave a Comment »

Colleen AF Venable, Stephanie Yue–Katie and the Catsitter: Secrets and Sidekicks (2023)

May 30, 2023 by Paul Debraski

SOUNDTRACK: hiatus

[READ: May 20, 2023] Katie and the Catsitter: Secrets and Sidekicks

I have enjoyed everything I’ve read by Colleen AF Venable.  I really enjoyed the first book in the series and was excited for the second.  But apparently I missed it completely, because when I was reading this, I didn’t really know who all the characters were-or what their past together was.

Despite that, I was still able to fully enjoy this story and am looking forward to reading Book 2 to fill in the gaps.

Once again the artwork is by Stephanie Yue who also drew her Guinea P.I. books and it is a perfect match.

In this story Katie has been fully deputized by The Mousestress although her mother (who works nights) had no idea what she gets up to.

(Beth was the girl that Katie was best friends with until camp tore them apart in Book 1.  It’s nice they’re back together) would love to train with Katie and Mousestress.  But Mousetress wants her to be older (or have her mother’s permission) before she does any training.  Even though she is the same age as Katie–but Katie’s mother says it’s okay (except she doesn’t actually know).  Ironically, Beth’s mother is super hero Stainless Steel (the revelation to Beth’s father is pretty darn funny).

They have a mutual friend Jess (who I didn’t recognize).  She is dating the son of the CEP of Buttersoft Bionics, a company whom the Mousestress believes is up to seriously no good.

Apparently The Eastern Screech (aka Owl Guy) has escaped from jail and that is taking up much TV news time.  A photo on the screen shows that Mr. B (their beloved bodega owner downstairs) has a brother Benito and he looks exactly like Owl Guy (at least according to Katie–no one else can see it). Continue Reading »

Posted in Cats, Children's Books, Colleen AF Venable, Cute, Funny (ha ha), Stephanie Yue, Summer, Superheroes, Unfinished series | Leave a Comment »

Brian Level, Ryan Ferrier, Kate Sherron, Crank!–Silk Hills (2022)

May 29, 2023 by Paul Debraski

SOUNDTRACK: hiatus.

[READ: May 9, 2023] Silk Hills

I haven’t been reading that many graphic novels lately.  My daughter made the excellent point that our local library has an excellent graphic novel collection but that it hasn’t been updated in quite a while.  So I was pleased t o see this book at work, especially since it was from Oni Press, a reliably weird publisher.

I don’t know any of the contributors: authors Brian Level (has written for Star Wars and Marvel) and Ryan Ferrier (has written lots of indie books and written for Marvel and DC).  Crank! is Christopher Crank who has done lettering for just about everyone.  Kate Sherron has a very distinctive visual style (which I see a lot of people don’t like).  I thought it was pretty cool and unusual–it reminded me a bit of Jeff Lemire’s style.

I have been listening to a book of short stories from The X-Files, and this book immediately made me think of the X-Files.  It’s also the kind of story that either should have been longer or should have had fewer hallucinatory passages and had more explanatory pages.

Beth Wills is a former Marine turned private investigator.  She lives in New York City but is sent to an unnamed rural community called Silk Hills.  It must be pretty far, as a gas station attendant remarks on her New York plates, but we don’t know exactly where Silk Hills is.

I enjoyed the interactions with Wills and the gas station attendant also a former military man (out six years). Continue Reading »

Posted in Brian Level, Crank!, Death, Deer, Drugs, Graphic Novel, Guns, Huh?, Humiliation, Kate Sherron, Moths, Oni Press, Ryan Ferrier, The X Files, Violence, Yuck! | Leave a Comment »

Le Tigre (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 27, 2023)

May 28, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 27, 2023] Le Tigre

Le Tigre’s song “Deceptacon” became a huge viral Tik Tok sensation last year.  I remembered the song from the 90s.  I was interested in Le Tigre because Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna was involved.

I liked it enough, but I found it so simplistic and repetitive that I didn’t really enjoy the album all that much.  I grabbed their second album, but didn’t follow through with them after that.  They put out one more album and then broke up.

Then they announced a reunion tour.  My daughter really wanted to see them.  The first date was at Union Transfer and then they were going to Europe.

I snagged two tickets as soon as I could and, amazingly, we would see Kathleen Hannah twice in two months.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Le Tigre, Philadelphia, PA, Shamir, Union Transfer | 1 Comment »

Shamir (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, May 27, 2023) [LE TIGRE]

May 27, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: May 27, 2023] Shamir

I was supposed to see Shamir on several different occasions, but it never happened.

So I was really quite pleased to see that they were announced as the opening act for this Le Tigre show.

Shamir is a Philly based singer songwriter.  When they first released “On My Own” I was so intrigued by the song.  Shamir’s voice soars to really high notes.  The song is very poppy, but with some great rocking guitars and full-on band.

Later Shamir released an album called Heterosexuality which explored personal issues with songs like “Gay Agenda” and “Cisgender.”

When Shamir came out, the crowd was immediately supportive.  When they asked who here is gay?  90% of the crowd waved their hands.  Which was good because the first song “Gay Agenda.”

Shamir’s band was great.  Rhea on drums and Grant on bass added a ton of accompaniment to Shamir’s relatively quite guitar playing.

The album has a lot more synthy sounds that fill in the songs.  Live, it was just the three of them with Grant’s basswork really shining.  And the songs rocked a lot harder with Rhea really smashing the drums.

I was pleased that they sang “On Mu Own” especially now that I see that Heterosexuality is their eighth album!  It sounded pretty different, a bit more gritty.  Shamir said it was an introverts anthem and when someone guessed that it was an asexual anthem, well, Shamir was fine with that.

They played the first single from the soon to be released album on Kill Rock Stars called “Oversized Sweater.”  I’m curious to hear what this new phase of Shamir’s career will bring.

On a few songs Shamir’s voice dipped into a low growl which was especially effective on “Other Side” –the “metal portion of the show.”

As the set neared the end, Shamir busted out an amazing version of “Cisgender.”  It was full of so much rawness–much more powerful than the recorded version.

And the set ended with “Our Song” (not the Taylor Swift song).  It’s about a couple who lives above a record store (based on a show he saw in England).  It was a great ending.

Shamir’s voice is pretty incredible and they can hold a note like few singers I know.

  1. Gay Agenda ⊕
  2. Reproductive ⊕
  3. On My Own §
  4. Oversized Sweater £ (first time played)
  5. Other Side §
  6. Appetizer
  7. TEARS
  8. Cisgender ⊕
  9. Our Song £

£ New album (2023)
⊕ Heterosexuality (2022)
§ Shamir

Posted in Le Tigre, Philadelphia, PA, Shamir, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Avatar / Veil of Maya / Orbit Culture (Theatre of Living Arts (TLA), Philadelphia, PA, May 26, 2023) [DID NOT ATTEND]

May 26, 2023 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 26, 2023] Avatar / Veil of Maya / Orbit Culture

I’ve seen Avatar twice.  The last time was about a year and a half ago.  They always put on a good show with lots of spectacle.

I thought my son would enjoy going to see them with me so I got us both tickets.  I tend to forget that there’s a lot of growling and unclean vocals in Avatar because the parts I remember are more theatrical and campy/circusy.

This tour was for their new album which I didn’t know all that well.  But it turns out they were playing from throughout their career and it seems like they played for two hours.

We were both feeling pretty exhausted this week, and were both kind of hoping the other didn’t want to go.  So when he asked if he could bail, that was fine with me.  Especially since the show wound up with some things I wasn’t that excited about.

The opening band was changed so they would go on at 6:30, which would be fine if I was leaving from work, but a real pain to get home and then drive back to Philly.  On the positive side, this mean the show would end kind of early, but that was a small comfort.

I was intrigued by the opener Orbit Culture, a Swedish melodic death metal band.  They are heavy and brutal and yet there’s something about them (maybe because they are Swedish) that I liked better than most of this kind of music.  Plus you could actually understand the unclean vocals and when Niklas Karlsson sings cleanly he has a great powerful voice.

Veil of Maya is a metalcore band from Illinois.  I think of all of the subgenres of metal, metalcore if probably my least favorite.  This band has a lot going on with different vocals styles, lots of sound effects and some progressive metal time changes.  Frankly, it sounded exhausting on a night when I was tired.

So, I knew I wasn’t going to make Orbit Culture.  If I wanted to Make Veil of Maya, I would have to leave shortly after I got home and I wasn’t prepared for that.

As the time I’d have to leave to make Avatar rolled around, I thought about TLA.  It’s a pain to park there most times.  But a Friday night, arriving after 8PM?  It just seemed like far too much work for only one band.  So I was fine with blowing this show off.  And if I they come back around I can always see them again if I want to.

Posted in Avatar, Orbit Culture, Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts, Veil of Moya | Leave a Comment »

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