Music

My first visit to the Foundry. The place has strong “waiting in line for a theme park attraction” vibes.

This show was my first visit to the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, and I was immediately struck by the building’s gold brick interior, which I don’t think I’d ever seen in a church nave before:

The interior is buff-colored brick and sandstone and the pews are black walnut, exemplifying [Augustus] Sims’ architectural philosophy of honesty in building materials, eschewing plaster throughout. Stone carvings both inside and out were done by Alexander Milne Calder,… See more →

Another sold out Underground Arts show, and I’m still not taking my own advice and getting there early, so I didn’t get to see much more than the backs of a lot of heads. I was cranky about it at first, but even when you can barely see them, it’s impossible to stay cranky when White Reaper is doing their thing.

I think I can count on zero hands how many people I know who can even name an Unwound song, let alone call themselves fans, so after I got over my excitement when the reunion tour was announced last summer, I was a little surprised to learn they were playing Union Transfer (capacity: 1,200), and still more surprised when that show sold out and a second one was added. I’ve long had an objective understanding… See more →

The six massive pillars in the middle of Underground Arts make the stage invisible to big chunks of the room, and when it’s a sold out show like this one, finding an even halfway decent sight line can be next to impossible if you don’t get there early. I’ve been burned by this a few times now, so I think going forward I’ll need to commit to early arrival or just skip the show.

Tonight… See more →

Maude

Leah and I became dog parents early in 2022, adopting a 15-pound, two-year-old Jack Russell / Chihuahua mix. Knowing Roe v. Wade would soon be overturned, we named her Maude, after the Bea Arthur character, who in 1972 was the first sitcom character to have an abortion. Living with Maude has been a big adjustment, but after getting over the initial hump, I’m not sure how we ever lived without her. She loves belly… See more →

On October 17, 2001, Low played a show in the sanctuary of the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. Underground bands had been playing the church’s basement for years, but this was the first time anyone had ascended to the main room, and even in a secular music scene, the milestone seemed to take on a sacred significance. I didn’t go to the show, but it put Low on my radar, and after listening to Things… See more →

Had a good cry reading this, from @Nina_Corcoran: pitchfork.com/features/after…

I was never going to be ready for this. I feel like a ghost, just emptied out.

And just like that, I’m not okay. Sending every ounce of love I have to Alan and Hollis and Cyrus. Rest well, Mimi. There will never be another like you. twitter.com/lowtheband/sta…

My favorite music venue in the world might be reopening, which is easily the best news I’ve heard since it shut down in 2019. My heart is racing! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 phillymag.com/news/2022/10/3…

Halloween tradition of listening to everything the original Misfits recorded in chronological order is complete. I’d say I’m all whoa’d out, but there is no such thing. 💀

😞 twitter.com/brooklynvegan/…

This was a bucket-lister for me, long overdue and worth the wait. It was also the second incarnation of Weird Al’s Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, in which he plays all original songs rather than the pop parodies he’s famous for. And I realized at the show that I think I generally prefer his originals! Don’t get me wrong; it was super fun to hear the parody medley in the encore, especially the extended “Yoda”… See more →

That rare four-band bill where everyone’s great. And as always, it is impossible to overstate how thoroughly @melt_banana rules.

y’all blew it

I’ve been waiting a long time for this night, and it did not disappoint!

Yo Philly, I’ve got an extra ticket for tonight’s sold out @otobokebeaver show at @johnnybrendas and I’d hate for it to go to waste. Hit me up.

It’s rare for me to go to an arena show, and when I do, I generally expect the lack of intimacy to seriously diminish the experience. This was certainly the case for Mastodon, who absolutely demolished the basements and bars I saw them play years ago, but they couldn’t energize me in nearly the same way from across Trenton’s cavernous Cure Insurance Arena. The fact that I haven’t paid much attention to their last few… See more →

I love the smell of confirmation bias in the morning. washingtonpost.com/music/2022/08/…

Just got a ticket to see @therealunwound and will be pinching myself for the remainder of the day.

best don cab song

I may be living in a backsliding democracy, but at least I finally got to see the mighty Def Leppard!

Another one checked off the bucket list!

Making a list of everyone I know who is really good at guitar, and wistfully saluting them.

rat in the dog park, please talk free the door is locked, just you and me twitter.com/dinfowars/stat…

That night my two favorite former Sepultura dudes played all my favorite Sepultura songs.

Some stray notes:

• Upchuck’s frontwoman is a powerful performer, but part of her schtick is taking swigs of water or beer and spraying them from her mouth onto the audience. Punk rock abandon or not, I’m astonished anyone doesn’t understand how the events of the past two years have made that kind of behavior 1,000 percent unacceptable.
• Not to say any of their songs are bad, but Amyl and the Sniffers’ set list made me… See more →

Bittersweet to see the late Dallas Good playing with Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet in the new Kids in the Hall intro. 😢

Dueling new releases from @otobokebeaver and @sitenonsite (debut EP!) make this just my kind of bipolar Friday.

otobokebeaver.bandcamp.com/album/super-ch…

sitenonsite.bandcamp.com/album/hiroshim…

First gig poster I’ve designed in ages, for tonight’s @HTRK_ show at @PhilaMOCA!