Dec 31 : The Fiscal Cliff

Did you know that some of our neighbors face The Fiscal Cliff every day as they struggle to provide themselves and their families with food and other basic necessities?

West Girard Community Council tries to help our neighbors through our Food Cupboard by providing people with a boost of Free Food to help hold them over until the end of the month. Most of the food we give comes from the government, while some is donated by residents just like you. ... And, to tell the uncomfortable truth, we find ourselves in the position of having to go out and buy more food ourselves to supplement the dwindling support from the government, while new people come in to register each month.

And that's where you come in. Please go to our main web page TODAY and make a donation via PayPal. Get a 2012 tax deduction at the same time you're coming to the aid of neighbors who are looking for help as they face The Fiscal Cliff every day.

Yes, you can make a difference. Even if all you can donate is $5 or $10, it will make a difference. Small contributions from lots of people add up.

We just completed one of our most successful Toy Drives ever. And, as we move into 2013, we'd like to continue to build on that momentum, continue our other projects as well, and maybe even expand!

Go to our main web page for the PayPal donation button, or to see our street address to mail a donation, and check out our Photo Gallery, where we've added back in some pictures from our efforts over the past few years.

In the meantime we want to thank you, our Friends of WGCC, for supporting us and making 2012 a really good year for us, and, on behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to wish you and yours a Happy and Healthy 2013!

Sincerely,
Bob Seabury, President
West Girard Community Council
http://www.westgirardcc.org

P.S. :::: We are an all volunteer organization. If you would like to volunteer to help with one of our projects or if you have some great ideas that we should know about, please don't hesitate to drop me an email at BooksBob@aol.com .... Thank You!

Dec 30 : "Electric Splash" - Bad Liquor Pond (Baltimore)

New Music / Freshly Released (2012)

I thought they would NEVER come here. Ever since I first started to listen to Bad Liquor Pond, I realized that they never seemed to play too far from their native Baltimore. Maybe once in a while at a nearby festival, but mostly they restricted their playing within their city limits!

I was shocked to see them up here one evening a couple years ago attending another show (as audience members). Why not come up here to actually play?!

My wishes were fulfilled a couple weeks ago when Bad Liquor Pond came up to Philly to play at Kung Fu Necktie. It was a good fit for their first visit.

I first came across Bad Liquor Pond as I was checking out websites of bands that were playing in Baltimore the same night that another band that I like was doing one of their rare shows. ... I liked Bad Liquor Pond immediately and looked forward to seeing them live for the first time.

They wound up being just as good live, and that was the beginning of several trips down to Baltimore to see them ... although the alternatives of being up most of the night waiting for train back home or splurging for a hotel made it something that I couldn't do that frequently.

When I first heard them they had already just produced their full-length cd "Radiant Transmissions" (2008), which followed their previous full-length cd "The Year of the Clam" (2007).

Also in 2008, they came out with "Gypsy Cab E.P.", which does four covers including a very excellent rendition of the Stones' "The Last Time". That's something that they should also put out in wider release. ... They're faithful to the original, but strongly implant the Bad Liquor Pond psych sensibility within.

At the Kung Fu show they played a lot of work from their new 2012 full length cd "Blue Smoke Orange Sky". One of the songs, "Electric Splash" had previously been released as a single and is also playing right here on my blog page :::

To visit Bad Liquor Pond on the internets, here is the click ::: Bad Liquor Pond (CLICK HERE)

I hope that this was just the beginning, that Bad Liquor Pond will be back to Philly often!

Dec 26 : "Christmas Prayer" - Panophonic (Clifton Heights)

I hope everyone has been having a good holiday season. Playing right here on my blog page is a little holiday music from Clifton Heights, PA, music outfit, "Panophonic". The song is "Christmas Prayer". Panophonic is the solo project of musician, Tom Lugo.

To visit Panophonic, here is the click ::: Panophonic (CLICK HERE)

Dec 18 : "Crazy High" - Dirty Virgins (Allston)

(speeding through November .... part 2)

One night last month after I was through working I went over to Spike Hill and saw some interesting bands. One of them was Dirty Virgins, who list themselves as being from Allston, but the event listing said they were now (also?) from Brooklyn.

One of the things I liked about the band was the powerful instrumentals. Current song playing here on my blog page is "Crazy High" by Dirty Virgins. :::

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Looks like this was an outdated link.

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To visit Dirty Virgins here is the click ::: Dirty Virgins (CLICK HERE)

Dec 16 : "One Day In Newtown" - City Rain (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written (Today!)

Philly Music!

As we've all heard the stories of the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut this week, people have tried to make sense of what happened, to talk about how to prevent or minimize something like this from happening again. We've all thought about it and expressed ourselves in different ways.

Ben Runyan of Philly band City Rain has written a song about it, "One Day In Newton", just posted a few minutes ago. ... Here it is :::

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Looks like the band removed this song from their webpage!

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In describing his emotions leading up to the writing of the song, he said on his Facebook page, its that feeling after you've cried hysterically over something. and you just ran out of tears and a weird peace sets in. kind of a forgiving peace.

To visit City Rain and hear more of their sounds, here is the click ::: City Rain (CLICK HERE)

Dec 12 : "On My Way Down" - Long Walk Home (Philly)

(speeding through November... part 1)

Philly Music!

The past six weeks were the busiest of the year, but I did get out to see some bands, but not as often as I would have wanted. Also didn't get enough time to keep the blog up-to-date.

But, in an effort to catch up, let me tell you about a show I went to at the end of October. Had a mental block about writing this one, because Philly band "Long Walk Home", one of my favorite bands, did a whole show where they were covering a rock icon, who happens to be one of my least favorites. I tried to come up with all sorts of quips like "they did the impossible, they almost got me to like _____________" ... but I just decided to bite the bullet and get the writeup down."

Long Walk Home disbanded their regular performances a couple years ago and now just does one or two shows during each holiday season. I like Long Walk Home with their rich and complex instrumentals. They did an excellent cd in 2009, "Heavy Sand". The opening track "On My Way Down" is a favorite, and it's currently playing

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7/5/20 ::: OOPS. Link to music seems to have disappeared.

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To visit Long Walk Home, here is the click ::: Long Walk Home (CLICK HERE)

Nov 14 : "Half Truth" - Dead Leaf Echo (New York)

OCTOBER 24

I love this song, "Half-Truth". Very intriguing juxtaposition between the drums and the vocals. And the backdrop or foundation of some interesting chord progressions as well. I've never heard another song quite like it. Listen to it below.

This was one of the songs I enjoyed when I went to the Pilam to see New York band Dead Leaf Echo do a live show on October 24.

October 24 is a key date. Like The Silence Kit that I wrote about a few days ago, I've been having a difficult time trying to find free time when Dead Leaf Echo happens to be doing a show. Also, they don't get to Philly that often.

I hadn't heard them since 2008, coincidentally on October 24, when they did a show at Rehab, aka Club Midway. When I saw them on the previous October 24 they were a three-piece; on this October 24 they were a five-piece.

The song "Half-Truth", from their EP, "Truth", is playing right here on my blog page. Check it out: listen to those alternating drums and vocals :::

I like this band and I hope I don't have to wait until October 24, 2016 to hear them again. :)

To visit Dead Leaf Echo, here is the click ::: Dead Leaf Echo (CLICK HERE)

Nov 14 : "Electricity Through the Heart" - Ra Ra Rasputin (Washington DC)

A couple weeks ago I went to the Pilam to see Dead Leaf Echo. One of the other bands playing there was Ra Ra Rasputin from Washington DC. They did an interesting show

One of the band's songs, "Electricity Through the Heart", is playing right here on my blog page.

To visit Ra Ra Rasputin, here is the click ::: Ra Ra Rasputin (CLICK HERE)

Nov 12 : "Mousetrap" - Ten Kens (Toronto)

New Music / Freshly Posted (September)

November is my busiest month for the community work. That added to business work meant that last week I only had Monday where I could stay up real late and go see bands. I was working in New York and had a "mix and match" in mind where I would go to Mercury Lounge for their early show and then spend most of the night at Pianos, and then top off the evening with the last late show at Rockwood.

I was all set to do this, but that Noreaster put a wrench in all my plans. While Philly wound up not getting a lot of snow, New York was having accumulation as well as some ferocious winds. I decided to do a double check of the venue websites before I left the office. While I was disappointed to see that Toronto band "Ten Kens" had been pulled from the Pianos lineup (this was the one I thought I would enjoy the most, not having heard before any of the bands playing at the three venues), I thought that there was still enough good music that the evening could certainly be worthwhile.

So I headed downtown but was real disappointed when I got to Mercury to find that they had cancelled the whole event (It would have been nice if their website had said that). ... I figured that, at that point, there would be too much waiting (a long wait) and too little music to warrant being up most of the night ... so I decided to cut my losses and return home.

The one band that I was really disappointed about not hearing was Ten Kens. Here, playing right here on my blog page, is one of their songs that intrigued me when I took a listen to their website. The track is "Mousetrap", which, they list as having been posted two months ago.

Ten Kens · Mousetrap

To visit Ten Kens on Soundcloud, here is the click ::: Ten Kens (CLICK HERE)

Nov 06 : "Uncertain" - The Silence Kit (Philly / NJ)

IN PARTS

I can almost tell in advance when an important meeting or job is going to come up. All it takes is for The Silence Kit to announce a live show, and, sure enough, a couple days later, a meeting will be announced for either the night of the concert or early the next morning. Such has been the case over the last couple years.

I first heard The Silence Kit in about 2006, and, for a while, heard them fairly regularly. Then a couple years ago our schedules diverged and I never was free at the same time they did a show.

So I was very happy when, a couple weeks ago, I saw that The Silence Kit was going to be doing a show at Kung Fu Necktie. While I listen to their cd's regularly at home, it's just not the same compared with seeing the band live.

Over these six years I've seen the band go through some personnel changes. These can be difficult transitions for a band. But The Silence Kit has always retained its signature sound, a solid and dark post-punk, steered by the band's creator and mastermind, Pat McCay.

The band came out with several new songs in 2011. A bunch of them are on their new ep "In Parts". Pat gives some background :::

Not sure if I'd mentioned it to you but "In Parts," is actually one of two EPs we released the same day... After TJ (guitar) left the band in 2009, we decided to go on at the time without replacing him. We had our keyboard player James cover on guitar and he switched back and forth from keys to guitar as needed. We recorded our practices and for a good bit of it we just jammed, coming up with things on the fly, based on some guitar parts I'd written. After the other guys left one night I scribbled down some lyrics that came to me on the spot, recorded vocals to two of these jams, and kind of forgot about them. These songs wound up being 'I Can Tell' and 'Uncertain' from the "In Parts" EP.

And here, right here on my blog page, is the band's song, "Uncertain":::

The band has another show coming up on November 23 at The Fire.

To visit The Silence Kit on Bandcamp in the meantime, here is the click ::: The Silence Kit (CLICK HERE)

Oct 28 : "Keg Party" - Slothrust (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Rleased (May 2012)

Last week I went to see The Silence Kit perform at Kung Fu Necktie. One of the openers was Brooklyn band "Slothrust". I was completely unfamiliar with them. I enjoyed watching their show and listening to their webpage.

Here is a sample of their music, playing right here on my blog page: "Keg Party" :::

To visit Slothrust, here is the click ::: Slothrust (CLICK HERE)

Oct 25 : "Image Game" - Lite (Tokyo)

Sometimes I just need to go out. I don't want to fall into the depths of music withdrawal, so I'll decide to go out to hear some sounds even if none of my favorite bands happen to be playing that night.

Such was one night a couple weeks ago when I headed up to North Star to check out some outfits that I had never heard before. One band was "Lite", a rock band on tour from Tokyo. I liked their show and got one of their t-shirts. (black shirt with geometric design / my favorite)

I probably tend to favor the music on their page, which shows a lot more versatility than what I saw in the live show. Here's a sample, the track, "Image Game", ===========================================

6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: SORRY! No longer have this link!

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To visit Lite's page, here is the click ::: Lite (CLICK HERE)

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Oct 08 : "Superbored SLMFK!!!" - Music For Headphones (Philly)

Philly Music!

THE LAST PART?

In looking through my notes I see that I've seen Philly band "Music For Headphones" five times, or parts of five times to be more correct. My spotty attendance at their shows is due to random happenings including some strange confluences with SEPTA. As in this past Saturday night, SEPTA got me there a little after they had started.... So I've never heard one of their entire shows.

But with that limited and spotty experience in seeing their work live, I can still definitely say that their show at Kung Fu Necktie Saturday night was the best I've seen. It was a bittersweet experience. While they were in top form and playing to a crowded room, they made the announcement that this was their "final show". The announcements both at the show and in print have been a little vague as to whether this was their last show ever or whether this was their last show before an extended hiatus. I guess only time will tell.

Music For Headphones has quite a library of music posted on their page. Here's a sample from their "Life.In.Mono" album, "Superbored SLMFK!!!", playing right here on my blog page :::

To visit Music For Headphones, here is the click ::: Music For Headphones (CLICK HERE)

Sep 27 : "In Formation" - Left Of Logic (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (last week)

Philly Music!

AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

This is about two alternate universes. The first alternate universe is the new world that Philly band “Left of Logic” has created and is taking us to in their first full-length cd, “In Formation”, which had its formal debut last Friday at the Arts Garage. … A couple weeks ago the band gave me a pre-release copy of the cd and asked me to do this review about the new cd along with the release show.

The album is divided into two parts, the first being a collection of individual songs separately created during the band’s short one-year history. This includes my personal favorite, “I Want You Alive”, which also appeared on the band’s introductory demo ep, “A Common Theme”, which was released last Winter.

The second section of the cd is a five-movement panorama that takes the listener on a journey through a dreamscape that has monster dogs in one song, a carnival in another, and a seashore with pounding waves in yet another. Another part of this alternate universe is when we actually leave Earth in the song “Spacetic Fever”, as we go on a hilarious and raunchy satirical trip into space.

There is a lot of movement in these songs, not only physical movement as we battle waves of the sea (“Shells”), as we walk out the door each morning (“Locomotion”), or even as we travel around in the B-movie ether between planets to find that girl who has “Spacetic Fever” “bad”, but also a different kind of movement, a psychic movement, that takes place in our heads but manifests itself in our actions and how we look at life.

The album has an overall optimistic view about life. While it deals with some of life’s rocky roads, there is an optimism about growing into what each new day has to offer.

The optimism is a little hesitant in the first track, “Locomotion”, but by the time the final track rolls around, “The Meaning Of Things (The Dream Lives Ought To See)” we see a strong confidence coupled with a defined way to look at life.

The second alternate universe was the band’s stage performance Friday night. From that standpoint the band I saw last Friday at the Arts Garage was almost a different band from the one I had seen back at Milkboy last Winter, or even at the Brewerytown Spring Festival in May. I was completely amazed Friday night. While Left of Logic always seemed comfortable on stage and the members did talk a little to the audience, I wasn’t prepared to be in a different world, seeing such a huge transformation that the band’s stage presence has shown in these few short months. I would say that was the most unique thing about their show on Friday. The show was very vibrant, loud, rocking, with the band members totally and simultaneously engaged with both the music and the audience, making more detailed comments about the songs, never stopping the eye contact with the audience and at times giving shouts back and forth with audience members, and still being totally wrapped up in the music, their faces relating the changing feelings of each phrase in the music. I’ve never seen such a dramatic and sudden transformation and rarely this level of intensity. On a stage presence scale from zero to ten, they broke the scale!

The band has three members. Austen Royce Goodman plays bass guitar and does vocals. Austen is also a poet. Austen comments: I started playing the bass guitar when I was 13 years old.  The sincere love that followed became my life.  I would improvise for 15 hours daily learning a repertoire of my own sounds and feel for the instrument. I played by ear for years and more recently I studied music theory and jazz composition under Bill Rossi. 

Tim Knowlton plays drums and does some vocals. He has a wide range of interests. I've been actively making music since beginning piano lessons at age 7, which eventually transferred into percussion so I could join the concert band in middle school at age 12. I've been playing classical, jazz, afro-cuban, marching, and rock percussion through middle school, high school, and college ever since then 12 years ago.

And Dan Townsend plays keys and does some vocals. And some background that Dan has given: I went to West Chester University and got a bachelors in Theory and Composition, and I'm pretty good with that stuff (being able to tell what kind of chords are being played, harmonically what's going on, etc.) but really, to me the best thing about music is the ability to throw that away when you're neck deep in an entirely free jam, and coming out on the other side not sure what happened. It's like a musical zen. Listen, play. Push and pull. Tension, and release.

One of the characteristics of Left of Logic's music is the stating of a theme at the beginning of a song, then wandering off into a couple other genres, only to come back home to the original styling at the end. This is evident in the song "Shells (The Dream Lives Out to Sea)", which is the eleventh and next to last track on the new cd. "Shells (The Dream Lives Out to Sea)" is playing right here on my blog page :::

To sum up the vibe of the album, here is an excerpt, the closing passage from the album's last track "The Meaning Of Things (The Dream Lives Ought To See)" :::

Washing away those years
Starting from behind and pressing on and on
A trail is beginning to clear
A dance for every thought
From the moves we make
Starting Point A to break
Meaning is to create
Meaning is to create
Meaning is to create

To visit Left of Logic, here is their Bandcamp site where you can hear samples of more of their music as well as download the new album ::: Left Of Logic on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE)

If you'd like to see a previous video of Left Of Logic, here they are playing "Momentum", one of their original songs, at the Brewerytown Spring Festival this past May, here is the click :::: Left Of Logic at Brewerytown Spring Festival (CLICK HERE, AND REFRESH YOUR BROWSER TO MAKE THE VIDEO PLAY IF NECESSARY)

p.s.:::: Don't look up "Spacetic". You won't find it. I searched "Urban Dictionary" as well as googling it with all spelling variations I could think of. The guys later told me the word is made up. :)

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"IV. Shells (The Dream Lives Out to Sea)" and "V. The Meaning Of Things (The Dream Lives Ought To See)" © 2012, Left Of Logic. All rights reserved.
© 2012, Robert Seabury. All rights reserved.

Sep 22 : "What to Do" - Jackie Paper (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (April 2012)

Philly Music!

MULTI LEVEL FIT

The headliner at Little Berlin that night was Jackie Paper, which, of course, was the band I went to see. They did a good show; I had a good time. (This show was actually on Sep 1. I admit I'm way behind in postings.) The show was in the courtyard and the band situated itself on a few different levels / steps, so the audience had a clear view of EVERYBODY in the band.

The band played some of its standards, but also included a lot of new work.

Jackie Paper came out with several new songs this past April. One of those is "What to Do", which is playing right here on my blog page. Even though the song veers off into Western, there are still the trademark stylings so you know it couldn't be anybody else but Jackie Paper. :) :::

If you'd like to see Jackie Paper live, you're in luck. They have a show coming up on Friday, October 12, at Connie's Ric Rac. In the meantime, if you want to visit Jackie Paper on line, here is the click ::: Jackie Paper (CLICK HERE)

Sep 20 : "John's Clothes" - The Neighbors (Crown Heights)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released

A LOOSE FIT

A few weeks ago I went to Little Berlin, and one of the bands playing that night was Crown Heights band, "The Neighbors". This was the first time I had heard them. Intense and loose garage rock. I will look to hear them again.

The song playing right here on my blog page is "John's Clothes", just posted in early Spring by The Neighbors.

theneighbors · Johns clothes-demo

To visit The Neighbors on line, here is the click ::: The Neighbors (CLICK HERE)

Sep 16 : "Open Notes" - Tygerstrype

Philly Music!

THE RIGHT FIT!

Each time I go out to see a particular band, I look to see what is unique about that show. What sets that show apart from the other bands playing that same night or even from the previous shows by the same band I'm going to see.

On the night of August 16 (I admit I'm WAY behind in my postings), I went to see Tygerstype play at The Fire. They were doing a benefit for Philly Socialists. The occasion was "Philly Socialists Days of Summer Benefit Show".

The two things that made this show unique were that Tygerstrype (vocalist and electronics man, Gabriel Guerrero; and my friend, Alden Towler, on guitar) went beyond the other bands' mere verbal thank you's to the host group but actually praised the hosts for the work they're doing in the community. In addition, Gabe talked the theme around full circle from the work of the group to the lyrics in the band's music. Tygerstrype very seldom gives background about any of the songs, so that was the second unique component of this show.

One of the first songs they played was "Open Notes" which is the opening track on their 2011 cd, "Lackadaisical Daisy". Gabe explained in his introductory remarks that the song is loosely based on the writing of Martinique-born French Algerian author Frantz Fanon in his book, "Wretched of the Earth". Having seen the devastating effects of French imperialism and colonization on his own island of Martinique and having received his professional training in medicine and psychiatry, he writes about how colonization influences the psyche of an individual, a group, or, on a more macro basis on a race.

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Gabe says that while his music doesn't refer to Fanon directly, "i do make subtle references to Fanon and his interpretation of Imperialism and its implicit oppression."

"Open Notes" starts out with a smooth and lengthy introduction, from 0.00 to 2.41 minutes, when the tempo increases into the main body of the song, where you can find some of the lyrics that Gabe sent along below:.

"the tattooed sun underneath
your heavy eyelids can bring a
gloomy sunshine when you
fall asleep at night

you've got to be strong in the shadows that
stain the ground and the mountain tops with greed
must believe that the avatar is you
exposed and posing in an open air

i know that there is gonna be a fight to give 'em
i know that the scarlet sun sets west
the answers are blowing in the wind
disappear in a grey and morbid sky"

:::Gabe continues in talking about his lyrics:::

the idea of revolution becomes paramount throughout the song with a recurring slogan of "i know that there's gonna be a fight to give' em" against the very violent, oppressive, and imperialist West (hence the reference of the scarlet sun setting west, relaying imagery of a blood drenched sun that falls west)

there is always this understanding of uncertainty but with these colonized people knowing is half the battle and Fanon made it imperative that spreading awareness of ones surroundings, capabilities, and self are the most important tools for building the foundation of a revolution.

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At the show at The Fire, the band played a number of songs from "Lackadaisical Daisy", as well as giving the audience a peek at some new sounds. … And "Open Notes" is also playing right here on my blog page :::

To visit Tygerstrype on Facebook here is the click ::: Tygerstrype (CLICK HERE)

If you want to see Tygerstrype live, you're in luck. They're doing a show at Johnny Brenda's tomorrow night! Tygerstrype's Show at Johnny Brenda's. Check them out!

And to read more about Frantz Fanon, here is the click ::: Frantz Fanon

Aug 21 : Frustrating Govt. Outrage

FRUSTRATING GOVT. OUTRAGE

Last week I went up to SHARE to get the monthly pickup / delivery of food for our Food Cupboard. SHARE acts as the conduit for government support to community organizations such as ours. We, West Girard Community Council, run the Food Cupboard in partnership with North Star Bar and East Park Revitalization Alliance.

I honestly did not have high hopes, but I certainly wasn't prepared for the outrage that I would soon find.

Last month the state hit a new low by not giving us anything. That's right: ZERO. Not a reasonable amount that might have been scaled back, but ZERO. I didn't think their lack of support could be equalled, but I was wrong. This month they matched last month's hard-heartedness by again giving us ZERO.

And the federal government is now not too far behind. While the federal government has been giving us an amount of food that has been decreasing little by little each month, this month they appeared to be in a race to the bottom with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We got only ONE item to give out: pasta.

To put this in perspective, a couple years ago we often had seven to ten items to put in each family's bag. While this program is certainly not to be considered "weekly shopping", it was always intended to be a supplement to help tide people over. ... But now it's turning out to barely even do that.

I personally believe in the phrase coined by our founders that our government should be "of the people, by the people, and for the people". I see the government as all of us coming together to make the USA the best that it can be. That includes everything from helping businesses prosper and compete in the global economy, but also includes helping those of us who might be down to their last dollar.

Budgets are always under discussion and agitation. How much to spend on various items. Add some money here, take away some there. Budget wrangling has gone on for centuries at least. Last month Harrisburg officials were proud of the budget that they passed. Budgets should be balanced. But whatever else happens in the realm of budgets, cuts should not be made on the backs of the poor, or those who are most vulnerable.

Government's answer to our current hunger crisis through the Food Cupboard program needs to be more than one, two, or three items per household, more than a bag of pasta. The poor should not have to be the ones to foot the bill.

Aug 15 : "Architecture" - Instamatic

Philly Music!

BLASTING AWAY THE LIGHTS

My main reason for going to Underground Arts that night was to see Instamatic. A few bands after Hot Guts played, Instamatic was the headliner.

I had seen Instamatic live only once before, and that was last Winter when I went with David and Pat to see them play at Milkboy. David had already been a fan for years, and I quickly saw why he liked them. They immediately became one of my favorites as well.

The band blasts away song after song with their four huge electronic consoles. The thing that I like about the band is its power and thrust without any sacrifice in the area of melodic lines. Indeed the melodic lines offer much more intrigue, intelligence, and interest than some other bands whose vehicle is less intense.

The band was in its true form on Thursday night. They had played only a few songs when they blew out a circuit breaker or fuse or whatever they have at Underground Arts, and lights and music went out!

The electric situation was fixed and they played some more, only for the same thing to happen a second time. Ha! That's intensity!

My only complaint about the show was that it was too short!

An example of one of their songs is "Architecture", the lead track on their 2011 album, "Turning Into Straight Lines". Here it is, played by Philly band, "Instamatic" :::

To visit Instamtic, here is the click ::: Instamatic (CLICK HERE)

Aug 12 : "Heater Beauty" - Hot Guts

Philly Music!

I WAS AN INTRUDER

I felt like an intruder. Philly band "Hot Guts" was one of the bands in the lineup at Underground Arts a week ago Thursday night. This was my first time seeing them.

Hot Guts consists of Wes Russell who did vocals and guitar on the right-hand side of the stage and Shari Vari who played a complex set of electronics and keys laid out in a backwards "L" formation on the left-hand side of the stage.

Just looking at Wes, I felt like an intruder. Wes performed the vocals as if he were singing personally for the microphone. He was standing sideways, his left side facing the audience, and he was leaning slightly forward, his face just a few inches from the mike, and he was singing to that mike is if there was no one else in the room. He gave a good performance, even though he didn't know know we were there. :)

But the band was not detached. Shari maintained a good eye contact with the audience on behalf of both members. And, what's more, the intensity of her performance was so strong that, at times, the floor shook, as did my chair.

This band was similar to Brontide which I talked about in my previous blog in that the band's performance was a lot more intense live than in recorded form. ... A sample of the recorded music is "Heater Beauty", which is from 2011 and is playing right here on my blog page.

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7/5/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Looks like the band removed this song from their webpage!

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To visit Hot Guts, here is the click ::: Hot Guts (CLICK HERE)

Aug 08 : "Bob Mundon" - Brontide

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Posted

Playing right before The Mystery Lights at Mercury Lounge was UK band "Brontide". Unlike The Mystery Lights, which seemed to have zeroed in on and were experts in garage rock, Brontide was more eclectic. Not just from song to song, but the styles and genres seemed to be all over the place ... in each song.

I was very impressed by the band's range and mastery of different styles. However, I felt that, while each song seemed to showcase a wide array of styles, there wasn't too much cohesiveness. How was it all being pulled together?

The music the band has on their various web pages does not display as sharply the contrasts of temperaments that I heard at the live show. Maybe it was just the fact that the show was live. But, of the various samples they have posted, the track "Bob Mundon" comes most closely to illustrating my point about the wide ranges.

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Bob Mundon" by UK band Brontide.

To visit Brontide, here is the click ::: Brontide (CLICK HERE)

Aug 01 : "Guitar Pickin' On You" - The Mystery Lights

Monday night I was looking for some good music after I finished working in NY. I listened to samples of the various bands at the various venues and came up with what looked like an interesting night at Mercury Lounge.

It had been a while since I had heard some really high-powered garage rock, so I was intrigued and all set to go hear for the first time the headliner on the bill, "The Mystery Lights". They certainly didn't disappoint. Non-stop and intense.

While I liked listening to the "advance" web songs that helped me make the decision to go hear them, they really don't seem to have a huge web presence. Their Facebook page says that they're from Salinas, CA, although they're using New York as a home base right now. Here, playing right here on my web page is the high-powered "Guitar Pickin' On You" by The Mystery Lights.

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Looks like the band removed this song from their webpage!

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To visit The Mystery Lights, here is the click ::: The Mystery Lights (CLICK HERE)

Jul 19 : "Shadows In the Dark" - Hollows

(an antiote to the dry spell ... part 4)

In the last few days I've realized that the "dry spell" may be coming to an end. I've seen some interesting lineups and listings for midweek shows that I can actually get to.

But, to complete the story about my trip to Glasslands the week before last, I have to tell you about the headliner that night, Chicago band "Hollows". While the first three bands had some women members, Hollows is almost an all-woman band, well, four out of five anyway. Four women out front with vocals, guitars, and keys, and a male drummer sitting in back.

Ths sound is somewhat retro. Here's a quote from a review that appears on their Facebook page. :::"There is plenty of spookiness in the band's dreamy sha-la-la. This mostly female group pulls together all the drama and tragedy of the Shangri-Las and mixes it with classic garage rock." ~Jessica Hopper, Chicago Tribune

A good sample of the "spookiness" can be heard in their song, "Shadows In the Dark", which is playing right here on my blog page :::

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Looks like the band's music and page have disappeared.

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To hear more of their organ-heavy music, here is the click :::

So I enjoyed the Hollows' show at Glasslands. It, as with the three bands that preceded it, were just the "antidote to the dry spell" that I needed. ... But now there seems to be a turn of the tide, and more interesting lineups are starting to appear. I'm just getting ready to go out to hear some more bands now. Yay!

Jul 14 : "Born Heavy" - Darlings

(an antidote to the dry spell ... part 3)

In my previous postings about the "dry spell", I didn't mean to imply that only in New York is good stuff happening. For the free time I had the week of July 2, I also looked at various venues in New York and it was just Glasslands as an isolated example that had music that interested me.

Also, within the last week I've had to back away from a couple interesting shows that I've seen coming up. Because I've had obligations early the next mornings and wanted to stay in the night before, I missed Left Of Logic playing at Milkboy last weekend and Jackie Paper playing at Hong Kong Garden last night.

So maybe I should revise my complaints about the "dry spell" to say that the "dry spell" only seems to pertain to the nights I have off, but seems to be in remission on the nights that I don't have free. Because there's some interesting music around on those other nights when I can't get away. :(

Also, available music is subject to the individual agreements reached by venues and bands as to who's playing when and where.

But back to my first choice for July 2. It seemed to be a LADIES NIGHT at Glasslands. Women were featured in each of the bands, including the third band up, which was Brooklyn band, "Darlings". Playing right here on my blog page is "Born Heavy", which the band released in 2010.

They don't appear to have any other upcoming shows listed, but they announced they do have a 7" single coming out next month. To visit Darlings, here is the click ::: Darlings (CLICK HERE)

Jul 09 : "Heat" - Boyhood

(an antidote to the dry spell ... part 2)

So this is the second in the mini-series. To clarify what I mean by a "dry spell": It's going out to hear music, but, after hearing one band or so, not hearing enough other music at that same venue that will make me want to stay in their room for the whole evening. ... As a loyal fan of the bands that I love, I want to see their shows and support them whenever I can, but, as a customer of the venues, I would like to hear more interesting music than that one band after I've paid my cover charge. The past couple months I haven't heard any "bad" "other" bands, all have been proficient, but maybe it's been a little too heavy on the generic "same-old, same-old". I'm sure this dry spell will be temporary as others have been in the past.

Which brings us back to the great evening I had at Glasslands last Monday, where they packed in some very interesting bands in one evening. My previous blog was about the evening's opener, Graveyard Lovers. The next band up was Ottawa outfit "Boyhood".

"Boyhood" is the project of Caylie Runciman, who played guitar and did lead vocals at the show on Monday. It was a "family affair". Playing with her was her boyfriend, Luke Nuclear, on bass, and her younger brother, Callum Runciman, on drums.

Sounds like excellennt Garage to me. The performance was powerful. In seeing the live show and listening to her recorded music, I find Caylie's vocal range can be anywhere from mellow to fierce. At the live performance, the stylings tilted a little more towards the intense.

An example of some of her range within one song comes in the track "Heat", which she sang at the show and also happens to be the second track on the "Boyhood EP".

There are also some interesting harmonies in her work. Check out "Where I'm Going", which is the fourth track on the ep:::

To visit Boyhood on Bandcamp, here is the click ::: Boyhood on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE)

You may be surprised, as I certainly was, to find that BOYHOOD IS A SOLO PROJECT. Caylie's boyfriend and brother play with her only at live shows, but all the recordings are solo, Caylie's performance(s) alone. She started playing music long before she can remember. Here are some additional tracks done by Caylie, prior to her actually giving her outfit the name "Boyhood" about a year ago ::: Caylie Runciman on Soundcloud (CLICK HERE)

I have more antidotes to tell you about. Check back here in a few days! :)

Jul 06 : "The World Is Ending" - Graveyard Lovers

(an antidote to the dry spell ... part 1)

What a relief to get an antidote to the dry spell. Frustrated. Miffed. Those are two of the emotions I've been feeling over the last few months as I've been unable to find what used to be "regular" back in the good old days of the Khyber, that is, an evening of four good bands who would keep my attention glued to the stage all night.

If you've been checking my page here, you've probably noticed that, for the last few months, I've been hearing one good band here and there, and, to make a good evening, have had to do "mix and matches", where I go to more than one venue to make up a good evening.

An extreme example of this comes not from me, but from my friend, David, who, a couple weeks ago, in order to salvage enjoyment out of one particular night, planned to go to THREE different venues to hear one band at each of the three. ... In the end he was disappointed at each.

Hearing David tell me about that experience really jarred me into thinking "This is Enough." I'm tired of paying a cover charge to hear a band that I like and then finding myself running for the door to prevent myself from being blanded out by the next band up.

So I was wondering what to do! Then I thought I'm going to be working up in New York on Monday anyway, so why not check out some music up there. I hadn't been to a show in New York for a while, mainly because I'm not overly thrilled about pulling a near all-nighter in Penn Station on the way back.

So I quickly realized that, in order to stave off dry spell music dehydration, I better act quickly. I cross-checked the pages of the venues and the bands and, WOW, I came across the exact ANTIDOTE I needed to combat this dry spell.

Glasslands Gallery had a lineup of four bands whose music on the web I really liked. The first band I checked out was "Graveyard Lovers", and I think they hooked me into looking at this event with serious interest.

I wasn't disappointed. At the moment I walked in the door, Graveyard Lovers was just starting to play. And their live performance was even better than what I heard on the web.

Graveyard Lovers is a two-person outfit, featuring Zach Reynolds doing guitar and vocals, and Tricia Purvis, doing drums.

The music is an interesting hybrid of blues and rock. Zach comes from Louisiana and Tricia is from New York, so they combine music from each of their roots into an experience that's very enjoyable for the listener.

Even though there are only two people in this band, the performance was so animated, it seemed like there were several more.

Graveyard Lovers put out an ep in the Spring of 2011. It's also titled "Graveyard Lovers". The last track on the ep is "The World is Ending", which is playing right here on my blog page ::::

To visit Graveyard Lovers on Bandcamp and to hear more of their songs, here is the click ::: Graveyard Lovers (CLICK HERE)

"Dry spells" come and go. We've had them before, and I'm sure this one, as with the others, will pass in time. However, in the meantime, check back here every few days. I have several more "antidotes" to tell you about. :)

Jul 03 : "Myography" - Apollo Run

Last week I headed up to North Star to hear some music, and Brooklyn band "Apollo Run" was on the schedule. This was the first time I heard them. They did a good show.

One of the songs they sang at North Star was "Myography", which is playing right now.

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Sorry! Lost this link!

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To visit Apollo Run, here is the click ::: Apollo Run (click here) When you go there, also check out the band's song, "All In Good Time", which is an interesting work whose style is atypical of the rest of the bands music. What a surprise it was when, for the last song, the band members jumped down from the stage and sang "All In Good Time" a cappella in the middle of the audience!

Jun 30 : "Can't Go Home" - Roadkill Messiahs

Philly Music!

And headlining at The Fire that night was Philly band "Roadkill Messiahs", which was another act I was hearing for the first time.

I also found out that Sean Svadlenak, whom I originally saw playing in Philly band "Babar" is now playing in Roadkill Messiahs. Well, there's a dramatic change of style. :)

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Can't Go Home" by Roadkill Messiahs.

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Looks like the band removed this song from their webpage!

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To visit Roadkill Messiahs, here is the click ::: Roadkill Messiahs (CLICK HERE)

Jun 23 : "Diamondback Shuffle" - Something Like a Monument

Philly Music!

David decided to stay at Johnny Brenda's to hear the headliner. I wasn't that much into that band, so I decided to do a mix and match and head over to The Fire, where I heard Philly band "Something Like a Monument" play for the first time.

Current song playing right now is "Diamondback Shuffle" by Something Like a Monument.

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! SORRY Lost this link!

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To visit the band, here is the click ::: Something Like a Monument (CLICK HERE)

Jun 17 : "When Fire Burns Out" - Juston Stens and the Get Real Gang

Philly Music!

On Thursday night for the first time in a long time I went out to hear music. (Having to stay in each night to get up early in the morning to wait for the electrician who never came and took over a month to do a short job WHEW! Glad that's over).

But getting back to music on Thursday was good because David had that same night on his calendar to go out, so we started the evening by going to Johnny Brenda's. First up was "Juston Stens and the Get Real Gang", whom neither of us had heard before.

Both of us liked the show. Here's a sample of their music, "When Fire Burns Out" :::

To visit Juston Stens on line here is the click ::: Juston Stens and the Get Real Gang (CLICK HERE)

May 23 : "Hot Summer" - Jackie Paper

Philly Music!

Blown Away ............................ Again!

Friday night I went to see Jackie Paper play at IHOP Estate. The first time I had seen Jackie Paper was at Comly Haus Basement Sound Laboratory a couple months ago. That first night Josh Dowell, mastermind behind Jackie Paper was performing as a solo act with Iam Mick joining in halfway through. The feel and tempo of the music was similar to what can be found on Jackie Paper's web page.

What caught my attention that first night and what made me a fan after just hearing Josh play his first bar was the chord progressions.

On Friday night at IHOP Estate Jackie Paper was a full band. There was even a flute as part of their lineup. The signature beautiful chord progressions were there (blown away again), but this time the feel and tempo of the music had a more intense rock beat.

Jackie Paper doesn't currently have samples of the faster-tempo music on their web page, but I'm featuring a song whose style was what made me like the outfit to begin with. Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Hot Summer" (from 2009) :::

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Looks like the band removed this song from their webpage!

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To visit Jackie Paper's web page, here is the click ::: Jackie Paper (CLICK HERE)

This was a good show; I had a great night. My only regret was that I couldn't stay longer to hear even more bands, but I had a meeting the next morning where I needed to be awake and alert, so I had to make it an early night. :)

I'm looking forward to seeing Jackie Paper again.

May 20 : "pRODUCT pLACEMENT [2012]" - 185668232

New Sounds / Freshly Arranged (2012)

On Wednesday I went to The Fire to see 185668232. As usual The Fire jumbled up the order that the bands played, so that the playing order was different than what was on their website. I don't even expect that place to stick to what their page says any more.

185668232 has a continuous free-flowing stream of personnel that changes from show to show. Wednesday it was mainly Iam Mick with a spoken-word backup from Sadie Fissinger. I adjusted the first line of this blog to accommodate Iam's perception of his work and to maybe update my perception of work of today's artists in general. While I have normally identified new work as "New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released", Iam told me that he doesn't consider himself a musician (even though I've seen his proficiency playing several instruments), but one who works with "sound", including more sound than what constitutes traditional music. ... And in my conversation with him and another artist learned that there is no way to "write" down in notations on paper what those sounds are in a way that would be similar to writing music on a piece of paper. If you wanted to perform what you're doing tonight again five years from now, you would have to recreate it. There's no way to write down on paper what it would be so you could read it and do it again in five years.

This is an interesting concept to learn as my own horizons or understanding of "music" and "sounds" are also being redefined.

I've seen Iam's more recent work move off into the areas of new "sounds". And with a focusing on the bands that were to be playing that night (that he was largely instrumental in putting together), I've seen him show an interest in "Chalk Harmonica Vibe". And after listening to Chalk Harmonica Vibe on their web page before the show and listening to their music at the show, I would venture to say that maybe they had a little influence in the stylings of 185's specific performance Wednesday night.

One of 185's more experimental pieces is pRODUCT pLACEMENT [2012], which is a continuously evolving work that features a wide array of stylings and techniques. And it's playing right here on my blog page.

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: 185 removed the original version from their page and replaced it with a newer version. The recording below is actually from 2014.

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185668232 has a show scheduled for tonight at the Meatlocker in Montclair, NJ..

To visit 185668232 otherwise, here is the click ::: 185668232 (CLICK HERE)

May 18 : "Momentum" - Left Of Logic

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released

Philly Music!

The last band to play in the lineup at the Brewerytown Spring Festival was Philly band "Left Of Logic". Their set time actually went over past the official end time of the Festival which was why I was able to catch part of their show. We wrapped up our Farmstand a little after 4, took back our tables and supplies, then I came back up to the Avenue to catch this last set.

It was getting late. The Festival had formally ended, PPA was starting to go around ticketing people who hadn't been paying close attention to time, and one or two of our neighborhood whack jobs came out of the woodwork to do pantomime, try to annoy (unsuccessfully) the band, and act all crazy. In our hood we know how to put on real shows with FULL entertainment haha.lol :).

Left Of Logic played songs from their recently-released ep,"A Common Theme". Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Momentum", which is the second track from the ep.

The band also gave us a good preview of some new work. They announced that work is progressing on a new album, and it should be hopefully coming out in the Summer.

To visit Left Of Logic, here is the click ::: Left Of Logic (CLICK HERE).

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And here's a clip of "Momentum" live at the Brewerytown Spring Festival. This video was taken by Tom Lugo of Panophonic / Stellarscope.

May 16 : "Cryogenic Sleep" - Panophonic

Philly Music!

And playing right after The Gut Strings at the Brewerytown Spring Festival was Tom Lugo's solo project, "Panophonic".

Again, I was working at WGCC's Farmstand up at the end of the block for most of the afternoon, so I actually got to see only a few minutes of Panophonic as well.

Current song playing on my profile page (CLICK HERE) is "Cryogenic Sleep"by Psychedelphia band Panophonic. "Cryogenic Sleep" was originally written by Tom for his solo act, Panophonic, but it also made its way into the repertoire of his three-piece band, Stellarscope.

Also, here's a video of Saturday's performance of "Cryogenic Sleep" :::

As we were listening to Panophonic from our table a block away, I think Patrick is becoming a fan, too.

To visit Panophonic, here is the click ::: Panophonic (CLICK HERE)

May 14 : "Bootstraps" - The Gut Strings

Philly Music!

On Saturday we had the Brewerytown Spring Festival, where I heard The Gut Strings play for the second time, or maybe this was the one and a half time. :)

The Festival stage was set up by 28th and Girard. And for the Festival WGCC had its Farmstand set up at 27th and Girard. So I was helping run the Farmstand for most of the afternoon. I enjoyed listening to The Gut Strings from a distance and did try to get down to the stage for a few minutes to actually hear them close up. ... I thought they were even better than when I heard them at Blockley.

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Bootstraps" by Philly band The Gut Strings. :::

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7/5/20 ::: OOPS. Link to band page seems to be deactivated.

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5/16----Update! --- And, just posted, Tom Lugo of Stellarscope / Panophonic just posted this clip of The Gut Strings' performance at the Festival.

May 09 : The House

Music has been on the back burner for a few weeks as I've been working on the house. Hope to get back to the music soon.

Apr 29 : Northern Liberties Loop

I woke up in the middle of the night, and, omg, SEPTA lied to us, I didn't hear any trolleys. Where were they? Trolley service on the 15 was supposed to resume this morning.

When I got up for real later in the morning, I was already half disappointed. I had been looking forward to the resumption of trolley service but didn't know why they didn't seem to be running in the middle of the night.

Much to my delight, I found that the trolleys were indeed running, and that the upgrading of the rails over the bridge was probably why I didn't hear them rattling through the night.

The 15 is now operating on a "detour" due to the reconstruction of I-95, which is scheduled to take at least two years. ... On its eastern portion, the 15 passes under and then weaves its way around underneath the expressway.

The detour involves the trolleys' turning south at Johnny Brenda's (Girard Ave and Frankford Ave) and heading south on new track to a new turnaround loop at The Barbary (Frankford Ave and Delaware Ave, or near Sugar House).

The loop has been nicely constructed with a sheltered waiting area, maps, and some pleasant, though modest, landscaping.

Supervisors and track crews seemed to be out in full force to make sure that the first morning on the new route would run smoothly.

Here are some pics ::::

Apr 29 : "Little Bros" - Tygerstrype

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (2012)

Philly Music!

INTELLIGENT DESIGN

Friday night I made my first trip to loft apartment non-0venue "Brenda". This is Brenda without the "Johnny" and without the waits between sets. It was a very comfortable environment, spacious with high ceilings, and big enough to have the evening's bands set up at different locations in the same room. So when one band finished playing their set on one side of the room, there was almost a seamless continuity when the next band would start to play on the opposite side. How inventive. I was so impressed!

I had gone there to see Philly band Tygerstrype, which had just returned back to Philly after doing a show at Pianos in New York the night before. The band played several songs from their new cd "Lackadaisical Daisy". The sound was mixed a little differently than in previous shows I've seen. In this two-man setup of electronics and guitar, the guitar had more prominence in Friday's mix. And, whether this was a function of sound mixing or composition, I detected a slightly stronger noise component as well. After starting the initial melodic lines of various songs, the band seemed to take a stronger turn off into the jazz or abstract.

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Little Bros", by Philly band Tygerstrype. This is the third track on the new album, "Lackadaisical Daisy" :::::

To visit Tygerstrype, here is the click ::: Tygerstrype (CLICK HERE)

(am doing a couple posts today, then getting back to the home repairs. next posts will probably be in a week.)

Apr 29 : "Watch Out" - City Rain

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (2012)

Philly Music!

Sometimes even if I see a show that I like, I have other things going on in life and don't get to experience the show and write about it intensively. One such event was City Rain's good show done at North Star a couple weeks ago ... that I'm just getting around to mentioning now.

The show pretty much coincided with the release of their new video, "Watch Out", which is playing right here on my blog page:::

To visit City Rain, here is the click ::: City Rain (CLICK HERE)

City Rain has a show scheduled at Swarthmore tonight and at Fontana's tomorrow night!

(am doing a couple posts today, then getting back to the home repairs. next posts will probably be in a week.)

Apr 08 : Bergenline Avenue Station

Last month there was a period of about ten days where I did some intensive work up in Union City, N.J.. The train station for Union City is the "Bergenline Avenue" stop on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line.

It's the only underground stop on the line, and, to my knowledge, the only underground station that New Jersey Transit has built from scratch.

This is a beautiful station. I was completely blown away when I went there the first time. I like the station's innovative style and its use of the blue neon as part of the design.

Part of the station is also an art installation, the "Weehawken Time Warp", by Alison Sky, and commissioned by New Jersey Transit. … There's a space capsule, long dinosaur tails, and other prehistoric creatures appearing throughout the station.

When the visitor goes up to the street level, there is a "Welcome" sign as one exits the elevators. Bergenline Avenue is a main commercial street through Union City, and the station is surrounded by many stores and restaurants. Second picture below is the street level entrance to the elevators down to he station.

The station has some interesting statistics. Here is some data about the station on "Wikipedia". Bergenline HBLR Station (CLICK HERE)

In the world of transit stations this is a wonderful example of architectural and stylistic bravery. I'd like to see more.

Apr 08 : "Stop Drop & Roll" - Orbit to Leslie

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (March 2012)

Philly Music!

TRIP TO DOO WOP

On Friday Night David, Pat, and I went to see Orbit to Leslie at Johnny Brenda's. It had been a while since I had seen the band live, not since their show at Danger Danger Gallery several months ago.

The band never ceases to amaze me by the new roads they continually take, roads in all directions. The show at Danger Danger Gallery highlighted the introduction of some new instruments including a trombone. Friday night at Johnny Brenda's showed the fullness of the new instrumentation being incorporated into the show as a major component.

It also showed Orbit to Leslie, while not abandoning their masterpiece cd, "The World Was Saved With Chocolate Cake", moving into new areas, one of them being doo wop. I was surprised to see a couple doo wop songs included in the show. … Falsetto was done quite well.

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Stop Drop & Roll", an example of their doo wop adventure and released just a couple weeks ago.

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7/5/20 ::: OOPS. Looks like the band removed this song from their page.

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Another change that I did see was in the drum section. In previous shows I saw, along with quite an assortment of drums, the seat of a folding chair as part of the percussion mix. But Friday night the percussion section seemed to consist only of "real" drums. :)

To visit Orbit to Leslie and hear more of their music, here is the click ::: Orbit to Leslie (CLICK HERE)

Apr 05 : "45 Degrees" - Son Step

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (Nov 2011)

Philly Music!

Along with Tygerstrype at that Kung Fu show last week was Philly band "Son Step". I enjoyed their show; I'd recommend you try to check them out sometime. However, I don't notice a tremendous amount of similarity between the music in their live show and what's on their web page. I think I like the live music better.

But here, anyway, is the song "45 Degrees", playing right here on my blog page. :::

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7/5/20 ::: OOPS. Link to band page seems to be deactivated.

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To visit Son Step, here is the click ::: Son Step (CLICK HERE)

Apr 01 : "Odessa" (Caribou) - Tygerstrype

Fresh Music / Newly Arranged (March 2012)

Philly Music!

Philly band Tygerstrype has been busy these days. A couple weeks ago they released "Odessa", which is a cover of the band Caribou. This was Tygerstype's first cover, and comes on the heels of their full-length album release "Lackadaisical Daisy" back in 2011.

The instrumentals on "Odessa" have a haunting quality and sound a little darker than many of the songs on Daisy, although there is quite a range on the latter. Listen to "Little Bros" and "Malevolence" as contrasts.

Tygerstrype is currently the team of Gabriel Guererro and Alden Towler. It was originally the brainchild of Gabriel, who comes from a history of being a hip-hop artist.

The first instrument that Gabe ever played was the bass, which he played in bands some years back. But not for too long. He became impatient with being confined by the limitations of one musical instrument's capabilities. That's when he decided to expand his efforts into electronics.

He then created Tygerstrype as a solo electronics act.

Alden also has a long history of playing music. His first real instruments were the flute and the recorder which he started to play around age 5 or 6. At age 12 a family member gave him a guitar which he started to play a year later when another family member taught him "Angie" by The Rolling Stones. And he hasn't put it down since!

In college he played in bands with Gabe, but then they went their separate ways for a few years.

It wasn't until September, 2010, that they got back together as Alden joined Gabe to do the "Lackadaisical Daisy" album.

So I heard Tygerstrype do a good show last weekend at Kung Fu Necktie, where they played all of these songs. The audience was hyped up and excited, and it was a good debut for their cover of "Odessa".

Current song right here on my blog page is "Odessa", the Caribou cover by Tygerstrype.

To visit Tygerstrype where you can hear all of this new music, click here ::: Tygerstrype (CLICK HERE)

Mar 19 : "Noche Roja" - Simon Oliver and Jason LaTour

Saturday morning I went to the Chestnut Hill Library because they had an available copy of the next book the book club is reading. By the way, this branch is quite beautiful, with a nice solarium with easy chairs in the back of the building.

While I was there I checked the "New Fiction" shelves to find some good new titles. And, by initially "judging a book by its cover" (or, to be more precise, by the graphics on its spine), I picked up the book "Noche Roja" by Simon Oliver. The blurb on the cover said, "Gripping and stylish. Oliver's killer noir yarn is matched only by the striking cartooning LaTour uses to tell it. What a great read!" … Huh? …. Cartoons? … I opened up the book and saw that the entire book was a story in cartoon form. Jason LaTour is the artist.

This was a first for me. I had never seen a cartoon story in book form, not to mention one that was a "full-length" 181 pages long. I opened it up, read a few pages, and saw that, visually, it lived up to its description of being a "noir" thriller. But in addition to being a murder mystery, it appeared that the story had a social conscience as well. The blurb on the back said, "With the gritty, stylized artwork of Jason LaTour, "Noche Roja" is an enthralling noir tale of how the insatiable craving for cheap consumer goods leads to the ultimate cheapening of life itself." … I liked this whole package and decided to read it..

I finished reading the book yesterday evening. The story is about Jack Cohen, an ex-cop turned private investigator who is pulled into looking into the disappearances and murders of young women who all happened to be working for one company south of the border. …. I had suspicions. I didn't think a cartoon format could deliver real suspense, nor did I think it could present realistic multi-dimensional characters with good qualities and bad, nor did I ever imagine that the climactic ending of a cartoon story would ever move me, but I was wrong on all counts. This is a true noir thriller with characters living on the edge. (And the story has a heart).

This is a must read. GET IT. The Free Library has several copies available at branches all around town. Free Library (CLICK HERE)

The book was published just about a year ago. Here is an interview with the author that took place about that time. Interview with Simon Oliver (CLICK HERE)

4/5/14 (afterthought) --- I've since learned that graphic novels constitute a whole genre, but this was my first venture into that area. :)

Mar 18 : "I Want You Alive" - Left Of Logic

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (February 2012!)

Last night I went to Milkboy to hear three bands that I had never heard before. All three bands were good, but, in my opinion, the band that stole the night was West Chester band "Left Of Logic". Don't openers have a way of doing that! :)

I never knew what was happening or what would come next, from song to song, or phrase to phrase, or measure to measure. The band would deftly combine the feel of various styles or genres into one song, switching back and forth in what would at first seem to be a chaotic style, but then somehow wrapping up the work into a unified whole.

There was certainly no predictability here, other than they would be unpredictable. My attention was glued to them every second; I never knew where they would take me next.

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "I Want You Alive" by West Chester band Left Of Logic.

Left Of Logic is a VERY new band, and they don't have all the web pages up and running, so I'll say that if you want to hear more of their music, check out ::: Left Of Logic / music on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE), and if you want to find out show or other information, check out ::: Left Of Logic / Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Mar 18 : "Meditations" - Marcus Aurelius

Earlier this winter, "The Today Show" did an interview with former President Bill Clinton on the topic of notable books from 2011.

Pres. Clinton spoke about a few of his favorite books from the past year and why he would recommend them to viewers. But one comment he made stuck in my mind, and that was that there was one book that he read each year, "Meditations", by Marcus Aurelius.

I had never heard anybody in any capacity say that they read any book every year. I was intrigued. I thought this was something worth checking out.

Marcus Aurelius was Emperor of Rome from the year 161 to 180. He wrote these "meditations" as thoughts for his own self guidance and self-improvement. They were never intended to be read by the larger public.

"Meditations" is divided into twelve "books", and the format is similar to the Bible in that the sentences or verses are numbered.

What struck me in reading the book was the similarity of human nature then and now. I found some of his observations had resonance in today's world. But there are also substantial portions of the writings that are very esoteric, only relevant if you're a world leader planning battles.

The thrust of some of his ideas advocate being one with nature and not trying to fight the way nature is. From Book VII, verse 9 :::

All things are mutually intertwined, and the bond is holy, and there is hardly anything unconnected with any other thing. For things have been coordinated, and they combine to form one universal order. For there is one universe made up of all things, and one God who pervades all things, and one substance, and one law, one common reason in all intelligent animals, and one truth; if indeed there is also one perfection for all animals that are of the same stock and participate in the same reason.

He talks frequently about our creating problems for ourselves by allowing our minds to obsess on issues over which we may or may not have control, thereby not leaving enough room in our thought processes to maximize our capabilities in other areas.

He also talks about self-destructive thought patterns in the way we react to and with others.

It's an intriguing book; I'd recommend you take a look at it. The library has several copies; I'm returning mine in a day or two.

Here's some more information about the book and the author ::: "Meditations" / more information (CLICK HERE)

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Update Sep 02, 2019

James Mattis was interviewed yesterday on "CBS Sunday Morning". I was in awe when he said that his library once held over 7,000 volumes ... and he's read most of them.

And one of the books he values most and always kept by his side in battle was "Meditations". He's marked up his own copy with plenty of notes and observations.

Mar 18 : "Soul Damage" - The Orange Drop

Philly Music!

It's always a pleasure to go to a show to hear one band and then unexpectedly come across another band that I never heard before and wind up liking that one as well. Such was the case when I went to the Troc show to hear 185668232 and found myself also liking Philly psych band "The Orange Drop".

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Soul Damage", which is from the band's album "Catharsis".

I enjoyed listening to them and have "liked" them on all the appropriate pages so I won't miss their future shows.

To visit The Orange Drop, here is the click ::: The Orange Drop (CLICK HERE)