Dec 27 : "bINAURAL bEATS (recorded/mixed/mastered practice)" - 185668232 (Philly)

New Sounds / Freshly Written & Recently Released (2013)

Philly Sounds!

TRANSIT TUNES

I walked into the show at Vox Populi late, and Philly sound outfit "185668232" was playing "Broad Street Subway", a work that draws on background sounds of the sub into a sound performance piece. (Alas, it is not yet mounted any place as a recording).

My friend, Iam S. Mick, is the mastermind behind 185668232. In fact, 185668232 is his social security number!

Iam is embarking on an ambitious SEPTA series that revolve around various background sounds specific to the respective travel modes or lines. The project is in its early stages and "Broad Street Subway" was one of the first he's performed for the public.

I've told him that the 15 trolley would be a good candidate for his series. Lots of sounds including some interesting loud and sometimes rowdy riders. ... So Iam is going to supply me with a recorder to go out and record some of the action on the 15. I hope I can time it right; some of the exchanges I've heard on the 15 are priceless! :)

Back to Iam's recent show. I had missed several of his shows due to my work schedule, so tried to make it to this Friday show, but, having a changed work schedule again, didn't make it to near the end.

185668232 played other new work besides the sub song, "$0.00 (fullsoundscape...)" was one of them. this piece is interesting in the way it incorporates ringtones into the body of the piece.

Another recent track, from the Summer, actually, is "bINAURAL bEATS (recorded/mixed/mastered practice)", which is featured right here on my blog page:

185668232 doesn't have any shows coming up in the next week, so you'll have to visit on line; here is the click ::: 185668232 on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE)

p.s.... Make my attempt at recording worth the effort. If you see me on the 15, start acting all crazy. Your rants will be immortalized on Bandcamp. haha.lol

p.p.s. ... Here is the click to the original interview I did with Iam two years ago. "185668232 - The Interview" (CLICK HERE) We first met when we did the interview, but have become friends since.

Dec 25 : "Christmas Colors" - Airiel (Chicago)

shoegaze at Christmas

Merry Christmas. This is "Christmas Colors" by Airiel ...

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

Dec 24 : "Silent Night" - Stellarscope (Philly)

(shoegaze at Christmas)

Merry Christmas. Here's a video of "Silent Night" by Philly band Stellarscope.

To visit Stellarscope's page, here is the click ::: Stellarscope on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Dec 22 : "Relapse" - Twin Wave (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (Dec 3)

And headlining at Glasslands that night was Brooklyn band "Twin Wave" whom I've written about before. Prior to the show they had had a couple songs posted on their page and, of those two, "Relapse" was one that got a lot of buzz. I wrote about "Relapse" when I first heard of the band.

The band has a new ep out. It was officially and technically released on "December 3rd". They headlined and were last to play at Glasslands on the evening of December 2nd, so, by the time they got on stage and announced the ep, it became technically Decmeber 3rd.

The band played a variety of songs in their eclectic style, but saved "Relapse" for last. When they started to play it, the crowd went wild. Here is is again

Twin Wave doesn't have any upcoming shows listed on their page, but here's a chance to listen to all the tracks on the new ep ::: Twin Wave On Soundcloud (CLICK HERE)

Dec 05 : "Normal Man" - Desert Stars (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (July 2013)

I stopped by Glasslands on a recent evening after work and saw a good show put on by Brooklyn band "Desert Stars". Was it shoegaze? Was it psych? Was it pop? Maybe it was a blend somewhere of all three. There aren't that many people out there doing this type of sound.

And the band also has five members, which is also a little unusual. Here is an excerpt from the band's page that tells the background story.

Desert Stars is a 5-piece band from Brooklyn, New York formed October 2008. Built on the creative output of classically-trained violinist Janelle Best, the band dispatches its own brand of shoe-gaze psych-pop with intricately-layered instrumentation, lush harmonies and atmospheric guitar topped by Best’s dreamy tenor. The effect is reminiscent of the album we only wish Phil Spector had produced for The Jesus and Mary Chain: infectiously melodic, pop-eccentric, and deliciously lo-fi.

The band’s origins weren’t particularly auspicious: front-woman Best was going through a major life change and came across a keyboard in the trash. Locking herself in her room for three months, she started composing what would become Desert Stars’ first songs. Friends, many with minimal musical background, came over and, compelled by the material, began to play.

Three years later, Best’s outfit has evolved to include Gregg Giuffre, Eric Altesleben, Ricardo Dengler, and Melanie Moser.

The band has come out with a new album. "Habit Shackles" was released just this past July. Here is a sample of a track from the album. This is "Normal Man" :::

If you'd like to hear more of their sounds, here is the click ::: Desert Stars (CLICK HERE)

Nov 30 : Laser Background

Philly Music!

Steve's brother-in-law, Paul, was in town for a little over a week. He came to the Fairmount Food Fight with us on Wednesday, where I and our other board members received community service awards. The Food Fight was a great event, but was over at 10pm, so I wanted to top off the evening with some live music.

While I was hoping to catch at least a little of Banned Books at Johnny Brenda's, we were too late. Headlining for the evening was Philly band "Laser Background". This was the first time either Paul or I had heard them. And it was the first time Paul had been to a music venue in Philly. We both enjoyed the show.

I would normally embed a sample of the band's music right here on my blog page at this point, but Laser Background has deactivated the ability for people to do that, so I'm just ending my comments here.

Nov 28 : Banned Books

Would like to have seen Banned Books (CLICK HERE), but I had been at Fairmount Food Fight and I arrived late at Johnny Brenda's.

Nov 21 : Get Ready

Oh, it's been a long month. I've gone that long without going to hear any bands play. Part of the reason has been a busy schedule, also bands that I like not playing on the nights that I have off. But more recently and for a couple weeks I had problems with internet access, so, at the rate of 30 cents per minute at Kinko's, opted not to investigate venue websites and listen to band pages.

Now I've got my internets fixed (it was the router wifi complex) and have listened to some interesting samples and have marked my calendar accordingly. More to follow. :) … … "

Oct 15 : "Fukitol" - Stargazer Lillies

I was wandering around the internets looking for some music to go out and hear. I was cross-checking venue and band pages as I do to prepare for a "night out".

As I was doing my wandering, I came across a voice that sounded very familiar. It was that of Kim Field. But this was a band called "Stargazer Lillies". Kim had been vocalist of one of my all-time favorite bands, "Soundpool", which had seemed to have disappeared off the map a couple years ago. But was she singing in a new band? I looked deeper and saw that, yes, both she and John Cep had started up this new band, "Stargazer Lillies". And they were playing at Kung Fu Necktie with Dead Leaf Echo (mentioned in my previous blog).

I went and enjoyed their show and was glad to see Kim and John. Listening to Soundpool has brought me many happy hours.

From the new band, Stargazer Lillies, this is "Fukitol" :::

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

Oct 13 : "Half Truth" - Dead Leaf Echo (Brooklyn)

Best Show Yet (Part 2)

Better than at Pilam! Better than at Rehab! Dead Leaf Echo's recent show at Kung Fu Necktie was definitely the best show I've seen them do.

I can't help myself; have to repost this. This is my favorite DLE song, "Half-Truth" :::

Dead Leaf Echo will be doing TWO shows this week, one at The Silent Barn on Tuesday night, and then at Spike Hill on Saturday night.

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

Sep 25 : "Rain Water (2013)" - Jackie Paper (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Released (2013)

Best Show Yet (Part 1)

Philly Music!

I keep running out of the superlatives needed to talk about Jackie Paper shows! Jackie Paper just did an excellent show at the El Bar. I've heard the band play at several venues, large and small, but this seemed to be their best show yet. The sound was the fullest and the most cohesive I've ever heard them play. "Indie Dust-Trail/ Shoegazey Rock and Roll", as they say on their page.

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Rain Water (2013)". :::

jackie paper · Rain Water

Jackie Paper has a scary Halloween show lined up for November 2 at Hong Kong Garden (CLICK HERE)

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To visit Jackie Paper in the meantime, here is the click ::: Jackie Paper on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Sep 24 : "The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas" - Davy Rothbart

I'd like to mention another book that was featured in the new "Critic's Choice" section at the Independence Library (CLICK HERE) The book is "The Lone Surver of Montana, Kansas", by Davy Rothbart.

It's a collection of short stories (including one story that shares the book title's name) that contain some very intense characters who live through lots of unexpected plot twists. These characters and plots are what make this one of the most interesting fiction selections I've read in the past year. While some of the characters have lots of flaws and others only a few, they're all presented with a "heart". The writer loves these characters as people. Here's a blurb about it on Goodreads (CLICK HERE)

One of the more interesting stories is "Maggie Fever", which is about a teen who is separated from his caretaker older brother when the brother is called to active military duty abroad. He's sent to live with his grandfather and the grandfather's cat. The grandfather is down and out and he and the boy make their living by going to the local airport and "returning" luggage carts back to the terminal to get back the deposits. When the grandfather's cat suddenly needs a medical treatment that the money from the cart deposits can't possibly cover, the grandfather decides that they should now actually steal luggage. ... ... When they try stealing luggage, the grandfather sells off what he finds in the large suitcases, but, as a gift, lets his grandson keep one particular backpack and its contents. ... Inside the boy finds a diary written by "Maggie". Also enclosed is a cd with her favorite songs as well as a practice tape where she is playing music herself. He listens to her music and reads her diary every night and almost immediately falls in love with her. ... ... But eventually he feels he does have to return everything to Maggie. >>>>>>> Get the book to find out what happens!

While the library does have copies for you to borrow, if you want to purchase your own copy from an indie bookstore, try :: Indie Book Stores (CLICK HERE)

Aug 31 : "Red Wine" - Amina Zaydan

... from the war zone ...

I picked up this book from the new "Critic's Choice" section of the Independence Library (CLICK HERE). That new section is yet another reason why this branch is my favorite.

And I'm writing this prematurely, not having finished reading the book. But there's talk of more war in this week's news as our country and as the world are debating whether to move militarily against Syria. So I figured that now is the time to mention this story, as it gives a very personal account of what it's like to live in a society ravaged by war and state brutality.

The story is "Red Wine" by Egyptian author, Amina Zaydan. While the story is considered "fiction", its intensity leads me to feel it has to be largely autobiographical. The format of the story is a first person account by its main character, Suzie Mohamad Galal, as she tells the story of her life.

Right now I'm still in the first part of the book where she's recounting the events of her childhood, growing up in Egypt. The effects of war seem all the more tragic and devastating as we experience the tumult and upheaval through the eyes of a child.

The book is at once beautiful as well as jolting. Ms. Zaydan weaves a fascinating imagery, which, along with the forcefulness of the content, make me pause every few paragraphs. At the rate I'm going, I don't know if I'll ever reach the end.

"War" can be seen from several different standpoints in Ms. Zaydan's writing, not only as the war of military combat and state brutality, but also as the conflicts between genders and generations.

There's an enormous amount to experience, think about, and feel in Ms. Zaydan's writing, and most poignantly the effects of war on a family living right in a perpetual war zone.

The English edition of "Red Wine" was published in 2010 by The American University in Cairo Press. Here are their comments on "Red Wine" (CLICK HERE).

Aug 23 : "Fear On the Radio" - Veronica (New York)

When I stopped by Pianos a couple weeks ago after work, a band that stood out was "Veronica". I'm still listening to their music and have good memories of the show.

I listened to samples of various bands at various venues before I picked what day and where to go out. I liked the music on Veronica's page, but liked them even more live. Stylistically the live instrumentals were much more dark and dirty than the web music, and, what intrigued me specially was that the dark and dirty instrumentals were there even when the lyrics were, well, less dark and dirty. I felt engaged with the band's performance every minute.

Veronica is two brothers, Dominican musicians Eric and Omar Rodriguez who now live and play in New York, but with their roots originally in Santo Domingo. As a little bit of background, Omar says ::: "We've been rehearsing for a while from about the summer of 2010 ... Started gigging around 2011 ... Had two different bass players before settling as a duo .... The original band was intended to be a 3 piece but as we became better at sequencing and sampling realized we could make more progress as a duo and either sequence or sampling all the other parts .... Our sound is originally inspired on 80's post punk and synth pop ... I mainly write the songs but Eric is beginning to write too .... His song will enter our live set in the near future."

Here is a sample of their music. This song is titled "Fear On the Radio", and is from 2011 :::

"Veronica Popsonic" is going to be doing a show TONIGHT at The Flat (308 Hooper Street) in Brooklyn. The band hopes to come out with a 6-song EP next month!

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

Aug 07 : "I'm So Excited" - Pedro Almodovar

Imagine getting stuck on a flight where they announce that there's a mechanical problem, and you might not survive. Then imagine that this airline is so bad that events like this are routine and the the crew quickly moves into contingency mode that maybe they know a little too well. So fellow passengers won't complain, all the people in coach are drugged so they sleep as long as possible. And the crew tries to calm the first class passengers by putting on a show. Again, it evidently happens so frequently that they have a repertoire with a regular lineup of songs ready at hand.

This is the scenario of Pedro Almodovar's sensational new comedy, "I'm So Excited", now playing at Landmark Theaters, including Ritz East in Philly and Sunshine Cinema in New York.

Almodovar is at the top of his game, with all his over-the-top characters and situations. Among the passengers traveling with you on the flight (to mention a few) are a hit man, a professional sex worker, and a psychic traveling to Mexico City to solve a homicide. ... It turns out that none of the phones based at the seats are operational, so passengers can only use one public phone located at the front of the cabin. And, of course, this phone has faulty / crossed wiring, where the conversations are linked into the public address system. ... Some of the funniest scenes in the film are the supposedly "private" conversations that people have over the phone and the reactions of everyone else on the flight as they listen in.

But wait! Then you find out you can't land any place because the nearest airport has been shut down as a boondoggle and the developer is on the lam due to a fraud conviction (Hint: He's also on the plane), and nobody else really wants this plane to land at their airports either.

Steve and I are huge Almodovar fans, so we were happy to hear that his new film was coming to town. I rate this at least a quadruple haha.lol, and I recommend everybody go see this. (It's in Spanish with English subtitles). But see it on the big screen where lots of other people will be laughing along with you. It's high in sexual humor and WAY over the top.

Here is a an excerpt from an interview with Pedro Almodovar. It's on the Landmark site, where you can also find links to show times in your area. Almodovar Interview / Landmark Theaters showtimes

Aug 03 : "Fetal Misgivings" - Ten Kens (Toronto)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released

Still didn't get out to any shows this week either. But in the meantime another whazzup is the new album "Namesake" by Toronto band Ten Kens. There are 14 tracks. Here is "Fetal Misgivings" :::

I've only known about Ten Kens for a short time. Was intending to see them when they came to the states last Fall, but that particular show was cancelled by a nor'easter.

To visit Ten Kens' Banccamp page, here is the click ::: Ten Kens (CLICK HERE)

It's been weeks since I've been to any shows. Hope to get back to hearing live music this coming week!

Jul 25 : "Loss Learning" - Instamatic (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (July 16)

Philly Music!

The way it looks I might not be getting out to any shows this week, so, in the meantime, here's whazzup.

Philly band "Instamatic" came out with an exciting new ep last week (July 16), titled "Things Went Black". Instamatic describes their music as "rumbles, glonks and metallic squinks. made in philly." True to their dark and dirty synth pop style, there are three good songs, one of which, "Loss Learning", is playing right here.

Instamatic doesn't do enough shows. They will, however, be DJing tomorrow night at the The Mann.

To visit Instamatic on Bandcamp, where you can find links to all their work, here is the click ::: Instamatic on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE)

Jul 21 : "Million Years" - Wild Yaks (Brooklyn)

PRIOR PLACEMENT

A big surprise when I went to Glasslands on Thursday night was the band Wild Yaks. They did a phenomenal show, playing some great rock and delivering it with high-powered excitement.

It was a "surprise" to me because, after listening to online samples of the various bands that were going to be playing that night, I couldn't even imagine from the little music that Wild Yaks has on line the huge impact that their live performance would actually deliver.

Wild Yaks is a four member band, with the lead vocalist leading the whole show with interludes of over-the-top commentary between songs as well as high-energy jumping around the stage with a couple times mikes flying off into the audience. Almost matching his drive was their drummer who was another dynamo himself.

And over to the right-hand side of the stage were two singer / guitarists standing together and singing backup in unison. This reminded me a lot of the placement of singers in early rock bands from the fifties or early sixties. While most bands have singer / guitarists that do harmonies or provide some extra backing as the songs progress, the fact that these two were standing by themselves, close together and sang their backups as a two-member team just brought to mind the placement of singers in early rock bands.

The music is loud and aggressive rock with interesting hooks and melodic lines and some great Garage stylings. The performance definitely comes across at times as rough or even crazy around the edges, even chaotic, but it's also a very smooth delivery with the backup boys punctuating just at all the right times. Rough around the edges, chaotic, and smooth. All at once. I don't know how they do it, but they do.

I loved their show; I think everyone else did as well. If you ever see one of their shows listed, MAKE PLANS IMMEDIATELY. You'll have a good time.

But, alas, what they have posted on line just doesn't do their live work justice. In prowling around the Internets, I can find nothing that's representative of what I heard Thursday night. But here's "Million Years", which is one of their samples :::

So keep an eye on their page for the next LIVE show that they have coming along. Right now they seem to have one show coming up on September 5th at The Grand Victory. Here's the click to their Facebook page ::: Wild Yaks (CLICK HERE)

Jul 18 : "Hot Summer (2009)" - Jackie Paper (Philly)

Philly Music!

On a day like today I just have to play this song. "Hot Summer" by Philly band "Jackie Paper" ::::

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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, here is the click ::: Jackie Paper (CLICK HERE)

Jul 18 : Dockument (Philly)

Also playing the same night at Johnny Brenda's with Tygerstrype was (new) Philly band "Dockument", which features City Rain alum, Jarrett Zerrer, as vocalist. This was my first time seeing them.

Dockument is too new to have any sounds posted any place, so I don't have any samples to show you. However, I did enjoy their show and would recommend you keep an eye out for listings of future performances. Nice eclectic sound!

In the meantime, to visit Dockument on line, here is the click ::: Dockument (CLICK HERE)

Jul 10 : "Tygerstrype live on YNOT Radio" - Tygerstrype (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Soon to be Released

Philly Music!

BATTLE OF THE ELECTRICS

The lines were drawn. The two sides were ready for battle. Up on the stage (a couple weeks ago) was Tygerstrype's (my friend) Alden Towler and Gabe Guerrero, and in the other corner of the room was the sound man of Johnny Brenda's trying to get this show going.

Tygerstrype had started to play and then abruptly stopped as the sound was not quite right.

Adjustments were made and Tygerstrype again started, only to stop again after a few bars.

This sequence repeated itself several times. Tygerstrype stood their ground. The sound system would not get up and running satisfactorily.

Reinforcements were called in. Over in the Johnny Brenda's sound corner of the room two more sound engineers were called in. They checked the console then went up on the stage.

Back and forth. Start and stop.

Finally, after quite a while, the sound was good enough for Tygerstrype to start for real.

It was great to see Tygerstrype on the JB stage. I had first seen Tygerstrype play at Kung Fu in August of 2011. At that point Tygerstrype was still a relatively new band in Philly. The band has made some big strides since then including being interviewed by YNOT Radio just a few weeks ago. The interview was about both Tygerstrype and the band's collaborating in "Magic Death Sounds", a collective of Philly musicians who are pushing the envelope of experimental music and sounds.

Here is the recording of that interview, done on June 19th :::

Some of the music played during the YNOT interview as well as the Johnny Brenda's show will be on Tygerstrype's new album ("We Learn to Love Our Chains") to be released later this Summer.

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

To visit Magic Death Sounds, here is the click ::: Magic Death Sounds (CLICK HERE)

Jun 15 : "Relapse" - Twin Wave (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released

When I got back from vacation earlier this week I decided to head out to hear some live music as soon as I could. I saw that Pianos had a good lineup on Tuesday night, and, with no work scheduled early the next morning, I headed over there after work (nothing scheduled the next day, so I could do the all-nighter waiting for the train back home).

When I listened to samples of the bands' music on line before I went, I was especially impressed by Brooklyn band "Twin Wave", which actually just has only one song on their web page. They were scheduled to be the opener.

This was the second time in a row that I was not prepared for Pianos' punctuality, that the times they advertise are the "real" show times, so I have to confess that I did miss the bands first couple songs, but I did hear a good part of their show and I liked what I heard. I like the chords and the vocal stylings.

The band is new; they came into existence just last Fall. And while they have only one song mounted on their page, the band is busy at work on a 4-track ep which they hope to debut in a few months.

The band has a nice eclectic style, and they're worth a listen. Playing right here on my blog page is "Relapse" by Brooklyn band Twin Wave.

To visit Twin Wave on line, here is the click ::: Twin Wave (CLICK HERE)

I plan to hear them again and next time will show up on time! :)

May 31 : "hUMAN wIDTHDRAWL ii (Sadie)" - 185668232 (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released

Philly Music!

An interesting phenomenon that I've seen now twice during 2013 is hearing songs of the same or similar name by two unrelated bands. This happened back at the end of January when I heard two completely different songs named "Cash for Gold", one played by Brooklyn band "Writer" (CLICK HERE) and the other by Philly band "Windsor Park Walkers" (CLICK HERE).

A second time it happened was when I heard "Withdrawl" by Philly band "Depression", now renamed "Black Tombs", which I wrote about in my previous blog (CLICK HERE). And also within the past few months, my friend, Iam S. Mick, came out with a song titled "hUMAN wIDTHDRAWL ii (Sadie)"

"hUMAN wIDTHDRAWL ii (Sadie)" is the sixth out of twenty-eight tracks on a very ambitious album, "pRODUCt pLACEMENt", which is available for download at the artist's site. The tracks cover a wide range of topics, looks at varied life experiences. The topic of this particular track is a relationship breakup, and the ensuing "withdrawal" that lasts longer than he might have expected.

Iam says in the song ::: "i keep messing up chasing the wrong love, spending the wrong energy on the wrong people. there's too much baggage & heavier even if i don't love them as much. sitting there taking one single buse disallows me to grow. i'm more sensitive than you'll ever know. many songs i cannot play any more for i don't feel them & i'm not going to live a lie. ambiguous convoluted thoughts mashed together so they can't be forced down someone's brain whole mind. it takes half as long as the time spent together to go through total human widthdrawl. the only person to laugh at my awful jokes also got most hurt by my flaw."

And here's the track "hUMAN wIDTHDRAWL ii (Sadie)" playing right here on my blog page.

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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 Iam and 185668232, here is the click to his Wix page (it takes a minute to load), where there are links to all his other pages ::: 185668232 on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE)

..... And as one odd and very peculiar footnote, both artists spell "Withdrawal" as "Withdrawl".

May 19 : "Out of Medication" & "Smashed Teeth" - Depression (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Soon to Be Released

Philly Music!

INNER STRENGTH

I met Jason Elliss at a recent Panophonic show. Tom Lugo of Panophonic had introduced us. Here's a shout out to Tom "Hey Tom"

Jason has asked me to do a review of his two new soon-to-be-released albums, "Out of Medication" and "Smashed Teeth". Both albums are performed by Jason's solo project, "Depression".

Jason and Tom started working together only a few months ago on a joint project, "Under the Wire", which seems to be taking off nicely. However, as much as Jason enjoys the work with Tom, there are a lot of things that Jason felt he had to express, things he had to get out there, that were too dark, and, frankly, too personal for the joint project. Jason's recent life has had a number of bad rough spots. But more about that a little later.

jason started playing music in his mid teens when he and a bunch of friends formed a band, "Standin for Nothin". Jason's first venture into music was playing the drums. The band played together regularly, but never did any shows.

When Jason was 17, he joined a metal band, "Another Common Tragedy", as a vocalist. This band did do shows, including some of the big venues, such as the Troc!

Always impatient to expand his horizons, Jason later learned guitar and keys and synth.

Jason's music outfit, Depression, started more recently as an outlet for some dark experiences … … Jason confides, "Depression is my little journal I keep in my back pocket."

Some years back Jason had some extremely bad experiences with drugs, including later going into a rehab that turned out to be a problem in itself. Jason lost his father which added more tumult to his life. And, beyond that, there was an unfortunate circumstance when some of his teeth were knocked out. And that's the background behind the album title, "Smashed Teeth". And, during all this, when one would expect to have the trust and support of those close to you, he found that people were pulling away from him. So the track "Withdrawl" is not about him pulling away from others, but others pulling away from him.

When you listen to his music, you'll hear some harsh sounds that relate some of these bad experiences..

But music contains a lot of emotions, some expressed as a main focus, and some that are underlying and might go almost unnoticed. When I listen to "Withdrawl" and "Shattered", I find them to be not all bad characterizations. I hear small glimmers of hope, and I hear small glimmers of strength and fortitude. Maybe its the particular harmonies that he uses. The tempo shows a determination to move forward in spite of the odds.

Jason's got the strength to move forward in spite of all that has happened to him. Not letting these other people drag him down. He's a devoted father to his young daughter.

Jason's work has a unique design in terms of its themes. Each piece seems to focus on one individual emotion or one characteristic and is an expression of that one dynamic. Most of the songs have no beginnings, they have no ends, but evoke present existential states of being.

Of the two albums of I've been hearing, "Out of Medication" is the earlier of the two (although both are current) and was done on a computer keyboard, while "Smashed Teeth" was done with a synthesizer.

The song "Withdrawl" is on the "Smashed Teeth" album and is playing right here on my blog page.

Jason has two shows coming up, both the same night, June 26 at Kung Fu Necktie. One of the shows will be as his solo act, Depression, and the other will be with Tom as a member of Under the Wire.

If you want to visit Jason in the meantime, here is the click to his Facebook page. There you can see pictures of Depression's first show which Jason did yesterday at the Brewerytown Spring Festival ((which unfortunately I did not get to see; I was working at our Farmstand)). … Depression (CLICK HERE)

May 17 : "Debt Slaves" - Mohican (Philly)

Philly Music!

I've been introduced to some very interesting bands at North Star. One of them was "Mohican" which I recently saw for the first time.

The music they played that night was instrumental with some very deft and complex arrangements that seemed to flow with such ease and grace. I was impressed.

On the band's page is their album "Honest Red", which was released in March 2012. Tracks cover a wide range of subjects.

One track about a very unique and timely topic is "Debt Slaves". The song opens with a forward-moving yet uneasy motif, followed by some slow-moving debt pain as well as some light-hearted spirited debt accumulation. And it ends with a more relaxed tone that might be saying "This is all part of life?" I don't know for sure. But it certainly is an interesting track. And it's playing right here !!!! :::

Mohican has a number of shows coming up: June 7 at The Fire, June 8 at Milkboy Philly, and June 16 at The Barbary. To visit their webpage in the meantime, here is the click :::: Mohican (CLICK HERE)

May 12 : "Newark" - Chimes

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released

Also playing with Jackie Paper at Hong Kong Garden a few weeks ago was New Jersey band "Chimes". The words that came to mind as I heard their live performance was "heavy sparkling". They did a good show that Saturday night, but they're a new band and don't yet have a large presence on the Internets.

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Newark", by Chimes :::

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6/27/20 UPDATE! ::: OOPS! Looks like the song as well as the band website have both disappeared!

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Chimes has another concert coming up on June 1 at Lincoln Continental in Union City. To visit Chimes in the meantime, here is the click :::

May 05 : "Bag Full Of Junk" - Seismic Thrust (Philly)

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

Philly Music!

The name says it all. "Seismic Thrust". That's exactly what the music was at their show at Hong Kong Garden. Exactly. The pulse, the force, the motion, it was all there. It was my first time hearing them and they caught my interest right away.

... But ? ! ..... (yes, there's a but) ... Similar to The Big Drops which I wrote about in my previous blog, Seismic Thrust seems to have two personalities. The wild music at the live show and the tamer, more mellow persona on line. So, as with The Big Drops, I can't find anything on line that closely resembles what I heard at the show, so I'm playing on my page a good track, a good sound, but it's different. ... The song is "Bag Full Of Junk" that was released just this past November by the band and is their lead track on the album "Py Thanksgi" :::

I had heard Seismic Thrust a few weeks ago when they played on the same bill as Jackie Paper at Hong Kong Garden. Seismic Thrust has another show coming up this Saturday at The Thriftstore here in Philly. If you would like to visit them in the meantime, here is the click to their Bandcamp page ::: Seismic Thrust

So it's good to be back here. I've been away from the online world for the last couple weeks. My laptop did a slow death for about a week and then it took me several more days to find a good and similar replacement. ... More posts to come soon.

Apr 16 : "Yea Weather" - The Big Drops (Haworth NJ)

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

Also on the bill with Jackie Paper at Hong Kong Garden last week was The Big Drops. I liked their show; some very interesting arrangements. But it's almost like two bands. The live music had a lot more power than what the band has on their web pages. I can't seem to find any of their recorded music that meets the same intensity. But here's a sample of one of their songs, "Yea Weather".

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

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While the web pages indicate the band's home as "Haworth", I talked with the band members and found that they actually come from a few different towns in North Jersey. ... To visit The Big Drops' Bandcamp page, here is the click ::: The Big Drops (CLICK HERE)

Apr 11 : "Where've You Been?" - Jackie Paper (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (This Month)

Philly Music!

They get me every time; I love the chord progressions of Philly "Indie Dust-Trail/ Shoegazey Rock and Roll," band Jackie Paper. And those chords were out in full force when I went to see Jackie Paper headline at Hong Kong Garden on Saturday night.

Jackie Paper headlined an exciting evening of five bands, both local and regional. The band actually put together the whole evening. Jackie Paper's lead vocalist, Joshua Dowell, and flautist, Michelle Goodwin, did the planning.

The night was intense. When I see live music, I always like to stand in the front, but Hong Kong Garden was so packed that night that those of us standing up front were a mere six inches away from the band. Nice! Like I said, "intense". I had a good time.

The band played a variety of music including pieces from their new album "April 2012". A sample from that album is playing right here on my blog page. The song is "Where've You Been?", and is the lead track :::

jackie paper · Where You've Been

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

Apr 08 : "what we would do - featuring un.real" - Panophonic (Clifton Heights)

These were sure a couple busy weeks; had a lot on my plate especially with the community work. So I was happy to learn last week that Panophonic was going to be doing a show on the one night that I had free.

Panophonic is the solo project of area musician and promoter, Tom Lugo. Tom had put together one of his trademark "Popnoise Festivals", an evening of three bands featuring himself as Panophonic, UK shoegaze outfit Suzy Blu / Insect Guide, and NY / NC / LA outfit The Veldt / Apollo Heights. Was the theme of the lineup bands with multiple names? :)

That night I had an assignment. A photographic assignment. Tom handed me a camera and asked me to take pictures of him as he played. So that's what I tried to do. I tried to get him from different vantage points from the audience as well as sneaking around to the side of the stage to get a couple more shots from that perspective. ... ... I wasn't used to his camera and I'm pretty sure my results weren't that stellar. But luckily for Tom there were other friends taking pictures as well. ... Whew!

This was a first for Panophonic, playing at Voltage Lounge. I've seen Panophonic as well as Tom's band, Stellarscope, play at a variety of venues all around Philly, but this was the first trip to Voltage.

Here's a sample of Panophonic's music, "what we would do- featuring un.real", playing right here on my blog page :::

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

Mar 28 : "The Last Trade" - James Conway

New Work / Freshly Written & Recently Pubished (2012)

I had a very good time reading this book. The book was loaded with interesting characters and fast-paced action, two dynamics that sometimes don't occur at the same time.

While some of the books I've talked about here have been of a more serious nature, "The Last Trade" by James Conway was pure entertainment.

Near the beginning of the book a stock broker receives a mysterious call having originated with a wealthy foreign investor who directs him to do multiple stock transactions involving billions of dollars, but NOT to mention anything about the transactions to anyone including coworkers, supervisors, friends, or colleagues, and not to look up any background information on the company whose stock was being traded.. And, as you can probably imagine, the broker just HAD to make a brief mention to a friend. ... ... ... Within a matter of a couple hours, the broker is found murdered in his apartment.

The book simultaneously follows a intriguing characters in a number of countries. A couple characters were reprehensible, but there are a number of people you'll like and root for. ((The main detective is a woman)).

The book is fast-paced, with many chapters being no more than five or six pages, and then they switch countries to a different set of people.

In spite of the rapid chapter changes, James Conway builds up interesting personalities as well as good descriptions of the physical environs.

I enjoyed every page, couldn't put it down, and highly recommend it.

To reserve your copy, here is the click ::: Free Library of Philadelphia (CLICK HERE).

Mar 24 : "Winner" - Chaos Chaos (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Posted (Fall 2012)

FIRST NIGHT BACK!

My first night back to hear live music after weeks of being busy working was to go to Johnny Brenda's on Friday night. Coincidentally David and Pat had also put that on their calendars, so we met and had a good time.

The opener was Brooklyn band "Chaos Chaos" which I liked a lot. I was drawn to their very original melodic lines and unique composition.

Chaos Chaos is a sister act, made up of Asy and Choloe Saavedra. On Friday night they had a guest performer playing with them on some of the songs.

Here's a sample of some of their interesting stylings. The song is "Winner", which was released on ITunes earlier this month.

To visit Chaos Chaos, here is the click ::: Chaos Chaos (CLICK HERE

Mar 03 : "Pachinko" - Jangula (Brooklyn)

After work on Monday last week I went to Brooklyn Bowl to hear some music, and I saw Brooklyn gutter rock band "Jangula" for the first time. This was the one band among the four that really stood out that evening, and largely due to its unique and outside the box arrangements.

The unusual keys instrument also stood out, which is the segue from the previous blog about Left Of Logic. Daniel Townsend plays the keys in Left Of Logic. The instrument is held by a strap over his shoulder with the keyboard itself being horizontal in front of him. The keys in Jangula are a much smaller instrument, not suspended by a strap, but just held closely by Johnny Jewel in his left arm while he plays with his right.

The instrument is a Q-chord. I see Q-chords once in a while, but not too often. Other bands that use Q-chords have them lying flat on stands rather than being hand held. From Jangula's Facebook page ::: "Their featured instrument is a Q-Chord, a touch-pad based synthesizer that projects a Legend of Zelda ice cavern mystery. Through this instrument combined with dynamic powerhouse drumming, dream-state guitar riffs and driving, serpent-like bass rhythms, Jangula is able to yield diverse sounds ... ".

A sample of the band's music is "Pachinko", which is playing right here on my blog page. This is from their 2010 album "Bird Risky". :::

Jangula has some interesting arrangements and harmonies, and dabbles in some unusual song structures. I definitely want to hear them again.

Jangula has two shows scheduled during the upcoming weeks: March 8th at The Collapsable Hole, and March 16th at The Cake Shop.

To visit Jangula on Facebook in the meantime, here is the click ::: Jangula (CLICK HERE)

Feb 24 : "Feel This to Survive" - Left Of Logic (Philly)

Philly Music!

A couple weeks ago I went to see Left of Logic play at North Star. By this time I've seen them play at a few different places, and it was good to see them play on North Star's big stage.

The band is continuously reworking their music, and there were a couple songs I almost didn't recognize until I realized that these were some brand new arrangements.

The band continues to march up the "polished performance" scale; it was very good.

The band played a lot of music from their new cd, "In Formation". One of the songs I like, that really shows some of the band's amazing versatility is "Feel This to Survive", which is playing right here on my blog page :::

Last fall the band asked me to review their cd. This is an amazing album, and I had a good time doing the writeup. Check out my review right here (CLICK HERE!)

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

Feb 15 : "Cash for Gold" - Windsor Park Walkers (Philly)

Philly Music!

STRONG RESURGENCE

It must have been 2006 when I first heard Windsor Park Walkers. At the time they played all over Philly, at all the regular venues, including several times at the Khyber. ... And I heard them play at several.

But they suddenly seemed to disappear from the scene; they stopped doing shows; where did they go; what happened? ... I didn't hear of them or anything about them for a few years.

Suddenly a month ago I saw a listing that they were going to be doing a show at Johnny Brenda's. ... Huh? ... Was that a typo? ... I double-checked. Evidently it was true. So of course I went.

It was strange seeing the guys on stage again, in one way due to their familiarity, it was almost as if I had just heard them last week! ... ... ... ... But then they started to play!

And that was where I started to hear some changes.

The first change I noticed was some stylings a la "The Atomic Square". WPW guitarist Tom Ryan took a side trip during the past few years, playing with The Atomic Square. The Atomic Square has a lighter sound. And some of that influence has evidently been brought back when Tom returned to Windsor Park Walkers.

Along with some of that more delicate guitar work, the music they played at the Jan 25 show at Johnny Brenda's also brought a general sense of increased texture and depth. But WPW fans needn't worry; the trademark raucous WPW style is fully intact!

What am I doing just writing about it now, you say? Well, I've had a busy work schedule and have not been doing a good job in keeping this blog up-to-date.

AND HERE'S SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN IN MY WHOLE LIFE :::: And that is that two bands I heard on two consecutive nights out who are from two different states happen to have s same-titled song on each of their most recent cd's, titled "Cash for Gold". What a strange coincidence. Windsor Park Walkers played the second "Cash for Gold". On the previous night out, I heard "Cash for Gold" played by Writer (CLICK HERE)

Here's "Cash for Gold", by Philly band, Windsor Park Walkers :::::

To visit Windsor Park Walkers on line, here is the click ::: Windsor Park Walkers (CLICK HERE)... ... Hope it won't be another three years til I see them again!

Jan 22 : "Cash for Gold" - Writer (Brooklyn)

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

THE KEY FOUNDATION

Last week one night after work I stopped off at Piano's to hear some music, and I saw a good show put on by Brooklyn band "Writer".

The band is a two-man outfit, with Tuesday's stage set up with the drummer on the left, and his brother (that's right, this is a brother team) on the right, alternating between keys and guitar.

Their music grabbed me right from the first moment with its unique arrangement. The first music they played that night featured the keys very loudly, I would even say almost blasting the bass line, with the vocals carrying the melody. I've heard keys carry the bass in other situations, but never in quite such a pronounced way where it lays a thundering foundation with nothing standing between it and the vocals. Nice! I didn't hear enough!

The band is very inventive in their arrangements and the sound somehow came across with more of a thrust than I expected to hear from a two-man team. I liked the show very much and I don't think any recordings could do justice to the sound that I heard last Tuesday night. But here is a sample of their music. The track is "Cash for Gold", and it is on the "Brotherface" album released in October. And it's playing right here on my blog page.

"Writer" is a team of two brothers, Andy and James Ralph. To hear more of the music on their Bandcamp page, here is the click ::: Writer (Click Here)

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Feb 23 Update ::: Strangely enough, one of the next bands I saw live also had a new song out Another "Cash For Gold" (CLICK HERE)

Jan 10 : "Primal Essence" - Eric Slick (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Presented This Week!

Philly Music!

ARE WE DREAMING?

Are We Dreaming? I wasn't sure. There was Eric Slick in the film casting off into a Dreamscape. And there was also Eric Slick on stage also in a dream state. Hmmmm. Which was reality? Or were both?

On Tuesday night my friend, David Schaeffer, invited me to go to PhilaMOCA to see Eric Slick and his performance piece, "Primal Essence", a "day in the life" story told both on screen and on stage and (yes, this was true interactivity) even in the audience.

Eric is a musician, playing drums in local band "Dr. Dog" as well as collaborating with other outfits such as Ape School and Norwegian Arms. In the event on Tuesday night, his day-in-the-life film was projected onto the screen behind the stage while he played the drums to accompany. There was some audio to the film, but Eric's on-staqe performance was the main enhancement to the narrative.

This was truly an interactive piece. Audience members were prompted by the film at various points to supply sound effects, such as "washing machine sounds" as Eric did his laundry.

The last scene of the film showed Eric going to sleep. He also pulled up a blanket and "went to sleep" on the stage. A minute or two later his friend in the film came to wake him and tell him it was time to get up. The same friend in real life ran up on stage to "wake him up", wearing the same clothes and repeating the same dialogue as in the film.

I liked this show a lot. The creativity was amazing. It took me down new avenues and was exhilarating. ... Here is a sample of the piece :::

video sourced from Jump Philly's YouTube page

If you'd like to visit Eric Slick's page with links to his work and bands, here is the click ::: Eric Slick (CLICK HERE)

Jan 06 : "Midst Of Your Mystery" - Laura Cheadle

EXPANDING OPERATIONS

The first time I heard Laura Cheadle live was at North Star back in June 2006. She was playing as a solo act in an extended Emergenza battle-of-the-bands evening. I had listened to her on Myspace for a while before, and, one of her more intriguing songs that got me really interested to go hear her live was "Midst Of Your Mystery".

The show was good, and, over the next few years, I would go to hear her play several more times at a variety of Philly venues, some well-known, and one or two not not-so-well-known.

I've always been impressed by her stage presence, and it was at one of these little venues that I saw one of her more memorable shows. She was playing at a cafe in Old City on a warm Spring evening. Laura always engages with the audience between songs, sometimes telling anecdotes about her inspiration for a particular song, how a particular song was created. At this particular show at the cafe, the front door was open, and, as she started to play, people on the street would stop at the door to listen. The stage was situated about ten or twenty feet from the door, and, in between songs, Laura bantered with the people who were standing in the doorway out by the street! ... Very impromptu, very smooth, very entertaining! Ha! :)

One evening quite a while after that North Star show I went to hear her play at the old Grape Street (the new old Grape Street that closed at Shurs Lane), and was surprised to see that she now had a "band" playing with her. It was a family affair. Her father was playing keys and her brother was playing guitar. This was a nice addition. I would also see the family play when she did an excellent show at World Cafe in 2009.

Fast forward to this past Thursday night when I went to hear Laura headline at Milkboy. I was surprised to see that her effort has now expanded to six members, including a bass guitar, another set of keys, and drums. Playing some new work, but also a lot of work from previous years, including that first song I liked, "Midst Of Your Mystery", as well as some excellent covers, her performance was as smooth as ever. And, even with six people in the band, still a family affair!

So, here it is, playing right here on my blog page, the old version of "Midst Of Your Mystery", that I first heard back in 2006! :::

After the show I had a couple minutes to talk with Laura, and, to my great surprise, she told me that she was only 17 when she did the show that night back at North Star!

Laura Cheadle has an upcoming show scheduled at The Legendary Dobbs here in Philly on February 8, and at Pianos in New York on February 18.

To visit Laura on line in the meantime, here is the click ::: Laura Cheadle (CLICK HERE)

Jan 04 : "Master (2011)" - Jackie Paper (Philly)

(... speeding through November ... part 3)

Philly Music!

I wanted to make note that I did see a good show by Jackie Paper at North Star back in November. ... I had food poisoning that day, so I just zipped up to North Star because I didn't want to miss the show, and then came right back home. .... I plead too delirious and crazy to have written anything intelligent at the time, but it was a good show.

I like Jackie Paper's music a lot. One of my favorite songs is "Master (2011)", which is playing right here on my blog page.

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

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Jackie Paper has a show coming up soon, on January 18 at Studio 98.

To visit Jackie Paper on line in the meantime, here is the click ::: Jackie Paper (CLICK HERE)