Jun 16 : "Cardboard Box" - Panophonic (Clifton Heights)

On Friday last week I headed up to the "Nut Hut" for the first time. This was to see Panophonic which I hadn't seen in quite a while. "Panophonic" is a solo project of musician, Tom Lugo, who has multiple bands and music projects going simultaneously, such as Under the Wire and Stellarscope, to name two, along with a record label, Patetico Recordings.

This was a night when his solo project was in the spotlight. Two other outfits played after him.

It had been a while since I had heard Panophonic live, and there were some changes. Tom used to advertise that coming to his shows, "Your ears will bleed". And indeed they did. ... But the music has mellowed out a little, and I found that I bled less last Friday.

Naturally I hadn't heard Panophonic play in so long that almost all the work was new. One of the new songs he played was "Cardboard Box", which is about being homeless, a timely topic.

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

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Cardboard Box

Pack my bags I had to go
I’d venture out into the cold
Walked aimlessly down the streets
With no particular place to go

I will beg, steal, and lie
I’ll do anything to get by
In love and war it all is fair
I am broken beyond repair

I’ll weather the rain
I’ll endure the pain
Of your judging eyes
Wonder if you would survive

Ask me if I really care
I speak my mind, I swear, I swear
Ask me if I really care
I bore more than you can bear

Pack my bags I had to go
I’d venture out into the cold
Walked aimlessly down the streets
With no particular place to go

I will beg, steal, and lie
I’ll do anything to get by
In love and war it all is fair
I am broken beyond repair

Lowest of the low
Crawl back- into my hole
It doesn’t- hurt anymore
My bed is the cold concrete floor

Ask me if I really care
I speak my mind, I swear, I swear
Ask me if I really care
I bore more than you can bear

Just last night CBS' "60 Minutes" did a segment about the "100,000 Homes Campaign", a nationwide effort to first ascertain who the most vulnerable people in the homeless population are, and then match them up with property owners. Some landlords receive federal subsidies to participate in this program with the residents paying a small percentage. But the journalist also interviewed other civic-minded landlords who set aside a percentage of their units at low cost or no cost specially to participate in this program.

The "60 Minutes" episode discussed the high success rate of the program and showed very dramatic "before" and "after" pictures of the participants, talking about the dehumanizing effects of being homeless (as we heard in Tom's song above), and how people's lives are completely transformed once they've become situated in a home of their own. Here is the link to the "60 Minutes" segment: 100,000 Homes: Housing the Homeless Saves Money?

Tom is a man with a strong interest in various social issues. In addition to the lyrics about homelessness, he has also followed up with actions on the issue of hunger, by generously donating both music and merch from Panophonic and Stellarscope to our non-profit, West Girard Communty Council to raffle off at our first fundraising party for our Food Cupboard. This event took place a few weeks ago.

If you'd like to check out more of Panophonic's music, here is the link to Tom's Soundcloud page, where he has samples of music from his various projects::: Tom Lugo's Soundcloud page (CLICK HERE)

Jun 08 : "The Frenchman" - Joe Benjamin & A Mighty Handful (New York)

(( May 29-30 Mix & Match, Part 3 ))

Next band up at Pianos following Clear Plastic Masks was New York ensemble "Joe Benjamin & A Mighty Handful". That night there were twelve members in the act, and, if you've been to Pianos, I'm sure you can just imagine how tight a fit that was. Their sound filled the room.

This was my first time hearing a swing band live. I generally don't listen to that genre a whole lot. But I was happy I was able to hear this band. Joe Benjamin & A Mighty Handful has a great sound. Very crisp in presentation. And humor in the lyrics.

I don't see any samples of their music on Soundcloud, so to show you a sample, here's a video from YouTube. This is "The Frenchman". This was recorded at a live performance at Radio Bushwick.

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

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Joe Benjamin & A Mighty Handful have another show coming up next week at Bowery Electric, on June 18. To visit their Facebook page in the meantime, here is the click :::

I saw several bands at different venues on my Mix & Match night, May 29 into the 30th. There was quite a range in styles. These three bands that I've featured over the last week in this and the previous two blog postings (Slothrust, Clear Plastic Masks) were my favorites.

Jun 05 : "Working Girl" - Clear Plastic Masks (Nashville / Brooklyn)

(( May 29-30, Mix & Match, Part 2 ))

I began Thursday evening at Pianos, and the first band of the night that I heard was "Clear Plastic Masks", currently from Nashville, but previously and maybe sometimes still from Brooklyn.

I liked their show and was surprised by the difference in their live performance compared to the music they have on line. While the music they have posted on Soundcloud is good, the live performance brought forward a greater vibrancy, depth, and nuance. This was the first time I had heard Clear Plastic Masks live. (I had been working in North Jersey that day and got to the show a little late). I enjoyed the show and will go back to see them again. You should put them on your list, too!

Here is a sample of some of their work. Playing right here on my blog page is "Working Girl" by Clear Plastic Masks.

The band is on a national tour right now, so won't be back here for a while. In the meantime, you can check out their music on Soundcloud at Clear Plastic Masks on Soundcloud (Click here), or visit them on Facebook Clear Plastic Masks on Facebook at (Click Here)

Jun 02 : "7:30 am" - Slothrust (Brooklyn)

(( May 29-30 Mix & Match, Part 1 ))

I first heard Brooklyn band "Slothrust" play in Philly at Kung Fu Necktie, when they were an opener for local band The Silence Kit. The date was October 18, 2012, to be exact.

I was impressed with their sound and had been keeping my eye open for another opportunity to hear them play. ... That time came on Thursday night when they headlined at Glasslands. They did a good show, playing a lot of songs from both of their recent albums.

From their last.fm page ::: Slothrust is a blues-influenced grunge project consisting of guitarist/vocalist Leah Wellbaum, bassist Kyle Bann, and drummer Will Gorin. Jazz and blues graduates of Sarah Lawrence College, the three gravitate toward music that is heavy and full of lyrical grit, dynamically fusing the rawness of the 90s with contemporary edge.

I've been listening to their Soundcloud page which contains a lot of the music I heard Thursday night. One of my favorite songs is "7:30 am", which is playing right here on my blog page. Listen to how they play with the tempo and sound volume, switching back and forth between milder and more frantic phrasings.

"7:30 am" is just one example. They've got surprises, they've got unexpected stylings and they've got some idiosyncratic song structures. Here is the click to their Soundcloud page ::: Slothrust on Soundcloud. And here is their click to Facebook ::: Slothrust on Facebook. Even though Slothrust ventures into different tempos and styles, their music has a well-developed persona that binds their work together.

As a side comment, I've just started reading "The Windup Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. Both the themes in the book and some of the Slothrust lyrics have me on edge. Each has seemed to enhance the experience with the other. Strange coincidence.

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Thursday night was special; altogether heard a few bands of note. Check back here in a few days for "Part 2".