Dec 20 : "Memorytraces" - Dead Leaf Echo (Brooklyn)

Headlining at Ortlieb's on December 3 was Brooklyn band "Dead Leaf Echo". I've been watching them for several years. I've seen them do shows in both New York and Philly.

They did a good show at Dec 3. Ortlieb's is well-suited to them. They were also well-matched with Aster More, which played right before them. (See previous blog past). Although Dead Leaf Echo seems to have had its own genre, originally called "nouveau wave" when I first started watching them, they have shown more shoegaze stylings in recent years.

Here is "Memorytraces" from their album "Thought & Language", released in 2013.

Dead Leaf Echo doesn't have any more shows on their calendar in our area, although their page shows that they do have plans to head to SXSW. ... If you would like to follow Dead Leaf Echo, here is the click to their Facebook page ::: Dead Leaf Echo (CLICK HERE)

Dec 13 : "Stuck" - Aster More (Philly)

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

Philly Music!

I wasn't on time getting to the venue; had to work a little later than expected. It was the first time I saw Philly band "Aster More" do a show. This was at Ortlieb's on December 3. Unfortunately I got there just as they were playing their last couple songs, so I missed most of their show. But I liked what I did hear and want to go back to hear them again.

It's not expected to see many shoegaze outfits in evening lineups, and it's even more rare to see a women's shoegaze band. (To be specific Aster More has 5 women and 1 man). While the music on the band's web page did venture off into some punk, it seems to stay grounded pretty much in the shoegaze genre as did the music I heard at Ortlieb's back on the 3rd.

Here is "Stuck", the second track of the band's album, also named "Aster More", which was released on December 6. :::

Aster More's web pages don't show any additional concerts at the moment, but here is the click to their Facebook page, so you can follow what they're doing ::: Aster More on Facebook"

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Dec 06 : "How A Mouse Could" - Spenser Colmbs (Philly)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (Sept 2016)

Philly Music!

Lots of non-sequiturs in the lyrics of Philly musician Spenser Colmbs. A rich carpet of unrelated and non-sequiturs. In his performance last week at Kung Fu Necktie he managed to work in "sharp provolone", "chopped garlic", and "antifreeze" all into the same piece. Unrelated? Maybe or maybe not. They were all imagery in defining a personality. No apparent connection at first, but, a few lines later, it may all come together.

Spenser opened up the night with his solo act, playing guitar with some background help by electronics. On some songs he would start to play by recording a rhythm which would then be played back as he layered on a melody over the previously-recorded portion. He did this with a few songs; I counted up to about three or four layers in one of the songs! Very smooth and agile in putting it all together in front of our ears and eyes.

Most of the pieces were musical, although he did put down the guitar at one point, picked up a book, and read some of his poetry. He had the whole house with him, bringing us all along. Very good stage presence and interaction with the audience.

Spenser writes about many every-day topics and struggles as well as some more macro issues. A lot of the writing is done standing at a little distance and making observations usually with humor that's immediate, or delivered two or three lines later. One song that touches on several topics is "How A Mouse Could", the seventh track on his cd "Spider Kingdom", recently released just this past September.

He writes about roommates, girlfriends, credit cards from parents, not fitting in, and running out of money. While he appears to find or tries to find the humor in many of life's situations, there are some moments of poignancy that sneak through to show some underlying struggles or feelings that much could be better. In the song "Highway Life", he says "I don't think we should all be happy to be born." In "Gas + Cigarettes", he chillingly lets us wonder "I know what to do with gas and cigarettes." Here is "Nine Dollars" that talks about getting to the end of the credit :::

And some of his songs are quite whimsical. Here is "Philadelphia Drive (feat. @1chillboy)" :::

Spenser Colmbs is a versatile artist and tomorrow night, December 7, will be doing a reading of his work at The Hatchery. Four other writers will be presenting their work as well. Here is the click to hat event ::: Spenser Colmbs at The Hatchery.

If you would like to visit Spenser Colmbs on line, here is the click to his Facebook page ::: Spenser Colmbs on Facebook.

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

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Nov 04 : "Every Night" - Walker Lukens (Austin)

When I was checking what music I would be going out to see this week, a couple things attracted me to Walker Lukens' music that made me want to go hear him.

Song structures and arrangements were what caught my attention. Songs not necessarily smooth all the way through, but choppy in the right places, where the instrumentals or vocals would stop with other components kicking in for a dramatic burst. While you can hear some of this on his web page's music, these were much more pronounced in the great show he did at Milkboy last night. The best way I could describe it is that I felt like I was riding along in a car that did some quick stops and starts, with some dramatic spins and then go off on a surprising unexpected road. I like the unexpected in my music.

The band has a lineup of five people, consisting of Walker Lukens front center stage, drums to the rear, two guitars to our right as we watch, and keys to our left. The keys player did a good amount of backup vocals with the other members joining in at various points.

Walker Lukens himself played an additional set of keys for most of the show, while he occasionally switched over to a guitar. A lot of the music played last night had arrangements where Lukens' set of keys played sharp beats which simultaneously reinforced the drums' rhythm and the bass' melodic line. A very interesting effect. I liked it.

Here is "Every Night", by Austin artist Walker Lukens and his band :::

You've got to go out to see these people. While the band is from Texas and is on a national tour, they will be doing a show at Sunnyvale tonight and Berlin tomorrow night. In the meantime, if you would like to check out his Facebook page, here is the click ::: Walker Lukens on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Nov 01 : "West End Supermarket" - The Above (Brooklyn)

6-packs of PBR for only $3.49? Well, at our west end supermarket, not until Gov. Wolf, the legislature in Harrisburg, and PLCB say it's ok. And even then I'm not sure we'd be able to get it for $3.49! This song was written several years ago, and they haven't updated the price of PBR. I want to live in that world! haha.lol.

I first saw The Above live sometime around 2007; I don't remember exactly. I remember seeing them do a couple shows including a really great one at Bell House. At that time I picked up a copy of their then-current EP, "Act Your Age". An older version of "West End Supermarket" is on that EP. I just checked the date: 2003!

I was hoping to be writing this post saying what a wonderful time I had at The Above's show at The Gateway last Friday. However, a change in work schedule meant that I was not going to be up in New York on Friday night, so I missed the show. (Wah!) ... BTW most of my concert attendance is determined by my work schedule and transit schedules, so I do miss some shows that I otherwise really want to see. The Above does not do a large number of shows in the area. That plus my work schedule have meant that I haven't caught any of their shows in way too long!

So here is the newer 2010 version of "West End Supermarket".

The Above has several albums on their Bandcamp page. Here is the click ::: The Above on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE). And here is the click to their Facebook page ::: The Above on Facebook (CLICK HERE). And the band has another show coming up next week at Monty Hall, where they're opening for The Long Ryders.