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So what happened here?

June 10, 2022 by Paul Debraski

For nearly fourteen years I was able to keep up this daily blog of books and music.

About a year ago I got a promotion and that changed everything.  I no longer had the time to post everything I wanted to.  Heck, I didn’t even seem to have the time to read all the short stories I wanted to.  Amusingly (or not), just before this new position, I had gotten a print subscription to the New Yorker.  This now means that I (like many others) have a two-foot stack of New Yorker magazines that I haven’t even looked at yet.

For a few weeks I was limiting myself to only the concerts that I went to because that was a little easier to write about.  Although back in the good old days, I used to include photo and links, and I pretty much have neither now. And I’m several shows behind as well.

So I’m still reading books and I think I may try to post some thoughts about them from time to time.  I’d also like to think I have time to write about my concerts, but even those are proving to be challenging.

So let’s consider the blog on hiatus more or less, with occasional posts about things I’ve read or listened to.

The good thing is that I like the new position and wouldn’t change it for the world. I guess I never realized how much down time my old position gave me!

Posted in Paul Debraski | 3 Comments »

Remember Sports (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, February 21, 2026)

February 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 21, 2026] Remember Sports

A few years ago my son was listening to Remember Sports as I walked past his room.  I liked the song and made a mental note of the band.  I have no idea what song it was now, but it was really good.

I hadn’t really heard much about them since.  I assumed they had broken up.  But no, they just took four years to make their latest album.

They announced an album release show at Kung Fu Necktie and I grabbed a ticket, not really knowing what to expect.  Although during the show, they admitted that they’d played in Brooklyn the night before.

I felt a little bad being right at the front of the stage since I wasn’t a huge fan, but whatever–the songs were new (mostly) so I assumed most people didn’t know all the words yet.

They opened the set with the first three songs on the album.  The opening song Across the Line has been getting lots of airplay on WXPN so I knew that one well.   And I had listened to the album a few times so I recognized most of the songs. Continue Reading »

Posted in Eraser, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, Remember Sports, The Afterglows | Leave a Comment »

Eraser (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, February 21, 2026) [REMEMBER SPORTS]

February 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 21, 2026] Eraser

Eraser came up next.  There are four people in the band Sonam Parikh: vocals, synthesizer;
Pier Harrison: guitar; Kat Bean: bass and Juliette Rando: drums. Before the show I had watched a video online of them at PhilaMOCA so I knew what was coming.  I don’t know if you’d call it No Wave or just good old fashioned noise rock, but that’s what it was.

Pier Harrison was so much fun to watch.  They would play simple melodies and then go nuts making wild sounds and playing bizarre chords.  The keyboard was pitch to what was almost a toy keyboard sound–tinny and noisy, playing usually one or two note melodies like early new wave bands.

The rhythm section was solid.  I especially enjoyed drummer Juliette Rando who kept the beat but added fun flourishes as needed.

Sonam Parikh was an aggressive frontwoman.  She seemed annoyed that people weren’t dancing (even though the music was pretty weird and not entirely danceable).  Twice, she jumped down next to me and sang from the audience.  She said they were going to be playing in France soon, which kind of blows my mind that a weird Philly band was playing in France, but good for them.

Their set was fun and relatively short, so that was good.

I can’t tell what the setlist was, although they do have an album out on bandcamp.

One song from the setlist:

Simon Says ♠

♠ Hideout

 

Posted in Eraser, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, Remember Sports, The Afterglows | Leave a Comment »

Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broehmel / Maggie Halfman (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, October 2, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

February 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: February 22, 2026] Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broehmel / Maggie Halfman

I grabbed tickets for my wife and I to see this show despite it being on a Sunday night.  It was a fun hance to see Carl Broehmel up close and personal (after having seen him twice with My Morning Jacket) and to see Tyler Ramsey who left Band of Horses a while back but who was very important to the early BoH sound.   They put out a really lovely acoustic album together.  I wasn’t sure if we’d be standing for this mellow show (probably), but I knew it would be a delightful show and it wouldn’t run too long.

And then we had a blizzard.  A full scale “no driving allowed” kind of emergency.  As soon as the snow was announced, we knew we weren’t going to go, but when it turned into such a big deal, we assumed the show would be cancelled.  BUT IT WASN’T!

I guess Carl, Tyler and Maggie were already in Philly, so the show went on.  I can’t decide what’s worse–to cancel and reschedule or to actually go ahead on a night when a lot of people probably won’t show up.

I’m a little bummed to have missed it,but I would never go out on a night like that.

Maggie Halfman is a folk singer from Kentucky.  She has a nice voice and sings pretty melodies.  A perfect opening act.

Posted in Band of Horses, Carl Broehmel, Maggie Halfman, Milkboy, My Morning Jacket, Philadelphia, PA, Tyler Ramsey | Leave a Comment »

The Afterglows (Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, February 21, 2026) [REMEMBER SPORTS]

February 21, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 21, 2026] The Afterglows

The Afterglows are a Philly band–a duo–Sam Cook-Parrott and Michael Cantor (although I’m not sure who was who).

They took the stage at 7 (the show was pushed up a but, I guess because KFN had an event at ten).  One guy on guitar and another on bass and keys/drum machine.

Their songs were simple but their harmonies were really great.  They had a kind of slow, dreamy quality–retro in a pleasant way.

The lead vocals we shared between the two, with the bassist’s voice being the higher.  For one song, they switched instruments (and apologized for the delay) and then they went back to the basic setup.

Their set was really pleasant.  Songs of love and loss with simple melodies and nice harmonies.  None of which were more than 3 minutes I don’t think.

The last song, How This Ends rocked a lot more.  It was louder and even had a noisy guitar solo at the end.   A fun way to end the set.

SETLIST

Don’t Make Me Lonely §
Sea of Hate §
I’m Closing the Door ∇
The Nearest Window §
Here Comes the Night §
Bless My Soul ∇
Born Again §
How This Ends §

§ The Sound of the Afterglows
∇ The Afterglows

 

Posted in Eraser, Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA, Remember Sports, The Afterglows | Leave a Comment »

The Rural Alberta Advantage (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2026)

February 19, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2026] Jordan Burchel

Jordan I saw The Rural Alberta Advantage two years ago at The Foundry and it was such a great show I couldn’t wait to see them again.  I even grabbed a ticket for my wife because I was sure she’d love them.  She didn’t feel up to going but I did and it was even more fun than last time.

The RAA is a trio with an unusual setup: Keys, guitar and drums, with the drums on the right side and the drummer facing the other two.  Nils Edenloff sings and plays acoustic guitar.  Amy Cole plays keys and (most importantly) bass foot pedals that add so much to these songs. She also has a floor tom that she occasionally bangs on.  And Paul Banwatt plays drums (which is the biggest understatement I can make).

I wrote this last time and I’ll say it again

But no drumming could compare to Paul Banwatt.  He has a fairly small kit, but it’s amazing that it’s still standing by the end of the show.  He throws in all kinds of fills on the snare and even the hi-hat.  He has speed and power and is simply amazing to watch.  I think that since the songs themselves are fairly simple, it gives Banwatt the ability to fill in any open spaces as needed.  Banwatt, who is also a lawyer (!) has to be the most underrated drummer out there.  The way he plays the drums in counterpoint to the guitar in “Drain the Blood ” is just incredible to watch.

He broke two drumstick by about the fifth song.

Amy Cole has a lot to do in the songs, but she also has parts where she doesn’t do anything.  So she skips around the stage, claps, or just hangs out in the back of the stage until one of her responsibilities is called upon.  She and Paul seem to communicate a lot on stage with meaningful looks.  They even had a kind of dance move for one of the songs when Nils was singing by himself.

For a band whose songs are so intense (Nils’ voice is so intense, I love it) they have a lot of fun.

They are not very prolific–they were still calling their last album (2023) their new album.  Although Nils did say that his friend got him to participate in a “write a song a week” session which really loosened up his creativity. They have been around for almost 20 years and have put out 5 albums (an easy band to get caught up with). Continue Reading »

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Jordan Burchel (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, February 18, 2026) [THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE]

February 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 18, 2026] Jordan Burchel

Jordan Burchel is a folk singer from Florida.  He writes clever lyrics over simple, catchy melodies. I’d never heard of him before the show but I liked him a lot.  I almost bought a T shirt from him (they were cool designs) but the line was too long.

He sang and played guitar and his wife (I’m fairly certain) Sam (he mentioned her last name briefly, but said Sam several times) sang the harmonies (which added so much to the songs!)

He joked that he wrote the setlist on a plate (a Johnny Brenda’s tradition, I feel) but that he couldn’t read the plate from where he was.

He was very funny telling stories between songs.  He even joked that he felt weird about bending over to get his water because he was afraid he looked like Marco Rubio in that video where he bent out of frame to drink a water–and he doesn’t want to be associated with that man in any way.

He made a joke comparing Florida where he was born and raised to his Aunt Jane while at his wedding. She hit on all of his friends.  Like Florida, he loves his Aunt Jane, he just wishes she were different.

And on another song he has a lyric about taking all the spoons and knives.  He said he didn’t really know what that meant and if anyone had any ideas they could tell him.  He said that after one show a very intense guy came up to him and said I know what it means.  You took the spoons and knives…. but you left the forks [end of statement]. Continue Reading »

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Nine Inch Nails (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, February 14, 2026)

February 15, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 14, 2026] Nine Inch Nails

I saw Nine Inch Nails open for Skinny Puppy 37 years ago.  And never saw them again.  My son said he was interested in seeing them so when the announced this show I was like, hell yea, lets go.

I had heard the show was great, and I peeked at the setlist to see that there was a B stage (always cool) and a main stage.  I’m bad at song names so even though I saw what was playing I didn’t realize which songs they were, so a lot of it was a wonderful surprise to me.

After Boys Noize, Trent came out and played a song on the piano on the B stage.  We could see okay (except for that goddamned wire clump) but there was fog blowing down on them basically obscuring the whole proceedings.

And I can say this for this first time possibly ever,  I could barely see what was going on half the time and it was still one of  the best arena shows I’ve ever been to.

The sound was perfect–clean and crisp.  And as I said to my son, I was never bored or waiting for what came next for the entire hour and 45 minutes.  In fact, when it was 10 o clock, I couldn’t believe an hour had gone by.  It was just a killer show from start to finish–even the songs I didn’t know sounded great.  But most importantly, they played a lot of songs I did know!

While Trent played (You Made It Feel Like) Home, a quiet song, I was surprised at how chatty and weird the audience was during this, a woman shouted Happy Valentine’s Day and people laughed and whooped–it was so disrespectful.  But he seemed unfazed.

Then he pushed a button and started the second song, Non-Entity. While he was playing the cool piano melody of Atticus Ross came up on stage followed by his bassist Stu Brooks and guitarist Robin Finck and they added a fuller sound to the mix and wow it sounded great!

Trent got up and started singing Hey Piggy.  And while he did, a guy shone a spotlight on his face the whole time–walking around shining it right in his face–how weird.  But it sounded incredible. Continue Reading »

Posted in Boys Noize, Newark, NJ, Nine Inch Nails, Prudential Center, Set in New Jersey! | Leave a Comment »

Boys Noize (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, February 14, 2026) [NINE INCH NAILS]

February 14, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 14, 2026] Boys Noize

I saw Nine Inch Nails open for Skinny Puppy 37 years ago.  And never saw them again.  But not because I didn’t like them, it just never happened.  Recently, my son said he was interested in seeing them so when they announced the continuation of this tour and it was in Jersey, I was like, hell yea, lets go.

I grabbed us seats straight back (the floor would have been awesome but unrealistic and too expensive).  And I figured we’d have the perfect view.

Getting into Newark is always a pain in the ass.  I’d rather go to Philly.  However, in this case our show had a better setlist than Philly so, hooray.

We showed up a little later than I intended but parking was a breeze (amazingly) and  then we saw what looked like a massive line to get into the place.  And holy crap it was a massive massive massive line.  There were thousands of people in various lines all clumped together and no one seemed to know what was going on.  No one from the venue was directing anyone.  And people were MAD.  My son and I accidentally cut the line and were in the middle of one of the massive lines, so we wound up getting in a little after 8. Some people missed part of NIN’s set, I have heard.  But we arrived and could hear that Boys Noize had started.

I didn’t know much about Boys Noize (who is Alexander Ridha a German-Iraqi DJ), I listened to a song or two but was kind of meh about them.  So we didn’t care that we missed them.  We got on the merch line and when we got closer my son said he didn’t really like any of the shorts.  And I was surprised that I didn’t either.  So we left the line and found our seats,

They were great.  lower level straight back.  Except that there was a massive power cable bundle running from floor to ceiling literally right in front of us.  It split the stage in half and was unavoidable.  I was lucky there was no one next to me because otherwise it was blocking Trent the whole time.

While we were on the merch line we could hear Boys Noize, and to me it just sounded like a loud drum beat.  When we finally got to our seat (and put earplugs in (Jesus he was loud) we were right behind the DJ.  He was on a small stage (not the B stage) and was tinkering with equipment as he mixed and added songs.  But mostly it was a (very) loud drum beat.  It was kind of weird. Continue Reading »

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Iron & Wine: Free at Noon (World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, February 13, 2026)

February 13, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 13, 2026] Iron & Wine

I have wanted to see Iron & Wine for a pretty long time.  But they’ve always been on my “casually” want to see them list.  I knew I liked them (him) whenever I heard them, and I’ve known that Sam Beam has an amazing voice, but I didn’t really know many songs by them.

So it seemed like going to a full on show might be too much?

When this Free at Noon was announced, it seemed like the perfect way to see him.  A 30 minute show in the middle of the day–not a major time commitment, and I could see if I really like him.

And I did!

It was just Sam and his guitar.  He played a few songs from his new album and then a few older songs too.  He chatted a lot, praised us for being so quiet and talked about how much he liked to play Philly.

At one point someone shouted What’s your name, which I thought was pretty odd.  Then I saw the person and saw that he had special needs.  Sam must have seen that too because he asked What’s Your Name.  And then Sam made a joke that people ask if he’s related to Jim Beam.  It was delightful how nice and friendly Sam was to everyone.  He seems like a genuinely nice guy.

One of his new songs has the line “fuck the man” which he sang (on the radio!–I actually wondered if he forgot he was on the radio).  Later on when he played All in Good Time it has the words shit in it, and he stopped himself from singing the word and then said, well, I already said fuck, so he sang shit. Continue Reading »

Posted in Free at Noon, Iron & Wine, Iron and Wine, Philadelphia, PA, World Cafe Live, WXPN 88.5 FM--Philadelphia, PA | Leave a Comment »

Dan Deacon (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, February 6, 2026)

February 7, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: February 6, 2026] Dan Deacon 

I saw Dan Deacon three years ago and it was one of the most fun and uplifting shows I’d ever been to.  I knew I’d see him again and I planned to drag my wife along with me.  I knew that she wouldn’t really like the music, but I thought she’d really enjoy the experience.

After the last show I wrote

I would absolutely see him again, even if I need to wait another six years.

So it was almost 4 but it did take a while.

On the way to the show I told her that all of the things that I usually get mad at during a show don’t apply here.  People can talk, they can push, then can block my view.  It really doesn’t matter.  And, wherever we start it won’t be the same place when we’re done.

She seemed thankful for this primer and knew that this was going to be a very different show.

I had genuinely hoped that Dan would come out right after Moon Bounce was done (who starts a show at 9PM these days?).  Especially since Moon Bounce’s set was 30 minutes.  But he waited until 10.  Unlike last time, he had a live drummer, which was totally unexpected but a lot of fun.

He also took advantage of the venue’s video screen.  I thought he might project trippy images, but he explained that he had been meaning to make something but he didn’t.  So instead, he played a Phish show from Saratoga Springs.  It was so funny to see the guys from Phis playing behind him.  But he was thankful to them for putting out entire shows (2 hours) for free on line with no ads.

And then he started his music.  And it was loud.  I had intended to bring earplugs like always, but with the parking problem (and trying to find a reasonable spot) I forgot.  Dan’s music is repetitive and dancey.  He also sings and usually modulates his voice so that it’s insanely high pitched.  Which is bizarre but somehow even more fun. Continue Reading »

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