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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 »

The Linda Lindas (Theatre of Living Arts [TLA], Philadelphia, PA, October 4, 2026)

October 6, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 4, 2026] The Linda Lindas 

Four years ago i got tickets to see The Linda Lindas with my daughter. The show was postponed for a week and she was unable to go  the following week.  So I went by myself and really enjoyed it.  I figured I’d either see them before they broke huge or before the broke up.  Well, I don’t know if they broke huge, but they have played some pretty big shows (they opened for Green Day after all).

The foursome are great musicians, they write rocking punk songs, and most important, they have a ton of fun.  When I saw them last time, drummer Mila de la Garza, was possibly 12 (she is 16 now).  The oldest member, Bela Salazar turned 21 last year.  Guitarist Lucia de la Garza is now 18 and bassist Eloise Wong is now 19.

In four years, the band has grown more sophisticated in their song writing and in their musical chops.  But they still have a lot of fun onstage.  Eloisa and Lucia jump on their gear boxes to get close to the crowd.

Last time they tried their best to get the young kids in the audience as close to the front as possible.  It wasn’t possible this time, I guess.  I felt bad for the little kids who arrived early but weren’t allowed to get near the barricade.  I couldn’t help but think they could have asked the parents to back off and let the kids up front.

When I saw them last time, they had just released their debut album, which is full of young punk songs.  I didn’t like the album enough to get it, but it was fun–and Racist Sexist Boy is a great song for young girls to hear.

Here it was four years later and they’ve all grown up.  They also had a fifth member on stage Adan Diaz, their friend, who played synth and percussion as needed (there’s some songs we can’t play by ourselves).

When the show first stared, their voices were too quiet, but that was fixed fairly quickly.  I hadn’t listened to the new album yet, but I was so impressed by these new songs.  They have added all kinds of sounds to their basket.  They opened with the first song from the new album which has cool synths, percussion and a funky bass line.

They followed it up with Oh, from their debut.  It was one of the few songs from that album that they played, and it sounded bigger.  By the end of Growing Up all four members had sung lead. Continue Reading »

Posted in Deux Visages, KulfiGirls, Philadelphia, PA, The Linda Lindas, Theatre of Living Arts | Leave a Comment »

Russian Circles / Pelican (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 4, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 4, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 4, 2026] Russian Circles / Pelican

Russian Circles played Union Transfer last year and I didn’t know anything about it.  I’d never heard of them until this show and I only investigated because of Pelican who I like.   They are a three piece instrumental band from Chicago.  They are very heavy and not very math rock influenced.  But their instrumentals convey a lot of intensity.

Pelican is an American post-metal band also from Chicago known for their heavy, atmospheric and almost entirely instrumental style.

I would have liked to check this out but I had tickets for another show this evening already.  So many shows in October.

I’d been vaguely aware of Pelican for a while, and when this show was announced, I listened to a bunch more and was really excited to see them.  When they came to town last year I really wanted to see them, but the show was the same night as another commitment.  I was excited to see them coming back, but once again, the timing was terrible.

Posted in Pelican, Philadelphia, PA, Russian Circles, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, October 1, 2026)

October 3, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2026] Ted Leo & the Pharmacists

I’ve seen Ted Leo four times before this.  Twice with Pharmacists, once solo and once with Aimee Mann for a Christmas show.

I enjoyed his solo show–which was personal and fun and also informative–but when he has the whole band with him, the show explodes.

The band set up and Ted came to the mic and said they were early (it was 9) and they were going to take a few minutes and then come back.  Why did they wait until 9:15 to start?  I have no idea.  The first thing he said was that the Phillies were losing (it was a win or they were out of the playoffs–they lost) and then he told people not to soot the messenger.

He started playing Timorous Me by himself.  And, just like on the record, about half way through the song, the rest of the band came out and the room exploded with sound when they all joined in on time.

I noticed immediately how much bigger and better Ted and the band sounded than Labrador.  And I don’t mean that as an insult to Labrador at all, because I enjoyed their set a lot.  But TL/RX just filled the room in ways that Labrador didn’t.  Is that because the headliners get more time to set up their gear and do soundchecks?  Even in a small place like this?  I have no idea.  But man, TL/RX just filled the room with music.

Ted has been in punk bands, but he has also written slower songs.  But holy cow, these songs were fast and fun and intense and loud and just screamed for everyone to dance.

We were right on the barricade (there was like no one there when we arrived, but it filled in), so we probably didn’t get the best sound–Ted’s vocals were always a little quiet which is shame because his words are so good.  But the energy was undeniable.

I love the way that Ted doesn’t skimp on the sounds of his songs, like the little guitar scratches that start out The Sons of Cain.  There’s few things as fun as the whole band screaming heeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy (or Caaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnn or whatever they say) at the end.

We were right in front of Ralph Darden and he was so much fun to watch.  He jumped around, played solos and sang backing vocals.  Just a great performer.  Marty Key on bass mostly stood by the big bass speaker but occasionally he came out front to contribute backing vocals.  But his bass sounded amazing. Continue Reading »

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Labrador, Stiff Little Fingers, Ted Leo, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, The Pogues | Leave a Comment »

Labrador (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, October 1, 2026) [TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS]

October 2, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 1, 2026] Labrador

I hadn’t heard of Labrador before this show.  Turns out they are a solid Philly rock band.  Their blurb on bandcamp says Maximum Alt Country which I assumed was a joke as they don’t sound country at all.  But even in the review of their new album, it says “The latest LP from Philadelphia rock quartet Labrador turns up the heat on the alt-country and mod influences forged on their previous records.”  I can certainly hear the mod influences, but I don’t hear any alt country at all.

Especially live, where they rock pretty hard and singer and guitarist Pat King has a powerful rocking voice.  And Steve Kurtz’ drums were simple but punctuated the songs nicely.

And what I really liked, in addition to his pleas for the Phillies to win, was his passionate belief in justice.  As the rest of that blurb says

Labrador are a barn-burning bar band bringing influences from the storied, intersecting legacies of anti-war punk, blues, folk, and soul music into the 21st century. Labrador’s weathered, vintage sound isn’t indicative of a desire to return to some idealized fantasy version of the past, but to learn from the history that created destructive forces dominating the present—worker exploitation, corporate greed, rampant xenophobia, genocide in Palestine.

Their songs are simple.  The three chords of Kill Kill Kill were instantly catchy and the progression to the chorus was obvious but satisfying.  The mix was a little off in the beginning with Kris Hayes’ guitar being a little too loud.  But his solos were really tasty.  We couldn’t reallu hear bassist Will Hochgertel at all–maybe that’s why the set sounded less full that Ted Leo’s.

Later the chords to We Drew Straws was similarly three chords.  But again, catchy and fun.  And then the chorus takes a pointed turn

Shout these words out loud
War crimes for genocide
Cease fire now

A slower song like Slow Down King (where King played acoustic guitar) was really simple but effective

If I’m hollow by the sunrise at least I’ll know I’ve tried
I’m going to keep on fighting I’m gonna fight for what I know is right
I got some people I love in my life who could use me on their side.

They sang a song that was popularized by Joan Baez, No Man is and Island but was actually an old soul song–Labrador certainly reference soul roots, but i didn’t really hear it in this set. Continue Reading »

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Labrador, Ted Leo + Pharmacists | Leave a Comment »

Beabadoobee / Wisp (Liacouris Center, Philadelphia PA, October 2, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 2, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 2, 2026] Beabadoobee / Wisp

I saw Beabadoobee back in 2021 on her first tour of the U.S.  Since then, she’s put out a couple of albums and has been back to the States.  I didn’t go last time.  She was supposed to play at All Things Go last year but cancelled for some reason or another.

I would have liked to go to this show.  I am genuinely surprised she played a venue the size of the Liacouris Center (10,000 seats, although it can be converted to a 5,000 seater which I have to assume they did for this.  But I didn’t want to go to a massive venue to see her and the tickets were outrageously expensive.

I’m assuming it must not have sold well because one of the local radio stations had a contest for free tickets and when I didn’t win, I received an email

I’m writing because you entered [the]  contest for tickets to see Beabadoobee on Friday, October 2nd at The Liacouras Center, but did not win.  We do have one extra pair of tickets for the show that we can offer as a thank you gift for a donation of $50.

And then a day or so later

These tickets are still available.  Would anyone be interested in the pair for $40?  That would really help Y-Not Radio reach our fundraising goal for this month.

I certainly would have taken the two tickets for $50 (although I ‘ll bet the seats were crappy), but I had tickets to Public Image Limited (and possibly Karina Rykman is I changed my mind on PiL).  But I do hope she comes back and plays a smaller venue.

Wisp opened for System of a Down a while back and then had a headlining gig at Union Transfer.  (Apparently Wisp has a big online following).  She (Natalie R. Lu is Wisp) plays a delightful shoegaze–heavy guitars but not really heavy metal and perfect soft vocals.  This would have been a good show for sure.

Posted in Beabadoobee, Liacouris Center, Philadelphia, PA, Wisp | Leave a Comment »

Karina Rykman / Mackenzie Johnson (Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, October 2, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 2, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 2, 2026] Karina Rykman / Mackenzie Johnson

This concert was announced after I had already purchased my tickets for PiL.  Which was a bummer.  A few days before, my wife said she might like to go to this one and I was okay with it.  I looked up the PiL setlists and decided I was kind of meh about it.  But we went to Ardmore Music Hall the night before and she didn’t want to do that two nights in a row (I feel bad for dragging her out to Ted Leo now).

We’ve seen Karina a four times and every show has been super fun.  I would have liked to see her at Ardmore, since the first time I saw her and realized who she was  was at a Marco Benevento show at Ardmore.

But instead, I went to PiL and that was a pretty terrible show, so I’m even more bummed now.  But I’m sure she’ll be back.

Mackenzie Johnson is an acoustic-pop singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, PA. She became known for the acoustic covers and original songs she posted to her YouTube channel.   Her songs are on the softer side of  things, but her voice is a powerhouse.

 

Posted in Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA, Karina Rykman, Mackenzie Johnson | Leave a Comment »

Soccer Mommy / Snail Mail / Brennan Wedl (Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ, October 2, 2016) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 2, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 2, 2026] Soccer Mommy / Snail Mail / Brennan Wedl

I’ve seen Soccer Mommy three times. She always puts on a good show.  But we had three other possible shows this night and I had tickets to PiL for months by the time this was announced.

I have been wanting to catch Snail Mail since 2018, when I missed her opening for Alvvays at Union Transfer.  You don’t always get to see a singer progress so clearly up the ranks of popularity.   In 2018 she was opening for someone at Union Transfer and 8 years later she was headlining The Fillmore.  Here she is on a double headlining bill with Soccer Mommy and once again I have to miss her because it was the same date as another show.

I’m more intrigued by Brennan Wedl‘s name than their music.  Wedl is a Minnesota-raised, Nashville-based songwriter.  She has a pretty hefty country twang for a Minnesotan.  She and Wxahatchee do a cover of Kathleen Edwards’ 6 o’clock News, which earns them some props.

Posted in Brennan Wedl, Sayreville, NJ, Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, Starland Ballroom | Leave a Comment »

Weezer (XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia PA, September 29, 2026)

October 1, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 29, 2026] Weezer

This is my fourth time seeing Weezer.  I’m not a huge Weezer fan and I know they’ve released some real stinker songs, but when they hit it right, they absolutely nail it.  And their shows are a lot of fun.

This is the first time I’ve seen them headline in a pretty long time.  I remembered their 2018 show was a great spectacle showing the band progress through the years.  But they went all out for this show and it was a blast!

The show began with a video of a kid drawing pictures like those in the poster to the right.  Some bullies mocked Nicholas for drawing his weird Ws and Nicholas said that Weezer were playing at his house tonight.  The kids don’t believe him.  Nicholas wishes really hard and the weird symbols he’s drawing start to glow and Rivers received the message about a show that night.  He grabs the band and they head to Nicholas’ house.

The stage had been setup to look like a back yard.  There was a house (!) as well as telephone poles (with sneakers on the wires) artificial turf and a picket fence.  On the screen, the guys approach a fence and then walked through the fence on stage. A simple detail, but really fun.  The screen converted to a backyard scene with a swimming pool and trees and everything.  It looked really convincing (despite being obviously fake).

The story was played out though the whole night (even if the guys in the band are TERRIBLE actors–so bad!  Rivers’ “let keep this party going” and things were pretty sus but who cares).

They started playing a brand new song (I don’t now the album all that well, but everyone on the floor sure did).  In addition to showing the band on the stage, the cameramen in the front row went back an forth to the folks in the front row, and most of them were singing along.

And then came what was mostly a greatest hits selection of songs, but with quite a few deep cuts as well.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Silversun Pickups, The Shins, Weezer, XFinity Mobile Arena | Leave a Comment »

Loudon Wainwright III / Wesley Stace (Sellersville Theatre, Sellersville, PA, October 1, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 1, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 1, 2026] Loudon Wainwright III / Wesley Stace

Loudon Wainwright III has been playing pretty and also pretty funny music for decades.  I discovered him about twenty years ago and quickly became a fan of his work.

His newer material deals more with old age than his earlier stuff but it’s still enjoyable.  I’m sure he would play songs from throughout his career.  Recent setlists show he plays stuff from all over his catalog.

He plays Sellersville every year or so and I never seem to be able to catch him.  This poster on the right is for a different show, but it’s the same billing with Wesley Stace.

Tonight’s show was up against Ted Leo who I really wanted to see with my wife.

Wesley Stace once recorded under the pseudonym John Wesley Harding and released some 20 albums.  These albums bear a resemblance to Elvis Costello because he shared some of the members of The Attractions and also because his singing voice has the same arch tone and timbre as Costello’s.  I saw him open for Steven Page back in 2018 and loved his set so much I bought a novel of his as well.

This is a great double bill and I’m bummed I couldn’t make it.

UPDATE: I received an email today that Loudon Wainwright had to reschedule this show.  But Wesley Stace was still performing.

$15 POP UP SHOW TONIGHT WITH WESLEY STACE!

What else do you have going on? Come on out!

There is a great new show this evening! Singer songwriter Wesley Stace (aka famously as John Wesley Harding) will perform a full concert. Wesley Stace has performed at Sellersville Theater before and is loved by the staff. Tickets are available now for $15 and the show is general admission. Come by, bring friends, and enjoy a night out!

I would have loved to support him.  But, hey, he announced a free at noon for next week so…

Posted in Loudon Wainwright III, Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA, Wesley Stace | Leave a Comment »

The Shins (XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia PA, September 29, 2026) [WEEZER]

September 30, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 29, 2026] The Shins

I have been a fan of The Shins since their debut album came out and I have never seen them live.  I put them very high on my list of bands that I wanted to see.  But I assumed I just never would.  (They played Franklin Music Hall in 2022 and The Fillmore in 2017).  And yet, here they were opening for Weezer.

I don’t know what James Mercer (the only real Shin at this point) has been up to for this last decade (their last album came out in 2017), but whatever it is, he’s been keeping his voice in amazing condition.

They opened with Simple Song and I immediately remembered how much I love The Shins.  And as soon as he hit the first high notes of the song–and hit them confidently and easily, I knew this set was going to be fantastic.  They made some use of the video screens.  The camera zoomed in on the musicians from time to time and behind them, for each song there was a different band name logo, which was really fun.

Up next was Australia (I realized I have no idea what the names of these songs are) but as soon as the “la la las” came along, the whole song flooded back.  And Mercer seemed like he was having a really good time up there.  He commented about how he had never been on an arena tour before and how much fun he was having. Continue Reading »

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Silversun Pickups, The Shins, Weezer, XFinity Mobile Arena | Leave a Comment »

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