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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!

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Altin Gün (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 24, 2026)

September 25, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 24, 2026] Altin Gün 

I first heard of Altin Gün (which means Golden Day) in 2022 when they played Underground Arts.   Back then I quoted

Altin Gün’s relentless grooves are truly immersive, anti-elitist, inclusive. It’s truly music for the dancefloor – all dancefloors. Altin Gün are the perfect 21st Century psych band, hinting at a deep record collection while still belonging to a living tradition and having a unique and distinctive voice  [from Forestpunk].

They returned in 2023, this time playing Union Transfer.  I wanted to go, but we had a family obligation that night so I couldn’t check them out.  But in the past year I’d gotten an album and really liked it.

So, this year the show was announced and I grabbed a ticket, super excited to see them live.  Their music is psychedelic with a dirty blend of funk rhythms, wah-wah guitars and analogue organs.  They often play psychedelic covers of Turkish folk music.  Singer Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız is Turkish while the other four members are Dutch.

I walked in and it was really quite empty. I was able to walk up to the barrier with no problem.  And it was a great spot to be because the mixing was perfect.  Aside from the two women who would not shut up behind me.

They came out with a simple set up–guitar, bass and two percussionists.  The man on the left had a full on percussion set up–conga, bongos, wood blocks, cowbells, tambourines and a couple of foot pedals, which I couldn’t figure out what they played.  Daniel Smienk was on the standard drum kit and he was fantastic–a simple kit but complex rhythms.

Jasper Verhulst played bass.  He was on the far side, behind the singer’s keyboards, so I didn’t see him too much,but his bass was essnetial, especially when the other two guys were soloing.  I was right in front of guitarist Thijs Elzinga and he was fantastic.  He switched back and forth between rhythm and lead guitar effortlessly.  His solos were fantastic and he shared the soloing spotlight easily.   Then up front was Erdinç Ecevit Yıldız.  He played keys (some great keyboard solos) and also played the bağlama (or saz)–four-stringed, long-necked (lute family) instrument.  He played some incredible solos on this thing!

I’d listened to the album I have and quickly listened to the new album which I didn’t like quite as much as its a bit quieter.  But I needn’t have worried about that because they came out and played the grooviest psychedelic sounds.  On Gönül Dağ The bass was loud and low, the guitars were great and the percussion kept things interesting.  It had a mid-period Pink Floyd sound.  The percussion came out in force for Sevda Olmasaydı. Continue Reading »

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Alex Maas (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 24, 2026) [ALTIN GÜN]

September 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 24, 2026] Alex Maas

Alex Maas is the singer for The Black Angels. I didn’t realize that when this show was first announced.  I saw The Black Angels back in May and as curious to see how different Alex’ solo stuff would be.  And the answer is: very different.

He still sounds the same (he has a very distinctive voice), but for this set it was just him and an unnamed drummer.  In fact, I’m not sure he even introduced himself–his mic had a huge echo on it the whole time, so who knows what he ever said).

He played mellotron for a couple of songs and he played (very quiet) electric guitar for a couple of songs.  For the final song he played a small middle eastern sounding instrument.  It was small and stringed, but I’m pretty sure he pressed keys to change the notes.

The songs were all short with lots of echo.  The melodies were nice (and simple) and the drums were mostly snare and bass, but he also had some tiny roto toms which made really sharp sounds.  Continue Reading »

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Willie Nelson & Family / Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts / Ty Myers (TD Pavilion at The Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA, September 24, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 24, 2026] Willie Nelson & Family / Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts / Ty Myers

This tour was announced with minimal fanfare and even mire minimal, even though it’s a pretty big deal, I think.

I’ve never been a big fan of Willie Nelson‘s music.  I like everything about him and everything that he stands for, I just don’t like his songs.  So I wasn’t especially interested in going to this.

But my wife and I are huge fans of Neil Young and I assumed we’d never pass up the chance to see him.  But this show didn’t really excite us all that much for some reason.  It was hard to imagine Neil sharing a headline spot.  And while the Mann can be a great venue, it can also be offputting.

So we both decided we didn’t need to see this set.  Shocking.

Turns out Neil went on second (and played about 70 minutes).  It was a good set. Continue Reading »

Posted in Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Neil Young, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, Philadelphia, PA, Ty Myers | Leave a Comment »

Slothrust / The Velveteers (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 24, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 24, 2026] Slothrust / The Velveteers

I thought that I had been on the verge of seeing Slothrust many times, and yet I either didn’t note it or I’m making that up.  I’d alway assumed that with a name like Slothrust that they would be really heavy.  I also assumed, since I thought I saw their name a lot, that they were from Philly.  But they are from Boston and have been around since 2010.  Even more interesting is that the band is just Leah Wellbaum (vocals, guitar) and Will Gorin (drums).

I also just realized/remembered that they played the song for the opeinng credits of You’re the Worst, a show that my wife and I really liked back in the day.  A nice review from The Revue (in Canada) from 2021 says

In the 8 years we’ve been covering Slothrust, we’ve seen the band change a lot musically. They’ve shifted from the early days of jazz-infused grunge, which eventually grew into much bigger and less easy to classify sounds. Each record feels like a rebirth, from Everyone Else having a fine polish on that distinctive Slothrust sound but expanding on it at the same time. The Pact felt like an even more diverse records, with the band diving more into electronic sounds and even diving into poppier sounds. It set up any future releases nicely to dive even more into the trio’s widening approach. Their latest record, Parallel Timeline, heralds yet another rebirth of the band.  This is a slower Slothrust, as the chugging basslines and heavy drums are nowhere to be found. All the things that make Leah Wellbaum stand out as an artist, however, are on full display.

The biggest surprise for me is just how catchy their latest song is.

I was mostly interested in this show because of The Velveteers, a band I saw on Instagram and was immediately hooked by.  Why?  Because the band consisted (I assume it still does although I know someone left) of two drummers (one of whom is named Baby Pottersmith) and a guitarist/singer.  The video was eye catching and the song was simple in that perfect grunge/garage sound that is just so great.

After hearing more of Slothrust, I would have really liked to get to this show, but I already had tickets to see Altin Gün tonight and I’ve been wanting to see them for a while.  So I hope they both come back soon (especially The Velveteers).

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Suki Waterhouse (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2026)

September 23, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 21, 2026] Suki Waterhouse

My daughter and I saw Suki Waterhouse at All Things Go.  She hadn’t released Memoir of a Sparklemuffin yet, although she did play two songs from it (but not ones I really liked).  My takeaway from her set (not having heard her before) was that I liked her, although I found her songs a little slow, but my overall impression was really positive.  Although I honestly couldn’t really remember her songs.

Since then she has released three songs that WXPN has played a bunch which I love.  I regretted not going to see her last time she was in town, so I was pretty psyched when my wife said she’d love to see her as well.

By the time her set was to start, the young girls had al moved into place in front of us.  Since most of her fans are tiny, I was pretty pleased, until the tiny girls in front of us waved their tall friends over.  The really tall one was off to the side, but the shorter one was a major camera user.  Which was pretty annoying except that she put the camera up high enough that I could see clearly through her arms.   Interestingly. the  guy in the hat who filmed all of Charlotte, didn’t film any of Suki.  Go figure.

The lights dimmed and all of Somewhere Over the Rainbow played.  I do enjoy a walk on song, but it had been pretty long since Charlotte went off and this song is pretty long…  But all was forgiven when the band came out and the lights illuminated the giant heart shaped mirror ball that was on stage.

And then Suki came out and simply owned the stage.  I’ve seen a lot of shows and a lot of shows in this venue and I don’t know if it was the lighting or just her amazing star power, but she seemed enormous up there–like she glowed and it was perfectly easy to see every move she made.  But before she even came down the (mirrored) stairs, she stood on the platform in a Blondie cut off shirt, a shoulder shrug, sparkly shorts and tall boots.  She posed like a model and then the music started. Continue Reading »

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The Charlatans (UK) / Frankie Rose (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, September 23, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 23, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 23, 2026] The Charlatans (UK) / Frankie Rose

I have the first three Charlatans records (but actually didn’t even realize they had been making music since then).  I was supposed to see them in 2024 when they toured with Ride.  That would have been a great show, but a snowstorm kept me away.

I don’t listen to The Charlatans enough since their early stuff is so good. Their newer stuff sounds a bit like Oasis (or does Oasis sound like  them?)  Listening now, I think this would have been a really fun show.  Their sound has remained largely consistent over the years.

But we had tickets to see a comedian, Lauren Ramoso which was originally schedule for November but inexplicably moved to tonight.  Which meant I didn’t have to decide whether or not to go to this show.

Frankie Rose is evidently a legendary musician who has played with everyone like Vivian Girls and Dum Dum Girls.  Although her solo stuff is very synthy and unlike those other bands.   It would work well with the Charlatans, I think.

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Laura Ramoso (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 23, 2026)

September 23, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 23, 2026] Laura Ramoso

This tour was announced in March and then, in April, Laura told us that she was moving the Philly show up to November.  I had assumed all of the shows were moved, but it was only the Philly show.  And, looking at the dates below, why did they schedule Philly at that original date anyhow?  Weird.

Laura Ramoso is a comedian that my wife knew from Instagram who never came across my radar.  And, to make this point even funnier, when Laura came out on stage she welcomed everyone, including the husbands and boyfriends who had no idea who she was.

My wife told me about her and showed me a clip, but I decided to go in blind, so I didn’t watch any other clips of her stuff and that was an interesting way to experience a comedian.  It means that there were catch phrases and things that made the crowd laugh and I didn’t know why.  And that’s fine too, because most of the rest of the show did make me laugh a lot.

I assume I am correct in saying that she is most known for portraying her parents.  Laura is half German, half Italian.  Her German mother is very stiff and formal and her Italian father is very emotional and is often cooking.  Laura’s accents and characterizations are great and she moves between the two with amazing ease. Continue Reading »

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Mastodon / Alcest / Deafheaven (Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA, September 22, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: September 22, 2026] Mastodon / Alcest / Deafheaven 

I saw Mastodon at this very venue (when it was called The Electric Factory) ten years ago.  I’ve seen Mastodon a total of three times and after the last show I felt like I didn’t need to see them again.  Nothing against them, but I felt like I had seen enough and was satisfied.  Then all kinds of trouble happened within the band and I felt it was just safest to stay away.

But this bill was stacked!  And I really wanted to go for the opening acts.  It turned out to be scheduled during a week when I had a lot else going on, so I ultimately couldn’t go anyhow.  But I would have really enjoyed seeing the openers again.

I saw Alcest last year and they were great.  They play a kind of heavy metal shoegaze.  Waves and waves of guitars with vocals that are sung in French, but are quiet enough in the mix (from where I was) that they might as well be simply ahh’s.  Corson’s backing vocals were, I think, just ooh and ahhs.  Occasionally, Niege’s vocals would get dark and kind of growly, but more of a low scream rather than a growl–certainly the most palatable scream I’ve encountered.  I would love to see them again.

I’ve seen Deafheaven twice but I’ve wanted to see them more.  There have been a couple of recent shows that I simply haven’t been able to get to.  Well, I’m sure they’ll be back again. And who wants to see them open, when they could clearly headline.

 

 

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Charlotte Lawrence (Fillmore Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, September 21, 2026) [SUKI WATERHOUSE]

September 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: September 21, 2026] Charlotte Lawrence

I hadn’t heard of Charlotte Lawrence before this show.  I listened to a few songs and liked her.  It turns out that, like Suki Waterhouse, she is an actress (in the show Bad Monkey which I hadn’t heard of), model and singer.

She came out on stage with her band and, I was pleased to her, rocked harder than her records.  Her records had a bit more pop sheen, but live, her band rocked (her guitar player even opened the show by running a beer bottle up and down the neck of his guitar generating interesting sounds–although they were all dressed so preppy, it was hard to take them seriously as rockers).  But that’s okay because they were great.  

Less great was the guy in the baseball hat who held his phone up very high (and was standing right in front of us) for each song and during her talking bits as well.  It was rather much.

I enjoyed Charlotte’s voice immediately–powerful and soaring high.  And the songs were catchy, too.

Before the second song, she said it was written about an asshole and anyone who could relate to that should dance along.  So that was pretty funny.  As was her intro to the third song which was also about an asshole (everyone say fuck you johnny).

I laughed a but when she bemoaned that she missed be young and wild and free (she’s 26), but who knows what her life is like.  And then before the next song, she started crying and said that she lost someone yesterday but she really wanted to keep on with the show.  (I see on previous setlists that at this time she was going to sing a song called Bodybag which, jeez, that’s rough.  It’s a piano ballad and they had unveiled Suki’s piano for this set.  I assume she was supposed to play the piano for this song.  But, damn, how could she play a song like that right now?

She pulled through and sang her bouncier song Fear of Falling and then asked if we’d like to hear a new song.  She started Like a Girl but had to quit after verse or two.  Fortunately, the crowd was really supportive of her and sent their best vibes her way.  I couldn’t help but think about how at a normal job when this happens, you would take a few days off, but I can’t imagine trying to be emotive on stage during this. Continue Reading »

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Militarie Gun / Softcult / Shady Nasty / Dazy (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, September 22, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

September 22, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2022] Militarie Gun / Softcult / Shady Nasty / Dazy

Back in 2022, I first heard of Militaire Gun, who are apparently a post-hardcore supergroup (made up of bands I’ve never heard of).  I got a kick out of this tour being 20 Songs for 20 Bucks and I did consider going.  But this was a crazy busy week for me and I didn’t really fancy going to a show with THREE openers who I’d never heard of. Normally I love a good opening band, but this night sounded exhausting, especially since I assumed they were all heavy/hardcore bands.

Since then they have been spoken of in really high terms by lots of bands that I like and their new single is really soft and catchy.  So unlike the noisy punk extravaganza and that I thought this night would be, it was actually a fairly diverse and far more quiet evening.  Although MG play a kind of heavy alt rock with vocals that are very punk.

I assumed I didn’t know Softcult (which looked less familiar when I saw it as Soft Cult). Turns out I have been interested in them for a little while, but had to miss them in 2026.

Softcult is a duo from Canada.  Their number one song on Spotify, “Love Song” is a soft woozy shoegaze song–it’s wonderful.  Their other songs play more with a hard/soft dynamic and grungy attitude.  The band comprises twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn who are also in the band Courage My Love (who are a bit more punk).  The three or four Softcult songs I heard were great.

Shady Nasty are from Sydney and mix hip hop, shoegaze and post punk.  Far more hip hop than anything else and I found it a little bland.

Dazy is a the work of James Goodson.  They put out a single with Militarie Gun and it’s great (Pressure Cooker).  Their songs have big hooks are are kind of unpolished (fuzz guitars) pop.

I’m sure this would have been a fun night.  Must keep Softcult and Dazy in mind for future shows.

Posted in Dazy, Militarie Gun, Philadelphia, PA, Shady Nasty, Soft Cult, Underground Arts | Leave a Comment »

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