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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 »

Blackbraid (Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA, October 24, 2026) [CRADLE OF FILTH]

October 25, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 24, 2026] Blackbraid

Initially, the Mexican band Moonspell was supposed to be the second band on the bill but they weren’t able to secure a visa–boy our government sucks.  So Blackbraid was chosen to take over.  I’d never heard of them, but I quickly learned that Blackbraid is the solo black metal project of a Native American (no visa issues there, ye bastards).

So I listened to Blackbraid and it reminded me of Bathory [R.I.P.]–the Swedish solo extreme metal guy who I’d assumed stopped making music forty years ago (he hadn’t, in fact he made all kinds of different music throughout his a career until his death in 2004).  Bathory’s first few albums were basically the fastest drumming you could get, screamed impenetrable vocals and moderately cacthy guitar progressions.  And it sounded like it was recorded on a $5 cassette player.  Well, Blackbraid embraces much of that sound except it is really well recorded and sounds 1000 times better.  But it has the same kind of relentlessness.  I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from them, but they did not disappoint.

In front of me was one of the guitar players who had corpse paint and some kind of bones around his neck.  The rest of the band wasn’t really painted up that much, but main singer (and main guy) Jon Krieger (also known as Sgah’gahsowáh, a Mohawk name meaning “the witch hawk”).

They started off with an explosion–really fast drumming and a black metal riff that reminded me of the style of Bathory.  And then Kreiger started….singing.  The songs have lyrics but live, it was like one explosive growl after another.  I genuinely couldn’t tell if he was singing anything or just making guttural sounds.  He never spoke to us, although he did occasionally gesture for more applause.

The band was incredibly tight–the drummer was a machine of fast drumming and I loved watching the guitarist in front of me.  After a few minutes of intensity, things slowed down and it seemed like Kreiger was singing, but it was still so animalistic that it was hard to tell.  He had an intensity that was unstoppable. Continue Reading »

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Black Satellite, Blackbraid, Cradle of Filth, Moonspell | Leave a Comment »

Black Satellite (Archer Music Hall, Allentown, PA, October 24, 2026) [CRADLE OF FILTH]

October 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 24, 2026] Black Satellite

Black Satellite is from New York City.  The two constants in the band are singer Larissa Vale and guitarist Kyle Hawken.  Their debut album is kind of slick (but heavy) metal.  Their later album is a lot heavier and angrier.  [They had previously supported Starset and now are supporting Cradle of Filth].

They came out and were pretty high tech looking.  The drums lad lights in them and the lights changed color with the stage lights.  The rest of the band was pretty intense looking.  One guitarist had on whiteface and skull lines.  The other two had various corpse painting and Larissa herself had a very cool look with her head half shaved and a black line under her eyes.  They also wore a lot of leather–they looked cool for sure.

Larissa doesn’t growl/sing she snarl sings and her voice is pretty deep.  I enjoyed that she used the old blocky microphone that you palm to sing in.  Between that and her lengthy coat, she definitely had a “leader” look about her.

Their songs were heavy and dark but with some seriously catchy elements.  And now that I know some of the lyrics, I can hear that she was singing them and not just making sounds (like on Broken).

A few songs into the set the guitarist on the far side of the stage (I don’t know who was who) who had long long long hair, reached into a pouch on hos belt and threw something to someone in the audience.  They caught it, he smiled and nodded. He did this several times throughout the set.  At the end of the set, he came over to our side and threw a few things which I later found out were–Twizzlers.  It was so cute for such a heavy and intense sounding band.

There was some serious headbanging and even a song called Kill for You

I will kill for you
I will hurt for you
For you, I would do anything (anything)
I will kill for you
Take a bullet for you
I’ll keep you safe from everything
I will kill for you

I enjoyed their whole set quite a lot, and I’m really fascinated by the makeup on their guitarist.

They didn’t play anything from their debut (which makes sense) although they did play one song that came out before their new album and then they surprised me by ending with a Depeche Mode cover.  And not something heavy like Personal Jesus.  They went with Never Let Me Down Again.   They made it really heavy and it sounded good.

It felt weird singing along to a Depeche Mode song at a metal show, but I did!  They even did goofy synchronized guitar waving.  So despite the darkness and heaviness, they clearly were having fun, too.  Which I appreciate.

I really enjoyed their set.

  1. Dead Eye ∇
  2. Broken ∇
  3. Far Away ∇
  4. Here It Ends ∇
  5. Void ∇
  6. Kill For You ∇
  7. Doom or Die ∇
  8. Downfall §
  9. Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode cover)

∇ Aftermath (2025)
§ single (2025)

Posted in Allentown PA, Archer Music Hall, Black Satellite, Blackbraid, Cradle of Filth | Leave a Comment »

The Damned / Flaming Groovies / The Courettes (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 24, 2026] The Damned / Flaming Groovies / The Courettes

I saw the Damned at Coney Island High with my friend Garry on Feb 6, 1998.  I don’t really remember all that much about it.  I wasn’t a huge fan at the time, but I do think it’s cool I got to see them.  I hadn’t really considered seeing them again, but I decided to see them last year and they were great!  The tour was a kind of complete retrospective (including some of the new songs too).

And, it featured three of the four original members: singer Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible and drummer Rat Scabies.  [There’s no point in trying to talk about when who was or wasn’t in the band as it was a revolving door for a while].  But Paul Gray on bass has been with them since 1980 and Monty Oxymoron has played keyboards with them since 1996 so he’s not exactly a newbie.

When they announced this new tour I definitely wanted to go again, but I already had tickets to see Friko and then I wound up getting tickets to see Cradle of Filth, so there was no way this was going to happen.  Apparently, this is their last tour, so I guess I’ll never see them again.  But I’m glad I saw them last year.

When I saw that the opening band was The Flaming Groovies, I did a double take.  I recognized the name, but couldn’t really place them.  That’s because they formed in 1965 (years before I was born).  Their debut has been described as proto-punk with one critic suggesting that the Ramones probably wore out copies of the album.  I suppose that’s true, kind of, but they are really more of a blues band.  And then, they also wrote Shake Some Action–the Cracker version is better because of the way the Groovies’ album was recorded (as if under a thick blanket).  They’re not as punk as that reviewer made it seem, but there’s some cool garage flair.  I wonder how they sound (checks calendar) 61 years after their debut!.

The Courettes are from Denmark and are the duo of Flavia Couri (from Brazil) and Martin Couri (a native Dane) [they are married, it’s not a Ramones type name].  They play old school rock n roll/girl group/garage stuff.  Their recordings sound like they are from the 60s, which is a little annoying.

Posted in Flamin' Groovies, Philadelphia, PA, The Courettes, The Damned, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

cavetown / chloe moriondo (Fillmore Philadelphia, PA, October 24, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 24, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 24, 2026] cavetown / chloe moriondo

We saw Cavetown two years ago and they were so much fun.  From the catchy songs to the fun stage goings on, it was a terrific show.  I’ve thought about seeing them again, and this seemed like a lower key way to do so.  Despite the metal looking logo, Cavetown’s music actually seems even more mellow.

I’m fascinated that this tour starts in Allentown and ends a month later in Philadelphia.  I couldn’t go to the Allentown show because I had tickets to Eihwar which I didn’t want to pass up and on the night in Philly, I had tickets to TWO other shows that evening.  So, despite the proximity and frequency, I couldn’t do Cavetown this year.

Om Tidal, it says that chloe moriondo is 16, but she is actually 23.  She’s from Detrooit and plays a mix of indie pop, indie rock and bedroom pop, with the occasional hyperpop.  The first song on Tidal was her with a ukulele.  She’s on Fueled by Ramen, so they trust her fun nature and she appeared on a Pierce the Veil album.  Her songs are kind of soft pop with a slight (very slight) edge–although her newest album is pretty much all pop.

She’s probably fun live.

Although after listening to each of them a little more, maybe I don’t need to see them again.

Posted in Cavetown, chloe moriondo, Philadelphia, PA, The Fillmore Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Mike D / Angelnumber 8 (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 19, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 19, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 19, 2026] Mike D / Angelnumber 8

When Mike D announced this album and tour I assumed it would sell out in a second.  But I don’t think it sold out at all.

I had listened to one song from the album and didn’t think that much of it, so I didn’t bother getting a ticket.  I’ve never seen the Beastie Boys, and decided I didn’t want to go this way.

But I may have been a bit harsh.   A review from MidBrow Philly says

the most glaring absence from Thank You — the intricate vocal interplay that defined the Beastie Boys — is evident. Despite this, the record’s fun, kitchen sink approach of arrangement and production takes your mind off of what’s not there. Ultimately, Thank You is a busy, fearless record that doesn’t contend with the legacy of Diamond’s old band as much as it adds to his own.

Diamond’s vocals throughout the set were processed through an unrelenting wall of distortion and delay, giving the songs a rough but otherworldly texture.

According to the setlist, he did a couple of Beastie Boys (Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun) songs and the set was about an hour.

Angelnumber 8 opened the show. There’s very little about him online. He has a few songs on Tidal and yet there’s an article about him that dates back to 2021–which talks about how it is to find out about him online.  Tidal shows a new EP this year with 5 songs each about 2 minutes long. The songs are kind of chill raps.  hard to imagine what he’s like live.

And here’s the Mike D show from UT thanks to Jim Powers.

 

Posted in Angelnumber 8, Mike D., Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer | Leave a Comment »

Beck / Ioanna Gika (The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 18, 2026] Beck / Ioanna Gika

Beck always puts on a good show.  Some of my favorite concert moments of the last few years involved Beck. But this tour was for his new, mopey album and that didn’t sound like a fun tour to check out.  I looked at tickets and it was EXPENSIVE as well.

So I didn’t even bother trying to get tickets.  Ironically, my brothers-in-law went to see him in Red Rocks.  They said it was good, but when I looked at the setlist, it didn’t sound very fun.

But I’m not the intended audience when he writes “This isn’t a hits show…this is the Ride Lonesome Tour so we are playing the new album and we are leaning heavily into Sea Change and Morning Phase.”  Nothing wrong with those albums, just not what I want to see live.

Who the heck is Ioanna Gika?

Gika played in io echo which toured throughout the United States and had support slots for Nine Inch Nails, Haim, New Order, and Jon Hopkins amongst others. Gika also wrote the score for Harmony Korine’s film ‘Rebel’, collaborated with Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi for Universal’s Dracula, created the score for a Louis Vuitton fall runway collection, and wrote a song that was shortlisted by the academy for Snow White and The Huntsman. Ioanna Gika completed her first solo tour opening for Deafheaven and Diiv in October, and her first solo record Thalassa is coming out April 5th on Sargent House.

To best understand Ioanna Gika and the world that she has created, it is best to shatter all that you know to be reality and toss on a druid robe as you embark on a personal journey of monastic sorcery. There is something witchy and transformative about her music which has been easily captivating to new audiences. The music bares something traditional while bridging into soft techno undertones that has created such a strong narrative for those who balance the moods of raving and meditating.

I’ve listened to a few of her songs and I am transfixed.  One sounds like a quiet electronic ballad that suddenly turns into a Portishead song.  I hope she does a headlining tour in the area soon.

Posted in Beck, Ioanna Gika, Philadelphia, PA, The Met Philadelphia | Leave a Comment »

Jenny Tian: Ripe (Punch Line, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2026) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 18, 2026] Jenny Tian

Last year Jenny Tian came to Union Transfer and I would have liked to see her but things didn’t work out.  I didn’t expect an Australian comedian to come back just a year later.  But here she was.

I was intrigued to go to Punch Line, where I’ve never been, although it being in the Fillmore area means that parking would be iffy.

But I already had tickets to see Acid Mothers Temple so I had to miss her again.  Come back again, Jenny, ok?

I have made a list of all of comedians from Taskmaster who I would like to see live.  It’s not everyone of course (some of them don’t do stand up and some I don’t think I would enjoy).  And then we started watching Taskmaster Australia and Taskmaster New Zealand, and I’ve added a dozen or so more to that list.

 

Posted in Comedians, Jenny Tian, Philadelphia, PA, Punch Line, Taskmaster, Taskmaster Australia | Leave a Comment »

Feeble Little Horse / Snuggle (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, October 18, 2026) [POSTPONED]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[POSTPONED: October 18, 2026] Feeble Little Horse / Snuggle [moved to February 5, 2027]

Three years ago I was vaguely interested in seeing Feeble Little Horse and then they cancelled their entire tour for health reasons.

I was intrigued about seeing them this year but it was on a super busy weekend for me.  And then I found out that this tour was postponed, again for health reasons.  But I guess these health reasons were more manageable, because they rescheduled it for February of next year.

I heard about Feeble Little Horse from All Songs Considered.  They had an interesting sound and I was intrigued when I heard they were playing Johnny Brenda’s.  It turned out that this show was the same night my son was flying out to Denver.  So I just figured I wouldn’t be going out that night anyhow.

I didn’t buy tickets, so I didn’t hear that their whole tour had been cancelled.  Just a few days before they were supposed to tour (on the 23rd), they announced:

Indie rockers feeble little horse were set to start the North American leg of their tour in support of bitknot in early October, but the outing has now been postponed until January.  As per a post on the band’s socials, guitarist Sebastian Kinsler broke his elbow after falling off his bike, and needs the next month to recover before their European leg begins in November.

I will try to see them in February.

Snuggle is a more or less shoegazey band from Copenhagen Denmark (cool).  They are the softer side of shoegaze, creating sweetly melodic dream pop (with darker lyrics).  Andrea Thuesen Johansen and Vilhelm Tiburtz Strange typically veil their distress with the prettiest ’90s alt-rock.

I’m actually more interested in seeing Snuggle and I see that they are coming in February, so that’s cool!

Posted in Feeble Little Horse, Philadelphia, PA, Postponed, Snuggle | Leave a Comment »

Wax Jaw (Black Box @ Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, October 16, 2026) [SWEET PILL] [Philly Music Fest]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[ATTENDED: October 16, 2026] Wax Jaw

When this show was announced as part of Philly Music Week, I grabbed a ticket immediately.  Three of the four bands were bands I had either seen or wanted to see.  The only band I didn’t know was Midfield.

I have seen Wax Jaw twice, although I laugh at the number of times I haven’t seen them but could have (14 times).  I’m curious that each time I’ve seen them, they’ve played ten songs.  Huh.

So they were the headliners of the side stage and they exploded onto the stage with Lace Up.  Within moments, guitarist George Fenton was on the floor getting a mosh pit going!

One thing I’ve always enjoyed about the Wax Jaw printed setlist is that between songs, they write things which they (sometimes) say to the audience.  Like after the first song, Shane Morgan said, as was printed “I like to see the pit going crazy, just don’t be a creep” (as an intro to Creepshow).

So they played three songs from their 2025 album, which I actually didn’t know that well, even though I was obsessed with their debut EP.  The new album is also really good–punkier and more diverse–I just missed it entirely somehow–along with half a dozen shows.

The setlist notes that Bite the Apple was a new song and then says that they just got back from Europe, so buy some merch. They had new merch, but I didn’t love any of it. Continue Reading »

Posted in Midfield, Philadelphia, PA, Philly Music Fest, Remember Sports, Sweet Pill, Underground Arts, Wax Jaw | Leave a Comment »

Acid Mothers Temple: “Surivive to Metaverse Tour” / Magick Potion / Tim Dahl + MV Carbon (Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA, October 22, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

October 18, 2026 by Paul Debraski

[DID NOT ATTEND: October 22, 2026] Acid Mothers Temple / Magick Potion / Tim Dahl + MV Carbon

I was looking forward to seeing Acid Mothers Temple again (for the fifth time).  They usually come around in October, near my daughter’s birthday.  This makes it tough for me to see them, but this time they were here on a Sunday night and I was sure I would get to see them this time.

But I wound up going to four shows last week and I was exhausted, possibly from a mild cold as well.  I was bummed to miss them, but I’m fairly certain they will return next year.

Magick Potion is from the outskirts of Baltimore, consisting of founder, Dresden Boulden on Guitar and Vocals, Triston Grove on Bass, and Jason Kendall on Drums. Magick Potion is a hard hitting heavy rock trio channeling the raw energy and heavy grooves of the late 60’s and early 70’s. The band crafts a sound that fuses heavy rock’s gritty riffs with contrasting moments boarding on psychedelia. With roaring guitars, thunderous drums and hard driving bass lines Magick Potion conjures a vibe that is both nostalgic yet contemporary and original. Continue Reading »

Posted in Acid Mothers Temple, Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., Magick Potion, Milkboy, MV Carbon, Philadelphia, PA | 2 Comments »

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