.america's sweethearts / pwr bttm!

Mal Blum and The Blums!

August of 2016 the Dresden Dolls performed at the Coney Island Amphitheater. I waited too late to get tickets but thankfully it was streamed over my Ipad at home. (Thanks Amanda Palmer's Patreon!) The opening band was PWR BTTM from Brooklyn. When I saw these two (Ben and Liv) in their glittery make-up and ensembles I thought "Fabulous. I'm in for a treat." Annoyingly Ipad connection was wonky at best, a few songs was all I could catch. My interest was peaked though as I definitely wanted to check them out next time they toured. The two came to Philly in late November. It sold out immediately. Work interfered with going that particular week, so that was out. Super bummed. When I saw they were coming back to PhilaMoca I snapped up a ticket immediately. I was beyond excited to finally see the band live.

Arriving at the venue I was a tad late and only caught the last three songs from Naked Giants. Next up was Mal Blum and the Blums. These guys are my new favorite band. The banter was a riot, you just had to be there to witness it. Fingers crossed they return to Philly soon. They had fun with each other and it showed.

Bbs!!! <3

Soon Ben and Liv came on and I FREAKED OUT over Ben's Mom joining in on stage. So that was a treat to have her out for the opening number and then again at the end of the set. Can I just say Ben and Liv are the absolute CUTEST??!!! I could listen to Liv talk to us all night. "This is a song about boys who don't text back. Actually all of my songs are about boys who don't text back." Ben on the other hand is an amazing guitarist. I haven't seen too many people just pick at the top strings with their fingers since Mary Timony in Wild Flag! Talent. This is going to sound incredibly cheesy but I ended up crying (thankfully no one saw me! gosh!) during some of the songs. The fact that I only heard some of their songs and remembered some of the lyrics speaks volumes. My week was so crap but seeing PWR BTTM cured my blues. It was a nice release of emotions. I left the venue feeling so elated and with a sense of hope. Sense of community is so important in these times. There was a safeness to that show as well. Overall I have so much love for this band. June can't come quickly enough! For them to play Union Transfer is wonderful; getting the recognition and increasing fan base they deserve. Definitely wearing glittery make-up and vibrant things when I see them again. Here are some pictures from last night....

If I discovered PWR BTTM in high school (if they formed then obviously!) my four years would've been so much better. Oddly enough I was frequently "targeted" by this dick of a guy in high school. For no reason other than to show off. "Big Beautiful Day" is a huge middle finger to those kinds of guys. When I first heard the lyrics I was like "Yes! Screw you! You're not raining on my parade today!" Obviously my situation is different from what the songs is really about but that's the great thing about music. Everyone can connect with music in different ways.

PWR BTTM's new album "Pageant" drops May 12th (with some amazing merch; buttons, magnets, etc). If you haven't watched their video for "Big Beautiful Day" go watch it now! Ben told us last night the idea for that song came from a text his mom sent him when he was feeling down (which is incorporated into the video). Way cute and rad party! So fun!