.indie pop prom philly

All dressed up and ready for prom

My Friday night kicked off with Indie Pop Prom at the First Unitarian Church. The proceeds go towards breast cancer. You get to dress up which makes it even more fun! Since my prom was eons ago and I donated my dress, I went with a gold number I wore to my first Sleater-Kinney concert. The bands performing at this gig were Swanning, Mercury Girls, Sports, Sad13, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I went with my friend and it was early birthday weekend celebrations for her. We had a great time and I can't wait until the next one.

First band up was Swanning. I saw them open for Japanese Breakfast at Everybody Hits. Their members are in other bands such as Radiator Hospital and Fleabite. The lead singer talked about members of her family being affected by cancer, breast cancer. It triggered memories of my Grandmother who I lost at the young age of 9 to a brain tumor. So, some of her songs really hit me on a personal level.

Next up was Mercury Girls. This is the third time I've seen them perform and they get better and better every time. Like Swanning, they also opened for Japanese Breakfast. During that time the band invested in new technological devices adding extra ambiance to their songs which elevated them on a whole other level. This was my favorite picture of the night and it was cool seeing the band liked my picture on Instagram. Sure I'll see them around again.

Sports has almost a cult-like following. Many in the audience chanted their name between songs. I was very impressed with their lead singer. She covered a Josie and the Pussycat song during the set. I think they opened for another band I saw last year, just can't pinpoint who it was. Another band I'm sure I'll see around again. Kind of kicking myself not purchasing their album but positive the opportunity will arise again.

Sad13 is the cutest and my friend just adores her. Her outfits are the cutest too. We had SO MUCH FUN during her set clapping along which amused her. I got shy and did not sing along in fear of botching the lyrics and her looking my way. During her last song "Hype" we just jumped up and down during the chorus. I gave my friend her set list. She played: <2, Fixina, Get a Yes, Just a Friend, Line Up, Devil in U, The Sting, and Hype. Definitely seeing her again soon. More pics of her below.

I've never heard of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. They were very energetic and rocked. The lead singer's tux was just on point. They played about ten songs with a bonus encore. It was so awesome that Jess Weiss from Fear of Men accompanied them, singing along to most of the songs and one solo. I love her to pieces. Like Sadie, she also rocked a floral crown. 

Overall the concert was a wonderful event. The basement was decked out in pink balloons and they had a photo-op with golden blown up balloons that spelled out "Prom." I would definitely go again next year. Heck of a lot better than my actual high school prom.

.allison crutchfield & the fizz record release party @ the church

To celebrate the release of "Tourist in This Town" Allison Crutchfield and friends held a gathering at First Unitarian Church to celebrate the occassion. 

The bands consisted of Empath, Try the Pie, Pinkwash, and Radiator Hospital. I missed most of Empath's set since I arrived kind of late. Try the Pie was very impressive. Her songs had a great flow. Pinkwash were so much fun and fun-filled headbanging energy. Radiator Hospital played a great set. Loved that the band posted a special message on their amp (see in picture below). 

Allison Crutchfield was really humbled at the turnout and poured everyone a cup of champagne to celebrate. Her new album is really amazing and magenta (how awesome is colored vinyl? Seriously!). Her twin Katie joined in on stage to sing a New Pornographers cover towards the beginning of the set. Big ups to Allison though for being protective of her fans. She was clearly upset during Radiator Hospital that a group of "bros" were making female fans unsafe. These female fans tweeted at her and she responded right away. I think I know who they were as they were clearly drunk and yelling annoying things at Radiator Hospital about playing extra songs when their set was finished. My friends and I had this long discussion last night of obnoxious 20-year-olds and entitlement. We never acted like this, especially at concerts. Concerts are supposed to be a community that is there for the band and provides you with a sense of being supportive. Sadly that was not displayed for part of the night but I'm thankful it was resolved. Here are some pictures from the show...

Radiator Hospital's amp

Radiator Hospital jamming

Everyone during the opening song for Allison Crutchfield

Allison Crutchfield

The drummer was incredible!

.don giovanni goodness @ the church

Five bands. Four hours of standing. This was totally worth it. I'm familiar with some of the bands on the Don Giovanni label and this was a great night to experience even more bands live. The first band was Bad Moves from Washington DC. I liked that each of their songs sounded different and had a different vibe. It was funny because they were explaining they wrote their song "Shitty Tomorrow" a long time back and now it doesn't seem so bad compared to the post-election. 

The next band was Worriers. I liked that the lead singer Lauren was wearing a Cayetana tee-shirt. They are a punk band out of Brooklyn who sing about issues like coming out and politics. I thought it was cool their 3-song 7" was titled "Sinead O'Rebellion" because Empire Records is life.

Outer Spaces are from Baltimore. I saw them open for All Dogs back in the fall of 2016. The fact that Cara has a song about her cat is amazing. Their latest album called "A Shedding Snake" dropped in May of 2016. It's an album about leaving the past behind and moving on. They sold cool magnets at the merch table!

Sammus in full gear

Sammus was OFF THE CHARTS!! I'm pissed because I left early when she came to PhilaMoca and missed her performance. Her songs were so powerful. Some of the topics were about getting therapy when it was needed, how black girls need role models too, internet trolls, how African Americans are viewed as 3/5ths of a person. What blew my mind was her talk about Metroid (how she got the name Sammus) and during her one songs she sampled the beats from the game and had a faux Metroid arm. Hi! I'm a video game nerd from the 80s. Can I die right now?! Since I moved back from the stage before her set, I am mad jealous of all the people who had the privilege to shake her hand in the front row. When the show was over I bought her album "Pieces in Space." She gave me a sticker and a free Don Giovanni compilation sampler of Moor Mother, P.S. Eliot, Alice Bag, Sex Stains, and more! I'm smacking myself because I was so overwhelmed by her powerful performance I couldn't even muster the words "Good luck with your PHD!" before I left.

Marissa doing what she does best

Screaming Females were of course amazing. Marissa Paternoster is just amazing. When I watch her masterfully play guitar my jaw is almost on the floor the entire time. Don't ever underestimate the power of her voice. You get this tiny, adorable voice and when she starts to sing it's a powerhouse that you don't want to fuck with. My favorite thing is when she screams into the mic and puts the entire mic in her open mouth. But really! The whole band are so tight and this sonic fireball of energy. They really brought the house down. Marissa had a donations jar for people that were arrested for protesting the inauguration. What made me sad was when she said our joy and happiness cannot be taken away from us. Hopefully no one will take away our rock and roll.

I'm noticing that all of the concerts I have attended recently have been for important causes or artists are using it as a platform (some of the ticket costs have been donated to sanctuaries, LGBT homeless shelters, etc). I think that is SO IMPORTANT in times like these. Artists should speak up. Anyone that says differently doesn't know their head from their ass and needs to have a seat. 

.frankie cosmos

Frankie Cosmos is on tour kicking off the release of her brilliant new album "Next Thing." Yowler (Maryn Jones), and Eskimeux joined her at the First Unitarian Chruch the last weekend in April. Boy, what a show! Yowler came out first and I was amazed at her adept guitar playing skills. She played a really beautiful song (I call it "Sunset in August" because I don't know the actual title) with Felix and Gabby helping her sing. It was one of my favorite parts of the show. Eskimeaux was really fantastic and I enjoyed all of the songs. It was so fun to watch Felix bang away on those drums. His one drum is composed of patchwork quilted pieces. That's pretty rad.

When Greta came out it was a sing-along practically. She had the entire audience in the palm of her hand. I loved her purple guitar. Towards the end of the show she pulled a Carrie Brownstein and sang on the floor, back flat. Guess she was pooped from all the touring! When the show was over, my friends and I made our way to the merch table. Yowler only had tee shirts left. We were super bummed because we wanted a cassette tape of her's! I ended up buying "Next Thing" on vinyl. My friends bought a tee shirt from each band. Little did I know Eskimeaux actually had a 7" that was a type of flexi-disc you can mail like a postcard! I'm also kind of bummed I did not pick up a red Eskimeaux tee. Oh well another time. I do not have the set list and have failed trying to find one online. If I do I'll edit and post it. Frankie is doing some NY shows this summer and I would love the chance to see her again. She's so fun.

.6 concerts 6 days

So yes, I came up with the idea to do six back-to-back shows in 6 days on top of work. Was this a dumb idea? Actually no! I took off of work for a 3-day weekend, spent most of Saturday sleeping in bed to catch up and had the energy of a firecracker for the last show. Instead of doing separate entries it would be easier to just do short, mini-reviews on all six. Ready? Here we go! On Monday The Kills played Union Transfer. I've liked them since 2005 and tend to like their earlier songs. When A&J hit the stage kicking into "No Wow" it took me back. The show was phenominal. Alison has amazing stage energy and presence. Hotel killed it on guitar and used the mic stand to actually shred. I got some pretty amazing shots and I got to catch up with one of my Sleater-Kinney friends and her friend. After I hung around in hopes of getting a set list and it was graciously handed to me. Here are the songs..

NO WOW

URA FEVER

HEART IS A BEATING DRUM

KISSY KISSY

HARD HABIT

DNA (crossed off)

HEART OF A DOG

IMPOSSIBLE TRACKS

BLACK BALLOON

DOING IT TO DEATH

BABY SAYS

WHIRLING EYE

POTS & PANS + MONKEY

TAPE SONG

BITTER FRUIT

SOUR CHERRY

Kim and the Created opened for them. I was not feeling it nor was my friend. However I did like her stage outfit of a fireball cat suit. She crowd surfed a few times and I enjoyed the lights around her guitar. At the merch table I bought the most amazing Kills poster. That is getting framed and hung on my door.

Night #2 was Sheer Mag at my favorite venue, The First Unitarian Church. I love seeing all of the "punk people" as I call them. Because I am a tiny thing I usually don't stand front and center since the pit is alive and well at these kinds of events. The first band was Blank Spell and they were pretty good. The second band was from Ontario called Triage. I really loved them and purchased their album. The third band was Fuck SS. They had some followers there and the pit became more crazy when they performed. Finally Sheer Mag came on. Tina is so great. Since the man in front of me was 6'7" I could barely see and had to get footage on my tip-toes. They are playing again at Phila Moca in May so I'm definitely going. Sadly I do not have a set list from this show so I don't know exactly what was played other than most of the songs off their third EP.

Night #3 was Pins at The Milk Boy. My friend recommended I see this band with her as they opened for a band called The Subways. Waiting in line I ironically met two Sleater-Kinney fans that ironically attended the NY shows since they looked semi-familiar. They claimed they were also there for Pins as well. Pins are from Manchester. They are pop / punk. During their one song "Girls Like Us" they kick into "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." It was neat to hear. The four of us stood up front and danced the entire time. Faith and Lois came out into the audience a few times to interact with us and it was a blast! They enjoyed us so much they tweeted and wrote on Instagram "Thank you Philly, love all you ladies at the front." We said they basically put on a show just for us. After buying tons of their merchandise we spoke briefly to them and they told us thanks for dancing. Here is their set list...

MOLLY

YOUNG GIRLS

TOO LITTLE

TROUBLE

LUVV4LYF

GET WITH ME

GIRLS LIKE US

MAD FOR YOU

OH LORD

WFTE

DAZED

MISFITS

Night #4 was Bleached at Johnny Brendas. Ironically we did not catch the opening act, went upstairs five minutes before Bleached went on and still nabbed front spots. We loved the stage decor of fake flowers around amps and drums. Very 90s vibey. Their sound is very grungy, California pop. Jennifer was really great and the band as a whole sounded really great live. The girls came close to the end of the stage and in the audience. My favorite song is "Wednesday Night Melody" and I was elated to hear it live. Hitting up the merch stand we bought their coloring book which was just adorable, pins, tee shirts, etc. My friend nabbed some discarded drum sticks on the stage and got those signed by the drummer. Here is the Bleached set list...

TRYIN LOSE

KEEP ON

WEDNESDAY

SLEEPWALKING

SEARCHING

RAMONES

ELECTRIC CHAIR

THINK OF YOU

DESOLATE TOWN

TELEPHONE

CHEMICAL AIR

SOUR CANDY

NEXT STOP

DEAD IN YOUR HEAD

Night #5 Taco Cat from Seattle. My friend was so excited for this show, I was too. It was the first time I've been to Everybody Hits which is a batting cage but it hosts bands which is different and cool. I LOVE feminist girl punk bands. This was stellar. There were 3 opening bands; Audacity, Pujol, and I honestly forget the name of the other. The venue was FREEZING inside so I started to get the chills by the end of the night which sucked majorly. Taco Cat did not go on until midnight and had to cut their set because of curfew issues with the building. Major suckage when they are the headlining band! Damn it. They played some awesome songs as "Hey Girl!" which all the girls in the crowd chanted along to, "I Hate the Weekend" "FDP" and others. Their wardrobe was killer as it consisted of cats, eye stickers, guitar stickers, emoji leggins, and just fabulous attire all around. Their merch was amazing as we bought pretty much everything. We talked to Emily about Kathleen Hanna and the band was so excited about that moment and picture with her. Anyway my friend nabbed a set list, I did not but I'll come back and post what songs they played.

Night #6 Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. With tons of sleep and Dayquil Saturday afternoon I made it. Thao? Twitter was all abuzz about her so I decided to check out her songs. At first it took me a few listens to "A Man Alive" but it clicked and I was hooked. Her lyrics were not really hard to memorize so I was happy to sing along to most of her songs. I met up with some Sleater-Kinney fans from NY that I went to shows with. It was fun. The crowd was great, she was into it. I honestly did not want it to end. The best was at the end she kicked into a cover of Missy Elliot's "Get Your Freak On." There was also audience participation sing-along and just rocking out. At the merch table I bought two of her albums (most recent and We the Common). My friend was very kind to let me have his set list, here are the songs...

EVENING

CITY

DEPARTURE

ASTONISHED MAN

HOLY ROLLER

FOOL FOREVER

AGE OF ICE

SWIMMING POOLS

HAND TO GOD

MILLIONAIRE

EVERYBODY

SLASH/BURN

KINDNESS

BEAT

WHEN WE SWAM

GUTS

NOBODY DIES

M BIRD

GET YR FREAK ON

WE THE COMMON

Apologies if this entry is completely incoherent and my brain is mush trying to articulate how amazing all the shows were. I would probably do this again. A lot of people think I'm nuts but people need to realize, your job is secondary. You need to have fun in life.

.planned parenthood benefit

Friday I attended the Planned Parenthood event for southern PA at the First Unitarian Church. I was incredibly lucky finding a ticket last minute on Stub Hub since the show was sold out. When I entered the basement of the church I remembered seeing a Youtube video of Sleater-Kinney playing a show there back in 1996. So many punk / underground bands played there in the 90s. I missed out on a lot then again I was still too young. Anyway each band went on for about a half hour with 9-10 songs each. Amanda X came out first. They will be at the Union Transfer soon. I enjoyed their set.

 Then Littler came out. They are a four piece band and their bassist had a Black Flag shirt on that said "Bernie Sanders" which was pretty cool. They reminded me of the early days of riot grrrl. After Littler a 3-piece group called Dark Thoughts came out with a male lead singer. They reminded me a little of some old school punk bands.

Cayetana was the final band before Screaming Females. I enjoyed their vibe. The lead singer had cool blue hair. She said the band made vegan rice krispy treats and to make a donation to Planned Parenthood since they were not taking all of them home. The drummer had a really rad shirt that said, "Pro-cats, Pro-choice, Pro-feminism." I hope to see them again. They had a really fun set and could tell they were having a blast, especially the drummer.

The place was really packed towards the middle of the show. I luckily nabbed a spot up front but to the right of the stage. I'm kind of glad because all hell broke loose with moshing and pushing. Luckily I wasn't touched.

  
I was so happy to finally see Screaming Females. Marissa is so tiny but one hell of a guitar player. Skills beyond. I sent my dad a text today with video footage and was he like "She's really good!" Basically I just watched her in amazement the entire time. King Mike really killed it on bass. During her set I could tell her finger was bothering her because she had an Instagram post about it. Finally she just ripped the band-aid off of it but continued playing like nothing happened. Towards the end of the show I was nervous to talk to or meet her. Some fans encountered her while she put away her gear. I kind of hovered not knowing what to do. Finally I just went up and shook her hand, "Excellent set" and stupidly said "Thanks for coming to Philly!" She was like "It's no trouble at all since I live here!" Ugh I feel so dumb but she was nice about it and sweet. I know they hail from New Brunswick but why I thought she lived in Northern NJ or NY? I need to do better homework! She was at the merch table with all the other bands but I barely had any cash on me. I felt embarrassed asking how much the stickers were and not having enough (I only had $4 in my wallet). However, that didn't stop me. I went home and bought some merchandise on the website and along with that made a donation to Planned Parenthood of course. I was happy to see a lot of guys at the show too. Overall it was a really cool experience and I'm so happy I had the chance to witness it all.