diet cig (again!) @ philamoca

Diet Cig invites Wolfpack on stage

This is the second time I saw Diet Cig in concert. It was a benefit show for the Girls Rock Camp in Philly which I"m all about! Since I arrived at the venue right on time, the floor was already packed. So, I ventured upstairs to grab a seat by the balcony. Little did I realize I was seated next to Alex's mom and siblings! The band that kicked off was called "Wolfpack" which consisted of four young ladies that looked no older than fifth or sixth graders; one singer, one drummer, one bass player, and one guitar player. They played a few songs and covered a Best Coast song. I could tell they were excited to be there but nervous at the same time. The second band that played was Sports. I saw them at Indie Pop Prom and really enjoyed their set, swearing next time they were around I'd buy their album (I did! A rad brown and pink half moon colored vinyl!). The lead singer sported a vintage Selena shirt and the band promoted their "shitty pens" with their band name on them, that you could take one from their table. Again they told the nun joke.

Finally Alex came on and again the smiley, jumpy jelly bean of songs kicked in. At the end of the set she hopped up onto the stacked amps and kicked her leg out. I always get nervous she will fall! Anyway it was fun seeing the two again and I'm sure they will return. Always a positive ray of sunshine. 

.pharmakon @ philamoca

Pharmakon and her equipment

I'm going to be honest this show was not what I expected. Pushing my musical boundaries most people would not expect me to like or listen to this type of music. When I first heard of Pharmakon I found her biography fascinating, how she incorporated sound with a battle against her body at the time and the psyche (how the mind can leave the body). My copy of "Contact" came in the mail a week prior to the show and those songs are so damn creepy. Requiem for a Dream is my least favorite movie that haunts me to this day so listening to music that sounds as though it could be on that soundtrack is pushing my boundaries. I wasn't sure what type of crowd would come out, I knew I would be the dorkiest of dorks attending this. 

There were two openers. S-1 reminded me of bands I saw in the First Unitarian Church when Sheer Mag played a show waaay back when. The lead singer came on the floor in front of the stage and people started to mosh. However, she never left the front of the stage and just moved about. It wasn't so out of control but some of the guys in the audience were getting rowdy. I could tell some of the female band members were almost rolling eyes hearing their "WOOOO!" and comments after a song. The next opener was Dreamcrusher. Being shy, sensitive, and not liking my personal space invaded I was really uncomfortable during this set. I understand that bands like to challenge their audience but not like this. When you spend 90% of the set off the stage, walking in the audience screaming in faces with your mic and pushing people that doesn't make for a comfortable situation at all. I'm guessing that's the aesthetic he was going for but it wasn't my cup of tea. During the entire set I stayed back against the wall hoping not to be victim of this guy's anger / set. There were a few other women just like me in the same position that I could tell felt uncomfortable.

Retreating to the balcony lol

When Pharmakon came out she did the same thing but was not as aggressive nor touched the audience. After a while this got to me so I waited for a moment when she went back to the stage to escape and retreat up to the balcony. This lasted for only one or two songs as her set ended. Despite my not so positive experience her equipment was really fascinating. Unfortunately everything conked out early on in her set and boy was she mad. Finally after two minutes things got going. I think she felt really flustered but the audience was really patient and understanding. 

As I exited the venue I thought that maybe this show wasn't the greatest idea. No offense to her fans, it's just not for me. I'd rather just listen and support via vinyl. When I crossed the street to walk past Union Transfer I heard the dreamy sounds of Perfume Genius (I passed on tickets) infiltrating the crisp air outside and thought, "Maybe I made the wrong decision tonight..."

.vagabon @ philamoca

Julie Byrne serenading the audience

My friend A attended this show with me. I was excited she made the trip down! A is a huge Vagabon fan, I am a huge Shamir fan. The first band was Julie Byrne. Her music was soothing and quiet. Usually PhilaMoca has a holographic backdrop when bands play. I loved the rain on the rooftop which matched the weather to a t! It also set a relaxed tone for Julie's set. She was friendly and held on to my friend's shoulder as she exited the stage. 

Shamir is fabulous. That guitar is on point.

I was spinning Ratchet an hour before heading out to the show. So ready to rock out to "Make a Scene" or "Call it Off." Instead Shamir played all new songs off of an upcoming album. This was a little sneak peek. It was a totally different sound with Shamir on guitar and members of his band playing drums and bass. Less of a dance vibe but more rock. His performance was great and some of the topics he addressed were interesting. I think we were all a tad bummed as the crowd shouted out (I hate when people do that) some older song suggestions for him to play at the end. He didn't.   

Vagabon sings her heart out <3

 Vagabon was amazing. Her album dropped the other day and she was so appreciative of performing for us. I did not appreciate the very loud bro next to me singing/screaming lyrics at the top of his lungs. I wanted to hear Vagabon sing, not a member of the audience. Thankfully he didn't sing along to every song. I was trying to find out what the pin on her guitar strap said but to no avail. It was very hot as L was sweating profusely but she troopered through. Afterwards she was kind enough to meet and greet fans. The concert was over by 10:30 as everyone played 6-8 songs in their set. Since my funds are currently low, I decided to hold off on an album. Here are some more really cool pictures from the night. The backdrops were great and really made my pictures pop!

.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!

.priests

In 2014 I saw Priests open for The Dismemberment Plan at the Bowery Ballroom. While some of the audience was quite intimidated with their "in your face" demeanor, I really enjoyed their set. When I leave concerts and bands make me "think" about their performance days later, well that just speaks volumes for me. I tend to investigate further. Katie is a dynamic front woman with her raw voice and command of the stage. In November of 2015 I missed my chance to see them at The Church. When I heard they were opening for Ought, I was on it. 

Katie told us she lost her voice and was slowly regaining it back. Still they sounded amazing. After the show I briefly talked to Taylor and rehashed what I said above about discovering them in 2014. It made me SO HAPPY to finally have their LP in my hands. Actually I nabbed the last copy of their debut ep. The merch lady literally had to peel off the tape holding it down on the table. It was the last last one. Ha! I did not get a set list but they played my favorites "And Breeding" and "Doctor." Their new songs sounded amazing as their band continues to progress. On Instagram I follow Katie and was over the moon her birthday is the day after mine. Taurus women! She actually liked one of my pictures I took of the band. It was a very cool moment for me.

Ought was okay. Like I said I was only there for Priests. Ought had a lot of fervent followers, mostly bros. The most aggravating thing of the night was this 20-something drunk girl who kept swinging her arms haphazardly all over the place to the point of hitting me in the head a few times. She pushed her way in front of me with her man in tow as her seat belt. The drummer of Ought just gave me this look and I rolled my eyes. We were thinking the same thing. Towards the middle of Ought's set the lead singer actually called out drunk girl! He claimed her hand movements were distracting and how she needed to back up. Touche! However, this did not stop her. She also enjoyed punching / rough housing with her man and at one point missed and ended up almost decking me in the leg. Seriously control your out-of-control girlfriend! Watching her was like watching a 5 year-old on a sugar rush. I'm saving this for a separate post of things that aggravate me at shows, more on this later. Overall Priests rock and my mission is to get as many people into their music as I can. Recently I made mixes for 7 friends so don't be surprised if I pop one of their songs on your track listing ;) 

.sheer mag

The girls pulling a James Brown cloak moment on Marissa

I love Sheer Mag and I jumped on the chance to see them a second time. P and I were happy to complete our collection of Sheer Mag eps before the show. She bought I and I got I and II. Sheer Mag also had these amazing pins of their band name in gold. We bought those too. Securing a spot up front, we noticed Allison Crutchfield in the audience as Marissa Paternoster and her other band, Bad Canoes started to set up. It was hilarious. Apparently Marissa knew someone in the audience that graduated with a BA in Communications so the background on the screen was a graduation ceremony and she gave a shout out to him. Then she had a cat mask which was an inside joke of someone's cat named "Lenny Big Squish." She performed just about the entire show in the cat mask and came out into the audience. It was highly entertaining and I was cracking up the whole time. Bad Canoes was awesome. They sang songs about periods, the beach, and the mall. Dark Thoughts came out afterwards. It's funny because since I've been going to lots of shows and events I am constantly seeing members of Dark Thoughts at different venues and bars. One guy got out of hand during their set and slammed into me, sending me almost two feet backwards. I stood my ground and shook it off. We were mad because we had to move away from our front spots since he was causing such chaos. All of a sudden the band stopped their song, called him out, saying he was not the main focus of the show and that everyone should be able to enjoy their set. He eventually stood over towards the side. I thought that was really cool of the band. When DT's set was over, I think the guy apologized as the band packed up. 
 
Sheer Mag was fantastic as always. It didn't get too out of hand in terms of the crowd and everyone had a great time. My new favorite song of theirs is "Fan the Flame." Not only is Tina an amazing front-woman with total command, seeing the guys all play guitar together is a lot of fun. Recently they just made an appearance on Seth Meyers, so way to go Sheer Mag! I'm sure I will catch them many more times in Philly.