.bush tetras @ johnny brendas

The Simple Pleasure are so fun!

This show was so much fun and The Simple Pleasure has a new fan! They opened for Bush Tetras, hailing from Texas. The lead singer had googly eye stickers on his guitar and the bass player's haircut reminded me of Yolandi Visser from Die Antwoord. Regardless they had songs titled "Milfshake" and lyrics such as "Saturday night is for buttholes!" The cherry on top was their encore. In a Bon Jovi-esque move that robotic straw was attached to the mic for a thrilling rendition of the "Grease" theme. Grease is the word! I felt bad the place wasn't packed as most people came in closer to Bush Tetras set. That didn't discourage The Simple Pleasure as they played like they were playing for hundreds of people. The next band up was "Wild at Heart." One of the guitar players I recognized from a few Philly bands. My friend and I looked at each other as their set was extremely brief (about fifteen minutes long!) Hrm..

Cynthia = badass

Pat Place = beast on guitar

Finally Bush Tetras came out to an elated audience. I LOVED that the bassist of The Simple Pleasure was dancing all night to their songs with her friend in the audience. Soon others joined in their fun as well. Cynthia was so bad-ass. I cannot believe she is 60! She claimed she was having senior moments on stage trying to remember certain lyrics but her stage presence was commanding and many times playful with the audience. The band wrote their set lists on paper plates. To hear "Too Many Creeps" was so amazing! There was an older guy rocking out to it down below. How I wished I stayed on the floor but I knew I would have no energy for Amanda Palmer the following night in Brooklyn. That's why I took to the balcony. The funniest thing Cynthia said was that her songs relevant to the Reagan era are still relevant today. On the way out I purchased the "Too Many Creeps" 7" album along with two pins. So happy to have finally seen them. As much as I wanted to see Sylvan Esso (both nights sold out over the weekend) I'm glad I did this instead. Would've totally missed out on a super fun and energetic night with this group.

.alice bag @ johnny brendas

Alice Bag!

Alice Bag is a punk feminist icon from the 1970s. I feel horrible for not knowing anything about her until now. When I saw The Julie Ruin in August, Alice Bag performed at PhilaMoca on the same night. She came back in the fall but I missed my chance. Thankfully she told my friend she would be back in spring and she kept her promise! At first I was hesitant to attend this because of state testing going on at work but let me tell you, this is my favorite concert so far of 2017. The three opening bands kept things moving along before Alice came out later on.

Full Bush

The first band was Full Bush. I really dug their drummer. The second band was Pretty Greens. They were okay. The final opener was Shellshag. The coolest thing about their duo was this incredible mic stand that had their name cut out of a clear plastic circle which makes it look like ice. The guitarist had a quote written on his guitar from one of their songs called "Carry On." They were a lot of fun. Alice Bag came out and commanded the stage. Before introducing each song she went into some background about why the song was written and spoke a little bit on the topic. She talked about "No Means No" which is an obvious song about date rape. Then she discussed "Programmed" about how she left teaching since the system is out to fail the kids and there's no more creativity in teaching. 

Pretty Greens

I was in awe the entire night. The crowd was rough at certain points, I won't lie. Some young guys started moshing and at one point I got the wind practically knocked out of me when they slammed into my back from behind. The same happened to my friend and another girl up front. During the last song Alice asked us all to think of a person we hate the most and to scream their name when she counted down. She brought up two girls (one my friend) on stage to sing the chorus "We will bury you." I was so excited my friend was up there I started snapping copious pictures that to my dismay came out blurry since my hand was shaking from excitement. 

Shellshag

After the show we both bought a tee-shirt and talked to Alice. I told her I am a teacher and agreed with what she said. She and I talked for a minute or two and it meant so much! I definitely want to check out her book. Making it my mission to inform more people of Alice Bag. Someone filmed the entire show which you can watch here.

.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 ;) 

.le butcherettes

I have never heard of Le Butcherettes until I heard a song off of Pandora Radio a while ago. It was instantaneous knowing I'd like their music and Teri reminds me a bit of Karen O. The moment I heard they were coming to Philly I knew I had to jump on it. Boy was it mind-blowing and I am wanting more. I'd rate Teri Suarez at the top of my list for performers. Top meaning close to PJ Harvey. No clue what to expect at this show except it would be explosive rage and raw power.

This was my first show at the Underground Arts. The venue is pretty sweet and the stage comes a little below your knees. It was great to be right in front of all the action. The two opening bands were Eureka the Butcher and The Dead Ships. Le Butcherettes didn't come on until 11. They killed it. Teri slayed on the keyboard and guitar, Chris pounded those drums, and Riko kept smiling jamming out on the bass so you knew they were having a great time. The fans were really great and we all rocked out in the front. The funniest moment of the night was when some random guy shouted out "Muy...MUY BIEN!!" after a song and Teri was like "Gracias!" We were holding them back from starting songs because the applause was extended and much deserved. I didn't manage a set list but a fan let me take a picture of his....

LEIBNIZ
THEY FUCK YOU OVER
SOLD LESS THAN GOLD
SHAVE THE PRIDE
DEVIL LIVED
BURN THE SCAB
WEAKNESS
BOULDERS
SICK OF ZACH
WITCHLESS
STAB MY BACK
BANG
WE NO OWE
DEMON
WRECKING BALL
HENRY
LA UVA 

I would rate this band as really high up on my list. At the merchandise stand I bought a shirt and their latest album. I'm going to look more into Bosnian Rainbows (Teri's other band) now. Sadly the people who work at the venue kicked us all out early so we had no chances of meeting the band. I would love to go to the DC show this evening but I'm trying to save my last two days for taking off of work for May. If they open for At the Drive-In near me, I'm totally in. I need to see this band again. We need more front women like Teri. She is just a force to be reckoned with.

.when in doubt? ebay! don't pout!

There's many times where I go to record stores and cannot find what I am looking for. Where do I turn to next? eBay! These are albums I've accumulated off eBay for the past few months and honestly I'm done for quite a bit now!

Two were from Black Friday Record Store Day that places just instantly sold out of. No chance in hell of getting my hands on them. The B-52's album is golden yellow and from a live show back in 1979. Seeing Sleater-Kinney in New York and watching them cover "Rock Lobster" this album is very special to me. David Bowie's Earthling is very industrial sounding. Twice I've put it back because of the price. The day before his passing I literally saw one copy left on the wall of a record store and left without it. Next day going back it was gone. So, I resorted to eBay. The record is green. Thankfully both albums were a little under or the same price I would've paid for them on RSDBF. Shipping was inexpensive and not a big deal.

My Excuse 17 album is in mediocre condition. Getting that for $17 off eBay was a steal. It plays perfectly and I have a piece of little Carrie Brownstein screaming her lungs out on almost every song. Piece of Riot Grrrl history here. Don't even get me started on The Slits. I think I actually wrote to Carrie how frustrated I was at not being able to locate Cut. This album is Carrie's favorite and Kathleen H. of Bikini Kill claimed it's her desert island album if she could only bring one. To have something like this in my possession is the greatest thing. Most of the sellers with this item on eBay are from the UK. So I basically paid double the price of what I could get it for here. That's the problem. Nowhere to be found. This album is in EXCELLENT condition and plays like a charm. I kept the hardbound clear plastic cover the seller sent me for protection. "So Tough" is one of my favorite songs and to finally listen to it via record is insane! Ari Up is the greatest. You should see the feedback I left the seller and that the seller left me. It just proves I am a major dork and crazy for music I love.

The most recent album was a fight to the death. I opted for the "Buy it Now" option after losing so many auctions. Too many people bid on copies. Whipsmart is my second favorite Liz Phair album. You can never find this in stores. There is a rare Japanese version of this album in ruby red. My copy is white and unopened. I paid probably too much but in the end it's something I needed to finalize my collection on her. I only like her earlier albums to be honest. So for me, this was worth it.

Ebay is very addicting. I've been a member now for 16 years and got my first credit card at the age of 20 for that main reason! Most of my eBay finds were PJ Harvey singles. Now it's more of a variety of odds and ends. What do you use eBay for? Do you have any albums you cannot find in stores but are dying to get your hands on?