Control Top at Kung Fu Necktie

I suppose now that I live in Philadelphia I should photograph a Philly band or two, so here we go. I wanted to photograph Control Top because they are the best punk band I've found in this town so far.

Perhaps that's a controversial statement. For one thing I'm calling them punk even though they call themselves "post-punk" on their Bandcamp. That's a matter of opinion, fine, but I for one think that any band loud and aggressive enough to keep up with the metal bands on this bill should be called actual punk. Let me put it this way: their recent single "Type A" is much closer to their current sound than the songs from their older demo tape, but even that is noticably mellower than their live show.

As much as I love the vibe at Kung Fu Necktie it's a bit on the small side and has small-venue lighting, unfortunately. I think only the lead singer was actually lit up by the spotlights during the set. Oh well, I'm probably the only one who cared. Still a good show.

Control Top's Website, Music.

Posted: 12/31/2018 at 3:00pm     Tags: Control Top  Kung Fu Necktie  punk 

Death Valley Girls at Kung Fu Necktie

There are so many great rock bands from L.A. these days, including the one slightly misleadingly named Death Valley Girls. They certainly display the love of kitsch which marks them as Burger Records band (their first few releases came out on Burger) but add a hefty dose of LOUD. Their hit-you-with-everything-at-once sound is clearly influenced by early punk rock and even 70s stadium rock. Listen to the last 30 seconds of Disaster (Is What We're After), or even better the whole thing, and you'll understand. That plus enough mysticism and eyeliner to occasionally get them labeled as "goth" make for a very flavorful concoction. I like it a lot.

Death Valley Girls' Website, Music.

Posted: 10/31/2018 at 6:00pm     Tags: Death Valley Girls  Kung Fu Necktie 

A Place To Bury Strangers at The Sound Hole

If you live in West Philadelphia you probably heard A Place To Bury Strangers. They are all about the intensity, and also all about playing the closing of every DIY venue in the area. RIP The Sound Hole.

A Place To Bury Strangers' Website, Music.

Posted: 8/19/2018 at 9:00pm     Tags: A Place To Bury Strangers  The Sound Hole 

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan at Union Stage

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan describe themselves as a "theatre company" as well as musicians. Obviously they put some effort into costuming, but beyond that each of their albums have a narrative arc. They even wrote a rock-opera a few years back. They're the kind of band which tells a tale through their music, like Tom Waits in operatic pop-metal form. That while wearing lots of makeup, which to be fair Tom Waits has also been known to do...

This was my first time at Union Stage and I have to say, I am very impressed by the lighting. It's a mini-Anthem in there! I'll definitely go back and shoot there again. Not a bad space in general either, though the no-cash policy is a bit weird and reminds me once again that I'm too old for this.

Yamantaka // Sonic Titan's Website, Music.

Posted: 3/21/2018 at 2:00pm     Tags: Union Stage  Yamantaka // Sonic Titan