City of the Sun at Milkboy
City of the Sun are one of those bands which are a bit hard to categorize. They perform a like a rock band. For example lead guitarist John Pita bounces around stage and plays his guitar hard. I'm pretty sure they changed the closer from "Barcelona" to "Spaghetti" because he broke the high-E string on both of his guitars during the set. Don't you hate that when you bring an extra guitar and manage to break that one too?
That said, this is also a band whose debut album hit the top 20 on the Billboard Jazz charts. I don't think any of their songs have lyrics (aside from shouting "Hey!") So I guess could call them an instrumental Latin Jazz band but... I think that has a lot of wrong implications.
In the end they're former street performers from and in NYC who made a couple of videos which kind of blew up. Now they tour the U.S. and can sell out Milkboy, but drummer Avi Snow still uses (and sits on) a cajón for percussion on some songs so they're still a little bit DIY. As good as this show was I have to say that I preferred their last show in Philly. It was at Brooklyn Bowl Philly, a much bigger venue with room to dance. People were trying to dance at the Milkboy show but there wasn't enough space to move, at least not where I was near the stage. Hopefully next time they can get a show at a bigger venue.
City of the Sun's Website, Music.
Posted: 4/29/2023 at 5:45pm Tags: City of the Sun Milkboy
Jon Spencer and the HITmakers at Johnny Brenda's
THE Jon Spencer and THE HITmakers sound pretty much exactly how you'd expect if you've heard any of Jon Spencer's many other bands. I really don't want to call them "Blues" Rock, that doesn't quite feel right. THEY have some of the superficial trappings of the Blues but their music isn't all that blues-y, at least not in the classic sense of being emotional and heartfelt. It's Garage Rock, first and foremost, with a little a bit of blues and funk mixed into their sound, plus whatever it is when there's a guy playing trash cans with a hammer but it's not industrial or artsy experimental music.
My personal favorite song on their latest album is "Death Ray", which is about an alien attack! A sexy alien attack (ooooh). Which is to say that it's hinting at themes from cheezy B-movies from the 50s and 60s. Perhaps the guy playing the trash cans is emulating the kinds of no-budget sound effects they used back then. I also notice that the album title is a drug reference. Yeah, it's the usual Garage Rock stuff. It's fun and I still like it but I've heard this before.
Jon Spencer and the HITmakers's Website, Music.
Posted: 2/3/2023 at 8:30pm Tags: Johnny Brenda's Jon Spencer Jon Spencer and the HITmakers
Kilynn Lunsford at Johnny Brenda's
You might recognize Kilynn Lunsford even if you can't spell her name like I can't. She has been in a few bands over the years including the garage-influenced Little Claw and more recently the aggresive noise of Taiwan Housing Project. As for her current band (The Custodians?), well, they are clearly not just a re-creation of her last band. Thinking about what has changed I am reminded of a review I read of Fugazi's album "The Argument" which basically said that it's still punk but has actual melodies you could sing along to this time. I personally do not plan to sit around at home singing "BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES" but I could, which is interesting.
That said, the live versions would be easier to sing along to. On her debut solo album "Custodians Of Human Succession" the vocals are heavily modified. Clearly there is a lot of electronic processing of the sounds on the album, which is normal nowadays and gives the album more of a mesmerising effect. Even with all that production, though, you can tell that she's shout-singing some songs such as the opener "Reality Testing". Well, when performing live she shout-sings many of the songs. Live she's more punk, and I think I like that.
Kilynn Lunsford's (Website Not Found), Music.
Posted: 2/3/2023 at 8:00pm Tags: Johnny Brenda's Killyn Lunsford
Carnivorous Bells at Johnny Brenda's
Carnivorous Bells are loud and have a lead singer who sings hard. I would imagine that they have played at least a few gigs with hardcore and metal bands. That said they aren't quite either of those.
At first they reminded me of Buck Gooter. The thing is, Buck Gooter tend to build songs on top of a single hook or loop which I suppose puts the focus on the lyrics. Carnivorous Bells keep changing things up. There are all sorts of things going on musically here: metal riffs, Middle Eastern sounding guitars, tin can clanking sounds, and obviously there's that saxophone. I have no clue about their lyrics, which are exactly as indecipherable to me as many a hardcore bands' lyrics. On their Bandcamp they call themselves "Cave Prog". Is Prog Rock known for its lyricism? I suspect the overall impact of the music matters more than intelligibility.
Carnivorous Bells's Website, Music.
Posted: 1/15/2023 at 8:35pm Tags: Carnivorous Bells Johnny Brenda's
Mesh at Johnny Brenda's
Mesh is a new (I think) band out of Philly playing jangle rock about weird shit. There's "CIA Mind Control", which is a paranoid little song about messing with one's brain. Then there is "Potato Head" which is a song about a... regular potato, with no mustache or anything. For fans of Dark Web, for what are probably obvious reasons: Same lead singer, at least some thematic overlap, and also working hard to make Philly a little bit weirder.
Posted: 1/15/2023 at 8:30pm Tags: Johnny Brenda's Mesh
