RedTouchBlack at The International Bar
It seems like a lot of heavy bands played Live on Front this year, at least the Saturday show. And here I thought electronic stuff was in? Not that I would have gone to that. It's just nice to know that people still like rock music, ya' know?
RedTouchBlack's music is portentious, like you're about to be struck by some grand truth and you don't know whether it's good or bad but it is coming. Certainly they count as psych rock but this isn't bliss-out music. There's too much anxiety, too much instability for that. Also some really cool guitar solos cause it's still rock music.
RedTouchBlack's website, music.
Posted: 6/7/2021 at 5:00pm Tags: Live On Front RedTouchBlack The International Bar
Heavy Temple at The International Bar
Live music wasn't feeling so hot for a while there but it is recovering nicely. Seen here: Heavy Temple, the headliner of day 1 of the Live On Front festival whipping the crowd into to a headbanging frenzy. On top of that West Philly Porchfest was the same day. Outdoor music festivals have returned thank you very much. They picked the right band to headline too. Not that I'm complaining about the rest of the lineup but Heavy Temple's sound is powerful and works so well in a big outdoor venue. The crowd definitely loved these guys.
Heavy Temple's website, music.
Posted: 6/6/2021 at 11:00am Tags: FuckCOVID Heavy Temple Live On Front The International Bar
The Joy Formidable at Boot & Saddle
I kind of wish this show had been at a larger venue. The band went with with the "selling out two shows at a smaller venue" approach to Philly this time around. As much as I like seeing good bands in small venues this did cause me a little cognitive dissonance. See, The Joy Formidable's music is Epic. So many of their songs start quiet(-ish) and build to a joyous crescendo of thundering rock music. Normally seeing a band which sounds like that at a venue like this makes me think I made a great find and the band is going to be big someday... but I'm too late and they already are? Uh, oops. Then again I probably wouldn't have been able to photograph them at any larger venue so perhaps I should not complain.
For my own notes: for-mid-A-ble. I have spelled that wrong so many times recently.
The Joy Formidable's Website, Music.
Posted: 12/2/2019 at 10:00pm Tags: Boot & Saddle spelling test The Joy Formidable
The Schizophonics at Ortlieb's
Did you spot the band's lead singer/guitarist in these photos? I had to wash a lot of his sweat out of my clothes after the show. I mean there's energetic and then there's "how is it humanly possible for someone older than three years old to bounce around like that?" Despite the risk of an elevated laundry bill I do highly recommend catching this band.
As for the venue, the lighting at Ortlieb's is kind of brutal. Perhaps it would have been better if they turned on both front lights :audibleeyeroll:. I do however like the backdrop with light bults arranged like musical notes.
The Schizophonics' Website, Music.
Posted: 11/3/2019 at 8:45pm Tags: Ortlieb's The Schizophonics
