Are we done with COVID yet? Who knows? But I'm done with hiding from the damn thing. Onward and upward! If you're thinking that live music is still months away, you are WRONG. In Florida and Texas, the clubs are back and shows are happening. And even in the People's Republic of Pennsylvania, I just received an announcement from the Ardmore Music Hall that they're beginning to have shows with 100 people limits. Hey, it's a start, right? So who do you want to see? I have a list, and I've already done two posts on this theme. Are you ready for part 3? Here it is regardless! Mellencamp. Yeah, he's a crusty, outspoken guy who is getting old (pushing 70). But he's said in the past that he'll keep playing as long as people keep coming to see him, and there are plenty of us still out there ready to go. I saw JM at a theatre in Philly, and I sprang for the 3d row center tickets. It was fantastic. He's got a great catalog, and he still rocks it. This song should be played at any politician still trying to hold us back. Book the show, my man, and I'll buy the tickets. Royal Blood - the best duo in rock history? I don't know about that, but I do know that they freakin' rock. I've seen them a few times, and they BRING IT. Not only that, they have a great discography from which to draw. Good songs, hard guitar sound, what's not to like? Let's get back to it. I love alt-country. I would go see Ryan Adams, the Old 97s, Lucinda Williams, Son Volt, Steve Earle, Deer Tick, the Bottle Rockets, BR549, Kathleen Edwards, Robbie Fulks, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, and others. So I sort of picked the Jayhawks out of this group just because I love this song so much. If you've never seen the Jayhawks, do yourself a favor and get to know their songs before you go. That way, you won't be the only one in the crowd not singing along. Love this band. Just like with the last list, there are a bunch of big-named bands that I would like to go see again. Taylor Swift? Yeah. Coldplay? Sure. Metallica? Hahaha, yup, I'm putting you in this list. The Stones for sure. And some I've never seen, like Pink and Britney. I picked one out of the bunch because I like this song, they're great live, and Foster the People is contemporary enough to score some points with everyone. Do you have time for one more? Great! Longtime readers know that I love power pop. It doesn't get much poppy with the power than the Hoodoo Gurus. They've been around forever, but their songs are still great. And they were getting ready to tour the US when COVID freaked everyone out - now's the time, boys, to get yourselves out of Down Under and come to Philly. These guys are on the list of bands I've always wanted to see live, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Time's a wastin! That's it for Part 3. If you have any bands that you think I should see, send them to me and if I agree, I'll put them on the list. But if they suck, I'll tease you mercilessly forever, hahaha. You know I would never do that - I'm all about live and let live, just so long as you like good music. Take care and see you when I see you.
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I'm back - if you didn't catch Part 1, you don't want to miss it. Just scroll on down. I'll wait for you. OK, all caught up? Good. Here are a couple more bands that I'm itching to see once Big Brother says it's ok. Yes, they're been around forever, and yes, they haven't issued anything new for a few decades (at least that I want to hear). But if there was ever a good-time party band, it's the English Beat. I have seen them many times, and every time it has been great fun. And that's what we all need now, right? Give me an F, give me a U. Oh, and yes, give me an N. I was getting ready to say that I saw The Weeks last summer, but it was actually the summer of 2019. I swear to you, I will never let another year go by where I have to stay in my house. I don't have that many left! Anyway, I love this band. They rock hard, their songs are good, they put on a good show, and I'm jonesing to see them live again. I'm not a casino guy. But they were also banned by Big Brother, and I'm going to show some solidarity and give them a boost with this song. As for Wilco, they have a deep catalog, they're good live, and I have been listening to them during the pandemic. I'm tanned, rested and ready to go see them live once again. The last time that I saw the Killers, it was near the end of a lengthy tour for the band. Brandon Flowers was not in the best of voice. In fact, his voiced cracked a couple of times. Still, they give a great show and they rock it hard. I'm figuring that Brandon's voice is healed now since he hasn't been doing a ton of shows. These guys are, bar none, the best band from Las Vegas EVER! Well, at least the best band of Mormon guys from LV. A shout - out to a great band from Philly: Sheer Mag. They're the modern day equivalent of, say, Thin Lizzy. And I loved Thin Lizzy. Sure, Sheet Mag hase more substance up front, but they have a great guitar sound that translates well to live performances. And they aren't big enough to play some large venue and charge me over $100 per ticket. So it will be someplace intimate like Union Transfer, and something friendly on the wallet, like $20. OK, that does it for Part 2. I'll be back with more when I get the chance. It's weird that I'm cooped up inside and can't find time. But it's the darn truth. Is COVID over yet? I haven't exactly been a saint about compliance with the rules during COVID, but there are certain things that are simply beyond my control. Yes, I've been able to see some live music lately, and yes, it's been great. But it's not like it was before, with many bands touring the country and the live music fan feasting on live show after live show. I'm ready to roll once again. But can I tell you a secret? In Philly at least, live music complacency seemed to have set in pre-pandemic. It used to be that you went to a show and it was sold out every time no matter the act or the venue. But for the last couple of years, that wasn't true, and I had been to a number of shows where it was almost embarrassing how few members of the paying public had shown up. Maybe we were money-poor, or maybe we had just reached saturation. However, I think that the post-COVID lockdown period is going to be gangbusters on the live music front. People are desperate to get out there again and to start living. And there is nothing like the blast of decibels from amplified music to bring you back to a state of "hell yeah!" In anticipation, I'm going to list some bands that I really want to see before my ears, eyes, and knees give out and I'm incapable of going to live shows. This is a multi-part series, and you'll just need to check back in on occasion to see what list of bands I have on my wish list. These bands are in no particular order. Ready for Part One? First up, Skinny Lister. I knew nothing about this band of "folk punks" until I saw them open for the Interrupters. Wow! What a great live act - strong songs, stage presence and charisma by the bucketful. I'm much more well acquainted with their songs now, and I'm ready to see them headline a show and give me more than 40 minutes. I want to see a band that no one else wants to see. I want to be up close. I want to groove along to songs that I know by heart, but no one else is even semi-aware that they even exist. I want to be in a small club, sweating and with lots of weird people around me. I want to hear blistering rock, and a lead singer chanting some odd lyrics over and over. I want to see Protomartyr. For now, I still live in the Philly area. And there is no better band to see live in Philly than Low Cut Connie. I've been on to this band for a while, seen them live many times, and they always deliver. Are they as good as they used to be? Well, I don't know about their new double album, but the old stuff was so F-U-N. This is a good time party band led by a great frontman in Adam Weiner. Hells yes, I want to see LCC! I want to hang out with some old friends and go see some live music. Yeah, JL, I'm talking about you and your bride! While I'm not as devoted to Tedeschi Trucks Band as Jonathan, I've seen them live with him a number of times, and I'm ready to do it again. A BIG band - two drummers, full horn section, great keyboards, and the irrepressible husband-and-wife due of Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi - these musicians deliver every night. A deep catalog, a great reservoir of cover songs, and a devoted following makes for a great night. And they play all the best theaters in America, which are beautiful and usually have wonderful acoustics. Yeah, I wanna wanna wanna!!! Yes! I am dying to get into a big arena and simply rock it out with a band that knows how to deliver what its fan base wants. There is no better pure rock 'n' roll band than AC/DC. I know, I know, some of them are dead. But Brian Johnson is back, and Angus is, well, Angus. They aren't going to be around forever, and I want to see them at least one last time. Please please, bring the boys back for another run and let me see them again! OK, I have to run, but I'm just getting started. And now I'm itching to get out there. Are you with me? That's cool so long as you're behind me in the ticket line, hahaha. Luv ya, rockers! I've spent some of the lockdown period driving up and down I-95. I've flown plenty of times, too, but the long car drives were cool and allowed us to have a vehicle in Florida to avoid the high cost of rentals. We also brought down some stuff that is hard to fit in the overhead compartment, like a small couch. It's a long drive, but I grew up doing long car drives so I kind of liked it. And with traffic down (that's a thing of the past, by the way), it was pleasant. Nonetheless, it requires either a great deal of stamina to drive it straight through, or an overnight. We have stayed in Savannah, Georgia twice, which is a very beautiful little city; Asheville, North Carolina once; and Charleston, South Carolina once. We've also stopped in St. Augustine, Florida for a few hours, which was cool, too. Let's talk about Charleston. I've been there before, of course, but had not visited in over a decade. It remains the same charming place that has made it a southern "must see" and when we went (just after Christmas), the place was buzzing, tours were going on again, and restaurants were bumping. I got a new Nike 35mm camera, and took a ton of shots. And we got one of the greatest blue-sky days that you can wish for. These pictures are not touched up in any way. Pretty nice, huh? We stayed at a great hotel with an awesome harbor view, and it was, ahem, priced for BRP. And if you love Carolina BBQ, which the kid does, we ate at this place in uptown that brought me back to pork in a big way. I have preferred brisket for a while, but when in the Carolinas, it's pork baby, and we got some of the best pork BBQ ever at Rodney Scott's BBQ. Rodney is a James Beard award winner (for 'que? Yup), and it was fantastic. The damn sauce is almost worth stealing, it's so darn tasty. the sides were awesome, too. Take a look and get hungy: Charleston is one photogenic town. It's lovely just to walk around and chill. We had a great tour guide, and he told us all kinds of cool and interesting facts, none of which I can remember right now. I do recall him telling the story of a slave named Robert Smalls who stole a steamer, steered it past Ft. Sumter and the Confederate lines, and ran it to the Union blockade where it was turned over to the good guys. Smalls got his freedom, brought his family with him, and ended up being a congressman in the reconstruction south. It's a great story, and we ended up tracking down the book about his exploits, which is fantastic. Did you know that Patty Hearst now lives in Charleston? I didn't either but apparently it's true so be careful about the Symbionese Liberation Army down there. There's also a ton of other rich people who live there, which makes me yawn. The result of all that wealth coming in is that the city looks great, is highly regulated, super expensive, and kind of like a museum full of not-so-nice people (especially for the South). But admission is free. I'm not sure I would want to pay top dollar to live in a place where gaggles of tourists stroll by and constantly stare at your house, but there are those who do. We were walking on the riverfront when we came across this old Renault. I took a picture because I had been in France on some corporate hoo-ha, and we had to split up into teams and drive around in a bunch of these old vehicles. They're smaller than they look, and they have their gear shift on the dashboard. The French know how to live, Hahaha! This one was in pristine condition and simply sitting in some rich dude's driveway. Charleston also has a bunch of art galleries, and they were open and selling their wares. It was fun to poke around in them even if you have to wear a mask. All in all, it was pretty much back open and people were all over the place, having fun and enjoying the Christmastime look of the city. I'm no travel writer. Heck, I'm not much of a music writer. But I better get back to the tunes, right? Here's a great tune to keep you going right now. It's a band called grandson and this track is very catchy. Enjoy and I'll see you on the flipside. When the initial lockdowns occurred in March 2020, I was in the middle of a big case and came to Florida thinking I would be there for a week or so. I ended up spending 10 weeks. The weather was fantastic, but this was during the first pandemic period and it was screwed up. They shut the beaches - duh, everyone knows that being inside is where the virus gonna virus - but oh well, it was what it was. Anyway, after a number of weeks hanging out, we took a drive down to Miami's Wynwood section to check out the Wynwood Walls. The Walls is basically an outdoor museum. It's super cool because they have invited a number of big-time artists to come and paint big murals on the buildings in this section of town. The Walls goes on for block after block, and covers buildings all over the area. And because we were there during the lockdowns, there was basically no one around. I simply stopped the car in the middle of the road and got out and took pictures. We saw a group of about 10 people on bikes doing crazy wheelies and things, and we shouted out to them (and vice-versa), but other than that, it was just us and the regulars who live on the street. Anyway, here are some pretty cool photos of the place - check it out if you're in the Miami area. After we left Wynwood, we drove over to Brickell, through downtown, across the Rickenbacker and up Ocean Drive in South Beach. It was a Sunday around noon. Ocean Drive was EMPTY. I've never seen it like that before, and I hope to never see it like that again. Let's hope that we're well beyond any more of these crazy lockdowns. In the Free State of Florida, we've moved on and are back to living! I hope you enjoyed - I had more but was worried about over-saturation. I'll be back. Will you? We hadn't been to much live music during the lockdowns. Only a short spell in Asheville, NC had satisfied the itch. So when we spent much of February in the Free State of Florida, we checked out the happenings. We knew the Funky Biscuit was having shows, and we had some friends down for the weekend, so what the heck, we figured we'd give it a whirl. The Funky Biscuit All-Stars were playing, which is basically a glorified house band kind of thing. They were shuffling about and exchanging instruments, playing covers, and what-not. We got there early to have dinner, which was shockingly good. I'm not kidding you, this is the best live music venue food EVER. Anyway, while we were finishing up our food, the All-Stars started to jam. It was fun. They are very low-key, chatting and having a good time with each other. And while the song selection wasn't my favorite (Jim Croce, are you kidding me?), they did the first live version of the Beatles' "Day In The Life" that I had ever seen, and that's an ambitious undertaking. You know what? They did a credible job with it. See that dude singing in the picture above on the left? He owns the joint. I don't think I've ever seen a venue owner sing before (but I haven't been to Daryl's House yet). He was ... ok. I'm super happy that he has the venue open, however, and so I'm giving him a double thumbs-up! Here's a couple more shots of the All-Stars - Mom jeans alert on the first one: After the All-Stars warmed up the crowd, the main event came on. Turns out to be a blues guitarist from Philly named Tom Craig. We gave the "Philly's in the house" shout-out, which I think he appreciated - he mentioned a story about a Wawa incident later and gave us the nod for knowing what a Wawa is - and he played a nice little set of his own tunes. Craig is not widely known, but I enjoy live blues, and he's professional and solid. He has a new CD that just came out, and I'm going to link to one of the tunes. I can't say that I remember the names of any of the songs, but the first track that he played was really strong. It slip-slided along from there, but we were good with it. Like I said, it was a nice little set and the performances were well done. Here's a couple of pics and a Tom Craig track from YouTube: Tom left, and then a motley crew of others joined the stage. There was a woman with a tambourine who looked thrilled to be up there, and a dude with the longest dreads I have ever seen. Take a look and tell me I'm lying: I don't know his name, but it was open-mike night quality. Yeah, terrible, and we split. But let me show you one more dude who strolled onto the stage during this very weird ending to the evening: That dude had been kind of walking around the club the whole evening, and then the next thing you know, he's up on the stage. Unclear how all of this was supposed to work, but I think that the biggest room in the house at the end of the night was the room for improvement.
But DO NOT get me wrong. It was GREAT to be there. We had a helluva lot of fun, saw some good music, ate some wonderful food, laughed and partied. And it was live, baby, live. It was brilliant. And it set the stage for us to come back a few days later and see Allman Betts Band, which was the real deal. And then, a week or so after that, we came and saw a Miami-based jam band called Tand. I've enjoyed the heck out of the Biscuit and am darned glad that I was in the house to see the All-Stars. That's it for today. Come back soon because I'm up and cranking again. You hang in there and live your life - time's a wastin'. Don't let anyone steal that from you. Devon Allman, son of Gregg Allman, and Duane Betts, son of Dickey Betts, are the driving force behind the Allman Betts Band. They play a similar style of music popularized by their respective fathers - blues-based southern rock with some significant jam opportunities - and have a tight band featuring three guitars, awesome keyboards, and two drummers. Along with Tedeschi Trucks Band, they are filling that space created by the Allman Brothers Band, and continuing the tradition of electric blues. They recently rolled into the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton for four shows, and we caught one of them. It was a really solid show, primarily relying on originals but also covering the Dead's "Shakedown Street" and the Allman Brothers Band's "Blue Sky." It's interesting to be able to see this band playing in a tiny club like the Funky Biscuit. A couple of words about the Biscuit. A small club with superior acoustics, the FB has been sponsoring live shows since Gov. Desantis allowed indoor activities to resume many months ago. We've now been to three shows at the FB, but this is the only one featuring a national act. That's not to say that other national bands aren't rolling through, such as Max Weinberg, Molly Hatchet, and Samantha Fish, but I just haven't had the chance to see the other bands due to my own personal schedule. But can we tip our hats to the FB for bringing live music back from the lockdowns? They do it safely, and oh yeah, the food is really good, too. Back to the show. I don't know about you, but I'm kind of partial to a big three guitar sound. And having a couple of drummers/percussionists leads to a driving background that, when done well, is fantastic. Allman Betts have this down - the band has clearly been playing and rehearsing as they were tight and rolled through their set. It's been a while since I saw a good band at the top of their game, but this was one of those nights. It wasn't cheap, but it was fun, and once the rest of the country opens up, these guys will go back to playing bigger theaters. This was a great opportunity to see an up-and-coming band in a small intimate space. And it was a triumph over COVID, and who the heck isn't ready for that? It's still kind of weird to see band members playing in masks. As the pictures show, it wasn't a universal mask thing going on up on stage, and given the ages of the band members, I get it. I hope to quit commenting on masks pretty soon as the vaccines are rolling out. How about those tunes? Both are good and give you a sense of what this band is all about. I started taking a video of "Blue Sky" but was told partway through that I wasn't allowed to video. OK, understood, but that's a part of the concert experience these days. Gotta run for now. I'm trying to get back to posting every couple of days, but bear with me as I knock the rust off. I hope you are now gearing up for the post-lockdown days - my advice is to get comfortable at your own pace, but the heady days of $100 roundtrip airplane flights, $1.69 gas, cheap hotels and seeing bands like Allman Betts in a tiny club are quickly coming to a halt. Enjoy it before the inflation boom hits. Did I mess with you on that one? Probably, because that picture was taken in February 2020 at White Oak Music Hall in Houston. This was the second-to-last concert that I saw before the lockdowns. Yes, that is Screaming Females, and they ripped it. They were followed by PUP, and it was a terrific night of hard-rocking, pop-rocking, stage-diving, crowd-surfing fun. I had to wait many months before the government said that we could go and see live music again. What, do we live in China? Not the last time I checked. Anyway, I've seen live music 4 times already in 2021 and 1 time in December of 2020. All of it in theaters, bars and clubs, inside, with people drinking and laughing and having a good time. You can bet your sweet bump that those didn't take place north of the Mason-Dixon line, now known as Wuhan Province. Nope, I saw music in Asheville, NC and Boca Raton, FL. How was it? Oh, so sweet! We were in Asheville in early December to check out the Biltmore. It was great - if you've never been, you should go. But expect to pony up some big dough - it's over $100/person to tour this castle. I've got some other stuff to share on Asheville, but just take a look at this for now. That's a picture of the SIDE of the house, not the front. It's big, B-I-G. Anyway, we finished up dinner - yes, we ate inside - in Asheville, and we come out on the street and make a right. We stroll right up to a bar and yes, there is live music happening inside. Now, it's just one guy with a guitar and one of those machines that allows him to record and playback rhythm sections, but it was live, baby, live and I was ear-to-ear. On New Year's Eve, I was back in Florida and went to the Wick Theater to see Lance Lipinsky and the Lovers. They were a tribute act featuring songs from the early days of rock, but it was fun and Lance can really jam. Are you interested now? Is your appetite whetted? Well, guess what? It kept on from there. I"m going to post about some other shows in a bit, but for now, welcome back. In fact, I've got quite a bit to share about the last year. I've been to Buffalo and upstate NY; South Florida; Asheville; Savannah; and Charleston. And the suburbs of Philly, of course! I have plenty of pictures to share and plenty of stories to tell. And yes, I did all of this during the pandemic, so quick - call the cops and tell them that someone was having fun! Glad to be back, glad to have you reading again, and hey, let's not be strangers, ok? BRP |
AuthorMy name is Bill, and I live in the greater Philadelphia area. I love music, and I have a lot of opinions. This site is primarily focused on music, but sometimes I get off track. I hope you enjoy. Archives
November 2020
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