Dermot Kennedy @ The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Photos courtesy of Carolyn Lederach | February 29 2020
Begonia with Dana Lee @ West End Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Photos and review courtesy of Jenny Ramone Photo | February 27 2020
For most people February 27th 2020 was just an average Thursday, but for the 300 plus people who packed Winnipeg’s West End Cultural Centre the day will live on as something more. It was shortly after 9pm when Winnipeg’s Begonia took to the dimly lit, glitter fringe draped stage and the buzzing crowd fell silent, not wanting to miss a second of a show to which tickets had been purchased in late 2019. Tickets to the first 3 of 5 shows at the intimate venue had sold in hours, 2 more shows were later added and sold equally as fast, to say these were the hottest tickets in town would be a massive understatement.
Begonia, the solo project of Chic Gamine’s Alexa Dirks, has been on the rise since her EP “Lady in Mind” dropped in 2017. Hot off a tour in support of “Fear”, her first full length album, Dirks was visibly happy to be home celebrating the album’s release and all of Winnipeg welcomed the band with open arms. Dirks took to the stage in a light purple ballerina style dress which was almost as dramatic as the light on stage and began singing Otherside acapella, joined mid-song by backup singers Heather Thomas and Kenzie Jane. Later in the evening Alexa spoke about trying to find a balance between being emotionally vulnerable and strong as hell, something she achieved with the flow of the night’s setlist. Intimate, quiet moments, a stripped down version of fan favorite Hot Dog Stand and a haunting duo performance of Dead Flowers in the encore, flowed into all out bangers The Light, Out Of My Head and Fear, tracks on which the power of Alexa’s voice really shines.
With a set designed by Winnipeg artist Seth Woodyard and band outfits designed by local designer Tony Chestnut, the city of Winnipeg’s best and brightest creative minds came together to create a live experience that doesn’t happen often. An evening full of emotion, drama, and beauty with sprinkles of humour and goofiness.
Alexa Dirks has found her voice with Begonia. Her lyrics are deeply personal and she leaves it all on the stage with her commanding live presence. She is a force to be reckoned with and it won't be long before Begonia is a household name in Canada and beyond.
Winnipeg singer songwriter Dana Lee played a lower key opening set. Lee's sweet, sultry voice was a perfect juxtaposition to Alexa's powerful vocals and the band's groovy pop sound eased the crowd onto the main event.
Grayscale @ Chameleon Club, Lancaster, PA
Photos and review courtesy of Bridget Craig | February 27 2020
On Thursday, February 27th, Grayscale closed their Nella Vita Part Two tour. Fans, crowded into a packed, hot venue, exploded when they opened with their hit “Just Right.” The show was in Lancaster, PA - just an hour and a half outside of their hometown - and the hype throughout the set was equivalent to what you would see in Philadelphia.
The band encouraged the crowd to dance to “Baby Blue” and had high energy, matching their audience’s, for the entire set. During their encore, the screens said “Part 2 is Over” and the members of the opening acts stage dove into the crowd as an end of tour prank.
Catch Grayscale on their next tours, starting with the It Is What It Is tour with Mayday Parade in the spring, followed by Sad Summer Festival in the summer.
Refused with Racetraitor and Youth Code @ Brooklyn Steel, Brooklyn, NY
Photos and review courtesy of Stephanie Augello | February 22 2020
On Saturday, February 22nd, Swedish hardcore punk legends Refused stopped off at New York’s Brooklyn Steel to give fans a hard-hitting performance of both classic and new songs. Frontman Dennis Lyxzen danced around the stage throughout the whole set, conjuring the spirit of forefathers Mick Jagger and James Brown. Rather Be Dead, Deadly Rhythm, New Noise, and Coup d’etat comprised the list of older songs that many crowd goers had grown up listening to, while songs such as Blood Red and Malfire gave everyone a taste of the shape of the band to come.
Opening that night were Racetraitor and Youth Code. Formed in Chicago in 1998, Racetraitor includes Fallout Boy Drummer Andy Hurley. They reformed in 2016, and remain a well-loved political force on the scene.
Industrial duo Youth Code followed up, generating electricity through the crowd as vocalist Sarah Taylor screamed, snarled, and flipped hair to the bands angsty beats. The Brooklyn stop was only the second night of tour. Refused will be on the road in both North America and Europe through August.
Jungle Giants @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA
Photos courtesy of Carolyn Lederach | February 9 2020
Lamb of God with Harm's Way @ House of Vans, Chicago, IL
Photos and review courtesy of Rosario Gutierrez | February 14 2020
On February 14th House of Vans gifted the people of Chicago the chance to experience Lamb of God in an intimate venue with the support of Chicago' own Harm's Way.
Walking into the venue you could feel the energy of the eagerly excited fans who had just spent perhaps hours out side in the cold for a chance to be one of the few to see lamb of god perform. Chats began for Lamb of God before the show even started.
Hardcore band Harm's way was the first to take the stage. Not surprising the band instantly won over the crowd with their energy. The band's energy on stage transferred over to the mosh pit warming up the rest of the attendees .
After waiting hours in the freezing cold the crowd was warmed up and Lamb of God took the stage. Crowd surfers came in flying a few seconds into their first song. Never will many get the chance to see a band the size of Lamb of God play a venue as intimate as House of Vans. Fans everywhere in the venue head banging and water flying everywhere as the band played. The band played fan favorite "Redneck" at the very end which was a perfect way to end their valentine's day show experience that they will never forget.
Hollow Coves with Harrison Storm @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA
Photos and review courtesy of Carolyn Lederach | February 8 2020
The Brisbane duo Hollow Coves are embarking on their latest North American tour. Philadelphia marked the second stop on the tour and first sold out show. I wasn’t too familiar with Hollow Coves before going into this show. I’ve been a fan of ‘Coastline’ (or as they joked at a mispronunciation ‘Toastline’) for awhile now after it pops up on YouTube and Spotify frequently for me. In the day of Spotify playlist algorithms to discover new music I’m sure this might have been the case for a lot of others in the room as well.
Hollow Coves did a great job of owning the room, which can be a feat at Johnny Brenda’s when people would rather talk at the bar than actually watch the show they paid to come see. They brought their folky breakdowns and quirky banter to the stage and the crowd loved it. Hoping they make another stateside appearance soon!
Harrison Storm:
Greyson Chance @ The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA
Photos & review courtesy of Carolyn Lederach | January 12 2020
You may have seen that video, from a decade ago. A young kid at a talent show on a piano killing it at ‘Paparazzi’. Skip to current day and you have a twenty two year old with a budding pop career, and a record deal with Artisa this is Greyson Chance. He already has a couple hits under his belt and more to come.
I caught Greyson on his rescheduled Philly show for this Portraits Tour. The Foundry I known for it’s tiny stage for emerging artists and sub-par sound system. But Greyson owned every bit of it and left the packed room super excited the whole night. I’ve had his latest ‘Boots’ on repeat and excited to hear what comes next.