Puscifer @ The Louisville Palace- Louisville
LA rock group Puscifer brought their Existential Reckoning Tour to Louisville, KY on 11/11 and drew a packed venue of fans! Led by singer Maynard James Keenan, who also fronts Tool and A Perfect Circle, he has a wide variety of fans who love all three of his bands and were ready to rock out this evening! Having recently released their 4th studio album Exisatential Reckoning, the band performed the album in its entirety this evening. Opening the show was the LA darkwave electronica band Night Club. Consisting of Mark Brooks on keys/synth and Emily Kavanaugh on vocals, they definitely got the crowd warmed up. With dark, moody lighting of blues, reds, and bursts of white, Kavanaugh paced the stage and engaged the crowd, her powerful voice cutting through the electronic beats! With plenty of singles, Eps, and albums in their catalog, their most recent being 2020’s Die Die Lullaby, they sang a nice selection of songs and were a great start to the evening.
Next up was Puscifer. Starting out their set, before the band came out onto the stage, was Keenan’s alter-ego agent Dick Merkin on the screen at the back of the stage humorously relaying the band’s no phone policy, saying anyone who violated the policy would be ground up by two meat processors into a fine paste and added as an ingredient in SPAM. The stage production for their set was amazing, with the band presenting the audience with a multimedia experience that had the band investigating alien abductions by men-in-black agents! The first song, “Bread and Circus”, saw the stage dimly lit with only a couple of the members present, drummer Gunnar Olsen, bassist Josh Moreau, and multi-instrumentalist Mat Mitchell on keys, easing everyone into the evening. A few minutes into the song, we saw Maynard’s agent Dick Merkin, along with Carina Round (vocals), enter the stage. The second song “Postulous” saw a slew of special agents come out to take away a Billy D imposter, who breached the camera policy, after being pointed out by Agent Merkin.
Although their set was heavy on songs from Existential Reckoning, they delighted their fans with songs from their other albums, as well. About halfway through their set, the video screen showed a second message from Agent Merkin, telling the crowd that Pusciforce had identified an alien-owned and operated hidden mobile cloning facility whose purpose seemed to be to duplicate or replace red-carpet celebrities whom they felt were mediocre or had bad fashion tastes. Later, after a brief intermission, Keenan came out atop the scaffolding at the center of the stage as his Billy D persona as costumed aliens joined the band on stage, with plenty of hilarious alien antics ensuing. With an 18-song set, ending the set with “Bedlamite”, the band gave the crowd an incredible evening of music and visual delights. The thought and production that went into this evening’s performance were impressive and engaged the crowd from start to finish!
PUSCIFER
NIGHT CLUB
Welshly Arms @ Headliners Music Hall- Louisville
November 5th 2022: Welshly Arms, Motherfolk, and Goldpark @ Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY
Welshly Arms - Photos and Coverage Courtesy of: Emily May
Ohio blues rock band Welshly Arms brought their Bad Decisions Tour 2022 to Louisville, KY on November 5th to a modest but passionate crowd! Opening the show this evening was Nashville's alternative rock band Goldpark. Having released several singles and 2 EPs since forming in 2020, the band performed a high-energy set and had the crowd dancing and having a great time. With plenty of interaction amongst themselves and with the crowd, I have no doubt they made plenty of new fans this evening! Next up was Cincinnati indie pop-rock band Motherfolk. From the very first note, these guys (and gal) were super high-energy and had the crowd moving. Having made a name for themselves with their high-energy performances, it was very clear this evening that they have succeeded in giving 110% to their fans! They clearly had plenty of fans in the audience this evening who were singing along, and even those who weren’t previously familiar with them (such as myself) were having a great time! Vocalist/guitarist Nathan Dickerson was chatty with the crowd throughout the set, with a great sense of humor and a playful spirit, making the crowd laugh with funny stories. The band was having a great time on stage, engaging with each other and with the crowd, making for a very enjoyable set!
Closing out the evening was Welshly Arms. As they took the stage, their fans, who had been excited with anticipation, cheered and clapped. Lead vocalist/guitarist Sam Getz is a charismatic frontman who was all smiles this evening, engaging with the crowd and his band. He expressed gratitude early on for playing in such a great venue and being treated so kindly by the staff and thanked all of the fans who came out, saying that they know what was up! A super fun part of Welshly Arms is the backup singers/dancers Bri and Jon Bryant! They were movin’ and groovin’ throughout the set, with Jon playing a maraca and Bri a tambourine on a few songs during the set! The crowd couldn’t help but move with them! They were all smiles and super fun to watch! And Bri did a couple of solo vocal parts, showcasing her amazing voice! Starting off with “One More Hallelujah”, the band performed a varied set list that included “Are You Lonely”, “Sanctuary”, “Indestructible”, “Proud”, “Legendary”, and a spirited and rockin’ cover of Sam & Dave’s song “Hold On, I’m Comin’”. They also slowed it down a bit when Sam sang a song he wrote about mental health called “Save Me From The Monster In My Head”. Rather than leave the stage and come back out for their encore at the end, the band stayed on stage for their last 2 songs, performing “Have It All” and “Learn To Let Go”. This was a super fun night filled with a feel-good energy and lots of dancing!
Welshly Arms
Motherfolk
Goldpark
Post Malone @ Climate Pledge Arena - Seattle
November 5th 2022: Post Malone, Roddy Ricch @ Climate Pledge Arena - Seattle, WA
Post Malone - Photos Courtesy of Stephanie Dore
In a sea of smartphones, shrouded by heavy clouds of smoke and lit by strobes, Post Malone showed up and delivered a two-plus hour singalong to a massive sold-out crowd at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena. The rapper/singer was out touring his fourth and most recent album, 2022's Twelve Carat Toothache, supported by opener Roddy Ricch. It was a super sparse show, just Postie on stage by himself, clad in jeans and a white t-shirt, occasionally donning a token hat or necklace handed to him from the fans, who he high-fived throughout the set. Sure, there were loud pyrotechnics and a few fancy lasers, but this set was about as stripped down as you can get, which is uncommon for a big arena tour — no band, no backup dancers, no guest appearances, no distractions. Which, for nearly any other artist, might prove troublesome or boring, but Postie's die-hard fans seemed to be fully on board, shouting every lyric, recording every move, and enjoying every minute.
Roddy Ricch
Dayglow @ The Riviera- Chicago
November 4th 2022: Dayglow @ The Riviera - Chicago, IL
Stereolab - Photos & Coverage Courtesy of Timi Ikene
This was my third time seeing Dayglow live in Chicago, and can I just say, it was just especially as thrilling as the first. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Sloan Struble's Dayglow came to grace the Chicago stage live at the Riviera on Friday, November 4th. Priding himself on showcasing optimism through his music and uplifting beats, he led the crowd on a nostalgic journey through his 80s-influenced music. The young multi-instrumentalist and his insanely talented and upbeat crew were warmly welcomed by Chicago, a city that hopes to see them during every North American tour.
Empress Of @ The Met - Philadelphia
October 1st 2022: Empress Of @ The Met - Philadelphia, PA
Empress Of - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
Saturday night we were graced with the presence of LA enchantress, Empress Of, opening for the iconic Carly Rae Jepsen. The room was full of anticipation for the captivating performance and enjoyed every moment of Empress Of.
Viagra Boys @ Brooklyn Steel - Brooklyn
October 18th 2022: Viagra Boys, shame @ Brooklyn Steel - Brooklyn, NY
Viagra Boys - Photos and Review Courtesy of: Edwina Hay
shame, the UK post-punk band, joined forces with Viagra Boys, of Stockholm, Sweden for a nearly month-long tour of the United States and ended their expedition in Brooklyn, NY on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.
Kills Birds, the Los Angeles based band that opened all shows on the tour went on at 7:30 PM. The band fronted by Nina Ljeti performed songs from their second record, Married, and ended their set with “Worthy Girl” which has an opening lyric of “this flower kills birds,” and Ljetl shared that it is how the band got their name before the song began.
Viagra Boys, who I caught earlier this year in Brooklyn, are touring in support of their newest album, Cave World, which was released in July on Year 001. Their setlist seemed to reflect a good portion of that record such as playing “Ain’t No Thief,” “Troglodyte,” and “Punk Rock Loser,” The group’s singer, Sebastian Murphy, dedicated the final track of that album, “Return to Monke” to their bassist, Benjamin Vallé, who passed away about a year ago said he loved New York and a fan who recently died but had friends in the audience. Their set also included older songs like “Ain’t Nice,” “Worms,” “Sports,” and “Shrimp Shack” with someone in the audience throwing both of their shoes at the stage during that penultimate song.
The post-punk quintet shame began the final set of the night at 9:45 PM. Their second studio album called Drunk Tank Pink was released by Dead Oceans in January 2021. Singer Charlie Steen seemed to waste no time engaging with fans by leaping into the crowd during their first song, “Dust on Trial.” All members were filled with energy, especially bassist Josh Finerty, who constantly ran back and forth on stage while playing his instrument. Before the final song of the night was played, “Snowday,” Steen revealed shame will hopefully be back next year with a brand new album.
shame
kills birds
CHVRCHES @ Paramount Theatre - Seattle
September 30th 2022: CHVRCHES, Cafuné @ Paramount Theatre - Seattle, WA
CHVRCHES- Photos and Review Courtesy of: Stephanie Dore
Touring in support of their fourth full-length, 2021’s Screen Violence, Scottish synth-pop heavyweights CHVRCHES stopped by Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, along with opener (and Tiktok darling) Cafuné, for a set that fully delivered on their brand of dark delight. The setlist leaned heavily on new music, which is some of their best, and saved some older hits for a three-song encore. If there’s anything to expect at a CHVRCHES show, it’s a super clean set that will get you head banging and dancing and and yelling along with lead vocalist Lauren Mayberry as she rages against these dark times. A few songs in, she self-deprecated as to how all their songs are sad. Yet, they’re still peppy, with the kind of power that feels high enough to carry everyone over.
Cafuné
Jake Wesley Rodgers @ Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia
September 30th 2022: Jake Wesley Rodgers @ Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, PA
Jake Wesley Rodgers - Photos Courtesy of Carolyn Lederach
I’ve had the pleasure of watching Jake Wesley Rogers grow into the blooming superstar he is today. Several years ago I was able to catch him playing at stripped down living room shows, touring in his car with just him and his keyboard. You could tell then the special quality Jake had with his in-depth songwriting and enthusiastic stage presence. It’s so exciting to see the world finally getting a taste of JWR.
We caught him on the highest stage I’ve encountered (it was close to 7 ft tall making it near impossible for anyone in the front to see anything on stage), opening for Panic at the Disco. Such a dream line up to see Jake share the stage with, and what a way to open the show! We wouldn’t expect anything less than for Jake to take the stage in a full red sparkly outfit, Wizard of Oz red boots included. You can tell he will be an icon we all need.
