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Radio Birdman @ First Unitarian Church 9/10/06

Radio Birdman with Easy Action - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) - Sunday, September 10, 2006

3 October 2006

This was my favorite show of the year so far. RADIO BIRDMAN just completely knocked my socks off.

Penelope Houston of The Avengers in Chicago, IL

The Avengers - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) - Wednesday, September 6, 2006

23 September 2006

Hopefully we won’t have to wait another twenty-seven years for them to come back!

Shellac @ First Unitarian Church 9/1/06

Shellac with Uzeda - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) - Friday, September 1, 2006

18 September 2006

Shellac was absolutely incredible. At times the fact that Albini and Weston trade off vocals reminded me a lot of the sadly now “on hiatus” Fugzai.

Drop Dead Festival IV - Knitting Factory (New York) - Saturday, September 2, 2006

17 September 2006

Although I was only able to make it to the second day of Drop Dead Festival IV, I still managed to catch some captivating sets.

The Germs @ Trocadero 8/6/06

The Germs with The Boils - Trocadero (Philadelphia) - Sunday, August 6, 2006

2 September 2006

After this performance, I had to listen to my copy of GI again to remind myself of why I went in the first place!

Faster Pussycat - Firestation Cue (Gaithersburg, Maryland) - Saturday, July 29, 2006

1 September 2006

While Faster Pussycat emerged from the much-maligned Los Angeles hair/sleaze/pop metal scene of the mid-1980s, a lot has changed since then.

John McEntire playing with The Red Krayola @ International House 8/3/06

The Red Krayola with The Notekillers - International House (Philadelphia) - Thursday, August 3rd, 2006

31 August 2006

MAYO THOMPSON, dressed in jogging pants, leaped around the stage like a man half his age, gazing upon the audience with a slightly mad look.

Three Rare U.S. Tours Happening Right Now You Absolutely Don’t Want to Miss: Avengers, Radio Birdman, Ipanema

31 August 2006

Three extremely rare tours by longtime Big Takeover favorites are hitting the U.S., one American, one English, and one Australian. And take it from this writer; you need to see each one of these if you can!

Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney @ Starlight Ballroom 8/31/06

Sleater-Kinney with The Rogers Sisters - Starlight Ballroom (Philadelphia) - Monday, July 31, 2006

28 August 2006

The venue felt like a raging inferno, but somehow it seemed appropriate for SLEATER-KINNEY’s final show in Philadelphia before they go on an indefinite hiatus.

Blacklist with Bell Hollow - Mercury Lounge (New York) - Sunday, August 6, 2006

21 August 2006

The most vital show I’ve seen recently was not a long-awaited re-appearance of yet another 1980’s luminary, but an evening with two local bands, BELL HOLLOW and BLACKLIST.

The Dicks @ The Fire 7/28/06

The Dicks - The Fire (Philadelphia, PA) - Friday, July 28, 2006

16 August 2006

It turns out that some drunken, small-minded fools decided to throw a PINK FLOYD poster at the band!

Kate of The Long Blondes @ Transit 7/29/06

The Long Blondes - Transit (Philadelphia, PA) - Saturday, July 29, 2006

12 August 2006

They opened with the great B-side “Lust in the Movies” and ran through all of their singles in a short, thirty-minute set.

Midlake @ TT the Bears

Midlake - North Star Bar (Philadelphia, PA) - Tuesday, July 25, 2006

7 August 2006

On a quiet Tuesday night, Midlake showed why they’re one of the best up-and-coming bands in the US today.

Jens Lekman @ Bowery Ballroom 7/21/06

Jens Lekman with Beirut - Bowery Ballroom (New York) - Friday, July 21, 2006

4 August 2006

While JENS LEKMAN is an entertaining, charismatic and funny performer, he has the annoying habit of radically rearranging his songs in a live setting.

Mission of Burma @ First Unitarian Church 7/16/06

Mission of Burma - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia, PA) - Sunday, July 16, 2006

1 August 2006

It was worth sweating bullets in the insufferable heat of the First Unitarian Church basement to witness another great MISSION OF BURMA show.

Bob Mould @ Penn's Landing 7/16/06

Bob Mould Band - Penn's Landing (Philadelphia, PA) - Sunday, July 16, 2006

29 July 2006

The set was truly like a force of nature in terms of its intensity, power and passion.

Acid House Kings @ Kensington South Forum 7/12/06

Acid House Kings with The Legends - Kensington South Forum (Philadelphia, PA) - Wednesday, July 12, 2006

22 July 2006

All in all, it was a fantastic night of Swedish indie-pop, covering both the noisy and the gentle ends of the genre.

Camera Obscura @ North Star Bar 7/8/06

Camera Obscura with Georgie James and Bottom of the Hudson - North Star Bar (Philadelphia, PA) - Saturday, July 8, 2006

19 July 2006

Touring behind their fantastic new album, Glaswegian twee-pop torchbearers CAMERA OBSCURA played a terrific, hour-long set.

Joe Jackson Trio - Town Hall (New York) - Thursday June 29, 2006

11 July 2006

JOE JACKSON is not only a legendary British singer-songwriter, but he was a resident of New York City for over twenty years.

Band of Horses @ Maxwells 6/17/06

Band of Horses with Mt. Egypt - Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ) - Saturday, June 17, 2006

30 June 2006

The chiming majesty of the BAND OF HORSES brand of indie-pop was definitely impressive in a live setting despite some setbacks.

iForward, Russia! @ Mercury Lounge 6/14/06

iForward, Russia! with Holy F*** - Mercury Lounge (New York) - Wednesday, June 14, 2006

28 June 2006

After listening to their debut album Give Me A Wall for months, I was expecting a sonic assault. And they didn’t disappoint.

Buzzcocks - Irving Plaza (New York) - Monday, June 12, 2006

26 June 2006

They went on at about 10:30, and by 11:45 or so it was all over. However, they were so loud, catchy, fun and intense that it still felt draining afterwards, in the best possible way.

Stiff Little Fingers @ TLA 6/10/06

Stiff Little Fingers - Theater of the Living Arts (Philadelphia) - Saturday, June 10, 2006

23 June 2006

Playing to an at-best half-full TLA, Irish punk legends STIFF LITTLE FINGERS still put on a blistering, high-energy show.

The Stills @ Maxwells 6/2/06

The Stills with Rogue Wave - Maxwells (Hoboken, NJ) - Friday, June 2, 2006

19 June 2006

I wish that the bill would be reversed, with ROGUE WAVE headlining, as should clearly be the case based on talent!

The Fall's banner @ Knitting Factory 6/1/06

The Fall with Safi Sniper and Vaz - Knitting Factory (New York) - Thursday, June 1, 2006

16 June 2006

Along with the band, MARK E. SMITH seemed in excellent form, enthusiastically mumbling and slurring his way through an hour-and-fifteen-minute performance.

Buzzcocks - HMV Oxford St. (London) - Tuesday, May 23, 2006

12 June 2006

These old warhorses charged ahead at full gale for roughly 45 minutes with their razor sharp attack as fierce as ever.

The Box Tops @ Toyota Arena West 5/27/06

The Box Tops with The Shadows of Knight - Toyota Arena West (York, PA) - Saturday, May 27, 2006

7 June 2006

Alongside the requisite hits they included unexpected surprises, like their version of Memphis standard “Green Onions.”

Heavy Trash - Paradiso (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) - Monday, May 29, 2006

4 June 2006

It was a rockabilly revival of religious proportions as the hip-swiveling prophet of HEAVY TRASH, JON SPENCER, testified his way to sweet salvation for the Dutch crowd.

Art Brut @ Sound Fix 5/22/06

Art Brut - Sound Fix (Brooklyn, NY) - Monday, May 22, 2006

2 June 2006

The place was full well beyond capacity, and it was almost impossible to move, let alone dance, but it didn’t matter.

Film School @ Maxwells 5/21/06

Film School with Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - Maxwell's (Hoboken, NJ) - Sunday, May 21, 2006

30 May 2006

FILM SCHOOL let out blasts of noise that would’ve made their early ‘90s influences proud, thus further clearing out the unfortunately already small crowd.

Elvis Costello with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra @ BAM 5/12/06

Elvis Costello with The Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra - Brooklyn Academy of Music (Brooklyn, NY) - Friday, May 12, 2006

26 May 2006

On this evening, the show started off with the orchestra performing about 35 minutes of music from Il Sogno. After that, Costello came out and sang for the remainder of the show.

Glenn Mercer in Hoboken 5/7/06

Glenn Mercer and Vinnie DeNunzio - Spring Arts and Music Festival (Hoboken, NJ) - Sunday, May 7, 2006

23 May 2006

Although it isn’t quite a reunion without BILL MILLION there, it was still great to hear GLENN MERCER and company tackle FEELIES classics.

Graham Parker @ Steel City Coffeehouse 4/29/06

Graham Parker - Steel City Cofeehouse (Phoenixville, PA) - Saturday, April 29, 2006

20 May 2006

Although I’m not old enough to have followed him throughout his 30-year career, this show was my 19th time seeing Parker play live since I first saw him play in 1996.

Mount Eerie with Jason Anderson, Thanksgiving and Feu Therese - First Unitarian Church (Philadelphia) - Tuesday, May 2, 2006

10 May 2006

Sometimes it seems like a fruitless exercise, because that night has happened. It’s over, done. It’ll never happen in the same way again.

Damon and Naomi @ Terrastock 4/22/06

Terrastock 2006 Report [Part II]

5 May 2006

The day started off with Terrastock mainstay TOM RAPP, a former member of ‘60s group PEARLS BEFORE SWINE.

Kinski @ Terrastock 4/21/06

Terrastock 2006 Report [Part I]

2 May 2006

“Terrastock is not an indie-rock A&R feeding frenzy. Bands and artists are there at the personal invitation of the organisers because we love their music.”

TV on the Radio with Celebration - Bowery Ballroom (New York) - Tuesday, April 18, 2006

27 April 2006

At times, it was almost like one beautiful, cascading, repetitive groove which just pulled us listeners into its vortex and didn’t let go.

The Fiery Furnaces - Bowery Ballroom (New York) - Wednesday, April 19, 2006

25 April 2006

Hitting the stage at roughly 10:00 PM, they opened with a jaw-dropping version of “Chris Michaels” from their 2004 tour-de-force Blueberry Boat.

The Harbor Lights with Pants Yell! and Brrr - Kensington South Forum (Philadelphia) - Monday, April 17, 2006

22 April 2006

This show was the final one of the duo’s existence, making it a bittersweet evening: a time to celebrate their music and say goodbye.

Editors - Webster Hall (New York) - March 30, 2006

22 April 2006

On record, Editors display songwriting chops out the wazoo, despite drawing inevitable (and lazy) comparisons to Interpol.

The Cult - Nokia Theatre (New York) - Sunday, March 26, 2006

21 April 2006

I was ecstatic to learn that the guys had decided on a whim to get together without the backing of an album and tour the USA.

Art Brut - Bowery Ballroom (New York) - Wednesday, April 5, 2006

20 April 2006

Since they’re continuing the tour behind their sole album Bang Bang Rock and Roll, most of the material played was from that album.

Voxtrot with Irving and Aloha - Mercury Lounge (New York) - Monday, April 10, 2006

16 April 2006

VOXTROT played a slightly abridged set, hampered by technical difficulties, that nevertheless cemented their status as one of the best up-and-coming bands in the country.

The Go! Team - Northsix (Brooklyn, NY) - Wednesday, March 22, 2006

6 April 2006

For the uninitiated, The Go! Team’s music encompasses everything from early ‘70s soul, old-school hip-hop and garage rock to modern-day electronica and indie-rock, all under one umbrella.

The Pogues with Towers of London - Nokia Theater (New York) - Sunday, March 19, 2006

3 April 2006

Playing their first US tour dates in over 15 years, THE POGUES tore through the last night of their four-night stand.

Craig Wedren with Joe Lally and Don Zientara - Sound Fix (Brooklyn, NY) - Sunday, March 19, 2006

1 April 2006

This show represented a trio of DC veterans more famous for their celebrated older work trying to break out of those boxes.

Belle and Sebastian @ Nokia Theater March 3, 2006

Belle and Sebastian with The New Pornographers - Nokia Theater (New York) - Friday, March 3, 2006

31 March 2006

They proved that their previous reputation as a shambling, inconsistent and awkward live band is well in the past and out of date.

Stereolab with Sam Prekop & Archer Prewitt - Town Hall (New York) - Saturday, March 18, 2006

29 March 2006

Backed by a gigantic screen projecting all sorts of weird, psychedelic images throughout their performance, the concert felt more like a ‘60s “happening.”

The Howling Hex featuring Neil Michael Haggerty with Philip Jenks - The Bottom of the Hill (San Francisco) - Saturday, March 18, 2006

28 March 2006

Though at times I wished they had mixed it up a little, ultimately, something made me stay, and it was the absolutely infectious sound—in short, the show rocked, giving new meaning to the maligned term “jam band.”

The Bats with The Mad Scene and Annie Hayden - Knitting Factory (New York) - Wednesday, March 15, 2006

27 March 2006

Playing their first New York club show in 13 years, New Zealand indie-pop quartet THE BATS was awe-inspiring.