Cloaca Melodia

World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA ... Blondie was great, with the youthful 72-year-old Debbie Harry wearing a dress inscribed with "Stop F***ing the Planet" in glittery letters. I was amazed to get a chance to see Bash & Pop live, one of Tommy Stinson's bands after the breakup of The Replacements and before he joined Guns 'N Roses. I didn't expect he would reactivate Bash & Pop and play live. A really enjoyable set, and I had a chance to chat afterwards with a very tired Stinson. Greg Graffin (better known as the leader of Bad Religion) did a good set, and it was cool to see Judy Hyman of The Horseflies playing violin for Graffin. I had a brief conversation with Judy to catch up.  I know I saw Ani's set but I don't have much recollection of it several years later.   Blondie's Debbie Harry   Tommy Stinson with Bash & Pop   Greg Graffin   Blondie setlist: One Way or Another Fun Call Me Rapture Fragments Long Time Heart of Glass Too Much Dream...

World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA.... Newton Faulkner actually was the first artist on the bill, but we arrived late and missed him (I would catch him two weeks later at Bonnaroo ). I had dinner with the Irish band Bell X1 and got into a long and winding conversation with their drummer Tim O'Donovan, hence the tardiness. It was the first time I had seen Ani in concert (not counting an in-studio appearance at WYEP in June of '06 ) since 2003 . Frankly, I thought that she had a series of substandard albums and had less interest in seeing her live. When The Hold Steady took the stage, I was interested to note the striking, albeit not obvious, similarities between the band and Ani DiFranco. Both are rhythm- and lyric-oriented, rather than melody- or hook-driven, and each's lyrics can resemble beat poetry on the page.

Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ..... This show took place at the same day the U.S. began bombing Iraq, initiating the war. Very surreal, but it was great seeing Hamell perform at this venue. His song "Big as Life" (which I loved) uses Count Basie as a part of the lyrics..

Brookdale Gym, Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ sorry, Mike has not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!