GOLDEN APPLES
The brainchild of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Russell Edling, Golden Apples is emblematic of Philly’s best alternative musical offerings, period. The tiny back room of Ortlieb’s was packed-in tight as the band* hit the stage and Edling, guitarist Mimi Gallagher (Definitely), drummer Pat Conaboy (I’m pretty sure), and a bassist (Google search and artist profile pages have failed me, but they were fucking awesome) dove in, creating a wall of sound that ranged from psychedelic, shoegazey sonic adventuring to post-punk riffage. Also, big props to whoever mixed the sound because the band not only sounded phenomenal in terms of their performance chops, but they felt about ten times bigger than the venue itself.
*Golden Apples is highly collaborative when functioning as a full live band and has mixed up its lineup over the years, so sincere apologies to the absolute talent being unnamed for this piece. Like so many Philly artists, there’s a rotating roster of shared talent, which in and of itself is something to celebrate about the scene
While Edling and co remained mostly mum in terms of banter, they let the music do the talking. The soft vocal delivery over deep, droning bass, big drums, and lead/rhythm guitar interplay evoked the sounds of earlier Swoon-era Silversun Pickups. There were power chords, effects-heavy guitar explosions, reverb-drenched echoes, and a knack for making each song feel like a complete journey on your very own personalized D&D campaign in search of some ancient relic of rock and roll arcane magic. It’s that sweet spot between the driving energy of rocking out and hypnotic melodies that force you to stare off into the night sky and contemplate the meaning of life.
The short version is that Golden Apples exceed their already stellar reputation as local superstars within our thriving community of alt-rock. Go see them.
WEIRD NIGHTMARE
Alex Edkins is the mastermind and sole official member of Weird Nightmare. So much so that I don’t have a clue who his touring bandmates are (another internet search fail, though it seems that they’re fellow Toronto-based scene collaborators).
The frontman of currently-on-hiatus hardcore Toronto punks METZ, Edkins is, in all sincerity, one of my top five living musical heroes. I could wax poetic about METZ forever, but this is about Weird Nightmare. So I’ll just say that METZ is unequivocally my favorite 21st-century band and I have an immensely favorable bias towards anything Edkins is involved in.
After rocking out at the merch stand in support of Golden Apples, Edkins and his bandmates did a quick soundcheck, I assume grabbed a round of beers upon briefly exiting the back venue room, and then quickly returned to hit the stage with immediate, palpable energy.
Mixing up a tight set between most recent LP release Hoopla (produced by Spoon’s Jim Eno), the self-titled debut, and various 7” single releases, Edkins and co brought the hype and never let up. The band’s sound rotates a sphere containing hints of Bad Religion, Husker Du, the early 90s pop-punk explosion, and the “softer” (this is an extremely relative term here) side of METZ (duh). Edkins' myriad influences have been on display for the entirety of his career, but he’s also a man who has pioneered such a specific and distinct sound that it’s hard to give any direct or immediate correlation to his would-be contemporaries. His influence has been felt on so many who followed - cited by the likes of IDLES, among others - much more than there’s any clear indication he’s borrowed anything. It’s part of why I connect so deeply with his musical output. The songwriting is an impressive mix between punk powerchords, pop-punk melodies, hardcore punk energy, and his howling vocals overlaying pleasant-sounding backing harmonies. With the relatively straightforward structuring of each song, it’s most impressive how there’s about a dozen differing genre tendencies working in tandem to create something so succinct, unmuddled, familiar, yet wholly unique.
The mystery-to-me touring guitarist was perhaps one of the most noteworthy fixtures of the evening. His wit was sharp and quick, and aside from being able to shred, he granted the crowd countless moments of levity between songs, most of which wouldn’t translate here in writing, but the highlights of which included “we exchange art for… approval” and “I hate my father… wait, why is that funny?” The loose theme was artistic creation and its purpose, modern-day commerce, a healthy dose of absurdism, and a tongue-in-cheek assurance that the band was helping usher in the new era of guitar-driven music making its comeback to the cultural forefront. Edkins, an equally charming banter-er, reflected, “I knew it was risky giving you a microphone...” Though I’d wager the risk paid off. Quality content right there.
As goofy as the chatter was, it was a small piece of what proved to be, simply put, an electrifying performance and excellent set. It’s hard to imagine seeing bands with such raw energy and dripping punk ethos in venues much bigger than this (or Johnny Brenda’s, MilkBoy, etc.). And while success always leads to bigger stages and warms my heart for all of these artists, I’ll always cherish the moments I got to see them in more intimate settings.
Whatever Edkins does next, whether a continuation of Weird Nightmare, a METZ reunion, or something else entirely, I’m there day one. For anyone unfamiliar with his body of work, I advise a deep-dive of research, listening, and tickets to the next gig.
On a personal aside, I got to meet Alex after the show, shake his hand, and thank him for all he does and hopefully continues to do. The first time I saw METZ was in my past life at Neumo’s in Seattle in 2015 on tour for their second record. He remembered the gig fondly and gave me a sincere thank you for repping the band with what is one of my favorite shirts in my collection of too-many band shirts:
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