Huddled under the Bacardi House Stage’s tent as rain thundered down outside, I met a pair of dudes who drove all the way to New York City from Michigan – a 12-hour, one-way journey. And here I thought my two-hour ride on the Bolt Bus and hour on the A train was a lengthy trip. It’s not hard to understand what drove them to drive part-way across the country to spend three whole days walking around on an island in the middle of the East River: Governors Ball. The festival’s lineup featured some of the biggest names in music including the Strokes, Beck and Kanye West. So it was heartbreaking when the final day of the festival was cancelled due to threat of thunderstorms, leaving thousands (including my Michigan pals) disappointed.

Having one day of a music festival cancelled is always devastating, particularly when the day stricken from the schedule clearly had the best lineup. Whitney, Chvrches, Two Door Cinema Club, Cold War Kids, Vince Staples, Death Cab for Cutie, Courtney Barnett and Kanye West were all on the docket for Sunday, June 5. Alas, thunderstorms and thousands of people on  island with limited points of egress is not a good combination.

Thanks to the threat of Ultralightning Beams, I have one-third less work to do, so maybe it’s not all bad. Friday was my favorite of the two days. The weather was great and the music even better. I saw Father John Misty in the afternoon and he put on a real Rock n’ Roll Performance he did. Feeding off the energy from the massive crowd before him, FJM ran through the hits from both of his albums. On those albums he comes off as more of a demur singer-songwriter but once he hits the stage FJM turns into a rock n’ roll star. Whether the whole act is an ironic take on rock performances or not, FJM is a real wild man. He jumped off the drum set, briefly climbed the stage scaffolding, threw himself into the crowd and broke three mic stands by my count. It was a real sight to see.

Jamie xx was the can’t-miss set of the day for me and he did not disappoint. The lights were unreal. There was a disco ball. He played “Loud Places.” People were dancing. People were crying. The latter might have just been me. He seamlessly moved from track to track, switching between nameless house beats to crowd favorite tracks from his album “In Colour.” It was an incredible performance.

Capping off the Friday festivities was the Strokes. The group has played sparingly over the course of the past few years, but with the release of their EP “Future Present Past” right before Gov Ball, fans were clamoring to hear them play. They did not disappoint. With a setlist spanning their entire discography as well as their latest material, the Strokes showed why they are seen as one of the best bands of the 2000s. They played little played songs from “Is This It” like “Soma” and “Alone Together” and even dropped “You Only Live Once” for the encore.

Saturday was arguably the weakest lineup of the weekend, but a quick check of my iPhone weather app showed me that there would be some pleasant weather to check out some new acts. Wrong. Halfway through Miguel’s sensual set, the heavens opened up and rain began to come down in a torrential fashion. Soon everyone began to head for cover, mainly to the aforementioned Bacardi House Stage tent. Being packed in like sardines for the techno-y group “Purity Ring” was less than ideal but their song “Begin Again” really brought down the house. Finally, as the rains cleared the Killers took to the main stage. They paraded through the hits, reminding everyone that they still have their place as one of the biggest bands on the scene, as long as they avoid playing everything from their last album “Battle Born” that is. They surprised everyone with a solid cover of the great Interpol track “Obstacle 1,” and even played a new song during the encore. Frontman Brandon Flowers was in his element, riling up the Gov Ball crowd and leading everyone in massive sing-a-longs to tracks like “Human” and “All These Things I’ve Done.”

Saturday would have been a solid warm-up for the tremendous Sunday lineup, but unfortunately that day never came. There’s always next year! If you have a chance to make it out to Randall’s Island and Governors Ball, I highly recommend you take it – rain or shine.

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Photo: Shane O’Connor, The Triangle

Seeing a band before they get big and famous and well-known is the ultimate social currency in music circles. One of my friends saw Mac DeMarco in a University of Pennsylvania frat house a few years back and will not let me forget it. So those of us who attended Hinds’ show at Union Transfer June 13 should be readying our “I was there” lines when these four chicas from Madrid break out once and for all.

Hinds alone was enough to get me to head over to Union Transfer but the two openers, Sun Club and Joy Again, made me run on over there on the toute suite. Joy Again is a six-piece from Philadelphia. They only have two songs on Bandcamp but boy are they a great couple of tracks. “Looking Out for You” and “How You Feel” have been two of my favorite songs of this year and it was great to hear them live. With some great basslines, a half-assed Weezer cover and a guy who plays nothing but the tambourine, Joy Again are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

During Joy Again’s set, a few people next to me noticed that the girls from Hinds were just casually chilling in the crowd. It was super neat. When’s the last time the headliner watched the opener from the crowd? Never, that’s the last time. Once Sun Club took the stage, the four Hinds ladies were front and center cheering on their friends from Baltimore, Maryland. It’s hard to describe the type of music Sun Club plays. There’s snazzy guitar lines, synthy sounds, distorted vocals and a whole lot of drums. And while I don’t think I understood a single word anyone in the band sang, it’s hard to not be awestruck by a band giving their all up there on stage. Songs like “Language Juice” and “Tropicoller Lease” get even more kinetic and visceral live and it’s incredible to see.

Finally it was time for the main event: Hinds. The venue wasn’t very crowded but everyone headed to the front as soon as the lights dropped at the girls from Madrid when they took the stage. The group consists of Carlotta Cosials and Ana Garcia Perrote on guitars and vocals, Ade Martin on bass and Amber Grimbergen on drums. The chemistry between the band is tremendous. They’re all smiling and having a good time while rocking out to tracks like “San Diego” and “Fat Calmed Kiddos.” Their debut album “Leave Me Alone” is one of the best records of 2016 and hearing tracks from it live was an extraordinary experience. For me it wasn’t hard to single out my favorite song of the night, “Easy.” Featuring an awesome guitar line from Perrote, the song got everyone movin’ and groovin’. Hinds’ brand of lo-fi-ish garage rock is really accessible and the shared vocal duties by Cosials and Perrote give the band a really great and unique sound that is unmatched on the music scene today.

Hinds played a shortened version of “Garden” that they planned to play on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” the following night, June 14. They’ve been selling out shows all over the world and after making their late night debut they might be able to establish themselves in the U.S. once and for all. The encore was short but sweet. There was the serene instrumental “Solar Gap” followed by a song I didn’t recognize. Plenty of better fans in the crowd than I recognized it and took the opportunity to hop on stage with the band to dance and sing along. Soon the guys from Sun Club hopped on stage too and we had a real dance party on our hands. It was a great way to end a night of great performances.

Photo: Shane O’Connor, The Triangle

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Photo: Shane O’Connor, The Triangle

It’s hard to forget the massive blizzard that dumped more than two feet of snow on Philadelphia back in January. Schools were closed, states of emergency were declared and, most importantly, a Guster concert was cancelled.

It wasn’t all bad though. Thanks to the snow, Guster got stranded in Pittsburgh and put on the now semi-famous Dumpster Set that fans, and the mayor of Pittsburgh, loved. Finally on June 16 it was time for Guster to make their long-awaited return to Philadelphia, a city the band seems pretty fond of. Returning for the first time since their spectacular two-night Guster Weekend stop last April, Guster put on a real special show at the Fillmore in Fishtown.

After an opening set by the Shelters, fans of all ages began clamoring for some Guster action. With 25 years of live performance experience under their belt, Guster’s audience has people from all walks of life. From the super old, to the kind-of-old, to the relatively young-ish, somehow the band’s music has transcended time and space to remain popular even a quarter of a century since their start back at Tufts University.

Guster opened with “What You Wish For” from national treasure of an album “Lost and Gone Forever,” and soon followed it up with the absolute banger “Barrel of a Gun.” Just when I thought there wasn’t a better way to start a Guster show, they played my favorite track from “Easy Wonderful,” “Architects and Engineers.” Besides fitting in well in the soundtrack of the Ryan Miller scored film “Safety Not Guaranteed,” that song is great for blasting in your Prius while driving down suburban roads on your way to high school in the morning.

“Come Downstairs and Say Hello” was as super duper as ever. It never fails to amaze me just how great that song is live. It is one of those songs that makes concerts worth going to in the first place. Then, frontman Ryan Miller introduced a trio of horn players who accompanied the band on some deeper cuts: “Dear Valentine,” “That’s No Way to Get to Heaven” and “Red Oyster Cult.” The latter sounded incredible with the live horns there. Every band should tour with horn players! Guster, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, everybody!

Thanks to some petitioning by Rosenworcel, the guys dug back into the archives to play “Mona Lisa” from their debut album “Parachute.” Then they whipped out another cult hit, “Airport Song.” While the album version from “Goldfly” was chock full of angst, the version Guster played at the Fillmore had a more dance-y vibe with Miller doing some snazzy work on bass. One lady in the front row unloaded a salvo of four or five ping pong balls on to the stage at the end of the song, as per some unwritten Guster custom, created decades ago by the O.G. Guster fans.

Guster employed some real encore shenanigans, rightfully poking fun at the dumb process of waiting off stage until the required amount of clapping has been achieved. All the band members took turns on each instrument before they played the designated encore songs. Always great to see the Thundergod on bass and Miller gleefully playing behind the drum kit.

After the underrated “Long Night” from their latest album “Evermotion,” Guster played a pair of songs from “Easy Wonderful,” and then closed with the truly epic “Fa Fa.” The horn playing dudes returned to help end the show with a bang. Then in true Philly fashion, Miller told the crowd to boo as they left the stage and then the band would come out for one last encore.

Needless to say, the crowd was up to the task.

But even as Miller jokingly flipped off the Fillmore crowd when Guster took the stage one last time, everyone couldn’t help but break into applause. Rosenworcel, Gardner, Miller and Luke Reynolds gathered at the foot of the stage to play “Jesus on the Radio” sans-microphones. It’s a magical moment when a thousand plus people are all singing along and maybe even trying to do it in tune.

Guster never fails to disappoint and the crowds never fail to fill up whatever venue they come to in Philly. Though that blizzard pushed the show back almost six whole months, Guster was well worth the wait.

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Photo: Shane O’Connor, The Triangle

It is safe to say that the secret is out about Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett. Last year she released what would become one of the best albums of the year, “Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit,” with relatively little fanfare. Over time buzz surrounding her grew as sites like Grantland and Pitchfork brought Barnett into the music spotlight. Now Barnett and her two bandmates are among the hottest commodities on the scene. As a part of her latest North American tour, Barnett played a great show to a jam-packed Electric Factory May 26.

Standing amidst the throng of fans on the Electric Factory floor, it was hard to imagine that Barnett played the much smaller Union Transfer around this time last year. At the time, Barnett had looked at the crowd amazed saying, “This is the largest crowd we’ve ever played to.”  Little did we know that in less than a year’s time she’d be selling out venues three times that size!

There was a roar of applause as Barnett, bassist Bones Sloane and drummer Dave Mudie took the stage and launched right into “Dead Fox,” a catchy track from her breakthrough album. Barnett had a sweet audiovisual and light setup with a massive projection screen behind the stage displaying all sorts of neat animated videos. The projector would douse Barnett and company in all sorts of cool colors in addition to the swirling house lights. I wish more bands would put more effort into their lighting. It can add so much to the performance. On the epic “Kim’s Caravan,” right as Barnett began her big guitar solo strobe lights started going off like crazy making everyone on stage look like they were moving in slow motion. It was so cool.

It was great to see a number of Barnett’s older songs make an appearance. The old staple “History Eraser” has been replaced by tracks like “Out of the Woodwork” and “Are You Looking After Yourself?” A lot of fans might only be familiar with Barnett’s last album but her early stuff is just as strong. “Avant Gardener” the song that put Barnett on the map and it not disappoint as closer to Barnett’s set. There were also some new tracks that Barnett has released including “Three Packs a Day” and “Pickles From the Jar.”

While it was great to see older tracks, the setlist construction was weird to me. “Pedestrian at Best” has been a bit overplayed since Barnett made it big but it still kicks enough ass live that it deserves better than being buried in the middle of the set. And now “Nobody Really Cares if You Don’t Go to the Party” has been promoted to the encore closing song. You know – the Big Closer. It felt weird in that spot. It’s a great track in its own right but I don’t know if it has the muscle to properly end a show. I know that I am nitpicking but the concert lacked momentum, the ebbs clearly outnumbering the flows.

When I saw her at Union Transfer, Barnett was jamming across the stage and getting down on her knees to get as much feedback as she could from her amps. During the show May 26 moments like those were few and far between. While she has plenty of great slower songs with the verbose and clever lyrics, I wanted to see Barnett the rock n’ roller and it just seemed like she was having a hard time getting to that place in front of the docile Electric Factory crowd.

While Barnett put on a show whose quality surpasses most acts that come through Philly, I kept waiting for that transcendent moment where you can’t quite comprehend what you are seeing and your mind gets blown all over the wall. Unfortunately that moment never came for me and I was left wanting a little more.

Photo: Shane O’Connor, The Triangle

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Photo: Shane O’Connor, The Triangle

Bands go their separate ways. It’s just a fact of life. I was able to see one of the great bands of the ‘aughts, the Walkmen, play their first last show ever at Union Transfer three years ago and I’ve been keeping tabs on the band’s members ever since. Guess I’m trying to rekindle the magic that the Walkmen created by catching glimpses of each of the member’s solo acts. Anyway, it was in the extremely intimate Black Box of Underground Arts June 1 that I saw ex-Walkmen Hamilton Leithauser and Paul Maroon put on a splendid two-man performance.

People were scattered about the couches and little tables placed around the Underground Arts’ Black Box, a side room off of the main venue space. Everyone stayed put as opener the Jackfields played their set. But after Leithauser and Maroon took the stage everyone (maybe 40 in total) snuck up towards the duo.

Leithauser opened up with “5 AM,” a song from his debut solo album “Black Hours.” It was great to hear a familiar track right up front because I knew the rest of the set would likely consist of songs from Leithauser and Maroon’s latest collaborative album, “Dear God.” I had not been able to listen to “Dear God” and what I had heard did not impress me much. Though it was a very cursory listen, I found the arrangements very sparse, uninviting even. But after hearing the songs in person I have come around a bit.

Songs like “Proud Irene,” “Annie’s Going to Sing Her Song,” and “How and Why?” were a treat live. Leithauser’s vocals and Maroon’s musicianship are incredible to witness in person. Leithauser looks like he is ready to break in half sometimes when he rears back to deliver some of his lyrics. He gets right up on his toes and croons in a very visceral fashion, something well-suited to a Callowhill basement instead of an old-timey lounge. It was neat to hear Leithauser cover “All of Nothing at All” by Sinatra; a rock star covering the Sultan of Swoon. Leithauser introduced Maroon as his “one man band” and he certainly lived up to the billing. Armed with a baby grand piano, Fender Jaguar and a weathered old amp, Maroon supplied some great backing music. On the title track from “Dear God,” Maroon showed off his piano chops at Leithauser’s behest, which delighted the crowd.

A couple of songs in, Leithauser announced he is releasing a second album, with a full rock n’ roll backing band, this September. It was great to hear that Leithauser was getting back to his roots. He even debuted a song from the album, “The Bride’s Dad,” which had a little more giddy-up than the tracks from “Dear God.” Keep your eyes peeled for that record come September.

It’s cool to be a part of a very small crowd asking for an encore because there is the slightest fear that the small amount of applause you can muster might not be enough. But my fear was unfounded as Leithauser and Maroon came out to play just one more song, “11 O’Clock Friday Night” from “Black Hours.” It is a great, great song that features Maroon playing the song’s marimba part on guitar and then ripping off a sweet solo to end the song.

Two-fifths of the Walkmen put on a great show in the intimate Black Box. I’m sure they’d rather be referred to as solo artists at this point but it’s hard to separate them from where they came from. It’s interesting to see the different paths the Walkmen have taken on their solo journeys. Leithauser and Maroon have decided to make the journey together and we are all off better because of it.

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It was an all-Chicago affair at South Broad’s Boot and Saddle May 20. Jimmy Whispers and Ne-Hi opened the show for Twin Peaks, who are touring fresh off the release of their new album “Down in Heaven.” In front of a lively sold-out crowd, Twin Peaks put on an insanely good set that was over far too soon.

Twin Peaks is a band that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to rock n’ roll and I love them for it. Their first two releases, “Sunken” and “Wild Onion” are filled with energetic, raucous tracks that you can’t help but jump around and sing along with. “Down in Heaven” tones things down just bit but channels some old-school classic rock vibes somewhat reminiscent of the Rolling Stones in the late ’60s. After doing some thorough research on YouTube, I saw just how great Twin Peaks’ live performances are. Walking into the tight back room of Boot and Saddle, my expectations were high and the Twin Peaks dudes from Chicago did not disappoint.

The sold-out crowd went bananas as the lights dropped and Twin Peaks launched right into “Butterfly,” one of the best songs from their new album. They followed that up with “I Found a New Way,” which really got the crowd pumped. Only a few seconds into the song, the crowd had already begun jumping and moshing, having a good ol’ time. The best part was that the band looked like they were having just as good a time on stage, something you don’t see too often. Guitarists Clay Frankel and Cadien Lake James were electric on stage, jumping around and strumming like men possessed. The crowd fed off their energy, screaming out lyrics and bouncing off each other like pinballs.

The band splits vocal duties across Frankel, Lake James and bassist Jack Dolan. Interestingly, each has lead vocal duties on some of the band’s best songs: Frankel with “Making Breakfast,” Lake James with “Telephone” and Dolan on “Boomers.” New addition to the band, Colin Croom (on keyboards and guitar) contributed on the mic during a lot of the songs from the new album including songs such as, “Walk to the One You Love” and “Wanted You.”

Though their set did not breach the hour mark, the Twin Peaks left it all on stage. It’s tough because their songs are so short, often lasting a little over two-three minutes. Tracks like “Stand in the Sand” and “Fade Away” whipped the crowd into a momentary frenzy, before ending as abruptly as they started. Each song was fleeting but extraordinarily performed all the same. Twin Peaks never took their foot off the gas, sparingly stopping for tuning and some light crowd banter. They must have ripped through 15 or more songs in the course of 40 minutes. It was an exhilarating ride.

Twin Peaks has to be one of the best bands touring these days. They are playing some of the best rock n’ roll around and it was a treat to see them in such an intimate venue. Next time they come through Philly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in a much bigger room. Though their set was brief, Twin Peaks played every song you could want to hear from them. Keep an eye out for this band because their career is nowhere near its peak.

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Thousands will flock to Randall’s Island in New York City June 3-5 for the Governor’s Ball Music Festival. The festival was launched in 2011 and it has grown into one of the premier music events in North America, right up there with the likes of Coachella, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. The lineups of past Gov Balls have been stellar and this year is no different. With the Strokes, the Killers and Kanye West headlining this year’s festival, Gov Ball 2016 is the perfect way to kick off the summer.

Aside from the main headliners, the Gov Ball lineup is riddled with household names on the music scene. Let’s take a look at some of these acts on each day of the festival.

Friday’s acts on the main stage, the Gov Ball NYC Stage, Of Monsters and Men, Beck and the Strokes will be playing for the masses. Who knows if Of Monsters and Men’s folky, Icelandic indie music will translate well to such a large stage but I know that the Strokes will surely bring down the house. One of the can’t-miss acts on Friday is Jamie xx on the Bacardi House Stage. After his debut album “In Colour” debuted last summer, Jamie xx has become one of the most in-demand DJs in the world. Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to jive during his set. The Big Apple Stage plays host to two great acts: Bully and Father John Misty. Bully might not be on your radar but they should be soon. They released “Feels Like” in 2015 and have risen to the top of the alt-punk rock scene. Check out “Trying,” one of the best songs of last year. Father John Misty put on some of the most entertaining sets of last year’s summer festival circuit and it’ll be interesting if he ups the ante on Randall’s Island June 3.

Saturday’s lineup has a few more niche artists than the other two days of the festival. The main stage is home to great acts like Catfish and the Bottlemen, Lord Huron, Haim and the Killers. Bassist-extraordinaire Thundercat will be playing on the Bacardi House Stage. Check out his grooves which influenced Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” last year. Don’t sleep on the Strokes’ guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.’s solo act. His latest album, “Momentary Masters,” was one of the most underrated albums of last year. Finally, M83 released their seventh studio album “Junk” back in April. They are playing at the same time as the Killers which is going to make it a difficult choice!

Sunday’s lineup is the crown of the entire festival. If you can make it out to one day of the festival weekend, make it June 5. Cold War Kids, Chvrches, Two Door Cinema Club and Kanye West will be on the Gov Ball NYC Stage. All respect to Kanye but I thought Two Door Cinema Club disappeared forever so it will be great to see them back in action. For rap fans, Vince Staples and Joey Badass will be on the Honda Stage. Death Cab for Cutie will be on that stage too but they are playing at the same time as Kanye, which might leave them with a small, intimate crowd! Please for the love of god, don’t miss Courtney Barnett on the Big Apple Stage Sunday afternoon. The Australian garage-rocker puts on one of the best rock n’ roll acts you’ll ever see and her album “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit,” was among the best last year.

Governor’s Ball is a great time if you don’t mind mingling with the masses and finding somewhere to stay in the Big Apple. For those of us on the East Coast who don’t want to venture out to California or Tennessee for other festivals, look no further — Randall’s Island beckons.

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People gave me a lot of quizzical looks when I told them I was headed to Underground Arts to see a band called “Car Seat Headrest.” Hey I get it — when I first heard that band name I practically scoffed; just another indie band, another Pitchfork-darling in waiting, I thought. They’ll probably be nothing more than a band with a weird name.

Oh boy, what a dummy I was.

Car Seat Headrest’s latest album “Teens of Denial” is one of the best releases so far this year and the show they put on at Underground Arts May 22 was among the best I’ve seen of late.

Will Toledo recorded more than 10 albums by himself starting in 2010 and released them on Bandcamp under the moniker Car Seat Headrest. Toledo recorded everything himself on his laptop, including the vocals which he would record in the back seat of his parent’s car by singing them to the headrest in front of him. Quite the band name origin story. Toledo signed to Matador Records in 2015, releasing the quasi-Car Seat Headrest greatest hits album “Teens of Style” that year.

“Teens of Denial” is the first album in which Car Seat Headrest has recorded all brand new songs in studio. On it, Toledo and company have shed their lo-fi sound and instead show off some of the best indie rock I have heard in a while. Toledo sing-talks through some dense lyrics while guitars thrum in the background. Known for some long, epic tracks, “Teens of Denial” does not disappoint with tracks like “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales” and “The Ballad of the Costa Concordia.” Toledo and company step on the gas right out of the gate with “Fill in the Blank” and rarely lets up during the album’s nice, 69 minute run-time.

Soon after opener Twin Pines left the stage, the four members of Car Seat Headrest took the stage, casually setting up their instruments. Toledo tuned up his black Fender Stratocaster and casually started playing the “Way Down” solo after the rest of his bandmates left the stage. Donning skinny jeans and a windbreaker, Toledo isn’t your typical rock band frontman. But when the rest of the band joined him back onstage and then launched into “Cosmic Hero,” he turned into this cool, calm and collected guitar hero who could shred and sing with ease.

As whole, the four-piece group sounded outstanding. Andrew Katz was rock solid on drums and made good use of his mic to banter with the crowd in between songs. Ethan Ives took over a lot of guitar and vocal responsibility and was playing out of his mind over on the side of the stage. Together, Car Seat Headrest played a real tight show, which Toledo noted during the encore, “Whatever you heard about our show last night [in New York City], we are playing way better tonight.”

It was interesting to see two stalwarts of the journalistic world in the front row of the Underground Arts’ crowd: CSN Philly’s Reuben Frank and the Triangle’s own Billy “The Writer” Bauer. The concert goers were surprisingly tame. I was losing my mind during the banger that is “Fill in the Blank” and then again during “Unforgiving Girl (She’s Not An)” but I didn’t have to worry about some random dude shoving me around. It was splendid.

The encore was incredible. After a nice, slower song played by just Toledo and Ives, the guys launched into one of my favorite songs on “Teens of Denial,” “Destroyed by Hippie Powers.” Then just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, Ives started to play the opening guitar part to “Vincent,” another standout track from the new album. The refrain features this great back and forth between Toledo and Ives while Katz flails away on the drums. As if “Vincent” by itself was not enough, Car Seat Headrest gave the Underground Arts crowd something special towards the end of “Vincent,” a cover of Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android.” Woo boy, it was great. Guitar solos left and right, everyone in the crowd was loving it.

Car Seat Headrest rocked the Underground Arts May 22. They knocked it out of the park with their “first” real studio album on Matador, “Teens of Denial.” Although Toledo is just 24 years old, he has a ton of experience and material under his belt. Now that he has a great group of guys to play with, the sky’s the limit. No longer singing to the back of car seat headrests, Toledo has moved firmly into the driver’s seat.

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The fifth episode of season six “Game of Thrones” aired on Sunday, May 22, marking the midseason on the wildly popular series. Now that we are at the halfway point, let’s take a look back at what we’ve seen so far in Westeros (we’ll save Daenerys and Arya for another time) and what it means for the future of the show and the wars to come. Beware: Spoilers Ahead.

After all the confusion and anger that followed the last episode of season five, the question has finally been answered: Jon Snow lives! (Yet remains a little dead and gloomy on the inside, but what’s new?) The brooding Lord Commander was revived by the Lady Melisandre in the second episode of the season, cruelly keeping fans waiting an entire week and most of an episode to discover his fate. Rightfully, one of his first actions as the risen Lord Commander was to deal with the mutineers, including Olly and Alliser Thorne. With his last words, Thorne forced Snow to ponder over the kind of life he will live as a formerly dead man, never reaching the end of his fate. After these words, Snow declared his watch over and ended his service as a man of the Night’s Watch. (Which is technically okay since he served until his death, right?) At first, this left me confused about his future in the show. I had hoped that he would live, head to Winterfell and take it back from the Boltons, but he can’t do it alone. Luckily, soon after, Sansa Stark arrived to the wall with Brienne and Podrick. With two of the Starks reunited, especially with a legitimate Stark child, there is a better chance of rallying northern families against the Boltons. Also, the one survivor of the Red Wedding appears to be making a comeback this season. Catelyn Stark’s uncle, Brynden Tully, is rallying a Tully army that might be able assist Sansa and Jon. This is discussed after a letter is sent from the Boltons demanding that Sansa be sent back to them, before something happens to a Stark we have not seen for a while…

Back at Winterfell, Ramsey Bolton murdered his father, Roose, after learning that he will have a legitimate son to take the throne. Then, perhaps as an homage to his creepy dog kennel ex-girlfriend, he had his stepmother and stepbrother ripped apart by the dogs. And to top it off, guess who arrived to Winterfell, into the clutches of this madman? Rickon, Osha and the dead body of Shaggydog are delivered to Ramsey and as we know, Ramsey takes only what he can use. By episode five, Rickon is the only one left alive as a bargaining chip. I think there is a huge possibility of a three Stark reunion when Jon and Sansa rally an army to take back Winterfell and save Rickon in the first war to come, but this show loves to prove me wrong, so fingers crossed.

Another conflict to look forward to: Cersei and the Sparrows. This part has not been heavily touched upon, but it is clear that something must be done about the radical religious group that has taken over King’s Landing. The humiliated the Queen Mother, and now are threatening to do the same to Queen Margaery. In a conversation between the Lannister twins, Olenna Tyrell and Kevan Lannister (head of the Kingsguard) it looked like the Tyrells will be sending over an army to take King’s Landing back from the Sparrows. One popular theory suggests that the Tyrells will keep control of King’s Landing and will become the ruling family, much like the Lannisters took power from the Targaryens. Personally, I am completely fine with the possibility. The decline of the Lannisters has been long coming, and it looks as if they have just been holding on to whatever scraps of power they have for dear life. The Tyrells have for long been a looming presence and have proven, with their stronger army and more provisions, the ability to ‘serve the realm’ better, but again, “Game of Thrones” loves crazy third options that nobody expects but suddenly make a lot of sense, so one can only hope.

The Iron Islands is a GOT location we have not explored much, but this season is about to change all of that. Back in Theon’s homeland, his father has just been murdered by his crazy Uncle Euron Greyjoy. Apparently, Euron has been travelling the world and was driven mad by a storm that he met on his travels. Now he returns to the Iron Islands with aspirations to take the Salt Throne, travel to Essos, marry Daenerys Targaryen, then return to Westeros and rule the entire realm… good luck with that, Euron. Theon has returned to his homeland and pledges his support for his sister Yara to take the Salt Throne, however during the trial for the throne, Euron arrives and mocks the siblings, lowering their claim to the throne and humiliating them. Euron is crowned king after a bizarre drowning ritual and Yara and Theon flee the Iron Islands with a fleet of ships.

This is bound to make it more difficult for Euron to attempt to sail to Essos, but by episode five he has commanded the people of the Iron Island to immediately build more ships. We are left to wonder where Yara and Theon will go with their navy. I hope that they will be able to get involved with Jon Snow’s efforts to claim Winterfell, but honestly anything is better than Euron’s plan. He’ll be dragon food as soon as he sets foot on Essos.

Now for the most abstract war to come: Winter. What is winter? Where is it coming from? Well, for a few seasons it has become obvious that winter is not only the coming of the season and the intense cold and misery that threatens the realm, but also the coming of the white walkers. In the saddest episode of the season, and perhaps the most emotionally gripping episode in the show’s history, we learn the origin of the white walkers, as well as our dear beloved friend, Hodor. In episode five, “The Doors,” Bran gets a little too comfortable with his ability to walk through time or “greensee.” After finding out that the Children of the forest (the little tree humans) created the white walkers to protect themselves against the first men (humans, who were destroying their trees… typical), he looks for more information and uses his greensight without his teacher, the Three-Eyed Raven. In his vision he sees an army of white walkers. They appear to not be able to see him, so he walks through the crowd, like an idiot. Sorry, but under no circumstances would I, or any other rational person, feel it is appropriate to frolic among the dead ice zombies. The Night’s King, or the creepy snow demon that seems to rule over the white walkers, appears behind Bran and marks him, and suddenly all the white walkers can see him. Bran wakes up and sees that he is marked in real life, and this is when it gets extremely sad, extremely fast.

The Three Eyed Raven notes that this mark means that the Night’s King can find him and enter the formerly protected cave. In a hurry, he tries to give Bran a little How To Be A Three-Eyed Raven crash course and greensees with him for the last time. In this vision, he is back at Winterfell, when Hodor, or Wyllis (as we discovered earlier in the season) was just a boy. Meanwhile, in real time, the white walkers, wights (normal zombies), and the Night’s King have arrived at the Three-Eyed Raven’s cave and begun their attack. Meera, Hodor, Summer and Bran must escape. Summer and the Three-Eyed Raven are killed by the wights, and Bran’s consciousness remains in the past. Meera and Hodor manage to get Bran out through a backdoor, though the wights are right behind it pushing and trying to get through to attack them. Meera orders Hodor to “Hold The Door” (hint, hint), which young Wyllis hears through Bran in the past. Fans are left to do a little guess work here, but the main idea is that within the greensight, Bran wargs into past Hodor, which causes him to witness his own death while holding the door. Past Hodor hears Meera yelling “Hold the Door” and repeats it in his seizure. The resulting brain damaged caused this phrase to be the last thing that he can say, abbreviated to “Hodor.” HOld the DoOR. HODOR.

This heartbreaking revelation reveals a few things. First, time travel is now possible and Bran can directly affect things that happen in the past. This means that if Bran wanted to, he could warn his father of his season one death, or perhaps tell his mother about the Red Wedding, though this would never happen. Bran has also learned about the consequences of his actions. Though it was necessary for Wyllis to become Hodor, Bran has managed to reduce a man’s entire existence down to a phrase, so I’m pretty sure Bran will be extra careful the next time. Next, the white walkers will forever know where Bran is. The walkers seem to have a little beef with the Three-Eyed Raven and since Bran is the new one, and he has been marked, I’m sure the Night’s King will be after Bran whenever he can. Third, Winter is most definitely here. If the battle at Hardhome in season five wasn’t enough to tell you, this episode most definitely is.

I was a bit disappointed by the first four episodes of season six. They seemed to drag on and the happiness of the Stark resurrection and reunion were making me a bit skeptical, but episode five brought back the twisted “Game of Thrones” we know and love. I’m looking forward to seeing how different characters will play a part in the wars to come.

The post Midway through Season Six, GOT ‘holds the door’ open for major conflict appeared first on The Triangle.

Photo: Shane O’Connor, The Triangle

I have seen Dr. Dog perform live five times. That is a lot of times. A lot of people may wonder what kind of magical appeal the band must have in order to get me to keep coming back again and again. It’s hard to put a finger on, exactly. It just happens that Dr. Dog is one of those rare bands that operates on a whole other level as soon as they hit the stage. During the final show of their “Psychedelic Swamp” tour at the Fillmore April 16, Dr. Dog let it all hang out and reaffirmed why I will try to see them any and every time they come back home to Philadelphia.

Speedy Ortiz opened up for Dr. Dog and I have no clue how their set went because I was busy watching the Flyers game (c’mon it’s the ‘yoffs, baby). I’m sure it was both well and good. They had neat t-shirts on sale. Check ‘em out on the band’s website! I’ve never listened to one of Speedy Ortiz’s songs and likely never will after missing this opportunity to see them.

Dr. Dog came on at around half past nine and eschewed their typical opening songs in favor of the trio of “The Beach,” “That Old Black Hole” and “Distant Light.” It was bonkers. This would set the tone for the evening as the band only played one song (“Bring My Baby Back”) from their latest album, “Psychedelic Swamp.”

It’s a testament to either Dr. Dog’s extensive discography, or my laziness in listening to it all, that I always seem to hear a song or two for the first time when I see them live. At this show, it was “Phenomenon” off “B-Room,” a nice song in its own right. I then went from being in the dark song-wise to hearing the song that got me into Dr. Dog in the first place, “Shadow People.” It’s definitely one of their best tunes and it’s hard to beat singing out the opening line “The rain is falling, it’s after dark,” with 2000 other people.

Towards the end of their set, Dr. Dog shifted into greatest hit mode and it was freakin’ insane. “Shame Shame” transformed from a laid-back jam into an all out banger that had the added benefit of “Shame, shame” sounding a lot like “Shane, Shane” over the venue’s speakers. Dr. Dog didn’t take their foot off of the gas as they played “How Long Must I Wait?,” “These Days,” and “Heavy Light” back-to-back-to-back. Then, when you thought things couldn’t get any better, drummer Eric Slick’s father emerged with an acoustic guitar and the band launched right into “Heart It Races.”

After all those top-notch songs in a row, I nearly keeled over. But I’m a pro, a Dr. Dog veteran: I knew the encore was going to be bananas.

They kicked off the encore with “The Truth,” my favorite track from “B-Room,” before taking some requests from the audience. I fought the temptation to blitz my way to the front in an attempt to make requests at back to back shows. It didn’t matter though, because the first request was all I wanted, “Say Something,” from “Easy Beat.” Go ahead and take a break from reading this to give that song a listen, I can wait.

Pretty good right? After that gem, another person requested “Nellie,” another great song. Then, the band closed with “Oh No” and “Wake Up.” It’s hard to beat “Easy Beat,” as it turns out. As fans headed for the doors, I was astounded about how good Dr. Dog was yet again. They are one of the best live acts this city has to offer and you’d be making a poor choice not to see them the next time they come home for a show.

The post Dr. Dog plays yet another killer show at the Fillmore appeared first on The Triangle.