As October draws to a close, Philadelphia seems full of concerts and happenings around the city. The Greg Mendez, Allegra Krieger, and Amelia Cry Til I Die show at Johnny Brenda’s was one of many that night, but the three talented singers were not ones you’d want to miss.
Opening up the show was West-Philly based songwriter Amelia Swain, who also drums in the acclaimed indie folk band Sadurn; at this show, she was performing with her project Amelia Cry Til I Die. Swain played with a five-piece band, which included her bandmate Tabitha Ahnert on bass, and guitarist Isaac Shalit from twangy west Philly band Soup Dreams. She was playing songs mainly from her 2022 record High On My Own Supply, and her personal and often sad lyrics are relatable and melancholy in the best way. The band’s dynamic was shifting from sparse and soft to loud and the audience was quiet and respectful of the musicians.
Amelia Cry Til I Die | photo by Jay Leiby for WXPN
Up next was Allegra Krieger, an indie folk singer from New York City, who released two great albums in the past twoyears, this year’s Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine and 2023’s I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane, on storied indie label Double Double Whammy. Allegra, Amelia and Greg were on tour together and between sets they all expressed heartfelt admiration for each other’s music. Amelia said she had Allegra’s tapes and liked to listen to them in her room. Allegra played with a guitarist and a drummer, who kept the balance between them as she played spare but beautiful guitar. They were very in sync. Her songwriting feels like storytelling, and she finished the set with the standout song “Nothing in This World Ever Stays Still.”
Allegra Krieger | photo by Jay Leiby for WXPN
Closing out the night was headliner Greg Mendez. It was an EP release show for him, First Time / Alone out that day on the major indie label Dead Oceans. Greg’s been playing shows in Philly for many years, but it’s been in the past two years or so that he’s received more attention — recently opening for Angel Olsen on a tour, for example — and rightfully so, his deceptively simple but ear-worm songs stick in your brain and his lyrics, often dealing with interpersonal relationships and topics like addiction, stand out too. Greg played with his partner V Mendez who was on bass for some songs, and sang as well. He played every song on the new brief four-song EP and many songs from his 2023 self-titled album. Since his songs are so short, typically a minute and a half to two minutes long, he played a lot of them and did not talk much between. He mainly just stressed how much he loved the openers’ music and was happy to be there. He played an encore for the nearly sold-out crowd, ending on “Hoping You’re Doing Okay.”
People in attendance who caught every act were lucky to watch such a stacked bill of up-andcoming songwriting talent; each artist is a standout in their own right. Check out more photos from the show below; Mendez and Kreiger continue tour tonight at Columbus, Ohio’s Rumba Cafe, full dates can be found here.