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Menomena's third appearance here in Pittsburgh was their best so far. They were tight as usual, but the Moose Lodge's acoustics were fantastic. I was surprised at what a great venue that place is. Hopefully, it continues being a venue.
It was great seeing the trio from Portland again, and I wish them the very best. They deserve all the press they have been getting. I hope they make it back to Pittsburgh again and again.
Photo courtesy of Craig Biertempfel
Here are some upcoming shows in Pittsburgh. I'm going to as many as I can:
This year wasn't all that great for music in my opinion. Here are some of my favorites:
The Pink Mountaintops - Axis of Evol: I hope this band comes to Pittsburgh, but I'm not holding my breath.
The Black Angels - Passover: Stoner rock from Austin, TX. Impressive debut. They played here and I was out of town. Oh well.
Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit: Quite a nice rebound after a couple of subpar releases.
Band of Horses - Everything All the Time: They may sound a bit like My Morning Jacket, ok quite a bit, but I liked this album quite a bit.
The Figurines - Skeleton: This may have been my favorite album of the year.
TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain: Worst titled album, but the songs are great.
Man Man - Six Demon Bag: One of the most original albums I've heard in a while. I'm still kicking myself for missing them at the Brillobox.
Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon: Hooray for bands from Minnesota.
Built to Spill - You In Reverse: BTS is awesome all the time.
I do a lot of complaining about the lack of musical acts that play here in Pittsburgh. The sheer volume of bands that continue to skip over my fair city is very frustrating. I've lived here for three years and have grown accustomed to not going to see many live shows, but for two straight Fridays in September that will not be the case.
On Friday, September 22 Australia's own Wolfmother will grace the stage at Mr. Smalls. One week after that, on Friday, September 29, Built to Spill will return to Mr. Smalls after their April show was postponed due to medical reasons.
Mr. Smalls continues to be the only reputable venue in this area. Oh yeah, and Sonic Youth is playing there on August 29.
The psych-rock trio is now a quartet and the new album expands on the already big sound of this band. Happy New Year builds upon last year's underrated The Wedding. I look forward to seeing Oneida again at the 31st Street Pub on Friday, July 14th.
Enough of this baby stuff. The Man, Steven Seagal, is going to be playing some blues music at the Rex Theatre in the Southside on June 20th. Get your tickets now or you'll miss out on some serious kung fu blues action. Who says Pittsburgh's music scene sucks?
Just thought I'd let you know that the new Flaming Lips album, At War With the Mystics is an amazing album. I wish I could say the same for the new Secret Machines and the final Grandaddy album. They are both subpar in my opinion.
The new Built to Spill album You in Reverse is pretty damn good, even though the early leak I have includes a Who is Mike Jones? "watermark." Doug Martsch and the boys will be stopping by at Pittsburgh's only venue that can hold them, Mr. Small's. I'll have to sit this one out. Either my wife will be ready to drop or I'll have a fresh new baby kid. Parenthood already sucks! (Just kidding future offspring.)
I've been listening to a the debut full length album from Tapes 'n Tapes. I highly suggest checking out these guys from Minneapolis.
Listen to Cowbell from The Loon.
According to the indie rock news overlords at Pitchfork, one of my favorite bands is ending it all. Oh well, it happens. I had the pleasure of seeing Grandaddy in concert three times and they were great. I look forward to hearing their swan song album Just Like the Fambly Cat.
The Fiery Furnaces are going to be playng Mr. Small's on March 1st. I'm not sure if I should go or not. I guess it all depends on who I can get to go with me. Their newest album is unlistenable, but everything else they have released is spot on and they will be releasing a proper album sometime in the Spring. (Grandma not included.)
I've seen them before and they were fantastic. So who's in?
I've been letting the blog go down the tubes. Sorry, to the five of you that check out my site. I ask for some forgiveness and offer you an Mp3 off of the new Pink Mountaintops album Axis of Evol.
It is very good and you can thank me later.
Lord, Let Us Shine (Mp3 | 7.3 MB)
I found the first 2006 release that is worthy of a Niemster shout-out. Uh, yeah a "Niemster shout-out" is what I said. Oh well, forgive me.
Anyway, from the ashes of The Unicorns arises a new band called Islands. Their debut release is called Return to the Sea and it is a solid effort. Here's a primo track off the album:
Rough Gem | (Mp3 5.0 MB)
Here is a list of what I listened to quite a bit this past year, and in alphabetical order no less. Check out last year's list.
Architecture in Helsinki - In Case We Die - Bands with eight members create a lot of interesting layers.
Beck - Guero - Rock on with yer bad self.
Black Mountain - S/T - Stoner rock, for sure.
Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness - This DJ from Canada gets my seal of approval, even if he is Canadian.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - S/T - This was their self-released debut?!? Damn.
The Deadly Snakes - Porcella - These "garage rockers" take their sound to the next level. The attic? Seriously, this album rocks.
Decemberists - Picaresque - Songs about the sea? I'm sold.
LCD Soundsystem - S/T - "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" should be played at every party from here on out.
The Modey Lemon - The Curious City - Pittsburgh representin'.
My Morning Jacket - Z - These long hairs from Louisville are blowin' up.
The National - Alligator - This album is perfect.
Oneida - The Wedding - I got to see these guys play at Gooski's. Pretty sweet.
Spoon - Gimme Fiction - This band has yet to disappoint me. Thanks guys.
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois - I wasn't a huge fan of his prior work, but this album is amazing.
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary - Woah, these dudes are different. Hooray for originality!
I've been listening to a lot of Ween lately. Their new album is fantastic, except for a couple of very odd tracks. (Mainly, Israel.) That's fairly normal for a Ween album. They always throw in a couple of ultra-weird tracks just to keep the listener on their toes.
Anyway, I thought I'd share my favorite track off of their new album:
I Fell in Love Today (Mp3 | 4.8 MB)
Just found out about a much needed new venue in Pittsburgh. It is on Penn Ave. somewhere near Main St. I guess it has a bar and restaurant in it. It was formerly Penn Cafe Nooners and for a short time Zooty's. Not sure how big it is, but the Black Angels are playing there this Friday, and I'm not going to be able to make it.
The Black Angels (Austin, TX) currently only have an EP released at this time. Listen to Black Grease from their self-tilted debut.
Other upcoming shows that I dug up while surfing the ol' internet (Brillobox has no website, yet) are some Pittsburgh locals Dirty Faces and The Working Poor. Also, psych-pop vets Elf Power take the stage on November 16. Nice to see they are getting some national acts already.
Read the Pittsburgh City Paper article on this new space.
Well, I'm pretty surprised about this upcoming show. I know The National have played in Pittsburgh before, but I figured they'd routinely skip this city as do so many other acts. They will be playing at Club Cafe on Wednesday, November 2.
I had the pleasure of seeing them play in Chicago in September and their music has been in my heavy rotation ever since. (More so than prior to that show.) Their live show is spectacular and I encourage all ten readers of this blog to show up in force. That is all.
Update: Show was very good. Although, I was pretty tired.
I was a big fan of The Deadly Snakes last effort entitled Ode to Joy, but their new album is big step beyond their "garage rock" influences. Porcella finds the Toronto band expanding on their unique sound by incorporating a string section on some of the tracks. The Snakes were more ambitious for this album and the result is a fantastic achievement
Check out Gore Veil from Porcella.
Shows in Pittsburgh that I'm actually interested in are few and far between, but when Built to Spill scheduled a date at Mr. Small's passing on this show was not an option. Mr. Small's has become the lone venue in the Pittsburgh area that is somewhat repudiable. (One complaint: The restroom situation needs an overhaul.)
Built to Spill certainly did not disappoint. Not even warm pounders of PBR could dampen their set for me. I'm looking forward to their new release. Now scheduled for April of '06.
Had the pleasure of seeing two great bands that will probably never come to Pittsburgh. I was in Chicago last weekend and got to see The National (pictured) and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
CYHSY are currently riding a wave a hype that started back in the spring. I would contend that the publicity behind this band is well deserved and their debut album is fantastic. That being said, about 25% of the crowd at Schubas left after CYHSY finished their set. Big mistake. The National, who have yet to really catch a break with any sort of commercial success, put on a fantastic show. Their newest release, Alligator, is well worth a listen.
My wife was very upset that they didn't play her favorite tune from Alligator entitled Karen (Download it!). She gave them a big thumbs down on that alone.
I just saw a Sears commercial that used Stephen Malkmus' song "Phantasies." It was very odd. Not nearly as odd as Hummer using Ratatat in one of their commercials last year.
Let me start off by saying I am a huge fan of The Fiery Furnaces. Ok, with that said their new album is painfully bad. The whole grandma singing on the album just doesn't work out. The grandma experiment sounds like a good idea, but this album is way out in left field. Grandma may be a wonderful person, but her voice just rubs me the wrong way and the album just falls flat. Luckily, FF is following this release up with another one right quick.
The Icelandic super group is back with a new album titled Takk. They went all out coming up with something better than (). The atmospheric sound is as great as it ever was and the Hopelandic lyrics are unintelligible as ever. They will be touring the US in September hitting the usual cities of New York, LA, Chicago, and Durham (huh?).
Listen to Hoppipolla (Mp3 5.1 MB)
The new My Morning Jacket album, titled quite simply as Z, is fantastic. It is the perfect Summertime album, but unfortunately it is not going to be released until October.
For some reason, I have been late to jump on the MMJ bandwagon. I even missed them when they played a show in Pittsburgh last year. What was I thinking? I will not miss them if they play here again. Please send their manager some friendly requests for a tour date here in Pittsburgh. If all six of the people that visit this site email their manager, MMJ will be here in no time. No one can deny that kind of groundswell of support.
Pittsburgh's own The Modey Lemon have created an excellent new album. The album entitled The Curious City is due out late this summer. They are going to be playing some shows in Europe in the weeks to come and they are even opening up for Dinosaur Jr. Sweet!
Anyway, here's a track from The Curious City for your downloading pleasure:
Sleepwalkers (mp3 6.7 MB)
I love the new album from Brooklyn's Oneida. They are scheduled to play a show in Pittsburgh on August 6. The venue is yet to be determined, but considering Pittsburgh's lack of repudiable venues they'll probably play at a parking lot again.
Check out Lavender from The Wedding.
Ok,
enough with the Pope and Rosie O'Donnell. I'm moving on to more important things.
Like the new release by Architecture in Helsinki. Man, their new release is
really good.
Check out Frenchy, I'm Faking from In Case We Die.
One last thought on the movie Sin City. How could they not include AC/DC's song Sin City on the motion picture soundtrack? It must have been a simple oversight on their part. From the woefully underrated album Powerage, this Bon Scott era track would have given the movie a nice little touch between the scenes of blood and gore.
Listen to AC/DC's Sin City. Brian Johnson is no Bon Scott.
Stephen
Malkmus has gone completely solo for his third post-Pavement release. Face
the Truth is a bit of a departure from his other two "solo" efforts.
SM is left alone to experiment a little more and that shows through on the opening
track titled Pencil Rot. The experimentation isn't too drastic, but
it is definitely noticeable. After a few listens, it is clearly a Malkmus album
and if you enjoy Pavement and the other two SM efforts you will not be disappointed
with this album.
Release date May 24th on Matador Records
Mama (Mp3 - 5.8 MB)
Tracklist:
Pencil Rot
It Kills
I've Hardly Been
Freeze the Saints
Loud Cloud Crowd
No More Shoes
Mama
Kindling for the Master
Post Paint Boy
Baby C'mon
Malediction
This video of a live performance by the Norwegian group Hurra Torpedo is fantastic. Who knew "Total Eclipse of the Heart" would sound so good while a couple of guys pound on some stoves. Watch for a glimpse of a Scandinavian dude's ass.
(via: Dust Congress)
LCD
Soundsystem's debut album has been in my rotation for the last couple of
weeks.
Their video for "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" is pretty nifty. Check it out in Quicktime. It may take a while to download.
Just a prediction, but I think this will probably be the first single off of Gimme Fiction:
My Mathematical Mind - (Mp3 | 7.5 MB)
Spoon's
fifth LP was worth the wait.
Out May 10th on Merge Records.
Tracklist:
"There's an old saying from Texas— that says, miss Menomena once, shame on — shame on you. Miss Menomena— you can't miss Menomena again." -George Dubya
Portland
Oregon's rock trio will be gracing the stage at ModernFormations again on Monday,
March 7. Take this opportunity to see the future of rock in all it's glory.
They do not disappoint.
Check out more upcoming shows in my music section.
Here are my ten favorite albums of 2004 (in no particular order):
Guided By Voices - Half Smiles of the Decomposed: A fitting swan song for the "kings of lo-fi." Whatever that means?
The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat: Thirteen tracks spanning 74 minutes results in some interesting music that sounds nothing like anything I've heard before.
McLusky - The Difference Between Me And You Is That I'm Not On Fire: The title of this album is lovely. On some tracks the music is a bit more rockin' than I'm used to, but it is among my faves.
The Secret Machines - Now Here is Nowhere: Psych-rock at it's best. This three piece can make some noise.
The Walkmen - Bows and Arrows: Two tracks on this album almost made my year in music all by themselves.
The Arcade Fire - Funeral: As good as this album is, their live show is even better.
Air - Talkie Walkie: These frenchy guys know how to make a record.
The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike: Happy music makes me happy.
Menomena - I am the Fun Blame Monster: Ok, so this album originally came out in September of '03, but it's proper label release was September of '04. Fantastic!
The Ponys - Laced With Romance: I hate labels such as "garage rock," so I'll just say this band's debut rocked.
Worth mentioning (or, not-so honorable mentions): Baby Dayliner- High Hearts & Low Estates; Franz Ferdinand - s/t; The Faint - Wet From Birth; The Futureheads - s/t; The Joggers - Solid Guild; On!Air!Library! - s/t; Interpol - Antics; Luna - Rendezvous; Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine; Ratatat - s/t
Some '05 releases I'm looking forward to: Spoon, Mercury Rev, Stereo Total, Built to Spill, Menomena (maybe?), Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Fiery Furnaces, The Unicorns, and many more...
Since some of you brought up the senseless murder of "Dimebag," I thought you would like to know that he will be buried in an official Kiss casket. Thanks to the thoughtful donation by Gene Simmons.
Nothing classes up a funeral like a casket shaped like Gene Simmons' tongue.
It's not often that I go to a show with such high expectations, but Menomena's debut record set the bar pretty high. They certainly did not disappoint. Very impressive set by the three guys from Portland, Oregon. They certainly deserve your attention.
I've wanted to see this band live since I heard their album a year ago.
For Menomena Mp3s and other info, click here.
Found out this morning that the prog-art-rockers from Portland, OR are going to be stopping by in Pittsburgh on November 12 at ModernFormations. If you haven't listened to Menomena's I am the Fun Blame Monster, you are missing out on some serious style.
There are too many shows this week. I'm going to have to pick and choose.
The show was fantastic. $8 for four really good bands. The Harangue, from Pittsburgh, is a band that I've seen before. They have some promise and I hope they catch a break. Not sure if they have any music that is properly released. Next came Charles Bissell (of The Wrens). He put on a faboulous solo show. He's a very talented guitar player. White Magic played a nice subdued set.
The Fiery Furnaces played a very unpredictable show. They sliced and spliced their songs into an hour long set that was non-stop. Very entertaining and very different from their studio releases. I'm glad they came to Pittsburgh.
Funeral, The Arcade Fire's debut album, should be on the top of your list the next time you go to your local CD shop, or you can just buy it here.
Here are a couple of glowing reviews:
Also, they will bring their fantastic live show to the Garfield Artworks in Pittsburgh on November 15.
How lame has Van Halen become? Even bassist Michael Anthony can't bear to watch.
Well, it seems that shows in the Pittsburgh area have trouble going off without a hitch. The Modest Mouse show was no exception. The venue was a bit odd, but it definitely served its purpose. There were at least 5,000 people there to see MM. I guess that's what an MTV hit does for a band's career. Good for them.
Unfortunately, lead singer Isaac Brock had some flight problems en route to Pittsburgh so MM didn't go on until 11:00 pm. With the curfew being midnight, MM only played for an hour. Oh well. It was good while it lasted. The Walkmen played a good, but abbreviated set.
It was pretty funny to see Isaac Brock enter the Ice Garden with a entourage of Pennsylvania State Police. It looked like they were guarding the President.
I have uncovered some disturbing evidence that may shed some light on my friend Bob's secret life. The evidence points to the possibility that he may be doubling as retro lounge singer Baby Dayliner. Pictures below:
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Baby Dayliner |
Bob David |
The Fiery Furnaces released their second album this week, Blueberry Boat. It is 74 minutes of enjoyment and like nothing I've ever listened to before. I've been listening to this album for months now and I can't get it out of my regular rotation. Much to my surprise, I just found out that they are going to be playing in Pittsburgh on September 23rd at Modern Formations.
Great show last night. The attendance, again, was much less than these two talented bands deserved. Does anyone in this town promote shows at all? For some reason Elko Productions is satisified with low turnout. Hell, their website is circa 1996. At least advertise in the City Paper. Sorry for the mini-rant.
Arcade Fire opened with an impressive set which included a number of tunes off of their yet to be released album Funeral. I'm looking forward to hearing that album.
Not to be outdone, The Unicorns played a very energetic and rockin' set which ended a bit too soon. Oh well, I think it was club rules. They played about three or four songs that I wasn't familiar with, but they did indeed entertain. Also, looking forward to their next release.
Both the bands seem to be very nice and decent people. Thanks for coming to Pittsburgh.
Click image to enlarge
I
went to see Primus last night. It was
my third time seeing them live. People either love them or hate them, there's not much of a grey area with this band. I have been a big Primus fan
since I heard their second album Sailing the Seas of Cheese as a Freshman or
Sophomore in high school.
Primus' following has changed quite a bit since I first saw them back in '93. A lot of Deadheads and Phish fans were in attendance, but a contingent of metal fans were happily moshing in the front rows. I'm a bit too old for that so I stood back by the Deadheads in the huge clouds of pot smoke. On their current tour Primus is playing a set of old favorites and a set devoted entirely to their 1990 debut album Frizzle Fry (My personal favorite), which they played from beginning to end. The album includes a great anti-war track titled Too Many Puppies. Les Claypool is not only a great bass player, but he is an amazing lyricist. Some of his songs make political statements and some also tell the stories of the misfits and underdogs in our society.
Upon arriving I could not understand why there was a U.S. Army kiosk nestled in between a Copenhagen and Jack Daniels tent at the rear of the venue. Primus let it be known that they did not endorse the Army recruitment table. They then opened with Sgt. Baker, a crictical view of military service. Later in the show, Les Claypool mentioned that he had figured out what the kiosks in the back were for.
"I think they want you to do a couple of shots of Jack Daniels, fill your lip up with Copenhagen, join the Army, and then drive off in your Chevy truck." The crowd laughed and cheered as Primus broke into My Name is Mud. It was a great show.
Image courtesy of PrimusSucks.com
The Secret Machines made me forget about the sub-par show that I saw on Wednesday night. As a bonus, I was able to see VHS or Beta open, which was well worth the $12 admission.
The crowd was fairly small, but the talent and professionalism of The Secret Machines will surely lead them to bigger and better things.
VHS or Beta, was a pleasant surprise as the opener. Seeing a band live is great way to be introduced to their music.
I went to see Gomez last night. Sometimes it takes seeing a band live to figure out if you really like them or not. After seeing Gomez put on a 90+ minute show at Mr. Small's, I figured out that I really don't like Gomez all that much. The six man group put on a very energetic show, but their stage presence was a bit forced and contrived.
One of the six band members served as a pseudo-cheerleader and led the crowd in clapping excercises. It was like being at a pep rally. Prior to their last song, the cheerleader warned that they wouldn't be back to Pittsburgh if the crowd didn't dance enough. (Oh no!) If they make it back to Pittsburgh, I won't be taking part in the pep rally.
I'm looking forward to seeing The Secret Machines tonight at The World. I'm sure the performance will be head and shoulders above Gomez and there won't be a pom pom in sight.
Looking forward to the free Wilco show this Sunday (June 6, 7:30 @ Point State Park). It is part of the Three Rivers Arts Fest. Hopefully, they will play some new material off of their forthcoming album A Ghost in Born. The new album is great, by the way.
Went
and saw Ratatat last night and they were
fantastic. Unfortunately, their visual display was not visible to the crowd so I watched
the presentation on their portable DVD player, which served its purpose. The film with
the white Trans-Am was great. The two man group put on a very entertaining show
even though I'm not usually into instrumental acts. Looking forward to seeing
them again. (If they ever come back to Pittsburgh.)
I wish I took my camera.
Last night, I went to see The Strokes, they were good and I'm glad they stopped by in Pittsburgh, but dear lord the so-called Rock Club was a mess. Was this the first concert this venue ever organized? If not, it sure felt like it.
My night started off by waiting in line for a wristband so I could drink beer inside, as the opening band finished their song. Needless to say, my wife and I snagged the last two useless wristbands. Little did I know that the wristband was basically pointless. Upon entry, I noticed the giant line for beer, each tap had at least 15 to 20 people waiting. The temperature in the club was around 100 degrees, so I needed some kind of liquid to keep hydrated. I ventured over to a caged concession area and again I was greeted by a giant line for pop, water, and for some reason a plenitude of popcorn and giant pretzels. After waiting in this line for about ten minutes, I finally got to the counter. Behind the counter awaited two surly women and an elderly man that was on pretzel detail. Because everyone knows, when one's dripping with sweat and the temperature is surpassing 100 degrees, a giant pretzel is in order. Luckily, they were fully stocked up with pretzels, thanks to gummy Joe (who appropriately had no teeth).
It's important to note that for some reason, all of their pop was in 2-liter bottles and the servers, who worked at a snail's pace, didn't have the intelligence to pre-pour the beverages for the sweaty masses. So every time someone ordered a Pepsi, the server would slowly turn around, slowly unscrew the cap, slowly pour the beverage, and then slowly screw the cap back on, the word slowly can't be emphasized enough. I refused to pay $3 for a pop, so I ordered a water. The slo-mo woman behind the counter started to unscrew a bottled water and I told her that I didn't want it if it cost money. She didn't hear me and turned around with the $3 water in hand, it may have been her fastest pour of the night. She said it would be $3, so I lied and said I had no money and requested a tap water instead. With a look of disgust, she reverted to her slow ways, disgruntled, she served me some tap water.
After I received my tap water with hardly any ice, I decided to check out the beer lines again. On my way over, I started to talk to a couple of patrons that were clearly not pleased with the club at all. They informed me that if I wanted beer that I had to go get special tickets at the entrance, which would grant me access to two free beers. Unfortunately, the two guys I talked to discovered this after waiting in line for fifteen minutes. I gave up on the beer quest and decided to look for a decent place to watch the show, somewhere that wasn't too hot; if that was possible. The show started and after a couple of songs, my wife figured she would try to go get some beers. She came back with the news that they stop serving beer when the show starts. Good to know.
What a dump! I will never go back to The Rock Club again.
Believe it or not, there are actually a bunch of really good shows coming to Pittsburgh in the next month. Including, tonight's Strokes show.
The Walkmen are playing Pittsburgh tomorrow night. It may be their first visit to this fair city. Here are some photos from Saturday night's show.
Click image to enlarge.
Also, just found out that The Unicorns will be playing a to be determined venue in Pittsburgh on June 21. This show will surely be entertaining.
Posted by Matt Niemi at 