May 29 2009
If Coldplay even makes it to Pittsburgh Saturday night for the opening of the Post-Gazette Pavilion season, what kind of shape will they be in?
Coldplay canceled its show Wednesday night in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., due to singer Chris Martin losing his voice. According to The Sun, "He has also been in agony after burning his arm on scorching hot electrical equipment backstage."
Saturday's show is the first one after that cancellation, so we'll have to see if he can bounce back.
And we'll have to stay tuned for the chance of a last-minute postponement.
The show has been bumped up to 7 p.m. with Howling Bells and Pete Yorn.
May 28 2009
How many rock critics does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Two: One to write a bloated review of the new Green Day record; one to fall and crack his ribs.
Unfortunately, the second one is me.
Went like this: Saturday night I left the Squirrel Hill Little League field and stopped at home before planning to head to the Arena to watch the Pens on the big screen. First, I decided to change the lightbulb on the front porch, using a wobbly IKEA stool. I succeeded in changing the lightbulb! Then the stool gave way and I flew up in the air, landing squarely on the wooden legs.
My 5-year-old, the only with me at the time, watched in horror as I crawled into the house gasping for air.
Anyway, would you believe the South Side Emergency Room doesn't have Versus? We had to get game reports from a worker there following it on the computer. Pens won!
So, now, for the soul-crushing pain, I'm on Percocet the last four days, which is a bipolar experience. Since this a music blog, I'll give you one highlight. Riding my 13-year-old son's bike down the Jail Trail Wednesday morning to work just after a dose shouting along to Rancid's "And Out Come the Wolves" on the iPod (I never said I was responsible).
I think that's my favorite of the '90s pop-punk records. Maybe even better than "Dookie." Sorry, Green Day.
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May 25 2009
Jay Bennett, a founding member of Wilco, died Sunday in Urbana, Ill., of unknown causes, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He was 45.
Bennett was working in a VCR repair shop in Champaign when he joined Wilco in 1994. He was with them until 2001, playing a big role in crafting the sound of the acclaimed albums "Being There," "Summerteeth" and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot."
His strained relations with leader Jeff Tweedy and departure from Wilco were captured in the 2002 documentary "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart."
Earlier this month, Bennett filed a lawsuit against Tweedy for breach of contract and unpaid artist's royalties, arguing that Bennett was never paid for his role in the film and that Tweedy "never obtained the necessary releases for the use of Bennett's performance in the film."
Bennett released five albums and toured as a solo artist after leaving Wilco.
May 22 2009
Bill Garrison, a cousin of fallen police officer Paul Sciullo, approached well-known Pittsburgh songwriter Bill Deasy to write a song in memory of Sciullo, Stephen Mayhle and Eric Kelly, who were shot on April 4 in Stanton Heights.
The result is "I'll Come to You," which likely will be performed Monday at the Fallen Heroes concert at the Amphitheatre at Station Square.
"It is a song of hope in the midst of despair," Garrison wrote. "A story of courage in the face of danger. A promise that every officer makes when he or she puts on the uniform -- to be there when we need them. That day in April will forever be etched on my soul and on the souls of thousands, as will the memory of my cousin, Paul, and his brothers and sisters in blue."
Here are the lyrics:
I'll Come to You
(Garrison/Deasy)
Life-size mother Mary
Watches from the yard
As he runs across the sidewalk
And jumps into his car
Darkness turns to daylight
His watch nearing its end
The peaceful morning shattered
By the senseless violence
Through the smoke the fallen hero says --
I believe in what I'm doing
I believe in who I am
I signed up for this danger
And I'm proud to take my stand
I will not rest my brothers
And my sisters dressed in blue
I will stay on guard forever
Just call, I'll come to you
Round the brothers and the sisters
The mothers and the dads
The children and the cousins
And the friends each of them had
The grieving city gathers
As hearts are opened wide
Streets washed clean by teardrops
The population cries
The heroes' words still echo through the skies
I believe in what I'm doing
I believe in who I am
I signed up for this danger
And I'm proud to take my stand
I will not rest my brothers
And my sisters dressed in blue
I will stay on guard forever
Just call, I'll come to you
Just remember the words
To protect and to serve
And believe in what you're doing
No matter what you face
Stand your ground through danger
With courage, strength and grace
Do not rest my brothers
And my sisters dressed in blue
Stay on guard forever
And when you call, I'll come to you
I'll come to you...
I will come to you
May 20 2009
I've seen Bruce Springsteen more than 20 times and still remember the Stanley Theater shows as my favorites, but Tuesday night's Mellon Arena concert is way up there.
I'm still floored that Springsteen covered "Like a Rolling Stone" -- and did it so magnificently.
As the Springsteen fan site backstreets.com pointed out, it was the "E Street Band's first-ever performance of the first Bob Dylan song Bruce ever heard. As he told it when inducting Dylan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, ‘I was in the car with my mother listening to WMCA and on came that snare shot that sounded like somebody'd kicked open the door to your mind.' "
According to Backstreets, it was requested last week in Albany, but we got the premiere. It appeared as though Springsteen had the lyrics on a teleprompter in the floor, because he was looking down for the first part of the song, but later into it, he had his eyes closed as he was singing it. Either way, it was phenomenal. I partly expected him to lapse into a Dylan parody, but he wisely resisted that urge, if he had it.
This morning I got an email from a woman named Michele, who had a hand in the request: "The ‘Like a Rolling Stone' request was from a woman my husband and I befriended [that] evening. She had two signs, and I helped her with the ‘Rolling Stone' one. The guys in front of me said ‘pass it up,' and when Bruce took the sign, I thought she was going to pass out. She is a die-hard Bruce fan and this was one of the many highlights in her career of following Bruce."
She made the night for a lot of us ...
May 14 2009
The release show for Anti-Flag's new record, "The People or the Gun," will be tightly packed, all-ages affair in the upstairs room at the Smiling Moose on the South Side on June 9.
Everyone entering will get a free copy of the CD, the Pittsburgh band's debut on Sideonedummy after two records with RCA. Those who thought the transfer of power between George W. Bush and Barack Obama would calm down the band's passion need only hear songs like "The Economy is Suffering ... Let it Die" and "You Are Fired (Take this Job, Ah [bleep] It)," which hit with more fury than anything they've done in years.
"We find ourselves as survivors of eight years of George W. Bush's reign with a celebrity hype vs. hope complex, and an immense amount of work to do," Justin Sane said in a statement. "These songs are just the beginning. It is not a song, a record, a T-shirt, or a band that changes and shapes the world. It's community and union. Our band writes songs to build community and union, to create awareness and preparedness for when the students and workers of the world push to level the playing field and bring equality."
Unlike "The Bright Lights of America," which was recorded in Kentucky with noted glam producer Tony Visconti, "The People or the Gun" was cut in the band's new studio in Pittsburgh, which might contribute to its more raw, urgent feel.
Opening the Moose show will be American Armada and The Catastrophe (featuring former members of Punchline). The show is at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and go on sale Saturday at noon. Go to www.ticketmaster.com or call 412-323-1919.
Anti-Flag? Ticketmaster? Oh well ...
As for the intimate venue, "Anti-Flag really wanted to make this as special of a show as possible, for fun... and nothing else," says Josh Bakaitus of Drusky Entertainment. "A chance to give back to their closest friends and fans. The last time AF played a room of equivalent size was when they recorded the live half of 'Mobilize' at the Mr. Roboto Project in December of 2001."
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May 13 2009
This is old news, but let's dredge it up anyway. A few days after the Super Bowl, Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune ran a blog stating that the E Street Band made use of recorded music at its Super Bowl halftime show:
The Super Bowl has routinely required performers to tape their performances in advance of the broadcast. The performers have the option to sing live, but are encouraged to use the backing track to avoid technical glitches.
"The Super Bowl performances are all on tape," said Hank Neuberger, a Grammy winning producer who is supervisor of the broadcast audio for the Grammy Awards telecast.
The E Street Band going through the motions? Huh? What?
Surprisingly, the story didn't go much beyond the blog and seemed to be pushed under the turf. But, interviewing E Street guitarist Nils Lofgren recently, I couldn't help but ask him about that contention. I was surprised to hear something other than a vigorous denial.
"Yeah, that's a tough one," he said, when I brought up the blog. "I was playing live the whole time. We rehearsed for days and kind of like... regularly ... it's a part of that TV thing. And this is the most extraordinary TV show I ever did. There were like 10 producers, all these huddles with management. As best as I can see, what I played live is what I heard on TV. I can't promise it wasn't something I played two days earlier, but it sure didn't look like it to me. That's one of the nice things about being in a band - I'm not the bandleader, so while all the mangers and people are trying to grab Bruce in a side room and have meetings, I just keep doing what I'm doing unless I'm asked to do something different."
Lofgren mentioned soundchecking in the rain and Bruce taking a spill off the stage. Then, he added, "We played those songs for 40 years. I've been in the band 25 years, so it looked like what we played to me."
Backroom meetings. Something that they played two days earlier... hmmm.
Whatever the case, it was a great halftime show and, hey, the Steelers won!
See the Sunday paper for the whole story on Nils.
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May 11 2009
Closing in on two years from the date of that canceled show at Carnegie Music Hall, the Decemberists are finally coming to Pittsburgh.
The Portland art-rock/indie band will play the Byham Theater on Friday, Aug. 14, as part of the CD Live! series (presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, WYEP and Three Rivers Arts Festival).
The 2007 show, which didn't happen due to illness, would have focused on "The Crane Wife" album. This time, the band is back with an even more narrative record, the rock-opera "The Hazards of Love," a bizarre fantasy about a girl who ventures into the wood in search of the shape-shifting forest beast who impregnated her, encountering an angry jealous forest queen and a kidnapping rake who's murdered his three children.
"This album is the apotheosis of my obsession with British folk songs," frontman Colin Meloy explains.
Tickets are $42.50 and go on sale Friday, May 15 at 9 a.m. at the Theater Square Box Office, online at pgharts.org and at 412-456-6666.
May 08 2009
Houston rock band Blue October turned into street buskers on East Carson Wednesday night when the Rex Theater was cleared out just before its set was to begin.
The fire chief shut down the show when the South Side club exceeded the capacity of 300.
The concert was originally to take place at Gravity in Cheswick, but promoter Joker Productions moved it to the more intimate Rex, based on ticket sales. Joker usually works out of Diesel across the street, but it was booked that night.
The fire chief, tipped off to the event, entered the club and stopped the show just before Blue October's set.
The crowd left somewhat unhappily, only to find Blue October set up to play an acoustic set on the corner of 17th Street.
A portion of that can be seen here.
The Rex will remain open for shows, including Kate Voegele on Saturday.
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May 06 2009
It all comes down to what you like, of course, but if you ask me, Allegheny County put the beat-down on the Three Rivers Arts Festival this summer.
The county lineup, announced today, lands three major alt-country acts that are all deliver live (Steve Earle, Son Volt, Old 97s). Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor is a beast, although it will be hard to know what to expect from him (any chance he'll play ‘Sticky Fingers' straight through?).
Luka Bloom is a great show for acoustic fans (my wife loves him), and Samantha Crain brings freak-folk intrigue to the table.
I don't follow jazz too closely, but Kevin Eubanks is a player. Foghat is just goofy, because Lonesome Dave Peverett is no longer with us, and the only original Foghat member is Roger Earl. Patty Smyth and Scandal? That's a funny one too.
Los Lobos is a great pick for the Blues Fest and there's no way Junior Walker's All-Star Band won't be stacked with people who can play.
Kudos to Larry Kuzmanko for booking what looks like a high quality and slightly unpredictable slate of free concerts. Just having Steve Earle puts it over the top.
***
Over the years, the Three Rivers Arts Festival has challenged, thrilled and spoiled us with the likes of Sonic Youth, Wilco, Patti Smith, the Eels, the Drive-By Truckers, the Avett Brothers, the New York Dolls and Lucinda Williams.
This summer, the Black Keys is a hot one and Booker T might be worth a trip Downtown, but I can't get that excited over Robert Randolph, The Wailers, Shemekia Copeland or any of the other national acts.
Again, a matter of taste.
Time and money were both short, but, I don't know, seems a bit like some weekend camping festival or the opening acts for Dave Matthews.
***
Here are the lineups:
HARTWOOD ACRES
June 7: Pittsburgh Opera
June 14: Hometown Music Fest with Tre Lads, Crossing Boundaries, Christian Trich Band, Triggers, Harlan Twins, Donora and Norm Nardini
June 21: Father's Day Tribute to Fallen Officers with Gator Country
June 28: Old 97s
July 4: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
July 12: Mick Taylor Band
July 19: TBA
July 24-26: 15th Annual Blues Festival with Los Lobos, Robert Cray and more. (various times)
Aug. 2: Patty Smyth and Scandal
Aug. 9: Son Volt
Aug. 16: BNY Mellon Jazz Concert Series with Kevin Eubanks
Aug. 20: Pittsburgh Ballet
Aug. 23: Duquesne Tamburitzans
Aug. 30: Movies in the Park (Sunset)
Sept. 6: 10th Annual Allegheny County Musical Festival with Rusted Root (donation)
SOUTH PARK
June 5: River City Brass Band
June 12: Porky Chedwick, Susie Q and the Wee Jams
June 19: Luka Bloom
June 26: The Stickers
July 5: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
July 10: Jr. Walker's All Star Band
July 17: Steve Earle
July 31: BNY Mellon Jazz Concert Series with Lao Tizer Band featuring Chieli Minucci & Karen Briggs
Aug. 7: Foghat
Aug. 14: Samantha Crain
Aug. 21: Joe Grushecky
Aug. 28: Movie in the Park
THREE RIVERS ARTS FESTIVAL
June 5: The Black Keys, Jessica Lea Mayfield
June 6: Medeski, Martin Wood, Zee Avi, The Wood Brothers (6:30 pm).
June 7: Trombone Shorty.
June 8: Formula 412.
June 9: Donora, Meeting of Important People and Apostle of Hustle
June 10: Toubab Krewe.
June 11: Booker T.
June 12: Robert Randolph and the Family Band.
June 13: Shemekia Copeland.
June 14: The Wailers.
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