Having been out of the jamband scene for awhile now, I was experiencing a tad bit of Deja vu as I waited at will call for a confirmation for my photo pass. Heads walking up to the window in a party mood, all tie-dyed and excited for the show wondering what kind of unique setlist will the band pull out?…

The band Fanfarlo returns to Pittsburgh this weekend. Here’s a portrait I did of them when they first played the city in 2009. As fantastic as that gig was, I am expecting the latest to be just as memorable, if not more so. The comment on the art I remember was from Simon, who was happy but perplexed that I was so generous with the seemingly unattainable facial hair. I tried to explain I was more representing a shadow, five o’clock or not….

Karl Hendricks has been performing music in Pittsburgh since, well I am not the one to guess. Let’s just say for a long ass while now. He is undertaking a new endeavor that has me, as well as many countless grateful music fans in town happy as hell that he is. Word came late last year that Paul’s CDs in Bloomfield was closing shop. Almost instantaneously as that bummer news came, it was announced that the store would become …

I have been lucky enough to have seen Jennifer a few times over the years. She is stopping in Pittsburgh this Thursday at the Thunderbird to wrap up her current tour in celebration of her latest release ‘I Want What You Want’. She was nice enough to participate in this edition of First/Last…

It’s real quick in the beginning of the song. That’s me and my brother Jeff Collins in 1995…

“BIRDHAND is a rock n’ roll band from Santa Cruz, CA that formed in late 2010. Within a year, the group caught the attention of Bad Brains’ bassist, Darryl Jenifer. BIRDHAND went on to record a debut EP, which was produced by Jenifer and since, has shared stages with bands such as Bad Brains, Baths, Memoryhouse, Soft Pack, Judgment Day, and Bear Hands.”…

Another sellout gig from a band I can’t recall ever hearing of before. Either I’m getting old and out of touch, Smalls doesn’t hold as many people as I always thought (650?), a WYEP studio session generates mad interest, or people are craving for things to do on a Tuesday. Or the band is, you know, good? Pick your own answer. Want to see more photos? Of course you do. Click here…

I like Dr. Dog and have seen them twice before but I don’t LOVE them. Judging by the sellout crowd, I assume many people do. Again, they are good but nothing that has me standing in line an hour before doors to chill by the stage rail as some fans did. I am still waiting for THAT record from them. The one you hear for the first time and know it’s a killer release…

were kind enough to grant me access (thanks Gabriela, you rule!) to shoot the show last night. Arriving early, Randy and Dean were boss and allowed me to photograph them as they sound checked. Totally cool and down to earth dudes. Thanks fellas. As it was a school…

has been headlining these tours to promote acoustic music in a rock and roll vein. Collaborating with other musicians to stress ‘comraderie’, the tour hits Pittsburgh at the end of this month. Courtesy of the cool folks at Drusky Entertainment,I have two tickets to offer for the all ages show. To enter, you must follow me on Twitter @HughShows and retweet …

As I mentioned Friday, Built Like Alaska’s Autumnland was my favorite album release of…

How I stumbled upon his music kind of escapes me now. He fronts an unassuming band from of all places Oakdale, California. Maybe it was through Grandaddy. Or Earlimart. Or Dios Malos I heard of his music? Regardless, I discovered the band’s second album Autumnland and I was not only instantly hooked, I was contacting Neil to ask him not when but how fast he was going to play Pittsburgh. You see, back in the mid-Aughties, there weren’t blogs galore fighting for…

What made this night better than usual was that I was just excited to see openers Hacienda as much as headliners Heartless Bastards. I have seen them before and they did not disappoint. If you never heard of these guys, do yourself a favor and check them out. Cool dudes to boot!…

Unfortunately with the sheer amount of shows I shoot, it’s a very rare one that I am actually looking forward to seeing. Add the fact that my wife wanted to see the band as well and this show had epic written all over it (at least for me). The band did not disappoint…

I was asked to shoot this ‘secret’ show in the studio’s basement. I have always heard of pop punk legends Anti-Flag but never had the opportunity to actually ever see them play. I have to say, I dug their stuff but what really impressed by watching them being interviewed and spending a miniscule amount of time with them is how totally cool they are. Super nice dudes with awesome intentions. The intimate show was put…

I can’t tell you who much I love Band of Horses. I instantly went crazy for their first album. The second album was a grower for sure and the more I listen to it, it’s amazing. Then they release the third album…I’m done. So good. Maybe my favorite of that year? I’m gonna convince you?…

As the band record their second album, I will hopefully be popping by the studio at times to give yinz guys an account of the progress. Yesterday when I was there, Greg was laying down some organ/piano parts on a couple songs and although not the best..

“Montreal’s Intensive Care is an exchange between four musicians from Lebanon, the USA and Canada attempting to bridge the cultural gaps between themselves. They blend King Crimson-esque songwriting with a sound that is inherently modern and fondly informed by eclectic artists such as Grizzly Bear, Wolf Parade, Aimee Mann and Charles Mingus. They have just recorded their sophomore album with Jace Lasek (The Besnard Lakes, Wolf Parade, Suuns). It promises to be raw, explosive and uncompromisingly honest.”…

I thought this was fascinating. As I was leaving the Charles Bradley/Little Barrie gig, there was a crowd of extremely enthusiastic teens(?) gathered around on the street. I asked one of them what was up and he told me they just left the Mike Stud show at Diesel and were forced by the club to have their meet-n-greet outside (across the street from the club, no less). What really threw me off was the sheer joy these kids were having meeting this guy and taking pictures with him. These kids were seriously geeked to hang with him (or maybe they were all just Red-Bulled up, who knows?). Even though I had absolutely no clue who he was, it was cool to see the power of music has regardless of genre as well as the awesome way he treated his fans…

Talk about a fantastic show. I had my skepticism concerning an old R&B guy suddenly becoming popular with the indie hipsters and all (kind of still do) but man did he deliver the goods. The show precariously bordered on shtick at times which is O.K., the set was still fun as hell. For an extra added bonus, Little Barrie absolutely tore it up as openers with their fiery guitar blues/rock that didn’t let up from note one. Such a surprisingly great night of music…