Mandrake Project ‘Transitions’ CD Release Show

• Club Cafe
• Saturday, September 10, 2011
• Southside

Mandrake Project is a Pittsburgh based ‘conglomerate’ of over 30 transitional musicians that’s been playing since forming in 2002. The latest 8 piece configuration of…

• The Weepies
• Rex Theater
• Wednesday, August 31, 2011
• Southside

Shooting for WYEP, I really hadn’t heard that much from this band beforehand. It was kind of shocking that when I arrived there was a line of …

I was surprised how many people there were to see Justin play. Well, now that I think about it, why was I so surprised? He and his bassist Bryn Davies did sound really good. He mentioned that he wants his next record and subsequent tour will have a more…

Cool ‘preview’ of his set later that night at Smalls. There’s something about a dude with a guitar that can hold an audience’s rapt attention for a half hour or so. I have always noticed the few times I have seen him that ‘where’ he plays is almost as important as ‘how’ he plays. Seeing him in a room with 50 people is a totally different experience than seeing him perform outside to a crowd of a couple…

As the season comes to a close, I will remember my Summer of 2011 as the time I ‘rediscovered’ the brilliance of The Kinks. Absorbing their music courtesy of the incredible recently released deluxe reissues of their first six albums, there was a lot to discover. Making it easier was this exhaustive volume of anything and everything about the band. Using press…

First time seeing the band with the new line-up. Have to gush and say they sounded so great. It was also Carrie’s ‘Dirty Thirty’ at midnight. Hard to believe that when she was born, I already knew my wife for two years!…

I liked this local band. They were very lo-fi and well, dreamy. My only criticism is that their intensity level was steadfast and dronelike, which wasn’t bad…just ‘non-wavering’. That doesn’t make sense, does it? Yeah, I write a music blog…

I can’t say that I am an uber-fan of the group. I do like what I hear from them but it seems that with any ‘indie band’ I see anymore, there are some LOYAL fans. There were a lot of people at this show and although I don’t have an exact count,..

With only one more week left in our Summer ticket giveaway series, my friends at Drusky Entertainment are offering up a pair of passes for the rare…

Mike is a local singer-songwriter who is working on his debut full length to be released later this year. He just put out the lead single ‘All I See is You’ on iTunes and is celebrating this Sunday with a free full band show at the Hard Rock. He was nice enough to take some time to participate in this edition of First/Last Friday…

This band can really lay down that boogie-woogie, blues rock. I haven’t seen Hartwood this crowded in a long time. These free Summer shows cannot be beat. More photos here…

Having never seen Joseph play before, I was always curious how he was able to actually produce artwork during his concerts as he usually plays solo. One word-looping. He would strum a chord and hit a pedal and that would repeat as he played a riff, hit the pedal and so on and so on. I was actually digging it and would have definitely attended his evening show but had another gig to shoot. Art + Music = Love! Listen to the set here. More photos here…

The last time I saw Josh play by himself there were about eight people in attendance. This night there were several dozen times that many. What struck me during his set is that the vast outdoor audience were actually listening to …

Today my friends in Donora have announced a release date for their new record “Boyfriends, Girlfriends” (September 27th) and a date for the CD release show at The Rex (September 16th). AOL Spinner has just premiered a new video from the album track ‘The World is Ours’ here. If you look real close you can spot the entire HughShows clan throughout the mayhem…

Emily was interested in some full band promo photos and I was more than happy to oblige. I really loved the museum setting. Nothing like some cool artwork as a background. If you are in a band and would like to work together, feel free to contact me at manhugh1@comcast.net!..

As the summer ticket giveaway season is winding down, we aren’t going out with a whimper by any means. With only a few weeks left, today’s contest is for a co-headlining show that should be fantastic. The cool folks at Drusky Entertainment once again step up and are …

A few years ago, my brother told me to check out Pop Candy. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I would be visiting the USA Today blog daily ever since. It’s dedicated to what’s going on in the world of pop culture, or as the subtitle suggests, unwrapping it’s hip and hidden treasures. The site is somewhat addicting, mainly due…

For the last several visits to Pittsburgh, the band has been playing the Brillobox. Their inaugural stop at Club Cafe was a sell out. A STR only sell out. Listen, I have been to Club Cafe countless times over the years and have been noticing a strange trend as of late. Instead of standing five deep by the bar, which sucks for sure, patrons are nestling themselves around the foot of the stage for the show…

This was such a fantastic concert. The weather was beautiful, the price was right and most importantly, the band was smoking! Joe isn’t a flashy guitarist by any means but he and his band are so tight, they make it look effortless…