• Machete Kisumontao
• The Shop
• Friday, July 1, 2011
• Bloomfield

Cool opening set to get the crowd in the mood for the highly anticipated live debut of…

• Those Darlins
• Brillobox
• Friday, June 17, 2011
• Larryville

So as the clock struck midnight and it was officially my birthday, Those Darlins ambled on stage and gave me the best present I could ask for. I,…

• Natural Child
• Brillobox
• Friday, June 17, 2011
• Larryville

Opening for fellow Nashvillians read more ➜

• Triggers
• Arsenal Lanes
• Wednesday, June 29, 2011
• Larryville

Thanks to my calendar app on my phone, I was surprised to see that Triggers was playing in Lawrenceville as I was leaving a shoot on the Northside. I decided …

• Nik & The Central Plains
• The Smiling Moose
• Thursday, May 12, 2011
• Southside

I recently gushed about the…

• Ursa Major
• Brillobox
• Friday, June 17, 2011
• Larryville

Ursa Major are a band from Pittsburgh that are doing their own thing their way, which I admire greatly. They are …

• Treasures of the Beatles
• Terry Borrows
• Carlton Books
• 2009

While there have been countless books published on arguably the greatest band in popular music, none is quite as unique as this one. Presenting artifacts and reproduced …

• 1, 2, 3
• The Shop
• Friday, July 1, 2011
• Bloomfield

This show was a blast. With free beer flowing, everybody seemed to be psyched to be finally seeing the live Pittsburgh debut of 1,2,3 for their…

• Peter Frampton
• Trib Total Media Amphitheater

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

• Station Square

Frampton Comes Alive came out 35 years ago. To celebrate the milestone of the iconic live album, Frampton is playing the album in full on this tour…

• 1, 2, 3
• The Shop
• Friday, July 1, 2011
• Bloomfield

If you read and believe the hype surrounding these guys, they are the new band to put Pittsburgh music on the map. Whether or not that is the case is to be determined…

Nik and the Central Plains-Walk on Beaches Nik and the band released this in April and I only picked it up at his show last May. I was blown away how good this was. Maybe it was because I probably heard all the songs live many times or that it is a more cohesive ‘band’ sounding album than his debut but whatever the reason, I love this record. If you live in Pittsburgh and haven’t heard it, pick it up at any of his shows or online here…

I was able to catch the tail end of their set and what struck me was the vast differences in style between each tune. Some were rockin’, some authentically Celtic, and some very folky stuff happening. They have been a band for almost 20 years and they were super nice dudes to me, which I believe goes such a long way. I would catch them again in a minute…

Misty and Nick are singer-songwriters who have shared the stage many times. They are collaborating on a project they are calling ‘Clyde’ named for a “deep, quiet shadow of Central Texas between Eula and Abeline on Highway 20” and bringing their show to Pittsburgh this weekend. Also on the bill will be The Wandering Bears from Iowa and local stalwarts Brewer’s Row. Misty and Nick were cool enough to participate in this edition of First/Last…

Second time seeing Joe and the compliment of a couple other musicians was a welcome addition to his folk tunes. It’s not that I don’t dig solo acoustic, it’s just my preference is having a little variety in the set which Joe pulled off perfectly on this night. His solo songs in the near the end of the show contrasted with the other songs to have an even greater impact. I have also never seen a more earnest guy performing than Joe. Really nice to see him getting a following as evidence with the packed house…

I was very much surprised how good this show was. I am embarrassingly not at all familiar with his enormous catalogue but the songs were great and the vaudevillian format was unique and fun. Another review/setlist here. More photos here and here…

I love this band. The quote of the night came from Cindy to Brian, “You trying to look like Chet Vincent?” Brian’s deadpan response, “No, Mark Knopfler.” Classic. Listen to the set here. More photos here…

While it seemed everyone in town was gooned to go see Devo play, I had no intention of missing this band. Why, you might ask? It so happens that Daniel Lanois’ debut solo release was the very first CD I ever bought. It’s still one of my favorite underrated discs of all time and I wasn’t passing up the chance to hear his new group. Turns out they combine his trademark atmospheric arrangements with a little bit of blues rock. I, along with the other old heads in the audience, were definitely digging it…

The last time I saw Social D was back in 1991 opening for Neil Young. Twenty years later, the band sounded fantastic and way more melodic than I anticipated. Christening the outdoor component of Stage AE, the crowd ate up everything the band delivered, which was solid rock and roll. Another review here…

We’re going all ‘indie’ this week with the giveaway. Cut Copy are a synthpop band hailing from Australia. They are supporting their new album ‘Zonoscope’ and headed to Pittsburgh next month. Opening the show will be none other than local upstarts 1,2,3 Band (who will be featured in this Friday’s First/Last segment)…

Tonight’s concert features local faves Big Hurry, Jukebox The Ghost, Fitz and the Tantrums and Eli “Paperboy” Reed. The kid’s and craft areas have been expanded from previous years and it all starts at 4p.m. with music at 6. Two of the musicians, Tommy from JTG and Eli were cool enough to participate in this special SMF edition of First/Last Friday…