My friends in the band asked if I was interested in coming over and hanging out while they practice? Erm, well, I have this…hell yeah! There is something so interesting to me about being in the room while a band works out tunes. Probably my favorite aspect of doing this blog is to get these kind of invites. They were shaping up the setlist for their big CD release gig this Saturday at Brillobox. As seems the case lately with these local release shows, it will probably be a sell out, so get there early. BTW, I have been lucky enough to hear the new record (which you get free at the show!) and it is quite fantastic. Some press here and here…

Man Your Horse are a self described “experimental, math rock, afro-beat trio ” hailing from up north in Vancouver, BC. They have just released a new EP called Shorts and are in the midst of a major North American tour to support it. They are super cool guys and roll through Pittsburgh tomorrow playing a their high energy set at the Moose for a no cover show.. Bassist Calum MacConnell was nice enough to participate in this midweek edition of First/Last…

Seeing Boca Chica live is a total crap shoot. Not if they are going to be good or not (which they were) but what configuration the band will be. There has been a drastic personnel change each and every time I have seen the band play. This particular line-up included members of The Harlan Twins, The Slow Reel, and The Central Plains backing up Hallie’s tunes with some muscle. This was the first night of a Midwest tour and save for a few inevitable rusty kinks, I thought they sounded spot-on…

It’s really been forever since I have seen the band play a proper show. The new tunes sound great and just makes me antsy for the sophomore album even more. This was a free show and it sure was crowded in there. My buddy had his own problems with the venue that night. Bummer…

Last week’s ticket giveaway kick-off was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who entered, I truly appreciate it. Congrats to Morgan B. who scored a pair of passes to The Summer Set and The Downtown Fiction show at The Altar Bar on July 29th.

This week you can win a pair of passes to the Elvis Costello show courtesy of Drusky Entertainment. As always, entering is really easy. Just email me at hughshows@comcast.net with the subject line ‘Elvis Costello’ and the name of the person in the message body who will bring I.D. to the show which will be good for two passes.This is an all ages event and sorry, parking is not included. The contest runs until Thursday June 9 and the winner will be randomly chosen and contacted Friday. Next Saturday a new contest will be announced. Good luck!…

Red Sammy are a band from Baltimore that describe their music as ‘Graveyard Country Rock‘. They are releasing a new album called “Cheaper Kind of Love Song” on June 12th. On the 8th they will be stopping in Pittsburgh to showcase the new songs. Adam Trice is the lead singer/songwriter in the band and he was nice enough to take some time to participate in this edition of First/Last Friday…

My third time seeing these guys and frankly, they get better each show. The love coming from the fans is palpable. These are down-to-earth dudes that deserve any and all success coming their way. Setlist and more here. Proper review here (with awesome photo, I might add). More pics here…

As a music blogger, I get a ton of emails from publicists asking to check out their band. Last year, a group from Ireland called Stand popped up on my radar and although I couldn’t make the gig, they were cool enough to send me some CD’s anyway. Fast forward to this year and I find out that they are playing Pittsburgh again with two favorite local bands to boot. It didn’t hurt that I actually dug the music they gave so it was a win-win for me. Word is they might be back in the fall and I’ll surely let you know if that happens…

As with previous months, I am attempting to focus on bands that might be under your radar. Attempted is the key word this month as a couple of these bands are somwewhat megastars in the indie music world…

If you want to technical, the first day of Summer is in late June. Let’s face, Memorial Day weekend is always a great time to celebrate the beginning the second best season of the year (I’m a Fall guy myself). Hands down one of the greatest aspects of Summer is the concerts. Nothing beats hanging out and partying to live music. With that in mind, and due the overwhelming demand from last year, my friends at Drusky Entertainment have once again stepped up and will be collaborating with yours truly to bring you weekly ticket giveaways every Saturday from now until Labor Day…

It’s a simple question. Who is your all time favorite band? For me, it takes me about two seconds to answer Camper Van Beethoven. I grew up with these guys and their musical sensibilities fit my tastes perfectly. I have been lucky enough to see them play four times. The show in 1989 still ranks as my favorite concert out of the thousands I have ever seen. It wasn’t the first time seeing them though. 25 years ago this October, they opened for R.E.M. at the Syria Mosque. They were totally…

Karl Hendricks Andy Warhol Museum Tuesday, May 3, 2011 Northside Just Karl and his guitar. The man is a Pittsburgh treasure.

Not everyday you see a guy with purple hair playing a tiny violin with a electric drill. Add some bubbles and a mess of scrungy dreads and you think this was ‘Shakedown Street’ at a Dead show in…

Even though they have been back to Pittsburgh numerous times, I haven’t seen the band play in over five years. That first concert will go down as THE least attended show I have ever been to. I still love the band, even as they veer away from ‘baroque rock’ to a more leaner sound. They sounded extremely tight at Smalls. Richard was way cool to …

Tristen and her guitarist were the opener but you could have fooled me. There were several people there specifically to see her play based on her recently released great album Charlatans at the Garden Gate. My only complaint was the fact that she was minus a full band for the show, which wasn’t a bad thing, just lacking a certain…oomph. Read a proper review of…

This book is basically what the title says. Technically covering sixty years, the book touches on all facets and genres of promoting rock music in England. Sections include Early Rock, the Mod Era, Psychedelia, Glam, Punk, Rave and current Retro styles. I also appreciate the author giving individual…

No one does rock and soul in Pittsburgh like my boys in Neighbours. Tomorrow night (5/20) the band is once again teaming up with their buddies in New Shouts to bring another fun filled dance party to Pittsburgh (Squirrel Hill to be exact). More info here…

The Twilight Singers Mr. Small’s Funhouse Saturday, May 14, 2011 Millvale Sometimes I feel incredibly unacquainted with many groups that I should know and don’t. A great example is the band The Afghan Whigs and Greg Dulli. My only exposure to them is a scene in a movie I dig called ‘Beautiful Girls‘ where they […]

This was my second time seeing Justin and even though he was good both times, I came away from the sets wondering what his intimate music would be like in a less ‘grandiose’ atmosphere. The grandeur of the Benedum and the vastness of Point State Park kinda swallowed the vibe for me. Thankfully, he is returning to the smaller stage…

The first time seeing a show at the ‘club’ portion of Stage AE. Only 25 or so other people were there to see that the stage was set up in the corner where the merch table usually is. I was amazed at the sparse attendance considering how great all…