May you find peace tonight, Pittsburgh.
Arlo Aldo is Jessica Hoffman (Viola/Vocals) and David Manchester (Guitar/Vocals)
First song, Maoz Tzur translated:
- Rock of Ages let our song,
- Praise thy saving power;
- Thou amidst the raging foes,
- Wast our sheltering tower.
Furiously they assailed us,
- But Thine arm availed us
- And Thy word broke their sword,
- When our own strength failed us.
- And Thy word broke their sword,
- When our own strength failed us.
Second song, Oseh Shalom translated:
- He who makes peace in His high places,
- May He make peace for us,
- And for all Israel,
- Let us say, Amen.
Arlo Aldo at The Wilderness Recording Studio presents HughShows Live @ Eide’s on Saturday, April 12th, 2014 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Arlo Aldo CD Release Show Brillobox
Saturday, November 2, 2013 Larryville
“Arlo Aldo is the new music project by Kadman creator, David Manchester. Teaming up with Ariel Nieland on vocals and keys and Brandon Forbes on drums, the group brings a unique and gorgeous twist on modern American alt-folk. The mellow, intimate songwriting for which David is known mix with lilting harmonies, finger-picked guitar, subtle percussion and cathedral-like organ to provide a music experience somewhere in the nexus of Low, Dirty Three & Jason Molina.”
Check out the band at it’s official Website, Facebook and ReverbNation. They are celebrating their debut release, “Selie“, this Saturday night at Brillobox with my pals in the Emily Rodgers Band and Sleep Experiments along for support. My thanks to David Manchester (Vocals/Guitar), Brandon Forbes (Percussion), Ariel Nieland (Vocals/Keys/Bells/Melodica) and Susanna Meyer (Vocals/Bass) for taking a few minutes to participate in this edition of First/Last.
- The first album you ever bought?
- David: Primus, “Sailing the Seas of Cheese”.
- Brandon: “Ace of Base, “The Sign”.
- Ariel: Paula Abdul’s Forever Your Girl” on cassette, obviously.
- Susanna: Amy Grant, “Heart in Motion”, the tape.
- David: Andrew Bird’s “Hands of Glory”, but I did just put in my preorder for Retribution Gospel Choir, “3”.
- Brandon: WIld Nothing, “Nocturne”.
- Ariel: Grizzly Bear’s “Shields” and Menomena’s “Mom”.
- Susanna: Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, “The Harrow and the Harvest”.
- Favorite album of all time?
- David: I don’t know if I can limit this to just one. Anything in the Low catalog between “Secret Name” and “Drums and Guns”. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billie’s “I See a Darkness”, Cotton Jones’ “Paranoid Caccoon” and Yo La Tengo, “I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One”.
- Brandon: An impossible question to answer. Somewhere between The Beatles’ “White Album”, Weezer’s “Blue Album”, Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and any Radiohead album, excluding “Pablo Honey”.
- Ariel: Elliott Smith, “Either/Or”.
- Susanna: “Crosby, Stills, and Nash” (self-titled).
- Least favorite/most disappointing album?
- David: Sun Kil Moon. Anything past “Ghosts of the Great Highway”. Really, Mark Kozelek in general after that. I think he just stopped trying. I think a lot of people may disagree with me on that, though.
- Brandon: There are plenty of disappointing albums out there. I was really bummed about Damien Jurado’s “Maraqopa” from 2012.
- Ariel: Hmmmm, nothing coming to mind.
- Susanna: Most recently disappointing, Grizzly Bear’s “Shields”. First concert attended?
- David: I can’t remember if it was Soul Asylum/Screaming Trees/Spin Doctors or The Toasters and Dance Hall Crashers as part of Ska Night at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. Both were circa 1993.
- Brandon: Sandy Patti, live at Thompson Bowling Arena in Knoxville TN, circa 1987.
- Ariel: Bush in Boston, Massachusetts in 1996.
- Susanna: They Might Be Giants at Metropol. Last concert?
- David: That I wasn’t playing in? I think it was probably the Big Snow Big Thaw CD release show. This is a disappointing realization that I just don’t get to go to many shows anymore.
- Brandon: Sharon Van Etten.
- Ariel: Damian Jurado at the Warhol.
- Susanna: Great Lake Swimmers/Donora. Favorite concert ever?
- David: Low at the Black Cat in Washington DC, 2005. Alan Sparhawks final show before a mental breakdown. He was a lunatic-genius on guitar that night.
- Brandon: Tie between Joanna Newsom, Chicago Symphony Hall in Chicago in 2009 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Sigur Ros, Black Cat in Washington DC in 2002. Both were absolutely transcendent.
- Ariel: Iron & Wine at a tiny lil’ church in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- Susanna: Gillian Welch/David Rawlings at Merlefest in the early 2000’s. Least favorite concert?
- David: Tibetan Freedom Concert from 1997. So much talent. Such horrendous sound.
- Brandon: Cat Power, Cat’s Cradle in Durham, NC in 2003. I’ve seen her two additional times, both of which were amazing. She was really neurotic at this show and people were talking incessantly. It was painful to watch.
- Ariel: Our first show at Club Cafe because I invited a whole bunch of people without realizing that having them there would make me even more nervous! Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
- David: There are some great beards and great musicians in this town. Now that I’ve been here for a while, I can really see the musicians as a huge family with a great support system of venues, galleries, and alternative performance spaces. Pittsburgh has so much talent it’s amazing.
- Brandon: Great town, great music scene.
- Ariel: It’s my hometown and all throughout my childhood and teenagedom, I would always have to mentally prepare myself for the cringe on people’s faces after hearing my response to the question, “where are you from?” In recent years, I’ve noticed that people’s reaction is much more positive, intrigued, even (dare I say it) impressed. Seems like the word is finally out…
- Susanna: This city is just country enough to keep me from moving to the country.
Thanks, all. Seriously, what a line up you gathered for Saturday night. See ya there!
I arrived from the Host Skull/Donora gig to literally catch the last minute of the set. Bummer. I previously featured David and his other band KADMAN last November.
