Video: Sonic Youth on Jools Holland

Free Summer Shows

Photo - Cat Power among the crowd at Hartwood Acres in 2006: HughShows

With Jennifer O'Connor and Donora set to play a free show tomorrow night in Oakland, it seemed like as good a time as any to draw yer attention to the handful of solid freebies the coming months hold. While I think the Arts Fest speaks for itself, several other shows well worth the price of admission are peppered throughout the summer:

June:
20 - Delbert McClinton, Kittanning Riverfront Amphitheatre

26 - YEP Summer Music Festival, Schenley Plaza

28- The Old 97's, Hartwood Acres

July:
4 - Three Dog Night, Point State Park
17 - Steve Earle, South Park
26 - Los Lobos, Hartwood Acres

August:
7 - Foghat, South Park (Slow Ride, anyone?)
9 - Son Volt, Hartwood Acres

EDIT: Add one more to that list...

September:

6 - Rusted Root @ Hartwood Acres

Eels debut new video: "Fresh Blood"

Hombre Lobo will be out on June 2.

The unabashed plug: Action Painters

Cue the wiki:

Action painting, sometimes called "gestural abstraction", is a style of painting in which paint is spontaneously dribbled, splashed or smeared onto the canvas, rather than being carefully applied. The resulting work often emphasizes the physical act of painting itself as an essential aspect of the finished work or concern of its artist.

A comparison is often drawn between the American action painting and the French tachisme.

Fade in bio excerpts:

2006… Tom Haslow (guitar/vox)… Amit Wehle (drums)… Allison Zatarain (keys)… began rehearsing in a frigid Brooklyn basement… Joe Hankin [guitar]… Ray Heekin(bass).

[B]listering, irresistible tunes carried by Haslow's confident, Verlainian tenor, groove-punk rhythms, soaring choruses and deadly hooks.... art rock for the masses, pop you can love the morning after, played by art school nerds who grew up cool.

Their 2007 debut, Chubby Dancer, is solid all the way through, at times wearing post-punk influences shamelessly well, at others shedding them and showing off an original brand of sunny guitar pop that might have lingered and transformed in the night.

It's a sound that should resonate perfectly in the walls of the Southside's Lava Lounge, where they’re playing Thursday night with Triggers. You should go.

Meanwhile, download their new 3-song EP, Lay That Cable, at the band’s website or on iTunes.

Recent newsbites

- Dylan, Nelson, Mellencamp at CONSOL (P-G)

- Springsteen concert tickets up for bids to benefit Just Harvest (Trib)

- Acoustics were key to North Shore entertainment complex (P-G)

- Black Moth Super Rainbow gets a coat of polish from big-name producer (P-G)

- Human Quena Orchestra unleashes apocalyptic doom without the gloom (City Paper)

- 6 music services compared: Who can bust the iTunes monopoly? (ZDNet)

New masthead photo

In honor of the start of baseball season and the arrival of spring, we're switching it up again with a photo by Hugh Twyman, of HUGHSHOWSREDUX. Hugh bills his site as "Pittsburgh's Premiere Concert Phlogh" and that's right on. Every day he's got a new set of shots from shows in and around the area. Usually they're recent, sometimes he treats readers to a blast from the past.

This week he's featuring photos from Donora's video shoot this past Saturday at Brillobox, so stop by and have a look around. Plenty to see there.

Of course, if you have photos of your own you think we'd like, feel free to submit them to sitkot@gmail.com.

The Dead were on The View (seriously)

I guess I'm a little late on this, but I'm proud to admit that I was not aware until this morning that Bob Weir and Phil Lesh went on The View a few weeks ago. The description pretty well sums it up:

The Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh and Bob Weir appear on ABC's "The View". First, (after the intro) there is some Dead-related banter among the show's hosts. Then Phil and Bobby are introduced, and they talk briefly to Whoopi and Joy. Next, joined by Warren Haynes, they play "Friend of the Devil" live in the studio. Lastly, a little jam over the outro. This is to promote The Dead's Spring 2009 tour.

Watch the full segment here. Jump to 2:29 for the interview, 6:10 for the music. (Although there are some juicy nuggets in the beginning, of which I was also not aware. There is a video of Joe Biden's daughter snorting coke out there?) Or, here's a much lower quality video of the performance only:

Video: The Dead on Letterman

Here they are doing "Sugar Magnolia" last night. Bobby's voice seems strained, but the band is definitely tight.

Set list: Kings of Leon at A.J. Palumbo

I missed a few in there when I went to get a beer (although it turned out, sadly, that there was no beer left in the building) but I'm pretty confident about the rest. Comments are appreciated.

1 Crawl
2 Taper Jean Girl
3 My Party
4 Molly’s Chambers
5 Red Morning Light
6 California Waiting
7 Fans
8 Milk
9 ?
10 ?
11 Sex on Fire
12 The Bucket
13 Notion
14 On Call
15 Cold Desert
16 Use Somebody
17 Seventeen

Encore:
18 Closer
19 Knocked Up
20 Manhattan
21 Black Thumbnail

Black Moth Super Rainbow: a) rock; and b) release new track

I'll go ahead and confess that I'd never heard Black Moth Super Rainbow before yesterday, when My Old Kentucky Blog posted their new track, "Born on a Day the Sun Didn't Rise." I gave it a listen, downloaded it, and could not get it out of my head throughout the Pens game last night (which was awesome). This song is seriously sick.

Turns out they're from around Pittsburgh.

Turns out they have a new full-length, Eating Us, out May 26.

Turns out they're playing the Spring Carnival this weekend. Learn all about them on Wikipedia, download some old tracks on their website, friend them or whatever on MySpace, and check them out at CMU on Saturday.

I am still jamming this song in my office right now, staring out the window at partly sunny skies, thinking about going for a sandwich and jamming it on the old headphones for a while.

Download:
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Born On a Day the Sun Didn't Rise" (Mediafire link)
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Eating Us medley" (right-click, "save target as")

Memorial concert for slain Pittsburgh police officers announced

Drusky Entertainment announced a great memorial today: The Fallen Not Forgotten Memorial Benefit Concert for the Fallen Police Officers. The show will be at Station Square on May 25, and also marks the re-opening of the Amphitheatre. Local stars of past and present abound, including among others:

• Rusted Root
• Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers
• Wiz Khalifa
• Bill Deasy
• Buzz Poets
• The Boogie Hustlers
• Gene The Werewolf

Check www.druskyentertainment.com for more details, though none seem to be posted yet.

Three Rivers Arts Fest Preview

By now a lot of you have probably seen this year's solid Arts Fest lineup, announced today. Whie some have pointed out that it may lack a big big name headliner, I'm personally very pleased with the list. Trilled, even, in light of the economy! In particular, the Black Keys are sure to ignite things on night one, with several stellar, time-proven acts to follow such as Medeski Martin & Wood, Booker T. Jones, and the legendary (if inconsistent) Wailers.

Perhaps best of all, the main music stage will return to Point State Park, making all the shows this year vastly more enjoyable than those of recent festivals, which found fans wedged into that awkward, grassphalt nomansland betwixt Liberty and Penn. The park is undoubtedly a much more conducive setting for several of the bands known to shine in outdoor festivals, like Toubab Krewe, who are sure to be a highlight. Also, it's nice to see Robert Randolph and the Family Band back in the lineup after an apparent storm-delayed helicopter failed to deliver him to last year's festival.

For the full lineup, check out the Arts Fest website. Meantime, here's a preview:

New Sonic Youth track: “Sacred Trickster”

Here’s the first single from the forthcoming Sonic Youth record, a Kim Gordon gem that hearkens back to the distorted energy of their late-80s/early-90s work.

The Eternal will be out June 9 on Matador, and features cover art by the late John Fahey. Order it now for all kinds of freebies including a pre-release stream of the album on April 28, a vinyl live LP, and MP3s of outtakes and live tracks.

Download:
Sonic Youth – “Sacred Trickster”
Lee Ranaldo – “The Singing Bridge Of Memphis, Brooklyn Bridge Version/The Coelcanth” (Fahey cover) (Mediafire link)

Wiz Khalifa drops Flight School

Pittsburgh’s own Wiz Khalifa released his hotly anticipated new mixtape, Flight School, today. I haven’t made it all the way through yet myself, but this thing is off to a great start. Not a bad way to ease into a night of watching the Pens game on a small TV somewhere inside PNC Park while ignoring the Pirates.

Speaking of which, note the nod to the Buccos [still of Suckitude?] on the back cover:

Wiz’s major label debut, First Flight, will be out later this year on Warner Bros. Meanwhile, dude twitters like a madman, so you can keep up on him here.

Download:

Wiz Khalifa – “Boarding Pass” (Mediafire link)

Yerma: Strummin' and Stompin'

I experienced Quantum Theater's latest production, "Yerma" last evening. It's described as "a deeply musical folktale, blending song and poetic text into a modern story of unbridled yearning." Since we keep things loosely musical here, I'll refrain from critiquing the performance as a whole - though it was spectacularly gripping.

The reason I call it to the attention of the SITKOT readership is to heartily endorse the performance of the show's solo musical accompaniment: Ethan Margolis. Mr. Margolis' flamenco stylings are more than just accompaniment, he actually sits amidst the crowd conducting and coaxing the performance from within. He strums, sings, claps and in multiple scenes, engages on stage with the show's stunning flamenco dancer, Cihtli Ocampo. It is indeed a deeply musical experience.

The performance space is in East Liberty and the show only runs until Sunday, April 26. Click here for tickets and more information.

Big City Nights

I had a lunch meeting with a New Yorker the other day and I mentioned that I like living in Pittsburgh because of it's big-city-amenities on a relatively small scale. I added that I really don't feel like I live in a "city" at all. Not sure he got it but many of you probably do.

Take, for instance, the voyage I took Wednesday night:

I knew I wanted to check out the Good Night, States at the New Hazlett Theater - a venue I've been wanting to test-drive a rock show at for some months. But I also knew that Wednesday night was one of the few opportunities I'd have in the coming weeks to get down to PNC Park to personally kick off another season of Buccos baseball. Then there was the Pomegranates' show at Brillobox at 11pm - I'd been rocking out to them at my desk all day.

It came time to make a decision on the night's activities. Then it dawned on me - why not try and make it to all of them!? Better yet, why not bike to all of them!? In retrospect there were many reasons why not to embark on this cockamamie solo journey, but each of them only seemed to make the adventure more appealing.

To Recap:
Phase 1:

Phase 1:
The Good Night, States show at the Hazlett was as enjoyable as I'd hoped it'd be. The place can seat up to 600 or so people and I'd guess there were about 100 people there. So it felt a little empty. That sensation was augmented by the mgmt's curious decision to leave the houselights aglow throughout the show. But, per usual, GNS put on a tight performance complete with an atypical foray into 'tween song banter. It should be said that the acoustics in the Hazlett are impeccable for a space its size. I'm looking forward to seeing more shows there. The above shot of GNS was taken at the Hazlett by Isaac Gierard, a local photographer I met at the show whose work we hope to feature on SITKOT again.

Despite Isaac's declaration that Chicago's Anathallo, the headliner at the Hazlett (show picture below) is his favorite live act - I needed to journey onward and catch the Bucs on the Allegheny. From the looks of this photo, I really missed out, though.


Phase 2:
I arrived during the Pierogie race in the middle of the 5th inning (Hannah won). For a scalped $5 I was sitting 20 rows behind the visitors dugout. The Bucs were behind by 4 runs after our starter had tanked early on. They mounted a few efforts at coming back, getting late hits and leaving men on base, but ultimately didn't get it done. That didn't seem to matter to the announced crowd of 20k who must've consumed 80k $1 hot dogs if the concession lines and exhausted vendors were any indication. It's a sad thing when cheap soggy meat means more than the game. A few times it seemed like there were more people waiting for dogs than watching the game!

Adam LaRoche did jack a meaningless homer in the bottom of the 8th. It's nice to see him hitting before June. And it was nice to be back at the best MLB ballpark to see a game, even if it was an early season stinker featuring two of baseball's worst clubs.

Phase 3:
I was admittedly a little weary at the game's end, and although Roberto had indicated he might join me for the last leg of my tour - Brillobox - he bailed. I persevered. Up to Larryville's Brillo I pedaled.

The Pomegranates were just sound checking when I rolled in. Each of the four band members were clad in brown jumpsuits with puff-painted slogans on the back. They announced that this was the first stop of a 30 stop, nationwide tour. I hope they intend to wear those jumpers at every show along the way. They'd make for great mannequin dressing at a Hard Rock Cafe in about 15 years.

The sound mix on openers "Sleepover" and "Corriander" was a little muddled and they seemed very uncertain as to what note and song they'd play next. But, things really started to pick up around the middle of their hour-long set. The show was primarily a tour of their new album, Everybody, Come Outside! (Lujo) which had just been released Tuesday.

Swapping instruments and roles throughout, they got increasingly comfortable and by the final three songs - "Beachcomber", "Everybody Come Outside" and "Southern Ocean" - they'd become a new favorite of mine. The enthusiastic, experimental nature of their live act was infectious. I couldn't help but roar with laughter when they punctuated "ECO" with unisoned crow-sounds. They make great use of a toy megaphone and smooth 'tween song transitions with an ambient noise machine. Be sure to catch them when they roll into a town near you. I'm looking at you Boise - they're amped to play your stop!

Conclusion:
My three stop solo-adventure was exactly what I'd hoped it'd be. A 6-hour feat of endurance and enjoyment to tune me up for a summer of shows, ballgames, biking and fun. But more than that, it was a reminder of why this is a great town for people who like to do stuff and see things.

Three new Ryan Adams tracks

Don't get too excited. They all sort of suck, whether you're a metalhead or an Adams fan. The third, "Mega Wizards," would have to be my favorite if I picked one. You can probably skip the second. Stream all three here. At least he's still making music, I guess.

The Dylan HuffPo interview

Here's the fourth installment in the conversation with Bill Flanagan we mentioned previously. There's some really some interesting stuff in here:

Asked about favorite songwriters, the first one that comes to mind: Jimmy Buffet

Other favorites: Gordon Lightfoot, Warren Zevon, Randy Newman, John Prine, and Guy Clark.

On why he doesn't play his songs live the way they sound on record: I couldn't if I tried.... Daltrey, Townshend, McCartney, the Beach Boys, Elton, Billy Joel. They made perfect records, so they have to play them perfectly ... exactly the way people remember them. My records were never perfect. So there is no point in trying to duplicate them. Anyway, I'm no mainstream artist.

HuffPo: But you've sold over a hundred million records.
Dylan: Yeah I know. It's a mystery to me too.

Dylan's new album will be out April 28, and features several songs co-written by longtime Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter.

M. Ward premieres "Rave On" video

Phoenix premiere "Lisztomania" video

Pomegranates live session

Several good shows in town tonight. You'll have to decide for yourselves which one best lets The Man know how you feel about the relationship between your hard-earned coin and his so-called 1040EZ. Me? I got a pretty decent refund this year, so I'm planning to blow it on something totally stupid, like bodywork on my car because some a-hole in the Southside keyed it last Halloween. On with the music:

First, in the unlikely case that you missed the big banner up top, Good Night States are playing with Anathallo over on the Northside at the New Hazlett Theatre. They haven't hosted many concerts there in the recent past, but it's a very cool venue and they're working to bring more music in. Also, I shouldn't have to tell you that we firmly support the tunes of GNS around here.

On up the Allegheny in old Millvale, North Mississippi Allstars will be rocking out some dirtified southern blues at Mr. Small's.

And not least, inland a bit in that Bloomfied/Upper Lawrenceville region, art-pop maestros Pomegranates promise a solid performance at Brillobox. Earlier this week they stopped by the WOXY studios near their Cininnati home to play a live radio show, which you can hear below. The five-song set includes "Everybody Come Outside," "Sleepover," and (obviously) three others.

Download:
Pomegranates - Live On WOXY

Video: A.C. Newman on Letterman

He'll be back in Pittsburgh this Friday with the rest of the new Pornographers for CMU's Spring Carnival. Here he is doing "Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer" last night:

Update on the Riverplex at Sandcastle

I said before that based on last year's Irish Festival, I thought the Amphitheatre behind Sandcastle was a pretty cool place to catch a concert, so I was glad to read this weekend that Joker Productions will be bringing a series of shows there this summer, including All Time Low on July 17, Neko Case on July 31, and John Legend with India Arie on August 3.

I can't think of many better ways to spend a late-July Friday in Pittsburgh than floating through the afternoon on the lazy river (cold beverage in hand) before strolling a few feet away to spend the evening on a grassy hillside listening to the sounds of Neko Case (cold beverage in hand).

For the full article in the P-G, click here.

Download:
Neko live at the 9:30 Club, April 9 2009
(via All Songs Considered)

G. Love to guest-DJ on WYEP today

Before tonight's show at Mr. Small's, G. Love will drop by the WYEP studios to take over the afternoon mix for Rosemary Welsch. Tune in at 3:00 to see what Mr. Dutton is listening to.

Then, head on over to Millvale for what is always an entertaining show by one of Philly's best. As Love told the Trib's Rege Behe last week, "Music is supposed to make you feel good, help you forget about the stress of everyday life and stuff like that. When people come to see you, they're there to have a good time, and that's what happens, for the most part, at our shows. People are there to peace out."

Peace.

Out.

Concert Haiku: Donora at the Hard Rock Cafe

Most understaffed bar
in Pittsburgh. Donora rocked.
Can I get a drink?

Buddy Nutt at Howler's

I want to put in a quick plug for Buddy Nutt, who is seriously one of the best things going in the local music scene. I first saw him open for Peter and the Wolf just a few months ago, and I've been a big fan since.

As I said before, this one-man-band is best experienced live, so tonight's a good opportunity to get intimate with his songs of table-tennis and modern despair. He'll be at Howler's Coyote Cafe in Bloomfield after 9:00.

Download:
Buddy Nutt - "Open Mic Night King"

Concert Review: Andrew Bird at Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland

Having been disappointed by Andrew Bird in concert once before and feeling lukewarm about the new record, I wasn’t elated for Tuesday’s show, unlike many of the well-dressed hipsters in attendance. But I wasn’t ready to write him off either. As I mentioned yesterday, the concert was fantastic and, since then, I’ve been listening to Noble Beast with new ears and enjoying songs that I’d found rather bland before the show. In short, I’m glad I went.

Starting the night off solo, Bird kicked on his loop pedal and started picking his violin—no surprises there. He seemed to be just a bit off his game during “Dark Matter” and “Self Torture,” and that didn’t immediately change when he was joined by his band, although “Masterswarm” was still excellent. Finally, after fumbling over some lyrics during “Nervous Tic…” Bird confessed that perhaps his head wasn’t totally in it, as he’d had a rough day, beginning with an early flight out of Chicago after attending a reception for the International Olympic Committee (also in attendance: Oprah).

Luckily, his heart was in it. Bird and band tore through “Natural Disaster” and were perfectly understated on fan favorites like “Tenuousness” and “Effigy”—which offered a nice respite from the loop pedal, on which Bird can rely a little too heavily at times.

One thing to be said for his use of the loops: it shows what a great drummer Bird has at his side. Letting your rhythm be dictated by the cyclic phrasings of some dude on a violin would cut against the nature of most drummers, but Martin Dosh handles it with ease and rolls wherever Bird takes him. Also, you had to love the little percussion interlude on “Anonanimal.”

Perhaps surprisingly, the songs off Noble Beast were for the most part the tightest throughout the night, quite in contrast with Bird’s Armchair tour, when songs new and old were equally crisp. That also says something for the Carnegie Music Hall, though, which brings out the good and the bad, letting you hear every note of every instrument—a premier venue for a concert like this, if you don’t mind remaining seated while the band is in motion.

As Bird warmed up to the audience, he told them, “I feel comfortable with you. I can talk about my feelings.” The crowd warmed up too, and a pretty good pack took to their feet on “Fake Palindromes,” only to be swiftly and sadly foiled by a pony-tailed security guard toward the end of “Skin….”

Finally, the encore was awesome. Bird—once again solo—got playful on “Why” with an audience member who responded to "Why'd you do that?" with, “I didn’t do anything.” Bird’s retort? “That’s just it.” He was rejoined then by his band, who provided vocals for some stellar harmonies on the century-old “Some of These Days” before taking up their instruments and bringing down the house on “Tables and Chairs,” which had everyone in the place singing along. Even two days later I find myself strolling through town this morning, looping it over it my head: “There will be snacks.”

Honored Today

As nearly everyone with cause to read this blog is aware, the city of Pittsburgh is in the midst of coping with one of the most senseless acts of cowardly violence toward public officials in its history.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Pittsburgh Police family and to the families that these three officers have left behind as they are honored at a ceremony in Oakland today.

Please take a moment today to turn on an appropriate song, close your eyes and reflect on the sacrifice that these men have made.

New masthead / Submit your photos!

As you may have noticed, gone is the rearview mirror that has graced this page since we started it up. Instead, we'll begin occasionally switching things up with photographs and drawings of Pittsburgh (or places and things in and around the ‘burgh) submitted by you, dear reader. Doesn’t have to be a skyline, doesn’t have to be music-related; just has to be cool. You’ll keep the rights, you’ll get the credit, and everyone gets to enjoy your art for a few weeks: win-win-win.

This first shot is from Nick Roefaro of Baldwin, and it’s a beauty, wouldn’t you agree?

Please send any submissions to sitkot@gmail.com in jpeg format with your name and 'hood, and we’ll announce a new photog every… well, every time we get around to it, I suppose.

Set list: Andrew Bird at Carnegie Music Hall

The show was fantastic, and we'll get a full review up later. For now, here’s a crappy cell phone pic and a mostly complete set list...

Set list:
1. Dark Matter (solo)
2. Self Torture (solo)
3. Masterswarm
4. Fitz and the Dizzyspells
5. A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
6. Natural Disaster
7. Effigy
8. Oh No
9. Tenuousness
10. Nomenclature
11. Armchairs
12. Anonanimal
13. Fake Palindromes
14. Skin is, My
15. The Happy Birthday Song
16. (I know I’m missing one here… anyone?)

Encore:
17. Why (solo)
18. Some of these Days
19. Tables and Chairs

Download:
Andrew Bird – “Some of These Days” (live at Millennium Park, Sept. 3 2008) (Mediafire link)


EDIT: Thanks to Sophia and Kristin for pointing out in the comments thread that "Imitosis" and "Yawny at the Apocalypse" should be in there somewhere between 11 and 16. Also, against others' recollections I'd still swear that he finished off the main set with something more uptempo than "Birthday..." but I've no idea what.

"Take that, Andrew Bird" -Leonard Cohen

Any of you on your way to see Andrew Bird tonight are probably well aware that you’re in for a night filled with whistling. And not to downplay Bird’s virtuoso grill, but I’ll be very impressed if he spends just a minute of wind on his hands tonight, as Leonard Cohen does in this performance of "One of Us Cannot Be Wrong" from his 1968 BBC broadcast. I’m also posting “Story of Isaac” because it’s at the end of that track that he discusses playing his hands in a little digression I particularly enjoy:

I play hands at a crucial point in this song. When my hands leave the guitar, don't become alarmed, they’re just about to journey to my mouth where I will begin to play hands. Just because you see my hands leave the guitar there's no reason to become alarmed, throw yourself into despair or anything... It will happen at a certain point and I'm just trying to warn you because I know, I didn't warn, I was just playing for a friend once and my hands left the guitar and he's in a catatonic state, he has not been able to move since... It ruined his life. You know, if all of you would sit here until the place is taken over by the technicians or students or something, it would just be terrible.

You can buy Leonard’s new album, Live in London, here. It’s worth it, as is most everything he’s released.

Download:
Leonard Cohen - "Story of Isaac" (Mediafire link)
Leonard Cohen - "One of Us Cannot be Wrong" (Mediafire link)

Second new Dylan track streaming: "Feel a Change Comin' On"

Head on over to the Times Online to listen to the second single off Dylan's new album while reading a nice topical interview with him by Bill Flanagan.

Concert Review: Ray LaMontagne at the Palace Theatre

As promised, JP writes in with a review of the Ray LaMontagne show:

Ray LaMontagne played to a sold-out crowd at the historic Palace Theatre in Greensburg this past Friday. As for the venue, picture Ford's Theatre without John Wilkes Booth. The acoustics were great, the lighting did the trick, and they sold beer out of coolers in the lobby, which was a nice touch.

We were pleasantly surprised by the opening act, The Low Anthem. Each member of this trio played no less than three different instruments, and it was the first time in a while that I didn't want the openers to leave. Mournful and deep turned to knee-slapping, good vibrations on a dime -- imagine a dark Sigur Ros that morphs into something happy and bluegrassy. All tolled, awesome opening act, and I suspect you'll be hearing more of them.

As for Ray, this is the third time that I have seen him, and the first time in three years. When I first caught him in the Rex many moons ago, his painfully shy affect, heart wrenching lyrics and soulful singing convinced me that this young fella had already experienced more lost love than any seasoned blues singer. His amazing voice was only backed by his guitar, with the occasional bass line for backbone. Not that he needed much else.

Well, time heals all wounds, and it seems like it has patched Ray and turned him into a rock star - as much of a rock star as a singer/songwriter could be. He commanded the audience and his band (consisting of an electric/pedal steel guitar, drum and bass) throughout the night. The band was tight and their style perfectly complimented the vocals.

Ray and company cranked up the foot-stomping with "Henry Nearly Killed Me," to be shortly followed by pure Ray LaMontagne - alone on stage with nothing but his guitar, his longing and "Burn." The same contrast was evident in the honky-tonk "Hey Me, Hey Mama" and the somber and delicate "Jolene." Ray's repertoire has expanded, and for the better: you get the broken-hearted poet with just a dose of rockabilly that brings down the house. A perfect blend, and the audience loved it.

Ray LaMontagne has a great career ahead of him, and it was true pleasure to spend time with him again. It will be a treat watching him evolve artistically, but I won't soon forget what kept "Trouble" in my playlist for three years -- poetic lyrics and a hell of a set of vocal chords.

Set list:
1. You are the Best Thing
2. Hold You in My Arms
3. Let it be Me
4. I Still Care for You (I believe)
5. Empty
6. Henry Nearly Killed Me
7. You Can Bring Me Flowers
8. Burn
9. Jolene
10. (can't read my writing and can't remember)
11. Meg White
12. Hey Me, Hey Mama
13. Shelter

Encore :
14. Trouble
15. Gossip in the Grain

Download:
The Low Anthem – “Charlie Darwin”

M. Ward / Alternate Tunings

M. Ward hasn’t played Pittsburgh in years, and this post doesn’t contain any news, mp3s, or other bites of interest to general music fans. Chances are, this post is worthless to you. Guitarists who are into M. Ward may want to read on, or not. It's cool either way.

I’ve had a lot of trouble trying to transcribe M. Ward’s songs over the years. His picking can be complex, but it is usually a standard pattern or something close enough to be faked. The chords themselves, not so much. Watching him live, it’s easy to see he’s using alternate tunings, but that only gets you so far. Based on his affinity for John Fahey, I always figured Ward might use a common open tuning like C. But that didn’t get me anywhere with Transfiguration, and I think open G got me a song or two on Transistor. So I gave up for awhile.

Until a month or so ago. That’s when I finally gave into reliance on good old Google to tackle his latest release, Hold Time. The web told me that Ward had used D6 tuning for “Chinese Translation.” I’d never heard of it. It’s:

D A D F# B D

( 6 5 4 3 2 1 )

So I took that and dug into the new tunes. Turns out he uses it—or D6Add9 (D A D F# B E)—for quite a few on the new record, including “Rave On,” “One Hundred Million Years,” “Shangri La,” and (I think) “Epistemology” and “Fisher of Men.” I also finally figured out “Requiem” after years of knowing it didn’t sound right in standard or drop-D. “Duet for Guitars No. 3,” I’m still not so sure about; that seems to be in open E.

So, that’s all. In the end this post is pretty self-serving. Anyone out there who happens to know any other alternate tunings used by Ward is kindly asked to speak freely in the comments thread, and I thank you in advance.

Video: Phoenix on SNL

Springsteen helps local charity

Photo: Charlee Brodsky

For any readers out there who happen to have an extra 10 grand and a yearning to meet the Boss, you’re in luck! Mr. Springsteen is working together with Homestead’s Rainbow Kitchen to raise funds for the organization’s mission of providing anti-hunger programming and other assistance to impoverished residents of the steel valley.

Through www.rainbowkitchen.org, fans can bid to win a private meeting with the man himself. According to the announcement:

“Bruce Springsteen has been a friend and supporter of Rainbow Kitchen Community Services for many years, and he encourages his fans to contribute to Rainbow Kitchen as well. Bruce made this fantastic offer to Rainbow Kitchen to help us raise as much money as possible through the auction, and we look forward to telling him that his Pittsburgh fans have once again made this effort a huge success.”

Bidding starts at $10,000, and the winner’s bid will be matched by Springsteen up to $50,000. So put off that Memorial Day trip to St. Trope you’ve been planning and join Bruce in lending a hand to your neighbors across town.

Download:
Bruce Springsteen – “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City” (live in Bryn Mawr, 2-5-75) (Mediafire link)

Video: Ray LaMontagne

When I started hearing about Ray LaMontagne a few years back, I gave him a listen and moved on. I'm not sure why.

Then I saw a rerun of his Austin City Limits taping on PBS, and got hooked on the song "Jolene." This would have been just before the new record came out, I guess. So I bought that and realized the guy's got some serious range. "You Are the Best Thing" is a great song.

Tonight's show is sold out, but SITKOT reader JP will be there and has offered to review it, so thanks to him for that, and look out for it in the next few days. Meanwhile, here you go:

Ray LaMontagne---Austin City Limits taping---Jolene


Download:
Ray LaMontagne - "You Are the Best Thing" (Mediafire link)

YYYs acoustic Little Shadow

Slow day here at SITKOT, yes? It's too nice outside to be blogging. Or reading blogs for that matter. If you do feel like getting your read on with some weblogs, maybe check out some of the competition via the Pittsburgh Music Blog Reader. There are several good ones in town.

So, everyone's loving It's Blitz this week, except for those folks who can't get over the absence of Nick Zinner's axe. I'll admit that I was among them at first, but I've come around. I'd like some guitar on there, sure, but it's still a very solid record.

Here's a lovely acoustic version of "Little Shadow." Still no guitars, though.

Download:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Little Shadow" (acoustic) (Mediafire Link)

New tracks and upcoming shows

Granted, some of these shows are more than a month out, but they're worth keeping on your calendars. Here are a few songs that have fallen instantly into regular rotation on my media player this week:

Crocodiles – “Summer of Hate” (Mediafire link)
Action Painters – “456” * (Mediafire link)
Eulogies – “This Fine Progression” (Mediafire link)
White Rabbits – “Percussion Gun” (Mediafire link)

Crocodiles will be at the 31st Street Pub this Sunday. Then, Action Painters on April 30 at Lava Lounge, Eulogies May 8 at Diesel, and White Rabbits way off in the distance on the 6th of June at Brillobox.

As always, all of our recommendations for upcoming shows are on the sidebar at right.

* Not technically a new song, but new to me, and on the new Lay That Cable EP.