Rusted Rooting @ WYEP

Best lunch break, ever.

In commemoration of their first studio album release in 7 years, Rusted Root stopped by the beautiful WYEP Community Broadcast Center on the SouthSide for a jam and chat at Noon today.

The on-air portion of the show featured 4 new tracks off of Stereo Rodeo, which was released today. Fans of the band's previous work, will like these new ones. They played the title track "Stereo Rodeo" after frontman Michael Glabicki explained that the song was inspired by his recent re-entry into the dating world. The song's easy pace gives great room for Glabicki's notoriously heart-felt delivery and for a new track, they've got it surprisingly polished live. They also played the lead track off of the album, "Dance in the Middle" with Liz Berlin breaking out a washboard and spoons to make the song jump.

If the four Rodeo tracks they sampled are any indication of the whole album, the band seems to be alternating between both of their sounds; jumping back and forth between "Martyr"ed jamboree and "Virtual Reality"ed electro-rock. I look forward to delving into the album - which they happily signed after the show.

When they went off the air the 40 people in attendance were treated to a rousing rendition of the classic When I Woke track "Ecstasy" (Recorded snippet below).



As they were about to vacate the small stage amidst a hail of applause that belied the smallness of the space, Glabicki paused as if suddenly he remembered that he'd forgotten to do something important. He halted the band's exit by asking the crowd, "Is it weird if we don't play 'Send Me On My Way'? 'Cause if it is, we'll play it." We cheered, they played.

It was a spectacularly up-close encounter one of my favorite all-time live acts. The new stuff sounds great, and the old stuff still hums like it was 1994. After all these years, Rusted Root remains Pittsburgh's best band.

Be sure to check them out at the "Fallen Not Forgotten" show to benefit the Fallen Officers Fund on May 25 in Station Square.