I've seen what heaven knows ~ Seven Color Sky at Club Cafe, March 14th 2009

Though I arrived a bit to late to catch much of the set, it was nice to see such a packed crowd for a band I know next to nothing about. Proof that the Pittsburgh Music Scene is bigger than my friends & their friends (though due to the one-degree of separation in Pittsburgh, I'm sure they are still friends of friends somehow).

Also proof that I don't listen to the X enough, as they're featured on this station. I suspect it's for the song "This City is Cold", as it's the stand-out rock song on the album, and it seems referential to both Pittsburgh and the weather here, which us yinzers gripe about more then when the Steelers are losing a game or the Arts are losing funding.

The emotional, interpersonal lyrics are right up front for most of the album, meaning it will be an album for the reflective and thoughtful days. But it rocks, 90's style, while tipping the hat to the generations before them. Dream Theater on the rocks, if the rocks were Van Halen, and the Cars.

There were some lovely moments in their softer songs too, my favorites being Chesterfield and A Rescue. OK, so A Rescue is not such a soft song, but it just feels more honest, a bit more telling, then the others. The entire second half of the album viscerally reminds me of "Friday I'm in Love", while the production of the guitars and keys securing this understanding.

I almost wish they'd started the album off with this half, perhaps Don't Walk Away, as these songs easier to get into for my personal taste. However, the progression of the album is nice, leaving the listener with a hopeful resolve.

myspace.com/sevencolorsky

Nick Ragheb with Lucas Legetti and Elie Kihonia at Wood Street Gallery

I had the pleasure of seeing my old friend Nick Ragheb perform alongside two master instrumentalists this past friday. Elie Kihonia of Afrika Yetu came in shortly after this clip during set 2. Lukas Ligetti was the touring performer in this set. The three of them had never set foot on a stage together, and practiced for maybe 20 minutes prior to the show. A true testament for the talent each of these men has, the show was a great escapade through the possibilities in percussive music.

At times, they would fall together in these ecstatic moments, rhythm pulsing through each of their instruments as if they'd been playing together for years. And even as these grooves fell apart, it seemed purposeful and directed, a zen-like grasp-release cycle.

Nick is teaching classes at his home in Lawrenceville on Sunday afternoons.

Nick's friend Hakan from Turkey ain't bad either: