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:

Lord knows I can change (blindmelon)

So, I wanted to drop back in and say that this blog has not been forgotten about. Slightly neglected, perhaps, but sometimes seeing my family (the presently sick Chad & the ever-energized PDukes) and getting some sleep before my daily 6am rise is top of my priorities. However, I've not been having a shortage of times to be a part of great happenings, just a shortage of time to write about them.

I'm working on done with a few backlogged reviews now, like the Life in Balance CD release party, Consider the Source with Complex Complex, and the Kerouac Fest 08 at Grand Midway Hotel.

With that said, I'd like to mention that soon (time permitting) I will be starting an MP3 archive in addition to the youtube video archive. These will be mostly live sets, and many of them will be whole sets. If anyone out in interweb-littlebox-land knows of a good way to separate huge MP3 files into smaller mp3 files, and would share this information with me, I would happily consider doing this extra work as well. In the meantime, it's full sets for y'all.

Some of what I have up on youtube includes: Uni and her Ukulele, the Gypsy Nomads, Agnes Wired for Sound, Midge Crickett, Between Liberties, me playing with fire... and will also soon include: Consider the Source, Ikonoklast, Complex Complex, Damien Youth, David J, Buddy Nutt, House of Assassins, Otantik, Armed Aria, and much more.

MP3 collection will include lots of the same and lots more. Stop back soon for more details, or subscribe to the feed for latest updates!

"I left you once, on the night train" - Trevor Exter

Was told about Trevor Exter by a lovely couple during the NAMU. They were sitting outside Crazy Mocha in Southside Works, and I interrupted their conversation to give them a BL CD. We got to talking for a bit, and did a bit of musician-swapping. I traded this guy for Erik Mongrain. Pretty good trade, after all. I think TE would happen naturally if you added Jason and Wytold together. Maybe not, but it's at least moderately appropriate.

Any over-the-top fantastic musicians out there I should know about?

Complex Complex added to CTS / Infinien show

Wisconsin's ComplexComplex has been added to the awesome lineup this Sunday at Your Inner Vagabond.

Deep Sink the Fangs


As if I really have to mention it again, Consider the Source and iNFiNiEN will be on the bill as well.

Video of Phat Man Dee & Zafira with the Liquitones

Stumbled across this video. Think it's just fantastic. Featuring Pittsburgh's own Phat Man Dee on vocals, with more of our own dancing: Zafira Dance Company ladies Maria Harmer, Olivia Kissel, and Christine Andrews.



http://www.phatmandee.com
http://www.zafiradance.com

"Songbird giving yourself away, got nothing to lose" - Keith Caputo

What an interesting time for music. Between active discussions about the future of music (is it in live shows? merchandise? indy labels?), the state of music (it sucks! it's awesome! it's electronic! it's acoustic!), there is no shortage on discourse.

Without analyzing too much about what each individual experience means to the future of music as a whole, I offer these recent anecdotes from several different types of musicians.

The Police: at Post-Gazette Pavillion

Sold out amphitheater-type show outside of Pittsburgh, PA. Note on the venue: PGP has a gravel parking lot, and lawn seats = spikey hay to cover up mud. An hour outside of the city. Really shitty parking lot. Not a place to do much tailgating. Ultimately, Post-Gazette, not a news-worthy venue at all.
Though a lot of these songs were well known to almost the entire audience, the band managed to change all of them slightly, turning years of pop anthems into a delicately intricate set. Nothing shaking, nothing ground-breaking, but good music to jam along to, drink or smoke a bit. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, went home, went to work the next day, just keep on keepin' on.

Radiohead: at Post-Gazette Pavillion

Sold out amphitheater-type show outside of Cleveland, OH. Note on the venue: Blossom is gorgeous. Would happily have watched Radiohead from the parking lot. Inside was just as nice. Trees in the lawn area! A bridge leading to the doors! Very helpful staff members who, after only mild hedging, offered to pay for a tire which we popped in the parking lawn thanks to some litterbugs leaving an excess of glass bottles, which broke (and our parking orchestrator subsequently having us drive over this pile).
The ability for them to captivate a crowd was just brilliant. So much for arena rock being dead: these guys are simply a new take on a new perspective. They may have created the perspective, but they've reinvented it so many times, that perhaps people forget that these guys catered to the outcasts way before the hipsters. Perhaps people just feel more like outcasts in general, living in a world where no news is the only good news and it's hard to find an honest smile on the street...

And, it was hard to go to work the next day. Nearly everyone I knew called off the next day. A few of us girls decided we were going to tour with Radiohead. I think I still might. Nearly everyone talked about leaving their jobs, setting off in a new cultural direction. It was like Phish or the Dead shows. It was beautiful.

Bob Dylan: at New American Music Union

Sold out outdoor day-festival at the South Side Works, in Pittsburgh. Note on the venue: Way to go, AE! This boring parking lot was redesigned for the weekend into an outdoor festival location. I am glad I didn't buy tickets, however, because the lawn on the river was much more cozy than the cement standing-room-only area inside. Why not redevelop this parking lot - which is not even a public lot - into a permanent outdoor venue? It would be beautiful, you could have free shows all the time, people could go shopping before and after the shows, everyone benefits.
It simply sounds like Mr. Dylan doesn't care anymore. He played the songs with little energy. Many people seemed to be there for Gnarles Barkley or the Raconteurs anyway, so it shouldn't have mattered to them. Spoon and the Raconteurs were pleasant surprises as well, very glad to have caught these sets.

Dylan does change up his themes as was mentioned for the Police, but he does it in such a way that completely obscures even his most popular song. "Like a Rolling Stone" was perhaps the only recognizable tune, which he performed as an encore before being rushed into his van and promptly escorted out of the cesspool of southside (is this what they told him about us? or is he just not supposed to have that much fresh air in a day?).
Now, as a life-long fan of Dylan, and someone who can perhaps begin to appreciate where the choices he has made throughout his career stem from, I can see why it would be important to bust a groove to the van right after the show. I can also appreciate that he probably gets sent to him thousand of demo-tapes per month. However, does it really take 3 or 4 cronies to slam a door in my boyfriend's face when he's trying to give you my band's demo tape? That seems excessive.

Keith Caputo of Life of Agony: at Club Cafe

Ill-attended evening club/cafe-type show. Note on the venue: Why does no one go to club cafe anymore? The venue is really a nice stage to perform on, the ticket prices are cheap, and they do a lot of good shows there! It was promoted in the CP, but I don't know how many people read the city paper. I didn't when I was in college, and I'm less inclined to these days. I see way more stuff online, but so little from Pittsburgh. Every musician that's ever come through here says it's a tough town to play in, and every local musician says there's an awesome scene but no way to find out about it. WHAT IS OUR PROBLEM???
Either way, this was my favorite show of the bunch, with the exception of Radiohead which was less of a show and more of a religious experience. It did go to show that rock is just no longer "rock and roll", when the bulk of the young rock stars I know show up at Radiohead, an experimental and melodic noise band for the most part, and not at one of the great cult heroes shows (for 1/6th the cost). There are still bands that do it, but it's just not as interesting to people. When admen can turn selling angst into a business, the alternative kids find new outlets for your frustrations. And the alternative kids of today create the admen's business of tomarrow. It's a fucked system, sure, but, as Keith said, "this is America. Land of the thieves, Home of the Slaves".

Thanks for the experience, Dave. Owe ya one.

And, while searching for that Keith Caputo quotation, I stumbled across a video from Jacob Golden. Beautifully composed song, and touching voice. Check him out:

Phat Man Dee: Ugly is the new Beautiful, New York Style

Pittsburgh's own Phat Man Dee appeared on the Today Show for being a model for Ugly NY



Yay Man Dee! I think she's beautiful - muah!

"I was a rock, but now I am a crystal"

While Between Liberties was on tour in march, we stumbled across this sweet open stage at TT's in Virginia. The girl singing in this video sang (her project is Electric Jane). The guys are now Fairgrounds. And they all played together. Beautiful sounds, these powerfully sweet and soulful voices. Great, flowing tunes. They looked totally happy to be on stage.

I'm trying to figure out if they're all one project now. Will give an update soon.

Consider the Source - best thing to do on a sunday

These guys are just flat-out awesome. If you see ONE more YIV show for the rest of the summer, for your own sake, make it this one. I will personally refund anyone who leaves unsatisfied, whatever your musical taste may be. This is the first stop outside of NYC on what will be a monumentally amazing 2-month tour.

Gabriel, a herald in his own right, played a double-neck guitar. But if I hadn't seen it, one may have thought it was a sitar. It also sounded like it may have been Jesus himself playing guitar. These are not compliments I throw out lightly. If he had not looked like an angel on stage, these would not be my chosen words. And the music he was making was even more impressive than his stage presence.

The caliber of musicianship in this three-piece does not decrease by order of appearance in this story. Instead, the three musicians interwove their instrumentation to a degree that was moving. Like shake-the-ground-you-walk-on moving. Like this-is-the-feeling-I-get-when-I'm-on-top-of-the-world moving. I applaud these guys for finding harmony within themselves that extends out in every direction to the corners of the universe.

John keeps the funky bass backbone going through all variants of quick turnarounds and polyrhythmic variations, and is one of the few electric bassists I've seen do a truly kickass bass solo. Like "wow, is that Jimi reincarnated as a bassist or what?" He seemed to be having a really great time on stage too, enough to almost spark a "man, I wish I were singing with these guys" twinge of jealousy.

James has a set full of various percussive elements, and you can hear him play doumbek on "Dumbekistan". Being able to switch off on the pieces of his kit without batting an eye, and still keep the foundation of the rhythm so solidly tight is a truly amazing feat. There is no lack of drummers who are able to do only one or the other, but this will not be a case of that. Instead, he gave me renewed excitement that, given enough dedication and love for an art, anyone can be a (musical/painterly/dancing) DaVinci.

Did I mention that they're also very friendly, humble guys? This is, again I reiterate, something I *never* take for granted.

The fact that Club Cafe wasn't sold out was obviously no measure of their skill. Of the uncountable shows I've seen at Club Cafe, this is one of the two best ever. The other, being very stylistically different, was John Hayes' Midnight Cabaret live. CTS could easily sell out the Peterson Center, give it a few years and 2 more albums. And, while their recorded music is really great, their live shows are even better. How often does that happen??

Honestly, if they're not picked up by a major label on this tour, I will lose all hope for the major players in the music industry. Or perhaps I'll offer to pick them up on my label, though there is simply no way I could do them the justice they deserve at this point in my career. They are Consider the Source, from NYC, after all.

PS - if you want to see me spin or eat fire at the show, just make a request here!

The most destructive element...

...and also the one most ready to be controlled.

Thanks to Johnny Sullivan, I can now eat fire. And it's yummy ;0)

Thanks also to Benzy for introducing me to his ever-amazing friends. I love parties that keep me up until sunrise.

I'm feeling rather thankful... While I'm at it, thanks to Emma for helping me feel like a tourist in my own (beautiful) city. To the Vonderful Vytold for giving us a wonderful reason to celebrate. To Alexandra, for always giving me reason to better myself. To Garvin and Pink-Hat-Burner, for a bit more synchronicity. And to my beloved Chad, for trusting me and encouraging me to do whatever my heart desires.

Love to y'all, I'm off to Radiohead. Check out Bon Iver at the Rex if you are not making it to Blossom.

If your ears are going to bleed the next day, at least enjoy yourself... Ikonoklast, AgnesWFS

My ears are ringing! God, what a dreadful feeling. I went to bed listening to tiny welders trying to rebuild my eardrums. Really should invest in some earplugs, like a case, and carry them with me everywhere...

Rachel and I discussed this dilemma after the show (very loudly...). Down in Austin, where she now calls home, you can go to a metal show in a small bar, and still have your hearing when you leave! The music was adequatly loud, but because the sound techs are professionals, and understand how to saturate the sound without causing it to stick like napalm in your pores. I've tried to convince many a venue owner that a professional sound person is often more important than the gear, but that regardless, a bad sound can ruin a band.

Is this why Pittsburgh's scene gets a bad rep locally? I mean, it's certainly not for lack of talent in the bands department. However, the promotions department is surely lacking. Ikonoklast was a great band, treked from Phoenix, Arizona by way of Jersey to perform for all of 30 people. Agnes is one of the most talented local bands we've got. If it weren't for Agnes, attendance easily would have dropped into the low 1-digit. Chad designed a beautiful flier for the show and distributed it around town and on the Agnes myspace. That's always been his contribution, with most of the promoters he works with doing the online aspect. It works, but without the other bands or promoter doing their part, well... it's self-explanatory, really. There is no such thing as an easy gig for an up-and-coming band. Period.

So, Ikonoklast! Heavy! This band started their set with one of the most heavy guitar-industrial songs I've ever heard. It only took two songs to get the crowd moving, which is sometimes a feat for a band that is new-to-Pittsburgh. Talented musicians too, particularly the drummer, who was playing a kit along to a backing track - that's pushing a tight-rope walker out on a bridge of floss, or spinning fire... while eating it. Creative and energetic musician amongst company of solid performers.

This genre is really interesting, the metal-meets-industrial sound. It's heavy, loud and in-your-face, but very good to dance to. There were traces of classical elements in the backing track, and the singer was very black-metal. And their bassist had crazylong dreadies, which I felt an immediate lust for. It shouldn't suprise me much anymore, though, as heavy metal hair has diversified a lot since it's inception.

But, seriously... What's up with the band doing one cover (nine inch nails' Wish, one of my favorites), and then the audience demanding other covers? It got to an absurd level, starting off with chants of "Depeche Mode!" and ending with "Brittney Spears". C'mon people, they're obviously not a cover band!

Despite my criticisms of the event, I had a blast. What a wild and energetic AgnesWFS set! Dancedancedancegocrazydancydancy. Rachel taught me a few great new dance moves, including one that I dub the peacock and involves letting your hands flap around your butt. Not your average goth-industrial move, but a hell of a lot of fun to do! Ask me to show it to you next time we run into each other, it will put smiles on both our faces ;0)

Ultimately, it's probably best that most of the people there were die-hard fans (and how good to see the old heads!) Agnes has sounded much better, we don't need to have them loose their much deserved street cred due to a sadistic sound tech.

In related news: Howlers has a stage! Not just a platform with a snake running out of one side, but an honest-to-goodness stage! They opened up the door for loading out the back, added about 2 feet of height, and now have one of the nicest venues in Bloomfield. Go Jo!

Uni & Tippy Canoe

Last night at Your Inner Vagabond, the stage was graced by some dynamic and magnetic women. On tour from San Francisco, Uni and Tippy Canoe performed pass-the-baton style for an enthusiastic and attentive audience here in the 'burgh, with our very own Midge Crickett performing her tear-and-knee-jerk original tunes. I laughed, I cried, I danced. What more could a gal ask for on a Sunday evening?

Before the show, I was unaware that the uke was an instrument born from Portugal. What a country, this Portugal! How fitting to also have the lovely and evocative paintings of Portugese painter Joana Ricou lining the walls of YIV. And one step beyond that, the evening and the art resonated within this sense of feminine power: not in the attention-demanding, confusion-inducing, end-all-to-be-all way that masculine power has become in our current patriarchy. No, it was much more of a "we are beautiful, yes, and we have much control over our lives and our situations, sure. But we do what we do out of authority, as we understand ourselves and the ways of our world in the simplest way: by growing up female."

If that doesn't make sense (I'm still deciding if it does for me), perhaps it is also apt to describe this feminine energy as one that frees minds to dreams, hopes and possibilities, while grounding us in the reality that everything we do ultimately effects all of existence. It is an intelligent power, one with the grace and security of trees.

Opening the set on her Cello, Midge Crickett set the night on fire. She is full to the headstock of witty observations, clever connotations, and awkward hilarity. Song themes range from being state educated (and therefore never quite knowing what to call the country or the people of Prague) to pirate shanties about skin afflictions and STD's (a character piece of the highest order). A perfect pick for any cabaret event, your next house party, or opening for a famous stand-up comic: Midge Crickett is a songstress and performer ready to write songs and shed humor upon whatever wacky thing life throws at us.

Uni's ukulele jack got jacked (appropriately enough), so she was instead billed as Uni & Tippy's Ukulele. Having recently left her job at the awesome Amoeba Music in San Francisco to pursue her musical dream, her first step was booking a European tour! What awesome gonads, girl! A song which describes this reach for the stars held the line "What is most important can take a while." An insight of wisdom that more people should reference.

Atop her beautiful performing style, her grace on stage, and her fun, inspiring songs, what struck me most was her voice. With a delicate control which often reminded me of Joana Newsom, she embraced the full range of emotions, topping out at a wail akin to Alanis Morissette or Ryat of As Human. For those of you who know my taste in female vocalists, you know how much I appreciated Uni's dynamic stylings. And if you don't know my tastes, perhaps it is best said that I have no doubt in my mind that Uni and her delightful ukulele could ensnare an audience of any size, in any country, at any time in history.

While it would be unfair to judge dear Tippy Canoe's voice or performance, simply due to a killer case of the plague she picked up on tour, I still have much praise for her. She chose to still perform as well as her voice would let her, and she did it with a sense of humor and graceful wit, advising the audience to refer to her as Mr. Waits, and sipping off a small flask of "Canadian perfume" for healing purposes. Also a particularly friendly and open person, something this agent *never* takes for granted, I do hope she returns to Pittsburgh with her voice and her band, The Paddlemen.

Video of the YIV show:

Agnes Wired for Sound at Elise's Playground

Saturday evening at Mr. Smalls was a great opportunity for me to explore a world I've been dabbling in coffeehouse-style over the past few years. Running sound for Agnes Wired for Sound let me see the effect a big stage with a large, quality sound system has on a group of dancing folks. It also let me chat with one of their resident sound tech's, who has been a tour manager and sound tech for reputable bands like H.I.M. and reputable venues like CBGB's. As these are both things I'd enjoy doing at some point in my career, it was nice to meet someone who had balanced both and was enjoying the life (and not to the fault of excess, as many others I have met). He was a great help in running a board I had not been previously introduced to, but he handed it over to me at the beginning of the Agnes set - something I have found too few men are willing to do.

Agnes Wired for Sound is a band that has gone through enough changes that we may as well say they are well into young-adulthood. No longer a young band constantly struggling with equipment and lineup issues , no longer an adolescent band reveling in a growing notion of celebrity, no longer a college-aged band indulging beyond their physical capacity: Agnes is now a full-fledged band, ready to stand the test of time to the world they present themselves to.

Some background for newfound Agnes fans: Having gone through an extremely difficult loss of former front-man Ben Bloom at the preparation of their debut album, their future was uncertain for the past few years. Some friends and fans of Mr. Bloom's were hesitant (some even opposed) to supporting AgnesWFS in continuing their musical journey. The band, of course, went through many of these same debates, and knew that regardless of anything else, Ben would have supported their decision to keep the music on. And we, their die-hard fans, are glad they did.

Mike of Opus One Productions, a promoter who seems to be great at assessing risks and still bringing the most interesting shows possible to his audience, asked me where AWFS was making waves. Having worked with an amazing cadre of headlining acts and sideshow performers, I would say they are certainly one of the most talented and hard-working groups in this city. Pittsburgh has also embraced Agnes WFS's new lineup, encouraged their forward-motion, and danced their asses off. HEY AGNES, WE WANT YOUR 2ND ALBUM ALREADY! After that, we want you to tour your asses off to share the exciting and interesting music we in your hometown have grown to expect from you.

If you came to the Smalls show as a fan to dance and sing along, as a musician who's interested in studying the often complex structures, or a reviewer looking for the next hot thing, you got what you wanted. With all due respect to the touring acts, Agnes stole the show.

However, we can't ignore the magnetic appeal of the Elise's Playground fetish performance. Another fantastic show from the ladies-and-gents of EP. Ms. Elizabeth Couteau was the archangel of the evening: she performed a burlesque dance during Agnes WFS's cover of Concrete Blonde's "Bloodletting", acted as head Dom during the Hansel and Gretel themed performance, and choreographed the set. An amazing performer with a stage (or, in this case, floor) presence, I can't say I've ever met a woman who could make getting beaten up look so appealing. Her co-conspirators were likewise excellent for the parts, and I might even say I was a bit jealous ;0) I mostly enjoyed the intimate, "hey this is for real" nature of the performance on the floor, though it is hard to keep everyone in the audience happy when they can't see every spank.

The whole evening is a fun chance for big kids to play dress up - Big Kid style. Like, "hey, I like you, and I would enjoy leading you around by a leash all night. Cool?" However, even my bandmates made it down, and I'm assuming they've never been to anything like this. But they seemed to enjoy themselves quite a bit! EP provides a fun, relaxed, entertaining, and non-threatening environment(unless you're being chased by a 24" sticky dildo... but what can I say, I get myself into these situations...)

It always pays to be present at any Elise's Playground or Agnes WFS show. While my video of the evening didn't turn out so well, check out this video I took at an Agnes show back in April (?), featuring a totally impromptu performance from many dancing ladies, including Melissa of Ishtar, Ms. Couteau, and yours truly (I can't be let out of the house... Just discovered this photo on the internet while looking for good pix of EP.. hahaha!).