List-Shows!!! Favorite Shows of 2009 Pt.1

These are in no order:

Lohio/Boca Chica/Horse Or Cycle/The Harlan Twins/Mariage Blanc/Meeting Of Important People/Donora
Friday August 14
Mariage Blanc House
Mariage Blanc's Josh invited me to his party. Turns out my favorite local bands were playing. Totally cool, even though I had to duck out early and regrettably missed most of the bill.

Old 97's
Sunday June 28
Hartwood Acres
What's can be better than a free show in a beautiful park with refreshments, family, friends and one of your favorite bands? How about being allowed on stage to take photos! Thanks, Amy!

Hallelujah The Hills
Monday October 19
The Thunderbird Cafe
This band is just so great. My only complaint is that I didn't know the new songs before I saw them live.

Elliott Brood
Saturday November 28
The Thunderbird Cafe
Killer band playing a barnstorming set to close out their tour.

Donora/Lohio/The Harlan Twins
Friday November 20
Brillobox
Picking a favorite show among the many times I have seen these bands this year is kind of futile. They were all great.

Local Honey
Sunday March 8
Carnegie Library
What a fantastic idea. Have a band play the library. Did they hush it down for the setting? Um, hell no!

The New Pornographers
Friday April 17
CMU Lawn
Great set. Fun crowd. Ted Leo opening. Plus my man Warren set me up with a photo pass. Thanks, buddy.

Meeting Of Important People
Saturday March 28
Brillobox
I had a blast at their CD release show. My favorite album of the year...LIVE!

Dean & Britta
Saturday June 14
The Warhol Museum
This might be my favorite concert of the year. The show wasn't crowded which is ALWAYS a plus. The band sounded absolutely fantastic. Add the fact that this show coincided with the opening of the exhibit 'Warhol Live' (which was amazing). Seriously, what's not to love?

Image Of The Day-"All I Want For Christmas"

Holiday Hootenanny Rehearsals
Silver & Gold
Wednesday December 16, 2009
Friendship

This was the final evening of practice for the musicians before the show the next night (which was fantastic BTW-more on that soon). It was so interesting as a music fan to see how they got it together and worked out arrangements for the performance. I consider myself so lucky to be able to call these people friends and have the opportunity to hang out while they work. A personal thanks to everyone involved for letting me do that. More pictures here.

Image Of The Day-"Comets"

Fanfarlo
Saturday December 12, 2009
Brillobox
Larryville

This show was fantastic! I had a really good time. More so than that, the music was incredible. Listening to the band's album over the last week or so became more enjoyable with each listen and they translated the songs perfectly live. The crowd and band were having a ball. Afterward, they LOVED the art I brought them and even featured me on their Advent Calendar Day #16! Sweet! More pics here.

Image Of The Day-"Have A Holly Jolly"

Holiday Hootenanny Rehearsals
Silver & Gold
Monday December 14, 2009
Friendship

Rehearsals are taking place this week for the 2nd Annual WYEP Holiday Hootenanny at the good doctor's abode in a teeny tiny room on the third floor. I was there for ninety minutes and the 'super group' dubbed again this year Silver & Gold only ran through four tunes. Seems like a Herculean task to accomplish but from the little I have heard it's going to be well worth it! Tickets are supposedly going fast for this show on Thursday the 17th, so get yours now. It's for a good cause and last years edition was a highlight of the year for me. I recently discovered the photos from last year after a hard drive failure and will be posting them as well as more rehearsal and this years show pics during this festive season! More images here.

Image Of The Day-"Three Letters"

Brewer's Row
Tuesday November 10, 2009
Bocktown Beer & Grill
North Fayette

I love seeing bands in unusual places. A restaurant in a strip mall on a weeknight might be one of the strangest yet. Luckily, I had the next day off and could catch most of their set. They played a handful of new tunes that sounded great and I must mention how I really dig Nicholas' guitar playing. My man can shred! This band can play for three hours without repeating any songs. Not many bands around here can match that. More photos here.

Image Of The Day-"Grandfather's Chaise"

Lohio

Friday November 20, 2009
Brillobox
Larryville

As anyone knows me or this blog, I have a MAJOR fanboy thang for Lohio. There was no way I was gonna miss the EP release show. Turns out I almost did due to being late because of a family commitment. I got to the top of the steps and was informed that's it's sold out. Who saves the day but my man Greg. Thanks buddy. Unfortunately, my camera decides to totally bunk out on me during the set and my photos are crap. Talk about frustrating. It was dark and the fact that I am in dire need of bifocals never helped. I suppose I have seen Brillobox as crowded before but nothing like what it was at the lip of the stage as they played. I was unbelievably TOO close for photos. Anyway, they sounded fantastic as always and I love the EP.

List-Shows!!! Favorite Albums of 2009

Meeting Of Important People-S/T
The band's picture isn't the first thing you see on this blog by accident. This became my favorite album of the year about two minutes into their CD release show in March and has stayed there ever since. Local, national, heck, even international, this was the best thing I heard all year.

Hallelujah The Hills-Colonial Drones
Such a strong sophomore effort from these guys. Can't wait to see how they grow over time.

Camera Obscura-My Maudlin Career
I was admittedly late coming to their party but this album hooked me fast.

Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band-Outer South
I've grown to love Conor over the last few years but his band of semi-all-stars rise to the occasion on this album.

Bill Callahan-Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle
This is the wild card of the bunch. I will never be able to explain how or why I dig this so much.

Kevin Devine-Brother's Blood
I stumbled on this by accident and discovered a great musician and album.

The Harlan Twins-S/T
This should be higher on the list. Probably because it was released later in the year than some others I haven't digested it enough. Killer disc.

Norfolk & Western-Dinero Severo
N&W start to actually rock out? Love it!

Jason Lytle-Yours Truly, The Commuter
Sounds a lot like Grandaddy to me, which is awesome!

Good Night, States-In The Impossible Tension
An EP on an album list? I listened to this so much it had to be included.

M. Ward-Hold Time
This one crept up on me. Maybe my favorite album of his.

Grant Lee Phillips-Little Moon
I will always love any GLP release. That's not to say this isn't a kick-ass album. It is.

The Clientele-Bonfires On The Heath
God Save The Clientele Pt. 2. Good stuff.

The Rural Alberta Advantage-Hometowns
Another surprise. Major expectations for the future.

Gospel Gossip-Dreamland
My favorite band from NAMU. I have been hoping they stop here again the minute they left the stage.

Wilco-The Album
The bastard child of 'Ghost' and 'Sky Blue'. Solid effort.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart-S/T
I like this album. It's all 'samey' sounding after awhile but still is really good.

Telekinesis!-S/T
Pure pop. Great debut.

Fanfarlo-Reservoir
May have pulled the gun on this one as I am listening to it to familiarize myself with the upcoming show but it's real good stuff.

Monsters Of Folk-S/T
High expectations that fell short for sure but it's still a good record.