Showtimes. Of the literally dozens and dozens of concerts I see in a single year, I can count on my hand the number of times in my life that I have been late to a show. I am usually early to be able to get a good angle to shoot and I know by now that 8 p.m. probably means 8:30 at the earliest. So it was O.K. that I was shooting Ingrid Michaelson's first three songs at the Point and had plenty of time to catch Chad and the boys up Route 28. I even stopped at the drug store for crying out loud. Imagine my utter dismay when the guy at the door explained to me that they were already playing for a half hour when I walked through the door. I immediately hugged the stage as they were in the middle of a ferocious jam and started to fire off a few 'test' shots as I usually do to get a feel for the room. With that, Chad said his good nights and I missed the whole set. Damn! Chad was cool about it and even extended the end of the song so at least I could get a few. Thanks buddy, next time.
So I am circling around Southside looking for a parking spot (sound familiar?) before Josh Ritter, when I see my man Sven (drummer extraordinaire for such bands as Lohio and Horse or Cycle). I stop for a quick hi and it turns out he is assisting Drew Hine at Vessel Studios blowing some glass. Hey, I love art and they were cool enough to let me fire off a few shots. In the few minutes I was there, they recovered a failed attempt at a bowl to produce a plate. Cool.
I was surprised how much I liked Jessica's set. For the most part it was difficult getting into her music with most of the crowd babbling away, especially during the slower tunes. What saved it for me is that her band is killer and they brought it on more than a few moments during the show. The crowd practically came to attention as Scott and Joe joined them for the last song. Weird. Expected but still weird. More photos here.
Good Night, States have been awfully quiet as of late. So what's up you ask? Well, am very happy to report that they are currently working on new material for an upcoming release. They are also getting ready to play an as of now one off set supporting MIOP for their all ages CD release show at the Warhol on July 30th, the first performance in six months and the first without multi-instrumentalist Joe Tanner. As a bonus, at least to me, they have used my photos for their Moo mini-business cards. Nice!
So as the Three Rivers Arts Festival came to a close last night, at least for me, I am kicking myself as I write this. Some of my favorite bands and friends are playing on the main stage and I am not there. No worries. I just had to take a break from the picture taking to hang with my lovely family. Some things are more important ya know. Tomorrow as the fest ends officially with Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller, I am taking the less popular route and checking out Dawes at Hartwood. Call me crazy but 'North Hills' is totally kicking me arse. Here are my thoughts and images on this year.
Bill Deasy is a Pittsburgh treasure. The guy is humble, nice, and talented as any musician we have here. His son running up to the stage right before the music to say,"Hi Dad!" was endearing as you can get.
Alejandro Escovedo should have canceled due to the weather. He didn't. One of the many reasons why he's incredible.
Matt Morris was the only national act I saw who came out to greet fans. Note to bands: Do this and you will be successful beyond belief!
I would kill to have a WYEP studio cam on Cindy Howes in the morning just to capture her infinite hand gestures.
The pure joy and volume of Ingrid Michaelson's fans screaming was my favorite part of the festival run.
City cops don't like fans asking Justin Townes Earle for his autograph. Not one bit.
Kris Kristofferson could use a kick-ass band.
I discovered THE best parking spot for the fest this year. Free, closer than any of the garages, and it's right in front of...yeah, like I would tell you. If you really have to know, email me.
My sincerest of thanks go out to my friends at The Cultural Trust who actually have faith in my photographic abilities. It means everything to me. You are wonderful.
Rob is a recent Kentuckian transplant who now calls Pittsburgh home. He leads the fantastic band Small Cities who is having their debut CD release show tonight at the Thunderbird. He was cool enough to participate in today's installment of First/Last Fridays.
The first album you ever bought? The Righteous Brothers Greatest Hits. I think maybe this had something to do with loving Top Gun.
Your last album bought? Motorhead's Ace of Spades. This is the first metal album I've ever bought. I bought it largely on the basis that Lemmy plays a Rickenbacker. Turns out it was a good choice.
Favorite album of all time? There are always the same few albums at the top of my list, but it's never easy to pick a #1. I will say that I've listened to the Beatles' Abbey Road nine or ten times in the last two days. That one is always a contender.
Least favorite/most disappointing album? I think I'll catch hell for this, but Bob Dylan's Planet Waves. It was the record that preceded Blood on the Tracks which is one of my top five favorite albums of all time. Not to mention that his backing band was The Band. It seems like I should like this album, but I don't. It is not my least favorite album by any means, but given how much I love The Band and Blood on the Tracks, Planet Waves is very disappointing to me. But I'll probably go back and listen to it sometime later and absolutely love it.
First concert attended? I saw the Righteous Brothers when I was 9 or 10. An odd choice for a boy at that age, but I loved them.
Last concert?
Other than local shows, the last concert I saw was Paul McCartney in WashingtonDC last summer. I still can't believe I saw an actual Beatle.
Favorite concert ever? The first time I saw Wilco was pretty eye opening. I was not really into them at the time, but my friend had an extra ticket. I left that concert thinking they were the best band in America. Though in all honesty, the aforementioned McCartney concert would be hard to top.
Least favorite concert? Luckily, I don't remember seeing too many concerts that were just awful. When I was in Europe in college I saw a German Beach Boys cover band. It's disorienting to hear songs like "Surfin' USA" and "California Girls" sung with thick German accents. The crowd loved them, though.
Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh got hit with a big snowstorm at the beginning of February on a Friday night. The next night was Small Cities' first show. There was about two feet of snow on the ground and the roads were a mess. The other two bands that were supposed to play with us couldn't even get to the venue. We ended up playing our set and then having a two hour jam session with some of the other musicians who made it out to see the show. Looking back on it, I can't believe anyone actually came out, let alone enough musicians to have a jam session like that.
Thanks, Rob. BTW-Planet Waves was an absolute musical revelation to me. Then again, I first heard it in the wee hours of the morning after a Dead show so that could have influenced me now that I think about it!
Not my first time seeing the band but man, do I like the latest record and their live show has been taken to another level with the material. They were spot on the entire evening and really know how to deliver for the fans (who just might be the most loyal in all of rock, giving Josh Ritter a run for his money). Fan discussion and setlist of the show here.
The Chad Sipes Stereo
