First/Last-Love and Radiation

Love and Radiation

Club Cafe

Friday, April 26, 2013

Southside

"Love and Radiation is the project of Adele Nicholas and Lakshmi Ramgopal, vocalists, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists based in Chicago. Love and Radiation's first album, You Will Know Me, is out now. Propulsive beats, moody synths and unexpected dissonances create a haunting soundscape. Evoking meditative forests alongside pulsing dance floors, You Will Know Me explores darkness and ritualism with an urgency hard to dismiss."

Check out the band at their official Website, Facebook, Twitter and BandCamp. The duo hit Pittsburgh tomorrow night for Club Cafe's late show touring behind their brand new release, "You Will Know Me", on a bill with locals Action Camp and Mad Rapture. My thanks to both Lakshmi and Adele for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Lakshmi Ramgopal: "The Phantom of the Opera". With Michael Crawford and Sarah Brighton, of course.
Adele Nicholas: "The Blue Album", Weezer (on cassette).

Your last album bought?
Lakshmi: "Stripes", Pleasure Curses.
Adele: “Afraid of Heights”, Wavves (my tastes apparently haven’t changed at all in twenty years).

Favorite album of all time?
Lakshmi: "This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About", Modest Mouse.
Adele: "Surfer Rosa", The Pixies.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Lakshmi: Modest Mouse's "Good News For People Who Love Bad News." Those were sad times for me.
Adele: I'm going to go with Adele's “21”. I haven't actually heard it; I'm just mad that she stole my cool mononym.

First concert attended?
Lakshmi: Goo Goo Dolls. I was a for realz alt-rock junkie.
Adele: Dave Matthews Band. It’s what the cool kids were doing in middle school!

Last concert?
Lakshmi: Airiel at the Empty Bottle. Great Chicago shoegaze band.
Adele: Deadbeat, Richard Album, and David Yontz at Cole's in Chicago.

Favorite concert ever?
Lakshmi: Definitely the first time I saw Modest Mouse, though the venue was terrible (House of Blues). Born Gold also put on an unforgettable spectacle in Chicago last year at the Empty Bottle.
Adele: The first time I saw Sleater-Kinney was incredibly inspiring.

Least favorite concert?
Lakshmi: Anything involving one of Chicago's outdoor street festivals. Whenever I go to one, I instantly regret it. The music is always terrible and cheesy!
Adele: Seeing Weezer at the United Center in Chicago in 2001 was a giant bummer. I loved Weezer so much, and it was such a letdown to see them in a huge arena where I had to be so far away from the band.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
Lakshmi: I lived in Philly briefly a long time ago and was bummed to have never made it to Pittsburgh. I love industrial cities: they have a palpable, indomitable spirit and incredible architecture. I'm especially excited to visit Pittsburgh on tour: my brother will be moving to the city in a month to start his residency, so this should be the first of many visits!
Adele: I grew up in an industrial area in upstate New York, so Pittsburgh looks like my hometown. I’m looking forward to checking it out.

Thanks, ladies. Should be a cool time tomorrow night. Also, I can't tell you how many musicians are disappointed in Weezer! That band always pops up in those questions.

First/Last-Rebelution

Rebelution

Mr. Small's Funhouse

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Millvale

"Rebelution has developed into a front-runner for grassroots, independent and tour driven music groups. Originally formed in 2004, members Eric Rachmany (vocals / guitar), Rory Carey (keyboards), Wesley Finley (drums), and Marley D. Williams (bass) met in college, while residing in Isla Vista, a popular beachside community in Santa Barbara. New Orleans saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Khris Royal was recently added to the group. It was there that the seeds to Rebelution’s future were planted creating inspiring and engaging music that would leave their listeners with the sense that they have the power to make this world a better place. The band continuously tours across the USA, have ventured to South America, Guam, Hawaii, Aruba, New Zealand and Europe, and performed at Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits among others."

Check out the band at their official Website, Facebook, Twitter, iTunes, YouTube and Instagram. They stop in Pittsburgh tonight at Smalls with support from J Boog and Hot Rain. My thanks to Wesley Finley (Drums) for taking a few minutes to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
The first albums I bought were through one of those mail order catalogs that were big in the 90’s. I can remember buying Nirvana's “Nevermind”, the Bob Marley classic “Legend”, and TLC's “Crazy Sexy Cool”. My mom took the Nirvana booklet because of the naked baby as well as the TLC booklet because it talked about sex and AIDS.

Your last album bought?
The last album I bought was “Hummingbird” by Local Natives. Their sophomore album does not disappoint. It's no wonder these guys are in high demand right now. I remember seeing them with only 100 other people at an unannounced ACL afterparty and after that I was hooked.

Favorite album of all time?
My favorite album of all time is “El Cielo” by Dredg. It's not really a for-fun party album but more of a concept album that takes you on an adventure through dreams and sleep paralysis. I listen to it on long drives and when I need inspiration.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
I won't name names but there were so many bad albums in the 90's. Somehow we lost the idea that an album should be good from front to back and instead focused on singles with fluffer songs in between. I bought a number of albums for their radio hit only to be disappointed by the rest of the material.

First concert attended?
The first concert I remember attending was with my mom for a country band called Ricochet that happened to be playing at the county fair. I got into country at that time by parental influence but I can't say I like much of the new country coming out today. The sounds have gotten really poppy and I notice a lot of cross-genre covers as if they're running out of ideas or trying to stay relevant.

Last concert?
The last concert I attended was an underground hip-hop show by The Grouch and Eligh. They were among the first real hip-hoppers I started listening to as I moved away from mainstream rap. I found conscious lyrics and eloquent wording in hip-hop that I wasn't getting from rap and its constituents.

Favorite concert ever?
My favorite concert experience was hearing my favorite band Dredg play one of their best albums “Catch Without Arms” from beginning to end. After having listened to it so many times it was cool to see it performed without interruption. My mind felt like I was listening to the album but I was watching it all happen and seeing them play songs I would never ordinarily see them play at a regular show.

Least favorite concert?
My least favorite concert experience occurred when I saw Lauryn Hill play at the same festival as us about 4 years ago. The sound mix was not very good and the entire time she was on stage she was complaining about the sound when she should have just sucked it up and played through it. She sang half the lyrics while calling out the sound and monitor engineers. It was an awkward experience.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has always held it down for us. A big thank you goes out to the fans who have been following us for years and continued to come out wherever we might be playing. Oh yeah, and as a Giants fan, thanks for giving us Barry Bonds all those years back!

Thanks, Wesley. As for Barry Bonds, you can have him. Dude's a real dick, anyway.

First/Last-Liz Longley

Liz Longley

Club Cafe

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Southside

"In the short time since her graduation from Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music, singer-songwriter Liz Longley has assembled an impressive resume. While best known for her stop-you-in-your-tracks voice, Liz has steadily developed a reputation as an accomplished songwriter, crafting intimately personal portraits through her music.
In the past two years, Liz has taken home top prizes at some of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country, including the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship Competition, the International Acoustic Music Awards and the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest Songwriting Competition. New England named her the 2011 Female Performer of the Year, the Washington Post declared that Liz is "destined for a larger audience" and Dig Boston called her "a rising acoustic sensation." Even John Mayer is a fan, calling her music "gorgeous, simply gorgeous."

Check out Liz at her official Website, Facebook and Twitter. She is touring behind her latest single, 'This Is Not The End', from her forthcoming album and stops in Pittsburgh tomorrow co-headlining a show with Seth Glier and support from Carla Bianca. I want to thank thank Liz for taking a few minutes to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
The first album I can remember buying is totally random, in hindsight. Remember Chumbawumba? Yeah...

Your last album bought?
Bruno Mars' “Unorthodox Jukebox”.

Favorite album of all time?
Joni Mitchell's “Blue”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
I don't really think of albums that way...I either love it and play it endlessly or I don't listen to it at all.

First concert attended?
The first big concert I can remember going to was Avril Lavigne!

Last concert?
Cayamo Cruise...a music festival on a boat. I saw so many incredible concerts: Brandi Carlile, Shawn Colvin, Lyle Lovett and many more.

Favorite concert ever?
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals at The Ryman in Nashville, TN. I've never seen someone sing and perform with such passion. She's the real deal! Doesn't hurt that The Ryman is one of the best places to see live music.

Least favorite concert?
I've seen countless shows since I started touring...some inspire me and some not as much. But we all have our off nights and there is always something to learn from those shows.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
When I was sixteen, I visited Pittsburgh for the first time to write a few songs with local singer/songwriter,Bill Deasy. I had a great time there but unfortunately have not been back since!  I'm originally from the Eastern PA so I'm looking forward to touring through my home state and enjoying Pittsburgh again in April.

Thanks, Liz. I have always wanted to do a cool music cruise. Just haven't found the 'perfect' line-up as of yet.

First/Last-Ivan & Alyosha

Ivan & Alyosha

The Club at Stage AE

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Northshore

"All the Times We Had, Ivan & Alyosha’s first full-length album, encapsulates the personalized blend of rousing songcraft, infectious melodic hooks and thoughtful lyrical introspection that’s already endeared the band to just about anyone who’s witnessed one of their effortlessly uplifting live shows, or who’s heard either of their two prior indie EP releases.

The Seattle combo—which borrows its name from a pair of characters from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov—delivers its songs of struggle, perseverance and spirituality with a resilient, upbeat attitude that’s reflected in their bubbly brew of stirringly strummed folk-rock guitars, surging instrumental interaction and a bright, buoyant blend of voices that reflects the band members’ family-style camaraderie, evoking a timeless pop ideal that’s as affecting emotionally as it is pleasing to the ear."

Check out the band at their official Website, Facebook, Twitter, BandCamp, YouTube, MySpace and Spotify. They arrive in Pittsburgh tomorrow to play a WYEP studio session before headlining The Club at Stage AE later that night touring behind their latest effort, "All The Times We Had", with support from The Lone Bellow and Twin Forks. My thanks to Tim Kim (Electric Guitars/Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
I actually bought 3 albums at the same time but I think it was No Doubt (“Tragic Kingdom”), Live (“Secret Samadi”) and MxPx (“Life in General”). Love the 90s. :)

Your last album bought?
Lord Huron, “Lonesome Dreams”.

Favorite album of all time?
The Beatles, “Let it Be (Naked)”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
The Metallica/Lou Reed project.

First concert attended?
Pearl Jam, ‘VS’ tour.

Last concert?
Deck The Hall Ball in Seattle Featuring: Passion Pit, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, The Killers, Metric, M83 and Grouplove.

Favorite concert ever?
U2, ‘Vertigo’ tour but pretty much any U2 show will be my favorite.

Least favorite concert?
It was not memorable so unfortunately, the band name slips my mind.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh has wonderful people, great coffee, intriguing history, beautiful architecture (love the bridges) and we can't wait to explore it further!

Thanks, Tim. Looking forward to the show. See you tomorrow.