First/Last-Paperhaus

"Paperhaus started in a basement in the suburbs of Washington, DC, where guitarists Alex Tebeleff and Eduardo Rivera spent their teenage years playing music together with ears buzzing from Radiohead, Television, and Fela Kuti. Miles away in Philadelphia, the dissonant vibrato of drummer Brandon Moses howled over distorted blues, while bassist John Di Lascio’s three drunken years playing absurdist prog-pop in shady Japanese yakuza bars were winding down. When the haze cleared, these four musicians found themselves in the Red Door room in DC’s legendary Gold Leaf Studios (R.I.P.), screaming raw vocal poetry into rickety old mics and bleeding cosmic noise through rusty tube amps. All night jams edged into anything from CAN to DC Gogo, while haunting noisescapes echoed of Sonic Youth and Scott Walker. Above it all hung Country-Blues & Pop-oriented arrangements with deeply personal lyrics."

Check out the 'psychedelic kraut-pop' band at their official Website, Facebook, Twitter and BandCamp. The band's latest release, "Lo Hi Lo", will definitely be prominent in their set as they hit Pittsburgh tomorrow night at the Thunderbird Cafe along with local favs Pet Clinic and Action Camp. I want to thank Alex Tebeleff (Guitar/Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
The first album I ever bought was Nirvana's “Nevermind”. Definitely had a lasting impact on me! It's one of those obvious answers, but it really has stood the test of time. Nirvana brought a passion and intelligence rarely seen in punk or pop music.

Your last album bought?
The last album I "bought" was “The Smile Sessions”. Can't believe I didn't get this when it came out, I've always been a huge Beach Boys fan. It's truly a masterwork, one of the most original pieces of music ever created.

Favorite album of all time?
That's really tough.

First concert attended?
My first concert was O.A.R. at the 9:30 Club in DC. They went to my high school growing up, this was long before they were nationally famous, but they definitely sucked back then too looking back on it.

Last concert?
At our house venue in DC, The Paperhaus! It was Father Figures, an incredible jazz band from NYC, The New Heaven & The New Earth from Philly, who make as beautiful and haunting music as you'll ever hear, Marian McLaughlin, who is one of my favorite songwriters in DC, and Nevin Kight, who is a great songwriter from Virginia and also plays guitar in Wild Nothing. It was pretty incredibly diverse, and the crowd was extremely attentive as usual. We've been on quite a roll for a while now with the quality of shows at the house.

Favorite concert ever?
Radiohead at Bonarroo in 2006. I was front row, and they played their asses off. I love how different their energy and sound is live. Probably the most influential band for me growing up.

Least favorite concert?
Probably that O.A.R. concert, ha-ha.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I've always enjoyed my time in Pittsburgh. Great people, great music, and great food. Can't ask for much more than that!

Thanks, Alex. I totally second your love for "The SMiLE Sessions". I can't believe he was so whacked out not to finish and release that back in the day.

First/Last-Luke Winslow-King

"Luke Winslow-King (born March 12th 1983) is a guitarist, singer, composer, and lyricist known for his slide guitar work, and interest in pre-war blues and traditional jazz. Winslow-King’s work consists of an eclectic mix, taking in delta-folk music, classical composition, ragtime, and rock and roll; juxtaposing original songs with those from a bygone era.
Whether solo, or with a band, Winslow-King offers an original sound that is both rustic and elegant. He delivers energetic and dynamic performances, with his burgundy voice and versatile guitar playing."

Check Luke out at his official Website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. His new release, "The Coming Tide" is out now via Bloodshot Records and he returns to Pittsburgh Thursday night at Pittsburgh Winery. I want to thank Luke for taking a few to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Phil Collins “Both Sides”.

Your last album bought?
Mississippi Fred MacDowell “Lomax Collection”.

Favorite album of all time?
Mance Lipscomb “Texas Songster”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Jeff Buckley “Grace”.

First concert attended?
Counting Crows, Kalamazoo Wings Stadium.

Last concert?
Neil Young, Voodoo Fest.

Favorite concert ever?
Taj Mahal, The Ark Ann Arbor, MI.

Least favorite concert?
Neil Young at Voodoo Fest.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
Last time I played in town I was performing at the home of Chukky Okobi of the Steelers.
I'm excited to return this time for a public concert at The Pittsburgh Winery.

Thanks, Luke. Exactly how does one go about playing in a Steeler's living room?

First/Last-Pillars and Tongues

"Pillars and Tongues’ music always has one foot in the avant-garde, while never completely abandoning pop, which in this case is gloomy, dark, and dreamy, almost cinematic, evoking pictures of lost and doomed landscapes. The Pass and Crossings is close to nothing contemporary, a truly outstanding piece of sonic art." - Henning Lahmann (No Fear of Pop)

Check out the band on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and BandCamp. The 'expiremental, chamber-folk' band's latest release, "End-Dance" is available now via Empty Cellar Records, or you can pick it up at The Andy Warhol Museum tomorrow night as the band supports Angel Olsen. I want to thank Mark Trecka (Vocals/Keys/Percussion) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Technotronic, “Pump Up The Jam”.

Your last album bought?
Julia Holter, “Loud City Song”.

Favorite album of all time?
Tsegue Maryam Guebrou, “Piano Solo”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
The United States drone program.

First concert attended?
Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, The Jim Rose Circus Sideshow at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

Last concert?
Played pool and left early.

Favorite concert ever?
Ended too soon.

Least favorite concert?
The audience threatened me.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
Wonderful town; we have played there many times and are looking forward to playing the Andy Warhol Museum. Pittsburgh is lucky to have Mike "Brother Ong" Tamburo who is, as far as we can tell, one of the foremost gong trippers this side of the Ganges.

Thanks, Mark. Appreciate the heads up on Brother Ong. Gonna have to delve deeper.

First/Last-The Saturday Giant

"Going to see a show should be about what happens that day, in that room, between that audience and that performer. It shouldn't be a carbon copy of the same performance from the night before. How I slept, what I ate, the conversations I had, the articles I read: all of those things affect my brain chemistry and how I'm going to interact with the songs that day. Making art is an incredible opportunity to synthesize and reinterpret our unique lived experiences and reintroduce them to the world as shared dreams of sound and light. If I used canned backing tracks I'd be robbing myself of that opportunity. I want the freedom to make mistakes. Mistakes are far more human and interesting than mechanized accuracy. Be suspicious of anyone who wants to scrub art of its imperfections. As soon as art becomes perfect, it dies."

Check out the band at their official Website, Facebook, Twitter and BandCamp. The Columbus, OH based 'indie-pop' band is the moniker of songwriter Philip Cogley who travels over to The Center of Harmony tomorrow night for a special performance. You can also catch him earlier in the morning on The Saturday Light Brigade. I want to thank him for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
I can't recall which was first, but I know that the first three compact discs I owned were Metallica's “Black Album”, Weezer's Blue Album, and Counting Crows' “August and Everything After”. I know that I purchased some cassettes when I was younger, but I can't remember what most of them were. I do know for certain there was a DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince cassette in there somewhere, along with the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ film soundtrack, featuring Vanilla Ice's immortal ‘Ninja Rap’.

Your last album bought?
I think the last record I bought would have been “Modern Vampires of the City” by Vampire Weekend, which is excellent. I didn't buy it (at least not yet), but more recently a friend hooked me up with Kendrick Lamar's entire discography.

Favorite album of all time?
"Favorite" is a tricky word... there are so many different ways music can affect a person and different roles music can play in a person's life. However, Radiohead's “Kid A” probably had a bigger impact on me than any other collection of music I can recall.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
I used to really like Coldplay, and believe it or not, once upon a time that wasn't an embarrassing thing to admit. I still think “Parachutes” is a pretty solid album. You started to see on their second record that things were probably going to go south, but I still had high expectations when I went to buy their record, “X & Y”. I really wanted to like it, but I ended up feeling totally betrayed.

First concert attended?
Ooh, this is embarrassing. Pretty sure the first show I ever went to was Bush. Goo Goo Dolls and No Doubt were supporting. It was so overblown and melodramatic, but at the time my friends and I thought it was amazing.

Last concert?
Earlier this week, I went to see my buddy Dolfish (Cleveland-based singer-songwriter Max Sollisch) at a venue here in Columbus. Max is an excellent songwriter and an engaging performer, so it was an enjoyable evening as always.

Favorite concert ever?
I think it would have to be a tie... in middle school I got to see Rage Against the Machine in St. Louis, Missouri at an outdoor amphitheater with my older brother. Somehow he and his friends got tickets in the second row. It was positively electric. Then in college some friends and I were able to score floor seats for Radiohead at Madison Square Garden. I'd seen Radiohead before and I've seen them since, but being able to see them just four or five rows from the stage was incredible. An entirely different kind of experience.

Least favorite concert?
I had to think hard about this one. I think probably the correct answer is T.Raumschmiere, who I saw in Columbus, maybe back in 2005 or 2006. Though I think the fact that I remember the performance at all means that there was a strange kind of grandeur in how unpleasant it was.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I actually lived in Pittsburgh for a year, from fall of 2007 to fall of 2008. I worked at the Shadyside Apple Store, first as a salesperson and then in the repair room. So if any of your readers bought a computer or had one repaired at that store in that time frame, I very well may have been involved. I still think Pittsburgh has one of the most dramatic skylines in the country, with the exception of maybe Manhattan and Chicago. I get a really warm feeling every time I pop out of the Fort Pitt tunnel and boom—there's the city.
My entire extended family is from northwestern Pennsylvania (generally the Meadville/Titusville area) and as such, I was raised a Steelers fan, so Pittsburgh feels like home in a lot of ways.

Thanks, Phil. So cool that you hooked up with Allie. She is building up a sweet scene in Harmony and she is definitely good people.

First/Last-Matt Hopper & The Roman Candles

"Matt Hopper is an American troubadour with rock and roll in his veins, a weathered voice and blues hands. Though currently based in Idaho he cut his teeth on the Alaskan music scene. Hopper has released six albums, both solo and with his band The Roman Candles."

Check Matt out at his official Website, Facebook, BandCamp and Twitter. As part of my ongoing coverage of the Paste 50 States Project, we again stay in Alaska this week with Matt Hopper. His latest is the 'pop-rock' infused album, "High Hopes". My thanks to Matt (Guitar/Piano/Bass/Vocals) for taking a few minutes to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
I can't remember. I'm pretty sure it wasn't an album though, it was a tape. Might have been Duran Duran's single ‘Come Undone’ or P.M. Dawn's ‘Set Adrift On Memory Bliss’. Mostly though I just made mix tapes dubbed directly off the radio of my favorite songs. I was "streaming/stealing" music way before Napster. I remember getting a NKOTB tape too for my birthday, that may have been the first one.

Your last album bought?
Either Kurt Vile "Smoke Ring for my Halo" or Horrible Crowes "Elsie".

Favorite album of all time?
I can't narrow it down like that... but here's a few favorites: Counting Crows "August & Everything After", Phoenix "Wolfgang Amadeaus Phoenix",  Weezer "The Blue Album", The Killers "Hot Fuss", Starflyer 59 "Silver", Tom Petty "Wildflowers".

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
I think the new MGMT song is disappointing. I have no idea on albums, I don't listen to albums that disappoint me more than once so they are immediately forgotten forever.

First concert attended?
Blues Traveler, also my first time ever smelling pot smoke.

Last concert?
I just saw Matisyahu last night. I thought his band brought it hard and his style and delivery was refreshing, polished, fun, groovy, and overall I thought the entire concert was stellar. I had a great time.

Favorite concert ever?
Well, that's tough cause do you count festivals? If so, it might have been Lollapalooza in 2004... when Pixies opened for Radiohead and I got to see The Cure all in the same weekend.... not to mention like a hundred other bands I love and Citizen Cope handed me a copy of his new album from a backpack he was wearing around.

Least favorite concert?
Any concert that has a "hype mentality" i.e. people who are constantly trying to get the crowd "hyped" by being annoying, inflammatory and desperate. So, basically the opening act for Matisyahu last night and Limp Bizkit in 1997 at Vans Warped Tour.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I played there once with a new wave band that was on a record label that was trying to sign me. Can't remember their name, and I can't remember much about Pittsburgh at all. I want to say I felt like it was kind of a dirty city, then again, I was only in town for one evening and maybe played in a bad part of town, who knows. I hope to come back there again someday and have a better experience.

  

Thanks, Matt. So funny that we all used to buy 'cassingles'. Seems like such a waste now.