First/Last-Lukas Read

"Cosmovisionary American artist. Austin, TX via Pittsburgh, PA via Buffalo, NY."

Check Lukas out on Facebook, BandCamp, Instagram and Tumblr. Lukas Read is the stage name of Lukas Truckenbrod, a former Pittsburgh resident who now calls Austin home. He was in a band called The Whiskey Holler and is now striking out on his own having just released his fantastic debut solo album, "Ramble Man, Ramble". My thanks to Lukas for taking a few minutes to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
I loved ‘The Way’ by Fastball, so I had to get their “All the Pain Money Can Buy”, which was and still is a rather solid album from start to finish. The closing track, ‘Sweetwater, TX,’ is a real pretty song.

Your last album bought?
Most recently was Pokey LaFarge's most recent S/T release on Third Man Records. When I was with the Whiskey Holler, we had the great pleasure of opening for his band at Club Cafe. He was affable and amiable, drinking bourbon on the rocks and always smiling. They played an incredibly high-energy set that may have been as long as 1.5 hours. He had everyone by the collar for all 90 minutes.

Favorite album of all time?
Notoriously difficult question here... “Ram” first comes to mind, by Paul McCartney...

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
When Beck released “Sea Change”, I was totally jazzed -- it was the first time I was expecting a new album from Beck, and when I plugged it into my Sony discman, I really wanted to love it.  But it was so radically different (a la sea change) that I was really saddened. I listened again about two years later and after my sensibilities matured(?) I came around to it and now regard it pretty highly. There are still a few downers that I don't mind skipping.

First concert attended?
Earliest one I can remember may be Cake at the Three Rivers Arts festival. Or Maroon 5/John Mayer at PG Pavilion... :(

Last concert?
Scout Niblett at the Mohawk in Austin. She was pretty wild. A drummer and a second guitarist eventually joined in through the set. Her voice was magnificent. Pure tone. My new favorite line of hers: "I've got no style, I'm simply ruled. No pop, no star, I'm strictly roots." That's some RnR.

Favorite concert ever?
Can't really nail one down... but recently I saw Mac DeMarco at SXSW, whom I wasn't too familiar with at the time, but he unexpectedly played in a showcase and really blew me away and exceeded my expectations. Total goober. Ended up seeing him three times that week. The last time I saw him, he and his band were obviously losing their minds and jammed to BTO's ‘Taking Care of Business’.

Least favorite concert?
The 2nd time i saw John Mayer... he shared the bill with Sheryl Crow...

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh was where I grew up, and I think it has instilled a certain type of innocence, or at least the ability to observe/operate through/apply a romanticism to my work. Pittsburgh works hard and doesn't expect much from anybody, which is a great attitude. We offer help for the sake of offering help, and have great neighborhoods with fantastic communities.

Thanks, Lukas. Just love the record, man. You should definitely come back for a visit. Also, I was at that Cake show and I'll never forget what a jerk that lead singer was to some fans before the show.

First/Last-Chris Rattie & The Brush Valley Ramblers

"Everything moves in cycles, an unstoppable circular motion. This idea is inescapable in our daily lives. From day to night, summer to winter, and life to death, change is inevitable. The wisest of us accept it and do our best while we hold tight to this giant rock hurtling itself around the sun. The best artists embrace change and channel it with all of the joy, terror, excitement, and sadness these cycles bring.

Chris Rattie’s debut album All These Things is born of that acceptance and embrace. There are songs like “So Long”, yearning for the hopeful change of moving onto new places. Opposing this is “The Way it’s got to be”, about a man who has worn out his welcome. For his own safety, he has no choice but to move on. There is the angry ”Burn em’ Down”, boiling over with fury at the injustice in the world, at a society unwilling to change and content to sleepwalk through it all."

Check out the band at their official Website, Facebook, ReverbNation, YouTube and Twitter. The former drummer of The Rustlanders is releasing his debut solo album, "All These Things" with a gig at the Thunderbird Cafe this Friday with friends of the blog Brewer's Row along for support. My thanks to Chris for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Kiss, The Peter Criss "solo" album. The Ace Frehley one is way better, but to my 6 year old mind Peter Criss was the drummer and drums are awesome, end of story, so cut me some slack! I was with my Grandparents in Boscov's department store at the Laurel mall in Hazleton. I was not leaving that store without that album, it was not an option.

Your last album bought?
Creedence Clearwater Revival "Mardi Gras". It’s got a really cool cover but I think those guys were out of gas by the time they made this one. Except for ‘Someday Never Comes’, that’s a really good song. I've also recently bought Television's second album "Adventure"... I like the first one better.... and The Sex Pistols, real good one.

Favorite album of all time?
That is an absurd question to ask a musician!  If I have to give a short answer and can only pick one, it's got to be Bruce Springsteen "Darkness on the Edge of Town". That album has kept me company for a really long time. It seems to age with me. The meaning shifts with the context of whatever happens to be going on in my own life. That's some pretty powerful art if we are going to get all high minded about pop music. Most importantly though, it has some power house, kick ass, Rock n Roll pressed into the vinyl.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Ya know... That new Jonas Brothers album REALLY let me down. Don't get me wrong though, I'll keep buying the merchandise, all the cologne and what not. 'll still watch their sitcoms and stuff. I love those guys, and Beiber too.

First concert attended?
8th grade, Hershey Park Arena, Guns n Roses with Skid Row. It was the day before the last day of school. I went with my two buddies, Jamie and John. We thought we were so bad ass. It was the "Use Your Illusion" tour, the height of Axl Rose rock star drama. I remember waiting in line outside of the stadium and hearing someone line check the bass drum. HUGE SOUND! That was game over for me. I was relentless about getting a drum set from that day on. A few months later I traded a friend 2 Nintendo games for his drums. Honestly, the set was only worth one Nintendo game.

Last concert?
The last "proper" concert where I actually bought a ticket was Gillian Welch at Union Transfer in Philly. She's an amazing songwriter and performer. You can hear a pin drop in the audience while she plays, absolutely mesmerizing. That's a pretty strange thing to experience in a bar.

Favorite concert ever?
This is another impossible question! I'd have to say it's a close tie. Gillian Welch again at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. This was close to 10 years ago now, but I don't remember exactly when. I do remember that I left the show absolutely inspired. I bought a guitar soon after and began taking song writing seriously.
Lucinda Williams, House of Blues in LA, around 2004. I was recording some demos with my old band out there. It was a Monday night and we scored some free tickets. We were 4 of about 30 people in the audience. We were shouting requests up to the stage and the band obliged. It was my first time out to the west coast. At the time it felt like everything was riding on those demo recordings. We were sure we were about to get a record deal... I'm not sure record deals actually exist anymore. Anyway, that particular concert is wrapped up with a ton of exciting and happy memories.

Least favorite concert?
Easy. Phish at Star Lake. A friend bought me a ticket so I had to go. There was some sort of "off the cuff", highly unorganized bake sale in the parking lot. I think the brownies I ate had something in them. Luckily they put me to sleep. I'm pretty sure that their music gave me a toothache that night. Sometimes I wonder if they're being annoying on purpose.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
My good friend Corry lives in Pittsburgh.  He and I toured together a whole bunch in The Rustlanders. Every tour started with driving to Pittsburgh and picking Corry up. So, 'the burgh' has always been a sort of jumping off point to a number of cross country Rock n Roll adventures. We'd leave Corry's house in the morning and as we came down the hill, around the bend, and onto the highway, the whole city would open up, a beautiful view of rivers and bridges. There was always a bunch of excitement and positivity in the van in those moments.
I've played a whole lot of shows in Pittsburgh and I've always had a great time. The audience is always full of good, down to earth kind of people, ready to throw down and have some fun. I've been invited into people's homes and offered many a couch to sleep on after shows. One time, some folks bought my band a "welcome" cake from the Giant Eagle. We served it up to the audience on set break. It was delicious.

Thanks, Chris. I've seen your former band quite a few times. Great to see you making it out on your own.

First/Last-The Fatty Acids

"The Fatty Acids (a half-a-dozen-boy band) have accidentally been kicking around incredibly powerful rock pop tunes for a half-decade in Milwaukee, WI."

Check the band out at their official Website, Facebook, BandCamp and Twitter. The band recently released the cassette version of their third album, "Bolero" for Cassette Store Day via Mine All Mine Records. My thanks to Josh Evert (Keys/Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
‘Free Willy’ soundtrack. Rocked the MJ song non-stop in the back seat of Mom's conversion van.

Your last album bought?
“Cavalcade” by Milo. Next-level stuff.

Favorite album of all time?
Toss-up between “Deltron 3030” s/t and The Unicorns' “Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
This is too difficult, so I'll just answer with the freshest in my memory. It's Kanye's “Yeezus”.

First concert attended?
First attended thing that you could technically call a concert was Sesame Street on skates. First "rock" show was Incubus in Madison, WI.

Last concert?
The Fatty Acids, Faux Fir, and Sat. Nite Duets at The Pabst Theater.

Favorite concert ever?
The first time I saw The Flaming Lips. It was in Madison at a strange Southern Comfort festival on an island. It was the first time I used my fake ID and I was terrified of getting caught. It was so, so, so worth the paranoia. ‘Weird Al’ at the State Fair this year gets runner-up.

Least favorite concert?
Hmm. For some reason Kool Keith was the first thing that popped into my head. It could have been his obnoxious hype man, awkward dancing woman, or when he chanted "pussy on the beach" for a good 2 min. Also, he combined bunches of his songs into medleys, which is something that I'm afraid he should leave to ‘Weird Al’.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I have played Pittsburgh twice. The first time was at Howler's and the promoter didn't get any locals on the bill. Or they didn't show up or something. So we walked down the street and found a co-op bookstore. I asked the people inside if they knew any locals that could play with us (and hopefully bring out a few people), and sure enough, one of the people working was a singer-songwriter. She agreed to play and started texting her friends, and a few of them came out. It was great. We stayed with some really cool activist-bordering-on-anarchist types who I am still in touch with. They informed me that the Just Seeds screen-printers are from Pittsburgh. They are huge influences on me as both a visual artist and a thinker. The second time I played there it really sucked, so let's not get into it. I can safely say that I like Pittsburgh a lot though, and not just because that's where you guys are from. But the bridges might be a little much for me.

Thanks, Josh. Bummer about your last time here. Glad it didn't taint your feelings about us.

First/Last-Dream Shake

 

"Like many songwriters who spend most of their time developing ideas behind closed doors, James Nee hit a creative wall in the middle of making his debut album as Dream Shake. (In case you’re curious, the name’s a Hakeem Olajuwon reference.) So he did the first thing that came to mind: he put his pen down, ignored the incessant calls of his guitar, and spent a couple weeks watching the Summer Olympics. Which isn’t to say he walked away wanting a gold medal of his own or an album full of anthems about going the distance in that game called life. In fact, Dream Shake’s self-titled record isn’t as autobiographical as you’d think considering its tracklisting looks like a collect-’em-all compilation of women who broke his heart over the past couple years. Since Nee is more of a pop culture junkie than the kind of indie rocker who refreshes Pitchfork’s homepage at least 10 times a day, the singer/multi-instrumentalist let Dream Shake’s songs connect the dots between his own personal experiences and the all-too-real storylines of characters from shows like Degrassi Junior High, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Check the band out at Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, and Vimeo. The band formerly known as We Are Trees have just released their beautiful debut self-titled "Dream Shake" via Frenchkiss Records. My thanks to James Nee (Multi-Instruments/Vocals) for taking a few minutes to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Britney Spears “...Baby One More Time”.

Your last album bought?
Dream Shake “Dream Shake”.

Favorite album of all time?
Al Green “I'm Still in Love With You”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
A record that's been scratched.

First concert attended?
Iron Maiden.

Last concert?
Swirlies.

Favorite concert ever?
Joe Hisaishi in Budokan.

Least favorite concert?
We Are Trees.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
How's the weather?

Thanks, James. The weather is great here. How about coming to Pittsburgh for a show?