First/Last-Guests of Guests

Check out the band on Facebook, ReverbNation and BandCamp. The Pittsburgh-based 'Americana-Garage-Folk-Rock' duo consists of Bobby Valentine (Guitar/Vocals) and Jolie Valentine (Double Bass). They released their debut "PA Dirt" late last year and I want to thank them both for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Bobby Valentine: I can't remember the first album I ever bought, but I remember my mom telling me it was awful and forced me to listen to the album “Arthur” by The Kinks, the first track of which is 'Victoria.' I listened to that song about a thousand times before ever making it to track 2. Huge Kinks fan since. Thanks Mom.
Jolie Valentine: Green Day's “Dookie”.

Your last album bought?
 Bobby: “Venus and the Cat” by Son of Bitch, by far one of my favorite groups, local or otherwise.
Jolie: Shakey Graves albums.

Favorite album of all time?
Bobby: “Souvenirs” by John Prine.
Jolie: It's hard to say, but I could pretty much listen to Deer Tick's “War Elephant” on repeat forever.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Bobby: Honesty any time I think I'm disappointed by an album I just put it away and come back to it. If anything I might be made curious by an artist's choices, but I'm never disappointed.
Jolie: I wouldn't say that I am ever really disappointed in an album. It's more that a band I really like starts to make changes to their music that I don't particularly like but I would still support them - one album that sticks out in my mind is Lucero's “Women and Work”. I love their music and will always support them, but that album took a direction that I didn't particularly care for.

First concert attended?
Bobby: No Doubt! 1995.
Jolie: Dave Matthews in the early 90’s.

Last concert?
Bobby: Locks and Dams with The Hills and the Rivers and Bryan McQuaid. Three really great acts. Love Pittsburgh music.
Jolie: Lucero at Mr. Smalls.

Favorite concert ever?
Bobby: Probably the first time I saw Cory Branan at Club Cafe. It made me seriously reevaluate what a live performance meant and how to go about it.
Jolie: William Elliott Whitmore at Club Café.

Least favorite concert?
Bobby: Any show where the band is disinterested or aloof. Shows should be communal and the audience and performers should share a mutual energy. A fun concert is a two part equation.
Jolie: Nothing really sticks out in my head as a least favorite concert. Live music is always a good time.

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
Bobby: Pittsburgh is this amazing anomaly where you can immerse yourself in cultural exploration, go on a secluded hike, take a 25 mile bike ride on a trail along a river (or three), and see a great show for five bucks all in the same day. The people here are down to Earth but not plain; smart without pretentious. Not to mention it's one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Jolie: I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and find more and more reasons to love it all the time. It's a medium sized city that has a small town feel that is really homey. I love that you can pursue anything creative and there is a community in place that supports you.  There are always great events going on (mostly free!) so we are never bored. And if you wanted to get out of the city for a while, it's a 30 minute drive to some beautiful mountains!

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate your obvious affection to our region and it's underrated musicians. I can certainly relate.

First/Last-Marcus Meston

"Marcus Meston is an eighteen year old singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Pittsburgh, PA. Influenced in his earlier youth by bands such as Nirvana and Weezer, Meston then became interested in "do-it-all" musicians and producers such as Matt Mahaffey and his band sElf, and other artists such as Jason Falkner, Brendan Benson, and Butch Walker. These influences have impacted Marcus Meston's music today, and the result is melodic, groove oriented, honest and concise power pop."

Check Marcus out on Facebook, ReverbNation, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube. The local 'teenager' is an all-around DIY musician/producer who just released the single 'Fading In and Out'. Keep an eye out on this kid and someday you can tell all your friends you discovered him here first on HughShows! I want to thank Marcus for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
The first album that I remember buying is the “Greatest Hits” album by the band Squeeze. I found Glen Tilbrook's songwriting and sense of melody amazing. It definitely inspired my taste of music and even to this day I love jamming ‘Is that Love’ and ‘Up the Junction’.

Your last album bought?
I bought the album “Shaky Dream” by the band Dinosaur Bones. They are a Canadian indie rock band, I love their unique melodies and interesting chord changes. I find it very refreshing. Check them out!

Favorite album of all time?
Wow, that's always a tough one. I have to go with the album “Subliminal Plastic Motives” by Self. Matt Mahaffey played all of the instruments, engineered, produced, and wrote it. I found it amazing that someone could do it all and SO DAMN WELL. When I do my own projects, I write, produce, record and perform all of it and he is my number one inspiration regarding all of those aspects, especially in the age of D.I.Y artists.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
I personally thought James Blake's new album “Overgrown” was really boring and didn't really take any chances. It's not my least favorite but I definitely found it disappointing. I still think his live set up is awesome, and I'd love to see him do it live... but maybe he should stick to his older stuff mostly.

First concert attended?
The first one I can clearly recall was seeing Green Day when I was going into 8th grade, I was 13 years old. Even though I don't particularly care for them now, they put on one hell of a show. It was the first time I saw a band perform on such a big level. The lights, production, and performance were tight as hell and I don't think anyone can argue with that, even if you aren't a fan.

Last concert?
My dad and I took a road trip to New York City so we could see our favorite band Self. We got to see Matt Mahaffey and his band play my all-time favorite album “Subliminal Plastic Motives”. It's actually incredible to see it all come together in a live setting. The whole crowd was totally loving it and the venue was amazing. It was at the Gramercy Theater, which had a big floor and seats above in a classic theater type of seating. I couldn't believe how amazing it was, I was blabbering about it the whole way home.

Favorite concert ever?
Definitely the Self concert.

Least favorite concert?
Honestly, I have not been disappointed by any shows that I've paid money to go to. That being said, I'm not the most experience concert goer. But there isn't a concert that sticks out in a negative light to me. I hope that continues!

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I opened for Aaron Carter around this time last year. I had no idea what he'd do as a performer and what the crowd was going to be like. It ended up being jammed packed and I had an absolute blast opening for him. It seemed so ridiculous because I remember having his cassettes when I was so young, who would've thought that I'd be sharing the stage with him. I'm especially excited to open for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. because I have been a huge fan of them for awhile now. I always had them playing in my car. To have the opportunity to have my name alongside them is truly amazing.

Thanks, Marcus. I can't tell you how excited I am about the young people making music in this city. Looking forward to you doing great things here.

First/Last-Road Runner

"Pittsburgh indie rockers Road Runner deliver distinctly honest music that paints a haunting portrayal of the struggle between hope and desperation. They have been hailed as one of the top new artists to watch in 2014 by musicinform.com. Road Runner released their debut EP in December 2013 and are currently in production of their full length follow up."

Check out the band on Facebook and BandCamp. The band's debut EP, "Greetings from the Wilderness" was released late last year and as they prep a follow up full-length, they hit Brillobox tomorrow night with friends of the blog Wreck Loose and Morgan Erina along for the ride. I want to thank Ryan Solomon (Guitar/Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Either Weezer "The Blue Album" or The Offspring "Smash".

Your last album bought?
Tom Waits "Swordfishtrombones".

Favorite album of all time?
I have too many favorite albums. It'd be really difficult to choose one because there are honestly just too many.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Probably "And Justice For All" from Metallica. The bass is almost non audible on that record in tribute of Cliff Burton's death and that album for me was lacking in comparison to the nearly flawless first three albums Metallica released.

First concert attended?
I think Bright Eyes at Club Laga (still holding a grudge they shut that place down) right after "Fevers and Mirror's" was released.

Last concert?
Langhorne Slim at Club Cafe.... really awesome show.

Favorite concert ever?
Not really a concert I guess but there is this hole in the wall place called Byrnes Irish Pub up in Bath, Maine and they used to have this Irish band come in every night and the entire place would sing these Irish songs and everyone always had such a great time... plus they had good beer which gives bonus points.

Least favorite concert?
I honestly don't think I’ve been to a show that i didn't enjoy on some level.

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I love Pittsburgh, it has a very "honest" quality to it that most cities/places in the world don't have. I was in the Navy for four years and have been fortunate enough to see a lot of this country as well as many other countries around the world and I consider myself extremely lucky to come from Pittsburgh. I wouldn't want to be from anywhere else.

Thanks, Ryan. Peculiar you mention the 'honesty' factor when it come to Pittsburgh. I have heard that for many years from out-of-towners and I always proudly agree.

First/Last-The Wire Riots

"Founded in January 2012, The Wire Riots emerged from the remnants of Juno Vega, Ill Willis, and The Ghosts of Roanoke Island. In July 2013 The Wire Riots merged with Jesse Mellor and Colin Valenta of Three Volt. This combination produced a veritable Indie Rock Super Group with music that reveals influences from post-British Invasion garage rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk rock, and post-punk. The Wire Riots sound has been compared to The Pixies, Modest Mouse, The Killers, The Mars Volta, and Cage The Elephant. The band also garners much attention for its prolific and passionate stage presence during live shows. The Wire Riots' spectrum of influence reaches beyond the US with fans in the UK, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Canada, and Poland. The band is currently in the process of completing their first EP to be released this year."

Check out the band on Facebook, ReverbNation and Twitter. I stumbled upon this Pittsburgh 'Indie-RAWK' band whilst pimping another gig and immediately fell in love with their energetic anthems. They are currently working on finishing up a new EP and their next gig is May 14th at Howler's with UK outfit The Roseville Band. Turns out our hometown rockers have a budding international following in Sweden and the UK. I will be there at Howlers for certain. I want to thank Adam Koisor (Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Black Sabbath “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”.

Your last album bought?
Guided by Voices “Class Clown Spots a UFO”.

Favorite album of all time?
Guided by Voices “Universal Truths and Cycles”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Black Sabbath “13”.

First concert attended?
Blue Oyster Cult.

Last concert?
At the Drive In.

Favorite concert ever?
They Might be Giants

Least favorite concert?
Toad the Wet Sprocket (I was dragged to it).

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
The scene has changed but the desire for new and fresh music has not.

Thanks, Adam. Can't wait to see you guys play. Really am loving what I am hearing from you.

First/Last-The Deceptions

"With mature lyrics and diverse musicality. The music of the Deceptions remains unpredictable, yet listenable. The composition of their vast original catalog ranges from guitar-driven epics, to folk-style sing-a-longs. Their sound is influenced by a number of artists including Neil Young, Wilco, Ryan Adams, the Counting Crows, The Old 97s, and The Jayhawks. "

Check out the Americana band from Pittsburgh at their official Website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, ReverbNation and Tumblr. The band's latest from 2012 is the aptly named "Tall Tales from Green Meadows". Check out an earlier live session from 2010 at WYEP. I want to thank Jared Fretz (Guitar/Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
I can't remember the first album that I spent my own money on but my first record was John Mellencamp's “Uh Huh”.

Your last album bought?
“It is So You” by Gold and the Rush.

Favorite album of all time?
It's a toss up between Wilco's “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and The Beatles' “Sgt. Pepper's”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Not sure. I can usually find something I like on an album.

First concert attended?
Bob Dylan.

Last concert?
Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Favorite concert ever?
The Hold Steady. I saw them after “Boys and Girls in America” came out. High energy, great show!

Least favorite concert?
Todd Snider. I've seen him a handful of times and he was always great. The bad show was at Club Café the night of the St Patrick's Day parade. The crowd was at a state of drunkenness that made the show really hard to appreciate.

Favorite thoughts, experiences. about Pittsburgh?
I really love how supportive local bands and musicians are of each other. This town has great heart.

Thanks, Jared. I may have been at that Hold Steady gig. Great show for sure.