Image of the Day-'All Rode Off Together'

On Thursday, February 26, 2015 blog faves Meeting of Important People gathered a bunch of friends at Treelady Studios to sing the chorus on their upcoming single being released by Wild Kindness Records. Among the throng that gathered were members of some of the best indie bands Pittsburgh has to offer including from left to right Derek White (New Shouts), Bethany Berkstresser (Balloon Ride Fantasy), Jeff Betten (Western Pennsylvania), Dave Hidek (Treelady Studios), Josh Verbanets (Meeting of Important People),  Max Sommerville (Wreck Loose), Morgan Erina, Michael Cunningham (Neighbours), Addi Twigg (The Telephone Line), Matt Miller (Meeting of Important People), Molly Alphabet, Chet Vincent, Zack Keim (The Nox Boys), Guy Russo, Angela Pannitti, David Bubenheim (Pet Clinic) and Andre Costello. The single is being celebrated at a must see release at The Andy Warhol Museum on Saturday, April 18 with Morgan Erina and The Van Allen Belt as support. It was such a fun time in the room as it only took a few takes to nail it!

 

 

First/Last-Henry Bachorski

Photo via Facebook

Henry Bachorski is a Pittsburgh based singer-songwriter who is often out and about playing around town. You can check out his music over at his SoundCloud page as I thank him for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Rod Stewart “Overture and Beginners”. Partial live album with Rod and Ron wood piss drunk and ripping it. I think that was Rod at his best.

Your last album bought?
“Bavarian Fruit Bread” by Hope Sandoval. I liked her work in Mazzy Star, she does not disappoint.

Favorite album of all time?
That is difficult. Dan Fogelberg “Souvenirs” was a seminal album for me early in my songwriting influences. Later in life, “Rage Against the Machine” self-titled is absolutely killer.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Paula Cole “Harbinger”. I saw her perform on the Peter Gabriel Secret World DVD. She was stunning. The album not so much. I think we got ‘Where Have All The Cowboys Gone’ from that one (enough said).

First concert attended?
Boston with Niles Lofgren opening. I liked Niles better.

Last concert?
The Punch Brothers with Aoife O'Donovan opening. Most of my musician friends were at that show which says a ton. The Punch Bros were unreal and I bought Aoife’s CD in the lobby because I liked her performance a bunch.

Favorite concert ever?
Jackson Browne ‘The Pretender Tour’. Awesome backing band and backing vocals, which showed me the way.

Least favorite concert?
Boston. Brad Delp couldn’t pull it off live sadly.

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
As far as my feelings for Pittsburgh. I love my city. We live in the eastern burbs but when we start the car we are headed to Lawrenceville or Bloomfield or sliberty or the triangle itself. There are too many reasons to go for my wife and I to go anywhere else. The music scene is bubbling mightily right now and I am proud to play a small part in it. The love and friendship I’ve been shown will be passed on to anyone I meet with an instrument in their hands. I’ve been called “Dad” by way to many musician friends already for me not to know my place and calling. It’s been a great experience so far.

Thanks, Henry. Seems like you are everywhere in the open mic scene, man. You are such a vital part of what is happening in Pittsburgh right now and I really want to thank you for that.

First/Last-Apex Gibbon

"Apex Gibbon is a hard rock/power pop band out of Natrona Heights PA, and consists of 4 members currently. Quintin “Q” Beere is the rock steady bass player and senior member of the band. Ian “Ianeclease” Morris the crazy man with the plan is a drummer and guitar player extraordinaire. Dave Spencer is the writing force behind the music and plays guitar and sings vocals, and last but certainly not least is Michele “Bombchele” Spencer the lovely and talented front person of our little quartet."

Apex Gibbon is a hard rock band from Pittsburgh, PA. They have a couple gigs this weekend. Saturday (2/28) they are at Oakmont Tavern and Sunday (3/1) at Keynote Cafe in Jeannette. I want to thank Dave Spencer (Guiat/Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
My first album was Aerosmith “Permanent Vacation”.

Your last album bought?
Queen “News of the World”.

Favorite album of all time?
That's a hard one... I would have to say Volbeat “Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood”.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
I really thought I would like The Meat Puppets “Too High or Die” but was really disappointed.

First concert attended?
Survivor in Tarentum Park, PA.

Last concert?
Volbeat and Trivium in Pittsburgh.

Favorite concert ever?
Papa Roach, Buckcherry and Avenged Sevenfold at the Peterson Event Center, Pittsburgh.

Least favorite concert?
Motley Crue Fest.

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, I love the city and the blue collar attitude that permeates throughout.

Thanks, Dave. Survivor in Tarentum Park is a way cool first show I must say.

First/Last-Cats in Congress

"We play what feels right to us."

Cats in Congress are an indie-grunge band from Johnstown, PA. Their debut full-length, "Bipolar Express" dropped last year and you can catch them out playing live gigs around the area. I want to thank Billy Lewis (Guitar/Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
My parents had bought me a ton of albums growing up and music had always been a huge part of my life. I think the first album I ever bought with my own money would be “Favourite Worst Nightmare” by the Arctic Monkeys when it came out.

The last album you bought?
The last album I went out and physically bought would have to be “You’re Gonna Miss It All” by Modern Baseball, an amazing Pennsylvania band who I (along with the rest of the band) would love to play with at some point.

Favorite album of all time?
I’m going to have to cheat on this question and give two albums, “Hypnotize” and “Mesmerize” by System of a Down. They’re meant to be played together as one long concept album. The guitar work of Daron Malakian is the whole reason I decided to become a musician in the first place. Also I can play every song on both albums on guitar.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
My biggest disappointment of an album would be Fall Out Boy’s album “Save Rock And Roll”. While I do enjoy the album, I was extremely disappointed that they completely removed themselves from their punk rock roots.

First concert attended?
The first concert I attended was a Kansas/Styx concert in my hometown of Johnstown.

Last concert attended?
I try to attend as many local shows as humanly possible, but the last professional concert I had attended would be a Reel Big Fish concert.

Favorite concert ever?
The favorite concert I’ve ever been to would probably be when I saw System of a Down after they (finally) got back together. Their showmanship is absolutely legendary.

Least favorite concert?
The worst band I’ve seen play is Mumford and Sons. Their live show was absolutely atrocious and they sounded like absolutely garbage. It was most likely just an off night but that night has stuck with me.

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
My favorite thing about playing in Pittsburgh would be all the amazing people we’ve got to meet playing all our different shows. Between the promoters, fans, and other bands, we’ve made some lifelong friends in the last year.

Thanks, Billy. Yeah, I really don't get the Mumford & Sons thing. They are alright I guess but their enormous popularity I will never understand.

First/Last-2020k

"All forms of the human condition and its entanglement with modern day & still life."

2020k is a DJ, teacher, producer, and electronica-pop artist RJ Kozain. He has an EP and two singles over at his BandCamp and is prepping his first full-length debut for a future release. I want to thank him for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
I'm almost certain that “Change it All” by Goapele was the first album I bought with my own money.

Your last album bought?
“Syro” by Aphex Twin.

Favorite album of all time?
“Maxinquaye” by Tricky is one of the most influential records in my entire collection.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
I've been very put off by the last couple releases by Madonna. They've been lackluster since around 2008 or so, sadly. I also don't understand the appeal of “Hotel” by Moby, but I love “Hotel Ambient”.

First concert attended?
The TRL Tour in 2001. I was 12 years old and Destiny's Child were the headliners. It was a who's who of MTV Pop music at the time, basically.

Last concert?
The last major show I attended was Tegan and Sara in mid-2014, which turned me into a huge fan. Other than that, I saw KBD Trio, 8 Cylinder, AA Arm, and SNWV at Garfield Artworks back in July. I played a show with 8 Cylinder before that, so I wanted to check out a set of his purely as a spectator. Loved it. SNWV did some pretty nice, experimental things using room acoustics.

Favorite concert ever?
Erykah Badu at Roseland Ballroom in New York City. She arrived late and played late to make up for it. It was an outstanding show and she played so late that the security was chasing her around the stage telling her to leave and she just kept laughing, saying "just one more, just one more!"

Least favorite concert?
I've never been to a show where I've left with a sour taste in my mouth, but there's times when the venue's sound is a bit off that night and it tends to put a damper on the experience for me. The audio engineer in me goes mental.

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
The people who are into music in this city are really passionate, so I genuinely love interacting with the people who listen and call in while I'm on-air at WYEP or come up to me before and after the live shows. In 2014, I debuted a lot of working, unreleased material at shows and I was astounded at the warm, outpouring support from the people at the events. Outside of music, there's a lot of really nice niche areas and things to do in each section of The Burgh. I mostly roam the streets of daylight-time South Side and I like to look for interesting stops for coffee.

Thanks, Robert. That Erykah Badu gig ender sounds hilarious. I love little moments like that which stay with you forever.