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Evidently, bands already booked for the Arts Fest are inelligible, which removes some good talent from the pool right out of the gates. That said, there are some fine bands left in there, the majority being spanking new to me. I can’t remember where I heard Beware Fashionable Women before, but I’m pretty sure I have, and I really dig the song they entered. Low Water’s in there, they’re always solid. Carolina Shine I’ve never heard of, but those guys really know how to get a groove going.

But who am I but some idiot with a weblog? Go decide for yourselves. You’re all individuals.

Also, while we’re linking the P-G, here’s a pretty sweet article from Thursday: Scott Mervis’ 20 most memorable moments at Star Lake (I still insist on calling it that).

Here are a few to get started. Help me fill up a tracklist in the comments thread and we’ll put something together together. Together.

My old neighbor Wavves? Some MGMT perhaps? What’s new and sunny these days?

Download:
Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes”
Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto – “Girl from Ipanema”

Download:
Jeff Tweedy & Jay Bennett – “James Alley Blues”

Download
Delta Spirit – “Trashcan”

Anyway, today is Joey Ramone’s birthday, and tonight the Boss takes over the Igloo. Recent setlists tell us that “Hungry Heart” has not been a staple of recent shows. But, I’ve heard tell that Bruce originally wrote that song for The Ramones at Joey’s request (confirmed by good old Wikipedia), so you can probably hope for that one tonight.

A more exciting number you might also hope for would be “I Wanna Be Sedated,” which Bruce and the band covered in Boston a few weeks ago upon a fan’s request:

If you’re on your way to the show, enjoy. And if you have seats on the floor, try not to do anything that could screw up the ice worse than it is already.

Download:
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band – “I Wanna Be Sedated”
Wilco – “Color Me Impressed / I Wanna Be Sedated”

One of the big perks of writing a music blog is that artists and publicists send tons of free music—so much that I can’t keep up with it. But I suppose one of the downsides is that a lot slips through the cracks. Beyond that, I end up perusing so much of what I get for free that I often overlook or forget about the stuff I’ve paid for. So it’s time to clean out the archives a bit.

Alligators
Piggy & Cups

I recall liking the Alligators as soon as I clicked the link in my inbox, and I downloaded the album right away, and then never listened to it. Which is a shame, because their sound (somewhere between Pomegranates and Fleet Foxes, perhaps?) is perfect for these sunny spring days like today. Fortunately, I imagine it will suit the summer even more.

Download:

Midnight at the Movies

Whether it leaked first by the band’s intentions isn’t clear (to me anyway), but either way they’ve made it official now. The sound is sure to draw the same “dad-rock” aspersions that followed Sky Blue Sky, but with a lighter mood and a kickass cover, you have to hope some of those naysayers will cool it this time around. Enjoy.

“Dustland Fairytale” last night, preceded by some funny business…

I’d heard a few tracks from the Homsepun Sessions before they opened for Good Night, States back in March. Unfortunately, I was running late that night and only caught the last two songs of their set. Nonetheless, I liked what I heard and bought a copy of the new CD, Here, Anonymous.

For about a month I kept the disc in my car and listened to it mostly on rainy nights, as I’d bought it on one such evening and it seemed to fit that mood nicely. Then one afternoon my girlfriend tossed it in on a sunny day while driving through the hills, and I couldn’t believe how great it sounded with the volume up and the windows down. Eulogies remind me of Sebadoh in that sense–their lo-fi feeling doesn’t lose brightness, and they can weave sounds that seem to mold to a setting. I have to think Lou Barlow would be a fan, too, and maybe he is for all I know.

But all I know is this: they play Diesel this Friday amidst a solid lineup. The problem is, of course, that Diesel holds concerts between about 7 and 10 p.m., before shutting down the music and throwing open the doors to welcome all good ‘bags and ‘baguettes in search of the Goose. That means that the Pens will be facing off against the Caps right about the time the show starts, which does not bode well for attendance. However, put one point in the “pros” column for the fact that Diesel will surely have the game on upstairs, so if you’re in the 21-plus crowd get a seat between the TVs and the stage and multi-task your Friday entertainment.

As for the Dears and Great Northern, I like what I’ve heard and I’m looking forward to both. In particular, Great Northern’s new disc is solid and refreshing. For more on both bands, see what the Music Slut had to say about their performances earlier this week in NYC.

Download:
Great Northern – “Houses”

EDIT: As good old Anonymous has pointed out in the comments, this show appears to have been nixed. Per the Joker website:

In commemoration of their first studio album release in 7 years, Rusted Root stopped by the beautiful WYEP Community Broadcast Center on the SouthSide for a jam and chat at Noon today.

The on-air portion of the show featured 4 new tracks off of Stereo Rodeo, which was released today. Fans of the band’s previous work, will like these new ones. They played the title track “Stereo Rodeo” after frontman Michael Glabicki explained that the song was inspired by his recent re-entry into the dating world. The song’s easy pace gives great room for Glabicki’s notoriously heart-felt delivery and for a new track, they’ve got it surprisingly polished live. They also played the lead track off of the album, “Dance in the Middle” with Liz Berlin breaking out a washboard and spoons to make the song jump.

If the four Rodeo tracks they sampled are any indication of the whole album, the band seems to be alternating between both of their sounds; jumping back and forth between “Martyr”ed jamboree and “Virtual Reality”ed electro-rock. I look forward to delving into the album – which they happily signed after the show.

When they went off the air the 40 people in attendance were treated to a rousing rendition of the classic When I Woke track “Ecstasy” (Recorded snippet below).

As they were about to vacate the small stage amidst a hail of applause that belied the smallness of the space, Glabicki paused as if suddenly he remembered that he’d forgotten to do something important. He halted the band’s exit by asking the crowd, “Is it weird if we don’t play ‘Send Me On My Way’? ‘Cause if it is, we’ll play it.” We cheered, they played.

It was a spectacularly up-close encounter one of my favorite all-time live acts. The new stuff sounds great, and the old stuff still hums like it was 1994. After all these years, Rusted Root remains Pittsburgh’s best band.

Be sure to check them out at the “Fallen Not Forgotten” show to benefit the Fallen Officers Fund on May 25 in Station Square.

Here’s the brand new video for the song “Bitter Heart” (which we featured on the Arts Fest preview playlist here).

For at least two weeks now, the Action Painters’ debut album, Chubby Dancer, has been in heavy rotation for me. If I had it on vinyl, it would show serious wear along the grooves of “456” and “Sooner or Later.” So my hopes were high last night when they opened for Triggers in the Southside. Thankfully, they killed.

Despite some terrible preshow decision-making (they actually ate the food at Jack’s), the band brought to Lava Lounge a live energy I haven’t seen anywhere in a long while. Leader Tom Haslow began the set unassumingly with soft vocals and clean Les Paul tones on “How Could It Be So Wrong?” and as the song built up power, voices in the crowd began to hush and people took notice: these guys meant business.

After sitting with their album a few weeks, I expected seasoned art-rock veterans who had learned precision and restraint from long years and past projects, but the band on the whole is relatively young. Haslow’s voice in particular carries more age than his face lets on. Thurston Moore, J. Mascis, and Tom Verlaine all come to mind, but his passion comes through when he sings, making the vocals distinctly his own. His lyrics are genuine and his delivery is heartfelt, even when the songs seem apathetic on the surface.

Early in the set they unleashed “456” and “Sooner or Later” back to back, and a few more heads from the front room began to filter back to the stage area. They hit their stride, and even an overzealous fan who had followed the band down from the prior night’s show in Cleveland (are they all animals up there?) couldn’t break it. While some bands might have been bothered, Allison Zatarain glowed in the face of his uneven 22nd century dance moves that threatened to tip her double-stacked keys, and Haslow actually seemed to feed off the excitement and raise the stakes.

Which is another point worth making: Action Painters’ stage presence also belies their youth. Haslow commands the mic, and between verses turns to Joe Hankin (also on guitar) and Ray Heekin (bass) for short, explosive jams. Through it all, Amit Wehle keeps the beats simple and solid, giving even the Painters’ rawer tunes something the masses can grab onto. Though I didn’t expect their layered songs to lend themselves all that well to live performance, the Painters really do give them life in concert.

After rocking through “Absolutely Clear,” the band closed out with the synth-heavy poppers “Supermarket” and “Money Changes Everything.” It’s on those tunes that you might hear a bit of Talking Heads’ influence on the Painters’ approach. They have the essential ability to take what could be standard powerpop hooks and melodies and twist them into something far more interesting, at once danceable and thoughtful.

This is absolutely a band on its way up. With plans of a full-length release and a second tour later this year, the Action Painters can expect serious success if they continue to build on what they’ve already constructed in a relatively short period of time. After Thursday’s show I would expect that they shine even brighter in a venue with a little more space to spread out, so it would be great to see them book somewhere like Brillobox or Thunderbird next time through town. I’ll be keeping a close eye on their progress, continuing to hope for the best.

For the tired and weary out there who may be debating whether to suck it up and make it out for an 11:00 p.m. Handsome Furs show on this fine Tuesday night, here are some recent reviews to help you make up your mind. You know you want to.

Minneapolis, MN (via Gimme Noise)

Columbia, MO (via The Bathysphere)

NYC (via Pop Wreckoning)

Download:
Handsome Furs – “I’m Confused” (Mediafire link)

We’d seen this unattributed quote in a few places on the old internet and, though we’ve given them a few recent shout-outs on the blog and we both dig their studio releases, neither of us had seen Good Night, States live. Turns out the description above is pretty apt, as we learned for ourselves this past Friday when we both skipped the Antlers in favor of the local indie darling. Here’s our take on our maiden voyage with GNS at the Thunderbird Café:

Roberto: It was clear from their stage setup on Friday that this is a band who takes their sound seriously. And though that doesn’t mean their studio sound is translated directly to the live show, it does mean that the band’s many nuances don’t get lost in the mix.

With a healthy array of keyboards and a plethora of pedals at the ready, the five-piece started out with a couple of more traditional rockers–including the excellent “Family Dark”–before really spreading out and showing off their experimental side.

Henry: Yeah, it was hard not to notice the meticulous weave electric of cabling and homemade pedals they deftly plugged together. In an era of big, booming, black amps their array of mini-boxes strategically miked in the few spaces allowed by the intimate T-Bird stage gave the show a friend’s living room kind of feel.

R: And while less energetic on stage than the well-received Middle Distance Runner, who played just before them, GNS bring a sort of studious professionalism to their live show that works well for their sound. The obvious comparison for their studio material is a slightly poppier Wilco, and that holds pretty true for their stage presence as well (perhaps thinking of a Wilco before the addition of the explosive Nels Cline).

H: At first, I was underwhelmed when they turned the soundcheck into a steady rocker. But the show picked up steam and you had to recognize the tightness of the group. That said, Middle Distance had just finished rocking the room into a swirling frenzy of cigarettey, wailing rock and GNS’ articulate harmonies felt sweet but punchless for the first 4 or 5 minutes as a result.

R: What struck me about GNS, particularly on the epic “Long Coats, No Energy,” was their ability to keep it controlled during a few electro-instrumental interludes that recalled middle-era Sonic Youth, which could have strayed into the risky realm of noise-for-the-sake-of-noise in a small venue like the Thunderbird. Thankfully, the band fell back in line well short of that mark. To me, this showed a level of restraint unexpected for a band at only two years of age.

H: It was clear that all three bands on the bill (Eulogies, MDR and GNS, in order of appearance) are worthy of their music-blog-hype.

Shifting gears, I’d be remiss if I didn’t commend GNS’ clever and oh-so-indie marketing stunt: the band’s merch-girl (who’s name I unfortunately didn’t catch) wandered the crowd throughout the night and had audience members write messages to their friends on GNS postcards, which the band would then mail for you. She had five different cards featuring each of the band’s indie-glamour mugshots on them.

I guess what I’m getting at is this: they are everything you want your local indie-rock-act-with-big-time-potential to be. They’re clever, smallish, tight-jeaned–but above all else, immensely talented. A solid and pleasing show.

R: Totally agree. Their focus was clearly on the music, and I think the audience could feel that and appreciated it. Though all the night’s performers showed up to impress, most folks in the crowd actually seemed to be there for GNS, and it’s no secret why.

Final note: GNS will be playing next on April 15 at the New Hazeltt Theatre on the Northside, and Eulogies will be back in town on May 8, this time at Diesel opening for the Dears.

Click on the album cover above to pre-order your copy.

And you can read Dylan’s atypically straightforward thoughts on the album here.

Download:
Bob Dylan – “Beyond Here Lies Nothing“

Full setlist and review of last night’s show a little later. For now, enjoy…

Download:
Josh Ritter – “The Curse” (Mediafire link)

Here’s Erika Wennerstrom and her band last week down in Austin:
And here’s Ritter and his a few days ago in Charlotte:
Godspeed.

1. Blog: Free iTunes Downloads
2. Site: Get Free iTunes Store Downloads
3. Gadget: iGoogle Free iTunes Downloads

Read the full article here.

So anyway, this week I’m not complaining about weekday concerts or Pittsburgh getting passed over, because just down the hill from Brillobox is another of the city’s best small venues, the Thunderbird Café, and as luck would have it, they’re also gearing up for a great weekend.

Friday has a bright indie rock lineup which includes the inaptly-named Eulogies, who have been seeing a lot of exposure over these past few weeks of SXSW buzz. Eulogies’ new LP will be out April 7, so if the Antlers are already yesterday’s news to you, this may be your opportunity to get ahead of the next curve. But the highlight of the night will be Pittsburgh’s own Good Night, States. YEP christened them the best local act of 2008, and SPIN Magazine has described them thusly:

Like Ryan Adams singing for the Boy Least Likely To, Good Night, States marry singer-songwriter vocal stylings and confessional lyrics to near-twee tunes anchored by electronic blips, xylophone and the occasional drum machine. The
Pittsburgh-based quintet sprinkle carefree handclaps and sunny male/female harmonies on a Wilco-indebted Americana foundation.

That’s good company to be in, and the praise is well-deserved. Also playing Friday: Middle Distance Runner, who have enjoyed their fair share of hype over the last month as well. All tolled, this triple -bill (I’m not clear on the night’s order) warrants a ticket far pricier than the paltry $7 they’re charging.

Saturday, leave your American Apparrel gear at home. Calliope is bringing in Philly’s Hoots & Hellmouth—fresh off their own SXSW run—for a rollicking night of gospel-infused acoustic roots-rock. Hoots & Hellmouth have been touted by the likes of NPR and Paste, and they’re reputed to put on a hell of a good show. You can check out their Daytrotter session here.

Opening on Saturday will be local bluegrass maestros Mon River Ramblers. Known to burn through a mean jam before slowing it down for some blue crooners, the Ramblers never disappoint live, and should do well to warm up the crowd.

And, for the jammier fans out there who haven’t had enough come Sunday, Thunderbird will be holding their mostly-weekly Grateful Dead Hour to wind down the weekend. That is, unless you plan to cross the Mon for Josh Ritter, or maybe the Allegheny for Heartless Bastards. Either way, Monday may be a good day to call in sick.

Downloads:
Eulogies – “Two Can Play” (Mediafire link)
Good Night, States – “The Family Dark” (Mediafire link)
Hoots & Hellmouth – “Want on Nothing” (Mediafire link)

UPDATE: Good Night, States will be the headliner Friday.

• Antlers this Friday
• Handsome Furs next Tuesday
• Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin April 11
• Pomegranates April 15
• Headlights April 19

Be warned, however: the main acts at Brillobox tend to go on pretty late. Still, you’ll want to be timely for this set of shows, as openers will include some of Pittsburgh’s best young talent, including Chalk Dinosaur for SSLYBY and Triggers for the Headlights, either of which would be worth the price of admission by themselves.

Downloads:
Handsome Furs – “All We Want Baby Is Everything” (Mediafire link)
Pomegranates – “Corriander” (Mediafire link)
Antlers – “Bear” (Mediafire link)

I’m lukewarm on this new song, though. And on Vampire Weekend’s live presence. Oh well. You can decide for yourself. (Also, that was a total bummer when they announced then cancelled the free show at CMU last summer. Man.)

Check out Chuck D., still representing the Buccos of Suckitude all these years later. (Didn’t the Pirates try to sue him back in the 80′s or something?) This performance is awesome, and it also confirms that the Roots can enhance even a tried-and-true classic, as they fill in for Anthrax on “Bring the Noise.”

And not least, our very own Dan Rooney has been nominated as our next Ambassador to Ireland. Why not download these classic Pogues tracks and go for a celebratory stroll?

Stay tuned for the final installment of SITKOT’s great St. Paddy’s Day records a bit later today.

Downloads:
The Pogues – “Misty Morning, Albert Bridge” (Mediafire link)
The Pogues – “Sunny Side of the Street” (Mediafire link)

McFadden’s

As a big fan of NPR’s “All Songs Considered” I’ve learned to get past Bob Boilen’s annoying diction and the underlying pretension of a show that claims to consider all songs in the world and purport 5 or so weekly as notable. Why, you ask? Because Bob usually does play good stuff and often it’s stuff I’ve never heard of before. Plus, I just love Podcasts.

He’s been hyping NPRmusic’s association with SXSW, the SouthbySouthWest music festival, for a few weeks now and if you aren’t going to make it to Austin this month (we aren’t), NPR has done you the favor of providing a 10-Song, SXSW Sampler on iTunes – for FREE!

There’s bound to be something you haven’t heard before on there, unless you’re Bob Boilen or something. SITKOT favorites the Avett Brothers are featured, as are David Byrne, the Decemberists and hip-pop darling K’Naan (pictured with hands up) who I can’t stop enjoying no matter how much I want to. Anyhow, the real pleasures for me were the groups I hadn’t known or known that I knew, like: Thao, Blitzen Trapper (bluish picture) and Blind Pilot.

The link for the iTunes download link is here.

And, if you haven’t checked out the surprisingly robust offering that NPRmusic has become: give it a spin. They’re doing live broadcasts from SXSW all week in addition to their bevy of other concert recordings, articles, Podcasts and information.

Those of you who shampoo regularly may or may not be aware that the much-hyped Phish reunion went down over the weekend in Hampton, Virginia, and apparently lived up to expectations. The Times dished out a synopsis in yesterday’s edition. Some highlights (including a shoutout to the Burghtown):

When Phish announced in September that it would reunite and play three concerts here, the news instantly rekindled the Internet-fueled Phish fan network. Within days of the announcement, even before tickets went on sale, every hotel within at least 20 miles was booked solid.
…

“I was 5 years old when Jerry Garcia died, and 13 when Coventry happened, so I’ve been waiting all my life to come to a show like this,” Ben Cooper, 18, a high school senior from Knoxville, Tenn., said on Saturday night. Mr. Cooper said his family had pooled $900 to buy him tickets as a combined graduation and birthday present.
…

“You could offer me $20,000, and I wouldn’t walk away from these shows,” Olen Green, a 38-year-old truck driver from Pittsburgh, said as he sat in the first row of the balcony on Friday night. Mr. Green said he had paid $1,265 for his three nights’ tickets. “People say, ‘Oh, why are you going to all three shows?’ But it’s really just like one event.”

And those prices weren’t for luxury box seats. No such thing here. In an era of high-tech stadiums and fancy amenities, Hampton Coliseum is among the great old-school rock arenas. One of the few halls of its size still to offer full general-admission seating with an open floor, Hampton is known to rock fans as crowded, sweaty, stinky, smoky, loud and in every respect intense. Leave your seat without a friend to watch it? It’s gone.

You can read the full article here, and check out the weekend’s setlists here.

They’ll be at Star Lake in June. Thankfully, I’ll be there too. Here they are jamming out “Mike’s Song” on Friday night:

Mike’s Song 03.07.09 from Jesse Borrell on Vimeo.

And we out.

Anyway, the song is apparently called “Statues.” Good stuff.
Download:
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – “Statues”

They should be wrapping things up on the album, as they’re due to start touring in just a few weeks, starting in New England, arcing through the Midwest on down to the South. Sorry, Pittsburgh; you’ll have to drive to Athens, OH (or, better yet, hop a jet to Spain), if you want to see the boys this time around.

Downloads:
Jeff Tweedy & Jay Bennett – “James Alley Blues” (Mediafire link)
Wilco – “Peace, Love and Understanding” (Mediafire link)

Here’s an epic performance of “Three Days” from 1990:

Also, Jane’s has a four-disc box set of rarities, remixes, and such coming out on April 21.

Ultimately, any investment anyone is willing to make in bringing more, better live music is a good thing. But when you consider that the casino includes a 1,000 seat riverfront amphitheater and the Steelers intend to build a multi-use, year round ampitheater in the lot outside the Bettis Grille and that the renovated Point State Park has concert space – you’ve gotta wonder how many outdoor venues one tri-river confluence can support…

No Line on the Horizon was officially released today, and it’s a solid record for the most part. But it’s not on the list. The Joshua Tree, however, is.

Maybe it’s not Irish music. It’s not even Celtic rock. Most likely, it’s not their most “Irish” record. In fact, it’s named after a park in Southern California, its songs are rooted in blues and gospel traditions, and Bono’s lyrics draw heavy inspiration from the New World, both North and South. Even “In God’s Country,” which Bono set out to write about Ireland, ended up being about the U.S.

No matter. It’s one of the best rock records by one of the best rock bands of the past and present centuries, and though two of the bandmates were born across the Irish Sea, U2 cannot be thought of without reference to the land where all four were raised, so they deserve to be on this list.

Truthfully, it’s not even my favorite U2 album, but it charges out of the gate with crowd-pleasers like “Where the Streets Have No Name” * and “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and picks up emotion as it goes. It’s a classic because the songs are at once new and familiar, and its themes are epic. It’s awesome. So if you don’t own it, you probably should, and this is a pretty good time of year to buy it.

Download:
U2 – “Bullet the Blue Sky” (Mediafire link)

*I’m told “Where the Streets Have No Name” is the unofficial theme song of the Baltimore Ravens. Let’s pretend we don’t know that.

WP – Imeem’s Music Experiment: Getting Users To Pay For Tracks On Mobile Offered Free On PC

AP – Mall wants Manilow music to drive out unruly teens

BBC – Michael Jackson to announce London dates

To celebrate this season, we’ll be bringing you seven to ten (I haven’t finished the list) records which make for a great soundtrack to the month of March. They may not be the best records ever to come out of the isle (in fact, some may not have come from olde Eire at all) and they may not be the best examples of Celtic music, but we love them no less, and we hope you will too. And so, in no particular order, let’s begin the week with the golden voice that is Van Morrison and a backing band who can’t be separated from the sod their sounds embody.

Van Morrison and the Chieftains – Irish Heartbeat

First, because I’m lazy, an overview via Wikipedia:

The album consists of eight traditional Irish songs, plus re-workings of the Morrison songs “Celtic Ray” (which first appeared on 1982′s Beautiful Vision) and the title track “Irish Heartbeat” (which first appeared on 1983′s Inartiulate Speech of the Heart).

The tracklist gives Van a chance to spread out and show off, getting laid back and upbeat on “Marie’s Wedding,” heart-wrenchingly theatric on “Raglan Road,” and, of course, awesomely melodramatic on “My Laglan Love.” Van aside, the Chieftains more than hold their own between those soulful verses, sounding as tight and bright as they have on any of their own records.

To me, this is one of the most successful collaborations in modern roots music, and I wholeheartedly recommend it as a great disc for St. Patrick’s Day or any day.

Download:
“Marie’s Wedding” (Mediafire link)

The supermarket shelves have been rearranged. It happened one day without warning. There is agitation and panic in the aisles, dismay in the faces of older shoppers… There is a sense of wandering now, an aimless and haunted mood, sweet-tempered people taken to the edge. They scrutinize the small print on packages, wary of a second level of betrayal. The men scan for stamped dates, the women for ingredients. Many have trouble making out the words. Smeared print, ghost images. But in the end it doesn’t matter what they see or think they see. The terminals are equipped with holographic scanners, which decode the binary secret of every item, infallibly. This is the language of waves and radiation, or how the dead speak to the living. And this is where we wait together, regardless of age, our carts stocked with brightly colored goods. A slowly moving line, satisfying, giving us time to glance at the tabloids in the racks. Everything we need that is not food or love is here in the tabloid racks. The tales of the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. The miracle vitamins, the cures for cancer, the remedies for obesity. The cults of the famous and the dead.

- Don DeLillo, White Noise

Airborne Toxic Event will be at Mr. Small’s tomorrow night. If you miss the show, still try and make it a point to read the book sometime in your life. And if you don’t do that, maybe pick up the band’s eponymous CD. It may not rock you like a DeLillo novel, but it’s pretty solid stuff.

Download:
The Airborne Toxic Event – “Sometime Around Midnight” (Mediafire link)