WWW BEN'S REVIEWS

bensreviews@gmail.com

Apples in Stereo
[02.12.2007]

Assembly of Dust
[02.04.2007]

The Hackensaw Boys
[01.27.2007]

Paul Luc

[01.20.2007]

Local Honey / Slim Cessna
[01.13.2007]

Bob Seger

[12.14.2006]

Skinks / Rahim / Transcontinental Booze Hounds
[11.25.2006]

The Big Sleep
[11.18.2006]

Local Honey / The Izzys
[11.10.2006]

Cloud Cult
[11.07.2006]

Grand Buffet / Magnolia Electric Co
[10.31.2006]

Norman Nardini
[10.28.2006]

Wilco
[10.20.2006]

Wilco
[10.18.2006]

Kid Congo Powers
[10.12.2006]

Dave Alvin
[09.23.2006]

Wolfmother
[09.22.2006]

Mountain Goats
[09.20.2006]

World Party
[08.27.2006]

Gil Mantera's Party Dream
[08.16.2006]

Whiskey Daredevils / Local Honey
[08.11.2006]

The Silver Jews
[07.28.2006]

The Bottle Rockets / Marah

[07.27.2006]

Slim Cessna's Auto Club
[07.15.2006]

Alejandro Escovedo
[07.10.2006]

Cat Power
[07.09.2006]

Life In Bed / The Transcontinental Booze Hounds
[07.07.2006]

Violent Femmes
[07.01.2006]

Guitar Zack Wiesinger / Pittsburgh Pirates Loss # 54
[06.30.2006]

The Black Crowes \ Robert Randolph \ The Drive-By Truckers
[06.25.2006]

Pearl Jam
[06.23.2006]

The Octopus Project \ Black Moth Super Rainbow \ Amoeba Knievel
[06.19.2006]

The Bottle Rockets
[06.14.2006]

Govt. Mule / Local Honey / Wil E. Tri
[06.08.2006]

Tehran Iran
[06.03.2006]

Astronautalis
[05.25.2006]

Grand Buffet / Cobalt Black
[05.19.2006]

Phil Boyd w/Manny Theiner & Weird Paul / The Codetalkers feat. Col. Bruce Hampton
[05.15.2006]

The Four Seasons Boys
[05.11.2006]

The Supersuckers
[05.02.2006]

The Breakup Society
[04.28.2006]

The Four Seasons Boys / The Gris Gris
[04.19.2006]

Rhett Miller & The Believers
[04.14.2006]

Good Brother Earl
[04.08.2006]

Slim Cessna's Auto Club
[04.03.2006]

"Guitar" Zack Wiesinger
[03.25.2006]

The Minus 5 / The Silos
[03.24.2006]

The Mendoza Line / Great Lake Swimmers
[03.12.2006]

Dave Alvin
[03.10.2006]

Apollo Sunshine
[03.07.2006]

Lyle Lovett / John Hiatt / Joe Ely / Guy Clark
[02.14.2006]

Marah
[02.12.2006]

Marah / Slim Cessna's Auto Club
[11.12.2005]

Ted Leo + Pharmacists / Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
[11.08.2005]

The National
[11.02.2005]

Modey Lemon
[10.07.2005]

Gang of Four
[10.04.2005]

Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers

[09.24.2005]

Thunderbirds Are Now!
[09.22.2005]

The Walkmen
[09.17.05]

Circle
[09.15.05]

Akron/Family, Great Lake Swimmers
[09.05.05]

Los Lobos
[08.21.05]

Grand Buffet, Magnolia Electric Co.
[08.20.05]

Joe Ely

[08.19.05]

Solomon Burke

[08.14.05]

Billie Joe Shaver
[08.11.05]

Robert Randolph & The Family Band
[08.07.05]

Oneida
[08.06.05]

Richard Buckner
[07.13.05]


NYC Road Trip

[07.08.05]


Stars
[06.23.05]

Aimee Mann
[06.19.05]

Bobbie "Blue" Bland, Michael Penn, Erin McKeown, OPEK, The Mavens
[06.18.05]

The Holmes Brothers
[06.15.05]

Drive-By Truckers, Deep Purple
[06.11.05]

Los Lonely Boys, Martin Sexton
[06.10.05]

Marah
[06.08.05]

Brant Bjork & The Bros.

[06.03.05]

Railroad Earth
[05.20.05]

Andrew Bird
[05.17.05]

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
[05.13.05]

Rosavelt
[05.12.05]

Green Day
[04.23.05]

The Shins
[04.15.05]

Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Matt Sweeney
[04.14.05]

The Beakup Society, Whiskey Daredevils
[03.25.05]

Apollo Sunshine
[03.12.05]

From The Jayhawks: Gary Louris and Mark Olson
[03.11.05]

Clem Snide, Archer Prewitt
[03.07.05]

Norman Nardini
[03.04.05]

The SPUDS, Norman Nardini
[02.18.05]

The Comas
[02.15.05]

Tarbox Ramblers
[02.12.05]

Black Tie Revue
[01.28.05]

Elvismas, Shade
[01.08.2005]

Chalk Outline Party, Comrad
[12.18.2004]

One Star Hotel
[12.10.2004]

Ted Leo + Pharmacists
[12.03.2004]

Thanksgiving Eve / The Italian Club / Blairsville, Pa

Sue Foley
[11.20.2004]

The Whiskey Daredevils
[11.19.2004]

The Arcade Fire, The Cynics
[11.15.2004]

Steelers v. Patriots
[10.31.2004]

Mike Watt
[10.21.2004]

Magnolia Electric Co.
[10.14.2004]

The Mendoza Line
[10.09.2004]

The Black Keys
[10.07.2004]

The Secret Machines
[10.06.2004]

The Fiery Furnaces, Charles Bissell (The Wrens)
[09.23.2004]

Apollo Sunshine
03.07.2006 / Mr. Small's Theatre / Pittsburgh, PA

Opening up the The Slip, a band I’d never heard of, Apollo Sunshine were so awesome the last time I saw them I felt some sort of obligation to check out this show. I got to a quarter-full Mr. Smalls as they were just taking the stage. Opening up with “Flip!” from their most recent self-titled album they were on all cylinders from the get-go, just as I remembered them. They followed this with a gutsy “Bold as Love” cover that was just fucking awesome. My $12 was well spent already. The rest of the hour set was filled with songs from their two releases and I believe they won a few fan tonight. If there ever was a band deserving of more fans it’s these three guys.

After this was over I was thinking I should head over to Garfield Artworks to see the bands up there. I even had some beers ready in the car. But having already paid a cover, I figured I’d stick around to see The Slip. The break between bands proved excruciating long as I sat in the back sipping my beer wishing I had a magazine to read.  If I had taken better note of the Dave Matthews/Abercrombie & Fitch types in the audience I would have bolted.

The Slip comes out and proceeds to suck. This upper crust college jam band crap never sits well with me and these guys looked too smug for me to be able to get into it. I gave ‘em about 45 minutes of my time then got the hell out of there.

Looking for Bob Smith, I saw an empty Del’s and headed into the BBT. Tuesday’s are open stage night so I got a beer, sat down, and realized the dude onstage was some researcher at my work. And he wasn’t very good either and stayed on stage for numerous songs. I got weirded out and left.