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] |
Charles Bissell, The Fiery
Furnaces / 09.23.2004
Modern Formations Gallery / Pittsburgh
 I
picked these tickets up two days earlier at Paul's
CD's just in case there was a "Pitchfork Effect", considering the
high rating for the new The Fiery Furnaces CD. I was mainly interested
in seeing Charlie Bissell (The Wrens) so the Furnaces would be a bonus.
After trading pickup times
with the neighbor for the kids' soccer practice I hopped on the bike with
a backpack containing a six-pack, my camera and filled smoking apparatus.
Listed as a 7 P.M. start time I got there just before 8:00 to find out
the first band hadn't started yet and Charlie Bissell was going on second.
So off to the bar. And dammed if I didn't forget that Dick
Yuengling was going around town to some shitty bars that night promoting
his fine beer. I could have caught him at Duke's, which apparently was
voted best dive bar in Pittsburgh on the Yuengling web site. Forgetting
his bar schedule, which I had torn out of the newspaper and put in my
wallet earlier in the day, I headed to the BBT for dollar beer night.
About a half an hour later
it was back to Modern
Formations Gallery. The crowd outside had grown bigger but no music
yet so I rode over to Nico's Recovery Room. After a beer I headed back
over but thought I should smoke a little first so I got setup in an alley
then realized I forgot a lighter. Luckily there was a convenience store
around the corner. So I got the lighter, sneaked around in the shadows
a bit and was in the Gallery in no time. That's when I noticed the sign
saying no alcohol allowed. Damn. And I'd been lugging this backpack around
all this time.
No problem as I had a nice
buzz on and went straight to the front left of the stage and sat down
next to some other folks. Charlie was already on and he was playing to
a backup tape. He sounded good but it was a little awkward because many
people were standing towards the back and were so quiet between songs.
He played a great version of "This Boy Is Exhausted" and was saying something
about spotting the cover song in his set. Around this time someone from
the back was motioning for Charlie to usher the fans to the front. It
worked and Charlie felt the need to mention that this wasn't his idea
but it got everybody standing and rocking out. The intimacy got rid of
the "guitar player on display" feel and all was well. He played a bunch
of songs from "Meadowlands" which is the only Wrens CD I own. "Everyone
Chooses Sides" was especially good. Oh yea, the last song "Black Boys
On Moped" was obviously the cover. I just couldn't remember where I'd
heard it before. Turns out it's a Sinead O'Connor song.
Back out to the bars. I dropped
into Pollacks, an old favorite. Working was 89 year-old bartender Mike
who is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Really! Everyone should
check this place out. Plus the beer is really cheap. I watched a little
bit of some new amped-up Cops-like reality show. These homicide detectives
were stressing the need to get quality leads within the first 48 hours
and lamenting their lack of progress as no one was answering their questions.
How about getting rid of the fucking cameras guys? I then headed back
to catch the last two songs by White Magic.
So where to go now? I cruised
past the BBT and by now it was packed with a huge crowd outside and bikes
parked all up the street. Bloomfield wasn't this happening when I lived
here. I headed into Howler's Coyote Café. Sitting at the bar I
got into some conversation about how one can catch up with a days worth
of sports in minutes by watching the three TV's behind the bar all showing
some different sport channel. A band was playing in the room next door
and I was surprised to find a mainly black audience listening to a band
playing a mix of funky and smooth jazz. The bassist was sitting off-stage
at a table and just funking it up. Then he and the horn player took a
break and the remaining players jammed as the keyboardist played a moving
instrumental. All in all a good side trip.
I got back to the gallery and
the Furnaces were already playing. Once they got into a groove their songs
really started connecting. The crowd was a bit sedated though, probably
from lack of alcohol. It's then that I decided to carry the cross and
I dug into the book bag I'd been dragging around all night. I don't know
any of their songs which often can make it harder to get into but I was
having no problems tonight. You'll have to take my word for it that it
was a great show and see them the next time around. By the third beer
some guy grabbed me from behind and said "THERE'S NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED HERE!"
He said something about taking it outside so I just gave it to him and
went back into the crowd. Afterwards, as I turned around to head out,
I ran into Charlie Bissell and had the fawning awkward conversation that
I'm better off avoiding.
Then it was back on the bike
for a good coast down Penn Ave. with a nice cool wind on my face. Onward
through the Strip and then up the bitch that's Spring Hill. Got home a
little after midnight so I'm gonna have to make this one up to wifey.
|
