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] |
Norman Nardini
/ 03.04.2005
Sports
Rock Cafe / Pittsburgh, PA
 A
certain moody teenage son decided he didn’t want to baby-sit and
derailed our plans to get out and possibly catch Black 47 on the South
Side with a little Norm nightcap down in the Strip. So there we were at
home on Friday night enjoying a few drinks and conversation together but
as the night wore on I began to occasionally glance out the window and
across the mighty Allegheny. Sitting on the far side of a large parking
lot and nestled amongst a number of other crappy clubs is Sports Rock
Café (a sports bar, really). And in Sports Rock, right at that
very moment was Norm Nardini and the boys performing before a crowd of
rowdy, indifferent college students.
Shows missed in the last two
weeks have been numerous: James McMurtry, Antony and The Johnsons (I really
wanted to make this), Shivaree,
The Finn Brothers, Jesse Malin, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Tom Russell
and Joanna Newsom. Things haven’t been as dead here as I predicted
yet a bunch of these started early (around 8 P.M.) and that doesn’t
really work with our baby-sitting situation.
So I was begging Wifey to go
out and she just couldn’t see the appeal, as it was already close
to midnight. I explained that it was the whole process; smoking up, barreling
down the hill on the bike – beer in the water holder, and crossing
the 16th Street Bridge to catch the end of Norm’s set. Also, if
felt like it was my civic duty since the show was so close to home. She
relented. I owe her one.
Norm played at a part of the
bar called The Loft that usually hosts crummy local modern rock bands
on the weekends. It’s basically a huge open-ended second floor with
a big oval bar in the center and various pool tables and games set off
towards the sides. The stage was against a row of large windows and in
between the stage and bar were a bunch of freestanding tables and chairs
with maybe 10 people paying attention to Norm. The rest of the crowd didn’t
seem to care much, as expected.
I sat down and had a few. The
boys played a good version of “Sick and Tired” and Norm tore
into a wonderful guitar solo during another song (great review huh?).
Norm mentioned that everyone on the stage had the flu and that he was
trying his best. Sounded good to me. I yelled for “Please Don’t
Talk About Me.” It should be noted that I always request this song.
It goes back to when my buddy Wes and I first discovered Norm. We would
play it every day in the small room that we shared at work, sitting back-to-back
surfing the Internet. He usually plays it and did tonight. Afterwards
he said they were taking a short break. He then came over to me saying,
“How’d you know that song?” probably thinking I was
part of the frat crowd which, ya know, hurt a little. I told him I was
a big fan and he proceeded to tell me that he was sick as a dog. “I
just got my flu shot three weeks ago so don’t worry about me,”
I told him.
It was already almost 2 A.M.
so I wasn’t sure how much longer they expected to play and called
it a night. I thought I just went home and fell asleep but in the morning
wifey was like “What happened to you last night? You got home and
collapsed on the floor, exhausted and breathing heavily.” Jesus,
I’m so out of shape. The beer muscles kicked in and I raced up the
hill determined to make it without stopping. And then there was something
about my jacket zippers getting stuck so there was this pile of clothes
on the floor in the morning. Only for you Nardini!
|
