One of my favorite treats at a show or open mic is a good, heartfelt cover. Ryan Morgan springs immediately to mind, as he tends to cover people we both know, and every time he does it it’s disarming and awesome. When I first met him, Niall Connolly used to do an awesome cover of…
Last night at the Vagabond Cafe, Joel “The Sticker Dude” Cohen brought up an interesting point, in the hopes of opening a conversation. “At first,” he said, “I went to everybody’s show. Then there got to be too many people, and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just go to the shows of people I like.’ That…
It’s been brought to my attention that I haven’t concentrated on writing about my experience as a songwriter on this site at all, so a newcomer will think that all I do is go to improv jams and play in the subways. The truth is, I haven’t been writing up a storm lately, because I’ve…
Another great night at Spike Hill! Kelly Ruth and Walden were great, but the true standout of the night was Musaic. Look in your eye by Musaic That can start your morning off right. Rodrick Covington is a pleasure to watch and hear live, and the whole band is super-energetic, while also maintaining the tightness…
I wanted to spread some love about Spike Hill last night, but holy shit did Twitter lay me low on the way home. Why is Chavril viral? Why does it not make sense to anybody? These two people are a completely feasible match. I got “into it” the other night with some friends, defending Nickleback…
“January” was written in the People’s Key of G, and I keep one finger or another on the third fret of the high “E” consistently while I play it. I don’t know that it’s essential to do it to make it sound like January, but these are, in general, the fingerings that I’m using for…
About four-and-a-half years ago, I decided to move to NYC to find a fresh crop of opportunities. The action, I was convinced, was no longer in Pittsburgh. About four-and-a-half years ago, Morgan Erina decided to move to Pittburgh to find a fresh crop of opportunities. The action, she was convinced, was no longer in NYC….
Tonight at Spike Hill, I didn’t just come out solo after two bands, I came out solo after a 7-piece gypsy punk band. The Butcher Knives, while in err about not using the skills of Spike Hill’s soundman-in-residence Danny, brought a dancing, sweating, gorgeous crowd out to Williamsburg, and stuck around to hear my set…
…wow. Last night I did some stuff I never thought I’d do. Sunswick 3535 is a draught house smack dab in between Astoria and Long Island City, which owes some of its vibe (including its Steelers gear) to its first manager’s admiration of Pittsburgh’s own Fat Head’s tap house (there is even a Fat Head’s…
Are you looking for funny? Look no further: I give you Broad City. I stumbled across this series while youtube stalking Rob Michael Hugel, who as it turned out had done a lot more in the way of directing and editing than his humility betrays in casual conversation. Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson met through…