Basement Office

Confidential to the drunk guy at the concert last night

• I’ve never seen a grown man drinking Budweiser drunk by 7:30. But you and I run in different circles.
• Your family has been in Pittsburgh “for four generations?” Wow. I really don’t care, and telling me this amazing fact over and over makes me care even less. I suggest breaking the streak.
• Contrary to what you think, people did not pay $15 for the pleasure of watching you make an ass of yourself in front of the stage.
• The band can “kick it up a notch” and “rock the house down” without your helpful suggestions, thank you very much.
• Your efforts to sing along to songs that you, self-admittedly, “don’t know,” was sad to me, but was a great tribute to the thousands of poseurs who have gone before you.
• While your personal advice on love carried with it a hopeful message, I think I’ll stick to my guns. I’m happily married. Your fiance called off your wedding due to “trust issues.”
• Not everyone gets pulled aside by Peter Buck to be told to behave. Maybe his kids, but I know they are more considerate than you. Too bad you won’t remember the encounter.
• Watching you be escorted out of the concert gave us all great satisfaction. I especially relished the opportunity to tell you that “you suck” and that “you should leave” as you were making your way out.
• Be sure to pay your friend back for his ticket and the bar tab that he had to hurry up and pay as you were making your way out the door.
• Hair loss can be treated.
• But above all, you’re 42. Come on. You can (and should) turn this boat around.

Two things

1. The first spring day is always the nicest. And brings with it a feeling unlike anything else.
2. The Redwalls are my band of the moment. Dylan, the Stones, Van Morrison, The Beatles, and The Band all rolled up in one perfect package. This may be my summer soundtrack.

Notable runner-ups include:

• The Fighting Brothers McCarthy
• DeVotchKa
• Outrageous Cherry
• Two Gallants
• Others too numerous to mention at the moment…

All this was discovered through a huge collection of mp3’s that the SXSW Music team assembled. It took me several weeks to wade through it and separate the wheat from the chaff, but it was worth it several times over. I haven’t been this excited about discovering new bands since the good old KUMM days.

Also, a link to one of the best new Pittsburgh bands, The Quiver. Not at SXSW yet, but give them a couple of years.

To everyone involved

Wow.

Happy New Year.

To the Turf Club: Thank you.

Accident Clearinghouse: Every year. Please?

Ben: We’re home safe and sound. All praises to you.

Dismantling U2

Back in the day, I had a healthy obsession for all things U2. All throughout high school, U2 was my musical beacon, guiding me through the turgid times that were 90’s “alternative rock”.

The major lift

My U2 fandom started about two weeks too late to see them play ZooTV in Minneapolis (a missed opportunity I will never stop regretting) and blossomed through the release of two albums, Zooropa and Pop. In the years between album releases, generally 4 in U2’s case, I eagerly sought out and acquired as much of their back catalog as I could. For being a kid in North Dakota, I think I did an admirable job, thanks in large part to the blossoming Internet and the retail mecca that was Fargo.

I lived for any snippet of new material from the band. I was all over the leaked demos from Pop, and played the studio taped from Achtung Baby to death. I traded bootlegs before the days of Napster or BitTorrent and scoured CDNow via telnet for any old singles. The hunt proved plentiful and the days were good.

The minor fall

It was with this anticipation in 2000 that I looked forward to their next release All That You Can’t Leave Behind. According to Bono, U2 was out to reclaim the title of “World’s Biggest Band” and in doing so, they were going back to their stripped-down, 4-man-band roots.

Bono said these things because they felt like they had to apologize to their fans for the “disaster” that was Pop. Notice the quotes. I liked it. A lot of others did too. It was a bold move for a band that, at the time, people thought couldn’t get much bolder.

Unfortunately, I think it was a high water mark of sorts. ATYCLB, while providing some excellent stadium rock tunes (proven by their highly successful Elevation tour), was too clean and too awkward. Bono’s lyrics lacked the abstract nature of previous albums, and were forced and clumsy. The band was solid, but not spectacular, and certainly not innovative (c.f. Zoo Station, Love Is Blindness, Lemon, Daddy’s Going to Pay for Your Crashed Car, Mofo).

So ATYCLB tempered my obsession. Fair enough. In the meantime, I had found many other bands and was learning to enjoy the benefits of alternative country, indie rock, and the local music scenes.

When the buzz for U2’s next album started up, it didn’t register on my radar for weeks. Whereas before I’d be up on every last detail, this time around, any mention of the band recording a new album solicited a vague nod of recognition from me.

My first exposure to How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb was Vertigo and was similar to that of millions of others all over the world — I downloaded it through iTunes, rocked out to it, and then forgot about it, more or less. True, I did have it in my head a for a couple of days, and Edge’s guitar proved to be equal to the “blistering” labels thrown about, but one song does not an album make. Especially in this case.

Marking the first time since I became a fan, I neglected to get the album on the day it was released. I think I finally picked it up on Thursday, if for no other reason than to help the band along in their release-week sales statistics.

My first time listening to HTDAAB was very similar to my first time listening to ATYCLB. Both albums start off with a near-perfect single then start to wander. And as the songs wandered, so did my attention. I kept hoping that maybe the next song would be the one that would bring the album together, that maybe there would be a place in the album that would anchor itself firmly as the center of the experience. Sadly, I found no such place.

Taken alone, the tunes are passable (more so than the individual tunes on ATYCLB, anyway), but taken as a whole, the album lacks direction. Absent still is the atmosphere that surrounds the music, the Berlin in Achtung Baby, the America in Rattle and Hum. What is left behind is a band that knows their place all too well and shows little interest in tearing down their walls any more.

Late to the party

I may be the last person in the world to get on the bandwagon, but lately I’ve been making heavy use of BitTorrent to download a whole slew of great live concerts. I’ve found high-quality shows by R.E.M., Damien Rice, Elliot Smith, The Jayhawks, Beck, and Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. These shows are amazing and there are so many more left to get. I’ve been in a music slump lately, but this is doing a fine job of pulling me out if it.

Live from New York

I’m at the corner of 42nd and 6th in NYC, having seen the Olympic Torch just pass by for the second time. Internet access is being graciously provided by the Bryant Park Wireless Network. We’re having a great time on our trip; Grand Champeen has once again proven themselves to be the best and most passionate rock-and-roll band in the history of the world.

This is too much fun.

Two down, two to go

The concert gods have been extremely kind to me lately. After several lean months, the concert horn-of-plenty is overflowing.

On Saturday night, Grant Lee Phillips came to town and played to a standing-room only crowd of enthusiastic fans. Everyone was in a good mood, and there was a high level of rapport within the room. His singing was incredible and was made even more so when he was joined by John Doe for several duets.

Grant Lee Phillips is probably the singer I have waited the longest to see live. I got into him back in the mid 90’s when he was in Grant Lee Buffalo. I’ve always held his work in the highest regard; in my opinion, all of his albums are artistic masterpieces.

On Sunday night, Pittsburgh was treated to a free concert by Wilco as a part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. As far as outdoor venues go, the Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh is hard to beat. It was Wilco’s second year in a row at the festival and, judging by the comments made by Jeff Tweedy, it won’t be their last.

The band was simply amazing. I had my doubts after I saw them during their Yankee Hotel Foxtrot tour: they seemed uncomfortable with the music, unsure of each other, and reserved. Not any more. Chalk it up to the rehab or perhaps Jeff Tweedy’s new, stylish long hair — whatever the reason, they’re back. The new songs off of A Ghost is Born sound great live. The YHF songs have been tamed to fit into a live setting and as a result, they sound more fun than forced.

Tonight I’m going to see The Stratford 4 and on Wednesday, The Damnwells. Both are opening acts for other bands (Beulah and Julianna Hatfield, respectively — good times all around) and both are eagerly anticipated by me.

A well deserved reward

After nearly a week of endless work, I needed some kind of reward. A big Mexican dinner (at a favorite restaurant) and a trip to the South Side to see a show by Sodajerk was just what I needed.

I can’t say enough good things about this band. If they played every Friday, or if we could find several other bands in this city with as much heart and talent, our nights out would always be complete.

Ah, the memories

Wilco’s 1-2 punch of “Monday” and “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” on disc one of Being There has got to be one of the most perfect rock and roll moments ever recorded.

It brings me back to my fun semester as a college radio DJ, where I’d always end my 8-10 am Wednesday morning show with some kind of Wilco tune. I was the only one awake to bear witness to the show most of the time, but it was a great experience.

I don’t think there are many higher callings than working for a truly independent radio station. After that, one can only go downhill.