CHAPPO + Nevada Color + Chupacabra 6119 Penn / 05.06 / 9:00 / $10 Words by Brendan Last time of Montreal came to town, I had to go. They're one of my favorite all-time bands, so I wasn't going to miss that. I met some friends there early on to catch the first opener, when the place still wasn't packed. Not having any expectations, I was kinda blown away by the energy of CHAPPO . [...]
Speedy Ortiz + Legs Like Tree Trunks + The Gotobeds 222 Ormsby / 04.26 / 7:00 / $5 Words by Brendan The last time Speedy Ortiz came through town, they were rad enough to hook up with DUL and play one of our showcase shows. I was really happy to encounter them in the wide world of music, and haven't let them go since. Their Sports EP that I bought [...]
Suuns / 6119 Penn / 04.17 8:30 Doors / $10 The last time Suuns hit Pittsburgh, they were opening for The Black Angels . (What a great show that was.) Now, they're back on a headlining tour, and I'm not surprised at all. Their songs beg to be seen live, oozing with dark energy and atmosphere that you need to feel all around you. You'll have the chance to dive deep into their lake of sound on Wednesday evening over at 6119! [...]
Iceage + Zeitgeist + Gotobeds + Nic Lawless 6119 Penn / 04.12.2013 / Doors 9:00 / $8 Words by Brendan At the ripe old age of ... ahem, 20 ... Iceage are already making some seriously choppy waves in the indie rock world. Four young punks from Copenhagen, Denmark they are, and their latest LP, You're Nothing , came out on Matador Records in February. They're making their second stop in Pittsburgh (having played The [...]
TEEPEE + Low Man + Nox Boys / Mr Roboto Project 04.10.2013 / Doors 7:00 / $6 presented by DUL + Monalloh Foundry Words by Brendan There's no shortage of extremely talented bands out there in the world, and I'm always grateful when they find their way to my ears. I got an email from TEEPEE a while back looking to fit Pittsburgh in their tour schedule. So, I clicked a link, streamed some songs [...]
Words and puzzle by Brendan Welcome back! It's been a while since I've posted a crossword puzzle. I blame school and life and all that jazz. But here I am, with a brand new brainteaser for your solving pleasure, chock full of musical clues and themes. By the way, if you're new around here, be sure to check out my previous musically-oriented constructions: all 5 (so far!) of those puzzles are collected here on this page , and their solutions are posted, as well. This puzzle is a [...]
So we typically toss a video onto a post when highlighting a new band or a show preview or something and let you draw your own conclusion about it. Sometimes we throw a change-up... strike that - let’s call it a round up. Most of these videos are of bands we have previously talked about here on Draw Us Lines, so we won’t be telling you much about those bands themselves, just some musings that really aren’t worth a damn. If a picture is worth 1000 words, then a video must be worth a million. Hold on to your hats! [...]
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down / "City" I've enjoyed watching (well, listening, really) as Thao Nguyen 's sound has progressed over a few LPs. We Brave Bee Stings and All was a stunning debut ( "Bag of Hammers" still slays me), letting Thao and her voice and lyrics lead the way overtop rockin' but folksy guitars and drums. Know Better Learn Faster found her plugging in the guitar more often and playing around with lyrics and song structures. And now, with We The Common , she [...]
Words by Brendan There are plenty of great shows happening in town in the next five days. I wish I could see them all, but I can't, so I'm counting on you folks to check them all out and tell me how great they were. Into spacey psych rock? Check out Guardian Alien on Wednesday, or Heliotropes on Thursday. Dig the indie rock/folk vibes? Definitely see Rah Rah on Wednesday, with excellent locals Arlo Aldo . Into the singer/songwriter types? Don't miss Brooke [...]
[You Oughta Know is a segment where we take a currently popular album in the indie music world and point out some (somehow) related albums. If you're digging this album, you'll probably love these other ones we want to share. Some might be old, some might be downright classics, some might be totally new, some might be completely hidden gems. It'll depend. But the point is this: you oughta know about them. Sorry if you do already, we just love to share!] [...]
Foxygen / "San Francisco" I'm beginning to take this album title, We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic , quite literally. It seems like Sam France and Jonathan Rado believe that they are, indeed, those ambassadors. Drawing heavily from pop and rock styles of decades past, but with just the right amount of modern quirkiness and sensibility, this record will surely be a popular one this year. This song, "San Francisco", was what really drew me to the album completely, after listening to Take The Kids Off Broadway a little bit [...]
Song: "Waking Dream" Artist: Bleeding Rainbow Yeah Right is Bleeding Rainbow 's debut album with the new moniker (and larger group), but third as a band. Between the last album and now, guitarist/songwriter Rob Garcia quit his day job as an engineer to focus on this musical project, and it really shows. That's not to say Mystical Participation and Prism Eyes needed work (nor that Rob is the sole catalyst!); those two albums are impressively charming in their lo-fi buzz and fuzz, letting the pop [...]
Song: "Freaks & Geeks" Artist: Plaided Seeing as we just posted our favorite 2012 albums the other day, I've been going around and reading others' lists to see what they liked. I love seeing and reading about albums that completely missed my reader, finding new gems to love. Pocket Jury 's list, in particular, was almost completely full of new-to-me albums, save for Karl Hendricks ' The Adult Section (a fantastic release from this Pittsburgh band that made our "Best of the Rest" list). I went through and listened [...]
Words by Brendan It's (roughly) that time when we look back and analyze the past year, identify our favorite things. I say "roughly" because, well, some people do these kinds of things in December, but that seems premature. We took a little while, relaxed, let the feeling of 2012 pass through us, and now here we are. (Okay, we had a lot of work to catch up on, and were just a little lazy, too. What of it?) I [...]
5 Songs is a weekly series where we point out the strange, the grand, and the unique connections between our favorite songs. Let’s get weird. Words by Chris If you’re that broken-hearted misfit living in a former bungalow of love off of Butler, wading through snow as the days pass you by, you of all people know the potential healing power of music. However, some “break-up songs” seem to just wallow in self-loathing or [...]
Words by Brendan Pittsburgh is just brimming with good music, and I swear that everyone can find something they'll like here. It's great to have a thriving scene like this but I'll tell you what: it makes narrowing down everything to the "favorite of the favorites" pretty much impossible. I want to just make a list of every Pittsburgh band I listened to this year that you should listen to, but I won't actually do that. (Maybe I'll do that later ...) I stewed and tossed and turned and managed to [...]
Jake 's Top Lists of 2012 I listened to more R&B this year than I have since eighth grade, when I think I actually spent my own money on a Brian McKnight album. Either way, it was a good year, both for the Frank Oceans of the world and for the old guard indie rock stalwarts. Top 5 Albums of 2012 [...]
Arlo Aldo (CD Release) with Sleep Experiments and Emily Rodgers Brillobox / Saturday 02.02.2013 / 9:30 / $7 Words by Brendan Arlo Aldo ’s Zelie is a genre-crossing musical journey that captures both the grittiness of Pittsburgh’s cityscape and the lonesomeness of the surrounding countryside. This album plays as a soundtrack for the winter and spring ahead. That there quote is from the promotional blurb about [...]
Rick 's Top Lists of 2012 Ohhh the Draw Us Lines "Best Of" 2012...a bit late, which I dig. Remember: the best music takes time to sink in. Why do music sites release "Best Of" lists in November or December anyways? THE YEAR'S NOT EVEN OVER YET. That new Scott Walker album alone took at least two months to process! Anyways, 2012 wasn't THE strongest year for new music, arguably, but boy was there some solid releases. When I look back, here's the stuff I'll remember most... [...]
Vicki 's Top Lists of 2012 I went into 2012 with a very ambitious goal of trying to cover more musical ground than in the year before. I set up a playlist and began adding songs from all of the new releases, in an effort to keep track of them all. By March my playlist was already over 100 songs, and undoubtedly did not encapsulate everything new. This approach allowed me to sample a lot of different songs from a variety of artists, but I never really felt that I'd absorbed anything. More importantly, [...]
Draw Us Lines
The Weeknd - Kiss Land
Julia Holter - World (Official Video)
She & Him- I Could've Been Your Girl
Action Bronson - "Strictly 4 My Jeeps" (Official Video)
Kanye West - New Slaves
Disclosure - 'When A Fire Starts To Burn' [Listen]
Earl Sweatshirt: “Guild” (feat. Mac Miller)
Series Preview: Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox – Terry Francona’s Return to Fenway
