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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Words by Ricky Pittsburgh goddamn rules. OK, so maybe our sports teams didn't bring it in 2012-but remember we had that mild winter last year-that was awesome, AND to add, the music scene provided some needed sunshine to the cloudy city too (despite (what felt like) every band and their mother breaking up). So without further ado, here's my list of favorite locally-brewed songs written/performed/recorded/etc by Pittsburgh folks...OK, maybe a little "ado" before we get to the list. Narrowing this down to ten songs was a pain in [...]
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 [...]
Words by Ricky Rumors of a new My Bloody Valentine album dominate indie rock news clippings yearly. If you’ve been keeping track, it’s 23+ years since Loveless graced our ears (and emptied Creation Record’s wallet). By all means, Kevin Shields, take your time! Amazing whammy-bar-dive-bombs don’t record themselves-it may take a few thousand tries to nail'em down. Yeah it's annoying, but there's something admirable in perfecting a work of art for a weirdly long period of time-be it a never-gonna-be-released album, a novel, or even that adorable [...]
Words by Brendan It's a New Year! What are your musical resolutions for 2013? For us, we're looking to do lots more blogging, sharing our favorite bands and songs, and letting you know about upcoming shows. For you, perhaps you're looking to see some more shows, explore some more local bands. Well, this weekend is a good chance to do just that! Pittsburgh band Atlas is releasing a new EP tonight, Jenny Owen Youngs is coming to town tomorrow, and Weird Paul is doing his monthly 99 variety show at [...]
Words by Ricky The name may suggest an underground Ambien-dealing drug collective, but I assure you, Sleep Experiments remains an innocent band of musicians. Their compositions rely on ambiance (without being an “ambient band”), acoustic guitar (without being an “acoustic band”), dreamy vocals and stomp box delays (without being a “shoegaze band”), and some mean songwriting chops (without being too mean). In fact I’d burn their new LP of baby-bedtime-worthy-jams for my 4-month old niece had that measly FBI Anti-Piracy Warning not sneaked its way onto the back cover. [...]
Words by Ricky Check out that band photo-that’s a kickass gang of dudes who just returned from a B.O.C. concert, circa ’76 ( Agents of Fortune tour?*). OK, not true. The photo was probably snapped a few weeks ago, as they form a Pittsburgh band that shares a name with an innocently tame amusement park ride. No, they're not Garfield’s Nightmare (that would make for a sweet noise band name, though). It’s Carousel . A bad-ass EP now exists that documents their 70’s hard rock-influenced riffage, and [...]
Words by Ricky Let’s start by declaring Legs Like Tree Trunks one of the best bands in Pittsburgh. Yeah I said it. They haven’t existed long. If memory serves me right (which it sometimes doesn’t), all four members have played together for two years or so. Still they’ve gained a solid following thanks to touring and playing a shit-ton of shows. Their first EP saw the light of day last year—it was quite good. Equally impressive is their 2nd EP, which recently made its way to the webz. [...]
Words by Brendan There are. Literally. Too many concerts happening tonight. Into catchy garage rock? Check out Habibi and The Mallard at Garfield Artworks. Wanna shred and headbang and forget to wear earplugs? Get out to Gooski's and catch Carousel and Electric Hawk . How about some kraut rock and psychedelic noises? The Shop is your best bet, with Chicago's Cave and locals Dark [...]
Words by Brendan Sometimes, we lament a great band skipping over Pittsburgh on their way from Philly to Cleveland. It happens, for one reason or another. Tonight, though, it seems like a whole bunch of acts collaborated to make sure our decision about where to go and who to see would be as difficult as possible. Black Moth Super Rainbow at Mr. Small's? I want to go to there. Yellow Ostrich at Brillobox? I want to go to there. Horse Feathers at Club Café? I [...]
Words by Ricky I was grooving to the new Santigold album. Catchy digital beats, radio-friendly pop melodies, off the wall lyrics. ARGHHHHH I’M SO TRENDY! Then a link to the new Low Man EP greeted my (unwanted) Facebook timeline. "One quick listen and then return to some ‘gold ", I thought. The opening riff on “Migraine” roped me in, so I cracked open a leftover Tecate from the fridge. My fridge soon lost another cheap can of beer to rock n’roll ... and then another. I’m [...]
[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!] [...]
Hey there, friend! You've made your way to our site somehow-Google, Twitter, Facebook, a flyer, word of mouth, monkeys typing on your keyboard, whatever. Welcome! It's the time of year that lets us assume you might be new to town. Perhaps you're a college student just starting a life in Pittsburgh. If so, welcome! We think you'll love it here. If not, welcome to Draw Us Lines, as well! We hope the rest of this post still applies to you. We at Draw Us Lines are here to share our love of music, and music in Pittsburgh, in [...]
Words by Ricky Our city has a mixed bag of musicians considered by many as “Pittsburgh institutions.” Unfortunately for every charmer ( Donnie Iris ) or force of nature ( Don Caballero ), there’s a band that shits on everything-like the Clarks (the guys who remind us that “life is all about the ride” every other goddamn commercial break). Then there’s The Harlan Twins (cue the off-stage applause). Despite being friends, I still consider them one of the best live bands our city offers and would demand [...]
Words by Ricky Summer Olympics, I miss you! Those two (oh so) brief weeks where I annoyingly screamed “U-S-A, U-S-A” at the top of my lungs at televisions in public spaces without feeling like an asshole ... it was awesome! In honor of the summer Olympics, I splashed this Sports Metaphors album review with as many actual sports metaphors as possible ... so I’m warning you, it might be an annoying read. For those inspired by the misadventures of Olivia Tremor Control , Of Montreal [...]
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! [...]
Words by Brendan Where were you on Wednesday when #PittsburghBands took off on Twitter? Are you not on Twitter? That's cool. We understand your confusion. Don't sweat it, just read on with mild amusement. Were you on Twitter but just not paying attention? Well, that's okay, too. Ultimately, this is just fun and games but ... somehow, a ton (I mean, a TON) of Pittsburgh folks went hog-wahld turning band names into something remotely Pittsburghesey. It was fun while it lasted (and it still seems to be going, for some reason!) [...]
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]
The sweet gospel joy of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros...
Virginia Wing: Red Sails
