Music Monday: Pbingo 9

I thought about postponing Music Monday because I just didn't know what to say about the Punch Brothers concert at the Living Room Thursday night. It was the best way to kick off the 2010 concert going year. I knew it would be a good time, but thought it would have mostly been songs I'd heard before, so it was a real treat to hear a lot of new songs. My favorite was called "You Are" for now, I can't wait to hear it again because the song was so powerful and full of pain. Just incredible. Plus I got to hear two members of the Grand Ole Opry, Dierks Bentley and Jon Randall, so if I never get to Nashville it's like I've been there. I honestly wonder how many people at the Living Room realized who these people were, I don't think the people who show up here really overlap with most of country music.

Oh yeah, through some stroke of luck I ended up sitting so close I was almost on the stage. I don't expect that to happen again.

Aww yeah.

Music Monday

I have a vitally important music question for all of you. I'm going to see my favorite band this Thursday and they will probably take requests as they have done in the past (look for "pickle time," sadly I can't find a video to illustrate this idea). Basically it involves requests for song lyrics for things that their banjo player has never heard, ie everything but bluegrass, southern gospel and Klezmer. Then he sings it while the band makes up a musical contribution that sounds nothing like the original song. Just believe me that it's very amusing.

Now what song to choose? I'm thinking something by Lady Gaga. I really want to hear someone sing a song using the phrase "disco stick."

too many cds?

I just went a little crazy at the Carnegie Library during my lunch break and walked out with these cds.

Roseanne Cash - Hits 1979-1989
Roseanne Cash - Rules of Travel
Roseanne Cash - Black Cadillac
The Dreadful Snakes - Snakes Alive!
Bela Fleck - Crossing the Tracks
Tim O'Brien - Fiddler's Green
Tim O'Brien - Traveler

This is definitely one of the few things I'll miss in Pittsburgh. Though in NYC I can hear a lot of this live.

Dusters in the 'Burgh

I saw the Infamous Stringdusters on May 14th at Club Cafe, which is actually the second time they've come through in the nine months I've been there. It's great that they're touring around here so much and I hope they keep with it so they can get more of a following. The bluegrass scene here is slightly smaller than what I was used to in NYC, in fact when I saw Crooked Still in March I heard a girl there remark that she didn't know why more younger people were into this music. I almost went up to her and told here to go to a bluegrass show in NYC, so many young people obviously excited about this type of music.

Anyway, I was reminded that I was intending to post something about this show when I saw a friend this weekend.The show was great and I loved that they played one of my favorite-favorite old songs, 99 Years, as an encore. And they did it acoustically, which was even better. Though, obviously I could work on my picture taking skills a little bit.
(99 Years and One Dark Day- great prison song, where the protagonist kills his "woman with a 44" because what is bluegrass without killing some girlfriend)

On a lightly related note I just noticed that Sarah Jarosz's album comes out June 16th; I'm really looking forward to checking that out.

Last weekend

Excluding the continued heat issues, which were fixed Sunday night and cross your fingers, will stay fixed, this weekend was pretty nice.

Friday I had plans to try and do yoga, but scrapped them when I really just wanted to go home and heat up some dinner and watch some netflix. Persuasion, an older version from what I believe I saw on PBS this Spring, and leftover chicken dinner. Yum.

Saturday morning was rainy and cold, but I was determined to go up to the snazzy Carnegie library branch where there was a resource I wanted to look at for homework and a used book sale. And as it turns out they also have yoga Saturday mornings, which is where I may be this Saturday morning. I also got six paperback books, which is good because I have been missing just running by the strand bookstore and picking up cheap books and the free books people put out on stoops in Brooklyn. I have yet to find one free book outside a house here.

Saturday night I ushered at a bluegrass show, well it was more of a concert than a show. I actually saw the main act, the Infamous Stringdusters, this past July when they played with Chatham County Line and Crooked Still at Bowery Ballroom. I was sad that CCL and Crooked Still weren't there, but the opening act local band, Mon River Ramblers, were great. And they're based around here, so I can go see them again. They even have Blue Night up on their myspace.



It was strange seeing the Stringdusters in a completely different setting. Instead of young kids and hipsters I was surrounded by people about twenty years older than me. There were no drunk girls spilling beer on people between acts and no hillbilly mosh pit. But there were seats and I had a pretty good view. I suppose as a volunteer I could have buddied up to the bands if I had wanted to, but was too shy. Though I suppose if I had been that close to some other bands I would have fallen over faint.

I took a few camera pics, even though I was told it was verboten. Very different than at Bowery Ballroom when the audience was encouraged to tape the encore and put it up on youtube.

Sunday was full of good fun with pumpkins and knitting, but I think Susan describes it best.