GeekStar.com

Chalk Outline Party, Olympus Mons, Blindsider

Where: Lava Lounge, 2204 E Carson Street, Pittsburgh 15203
When: Thursday, November 12
Time: 9 PM
Price: $5 (21 and over show)

My friend Jeremy just informed me that his band, Chalk Outline Party, is having a reunion show next month at Lava Lounge. I never had the opportunity to see them before they broke up and I still regret not doing so. Needless to say, I’m very much looking forward to their reunion show.

I’m such a fan of current bands that feature male baritone lead vocals such as the Editors and White Lies. Chalk Outline Party is in the same vein and they also unabashedly have influences from 80’s dark rock favorites such as Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen. Chalk Outline Party has their own unique sound and they don’t remind me of any other bands I’ve seen emerge from the Pittsburgh music scene as of late. The group consists of well-respected local musicians Aaron Jentzen on vocals and Brian Sproul and Jeremy Papay on guitars and drums.

I already have my calendar marked for next month’s reunion show which also features shoe-gazers Olympus Mons and modern rock from Blindsider.

When: Friday July 24, 2009
Where: Mr Smalls Funhouse, Pittsburgh, PA
Time: Doors at 7 pm; Show 8 pm
Price: $10

ZAO with special guests:

To Speak Of Wolves

Kamikabe

Drugdealer

Don’t miss ZAO this Friday night at Mr. Smalls. This may be your only chance to see ZAO perform live in 2009.

Zao is considered by many to be the founders of metalcore and their names translates to “Alive” in Greek. To date, Zao has completed ten full-length albums, three EPs, a two-disc DVD documentary and multiple concert tours, garnering a limited but global fanbase and earning critical praise in the process.

In January, 2006, ZAO traveled to Chicago to record their new album with one of their collective heroes, Steve Albini. He had recorded some of their favorite albums by Nirvana and Neurosis, to name a few. The making of “The Fear Is What Keeps Us Here” was documented for a limited edition DVD.

Where: Lava Lounge, 2204 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh (South Side) 15203
When: 10 PM
Price: $5 (21+ show)

Bands:
Stephen Tribou and The Vacant Sea
Ryan Phipps of Vowels
The Baker Family Band

FACEBOOK INVITE CLICK HERE

Come to South Side…watch the game…then head to Lava!

Two of my great friends and favorite local musicians are on the bill: Ryan Phipps and Stephen Tribou.

Ryan has played in a variety of local bands that have created quite a local following including Thee Adora and Soulharmonic. At Lava, Ryan will be performing music he has written that can be described as a mixture of trip-hop and rock. Ryan combines vocals and live instruments over electronic loops he has written on his Apple computer.

Ryan played last month as ‘Vowels’ at Brillobox and the show created such a buzz. Tonight, guest musicians including Stacy from Thee Adora will be lending vocals and instruments on several of the songs.

Stephen is also a local artist and musician. He often shows his paintings at art events throughoug the city. Tribou is a dedicated fan of live looping. His shows are a lot of fun to watch as he creates real-time tracks (rhythms, vocals, instruments) and layers them to create a full rich sound. Tribou’s music is often dark and haunting and I particularly enjoy the songs where he mixes vocals with spacey keyboards and guitars. Stephen will also be accompanying Phipps on several songs.

Here is a little taste of what to expect:

The Baker Family Band is an indie rock and alternative country band from Asheville, North Carolina, which features musicians Stuart and Elizabeth Baker, Nathan Ribner, David Barrett, and former Salisburian Daniel Resner. Stuart writes the songs for the band, but all the members contribute to the arrangements. With influences such as Neil Young, Jeff Tweedy, Donovan, Sonic Youth and Bruce Springsteen, the band fuses country and rock n’ roll with indie rock and electronic music.

I love rock. I love alt country. I LOVE electronica. Can’t wait to see The Baker Family Band too!

Are you a fan of Twitter?

Follow Ryan and Stephen!

Ryan Phipps: @ryan_phipps

Stephen Tribou: @StephenTribou

Self plug: @geekstar

This past Sunday, Stephen Tribou and Dirk Miller from Rusted Root played a guest set at Discovery Urban Campus (Discovery Christian Church) in Pittsburgh’s South Side. Discovery meets at J. Verno Studios which is a photography and artist loft that hosts parties, art openings, and photo shoots.

Stephen Tribou is a talented painter and musician who plays locally throughout the city.

painting by Stephen Tribou

He performed several songs that were dark and moody in nature. Tribou often plays instrumental songs that fade from one song into another. This time, he added a layer of haunting vocals over live looping created with keyboards and guitars.

Stephen Tribou and Dirk Miller at Discovery Urban Campus:

Discovery South Side meets every Sunday night at 6:30 PM at J. Verno Studios.
J. Verno Studios, 3030 Jane Street Ext., Pittsburgh 15203. Plenty of street parking.

After the concert and service, we headed over to OTB Bicycle Cafe which happens to be my favorite bar in Pittsburgh. It is a bicycle themed cafe and bar that serves the most amazing food (love the vegan options!) and craft micro-brews. If you have been reading geekstar.com, then you know by now that I am a super fan! We packed out OTB from wall to wall!

View photos from the OTB Bicycle Cafe After Party here!

Stephen Tribou and Ryan Phipps (from Discovery) will be playing this coming Thursday June 4 at Lava Lounge in South Side.

This will be a fantastic show and a great way to kick off summer! Geekstar.com will be covering the show.

View the Lava Lounge Facebook Event Invite.

Website Links:

Stephen Tribou and The Vacant Sea

Dirk Miller and Rusted Root

Ryan Phipps Blog and Ryan Phipps Music 

Discovery Urban Campus, South Side

OTB (Over the Bar) Bicycle Cafe 

Lava Lounge

Low Water (with Good Night States WYEP’s Artist of the Year)
When: Friday, 2/27/09, 10 PM (21+ show)
Price: $7
Location: Club Cafe, 56-58 S 12th Street, Pittsburgh PA 15203 (South Side)
Phone: (412) 431-4950 (Club Cafe)
Website: www.ClubCafeLive.com

Brooklyn’s Low Water will be playing Friday night at Club Cafe with locals, Good Night States. I missed Low Water’s last Pittsburgh show in December due to one of this winter’s now infamous blizzards. I’m excited to have a second chance to see them live after having kept their new record, Twisting the Neck of the Swan, on constant rotation the past few days.

I often associate bands to how and where I will listen to their music. For example, any form of indie electronica (Santo Gold, Justice, Black Kids) is always blasting from my stereo, as I get ready for a night out with the girls. I tend to wake up to Radiohead’s, Hail to the Thief. I fall asleep to anything by Air or Beta Band. I instantly knew Low Water will be my new fix for long drives home after an all-nighter. Since I love to go out, Low Water will be getting plenty of airtime in my ride. Holla.

I would describe Low Water as a pure rock band that features laid back beats, gritty vocals, and airy bright melodies. Low Water definitely has a unique sound where I hear influences by folksy bands such as Wilco and also touches of 90’s UK rockers, The Stone Roses. At Geekstar’s listening party last night, one of my associates clearly pointed out that the production quality on their new CD is top notch. The audio is rich and clean throughout. (Be sure to get a CD at Friday’s show!) Also, some of Low Water’s more upbeat songs give a definite nod to 60’s rock.

One of my favorite songs is Go. This song features a string section written by Dave, the band’s bassist. Low Water recorded the score with members of the Momenta Quartet at NYU. The end result involves slightly hypnotic strings that give an extra level of depth to the song. Go is lush yet slightly moody and dark. The song also has a video that was made in collaboration with sleepdance.org. You can see the video on FUSE’s On Demand channel or below:

Fans of local bands, Lohio, Good Night States, or The Central Plains, should definitely check out Friday’s show. Also, the weather forecast so far seems to be cooperating!

Geekstar’s original review:
http://geekstar.com/2009/01/18/otb-over-the-bar-bicycle-cafe-south-side-now-open/

Friday January 30, 2009
Complimentary Hors d’oeuvres 6-8 PM
Draft Beer Specials all night!

2518 East Carson Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203

www.otbbicyclecafe.com
Phone: 412.381.2690

OTB Cafe in South Side is now open! Geekstar’s friend, John Benzinger, opened the cafe with his business partners, Mike Kotyk and Scott Ambrose, on East Carson Street in Pittsburgh’s South Side. You may recognize OTB as formerly Quagmire’s Bar and Grill. The old pub was given a complete overhaul and has been converted into OTB Bicycle Cafe.

I love the concept of OTB. It is all things bicycle and outdoors. OTB reminds me of cafes and pubs I’ve seen in places such as Portland and Seattle. The cafe is full of art. I love art and unique interior design. The team hired artist, Ashley Hodder, to paint custom outdoor themed murals across the angled ceiling in the cafe. The murals are complemented by Read the rest of this entry »