April Pittsburgh concerts

MUST-SEE SHOW:
4/5 Girls & Dum Dum Girls @ Mr. Small's
Girls, two guys from San Francisco, have been earning rave reviews for their combination of messed-up surf pop, revealing lyrics, and straightforward indie rock in songs like "Lust for Life" and "Laura." Don't miss the opening act, either - Dum Dum Girls are getting a lot of attention from indie rock fans lately. We'll be in attendance and will be posting a review of the show.

ALSO WORTH ATTENDING:
4/14 Owen Pallett @ Andy Warhol Museum
4/14 The Hold Steady @ Diesel
I'm surprised the Hold Steady are playing such a small venue, but at least now people can drink, unlike the band's last show in town. The better bet on this night, though, is amazing violinist Owen Pallett (formerly Final Fantasy) at the Warhol.

Others to keep in mind:
4/7 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Mr. Small's
4/7 Freezepop @ Rex Theater
4/9 Jakob Dylan & Neko Case @ Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead
4/10 Rusted Root @ Gateway Clipper
4/11 Wilco @ Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland)
4/13 Drive-By Truckers & Langhorne Slim @ Mr. Small's
4/14 Silverstein @ Mr. Small's
4/18 The Four Tops & The Temptations @ Heinz Hall
4/18 The Used @ Chiodos @ Club Zoo
4/27 Tokyo Police Club @ Mr. Small's
4/29 The Maine & We the Kings @ Altar Bar

Who knew Fergie could sing??

The other day I heard this song by Fergie called Big Girls Don't Cry, and I was floored. I thought, wow, who knew she could sing? Why wasn't this song a bigger hit?! Then I found out it was just released, so it presumably will be a hit soon. That's good news.

It's funny because Fergie's first solo hit was London Bridge. After hearing that song, I honestly came to the conclusion it was the worst song I'd ever heard in my life. It was absolutely ridiculous. But then I heard single #2, Fergalicious, which was even worse! This means that one artist, Fergie, has managed to pull off the unbelievable feat of recording the TWO WORST SONGS in the history of recorded music! The odds against that are staggering, but this girl pulled it off.

But, because I also keep an open mind, and I love to see people redeem themselves (i.e., I hated Mariah Carey for over a decade but when she came back with the exceptional We Belong Together I was thrilled), I am excited about this new Fergie single. Maybe she's finally putting the My Humps era behind her for good...