Ain't got nobody I can call my shorty

CONCERT REVIEW: Bob Schneider
May 10, 2008
Diesel, Pittsburgh

Bob Schneider is known for rowdy, rocking performances, but he began his latest Pittsburgh show with three quiet piano tunes, culminating with the poignant "Changing Your Mind."

"This concludes the Billy Joel portion of the show," said Schneider, before breaking out the guitar. For the next two hours, Schneider showed why is he one of the most under-appreciated singer-songwriters around, tearing through older songs from his extensive catalog and tracks from his latest DIY effort, When the Sun Breaks Down on the Moon.

Schneider moved from guitar to trumpet to melodica through the course of the show, and even reconnected with his rap roots for the only-slightly-ironic rap songs "Mudhouse" and "Ready Let's Roll," before closing with sing-along rockers "Ass Knocker" and "Tarantula."

Schneider's crowd-pleasing live show is the kind that would win over new fans in a festival setting, which is why it's frustrating that he's mostly absent from the festival circuit. Surely he could get on the lower portion of the bill at Bonnaroo, no? He has at least signed on for this summer's Wakarusa and Mile High Music Festivals - perhaps that will be the first step toward earning himself more the widespread recognition he deserves.

www.bobschneidermusic.com

I got sumpin brand new fo dat ass (The Coolio appreciation post)

Posted by Scott

Coolio performed the other day at Diesel, a rock club on the South Side of Pittsburgh. The Gangsta's Paradise era is back! Sadly, I did not get to attend.

Coolio is a joke now, but he ruled the late '90s. I've always loved rappers who have a sense of humor. It's rare to see in that genre (I'm a fan of Ludacris and Snoop Dogg for the same reason.) My favorite Coolio moment is the video for "1,2,3,4," when he rides the tricycle. Either that, or his unintentionally hilarious Grammy acceptance speech, when he thanked "my fiance Josephha, and my 7 kids."

Of course, "Gangsta's Paradise" is Coolio's signature song. It was insanely overplayed at the time, but it's one of the most important rap songs of the past 20 years. And I always liked "C U When U Get There," although it strikes me as schmaltzy now.

Fun fact: Coolio famously got mad at Weird Al for parodying him, but they've buried the hatchet.

I wrap up this meandering post with two videos: "1,2,3,4," and a bizarre performance of "Gangsta's Paradise" from 1995 with Simply Red. For reals?

YouTube: Coolio - "1,2,3,4 (Sumpin' New)"



YouTube: Coolio & Simply Red - "Gangsta's Paradise"

Pipettes = Fembots; Nicole Atkins = budding superstar

CONCERT REVIEW: The Pipettes/Nicole Atkins
Diesel, Pittsburgh
November 19, 2007

I saw the Pipettes the other night. They came onstage and struck me as the most joyless creatures I'd ever laid eyes on. Up there wearing their polka-dot dresses and singing these happy pop songs, and yet they weren't even cracking a smile. It was as if I was watching three fembots perform. They looked tired and disinterested, as if they were in the middle of a long national tour (which they were).

Fortunately, they loosened up as the show went on and things got a lot more fun, although the audience seemed to enjoy their banter mainly because it was spoken in a cute English accent. I'm not sure how much respect people actually had for their musical abilities. That's something the Pipettes will need to get past if they ever want to be bigger than they currently are...

Nicole Atkins (recent interview subject of mine) opened the show and delivered a terrific set with her band The Sea, closing with a furious, spot-on cover of Patti Smith's "Pissing in a River." She has a great voice, good songs, and an engaging stage presence. I'll be very surprised if she is not huge within a year or two. My favorite moment was the introduction to "Cool Enough," when she said, "This song is about going back to your hometown 10 years later, and realizing that all the people who used to be cool in high school aren't anymore, and you are." I can relate!

I caught up with her after the show and she said she thought I looked like the guy from Grizzly Bear. Compared to the comparisons I usually get, I'll take that...

MP3: Pipettes - ABC (We are the Pipettes) Amazon