Last night before the band played a show in Bloomfield, my wife & I stopped with some friends at Yinzburg BBQ on Baum Blvd. in Bloomfield. Last time I was in that building it was a Roly Poly, and it’s certainly a different place now.
Yelp | Pittsburgh BBQ
I’m a huge fan of BBQ and I have been reading great reviews about the place online, so I was very anxious to check it out. (Also, I’ve been in a BBQ mood lately.) Of course with the whole shellfish allergy thing, I took a look at the menu online before we went down. My mouth was watering at all of the delicious prospects. Thankfully, there is no deathfish present on the menu. I’ve sadly gone to places before that have had daily specials or menu revamps that aren’t online… so I decided to send them an email. I was met with a quick, friendly & inviting reply from owner & chef Richard. His philosophy seems to be summed up in his email signature:
1. Barbecue is a cuisine; Barbecue sauce is a condiment!
2. The sauce is served on the side.
3. The love is in the rub!
When we walked in we were greeted by a woman with a sweet southern accent who asked us if we had ever been there before. We indicated that we hadn’t & got a lesson in the 4 main & 2 hot barbecue sauces. I liked the vinegar one & the signature red… And, I liked that you could get 2 different ones with your meal. Next time I might get the mustard sauce.
I had the brisket & pulled pork combo with the signature red & vinegar sauces (served on the side, so you can apply or dip however you like), the coleslaw, and a root beer from Natrona. I tried both meats sans sauce, and they were incredible. I found myself having a hard time deciding which sauce I liked better with which meat. The coleslaw was creamy and flavorful. I also had a sample of my wife’s mac n’ cheese (she got a delicious looking half chicken), and our friends’ collard greens. The mac n’ cheese was nice & creamy and the collard greens were delicious. I’ve sadly never had any until now. We even had a very satisfied vegetarian in our midst who seemed to really like the smoked tofu wrap. It’s not every day you find a BBQ place that serves vegan and vegetarian items.
There were two 2-seater tables outside, and 2 tables with standing room only inside. We stood as we dined,negotiating around the mountain of food in front of us. Halfway through the meal, I was already planning what to order for my next visit. Next time it’s chicken & ribs… maybe the black eyed peas on the side. Next time will also be soon! They asked us to tell our friends… and if you’re reading this… you’re my friend, and you need to go check this place out!
I was so enamored with the food… I forgot to take a photo to upload to UrbanSpoon… oh well, maybe next time!
Well, you probably know I like barbecue. I’m a big fan, and I’m always willing to try out new places. Well, new places that don’t have shrimp or other deathfish on the menu. I’ve scoped out the web sites three places I haven’t tried… perhaps they’re rather new? Can anyone tell me if they’ve been to any of these places & what they think? (Or if they have any stuff on site that’s not listed on the online menu?)
Perhaps, like movie nights, I can organize a Pittsburgh (& surrounding area) BBQ tour? Would anyone be interested?
I’d like to check out the following BBQ restaurants…
This is genius. Tired of being able to do nothing when you see someone parked like a Jagoff? Now you can do something about it. Check out these perpendicular Peter Parkers as an example, and check out the printable parking “tickets”!
Just don’t damage anyone’s car(especially stickered or flagged ones), and don’t get caught and/or shot in the process.
One of these days I need to capture the people that park on the yellow-lined triangle int he middle of the lot at the Kuhn’s on Banksville. They usually stop there to disrupt traffic when going to the ATM or Starbucks.
YaJagoff.com | Printable Parking Notes: Do NOT ruin anyone’s vehicle!!
Snap a photo, place the ticket, and they can watch for themselves online. I only wish there was a way to call out the Peter Parkers who can’t Parallel Park on the street in front of my house.
I might need to make a custom one that says something like this:
Hey Jagoff New People That Just Moved Here,
Why has the number of cars on our street doubled since you’ve moved in? Please note that there’s an alley behind your house where you can park two (or at least one) of those cars. I don’t have an alley behind my apartment, so that’s not an option for me. Help make the neighborhood an easier place to park by not being a Jagoff.
Respectfully,
Your Grumpy Jagoff Neighbor
Or this:
Hey Jagoff That Visits Someone Here A Few Nights A Week,
Your truck is as long as a school bus, and is probably as wide. I appreciate that your solution is to sometimes park with a tire on the sidewalk, but that’s not really cool. It’s also not cool to take up 3 spaces by parking a half car-length (or quarter truck-length) away from the vehicle in front of and or behind you. I appreciate that you probably can’t see from your seat that’s 2 stories high… so maybe you should just park in the lot at the bottom of the hill & walk to wherever you need to go.
Thanks,
A Jagoff that actually lives in this neighborhood
Or even this:
Dear Jagoff Neighbors,
How is it possible that you have a picnic, birthday party, barbecue, bonfire, or gathering for a sporting event every weekend? Why is the gathering place for your entire extended family at your house? Don’t you ever go to their houses? Why is it that I can’t make a trip to CVS or anywhere else close by on a weekend without my space getting filled before I return? Do you have a lookout on the porch doing some sort of jagoff valet where you move all of your cars closer? Do you like to watch me carry 20 bags of groceries for 2 blocks? There is a parking lot at the bottom of the hill for your family. We occasionally like to entertain on the weekends too. We tell people to park in the lot.
I’m sure you know I’m one of the Berts in Ernie and the Berts. I’m sure you know we play shows. I’m sure you’d have fun at one (or two or three or four). Come rock out with us some time…
✟ The Real McKenzies ✟ The Goddamn Gallows ✟ The Bloody Seamen ✟ Ernie and the Berts ✟
As you can see we have a bunch of stuff coming up. We generally try to be all kinds of fun. We’re playing with some exciting bands & artists. We’re playing some new venues & some old favorites. We’re playing with bands we love & bands we’ve never met. Each show is an adventure. Join us!
I saw this the other day at the Giant Eagle in Bridgeville. It blew my mind. All of the stickers/magnets were on the driver’s side of the vehicle… there were none on the back or the other side. I had to take some photos.
Is this what happened when Pimp My Ride went off of the air?
I tried to get a few angles…
Is this what happened when Pimp My Ride went off of the air?
The Stickermobile! There are refridgerator magnet letters up there…
The Stickermobile! There’s a baby on board? And a Pomeranian?
The Stickermobile! Total devotion to every team ever!
The Stickermobile! Black and Gold! Or Blue & Gold! Or Anything & Gold! Go Gold!
What exactly is going on here?
Insanity. You get all that? Let’s analyze some of these stickers and magnets, ignoring the fact that they’re all on one side of the vehicle. Here we go…
What exactly is going on here?
I’ll try to tackle these dozen highlights one at a time:
Support BP Music, NC State, and they love their dog. Call me sexist, but I’m assuming this is a woman’s car. She loves her dog. BP is Bethel Park, right? A lot of colleges are represented on this car.
Here we have some refrigerator magnet letters, a penguins sticker, and something unidentifiable. We can only guess as to what GH, VA, & UP mean. Go Home? Virginia? UP what? Why are the letters faded to clear? Did they start out clear, or did UV rays suck out all the pigment?
Here we have two giant Penguin bottle-cap refrigerator magnets, which can only mean twice the support for your hockey team and twice the alcohol problem.
She really loves her dog. She doesn’t love her van. Magnets get tiny rocks stuck behind them, and they scratch the paint on your car. Paint also discolors behind them.
Here we have the troop support ribbon, a probably non licensed Steelers football, and a pink Baby on Board sign. I say if you have a troop support ribbon on your car with any other ribbons… it negates the gravity of your sentiment. There’s another ribbon somewhere among all this chaos. By buying generic “go black and gold” sticker, you are stealing money from the poor underprivileged team that you support. If your car looks like with all the stickers, I hope you didn’t tattoo one side of the baby you supposedly have on board.
It wouldn’t shock me if this dog was in that van.
West Virginia and Penn State on the same vehicle? Pitt is in there too. You are a rather conflicted individual… assuring you’re going to get keyed no matter what school you visit. I bet college kids love getting picked up in this van. Also, you love your Pomeranian a little too much. You’re not into bestiality, are you? I sure hope you didn’t dye it purple. Wait. Is Baby the dog?
Here’s that devotion to Pitt, a faded Pens sticker, a blue Steelers football, a Penn State paw, and a secret coded message with the ‘fridge magnets. JFLE S ON. What is Jfle on? Crack?
Only the best fans have super faded stickers. Was this a Steelers one, or one for one of the colleges… or high school?
XK? XK.
A Steelers cap, but there’s only one. Not as devoted as the Pens? You only drink half as much during football? There’s something unidentifiable, an M (I think), and something saying something about how you roll. I think we know how you roll.
Protesting construction in Pittsburgh? That’s actually funny. Perhaps the construction workers would be amused by it when you pass… if they could pick it out of the madness. This ribbon apparently supports ninjas.
So, what’s your take? What is this all about? Is it a statement? Is it kitsch? Is it art? Is it madness? Is it super fandom? Is it hoarding? Is is someone who is banned from putting magnets on the refrigerator at home or a girl that was ever allowed to hang teen heart-throb photos on the wall while growing up? Is it covering bird poop? Is it a message for the aliens when they finally arrive? Hoarders: Sticker And Magnets Edition? Where is your OBX-like “PGH”, “N@”, “N’at” or “Yinz” sticker?
Well, sort of. The buzz around town on the news & radio lately has been about a survey by a GPS data company called INRIX that calls the sweet spot from Greentree to the Fort Pitt tunnels on the Parkway West here in the ‘Burgh the worst traffic outside of New York or Los Angeles. Read the Post-Gazette article for all the juicy details. Here’s an excerpt…
According to INRIX, it takes an average of 13 minutes — nine more than it should — to traverse that stretch. That doesn’t count the time it takes to get there, as morning backups now routinely spill well down the back side of Green Tree Hill and sometimes past Carnegie.
At a delay of nine minutes a day, for a regular commuter that works out to about 36 hours a year down the rat hole, just for the morning rush. According to INRIX, drivers on the 10 worst U.S. corridors may squander up to 60 hours a year stuck in traffic.
Those who while away their mornings in the daily tangle might be inclined to dream of a wider Parkway West or new tunnels drilled through Mount Washington, but financial and topographic realities make that a bit like yearning for world peace.
Flying Tunnel Monster (by Eric Yano / Valley of Steel)
And here was the letter to MythBusters & Dirty Jobs, that didn’t get a reply from anyone…
From: Waldo Lunar <world.and.lunar.domination@gmail.com> Date: Mon, Feb 27, 2012 Subject: The Pittsburgh Tunnel Monster (Mythbusters & Dirty Jobs team-up?) To: jamie@m5industries.com, mythbusters@m5industries.com, adam@adamsavage.com, info@mikeroweworks.com, torybelleci@gmail.com, swift@buchwald.com Cc: info@beyondaction.com.au
Dear Duke of Dirt and Sultans of Science (or Emperors of Explosions?),
I’m a big fan of both of your shows, I believe that I have been watching since the first season of each, and have seen almost all (if not all) of the collective episodes. My wife & I enjoy the Saturday morning/afternoon marathon runs of each, sometimes they prevent us for doing anything productive (except learning while being entertained of course) for most of the day. My favorite Dirty Jobs moment has to be an early one… where Mike was at the charcoal factory & asking the guy how you can burn it after it has already been burned and the guy either didn’t know the answer or comprehend the question and started to get irate. It set the tone for the rest of the series! Of course I love all the dirty gross stuff like expressing the anal glands during pet grooming… who knew? Having worked an assembly line myself, I really appreciate that you manage to shed light on jobs that most people never even think about (or know existed). With Mythbusters, I don’t know how to pick a favorite… I loved the ninja & pirate myths, the ancient mirror laser thing, all of the movie scene recreations (or attempted recreations), the many abuses of Buster, and for some odd reason… the car filled entirely with A/B foam.
If I’m not watching the Discovery Network, I’m over on the History Channel. My wife likes to remind me that we have about 200 other channels. I don’t need them, really.
I first attempted this (intentionally humorous) pitch to the people over at history with MonsterQuest or MysteryQuest in my sights. I had assumed I’d receive some sort of “Yeah, whatever goofball” type of reply. Sadly I have not received any reply at all.
The more I thought about it, I feel that this is a serious subject. It would work for Mythbusters… not sure how you could word the myth… but basically your task would be to get to the bottom of seemingly inexplicable tunnel traffic/congestion. You could look at how people slow down when approaching, how throwing a roadside distraction (like a car accident) in there would effect things?
As for Mr. Rowe, I’m sure that working in a tunnel is a dirty job. There are nightly cleanings/work in the Liberty tubes some times… and someone sets out traffic cones every day for the changing of a lane’s direction when going into/coming out of the tunnel. I’m also guessing that being a Mythbuster (or one of their crew) is a dirty job. Pittsburgh is a little Hollywood lately, why not capitalize on it by coming to check out our little town? I know Grant & Tori were at the Zabmelli firework factory in New Castle once!
Did you see the incredibly forced Pawn Stars/American Pickers/American Restoration crossover? You guys could do way better than that, and it would be unscripted.
Here’s the meat of my original email…
I believe that we have a monster in the Pittsburgh area that you may want to check out. It’s affectionately referred to as the Tunnel Monster. People in the southwestern Pennsylvania area live in a great fear of the Tunnel Monster. Many yinzer drivers slow down as they approach any area tunnel… but most especially the Fort Pitt Tunnels, Liberty “Tubes”, and the Squirrel Hill Tunnels. I’ve heard theories that the tunnel monster also perhaps takes shelter in one or all of the three rivers when not lurking in the tunnel.
Fear seems to increase in times of rain, snow, and (perhaps strangely) before sporting events, holiday festivities, and large concerts. I believe we have weekday tunnel anxiety between 7:00am & 9:00am, and again from 2:00pm to 7:00pm at all tunnels. I’ve never heard a first-hand account of an actual sighting, but it’s clear that there is something strange happening at these locations. There are also spikes of Tunnel Monster fear when traffic accidents happen nearby. Perhaps the tunnel monster feeds on broken down cars, flat tires, or the corpses left in the wake of fatal accidents? Rubberneckers seem to be ripe for the picking also.
I have personally seen 18-wheelers get to the entrance of a tunnel and turn completely around, most likely out of fear of the tunnel monster perhaps lurking within the yellow-hued florescent-lit man made caverns. Some people go through the entire length of a tunnel holding their breath so the tunnel monster doesn’t steal it, or honking their horn the entire way to scare it off. I’ve seen motorcycles and ambulances go right down the center line at accelerated speeds, no doubt trying to avoid a tragic end. I’ve even heard of people tapping the roof of their car when spotting a Padiddle to ward off the evil tunnel monster. The theory perhaps being that the tunnel monster is on the hood of the other car, and its webbed fin (a paddle or “padiddle”) is blocking one headlight.
I have seen strange markings on the inside of they Liberty Tunnels, but they have since been covered-over. They were strange numbers and hieroglyphic-like symbols that appeared right before a construction project. Do you think the crews working in the tunnel are in any danger? Perhaps it’s a conspiracy? Are they in there hunting for the tunnel monster under the guise of construction efforts while they cover up the monster’s cave paintings? Could the monster be some sort of Neanderthal, or perhaps a supernatural being, or some sort of demon?
There are countless videos on YouTube documenting fearless drives through the Fort Pitt Tunnels, but I don’t believe that any concrete video evidence has been recorded. I have attached some artist renderings of the Tunnel Monster that I have found on the internet. Perhaps you would like your experts to interview the area residents and come up with your own?
I really would like someone to get to the bottom of this Tunnel Monster thing, and I believe that Monster Quest is perfectly suited for the job! Thank you for your time, I hope to hear from you soon!
So, now you know where my thought process has gone, & how it has developed. I’d love your consideration for this idea. Please don’t make me turn to TV shows that I don’t watch like Billy the Exterminator or Dog the Bounty Hunter.
Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you!
Not afraid of the Tunnel Monster,
-Waldo Lunar
I tried message boards, email addresses, all kinds of outlets… all to no avail. Party poopers.
Trista’s Bronco Berry Ball Sauce wins! Thanks to all 3 of your for submitting recipes, thanks to all 13 of you who voted. (Or less people, multiple times…)
I thought I had set up the poll to close automatically after a week… but it seems to have kept going. So, I froze it in time with the screen capture to the right.
I’ll contact Trista to let her know she won, and get the 13 packets of Bronco Berry goodness on their way to her!
If you have no idea what this is all about, where have you been? You may follow the adventures of Bronco Jalapeño in these posts:
So, I’ve been to many types of shows at many types of venues. From stadiums to bars and from backyards to amphitheaters. I’ve seen rock shows, rap shows, country shows, and even Weird Al. Most of the shows I’ve attended fall in the punk or metal categories. The crowds can get rowdy. It’s expected, perhaps even demanded. I’ve pogoed in a circle when commanded to by Joey Ramone, sat nearly motionless in a sea of silver hair at a Willie Nelson show, and lost my shoe once in a pit at a Misfits show (only monetarily, and it was the first & last pair of Airwalks I’ve ever owned). I’ve been rubbed up against the sweaty shirtless guy, been flogged by the windmill hardcore kid, and burned buy the a-hole with a lit cigarette in the pit. I chalk it all up to part of the experience. Hell, I even had my nose broken in a stage diving incident. I’m no stranger to the pit.
The people are revolting, pushing the sweaty shirtless smelly guy out of the group.
I’m not saying that it doesn’t have it’s place. I’m just tired of the people who don’t “get” it. It always devolves into 2 or 3 probably drunken buttholes flailing around like fish out of water trying to start some kind of fight or prove their manliness. Generally people have good manners. Most people in the pit are just out to have fun bouncing around to the music, until it gets ruined by the few flailers.
It’s a weird topic to discuss. Saying the word “mosh” makes it an instantly corny conversation. I hate to say the word out loud because I’m old and it’s a young man’s (or brave young woman’s) game. It’s just getting out of control. I don’t want to see it stop, I just want to see it not be ruined by the few, the proud, the imbeciles. This was all sparked by our recent adventures at the Flogging Molly show. (Which musically, is a rather tame band… but crowd-excitement is off of the charts with them.)
We all know the “unwritten rules”, right? The only one that I’ve ever seen obeyed consistently is: If someone falls down, pick them up. This proves to me that we’re mostly all just out to have a good time & not hurt anyone. As for the rest, I guess I’m going to have to write them for you.
The biggest one and my spark for writing this blog?
Fig. A
Obey the Zone. This is the biggest rule that you need to adhere to. You can see in figure A that there is a clearly defined acceptable zone for pogoing / slam-dancing / moshing activity. It’s in yellow and black… for caution. It can get a little bigger or even smaller depending on the ferocity of the act on stage. The blue area is the crowd in general. Generally, there’s a row or two of people up front really into the band or show and unwilling to move no matter how many goofballs are bouncing off of their backs. This spills out & around to people that are just trying to watch the band. Is this that difficult? Am I wrong here?
Please see my additional figures B & C to help drive my point home…
Fig. B
Fig. C
In figure B we see the big red ⃠ symbol recognized as “No”. This is where you’re not supposed to flail, push, agitate, or try to cajole others into moshing. The other night when we were safely in this zone, a chubby young ginger-headed frat boy was doing exactly that, and looking at all of us like we were crazy for not wanting to hardcore dance with him 1-on-1 when it was happening with willing participants mere feet away. Was this kid afraid of the real pit? I say put on your big boy pants & get in there, Skippy. Or better yet, move into the Idoit Zone as illustrated by figure C.
This unwritten rule is written for you.
The idiot zone is formed when the people who do know how to act at a show force out the people who don’t. This is where the “too metal for you”, “hardcore windmillers”, and “guy with Greek letters on his hoodie & daddy issues” go to play. They’re convinced that no one can have a good time unless you go home with bruises. They feel that they are integral to your having the correct concert experience by placing an elbow repeatedly in your ribs or fist in your eye. They’re irate when you don’t want to participate. They go to the idiot zone to act like a wind-up toy and get out their frustration. They just paid $30-60 for a ticket, $9+ per beer, and $10-$20 for parking to ignore the band on stage.
Weenies.
You have to understand that the whole floor has the potential turn into that zone, and accept your risk of taking a wild hit or someone landing on you if you’re going to get down there anywhere close to the action. You most likely dropped some serious cash to see this show, and you’re there to see and hopefully enjoy the band… not to get distracted or assaulted by some self-appointed chairman of the mosh commission.
Well, that’s the big rule. What’s your take on concert etiquette? I’ll list some others, you give me more in the comments.
No lit cigarettes (or other burning substances) in the pit. Most venues in Pittsburgh don’t allow you to smoke in the first place. Besides billowing toxic crap into my air, burning someone while thrashing around like a toolbag is not cool. If you need to get high, go do it in a dark corner.
Don’t scream off-key into your neighbor’s ear. I paid lots of money for the people on stage to scream into my ear, not you. Shut up unless it’s a sing-along rock anthem.
If you’re on the edge of the circle, keep it from spilling over. Push the lugheads back into the fold. Protect the people around you who don’t want in it, and watch out for that kid that’s way too young to be there. Might be good to not trample him to death before he can drive.
You are not a windmill. No one thinks this is cool. No one likes getting punched in the head. No one is more entertained by you dancing like Frankenstein than by the band on stage.
We’re there to see the band, not you. You are not that guy on the runway, a traffic cop, or a cheer-leading coach. Stop gesturing wildly at people trying to get them to go in a circle, spin you around, run into you, or do the safety dance.
Now it’s your turn. While you think/type, please enjoy the following…
Vodpod videos no longer available.
This is not a dance.
(Also, feel free to post other songs about moshing, slam-dancing, circle pits, pogoing, or any related ridiculousness.)
Also… to the people who drink in the parking lot through the opening acts, then come in during the headliner barely knowing where you are or that you’re alive. Just stay home & get drunk. It’s cheaper and safer, and you don’t have the potential to puke on my shoes.
Had a great time last night at Stage AE for the Flogging Molly show! It was a nice evening out, much closer to home than the last Flogging Molly show that we had to drive to Cleveland for, and we didn’t wait too long to buy tickets this time. (Last time, we waited too long & it sold out!) After arriving home from work, Bethany & I headed to Dormont Dogs for a nice quick meal. (I had the Connecticut Ave. dog minus the onions, it was fantastic!) We then battled and easily defeated the tunnel monster on the way to the north shore.
We got there early, because I’m generally OCD about getting to shows early. We lined up outside behind the mob of green & black T-shirts peppered with the occasional tartan patterned kilt or someone who didn’t get the memo about wearing green to a Celtic punk rock show. There were more people than I had expected. It was windy, but not unbearable. We were entertained by the 3 or 4 scalpers passing by asking for extra tickets. One guy had his leg in some sort of brace or cast, and one guy was on a bike. They mustn’t have scored any, because I didn’t see anyone selling them.
This was sadly the first time I’ve seen a show with the big room opened up. I need to get to more shows down there. (The 1st time I was there was to see Dethlehem and they were on the smaller bar stage.) It’s a fantastic venue. You have a nice view all around. The only thing I’d change is having the floor slightly sloped… but then again I’m just short. After getting a superficial pat-down at the door, we stopped & said hi to Jeff who was working & not setting any fires. Then we made our way to the bar where I got a Killian’s Irish Red because I can’t really take too much Guinness. The wife opted for water. At a Flogging Molly show? Water? She must be the more responsible half.
We joined the pack of Yinzers crowding the merch table as we tried to get a look and get up front. It was easy to see that the dude wasn’t taking orders from any other dudes… so my wife ordered our shirts and a patch once we squeezed our way to the front. As I was getting a dollar out of my wallet to pop into the tip bucket, it fell into my beer. So, dude got a soggy dollar & a dry dollar. Sorry. Not that sorry though. You can still spend it. I picked up a Devil Makes Three CD too. I saw them online & liked what I heard. I asked the merch guy which one he suggested. He showed me the 1st album & the live one. He seemed to indicate that the live one was a nice cross-section, so I went with that.
To the floor! It was still relatively easy to make our way to the center & almost front of the floor. Things were starting to pack in as we got there, it was pretty good timing & placement. We thought. Bethany thought she smelled a skunk, and we were too far away from the obligatory dreadlock kid for it to be Patchouli & BO, so it was most likely the extremely pungent weed that we were smelling burning much later. (I bet area Taco Bell locations had a surge of customers after the show.) Our friend Laurel made a last-minute decision to come to the show, so she joined us right as the lights went down…
Brothers of Brazil | Stage AE (Pittsburgh, PA) 05/10/2012
The Brothers of Brazilwere up first. Imagine a young Fred Schneider(or Michale Ian Black) on guitar and Billy Idol(or maybe even Johnny Rotten) on drums. These dudes were quite interesting. The guitar-work was amazing, & the drummer was quite the showman & very entertaining. They had this weird samba punk rock vibe… it was odd. I’d see them again. I dunno if I’d buy an album. It was fantastic that they opened & closed with a theme song. I believe these dudes will do well for themselves. I don’t think Bethany & Laurel were as amused as I was.
The Devil Makes Three | Stage AE (Pittsburgh, PA) 05/10/2012
Up next was The Devil Makes Three. The crowd stated getting a little more packed in, and a drunken kid beside me ruined the first 2 songs by slurredly “singing” loudly & off-key directly into my ear, until he decided that the crowd wasn’t as into it as he was, and muttered something about us being lame & pushing forward. These dudes rocked quietly, but they play really well. They have great melodies & harmonies… even though they were minus their regular bass player. I have no idea what to call it. Is it folk? Alt country? Blues? Punk? It’s close-to-but-not bluegrass or rockabilly. All I know is that I like it. I’m gonna say if you like punk rock, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, or old folk or blues stuff… you ought to check these cats out. They win the award for coolest guitars too. Cooper McBean played a mean-looking old archtop with what I think was a P-90 mounted in it. it looked like it had been left out in a sandstorm after someone dumped some paint-thinner on it. I wanted it. He mainly rocked the banjo & a tenor banjo. The lyrics are great. Check out this comic set to the lyrics of the song “The Bullet”. I will see this band next time they’re in town! Bethany really dug them too, being a country fan and all. I think Laurel was trying to figure them out.
Well, we enjoyed the part of the set that wasn’t ruined by belligerent drunken meat-heads. Starting at about the same time as The Devil Makes Three, the crowd directly behind us was swaying & getting rowdy. Oh well, it’s a concert. We’re in the middle of the floor. That’s what happens. Until these testoster-tools behind us start arguing about something. I heard something about touching or talking to a sister. I’m not sure. Maybe they were bumping into each other, maybe someone was trying to bump uglies. I was trying to pay attention to the blisteringly talented band on stage. There was arguing, shoving, and a guy getting in the middle. Somebody’s “bro” got in the middle and then calmed things down. Security was eying them and pointing flashlights from the ramps on the side, but apparently not responding. Then everything was “cool” and it remained calm, for a song or two anyway. All of a sudden I hear “oh my god!” and my wife is on the floor on her ass. I pulled her up and swung around and yelled something to the effect of “Who the [expletive] knocked my wife on to the [expletive] floor?” Two dudes larger than me in height and girth (one in a kilt as well as a drunken stupor) looked at me with an expression that can only be descried as “oh shit”. I turned around to ask Bethany if she was OK. She nodded. I swung back around to the now large gap in the crowd surrounding the two sweaty ass-clowns and demanded that they apologize to Bethany. They did, looking like a dog that just took a dump on the living room floor, as security arrived to further scold them and ask me if Bethany was OK. Next time how about responding before a bystander gets knocked over? I guess she saw one dingleberry trying to choke the other dingleberry as she got knocked down. I would expect this kind of crap at a metal show, but for folk punk? Way to uphold drunken Irish fighting stereotypes, McPotatoheads. I don’t know if I would have punched those guys, or what… but apparently my tone of voice or the look on my face told them not to mess with me. I thought security was going to drag me into it too as he was asking if Bethany was OK. Later Laurel laughed as she said she thought I was going to swing & she’d end up jumping on the fat guy & throwing punches too. Maybe we’re all a little too violent?
Finally, it was time for Flogging Molly! Despite all of the drunken violence, the smell of burning leaves in the non-smoking venue, the guy in front of me repeatedly backing himself into my junk, getting sweat on me from the shirtless guy, and paying $12 for parking, we were having one hell of a great time!
If you’ve never seen Flogging Molly in action, I’m not sure how to describe it. Seven people come on to the stage and sound like 70. The crowd really started moving so I pushed Bethany & myself forward & off to the side as we lost Laurel with the first wave. She found us not too long after that. Dave King & company ripped through a bunch of hits & some stuff that they don’t regularly do live. I remember it being a long set & how I liked every selection. I could have watched them go for many more songs, even after the encore. I can’t pick a favorite track, I like so many of them. I really enjoyed “What’s Left of the Flag”, “If I Ever Leave This World Alive”, “Float”, & “The Son Never Shines (on Closed Doors)”, & of course “7 Deadly Sins”. The inter-song banter keeps things light with songs that can have such heavy lyrical matter all the while to a happy beat. You get the feeling that they’re all playing right from the heart. You have this killer group of musicians that can probably between them master any instrument you might have lying around. Dennis Casey has his hands full trying to compete with & leave room for all of the other instruments. I was glad he got a spot for a guitar solo of sorts, in with the Guinness chug. Every time I see a Celtic punk band, I get the urge to buy a Telecaster. At any rate, Flogging Molly did not disappoint. We’ll see them next time they’re in the ‘Burgh, Cleveland, or anywhere else nearby. I know Bethany loved it, I think Laurel did too. After the show, we ran into my cousin Patience. Taste in awesome Irish music must run in the family.
So, I’ve been a reader of the Dormont-Brookline Patch for a while now. It’s sort of like an online local paper. I’ve even commented on quite a few things. There’s all kinds of stuff going on in these two neighborhoods, as well as the surrounding areas. It’s a great way to stay informed, and it’s one of the first things I added to Google Reader.
I recently became a blogger on the patch, and you’ll be able to follow my rantings & misadventures here: AiXeLsyD13 on Patch
It will most likely be short blurbs pointing to the general chaos here, but every once in a while I may be inspired to give it some exclusive content. Maybe I’ll blog about local events, places, etc., or maybe even some personal stuff like food allergies.
Last night before the band played a show in Bloomfield, my wife & I stopped with some friends at Yinzburg BBQ on Baum Blvd. in Bloomfield. Last time I was in that building it was a Roly Poly, and it’s certainly a different place now.
World (and Lunar) Domination 