Club Cafe
Pittsburgh, PA
January 16, 2010
Atmospheric pop
makes dreamtime of a bar hub
South Side goes lush, sweet
We played Club Cafe for the first time after accepting a kind invitation from locals Sandbox Astronomy. I was excited for the gig because I felt Sandbox’s lush, chamber-pop sound and Bengt and my eccentric creations could compliment each other quite well. It was also a rare occasion for us to play “across the river”— Pittsburghers are apparently infamous for not desiring to cross any one of our three rivers in order to do something in another part of town unless greatly motivated, therefore we often stay close to home for shows. On the upside, you get a totally different crowd depending on what part of town you play in so staying within city limits for a time can still prove interesting for a performer.
Club Cafe creates an intimate atmosphere with a slightly above floor level, smaller stage that is backlit with blue lights arranged like stars on a black backdrop and a seating area of tables and cushioned booths. While it was initially a little strange to play to a sitting, and very politely attentive, crowd, we hit our stride to ultimately perform what seemed to be a solid set and even played our last song by request (Buddy Holly? No problem!). I greatly enjoyed Sandbox Astronomy’s set as well- gotta love a band that can blend mandolin, banjo, and trumpet all into one coherent sound. I also must admit I was slightly amused that Andrea, the lone female of the group, played a similar role as myself of being a wearer of with many, many musical hats in comparison to her bandmates, at least in the live environment. All in all a smooth evening, thank you to those of you who braved our bridges to come out!
Set list:
Desert Dogs
Best I Can Do
Seed
Please
Bad Talker
Dust
Hari
Remain
Myth
Dark Surf
I Will Run After You (Frank Black
Not Fade Away (Buddy Holly)
love, maura
