Interview: Wreck Loose

Wreck Loose is a 4-piece pop-rock group that was born a couple years ago in the ‘Burgh by a group of musicians who were already well-versed in the Pittsburgh scene. Singer and pianist Max Somerville, bassist Dave Busch, guitarist Nathan Zoob, and drummer Derek Kristek produce ’70s-twinged pop-rock that is full and friendly and a sometimes a little funny. Think Ben folds meets Elton John meets Pittsburgh.

The group has made a name for itself with lively performances and a genuine, good-natured spirit. They released their first EP, Well, in 2013, and in the past year have released two singles from the album that they are currently recording. We sat down with the four members, who were giddy from a particularly good practice session, at a coffee shop across the street from their practice space in Lawrenceville.

FoundSound: What was the first song that you wrote?

Max Somerville: It was called “Only You.” It’s always the last song we play. We were in a basement on Chesterfield Avenue where I was living, and Derek actually took a skateboard and put all of his drums on it and hiked it across Oakland and up this really steep hill so he could play drums.

I remember calling my dad- and I was like 21, and I was really high. And I was like, “Hey, hey dad. How yah doing, hey...You know how to modulate a chord? How do you do that, dad?” And he probably had no idea I was high at all but the whole time I was like “uhhh.” So that’s what I remember about that song most, because I wanted to put some weird modulation in it so I called my dad to ask him over the phone how I would do that musically, and of course it didn’t make any sense.

Nathan Zoob: You know, that was probably a really nice moment for him, and now he’s going to read this interview.

MS: Dude, my dad grew up in the 60s. He had real long hair. He rocked out. He knows about it.

FS: So you are recording your new album right now. Can you tell me about it?

NZ: Well the idea is to create a cohesive statement if we can. We have, over the last two years, started writing for the album where we just start out with songs, and then as we were writing  started thinking about how we would sequence them. What kind of grand statement are we trying to make with the record? So I think our challenge now is to take these songs that we were writing while we were learning about ourselves as songwriters… And then these songs that we were writing when we were trying to think about themes and statements and a unified whole, and putting both of those together in what seems like a record. Because a record to me, at least personally, stands on its own. It’s a collection of songs that are greater once put together. So that’s what we’re trying to work for. We’re recording at TreeLady studios, up in Turtle Creek.

MS: We wanted to make an album because like Zoob said, we wanted to make a big album to say: This is our stuff. And we were actually thinking about calling the album Okay, Wreck Loose because it’s like Meet The Beatles!, kind of introducing ourselves to the world. But I had thoughts of naming the album I’m Praying That The Next Song Saves My Life – a little bit too wordy, but it’s some of the lyrics in the first song of the album called “Long Time Listener, First Time Caller.”

I was basically holing myself up in my room trying to write these songs, and each one was different.  And every time I finished a song I would feel so relieved and so happy. I’ve been writing music my whole life, but when you start writing with three other people it influences your music so much, in a way that is very specific. So I’ve found myself writing rock songs and songs that I didn’t normally write because I knew that I could bring it to the band and it would be awesome. We’re hoping that it sounds cohesive enough, but I think that our sound is going to make all the songs sound similar.

FS: When you are writing a song or melody by yourself do you have a process for how you take it to the rest of the guys when you’re at a rehearsal?

MS: I try to finish as much of the song as I can, just because I am so particular and so crazy and intense when I write. But what happens- Like, we just wrote a song tonight, and I had an idea and kind of a structure, then brought it to these guys and they all just dived on it and created all these new pathways and new structure ideas and things that make the song so much better. That exists because of these guys. I know I can take a song to these guys and it’s gonna be cool when it’s done.

Derek Krystek: Like I’m gonna be truthful. When I first heard it I was like, ‘meh’ but by now this is the most exciting thing. In the past 24 hours Wreck Loose was writing this! You know, coming together and everyone adding their part in these little layers.

FS: What’s an average practice session like with you guys? 

MS: We’re recording right now, so we’ve been taking a lot of practice time off to record… We operate the best when we are writing and working towards new stuff. When we’re not it’s like in a lull. As soon as we get that creative juice flowing, then we’ll spend a good two hours on that one tune, picking it apart and making it sound good. Practice is fun, though. We all basically live right in this area.

DK: Zoob lives directly above the space, so it’s like 15 seconds.

NZ: I was thinking of installing a poll.

FS: What are some of your favorite things to do as a band when you’re not living together?

MS:  We are all so busy that we don’t get to hang out too much. Like we’re all in different bands; we’re in wedding bands, we’re just working musicians. Zoob and I are in a wedding band, and now Dave is going to be in that band too so in our time off in the band we’re still playing gigs together. But I think that’s kind of how we envisioned ourselves living; just playing all the time and spending your free time writing music, playing music.

NZ: I think it is a really music-centered relationship. Even when we aren’t playing together, which is very rare. Most of the social times I can think of, we’re at a concert.

Dave Busch: Or we’re drinking and talking about music.

DK: I’d also like to include eating. We are also eating.

NZ: But, you know, we rehearse on Tuesdays and maybe if we get out early enough on a Tuesday we’ll go to the Space Exchange and talk about the experience there and watch people that we’re inspired by and bring that inspiration back. But it does all circle back to the band.

FS: What's the name of your wedding band?

NZ: The Bachelor Boys.

FS: What are some of the Pittsburgh groups that you like to see live?

MS: I have not seem them play live, but Delicious Pastries is one of the coolest bands I’ve ever heard. I ran into the drummer at Music Go Round in Monroeville and he was the nicest guy in the world. He gave me his EP and I listened to it for like months straight.

DK: Grand Piano is probably my favorite Pittsburgh band.

(Also mentioned: Dream Phone, The Commonheart, Beauty Slap, André Costello and The Cool Minors)

FS: What do you think about the Pittsburgh music scene?

MS: Honestly, I have trouble finding bands to play with. We’re a pop band at heart, and there’s a lot of great pop music in the city. I think we kind of have an older '70s vibe to us and I think a lot of the other bands around the town are more folk-rock centric. I’m waiting for a more, like, Elton-John-band that we can vibe with and play around town together with! There are so many great bands. But I would love to find a band in the city that we could team up with. I think that’s my Pittsburgh scene vision thinking for myself and my band, but honestly that’s how I feel.

NZ: I think Pittsburgh is a great incubator because it’s a very comfortable place to live. I mean, there’s a bit of a competitive edge but for the most part it’s a pretty warm scene. Pretty supportive, and I think we all have a Pittsburgh-first attitude. The flipside of that is that without the competition sometimes you don’t get the exciting scene... But we’re now really excited about leaving Pittsburgh- Well, not leaving Pittsburgh but finding other cities and other bands.

FS: Are you going on a tour once you get the album out?

MS: Yeah, we’ve been trying to space out our shows in Pittsburgh to kind of maximize the effect. We only play like every three months, but every time we play we want to have a band from another city play with us and we want to promote it as a big show so that they get a crowd- and we hope that they can return the favor for us. We try to do that with different bands from different cities, so that when we’re planning a tour we’re not just cold-calling venues and bands. We’ll have people that will help us out, and that’s an important thing when touring.

You can see Wreck Loose November 20th at the Rex for a FREE SHOW with The Commonheart, Chet Vincent and the Big Bend, and Meeting of Important People.

And catch them for our next FoundSound Speakeasy series on December 3rd, eating grilled cheese and playing music at James Street.  

Sufjan Stevens @ Heinz Hall - 11/4/2015

Sufjan Stevens pays attention to detail like no other. From the second his band came onstage to start playing Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou), a switch had flipped and they were on, every move part of a deliberate performance, until the show ended. Sufjan, himself, came out to join the band for the second track, Death With Dignity, and from there, the show careened into one of the most perfect, well-rehearsed performances many in the crowd had ever seen.

Sufjan’s set consisted almost exclusively of tracks from his most recent release, Carrie & Lowell. The well-received, sentimental album about his childhood trips to Oregon with his mother and stepfather was played in its entirety, along with three tracks from Stevens more electronic prior release, Age of Adz.

Appropriately accompanying the performance were magnificent, overwhelming visuals. A backdrop of long, thin screens spanned the stage, hosting projections of home videos from Stevens’ childhood to scenic backdrops of oceans and beaches. At times, bright, flashing lights accompanied particularly powerful instrumental moments in the set, but for the most part, the visuals stayed tranquil, adding to the thoughtful, meaningful atmosphere onstage. 

The lights were incredibly well-queued, complimenting the rehearsed nature of the show. Stevens didn’t speak to the audience once during his set, each song flowed seamlessly into the next, and some tracks were accompanied by choreographed hand motions, emphasizing the overarching lyrical themes that Stevens was trying to communicate. Stevens’ band performed with remarkable deliberateness, effortlessly executing their parts and playing off of one another. It was almost as if Stevens and the band wished to be heard and not seen, inviting the audience to contemplate the music and the visuals while lost in their own heads.

To wit, Stevens ended his set with a ten minute instrumental outro after performing Blue Bucket of Gold. Looking around the crowd, many were completely entranced by the band’s ethereal textures and unambiguously overpowering lights. It was almost impossible to see the band, and indeed, many in the audience were completely lost in their own heads. 

After Stevens bowed and left the stage, the audience gave him a standing ovation and ten minutes of rampant applause before he came back on the stage alone to do an acoustic version of Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois. He was then joined by his band for For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti and To Be Alone With You before launching into a very well-received version of Chicago. Stevens ended the set with an unexpected but fitting version of Drake’s Hotline Bling, calling out the opener, Gallant to perform it with him. 

Stevens played a meticulously crafted set, showcasing the themes he explores in Carrie & Lowell and making the audience explore their connection with his music during the show. Unlike other bands, Stevens used his set as an opportunity to present a coherent work of art to the audience, then appropriately using the encore to have fun and play crowd pleasers. For the diehard of casual Sufjan fan, this was all you could’ve wanted in his show, a masterful, coherent offering capable of moving anyone to tears. 

Mother Falcon @ Club Cafe 10/27

Part of the reason we wanted to see Mother Falcon at Club Cafe was to see how Austin’s sprawling, 12-person baroque-chamber-starshine-pop ensemble could actually fit on Club Cafe’s modestly sized stage. Lo and behold, they actually managed to fit 15 people onstage including co-headliner Ben Sollee and his group. At any given time during the show one could expect to see three cellists, two violinists, two drummers, two saxophonists, two guitarists, a keyboard/accordion player, a sitar/keyboard player, a trumpeter and a bassist.

Instead of the traditional opener-intermission-headliner format, the two groups structured their show differently. Mother Falcon performed a joint, continuous, set with co-headliner Ben Sollee, weaving his tracks and their tracks throughout the nonstop 2 hour set. Members of each group played on each other’s songs and it was difficult for the untrained observer to figure out whose tracks were whose at times. This show was also the first concert where the groups tried out this new format.

Throughout the set, members of each group told various stories that maintained a fun and lighthearted atmosphere, while letter the personalities of each group reach the audience through the crowded stage. In addition to performing an impromptu song about how hot the stage was with all 15 musicians on it, Ben also humorously recounted his story of following a former girlfriend out to California only to have his heart broken. On the drive home, one tree on the side of one mountain had taken on the exact same color as his ex’s hair.

The lead singer of Mother Falcon similarly told stories about going to his mom to complain about girlfriends or when his current girlfriend buried a gift in Boston for him to find two weeks later while he was touring and he accidentally dug up a whole flowerbed in Paul Revere Park.

Yet despite having 15 people onstage and telling endearingly awkward stories, the two groups stole the show by perfectly executing their full, orchestral tracks. Simply put, the music was really, really good. Ben Sollee’s music achieved new heights with Mother Falcon’s robust backing. Mother Falcon’s mostly timid vocals were greatly augmented by Sollee’s vocal grace and confidence. 

Each song that the group performed featured precise execution by Mother Falcon’s classically trained members, vocal harmonies from the majority of the performers onstage and wide smiles from everyone holding an instrument. Both groups had infectious positivity that made its way to both the audience and the other performers. All of the musicians clearly took immense pleasure in playing off of one another and executing their parts in perfect unison with the rest of the ensemble, creating a show that was as fun as it was technically impressive. 

Mother Falcon showed off their experimental side in the penultimate track, using drumsticks to play miscellaneous percussion parts on everything from mic stands to empty beer glasses, even ripping up their setlist in front of microphones to add to the ambiance. After that, the show ended on Ben Sollee’s, Electrified. 

No matter what type of music is played, a lot of really talented musicians in one place makes for an awesome show. In this case, infectious energy, well-written songs, and a gathering of talented and quirky musicians made for a phenomenal show. Ben Sollee’s music came across as full and robust, and Mother Falcon had a great time onstage. Definitely go see either one of these acts should they perform solo, and if they ever tour together again, please attend and witness the magic that graced Club Cafe on Tuesday night. 

CHVRCHES @ LC Pavilion 10/7/2015

In 2013, CHVRCHES went from an obscure synth-pop band to one of the world’s most beloved indie artists, partially due to lead singer Lauren Mayberry’s dedication to her fan base as well as the members’ finely tuned producing skills, love for synthesizers, and 80’s dance music influences.

After recently dropping their second album Every Open Eye, CHVRCHES is back on the road in full force. Opening a chilly evening in Columbus with Never Ending Circles, one of the album’s 3 singles, Mayberry’s voice seemed a little bit shaky, but by the middle of the second track, We Sink, she had found her footing and perfectly blended her voice with the heavy synth beats crafted by the band.

As the band ramped up their energy on stage, their sound and lighting designed played to their strengths while never detracting from the musical performance. Mayberry’s voice, when tuned in, carried the band into the middle of their set with Keep you on My Side, followed by a very powerful performance of Lies, drawing from the darker energy of the group’s first album The Bones of What You Believe. A heartwarming, earnest version of Make Them Gold followed, a song attributed to bringing out the best of the band. Science/Visions and Empty Threat perfectly compared and contrasted the band’s first album’s darker sound versus the second’s more uplifting feeling, creating a sophisticated juxtaposition of the conflicting emotions of both albums.

And then there was Clearest Blue. The crowd, completely entranced by the band’s performance up until this point, effectively exploded at the song’s powerful drop as every single person in the pit area released their pent up energy from the rest of the set at that very moment, bringing out the dancey side of CHVRCHES’ music with unbelievable force.

This unrelenting energy continued into Under the Tide, sung by Martin Doherty, backed by Mayberry’s vocals. Despite not being a prominent song off the first album, Under the Tide was definitely one of the highlights of the night as Doherty gave it his all at center stage, while Mayberry undauntingly manned the synth battle station normally operated by Doherty.

Their performance had turned into a steamroller which barreled its way through the setlist until the end of the night, as the band continued into what many consider the best song off their first album: Gun, ending it with Mayberry’s haunting line, “and I’m gonna see that you won’t go far”. Bury It was next riling the crowd into a mild frenzy with its dancey synthetica rythms. The main set ended with a perfect performance of Leave a Trace, the biggest single off of their new album.

After a tiny break in preparation for the encore, Mayberry, Doherty, and Iain Cook came back onstage to calm the crowd down with the charming song Afterglow, a great aperitif for their number 1 hit. The Mother We Share encapsulated everything people love about CHVRCHES: their 80’s inspired, synthetic beats, Mayberry’s relatable and empathetic voice, and perfectly produced synth rhythms.

Songs not included were Lungs, notable for its drops and Strong Hand, a bonus track off of the band’s first album, which could have also served as a great finale. Dead Air, a song created for Catching Fire’s movie soundtrack would have been a treat for the audience as well, but now with two full albums to choose from, its hard to fault the band for coming up with an already great setlist

CHVRCHES’ play between the first and second album was near perfect, as they weaved in and out of both during their performance. Their performance felt therapeutic, allowing the audience to bring out their emotions during the slower, more lyrical songs while dancing their hearts out to the bands upbeat hits. On the eve of Lauren Mayberry’s birthday, all of CHVRCHES exceeded expectations, milked the crowd of every emotion they had, and left them feeling incredibly content as the last vocal loops of “The Mother We Share” faded away.

AyOH, Wreck Loose, and Donora at Brillobox 10/16

Brillo was comfortably packed on a chilly Friday night, the crowd unsurprisingly consisting of its fair share of local musicians. Who could resist a $10 show with two local-favorites?

Chicago-based four-piece AyOH opened up the night with some spirited pop-rock, sung by Avi Dell. Dell mentioned that it was the band’s first time out in Pittsburgh, “But if there’s enough demand, we’ll come back tomorrow night!” Their set was particularly upbeat, due to the singer's undeniable yet subtly jolting energy. 

Shortly after, Wreck Loose wooed the head-bobbing crowd with its pop rock set (with a little country thrown in for good measure.) The audience was buzzing with excitement to see the band- and for good reason. The group was as tight as ever, the song “Hard Drugs” setting a high point of the night. The impassioned singer of AyOH showcased his longstanding friendship with singer Max Somerville of Wreck Loose when he parted the crowd to belt out one of their songs in the front row.

By the time Donora took the stage, the crowd was slightly more sparse and sedated for the trio's electro pop set, which singer Casey Hanner pointed out by slyly noting, “You guys are so polite tonight!” Nonetheless, the Pittsburgh group dished out a tight and energetic set as always, rounding the evening out at 1AM. 

Joywave @ Mr. Small's 10/8/2015

Quirky is the first word that comes to mind when describing Rochester, NY’s Joywave. The band that frequently posts a hilarious short video series called Coffee with Joywave on their social media accounts, has a special brand of coffee called JoeWave and sells a custom guitar pedal at their merch table for $150 is certainly unique in the landscape of poppy indie bands and their show proved no different. 

As Joywave’s opener ended, the band elected to put spliced up sound clips of a very 1930’s sounding man describing some contemporary cutting edge technology instead of the usual fare of yesteryear’s top indie hits. This same voice gave a full 2 minute grand introduction of the band as “The Soundtrack,” after which Joywave took the stage and launched into True Grit.

As was to be expected of a band with just one album, they dutifully executed each song off the new album, changing up the order but not leaving a single track out. The band’s keyboardist was undoubtedly more into the music than anyone else, finding innovative ways to dance, stomp and jump while still playing keyboards and accurately performing his parts.

The band’s quirkiness came out in full view when an inflatable version of he keyboardist emerged onstage about halfway through the band’s set. Joywave’s eccentric frontman Daniel Armbruster explained that they had it custom-made to look like their keyboardist because they thought it was going to be a bit part of their show. When it turned out to not be a big part of their show, they felt the need to bring it out onstage during their tour to justify the money they spent on it. The inflatable keyboardist took a perch around the back of the stage where it stayed up for all of 30 seconds before falling to the ground, where it remained for the duration of Joywave’s set.

The band closed with Somebody New, their second radio hit and then came back for an encore of Tongues, their first radio hit. Halfway through Tongues, however, the band cut themselves off and started playing Destruction, their third single, with Daniel proclaiming, “WHOA WAIT IT’S THE BEST SONG EVER!” 

Joywave’s quirkiness came through clear as day throughout their show. Daniel engaged in sarcastic banter with the audience, the rest of the band pranced around stage in an awkward yet endearing fashion and an inflatable keyboardist spent the majority of the show on the ground. Somehow, Joywave managed to pull off all of these feats while still putting on an excellent technical performance and amusing the hell out of their audience.

Death Cab for Cutie @ Stage AE 9/17/2015

Ben Gibbard is meticulous. Death Cab for Cutie opened their show at Stage AE’s outdoor venue with Kintsugi’s lead track, No Room In Frame. Immediately, it was clear that something was amiss. Gibbard kept signaling to the roadies and generally looked upset. The band diligently played through the song, but immediately upon its conclusion, 3 roadies rushed the stage and started messing with Gibbard’s gear while he took the mic.

“This band is called Death Cab for Cutie. This band is experiencing technical difficulties on the first song.” He paused. “This band is going to come back when everything’s figured out.” Gibbard immediately left the stage, much to his band’s bewilderment. As the band awkwardly hung out onstage while the roadies tried to fix the problem, the audience chatted to each other about how bizarre the moment was. Gibbard came back onstage and started playing Crooked Teeth only to find that his guitar was out of tune. He stopped playing and just muttered, “Are you kidding me?” while tuning his guitar.

Yet after a rocky start, it was smooth sailing. Death Cab played most of the songs that the audience wanted to hear, from Soul Meets Body, No Sunlight, You Are A Tourist, Cath and a very well received Grapevine Fires, to recent singles like Black Sun and Ghosts of Beverly Drive to deep cuts like Photobooth and Pictures in an Exhibition. Notably absent from the set were hits Marching Bands of Manhattan and Sound Of Settling, but with a discography as vast as Death Cab’s, you simply can’t win them all.

The middle of the set hosted a slow interlude with the heartbreaking, What Sarah Said, into perhaps the largest sing along in Pittsburgh history, I Will Follow You Into The Dark. The band immediately picked up the vibe with crowd favorite, I Will Possess Your Heart. The band masterfully wove their tracks into an ebbing and flowing setlist that was undoubtedly crowd pleasing.

After ending the set with Bixby Canyon Bridge, the band came back out to do a four song encore comprised of Passenger Seat, A Movie Script Ending, Brothers On A Hotel Bed and Trasatlanticism. It seems like a band such as Death Cab for Cutie can’t go wrong. They enjoy a simultaneously large and incredibly devoted fan base. Most audience members knew most words to most songs. Accompanied with Ben Gibbard’s meticulous attention to detail in his performances, it seems like all Death Cab really has to do to deliver a great show is simply show up.

Bon Iver @ Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival 7/18/2015

There was always going to be something special about the first Bon Iver show in three years. Though Justin Vernon has set his Bon Iver project aside so he can explore other opportunities, like his collaboration with Collections of Colonies of Bees, Volcano Choir, in February he announced one more Bon Iver show at his inaugural Eaux Claires Festival. 

The festival itself was a family affair, showcasing Vernon and all of his friends. Phil Cook, Vernon’s collaborator in DeYarmond Edison, showcased his own material and played alongside Hiss Golden Messenger, another of Vernon’s friends. Amelia Meath played with her act Sylvan Esso, as well as Phil Cook, Hiss Golden Messenger and several others. Sufjan Stevens joined The National onstage, as did Vernon himself, and gospel act, The Blind Boys of Alabama were joined onstage by Phil Cook, Vernon and various members of the No BS Brass Band who never had their own set but were seemingly kept on retainer to perform with everyone, from The Tallest Man On Earth to Charles Bradley. 

Yet as the festival wore on, Vernon’s Saturday night set with Bon Iver loomed over all of the other acts, so much so that after an incredibly spirited Sylvan Esso set on the other side of the festival grounds, it seemed like the entire festival was willing to skip a highly anticipated Sufjan Stevens set to camp out for an hour and a half before Bon Iver’s performance. 

It was worth it. 

After a spirited introduction by festival narrator Michael Perry, Vernon, innocuously located stage right, leaving center stage open for collaborators later on in the set, launched into Heavenly Father, a track he made for the film, Wish I Was Here. Vernon was joined onstage by a drummer, two guitarists, a bassist and a keyboardist while Vernon himself played guitar, keys and sang. Frequent collaborators, The Staves, joined Vernon onstage and sang backup, using their tight harmonies to not just accent Vernon’s voice but create instrumental lines that ebbed and flowed through much of the performance. 

Vernon’s setlist was influenced heavily by his location, with tracks Towers, Brackett, WI and Blindsided played early in the setlist, despite the latter’s absence from Bon Iver setlists since 2008. Towers, Vernon told us, was about a building not too far from the festival grounds, Brackett, WI is unsurprisingly about a town located just a few exits from Eau Claire, Vernon’s hometown and the site of the festival, and Blindsided recounts Vernon’s failed attempt to sneak into an unfinished building in downtown Eau Claire in the dead of winter. 

Collaboration seemed to be the theme of the entire festival, and Vernon’s Bon Iver set proved no different. The Staves frequented the set as backup singers, and classically trained sextet yMusic, notable for their recent collaboration with Ben Folds, also join Vernon on several tracks. Vernon took the middle of his set as an opportunity to introduce infrequent collaborators. Blindsided featured a verse sang by Aero Flynn’s Josh Scott and another verse sang by Vernon’s backup guitarist. The National’s Bryce and Aaron Dessner joined Vernon onstage for Babys, and experimental saxophonist Colin Stetson added some ambiance to Brackett, WI. 

If there were to be a highlight of the set, however it came after these collaborations. Vernon, joined by The Staves and yMusic played a tear-jerking rendition of Holocene, which highlighted the respectfulness of the crowd or perhaps just the sanctity of the moment, as the only times in the set where the crowd chimed in with vocals were during, Holocene’s “I was not magnificent,” and later Skinny Love’s “My my my,” part. 

After Holocene came the set’s best track, Perth. Vernon was joined onstage again by The Staves, who masterfully wove their presence in and out of the song, adding something incredible to an already breathtaking experience. As the track came to its climax during the post-chorus instrumentals, The No BS Brass Band added themselves to the mix, creating a joyously overstimulating blend of expertly crafted sounds that inarguably represented the absolute best that live music could ever offer an audience. 

Vernon wound the set down with For Emma, keeping the No BS Brass Band onstage for one final track before they left and Vernon’s original band played The Wolves, (Act I and II). While Vernon meant for that to be the end of his set, instead of leaving the stage, he gave a tearful speech about the value of friendship, appropriate given the festival lineup consisted almost exclusively of Vernon’s friends. 

After thanking the audience for believing in him, his music and his festival, Vernon confirmed that he indeed had a few new tracks for us and proceeded to leave us with two yet-to-be-released songs without confirming any future plans for a tour, EP or album. The new tracks were stellar, building on the adept studio craftsmanship of Bon Iver’s self-titled second release and sounding closer to Heavenly Father than anything else in the set, with a continuous, whirring backdrop of sounds.

After the two new tracks, the set ended in the only way it could. Bon Iver’s roadie brought out Vernon’s tried and true resonator guitar and Vernon sat center-stage instead of his usual perch at stage right. To say that Vernon played Skinny Love would be almost inaccurate. We all played Skinny Love. The low hum of the audience singing along added to the sanctity of the moment, with every member of the audience belting out, “My my my,” when appropriate. As the song came to its triumphant close, the audience half sang along to Vernon’s impromptu falsetto riffing, half cheered and half cried, the emotional outpouring appropriate for Vernon’s oft-lampooned tear-jerking tracks.

Vernon left the stage and the audience shuffled to the busses they would take back to the campgrounds. Walk The Moon’s Shut Up And Dance played in the background, a great song that, in the moment, felt cheapened by the absolute majesty that Bon Iver had graced us with earlier. 

Eaux Claires was a unique experience, full of collaboration and an undeniable love for music that seemingly permeated the very air we breathed. Midway through his set, Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn appropriately commented, “We do festivals like these all the time and this is the first one that’s actually about the music.” Yet without Vernon’s closing Bon Iver set, or his unconditional outpouring of love and support to all of his fellow performers, the festival wouldn’t have been half of the experience it was. Bon Iver was one of the best shows that many in the audience had ever seen. Masterful execution, unmatched anticipation and all-star collaborators created an experience that far exceeded everyone’s already sky-high expectations. 

As Pitchfork said of Bon Iver’s self-titled second release, “the music moves like a river, every bend both unpredictable and inevitable as it carves sound and emotion out of silence.” Michael Perry echoed that sentiment during his introduction to Bon Iver’s set. “It’s good to have music near a river. There’s this idea of baptism, of absolution, no matter what you believe.” The religious metaphors aren’t wholly inappropriate for Bon Iver’s set. Perhaps apotheosis isn’t a wholly inappropriate term to apply to Vernon during his Bon Iver set, either. It’s hard to imagine someone who could create something as masterful and poignant, ethereal yet undeniably concrete as Vernon had on that day. Even if we weren’t born again or absolved upon leaving the festival, we certainly had a new idea of what live music could create and why we love it so much. 

Sofar Sounds 1-year Anniversary @ The Mattress Factory 7/26

Photo courtesy of Sofar Sounds: Pittsburgh

A crowd of musicians and adventure-seekers found themselves in the courtyard of Pittsburgh’s infamous mattress factory for another mystery-show hosted by Sofar Sounds, this time celebrating their one-year anniversary hosting shows in Pittsburgh.

Sofar Sounds is an organization touting the responsibility of hosting secret shows in a different location in the city every month. Short for “Songs from a room,” the idea began in London six years ago. It’s simply, really: Ordinary people offer up their spaces to Sofar’s community organizers in a particular city, who then book local and touring bands. Tah-dah: intimate, interesting, and sometimes a little rough around the edges performances.  The audience is raked in through Sofar’s mailing list. Attendees must RSVP twice: once at the beginning of the month when the date is revealed, and then one more time a week(ish) before the show when the location and time is revealed. The music is a mystery until arrival.

This month’s show featured a line-up of Pittsburgh veterans. Singer-songwriter Paul  Luc opened with four intimate tunes, filling the orb-lit room with goosebumps. Meeting of Important People, a three-piece indie-pop group who played mostly new tunes for the receptive crowd, followed Luc. Singer Josh Verbanet would occasionally throw in a small “woop!” between choruses and verses, which reverberated behind him and seemed to please the audience who were mostly sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Photo courtesy of Sofar Sounds: Pittsburgh

The trio was a nice lead-up to headliners Nevada Color, who have become the younger crowd's pop sensation in Pittsburgh’s indie music scene, a well-deserved honor for the quintet of twenty-somethings. It was their 1-year anniversary of their first Sofar show, played in an apartment. Though somewhat satisfactory to have a group repeated in celebration of the one year, the show could have been more surprising and diverse if a new, unexpected act was highlighted.

Nevada Color performed an expectedly tight set, with singer Quinn Wirth working and crooning the crowd. At one point their mics were only playing through the monitors, but Wirth belted out the song an octave higher, backed up by applause and some singing from the crowd.  

Photo courtesy of Sofar Sounds: Pittsburgh

The night was charming and warm, a testament to hard work from the Pittsburgh Sofar team, who now must grow into their second year of promotion and curation. Gabe Wolford, Sofar’s community organizer, says that they are always looking for new acts. And don’t be intimidated if you’re not an indie-rocker: They’re trying to expand the range of artists that they promote. “We like to keep it fresh,” Wolford emphasized when asked about whether Sofar would be interested in highlighting hip-hop, R&B, or Jazz artists. Get in touch, and get involved. We’re ready for another year. 

Stephen Stills @ The Keswick Theater 7/9

Stephen Stills has lost his voice. The Woodstock alum and master songwriter of so many groups, Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and (sometimes) Young to name a few, certainly doesn’t quite have it the way that he used to. As Stills took the stage at Philadelphia’s Keswick Theater, one could almost feel the sinking feeling overtake the audience as he started to sing.

After two songs of voice cracks and notes that were just simply wrong, people almost started to leave. Stills’ voice did warm up, but only enough to make the concert bearable. Fortunately, Stills’ guitar playing didn’t leave much to be desired, as he effortlessly worked his way through complex fingerpicking and stellar riffs. In fact, it might’ve been the only thing that kept most of the audience actually at the show.

The show was divided into two sets, the first was an acoustic set that featured a mostly solo Stills doing covers and songs from his storied career. One highlightwas a cover of the Nashville Skyline version of Bob Dylan’s Girl From The North Country. Stills mostly stuck to covers and other legendary songs during his acoustic set before closing out with the famous Suite Judy Blue Eyes which still proved phenomenal despite Stills’ ailing voice.

After a brief intermission, Stills came back out and performed a markedly improved electric set. His band seemed engaged, taking solos that showed off their incredible talent, and Stills’ guitar playing skills were able to take the spotlight, rather than his lackluster vocals. Solos on the overwhelming majority of songs in the electric set were the highlight of the whole show, mostly because Stills and his band simply looked like they were enjoying themselves more.

After performing a diverse set of songs from Stills’ career, they ended with Neil Young’s Rockin’ In The Free World followed by Stills and Young’s shared protest track from their Buffalo Springfield days, For What It’s Worth. Stills then called an audible and instead of leaving, the band launched right into Stills’ biggest hit, Love The One You’re With.

Stills has an impressive career full of legendary songs to draw back upon. A period of smoking, drinking and general irresponsibility has certainly left him worn out, but though his show wasn’t as great as it could have been, the quality of Stills’ past songwriting and the timelessness of his catalogue made the show an overall enjoyable experience.

The Grateful Dead @ Soldier Field 7/5/15

Most bands have loyal fans, but few bands have a following. The Grateful Dead falls in the latter category. On July 4th weekend, while most of the country celebrated America's independence, the Dead faithful converged on Chicago for the iconic last stand of the original jam band. With some of the founding Dead members long gone, most notably cult-prophet frontman Jerry Garcia, the band sported an eclectic mix including original members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzman and Mickey Hart. Additionally, Bruce Hornsby once again lent his sound to the group as well as Jeff Chimenti from RatDog and Phish's lead singer Trey Anastasio who was tasked with covering the Jerry parts. 

On July 5th, the final show of the three night bandstand, The Dead came on by 7:30. Knowing the gravity of their self-imposed situation, they opened their final show together with fan favorite "China Rider" ("China Cat Sunflower" followed by "I Know You Rider") and the crowd exploded. With over 60,000 heads dancing and swaying to the music, the stadium seemed to undulate with the vibe of the whole scene. Neither aisles nor seat boundaries could contain this communal mass of people experiencing the band that has come to define many of their lives as The Dead drove forward in their last sets. "Samson & Delilah," "Mountains Of the Moon" and an incredible, Bobby-lead "Throwing Stones" brought the first set to a close.

After an hour break, the Dead took the stage to the loud boom of fireworks overhead and played "Truckin" followed by "Cassidy." These two songs seemed specifically chosen for the lines "What a long strange trip it's been," and "Faring thee well now, may your life proceed by it's own design" respectively. Both of these lines characterized the feeling of the band and the audience as they approached the end of an era. "Not Fade Away" brought chills, as the crowd echoed "No our love will not fade away" long after the song had finished and the band had left the stage. Fittingly The Dead played "Touch of Grey" for their first encore, as it was the first tune played at Jerry Garcia's last show before his passing. Although, the real tear-inducing goodbye, came with the final acapella "Attics of My Life" sung by Trey, Phil and Bobby. Before leaving the stage for the last time, Mickey Hart brought us The Dead's last message of love, "Please, Be Kind."