I hope you were one of the six people that caught the show at the Thunderbird Café last night, because the rest of Pittsburgh missed out on something spectacular.  Barefoot Truth, a bunch of hunky guys out of Mystic, CT, took a slow night and made it memorable.

During a time when the music industry churns out catchy tunes that (let’s face it) we all sing and dance to, it is refreshing to run across a band composed of uniquely talented musicians.  Will Evans (lead vocals/drums/didgeridoo) was bright and charismatic.  He certainly had a nice voice, but it was his true mastery of the ‘old skins’ that made him a wonder to watch.  Jay Driscoll (12-string acoustic guitar/electric guitar/Weissenborn Slide Guitar/vocals) has never met a guitar he did not like.  Though his voice was a wonderful compliment to the lead vocals, last night he really made the various guitars he played sing. John “Wayno” Waynelovich (keyboard/organ/vocals) was, hands down, the most entertaining and savvy pianist this side of Ben Folds.  Switching easily between keyboard and organ, he showed us he is an accomplished finger-smith.  Andy Wrba (electric bass), while certainly no less talented or well versed than the others, was the band stoic (as is customary for those of his trade).  In fact, he rarely even opened his eyes, further elaborating his comfort and command of the electric bass.  Garret Duffy (harmonica/tambourine) was the sound behind the scenes, giving Barefoot Truth the tone and complexity that made them a rare, harmonic find.  Having such an intimate setting really allowed the listener to hear and see that each band-mate was a master at his craft.

Back in the mid nineties there were a few musical trends coming to fruition. There was the whole pop-punk scene that was probably started by the popularity of Green Day and extended by bands like Blink 182; and then there the was the emo scene made famous by bands like Jimmy Eat World. Both of these scenes evolved from punk music and its raw sound and eventually led to a variety of other styles including what is commonly referred to as post-hardcore, a genre perhaps best embodied by At the Drive-In. It’s now quite a few years since the aforementioned bands were in their respective heydays but many of their colleagues from those times are still going strong and even pushing musical genres further into the ever-growing convolution of today’s music scene. Two such bands were on display Friday night at Club Zoo dahn ‘ere in the Strip: headliners Alkaline Trio and Cursive, a band that any headliner should be glad to have open for them.

These weren’t the only two bands of the night, though, a decent little band called The Dear and Departed kicked things off on a tiny stage crowded by the equipment of the other two acts. The cramped space didn’t seem to phase them as they played their way through songs like “Hometown Hero” from 2007’s 'Something Quite Peculiar' and “Matter of Time” from the recently released 'Chapters.' Like the other bands at this show, they had a kind of emo sound with a hint of The Cure, a band from whom these types of bands must draw inspiration.

“Hello, Mark and Wendy- good to see you.”   It’s not exactly ‘Are you ready to ROCK!?’ but those words may never have been uttered by singer/songwriter Catie Curtis, and this certainly was a venue much better suited to her personal greeting to front-table friends. 

The Thunderbird Café was, perhaps, a bit more somber on Monday, the first day of March, than a roaring summer Friday night, but this was the kind of place where you, very likely, would not know the difference.  Inside and out the Thunderbird Café, right in the heart of Lawrenceville, looked like a dirty little dive that would serve only table red wine but have a very fine selection of tequila.  Though, luckily for its patrons, the café had a fine selection of alcohol and was very clean. 

As the “N-F-G! N-F-G!” chant rang through the packed Club Zoo in The Strip, it was hard to believe that most of the eager fans were in their pre-teens when New Found Glory released the CD they were celebrating. The stop in Pittsburgh Feb. 26 was part of the 10th Anniversary Tour across the country for their self-titled album.

'New Found Glory' was released in 2000 as the band’s sophomore record. As a commemoration of a career that is still thriving, the band decided to re-release the CD at the beginning of the year and embark on the tour.

What is it with bands from Brooklyn? Isn’t there anywhere else in the country with a music scene? Sometimes it seems as if there isn’t. Thanks to popular acts like TV On the Radio and MGMT among many others, Brooklyn has solidified itself as a hotbed of great music. One gets the feeling that by merely walking around the streets you’re likely to discover the next big thing. Maybe it will be a band like up-and-comers Bear In Heaven who recently played at Brillobox or maybe it will be Wednesday night’s headliner at the same venue Bear Hands, another young band hoping to follow in the footsteps of their neighbors.

In typical fashion, the show started off with a local band, on this occasion it was Ready Room who played to an almost empty room. They put on a solid show despite having just kicked put their long-time bassist and singer and playing with a substitute bassist. The new lead singer, Sean, didn’t seem entirely comfortable with his expanded role but managed just fine even while switching from guitar to keyboard mid-song. Bill, the other guitarist, did quite a bit of switching on his own between foot pedals and effect settings, which shows that these guys are pretty good musicians who will get by just fine without their former member.