4 Bands For The Price Of One

Honor, Matt, and I drove up to Pittsburgh last night to see Casiotone For The Painfully Alone play at Garfield Artworks. I'd never been to the venue, and I was pleasantly surprised - not only was the show $7 (to see four bands!) but the atmosphere was really genuine and welcoming.
Posters from all the previous shows lined the walls, and a table with free posters was off to the side. Candy, Yuengling, and other snacks were on another plastic table. About thirty various chairs were arranged in the narrow room, in small rows in front of the stage. Some were folding chairs, others were raggedy stools or tiny seats upholstered in floral designs.
After exploring the downstairs bathroom, we took three seats in the second row. The first act to go on was Elliott Sussman, a man clad in a wine-colored velvet suit, cotton tie, and grey fedora. I was somewhat wary due to his solo setup and various acoustic instruments, seeing as how this was probably going to be a pretty long night, I hoped it wasn't going to start off slowly. I've never been more happy to be wrong - Sussman immediately opened on guitar & kazoo with a happy, old-fashioned tune about his sweetheart, called "Bugaloo". Every song he played was wonderfully sweet and fun, with his scat-singing, banjo-ukulele, and love for crowd participation. The only thing that made me sad about Elliott Sussman was the fact that he didn't stick around or sell merchandise after the show was over.
Second to play was Steve Goldberg & The Arch-Enemies, a three person band (I'd heard one of their songs previously, since their album is currently in rotation at U92). Steve was on guitar and lead vocals, with the Arch-Enemies on drums and violin/back-up vocals. Their take on indie pop was fairly refreshing, especially with the addition of a few ballads and waltzes. Unfortunately, the violinist's cable kept cutting out, so it was somewhat difficult to hear him, but it was otherwise a great set. Their second-to-last song was a cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea"; a lot of the audience sang along, making the venue feel even more warm and cozy than it had previously.
To Bad Catholics took the stage, and the crowd immediately began to chuckle. Julia and Nick were dressed somewhat like Europeans who visited America in the early 90s might've dressed: cargo jeans, an "Athletic B.U.M. Equipment" t-shirt, too much makeup, an awkward black skirt, and a velvet turtleneck. (In the photo of Matt with the band, Nick had changed clothes. Damn!)
Nick took his place behind a harmonium, and Julia behind a small keyboard. They each had microphones, into which they sang enthusiastically and slightly off-key. Between Julia trying to beat-box, the multiple hand-claps, awkward dance moves, and the fact that Nick's fly was down, To Bad Catholics was probably the most entertaining of the bands that played last night. They left many people in the audience wondering if their odd, embarrassing demeanor was an act or not...
I realized later, at the merch table, that Nick is Nick Krgovich, who I very recently heard a song by on the compilation Worried Noodles. I asked him about it, and he's on it a few times, collaborating with different people. I bought one of his 45s and had him sign it - endearing to say the least.
Finally, Owen Ashworth, better known as Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, came on stage. After setting up what looked like twenty or more cables and cords, and un-packaging at least seven Casios, he began to play "Cold White Christmas". By that time in the evening, all of the chairs were full, and the back of the room was packed as well. Everyone was silent as he sang, and I was hypnotized by the contrast made by his emotional lyrics versus the logistical turning of knobs and pressing of buttons.
My favorite moment was when he played "New Year's Kiss", and right after that song was over, he asked if anyone had any requests. Since he had just played my favorite song of his, I thought of my second-favorite: "Hey Eleanor". A girl in the front row raised her hand and asked for "Jeane, If You're Ever In Portland", which he played next. As soon as the applause ended, people began to shout out other requests, mostly for the one of two songs: I Love Creedence, or Hey Eleanor. Owen simply nodded and began to cue up the next track, and I was delighted to hear that it was Hey Eleanor - although he stopped halfway through and said "I totally fucked that one up, so I'll try Creedence now". After Creedence, he played his final song, a brand-new track called "Silent Sunday" (at least I think that was its name - correct me if I'm wrong).
I bought a Casiotone t-shirt and the Krgovich 45, and we left for Primani Brothers - another new experience for Matt and I. My sandwich was glorious: soft bread packed with three kinds of cheeses, and egg, fries, and coleslaw.
We hit the road, turned the radio up, switched the station every two minutes, and continued to dance and laugh through the night.

Listen to the bands here:
Elliott Sussman
Steve Goldberg & The Arch-Enemies
To Bad Catholics
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone


A couple of videos!
To Bad Catholics:


Casiotone - "Scattered Pearls":