What To Do In Pittsburgh Tonight (21 November 2012)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

What’s up, readers! It’s Thanksgiving Eve, which around these parts is officially the BIGGEST party night of the year! That’s right, bigger than Saint Patrick’s Day, bigger than Cinco de Mayo, bigger even than New Year’s Eve.

Believe me, I spent enough of my younger years working overnight in a 24-hour convenience store — one that is famous for its “Made To Order” food, and in particular, one that was located in a small town where the ratio of bars to houses is practically one-to-one — so I’ve got enough empirical data to back up this claim.

Anyway, if you’re looking for somewhere to go tonight, I’ve got you covered. Just please be careful out there, and please be safe getting home! I’ve got lots of exciting new content planned for the near future, and you won’t want to miss any of it. (I know it seems like I’m making light of the situation, but seriously, go out and have a good time — but for your own sake and everyone else’s, just don’t be stupid, ok?)

Here we go…

 
Continue reading →

What To Do In Pittsburgh Tonight (20 November 2012)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Hey folks, what’s up??

It’s Tuesday, but it’s also Thanksgiving week, so I know a bunch of you are off work or school this week (or you conveniently got real sick all of a sudden) — and for those of us who still DO have to work tomorrow, everyone knows we’re just going to slack off most of the day and then leave early anyhow, right?

Either way, if you’ll be around the Pittsburgh area tonight, you’ll have plenty of choices if you feel like getting your holiday celebrating started early!

Check it out:

 
—————————————————-
Continue reading →

What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (16-17 November 2012)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Hello, world. No new posts yesterday or this morning, sorry about that — I’ve got a ton of stuff partly written but life and work keep getting in the way of finishing anything! Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, please enjoy this guide to a couple must-see shows taking place in Pittsburgh tonight and tomorrow night! Continue reading →

Fistula and Hellbastard Vinyl/Merch Preorders — HURRY! ENDS TOMORROW!!

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 

Preorder the new Hellbastard and/or Fistula LPs, get exclusive woven patches, colored vinyl, test pressings and T-shirts!

 
From Patac Records head honcho Dan Harrington:

Let’s face it, you have to be crazy to start a record label. It costs a lot of blood, sweat and tears… and a whole lot of cash. Working on a DIY level, I try to do as much as I can for my bands. Pressing a record is one thing, but a record needs touring, ads in zines, etc.

So here’s my plan: I have two records ready to press, the Hellbastard Sons of Bitches 12″ and the Fistula Northern Aggression 12″. The money to complete this project is already secured, we just hope to raise additional funds to create the line of merchandise, new colors of vinyl and provide additional press to help out these two incredible bands. The t-shirts, patches and white vinyl are exclusive to this Kickstarter project, so don’t miss this opportunity to get a bunch of killer collector’s merchandise!

All the merchandise is designed and ready to print. With your pre-orders these records will be released ahead of schedule, promoted to the fullest extent and in addition, both bands will be repaid all proceeds.

One thing that always blows me away has always been the loyalty of my distro customers and fans of the music I have released. My goal is to create a bunch of killer merch and raise some money to help press the records; when the record is out and selling, I’m going to pay back 100% of the money raised to each band to help out with their touring costs. 2013 is going to be a great year — Fistula is negotiating some extensive tours in the US and abroad, and Hellbastard will be pretty much living on the road as well.

All merchandise orders will ship in early December, we hope for vinyl orders to ship by January. The production of vinyl is costly and production times vary, Test pressings will ship in January, however colored vinyl may encounter delays if the pressing plant is backed up.

Thanks so much, hope to see you all on the road!!!

 
Continue reading →

What To Do In Pittsburgh Tonight (14 November 2012)

Posted by valleyofsteel on
image

Artwork by Kellan Andersen

 

Profound Lore recording artist Atriarch

with Pray for Teeth, Wrought Iron, and Slaves BC

 

at the Mr. Roboto Project

5106 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh (Bloomfield)

 

Wednesday 14 November 2012 | 7:00pm | $6 | ALL AGES

 
Decending upon Bloomfield this evening: Portlandian blackened/ambient/doom/death-rock band Atriarch, whose Profound Lore album Ritual of Passing was named “album of the week” by MSN Entertainment when it came out at the end of October.

For more info about the band and what they do, you can also check out this interview with Cvlt Nation, from just prior to the album’s release.

Joining them at Mr. Roboto will be an assortment of local hardcore/black/grind/death, including Pray for Teeth, Wrought Iron, and (as a last-minute replacement for Resin, who had to drop out of the line-up) Slaves BC (who just played there on Monday, so it seems like they’re getting plenty of mileage out of their new material!).

More details and RSVP here.

Well Holy Crap… Cormorant Bassist/Vocalist Arthur von Nagel Exits Band

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Once again, let me just say, holy crap…

 

 

It is with great deference and gratitude to our fans and supporters that I announce my departure from Cormorant. After the overwhelming reception for Dwellings and national tours with longtime personal heroes, I feel fortunate to end this chapter of my life on a high note. Nick, Brennan, and Matt will continue to write and perform as Cormorant with my full support. The albums we created together were very personal to all of us, and I know the music they are composing now is of the same passion and honesty. I cherish our time working together, and I wish them the best.

I am taking a break from music to pursue my career in video games—another lifelong passion. Since May of this year, I have been at Telltale Games, hard at work on The Walking Dead episodic adventure series. Contributing to the game’s development has afforded me artistic fulfillment I never thought possible professionally. Thanks to the many colleagues I count as friends and projects I care deeply about, I look forward to going to work every morning for the first time in my life.

I have nothing but the most sincere thanks to our fans. You are incredible. From the Lebanese diehard metalhead who smuggled his contraband Metazoa CD in from Saudi Arabia, to the gentleman of indigenous Australian descent who wrote to tell us how profoundly “The First Man” had affected him, knowing that we’ve forged a connection with people through our music is the most gratifying. I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to perform for our fans across the US this year. Meeting you all in person was a true pleasure. I only regret that a worldwide tour wasn’t possible!

I’d like to thank the sound engineers and producers who made us sound our best, the publicists and journalists who wrote so beautifully about us, the visual artists who brought our music to life, the promoters who included us on such wonderful bills, and the bands with whom we shared the stage. While I have always taken great pride in Cormorant’s independence, so much of the band’s success is owed to your support. I look forward to attending future Cormorant shows from the other side of the stage.

— Arthur von Nagel, November 2012.

 
Continue reading →

What To Do In Pittsburgh Tonight (13 November 2012)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 

Drusky Entertainment Presents:

EARTH

with special guests Eagle Twin and Stebmo

 

at the Altar Bar

1620 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh (Strip District)

 

Tuesday 13 November 2012 | 8:00pm (7:00 Doors) | $13 ADV / $15 at door | ALL AGES

 
Seattle’s Earth don’t exactly fit most people’s definitions of “metal” but they certainly are heavy. Whether it’s their earlier ambient drone-doom material or their more recent minimalist experimental jazz-inspired compositions, Dylan Carlson and company just seem to imbue everything they do with such gravity; theirs is a sound with an unfathomable depth.

You can experience it for yourself tonight, when the band decends upon Pittsburgh’s Altar Bar. Joining them on this northeastern U.S. leg of their fall tour are Salt Lake City sludge/drone band Eagle Twin, and Stebmo, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Steve Moore who has performed on record and onstage with a variety of other artists, including Earth, and their scions Sunn O))).

See more details about the show on the Drusky calendar, buy tickets from Ticketfly, then RSVP here and here.

What To Do In Pittsburgh Tonight (12 November 2012)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Hey, party people of Pittsburgh! Remember last weekend when there was a football game that started out so terrible and the officials had some kind of conspiracy and they just completely made up rules and penalties that had nothing at all to do with the game we were watching? And then we all got so disgusted with the whole thing we just quit watching it? And then later that night or the next day we heard that somehow, miraculously, the Steelers had managed to overcome all of that and ended up winning the game anyhow? Remember how cool that was and how surprised we all were?

Well, for those out there who are superstitious, maybe you’d rather not watch tonight’s game either — and maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised with a similar outcome. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I’m just saying, it could happen.

If that sounds plausible to you — or if you’re one of the three or four people living in this area who doesn’t care about football in the first place — I’ve a suggestion to keep you otherwise occupied this evening:

 

Apologies for shitty image quality — will be replaced if I manage to find a better one somewhere!

 

Lost Empires, Slaves BC, Seas We Fear to Sail

 

at the Mr. Roboto Project

5106 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh (Bloomfield)

 

Monday 12 November 2012 | 7:00pm | $5

 
Oklahoma’s Lost Empires, described as “punked-up melodeath” in this Decibel Magazine interview from last Friday, are hitting Pittsburgh’s Mr. Roboto Project tonight, along with locals Slaves BC (for those with super-short attention spans, I just told you about their new EP last week) and Seas We Fear to Sail. (If you see any information floating around the internets about Save Us from the Archon, they were originally scheduled for tonight as well, but due to circumstances which I have no knowledge about, they will not be performing at this show.)

RSVP to this event here.

What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (08-09-10 November 2012)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Hello, friends. I hope you’re having a good week, and I hope you have a great weekend. If you don’t already have plans, there are all kinds of HUGE events going on over the next few days (including Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) and I bet you’d be really sad if you were to miss out on any of these things!

Say, hypothetically, if your sister-in-law was getting married this weekend, and even though your wife isn’t in the wedding itself, she’s still in charge of handling all the decorating and stuff — and so that means you got yourself volunteered to help with stuff too, which is going to basically occupy every waking moment of the next three days. Even though nobody really is excited about any of it because, hypothetically, everyone thinks that your sister-in-law is marrying the most worthless piece of shit who ever lived. If you found yourself stuck in a situation like that, I’d feel really bad for you because you’d be missing out on some serious awesomeness. Hypothetically.

 
Continue reading →

Slaves BC – we mean nothing. EP

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 

Slaves BC – we mean nothing. EP (self-released, 26 October 2012)

 
****************
 

PREFACE/DISCLAIMER:

Somehow this article turned out way longer than I originally intended, and the majority of it is way off-topic.

If you’re a big fan of my rambly writing style, feel free to keep reading.

But if you’re just interested in reading about some quality crust/hardcore/metal with a sprinkling of death/stoner/doom elements… you won’t hurt my feelings if you skip ahead to the next line of asterisks (where it says “Moving right along…”).

And if you really hate reading and just want to get to the music, you can skip all the way to the last set of asterisks, just above the Bandcamp player at the bottom.

 
****************
 

 
So I don’t know if you heard about this, because it didn’t get that much attention in the news or social media recently, but the other day there was an election held here in America.

In case you weren’t paying attention, the president was running for re-election, and quite a few seats in both houses of congress were up for grabs. And as it turned out, whichever political party was already in charge of those governmental positions basically stayed in charge of them. There may have been a few swaps here and there, but overall not a whole lot changed.

Naturally, the folks who wanted the party with more control to retain that power were delighted, and the others were disappointed, and there was a widespread reaction of surprise at just how evenly divided the votes were in some cases.

However, one thing that was made clear by the final results: America was not interested in electing the candidates who kept insisting that raping women is “God’s Will” — as that entire contingency ended up losing their respective contests.

Personally, I applaud this outcome, as (in my opinion) it seems to represent a triumph — for a majority of the voters living in each of those states or congressional districts, anyhow — of morality, human decency, and modern scientifically-based medical knowledge over ignorance.

Nevertheless, this is America, and of course we are all granted equal freedoms under our constitutional amendments — and many people are now worried that there is no outlet for the ultra-religious nut-jobs to voice their opinion publicly. (Okay, to the best of my knowledge no one is actually worried about that, just bear with me here…)

So that brings us to today’s discussion of the Pittsburgh-based hardcore band Slaves BC.

 
Continue reading →