Tag Archives: Motorpsychos

Molasses Barge – S/T + Covered in Molasses (2017)

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Molasses Barge – Molasses Barge + Covered in Molasses (Blackseed Records, 28 July 2017)

 

So I’ve been writing about Molasses Barge basically as long as I’ve been writing about music in general. It all started way back in late 2011 when they had a few shows scheduled, and I threw together a little synopsis of my first experience seeing them perform live (earlier that year when they opened for Pentagram). This was followed by an interview with drummer Wayne Massey in 2012 (as they were about to open for Tombs and 16), and then guitarist Justin Gizzi also answered a few questions as part of our coverage leading up to the Winter’s Wake festival in 2013.

In all, these Pittsburgh-based doom-metal workhorses have appeared (at least mentioned in passing) on this website a few dozen times. And yet, as active as they are (and despite having been in existence for close to a decade now!), the band’s official recorded output thus far has consisted of one EP six years ago, plus a three-song demo a few months later. (Both of them are available to stream or download FREE at Bandcamp.) But that all changes now: this Friday they will be unleashing their stunning debut self-titled LP, and as a special added bonus (perhaps as a thank-you to all the fans who’ve been patiently waiting so long), it’ll come bundled with a second disc filled with cover songs.

 

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Innervenus Music: Two New CDs Coming Next Month!

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Hello, friends. Regular visitors to this website have surely noticed that recently the volume of writing I am putting out there has significantly decreased. I apologize for that. But it hasn’t been the result of laziness, I assure you. I’ve been getting myself involved with a few other things — as I keep alluding to in several new posts over the past few weeks — and finally I want to let you know about one of those.

So, I have been asked to join the Pittsburgh-based record label The Innervenus Music Collective to help out with their PR and publicity. It’s a pretty exciting opportunty for me — first of all, as a writer I’ve been working with a variety of PR people and representatives from other labels, so I understand what’s involved, and it’s cool to be getting some experience from the other direction now. But even more than that, now I get to work directly with a group of people who do so much to support our local music scene — between planning shows and giving away the Iron Atrocity compilations, not to mention releasing albums from some really talented bands (Vulture, Invader, Fist Fight in the Parking Lot — just to name a few examples that I had written about last year)!

And so this new position has been using up a lot of my free time recently, mostly because we’re gearing up to put out two CDs in February: the debut full-length by grindcore/death dealers Grisly Amputation, and a self-titled EP by death-thrash-groove-sludge-core band Lycosa. I’ve been sending out promo materials to a whole slew of websites and magazines, so we should start seeing some reviews trickle in shortly, but I figure I wouldn’t really be doing my job (EITHER job – as a writer OR a publicist!) if I didn’t also inform you about the releases here on Valley of Steel!

 
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The Huge List of 2012 Year-End Lists!

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Well, friends, here we find ourselves in the waning moments of 2012. It’s been an interesting, eventful year that’s had lots of high and low points — a ton of excellent new music has been released and quite a few brand-new bands have emerged that I’d fully expect to be making some serious waves in the near future.

One of the best things about 2012, for me personally, was that I found myself (and my wife) going to lots more shows than in recent years, and as a result I’ve been fortunate to meet a lot of new people — as well as starting to take a way more active role in the local music scene.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I had a suggestion from one of those people I’ve gotten to know in the past year (I won’t say who — he said he preferred not to be given credit for the idea, although I will say that it’s somebody who contributed to this). The idea was to collect top-ten lists from various folks in the Pittsburgh metal community.

So I put out an open invitation for any musicians or other people who are involved in the scene in some way — I was looking for anything, whether it was the traditional “Top Ten Albums” or something totally off-the-wall like someone’s ten favorite sandwiches they ate during the year. Really, the only rules were that it had to be a list, and involve something from 2012.

 
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What To Do In Pittsburgh Tonight (19 October 2012)

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Looking for some live entertainment to entertain yourself with in Pittsburgh on this Friday evening? Here are some great options you might wish to consider…..

 
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What To Do In Pittsburgh Today (13 October 2012)

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Okay folks, tons to talk about and not a whole lot of time.

There is so much happening today, I’ve got to get moving very soon if I want to even hit half of these events. And I do, at least.

You will too, so you won’t want to sit here all day and read a bunch of crap. Let’s get straight to the good stuff, shall we…

 
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What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (14-15 September 2012)

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Solarburn CD Release Show

with special guests Sistered and Embers to Ashes

 

at Howler’s Coyote Cafe

4509 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh (Bloomfield)

 

Friday 14 September 2012 | doors 9:00 pm | $5 | 21+ only

 
Yes, folks, it’s finally here: the instrumental metal machine that is Solarburn is unleashing its brand-new debut album 13 (pictured below)! Come on out to Howlers to party with the band, and pick up a CD or one of their newly-designed t-shirts! Also joining in the festivities are local metalheads Sistered (hear ’em here) and Embers to Ashes.
 

This show also comes with a 100% face melt guarantee. If for any reason your face is not completely melted by the end of the show, simply approach any of the bands involved so we can promptly tell you to go fuck yourself….guaranteed!

 

 
RSVP here.

 
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Motorpsychos, VⒺⒼA, Black Plastic Caskets

 

at the 31st Street Pub

3101 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh (Strip District at the 31st St. Bridge)

 

Saturday 15 September 2012 | 10:00 pm | $5 | 21+ only

 
If you head down to the Pub Saturday night, you’ll be in for a rip-roaring, hard-rocking, beer-guzzling good time. Or something like that. Join local bands Motorpsychos and VⒺⒼA in giving a warm welcome to our Ohio neighbors Black Plastic Caskets in their first-ever Pittsburgh performance!

You can RSVP and get more details on the show here and here.

 
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Concert Chaos Entertainment and Metalsucks Present:

Skeletonwitch, Havok, Early Graves, Horrid Ordeal

 

at The Smiling Moose (upstairs)

1306 E Carson Street, Pittsburgh (South Side)

 

Saturday 15 September 2012 | doors at 5:00pm | $12 advance, $15 at door | ALL AGES

 
Please note the venue and time change for this show! The poster says Ironworks but the show has been moved to The Smiling Moose! And the doors will be opening at five rather than six as previously reported. Also, Dethlehem was originally scheduled to perform, but due to the changes and the time constraints, they opted to drop off the billing for the evening. (Don’t worry, there will be some Dethlehem news coming your way in the very near future…)

Anyway, the show is being held upstairs, and it is an ALL AGES event, although there is a full-service bar in the lower level of the Moose. Check out some big (and semi-big) names, as they swarm their way through Pittsburgh!

You can get your tickets here, and then RSVP here.

What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (3-4 August 2012)

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Hey yinz guys, good afternoon! As I write this, Thursday is approaching an end, which means the end of the work week is not too far off, meaning it’s almost time for the weekend to start! Probably the best news I’ve heard all day.

Do you have your weekend plans all figured out yet? If not, then please allow me to offer a few suggestions — I’ve got the details about some shows taking place around town on Friday and Saturday, and trust me, you aren’t going to want to miss these!

(Unfortunately, a few of these do overlap, so you’ll definitely be missing something, no matter what you end up doing… #firstworldproblems)

 

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Get Yourself Some FREE Pittsburgh Metal: Innervenus Music Collective – Iron Atrocity v.2

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Innervenus Music Collective – Iron Atrocity v.2 (Innervenus Music, 03 August 2012)

 
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past nine months, or have never ever seen a post on this blog before, chances are you’ve heard me talking about the Iron Atrocity project. This is purely a labor of love by the wonderful folks who run the Innervenus Music Collective, and designed as a showcase for the array of high-quality metal (and other related music) we’ve got here in the Pittsburgh area.

It’s been a long time coming, and there have been many trials and tribulations along the way, but the second edition of this compendium of local talent has been completed! Just like volume 1, this new collection will be handed out for free by Innervenus-related bands at shows and other events (beginning with the Iron Atrocity Vol.2 release show, which is scheduled for Friday 03 August 2012), but also just like its predecessor, the compilation can be downloaded for free — and it’s available right now!

The new CD has assembled tracks — some newly recorded, exclusively for the compilation, some taken from recent releases — from sixteen different local bands, all of whom have been mentioned on this website in some form or fashion, at one time or another. Nevertheless, I’ll give you the full rundown on all the songs, about an hour and a quarter in all, that will be yours FREE when you grab this download. All you need to do in return is listen and enjoy, spread the word, and whenever possible, show your support by heading out to some shows (or buying some merchandise)!

 
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Upcoming Shows: What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (12-14 July 2012)

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Good afternoon! Since I waited around till the last minute to do this last week, and then I ended up not having it published on time, I wanted to make sure to get a head-start this week!

Pittsburgh-area readers, or those who might be within driving distance of the city during the coming weekend, here’s a collection of a few shows you might want to check out!

Did I miss any? Probably. If you know of anything else happening this week, let me know — or if you have suggestions of events for any future week, let me know about those too! Thanks…

 
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Upcoming Shows: What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (19 May 2012)

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Hello.  It’s time once again to talk about “What To Do In Pittsburgh” this weekend.  There are a couple cool goings-on in the world of heavy music, coming up this Saturday (19 May) that I’d like to bring to your attention — one in Pittsburgh, and one that’s a few hours away (but both involve local area musicians).  And just to remind you once again, if you work for a local promotion company, a venue, or a band, I can only write about the shows that I know about!  So get in touch with me if you’ve got something you want to share.

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