THE PIPETTES IS COMING TO PITTSBURGH!

This Monday, the 19th, The Pipettes are coming to Club Diesel on the South Side (former Nick's Fat City,1601 E. Carson St. 15203) to perform an all ages show. They'll be taking the stage at 8:30, but opening acts Monster Bobby (who plays guitar in The Pipettes' backing band, The Cassettes) and Nicole Atkins will be taking the stage at 6:30 and 7:30, respectively. Doors open at 6:00 and tickets are $12.00 at the door / $10.00 advance.

Who are the Pipettes? They are a trio of luvvly lasses from Brighton, England that are somewhere the Shangri-las and the B-52's (without that pesky Fred Schneider). They dress alike in polka dotted outfits and sing songs that seem to come straight from 1963, but with the modern lyrical style of today. In that alone, they're both retro and current. Indeed, they're not kidding when they state their intention "To turn back the clock to a time before the Beatles ruined everything". Kinda refreshing, eh? What I take from that is to mean they're taking us back to a time when pop music was fun and didn't have to have a pertinent meaning, or make us feel any other emotion than fun and escapism. Let's face it, the Beatles (great as they were) unwittingly turned nearly everyone who bought their albums into half wit music intelligentsia. Those damned Hippies did their share to ruin things, too. The Pipettes go a long way to correct such matters.

That's not to say they're astounding. I'll admit, their live performances aren't perfect and there are some unpolished edges here and there, but, taken with the entire package (clothes, dance moves for every song, attitude, their all male backing band The Cassettes) their live show is a real kick. Those wanting aural perfection from live performances may want to stay home and just listen to the record. Everyone else looking for a great time will want to come see Gwenno, Riot Becky and Rosay. Here are some music videos to help you make up your mind:







Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me


Pull Shapes


Judy


ABC


Dirty Mind


We Are The Pipettes (Live)

I'll be there on Monday and I hope you come, too. Say "Hi!" if you do.

(P.S. Watch the videos and learn the dances. It's part of the Pipetiquette!)

They're Coming From Alllllll Over The World... To Pittsburgh!!!

In the greatest bit of serendipity that's happened to me in YEARS, the legendary Rock and Soul masterpiece... you guessed the title... "The T.A.M.I. Show" is going to play in Pittsburgh this Monday night at 7:30 pm at the Melwood Screening Room. It's going to be a 16mm print and the guy that rescued the print from the Minneapolis film archive will be there to talk about "The T.A.M.I. Show" and his project "Search and Rescue"; a film preservation campaign.

It will undoubtedly be a zoomed in crop from the Elecrtonovision transferred 35mm, which in itself was matted off for theatrical exhibition. 16mm reductions from 35mm theatrical prints usually don't carry the matted info, since the format is smaller and would compromise the quality of the actual, viewable image. It will most likely be missing the Beach Boys segment as nearly all prints in existence have had this performance missing (if it's there, it'll be between the Jan & Dean segment and the Billy J Kramer and the Dakota's performance). My jaw will drop and I may even stand for an ovation if it does appear. The running time on the Pittsburgh Filmmakers website lists the running time as 123 minutes, but even my absolutely complete composite I made myself (consisting of the early 80's Night Flight broadcast and the Beach Boys performance from the "Sounds of Summer" DVD a few years back) only runs 118 minutes. If it does run 123 minutes, I am positive it will be because of the speed of the projectors motor making the disparity between the two running times.

Regardless, I'm stoked beyond stoked. I'll make every attempt to be there (a 99.999999999999% confirmation that I will!). I'll be the bald guy with the huge grin on my face.

EDIT: I made some minor changes to the above since I just re-read it and realised what I pompus dick I was being. Adam Sekuler, the person leading the "Search and Rescue" effort and the person bringing the print, is doing my little sleepy corner of the universe a great service and I want to acknowlege that. I apologise for the tone and I'd like to point out that's not my average demeanor.

(OK, it IS, but I'm trying to break that bad, bad habit.)

EVERYONE IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA! COME TO THE MELWOOD SCREENING ROOM ON MONDAY JULY 23rd at 7:30!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! REAPEAT! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

http://pghfilmmakers.org/exhibition/upcoming.html#tami

(for more info)