Welcome to Popdose‘s latest installment of Welcome to Pittsburgh, part of your balanced, nutritious breakfast. It seems spring has sprung, though it snowed here on Earth Day — Mother Nature keeping us on our toes. There’s always lots going on in Pittsburgh so let’s get right down to the arn.
Today, we will dissect brotherhood, or sisterhood, if that’s how your gender cuts. The organisms under our microscopes? Meeting of Important People, a three-piece that recently signed to impresario Jeff Betten’s fine ‘Burgh-based label Wild Kindness Records and released the flexi-disc single/download “All Rode Off Together” on Record Store Day/April 18. They also gave out free copies of said single at a kick-ass show at the Warhol, for those just tuning in. Huzzah!
First things first, if there’s not a wide, orange-slice smile on your face and/or across the wounded surface of your heart after listening to this thing, you need to up your Wellbutrin or Prozac dosage, buddy. This is pop as the Good Lord intended, pop that – brother/sisterhood in mind – brings us together as a “family” of music lovers, with wondrous hooks, a hummable chorus and a reprise so beautific that Betten couldn’t close the studio door because Pittsburgh’s brightest rushed to join the closing notes, quite literally. (More on that later.) This track flashes epic production values without sounding too slick or overcooked, great guitar sounds, just raw enough to sound emotive – this is how it’s done!
MOIP (it’s a shorthand, if a sloppy one) have scored a bite-size-brief but nonetheless significant and amazing first entry with Wild Kindness. Mark it! Perhaps not so coincidentally, it’s also one that deals with being part of something larger, something more cohesive, a common theme in this medium-sized American city with oversized American hearts. Brother, we CAN spare a dime. Expect more in this vein from these guys, for sure.
And for those who wanted the full listing of who’s in those closing refrains:
- Bethany Berkstresser (from Balloon Ride Fantasy)
- Andre Costello
- Michael Cunningham (from Neighbours)
- Morgan Erina and Guy Russo (both from Broken Fences)
- Zack Keim (from The Nox Boys),
- Max Somerville (from Wreck Loose)
- Molly Alphabet
- Addi Twigg (from The Telephone Line)
- Chet Vincent
- Derek White (from The Takeover UK)
- You can find the song HERE.
Until next time, Pittsburgh, I’m JustinVellucci AT gmail DOT com; you keep sending the love letters and condolences. Are you Jeff Betten? Well, then, Bob’s your uncle. – Popdose, April 23, 2015
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