Cloaca Melodia

Bedford Square at Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA For WYEP's Rock the Block event, we closed off the street in front of the station building and had musical performances, food, drink, and other fun. This was maybe the 7th or 8th time seeing the band and would turn out to be my last. They were always a fun band to see live. I don't now recall their rider for backstage refreshments, but I'd guess based on past experience that it included Jameson Irish Whiskey.   Fountains of Wayne

Hartwood Amphitheatre, Hartwood Acres, Pittsburgh, PA External links : photos (including the one above by Brian S.)

Rosebud, Pittsburgh, PA..... sorry, I haven't yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!

Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ..... setlist : "Survival Car," "Red Dragon Tattoo," "She's Got a Problem," "Mexican Wine," "No Better Place," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "Leave the Biker," "Hackensack," "Troubled Times," "Sick Day," "Bright Future in Sales," "Denise," "Radiation Vibe," "I've Got a Flair," "Bought for a Song," "Sink to the Bottom"

Surf Club/Planet Surf, Ortley Beach, NJ.... sorry, I have not yet written about this show... add your own comments if you were also there!    

Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ..... Fountains of Wayne were scheduled to drop by WHTG for an interview and a live performance, but when they showed up, they had to beg off playing live. Lead singer Chris Collingwood was miserable with a cold, and had to preserve his voice for both the show the Brighton Bar show as well as the European tour they were just about to embark upon. After the interview, in the WHTG front office, it was increasingly clear that Chris was not going to be magically better for that evening's gig. No amount of soup or theraflu would change the fact that Chris wasn't going to be singing that night. So the band was discussing how they were going to approach the vocals and harmonies. After giving them directions to a drug store on the way to the venue, we bid them adieu. The show was, um, different. Adam Schlesigner was clearly not used to singing the parts he was doing. Mistakes were made. Apologies were offered. I found it a very interesting show, but I can i...

Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ.... The WHTG Snowball.   Here's an interview I did with John Easdale a couple of weeks before this show. Mike: So first, the basics--where are you from originally? John: I grew up in Wayne. Mike: Is that where Dramarama started? John: Yes, everybody in the band was originally from Wayne for the most part--our first couple of drummers were from Wayne, but [later Dramarama drummer and former Blondie drummer] Clem Burke, I guess, is from Union. We were pretty New Jersey based. The four of us who stayed throughout--from the beginning to the end--we all went to the same high school. Mike: Do I remember correctly that you guys had a record store at one point? John: Yeah, actually, Chris Carter--the bass player--and Tommy--who was the sixth member of Dramarama, he was the keyboard player, acoustic guitar player, and background vocalist--they opened a store when they got out of high school called Loony Tunes Records on Route 23. I was their first employee. I use...