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  • Chicano Batman is bringing Los Angeles Sound to Pittsburgh on April 2

    Chicano Batman is bringing Los Angeles Sound to Pittsburgh on April 2

    Last month, on a cold, Monday morning I was driving to work and heard a catchy tune on 90.5 WYEP.  The song “Friendship (Is A Small Boat In A Storm)” by Chicano Batman has been stuck in my head and even earned a spot on my everyday Spotify playlist. WYEP featured this song as part of new music Monday, timely as Chicano Batman released a new album, Freedom isn’t Free, at the beginning of March. The Los Angeles based band is now on tour with a stop in Pittsburgh on Sunday, April 2, 2017 at James Street Gastropub.

    The song “Friendship (Is A Small Boat In A Storm)” is the kind of catchy tune that you want to hear on a Monday morning or an afternoon of running errands.  Both the name of the song and the word Batman stuck with me. I think I associate Batman with Pittsburgh and thanks to @WYEPplayed it was easy for me to find the name of the song later that afternoon.

    The quartet have been getting a lot of press since the release of their new album:

    While I do love Pittsburgh, I will admit that I have quite a crush on the city of Los Angeles. I’ve had the good fortune of making a few visits there of the past decade or so and I am always eager to go back. Los Angeles has a bit of reputation from its Hollywood side, but if you look past the movie stars facade, the city has a grit and authenticity that reminds me a little bit of Pittsburgh.

    Not only am I a fan of the Chicano Batman sound, I am also a huge fan of the style. Who doesn’t love a ruffled tuxedo shirt?  The band commented on this fashion choice last week in Rolling Stone (Chicano Batman is on the RS list of “10 Artists You Need to Know” for March 2017):

    They Say: What about those tuxes? “The Temptations, Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, Los Freddy’s and all these bands from Venezuela and Latin America were rocking them on the covers of their records in the Sixties and Seventies, so that’s definitely an inspiration,” says frontman Bardo Martinez. “Our bassist, Eduardo [Arenas], was the one who actually suggested, ‘Hey, let’s get suited and booted!’ He threw it down. We’re all aesthetically on that boat, but he’s the one who actually stepped into the vintage shop – and it was a stroke of luck that what he bought fit everybody in the band. Off the rack, man! It’s been 10 years, brother, and we’ve gone through a few of them. We try to keep it classic, man; we try to keep it polyester.”

    On April 2, for the very affordable Pittsburgh price of $15 you can listen to Chicano Batman live at the James Street Gastropub.

    Chicano Batman w/ 79.5 & SadGirl
    Sunday, April 2, 2017
    7pm
    James Street Gastropub & Speakeasy
    Tickets $12-$15
    Facebook Event

  • Breaking Bad Trivia Night – Wed.Sept 25 @ James St. Gastropub

    I mentioned this event last week on Twitter and it seems that Pittsburgh is home to a few Breaking Bad fans.  Here are the details for the Breaking Bad Trivia Night on September 25.

    Geeks Who Drink  – Breaking Bad Trivia Night
    Wednesday, September 25, 2013
    8pm
    James Street Gastropub
    Facebook Event

    breaking-bad-image-2

    I was all set to write a long post about this trivia night filled with Breaking Bad references – however this blogger only watches the city of Pittsburgh channel and Pittsburgh Today Live.  Thankfully, every other publication in Pittsburgh has posted about this trivia night – you can read more about the trivia night …

    If you are looking for a regular trivia night – Wednesday is a big trivia night in Pittsburgh – Brillobox, Cappy’s and Harvard and Highland host trivia events every Wednesday nights.  I don’t know much more about the Geeks Who Drink folks who are organizing this event – from the Facebook page it looks like they are running the Breaking Bad trivia in several cities on September 25.  I do know that Brillobox, Cappy’s and Harvard and Highland are all locally owned establishments and there is no charge for their trivia nights.

    Here are the FAQ for the Geeks Who Drink

    How do you sign up? Where do you buy tickets? You don’t.
    Get to the quiz venue early (we recommend an hour minimum) with cash for your entry fee to ensure seating.

    What should I do with the money if I win?
    YOU NEED TO PAY YOUR TAXES, TED

    Is this a free quiz?
    No, it’s $5 per person to play (bring cash!), and we’ll ask you to pay for everyone on your team before we give you quiz materials.

    What’s the maximum/minimum players per team?
    There is no minimum, but if you want to win, you should have a fully staffed squad. Use our Facebook and Twitter to recruit. Team maximum is strictly six players, as always.

    Can we play the quiz twice by traveling to another city?
    No. No. And no. First of all, that’d be impressive, because our themed quizzes are now always on one day (with the rarest of exceptions). Secondly, even if you figure out a way to cheat, don’t do it. We will catch you, and we will cram you into a plastic barrel and pour our beers on you.

    Can minors play?
    That’s entirely up to the venue. Check with them.

    Do spectators have to pay?
    Yes. Yes, they do. Spectators generally have to pay for sporting events, right? This also goes for Geeks Who Drink employees that aren’t working at the event.

    Can my dad/girlfriend/friend sit at our table and not play?
    No. Six people max seated at a table and all players must pay.

    Can you host this at BLANK bar in BLANK city?
    No. We host these at venues that meet certain criteria. So, if we’re not in your city, there won’t be a quiz. If we’re in your city, and there’s no quiz, we’re sorry. Feel free to let us know if you think demand is there, and maybe next time we’ll get it started.

    Is there a prize for second place?
    Nope, this is winner take all. But second place is impressive; you should be proud.

    How is the prize amount determined?
    In most cases, the prize amount is 50% of the total take. Why not 100%? Because we have to cover our costs of producing and marketing these event quizzes.

    Will BLANK TOPIC be covered?
    Everything is fair game. Study hard. Apply yourself. And we never give clues.

    Do I need to RSVP?
    Seating is first-come, first-served and there are no reservations. These things quite often sell out, so get there early to guarantee a seat.