What a difference a day makes! Or, in this case, a couple months! A lot has changed since the last time Shutterdown played the 31st Street Pub: we’ve added a member, accumulated new gear, written new songs (one of which will be appearing on the Electronic Saviors 2 compilation!)… You know how it goes when balls of snow roll down hills (or something like that). Our fourth venture out wasn’t without its hiccups, but overall the gig on the 16th was flippin’ awesome.
First off, Pittsburgh did me proud with a stellar, supportive turnout. Though, with Chicago-based I:Scintilla headlining the night it was no wonder. They’ve got fabulous energy and uber-catchy tunes. 
We shared opening duties with Wreckcreation, a solid local foursome fronted by a powerful female lead vocalist (we shall call her Kirsten)… and the other touring group, The Gothsicles.
The vibe of the night was lovely. There were no overwhelming egos milling about, no exasperation at set-up times, etc… Sure, our first song wasn’t mixed quite right, but Sabrina (the Pub’s primary sound guru) had it more or less down by the second. The girl knows her rig, that’s for sure. The quality of shows I’ve seen at the Pub since her arrival have been exponentially better in terms of sound.
I was delighted to see smiling faces dancing about. It fills me with glee. And clapping. (Applause is also joy-inducing.) A few people bought our wares, new friends were made, pictures were taken. Every single person in the Pub that night was amazing – audience and band members alike. Genuine and friendly people out enjoying a night of electronic music. I’m grateful Distortion Productions is making an effort to bring in electronic/goth/industrial bands to the ‘burgh… and that the audience here is so supportive. These are acts I might not otherwise see… experiences I wouldn’t have had.
Next up we’re playing Sinferno at Cattivo in Lawrenceville on Saturday. It’s been a grueling month writing and learning new songs for the set – which took a lot of tweaking, then retweaking… editing… some more editing… re-editing… before just giving up and doing a ctrl-Z. **sigh… smacks head** So, yay! Four new songs this weekend!
We’ve enlisted the help of local artist, Becky Merbler, for our backdrop. Friends will be taking pictures, video taping and working sound. Needed gear provided at nominal cost by guardian angels. We’ve got a couple groovy gals working their fusion dance-style for us – which I’m really psyched about. I’ve wanted to work with Anna for a while! The show is turly going to really be a community effort at this point … which, in my mind, is when music is the most fun!
Onwards to the weekend!
