Mercury Lounge

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Please note: All events are 21+ unless otherwise noted.

Modey Lemon 10:00
Friendly Fires 9:00

Semi Precious Weapons 8:00
The Gaming Commission 7:00

Mon 7/28

Tickets

$10

Modey Lemon

http://www.myspace.com/modeylemon1
http://modeylemon.com
Inspired by the proto-punk Stooges and the post-garage Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and informed by the late '60s and '70s rock so prevalent in their middle-American hometowns, Modey Lemon was the most successful of the new wave of Pittsburgh bands born in the years following the mid-'90s peak of the indie and math rock scenes. Formed in the city's Oakland neighborhood in the summer of 1999 by Philander Boyd (guitar and vocals) and Paul Quattrone (drums), Modey Lemon was originally a side project to the similar three-piece Dean Swagger. The duo cut its chops on summer evenings in Pittsburgh's Strip District, playing largely improvised blues in front of a closed-for-the-night fruit stand. Over the course of the following year, the increasingly tight Modey Lemon gained priority from Boyd and Quattrone and honed its sound, emphasizing a rolling, sped-up Keith Moon-style approach to the drums; muddy, rollicking guitar; and a maniacal vocal delivery by Boyd, supplemented in places by bursts of Moog and harmonica. The House on the Hill CD-R and the "You Bug Me" single, issued in the summer of 2000 and spring of 2001 respectively, consolidated Modey Lemon's local gains; and with the release of its self-titled debut for Anti-Flag's A-F Records in February 2002, the group began to gain a national audience.The Modey buzz heightened a year later with the band's signing to Birdman Records and the release of the likeably scuzzy Thunder & Lightning. Things continued to look up for Modey Lemon. In spring 2005 Dinosaur Jr tapped the duo to open the European leg of their reunion tour. Then Curious City was issued (again through Birdman) to critical acclaim and a US tour. ~ Steve May, All Music Guide

Friendly Fires

http://www.myspace.com/friendlyfires
Formed out of the ashes of â€˜First Day Backâ€™, the St Albans hardcore band they formed while still at school, Friendly Fires make razor-sharp post-punk that burns through the memories of all the dismal, skinny jeaned â€˜80s revivalists youâ€™ve been hearing these past few years. Sounding brittle, knotty and urgent, Friendly Fires are the real deal. With no fat or padding on them at all, their songs possess an elegant sparseness. As guitarist Edd Gibson notes: â€œThe hardest thing I think is to know what to leave out, to know when something is enough.â€ But amongst all the strpped-back twists, there are also moments full of deep, blessed-out melodies. â€œI love lush, massive, tingly chords; the My Bloody Valentine sound,â€ says bassist and singer Ed MacFarlane.

Semi Precious Weapons

http://www.myspace.com/semipreciousweapons
Semi Precious Weapons is known as NYCâ€™s garage glam rock heroes and features the fiercely glamorous six foot tall platinum blonde lead singer, Justin Tranter. Having only formed in August of 2005, their fan base would suggest that of a band that has been at it for years. With their over-the-top live shows the buzz has become deafening well before the release of their album, WE LOVE YOU, out on September 30th. Produced by the legendary Tony Visconti (T. Rex, David Bowie, and Morrissey), early descriptions have described the band as a â€œcross between Bowie and Led Zeppelin with some acrobatics mixed in.â€ The band is popular with celebrities and influential critics alike from Perez Hilton (who recently featured the band and their new video on his blog) to frequent live show attendees, Kate Moss, Courtney Love, Pete Wentz, to name a few. Britainâ€™s Emperor of Pop, the celebrated UK music mogul Alan McGee â€“ who discovered bands Oasis, The Libertines, etc. â€“ wrote in UK's The Guardian â€œSemi Precious Weapons are the most important band in Americaâ€. Semi Precious Weapons is ready for their close up!!