The Bumpin Uglies at Pittsburgh Club Cafe on December 02, 2016

 The Bumpin Uglies at Pittsburgh Club Cafe on December 02, 2016

The Bumpin Uglies

By Lisa Sikon

 
It was a great evening in Pittsburgh to catch the late show at Club Cafe, a staple on the South Side for live music.  There was a chill in the air but the three bands playing that evening warmed up the atmosphere.

The Bumpin Uglies finished up the evening, they are a band out of Annapolis that combines reggae

music elements with rock to create a totally distinct sound, but the stand out feature of their music are the lyrics. They have so much scope and range, I listened to some songs a few times just to appreciate how well written and insightful they are and I was totally impressed with the rhyming in the lyrics.

Brandon Hardesty is the main songwriter of the band and also plays guitar and vocals, Dave Wolf is on bass and vocals with TJ Haslett on the drums. Dave and TJ absolutely sync with each other to create the driving beat of their music and I have to admit, I liked Dave's dreads as well.

The crowd was definitely into the music, dancing along and moving with the music. They played some songs off of their new CD, 'Keep It Together', including 'Sorry I'm Not Sorry' and 'End' as well as some older songs, 'Addictive Personality' and the 'Morning After'. They did a killer cover of 'Royals' by Lorde. Brandon ended the set with a solo performance of 'Get Back' that was just outstanding.

I enjoyed the entire set and will without a doubt be listening to the CD's and looking for future shows in Pittsburgh. The Bumpin Uglies have a fresh and novel approach to music, and I think they have a bright future ahead of them. I'm curious to see how this band will develop in the future. The live performance is upbeat and fun, I would definitely suggest attending a live performance, The Bumpin Uglies will not disappoint.


The Hedonist Bots started off with a fun, energy filled set with a driving beat and upbeat rock music.

The Hedonist Bots

 The band came on stage dressed in Christmas attire, lead guitarist and vocalist Andrew Reigner came as an elf, bass player Dan Christ was dressed as Santa and drummer Jordan Zankey rounding out the outfit in a Hanukah inspired outfit. I thought this band was fun and they put interesting elements into the songs. 'It's Gonna Be Good" had snippets of TV themes played on the keyboard by Andrew thrown into the middle of the song. Definitely a surprise and the crowd enjoyed it. Another surprise was the cover of 'Seven Nation Army' by the White Stripes. They only did an instrumental, but added a bit extra to it. I also liked the final song, ‘Jellyfish’, an upbeat song that ended the set on a high note. The band has a CD out, 'Crashing the Party', be sure to pick on up at one of their live shows.


Next up, was the YJJ's, this is a band that blends elements of reggae, rap and rock into a unique

YJJ's

 sound that definitely had the crowd into the music. Band members are Matthew Hegedus on vocals and lead guitar, Jared Dray on guitar, keys and vocals, Sean Williamson on bass and Michael Dando on drums. The first part of the set was the reggae/rap combination and ending with more of a hard rock sound. This band combines the harmonies with syncopated beat that provides a sound like no other band. They do have a CD out, 'One Saturday Morning', it's worth a listen, but better to catch the band on a live performance.

I will almost always recommend live performances, I feel that seeing the performers up on stage is the way to listen and truly enjoy music. Although I appreciate the artistry in DJ sets, seeing an artist play an instrument live is the way music should be heard. I appreciate all the years of hard work and dedication to their craft and will always suggest seeing the bands perform on stage. Get out and see a band, whether it's local or not and value how much talent goes into even the smallest band playing onstage. They work hard for your enjoyment so go out and take in a show.

Bumpin Uglies contact:
https://www.facebook.com/bumpinugliesmusic/
http://www.bumpinugliesmusic.com/ 
https://twitter.com/bumpinuglies
https://www.instagram.com/bumpinugliesmusic/
http://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/user/bumpinugliesmd
http://www.pandora.com/bumpin-uglies
https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/bumpin-uglies/id445871157
https://soundcloud.com/bumpinugliesmusic
https://bumpinuglies.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2q0PlZJNGryR467EUNmWn7

The YJJ's contact:
https://www.facebook.com/TheYJJs/
https://soundcloud.com/theyjjs 

Hedonism Bots contact:
https://www.facebook.com/HedonismBots/

http://www.reverbnation.com/thehedonismbots

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