I made a return trip to Squirrel Hill Sports Bar for another round of bands and photos. A mere 3 months ago, I had this to say about the venue, “There are a few more things needed to complete the transformation, but all-in-all the new stage at the Squirrel Hill Sports Bar will be a great addition to the music scene!” I walked into the venue and was immediately impressed. Barry and company had added a beautifully constructed drum riser on the stage! The bands were projecting effect videos on the HUGE screen that doubles as the background of the stage, and the bands added lighting as well. I also noticed there was at the very least, the beginnings of a house PA in the making, although on this night, there was a sound company using their own PA to supply the sound to the room.
The night featured the bands: Drown the Deep, Modern Habit, False Positive, Neostem, King Catfish, and God Hates Unicorns. Drown the Deep started things off with their hard rock originals featuring powerful, emotional vocals that left me wanting more. Modern Habit took the stage next after an 8 year hiatus (even though you wouldn’t have known it!). False positive was up next. This band has some great originals. This is the third time I’ve shot them and I would recommend that you find a way to see them live, especially if you’re into heavier music. Our hosts, Neostem were up next. If you’re into the 90s grunge feel, this is the band for you. Ryan’s deep and pained vocals combined with Matt’s energetic bass work and Rob’s driving drums make this band a must see for fans of the Seattle 90s scene. King Catfish took the stage next. Jordan took 2 fill-in musicians on stage with him and managed to pull off his originals and all 3 musicians on stage were clearly having a blast. God Hates Unicorns finished out the night. Even taking the stage at 1am was not able to deflate the energy that this band brought with them. Their originals provide unique and fun lyrics and plenty of energy.
