All in all, their set was really good. Their sound would probably sit well with Radiohead fans. But there is an element of genuine sincerity that sets them apart from other bands with a simular sound.

On next was a band called Shade. While not quite as interesting as Monarch they still put on an enjoyable set. Their live sound reminded me a lot of Dear Ephesus only more rock n roll, like Tenderfoot (a Dear Ephesus side band). A friend of mine said, however, that their cd doesn't really have that hard vibe to it, so I don't know what the recorded material is like.

I had seen The Violet Burning previously. So I figured that with the surprise in the strenth of the opening acts that The Violet Burning might be placed on the back burner for me tonight. And as I so often am, I was wrong.

I thought I knew The Violet Burning's stage show. I've seen them over three times in the past year. All the shows were really good. But they did not totally rock out. At Rosebud Cafe, however, they did. The volume was high and the guitars had a fuzzy distortion to them. Michael Pritzl has huge state presence and it is fun watching him and the rest of the band interact. There wasn't a huge crowd there and you get the feeling watching them that the'd perform the same for 5 people as the would for 200.

Seeing the two local bands I was surprised that there wasn't a bigger crowd there. Does Pittsburg not have a good scene or have Monarch and Shade both flown under the radar? Or is the Pittsburg music scene good enough that two really good local bands are nothing new?

For more information visit these helpful sites:
http://www.rosebudstage.com
http://www.monarchtheband.com
http://www.thevioletburning.com