The TRAF music lineup got off to a shaky start last weekend, with Robert Randolph being a no-show on Friday night (bus breakdown) and then Ozomatli playing a soggy show on Sunday. It got on track quickly, though, with Black Moth Super Rainbow's winning performance on Monday night.
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| Los Lonely Boys will play Sunday night on the Stanwix Triangle Stage. Click photo for larger image. |
Roomful of Blues: Count Basie once called them "the hottest band I've ever seen." Presumably, he hadn't seen the likes of the Stones or the Stooges in their prime. Anyway, he was referring to Roomful of Blues, a jump-blues band that formed 40 years ago in Rhode Island and has been rocking these parts with regularity. Tonight at 7:30.
Cowboy Junkies: Fans of this chilled-out folk-rock band are lucky to live in Pittsburgh, because they seem to love to play here for free. This time they return with a new record, "At the End of Paths Taken," which Rolling Stone says "closely revisits the career-making 'Trinity,' " the breakthrough 1985 debut with that haunting cover of "Sweet Jane." Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Koko Taylor: The Queen of the Blues has been at it for more than 50 years (no one ever said this TRAF lineup was a youthful affair) and, by some accounts, has gotten better with age. The Memphis native got her break with Willie Dixon way back in '63 and scored a hit a few years later with "Wang Dang Doodle." She's not resting on her laurels, though, having just issued "Old School," a new record on Alligator that takes her back to Chicago blues. Taylor recently said, "I may be getting old, but I've got young-fashioned ways." Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Jaggerbush Junction: Unicorn Mountain will try to capture "the unique feeling of being a kid in summer in Western Pennsylvania, things like eating lime popsicles and running through the grass," according to artistic director Mike Woodfill. It's a large-scale themed installation with set pieces that spring to life with comic strip characters and rustic landscapes. It runs from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. There will be music by the amazing Centipede E'est and Wax Fang from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by Brooklyn indie-rock band Oxford Collapse at 9 p.m.
Los Lonely Boys: The Garza boys from San Angelo, Texas, became a surprise sensation three years ago with a debut album that sounded like a meeting of Los Lobos and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Last year, they returned with "Sacred," which stuck to the surefire formula of strong, soulful vocals, clean, funky playing and various sparks from guitarist Henry, the oldest Lonely Boy at 29. Sunday at 6 p.m.