Washington D.C. Veterans Meet Pittsburgh Musicians at The Smiling Moose

Flyer by Rob Stokes

Pittsburgh has a way of calling people back home and for Rob Stokes it couldn't be a better time.  Following the second game of the Penguins' road to a third-straight Stanley Cup, Stokes is returning to the Steel City to debut his latest album, Live at the Heartbreak Hotel along with fellow Burgh band, The Bird Hour.  He's not alone, though. Having spent the last eight years in Washington, D.C., he's amassed some epic music friendships as GUMP (Give Us More Power) and Sir E.U will be joining the band on a sprint of east coast tour dates.

“Because we all think Dave Chappelle is God. That’s what brings us together.”

— GUMP

GUMP from Rockville, Maryland is a four-piece quartet drawing from alternative and punk rock genres who performs with varying speeds.  They evoke images of a Green Day-esque, Gym Class Heroes amalgamation that gathers to perform in a garage every day. In fact, the accompanying video to their latest track "Flight Song," projects this very scenario.  Other times, though listeners might catch more orchestrated notes in their music as one of the band members plays the cello. Stay tuned to their channels as they are working on a series of releases for 2018.

Sir E.U is no stranger to InTheRough web pages, but his presence is truly one you must experience live.  Whether he's rapping for 25-hours straight, freestyling to various house music sets, or posturing with two microphones in his hands, his bars are dense and adaptable to a range of sonics.  He's one of the defining musicians of the DMV traversing a fluctuating underground scene since he was a teen. As a result, his voice can be heard on a number of collaborations, and attributed writing credits on Stokes' album, his pen is equally prolific. 

Rob Stokes Band delivers the follow up to their 2017 album, Love Was Made for these Times with a record that shines through the vulnerable vocals of Stokes himself.  Live at the Heartbreak Hotel is an album made from a Pittsburgh perspective.  On Late Bloom Radio, Stokes talked about envisioning a steelworker in the smog-ridden sixties, off the clock at the local dive bar ruminating on the sacrifices of love while engaging in the hedonisms of life. 

This bill of veteran musicians and experimentalists is available Friday, April 13 at The Smiling Moose on East Carson St.  If you're in Pittsburgh, don't miss the opportunity to hear a sample of some of the soundscapes from Washington, D.C.

Friday, April 13

10pm - 1:30am

The Smiling Moose

1306 East Carson St.

Role Model's First Song - "Cocaine Babe"

Artwork by Jacob Finch

Nowadays a role model can be anyone and anything. A role model used to be parents or community figures like a pastor, but consumerism and popular culture make idols out of a lot of things, perhaps athletes or types of artists and maybe even drugs.

The point here is role models influence how we act and who we want to be, and individual preference selects the person or thing to absorb.

Find importance on this topic of influence in regards to "Role Model," a musician from Maine. He speaks beautifully about respecting the valuable opportunities life provides in his new song "Cocaine Babe."

Role Model challenges listeners to appreciate purities rather than vices.

"There's more to life than getting high... Never seen someone so dedicated to numbing their pain. Well wake up and smell the roses, baby, instead of that cocaine," he sings.

These words with Role Model's song are pertinent because people should understand what affects them affects others. If we all focus on having genuine interactions and if we admire genuine people, society's influences might come from more positive places.

"Cocaine Babe" sits noteworthy due to the considerate thoughts and as Role Model's first song since changing his name from Dillis. The new track certainly carries a different energy than Dillis' previous hip-hop work. Role Model grows, and he explores the indie rock genre in "Cocaine Babe," which Tom Sheils produces

Whether fans and newcomers to Role Model take his name with a grain of salt is up to them, but valuable messages in song will always find respect.