Identity X Review

Saturday's show was a pure rock experience. The line up featured all local bands, except 7th Cycle which is a band from Logan, Ohio.

Identity X was amazing live, and I would strongly recommend seeing them any chance you get. Lead singer David Toole also performed the national anthem at Saturday's Penguins game before heading over to the show. The band's album "Perception is Reality" is available on iTunes and a link on their website. Any rock fan should definitely check it out. They also make Journey songs sound a million times better!

Other bands included Color Me Blind, Patron Saint, The Cascade Atlantic, Model Class Citizens, and SIKES. All of the bands performed very well and their sounds were amazing. Patron Saint, The Cascade Atlantic, and Model Class Citizens top my list; but I would recommend all of these bands to any rock fan. The Cascade Atlantic seemed to interact with the crowd the best, but there was also a bit of a bigger crowd by the time they played.

Altar bar is a pretty good venue, but the all ages set up is a bit awkward. A dividing wall was set up to keep people under 21 away from the bar and those that were 21+ could not take their alcohol into the all ages section. The set-up made it hard for groups of friends of mixed ages to watch the show together. It would be a great venue for 21+ shows though.

Identity X Live at Altar Bar in the Strip District

This Saturday, October 9th Identity X will headline a show at Altar Bar. The doors open at 5:00pm and the show starts at 6:00pm. Tickets are still on sale for the show. Visit Altar Bar's website for more details and ticket info. This show will be drummer Chris Sheader's last show with the band. Guitarist DNapps will be missing due to health problems, but will return to the band after he is healed.

I discovered this band when I went to see Rent at the beginning of the year. Lead singer David Toole played the role of Roger in the musical, and his voice is amazing. After I discovered Identity X, I tried to go to shows but always had something else going on. This Saturday I will FINALLY get to see them live!

Check out some of their music here:

This Addiction by Identity X

Overcome by Identity X

The Depth Perception by Identity X

We The Kings comes to Altar Bar in Pittsburgh's Strip District

Next Thursday, April 29th, We The Kings will be playing live at Altar Bar. The band is currently on tour for their latest album Smile Kid which was released in December 2009. In 2007, We The Kings burst onto the scene with their single "Check Yes Juliet" off of their self titled album. "Check Yes Juliet" was catchy and very infectious and the band sticks with that style on their new album. We The Kings will be returning to Pittsburgh later this summer for Warped Tour at First Niagara Pavilion.

We The Kings is touring with The Maine along with special guests Cartel, Artist vs Poet, and Stereo Skyline. The show is at Altar Bar at 7:00pm. Tickets are $18 in advance and are available at Ticketmaster. Tickets are $20 at the door and all ages are welcome. Berore the show, check out one of We The Kings new singles "Heaven Can Wait"

Gorilla Productions Present: Battle of the Bands

Another Battle rages on at Altar Bar this weekend! This Sunday, April 11, another Battle of the Bands begins at 4:00pm. This Battle is not part of a series, and I was not able to find much information on what the winner receives or anything on Gorilla Productions, the sponsor of the event. This could be due to my impatience with the internet at the moment, but info was hard to find and Altar Bar's lack of links/info on their website didn't help much.

This battle features 12 bands that all call the Pittsburgh area home. Some of the bands performing include: Fire and Sex, The Guest List, Color Me Blind, The R4 Project, and A Whisper Rising along with seven others that I couldn't find information for even after a few searches. Out of the bands listed, I would give Color Me Blind and The R4 Project a listen. I was actually able to listen to their songs the entire way through, unlike the others.

Fire and Sex had a fairly monotone sound to them and they didn't have much of a stage presence in the clips they had on their site. The Guest List's music was good, but the singer had a very nasal sound to his voice that was difficult to listen to. A Whisper Rising only had two songs posted so a fair review can't be given at this time.

For more info on the event, visit Altar Bar's website. Hopefully, any searches on the other bands will be more productive than mine were!! Good luck and make sure to support your local bands!

**Photo Credit: Shane Henderson on Flickr

Weekend Shows at Altar Bar

Here's a look at this weekend's shows at Altar Bar located in Pittsburgh's Strip District:

• Friday 3/12 Sounds of Seattle Tour: Ten-Pearl Jam tribute band, BadMotorfinger-Soundgarden & Hungerstrike tribute band, and others. Show starts at 10:00pm.
• Saturday 3/13 28 North CD Release Party- 28 North is a band based in Pittsburgh and has been recording, performing, and writing their music for five years. Show starts at 9:00pm tickets ant tickets are $5 advanced and $7 at the door.
• Sunday 3/14 Battle of the Bands. Show starts at 4:00pm

For information on Altar Bar and all of their shows, visit the website here.

Identity X

Pittsburgh band Identity X has a number of upcoming shows in different spots around the 'Burgh. The shows are small acoustic performances at different Hot Topic locations and one full set show at Altar Bar.

The band formed in 2003 and it's music is classified as Rock/Alternative/Metal. I happened upon this band after going to see Rent last weekend, weird right? Well, lead singer David Toole is currently cast as Roger, one of the male leads in Rent. The program said he was in a band, he had a good voice, I checked it out, and decided the band was pretty awesome. Check out one of their shows, or visit their myspace to check out some of their music!

Identity X Music

Shows:

2/11 7:00pm Hot Topic at Robinson Mall

2/18 7:00pm Hot Topic at Century Three Mall

2/23 7:00pm Hot Topic at Ross Park Mall

3/3 7:00pm Hot Topic at Pittsburgh Mills Mall

3/6 5:00pm Altar Bar

**Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post Gazette