A Taste of Nightlife

We got our first taste of Pittsburgh nightlife last night in the South Side. I had heard through one of the Pittsburgh mailing lists I signed up for that Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters was playing in a club there, so, Wednesday being our date night, we decided to make an evening of it.

We started with dinner at Bruschetta's because we are ever in search of a replacement for our beloved mid-priced yet almost-gourmet Italian meat-based entrees that we enjoyed so much of in California. There was no risotto but the meat offerings looked pretty good, although traditional touches like Marsala wine sauce and mushrooms were not on offer, so we decided to go with Veal Zurich and Chicken Saltimboca.

Before the food arrived we were presented with a bruschetta, which was a surprise, but I suppose appropriate given the name of the restaurant. Shortly afterwards we received a big basket of cold white bread. This seemed a bit odd, but whatever. On arrival the food looked very good and the portions were just right. The chicken was nice, but the sage had an off flavor that kind of killed the taste, and Dave was not that pleased with the veal.

After dinner we walked over to the club to wait for the show to start. The Diesel club resembles a tiny version of San Francisco's DNA lounge. There were several chairs arranged in front of the stage as if a small black wedding was about to commence, but they were either all taken or right next to a loud speaker, so we stood behind them near the bar.

Mark Kozelek was the only act performing that night and he started promptly at 8. The music was entirely acoustic and it was beautifully played if a bit repetitive. On stage there was another guitarist who was introduced at some point, but although Mark was talented at singing his haunting romantic lyrics very clearly, the same could not be said for his speech. This became a problem throughout the set because Mark barely spoke about himself or the music, and when he did we couldn't understand a word of his mumble, so I got very little out of it.

Throughout the set the audience stood completely still and silent. About 45 minutes into it my back could take no more so I went to walk around a bit. I headed toward the restrooms and lo and behold there was a small lounge off to the side with cushy leather seats and only 3 people in there.

As I sat there stretching my back and resting my legs, the couple in the room began to chat with me, and I soon discovered that the man was Mark's dad. So we had a chat about how Dave and I came to know of the Red House Painters, and how we came to live in Pittsburgh. Not long afterwards several more of Mark's family and friends showed up in the room. This was surreal!

Dave found me back there not long after, and when the show ended he sat with me and waited in hope that Mark might come back and mingle. But after awhile he didn't turn up so we went home.