Another week passes and The Pink Logs have jumped across the pond, spotted in Sydney, Australia. Luckily, our very own Brandon was there for Big Day Out 2008 and were lucky enough to take these pictures. It seems as if The Pink Logs are getting more comfortable in front of the camera and are starting to enjoy the limelight. To see more of The Pink Logs, go here.

Vinnie

Vinnie, MD-Nights/WXDX Pittsburgh

Give us a brief overview/history of your career.

I began by annoying the hell out of the morning show of WXEG Dayton, OH in the summer of 1997.  They hired me as a morning show intern/stunt boy.  Three weeks later I was offered the chance to cover weekend overnights, the dreaded midnight to six shift on Friday & Saturday nights.  I was 19, didn't know any better, and wanted to be in radio.  I was in.  Fast forward to November of 2001, by this time I've been doing afternoons and promotions at WXEG for about a year.  I get a call from John Moschitta at WXDX inquiring about my interest in being Music Director.  The rest is partially history.  I've been here since December 2001, but my role at WXEG has evolved.  Since moving to Pittsburgh, I've covered weekends, nights, and now mornings for WXEG in addition to covering the MD duties and a 7p-midnight shift here at XDX.

Tell us about Edge of The X.

Take the station's normal play list, Mediabase reports, etc., and throw them out the window.  That's Edge Of The X.  I've tried, and I think succeeded, in making it a different and interesting four hours of radio as one can.  The focus is solely on the music, national, local, and occasionally international.  I went through a streak in '05 and '06 where I had local bands in every week it seemed.  That's since cooled off, but the show is still as erratic as possible.

Describe the local music scene in Pittsburgh.

At odds with itself.  You've no doubt seen the artists that have broken through the self-imposed strata, the notables being Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Zombi, and Once Nothing.  The Scene (capitalization intended) sometimes sees this as a bad thing because of the pride that's inherent in nearly everyone who lives in Pittsburgh.  It's like, "oh, you got signed and you're moving to LA?  Well, fuck you.  You're dissing Pittsburgh." 

In spite of that attitude, which doesn't dominate, mind you; I'd still call the scene very active.  I don't get to as many shows as I used to, which wasn't many to begin with, but there are bands that have established themselves in town as not only being able to draw a crowd, but have also been able to gain attention outside of the city AND produce music that's worthy of repeated listens.

Does the city support local music as much as their local sports teams?

Ha!  There are pockets of support that come from efforts like the Three Rivers Arts Festival, various events that are backed by a not for profit organization called the Sprout Fund, and others.  I think the main complaint, and I'm guilty of this too, is an absence of consistent support for the artists and the things they're trying to do.

If someone was to visit Pittsburgh, where would you recommend seeing a live show?

31^st Street Pub, Gooski's, Garfield Artworks, Modern Formations, somebody's basement.

Who are some of the up-and-coming bands in the city that we should be aware of?

FLAK, Brain Handle, Centipede E'est, & The Van Allen Belt.  This is tough because I could list quite a few more.

Think of when you started in radio. What are some of the things that have changed?

Automation; it has lead to smaller staffs which increases the responsibilities for those that remain.  Which, in turn, has lead to what I see as a disconnect between the jock and the listener because so many shows, including the three that I host, are voicetracked.

If you had a magic wand and could change anything in the music business today, what would it be?

I don't know, I'd probably never have allowed the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act that promoted market consolidation.  I'd also increase the music industry's awareness of MP3s by a few years.  You know, instead of say 2001 or 2002, back that up to 1997 or 1998.

Any closing words?

F2 saves everything.

Random Question Time 

First song you ever had to frontsell? I remember one of the first songs I backsold, Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus."

Next live show you are going to see? Unknown.

Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera? In what context...Xtina because of her Pittsburgh roots, I guess.

Night club or bar? Bar.

Coffee or beer? Beer.

Tic, Tac or Toe? Tac.

The Confusions - The Pilot (Massproduktion)

Releasing albums for over a decade now, The Confusions have established a reputation as one of Sweden's cleverest pop exports. They recently won the 2007 Best Album award for 5 AM at the Sundsvall Music Awards. In December, The Confusions put some of their fan-favorite songs together from both the 5 AM & Trampoline albums to create The Pilot EP, released exclusively in the United States. In a matter of two weeks, The Confusions have seen airplay support from such stations as Indie 103.1 Los Angeles, WFNX Boston, KUPD Phoenix, KNRK Portland and WEND Charlotte. According to Ferris O'Brien at KATT Oklahoma City, "The Confusions are infectious; just one listen can prove dangerous! Your hips could sway, your phones may melt, your listeners might swoon and you will most likely want to play "The Pilot" back to back...eh, to back!!!"

The Confusions are great fun, but thoughtful at the same time. Not confusing at all, when you think about it. Listen to "The Pilot" here and check out their web page, MySpace and live footage on YouTube.

241 Wings

For more songs, videos and dates for their upcoming UK tour visit www.myspace.com/mexicolas

TWICE AS NICE FOR VAMPIRE WEEKEND: Kudos to XL/Beggars Group recording artists Vampire Weekend, who make it two weeks in a row atop not only the Mediaguide Alternative Specialty Song chart with the infectious "A-Punk," but also repeat the feat on the Album index with their eponymous full-length. And that's not all--as we were going to press, it appeared that the group was heading to first-week sales figures in the 25k range, translating into a debut near the Top 20. Toss in a slew of sold-out shows and it's easy to see that these vampires will be around for more than a weekend. (And wouldn't it be interesting to see 'em tour with My Bloody Valentine...at least on the level o' ghastly punning?) Elsewhere on the Song chart, Be Your Own Pet surges 7-2 with "The Kelly Affair" (Ecstatic Peace!/Universal), garnering enough spins to propel the single to a #3 showing on the Album end. In a rather intriguing chart anomaly, the #2 slot on the Album index is filled by Hot Chip's Made in the Dark (DFA/Astralwerks)--this despite the fact that not a single song cracks the Top 20 on the Song chart, signifying a truly deep album...one that figures to be on the charts for a while. Some other albums and their rankings despite the lack of a top-20 single include Jack Johnson's Sleep Through the Static (Brushfire) at #8; The Mars Volta's The Bedlam in Goliath (Universal) at #11; Chris Walla's Field Manual (Barsuk) at #12, and Liam Finn's I'll Be Lightning (Yep Roc) at #16.The new number from Gnarls Barkley, "Run" (Downtown/Atlantic), is this week's top debut on the Song chart, bowing at #8 and aiding forthcoming full-length The Odd Couple to a #19 showing on the Album end...just in time for Oscar season.

A man was out, driving happily along in his car late one Saturday night. Before too long, a cop pulled him over.

The policeman walked up to the man and asked, "Have you been drinking, sir?"

"Why? Was I weaving all over the road?"

"No," replied the policeman, "you were driving splendidly. It was the really ugly girl in the passenger seat that gave you away."

What is your favorite One-hit wonder of all time?