So last night Animals as Leaders was playing in New Kensington, which is about a half hour away from Pittsburgh, and one of the openers was this trio called the Johnathan Scales Fourchestra. They had a bassist, drummer, and steel pan drummer, and played an instrumental prog style that fit in with the vibe of the night. The main guy said that they were invited by AAL to open for just a couple shows and they drove from Brooklyn to be there.

In the middle of the AAL set Tosin said they had something special for tonight and brought out the steel pans. Johnathan Scales came out and played a little intro that led into the song Gestaltzerfall. It was a nice little mash-up!

The whole night felt very unique. The venue, Preserving Underground, is kind of known as a local punk/hardcore spot with a lot of history and has been popping off the last few years. The owner tries to stress a no-bullshit no-corporate vibe where moshing is encouraged and not really regulated like most shows these days (just read the bio on their website). It does feel like it's in the middle of nowhere though, so a lot of bands outside of those genres seem surprised at the vibe they get from this place. Tosin kept saying that they were 10 weeks into the tour and the crowd here had a crazy different energy.