Millvale Mash-- Grist House Brewing

The Millvale Mash is an monthly open-mic run by my friend Adam Dove. Adam also runs the Writer's Workshop hosted at the Millvale Library; so I have to check that out too.

I had no idea Adam was a part of this, so it was a pleasant surprise to meet him at the event. Grist House Brewing is lovely: there's a large porch that merges into the bar which merges into the brewery itself. It's intimate and the crowd is local and friendly. During the Mash, it was raining outside sporadically, and the pirates game was playing in the background; when it wasn't raining here it was raining on the Pirates downtown.

I was the only poetry act; luckily, I killed it. I met a group of people incl. Adam's friends and Anita Kulina Smith, a kind of local historian; we had some great talks about the early days of Greenfield where there were apparently gangs outside of every store, which makes sense, because that neighborhood has always felt like a reformed gangland to me. Notable acts included Kim Sedlock reading her story about adultery-tempted skiers, Amy Dean playing a Japanese flute with a cover of El Condor Pasa, and Adam and his friend nailing a Mewithoutyou and Coco Rose cover. The night ended with a group performance of "You Can't Always Get What You Want."

I'm thinking about moving to Millvale. It's closer to the city than I thought, it's dirt cheap and it's beautiful. A valley neighborhood... tree enclosed, it feels so isolated and quiet... and Mr. Smalls is right there! --poetryburgh@gmail.com