Mick Ralphs, founding member of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, dies at 81
Mick Ralphs, a guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of the classic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has died. A statement posted to Bad Company’s official website Monday announced Ralphs’ death at age 81. Ralphs had a stroke days after what would be his final performance...
Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan dives deep into band’s catalog in Pittsburgh showVideo
If Billy Corgan wants to go out and explore some lesser-known Smashing Pumpkins tracks, that’s fully his right. Corgan, after all, is the singer/guitarist as well as the primary songwriter for the psychedelic, fuzz-laden band that broke big with hits like “Cherub Rock,” “Disarm” and “Today” as alternative rock exploded...
Pittsburgh’s The Cheats release new album — ‘Old Rats on a New Ship’Video
The Cheats, a veteran punk band from Pittsburgh, released their latest album, “Old Rats on a New Ship,” on Friday, but it was actually the second album of originals they put together since 2020’s “Cussin’, Crying ‘N’ Carrying On.” “We actually had a whole record done with another member, but...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: BenefitsVideo
Benefits’ first full-length album, “Burnout,” presents the songs in the order they were written, based on events ripped from the headlines from 2020-23. “The words and imagery in these songs really are faithfully harvested from the events that were happening and reported in the news over those years,” said Bill...
Blairsville Chamber Music Festival returns bigger than ever
Due to an overwhelming positive response in its previous years, the Blairsville Chamber Music Festival will return for another year from June 26-29. The festival was founded in 2022 by Blairsville native Sarah Marshall and her husband, violinist Avital Mazor. The couple was based in New York, but after multiple...
Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth to perform national anthem before Game 7 of NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — At 4-foot-11, Kristin Chenoweth is still making it to the NBA Finals. The award-winning actress, singer, Oklahoma native, Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee and unabashed Thunder fan is performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 7 of the title series between the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers on...
Faces of the Valley: Lower Burrell musician on her way to Berklee College of Music
Even if you haven’t heard of Elliana Koulouris, if you’ve attended a live event in the Alle-Kiski Valley, you’ve probably heard her voice. The Lower Burrell teenager has made a name for herself over the past six years singing at events, games and festivals, performing in theater, and writing and...
Bassist Carol Kaye says she’s declining Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ‘permanently’
NEW YORK — Carol Kaye, a prolific and revered bassist who played on thousands of songs in the 1960s including hits by the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel and Barbra Streisand, said Friday she wants no part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “I’ve declined the rrhof. Permanently,”...
Grand Funk Railroad co-founder Mark Farner bringing ‘explosion of love’ for Pittsburgh area showVideo
It’s been more than three months since Mark Farner’s American Band played a concert, so he’s amped for the next show on his calendar, a June 26 stop at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille in Warrendale. “When we hit the stage, man, it’s like this big explosion,” said Farner, the original singer/guitarist...
Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie dies at age 82
Native Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie, who scored No. 1 Billboard hit with “Lightnin’ Strikes” in 1966, has died. He was 82 years old. His wife, Francesca, told the Hollywood Reporter that Christie died at home in Pittsburgh after an undisclosed illness. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the Sacco family...
Q&A: Avril Lavigne celebrating pop-punk glory days (and more) in Greatest Hits tourVideo
Pop-punk music is still going strong, and look no further than Avril Lavigne’s Greatest Hits tour for proof. The Canadian singer, who broke out as a teenager in 2002 with songs like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi,” sold out New York’s Madison Square Garden last month, with the tour making a...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: 9sundaysVideo
The Pittsburgh band 9sundays has been around since 2008, with the current lineup together for the past seven years. Their latest album, “Scream,” came out on June 4 and was a five-year effort, with an album release show later this month. ”It was a collaborative effort with everyone in the...
Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, briefly shows up to support Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs at trial
NEW YORK — Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, briefly showed up to the New York sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Friday to support the hip-hop mogul, a longtime friend. Ye, dressed in white, arrived at Manhattan federal court before noon while the trial was...
Hempfield brings back annual summer concert series with CCR tribute
The 1960s and ’70s hits of American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival will echo throughout the amphitheater in Hempfield Park on Sunday, as the township’s annual summer concert series returns. The “Amp Up Your Summer” concert series was launched in 2019 to expand on the township’s annual Community Days, a...
A Grammy category is created for album covers just as Sabrina Carpenter’s takes the spotlight
The Recording Academy has tweaked some of its rules for the 2026 Grammy Awards, including carving out a stand-alone category for best album cover — a day after Sabrina Carpenter sparked considerable discourse unveiling what is believed to be the cover for her next album. The academy on Thursday announced...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 13-15
Even if you’re tired of the U.S. Open and avoiding the area as best you can, there are still fun events to check out this weekend throughout the Pittsburgh area. Here are a few ideas. Babesburgh Bash Women of Western Pennsylvania, it’s time to celebrate with the second annual Babesburgh...
Atlanta rapper Silentó gets 30 years after pleading guilty to killing his cousin
Silentó, the Atlanta rapper known for his hit song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and other charges in the 2021 shooting death of his 34-year-old cousin. The 27-year-old rapper, whose legal name is Ricky Lamar Hawk, was sentenced to 30 years in...
Brian Wilson, Beach Boys visionary leader and summer’s poet laureate, dies at 82
Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and other summertime anthems and made him one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82. Wilson’s family posted news of his death to his...
Allegheny RiverTrail Park summer concert series returns
Good music, tasty food, and a beautiful view can make any summer night perfect. This year, Allegheny RiverTrail Park will once again offer all three with its free summer concert series. On the second Friday of June, July, August and September, music lovers will gather at the park to watch...
David Byrne announces Pittsburgh showVideo
David Byrne, the innovative musician and founding singer of the Talking Heads, announced a new album and world tour Tuesday — with a stop in Pittsburgh. His new album, “Who Is The Sky?”, will be released Sept. 5, and Byrne will perform at the Benedum Center on Sept. 16. It...
John Lennon’s onetime companion May Pang brings photo exhibit to Sharpsburg
Musician John Lennon has reached mythical status over the years, first as a member of the industry-changing group The Beatles and then as an enigmatic artist and figure in his own right before his assassination in 1980. Now, with a new exhibition by onetime companion May Pang, fans are getting...
Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82
NEW YORK — Sly Stone, the revolutionary musician and dynamic showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s and beyond with such hits as “Everyday People,” “Stand!” and “Family Affair,” has died. He was 82 Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, had been in poor...
Lisa Loeb, Suzanne Vega rock Three Rivers Arts Festival despite the weather
The longstanding Three Rivers Arts Festival always attracts top-tier musical talent, and another year is in the books after this weekend. That being said, next year’s festival organizers might consider some kind of prayer circle or ritual to appease whatever weather god cursed this event long ago. As is tradition,...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: New KinkVideo
New Kink, a Pittsburgh indie band formed in the past few years, released their debut album, “Canon,” earlier this month. “We’ve put a lot of work into this album and we’re really proud of it,” singer Victoria Susan said. “We set out to create a sound that is something that...
Tony Awards laud android rom-com ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ and history-making ‘Purpose’
NEW YORK — “Maybe Happy Ending,” a rom-com about androids that crackles with humanity, had a definite happy ending at Sunday’s Tony Awards. It won best new musical on a night when Kara Young made history as the first Black person to win two Tonys consecutively for “Purpose,” which also...
