Yale University’s Spizzwinks (?) to perform in Oakland, Fox Chapel
They hail from all over the world and gathered in a Monroeville living room on Wednesday night. Representing four continents, their voices blended as they rehearsed songs in Pittsburgh — a city the vast majority of them have never visited. Traveling the globe is one of the beautiful aspects of...
Rage Against the Machine drummer says band won’t play live againVideo
Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk dashed the hopes of all of the fans who were optimistic the band would make its long waited return to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2024. “I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour...
Story of the Year guitarist Ryan Phillips on 20 years of ‘Page Avenue,’ new album ‘Tear Me to Pieces’Video
Story of the Year guitarist Ryan Phillips is a huge fan of bands playing full albums out on tour, having seen quite a few over the years. ”One of my favorite bands in the entire world, the Deftones, I’ve seen shows where they do ‘White Pony’ or ‘Adrenaline,’ ‘Around the...
Former Tamburitzans host ensemble’s show at Gateway High School
Four years of performing with the Duquesne University Tamburitzans wasn’t quite enough for Frank Bozicevic. So after he graduated, he remained involved the multicultural song-and-dance ensemble by driving its tour bus. Along the way, he and one of the members at the time started dating, and eventually they married. Today,...
Zakk Sabbath, Creed Bratton, Three Dog Night among January’s top Pittsburgh concerts
An alum of “The Office” with a deep musical background, a veteran heavy-metal guitarist and a long-running rock band known for its three-part harmonies will be in Pittsburgh in January. Here’s a look at the most notable shows coming to the area this month: Top shows Jan. 9: Zakk Sabbath,...
Heat exhaustion killed Taylor Swift fan attending Rio concert, forensics report says
RIO DE JANEIRO — Heat exhaustion is the cause of death of a Brazilian fan who attended a concert of singer Taylor Swift in November, a forensics report obtained by the Associated Press on Wednesday shows. Ana Clara Benevides, 23, passed out during Swift’s second song in the Nov. 17...
From novices to experienced musicians, Western Pa.’s open stages offer chance to shine in the spotlight
When Riley Galloway gets up to sing at the weekly acoustic open stage at Yellow Bridge Brewing in Delmont, you’d never know that she’s been playing in public for only a few months. The 16-year-old Irwin resident’s voice fills the space with the confidence of someone who has been performing...
The rapper Ye, who has a long history of making antisemitic comments, issues an apology in Hebrew
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who has a long history of making antisemitic comments, apologized to the Jewish community in an Instagram post written in Hebrew on Tuesday. “I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions,” Ye wrote. “It...
Taylor Swift, Pink, Ed Sheeran among Pittsburgh’s biggest concerts in 2023
Taylor Swift broke attendance records with two shows this summer at Acrisure Stadium — and that doesn’t even include the tens of thousands of ticket-less fans who partied along outside the stadium. Swift’s pair of mega-shows were the highlight of Pittsburgh’s 2023 concert schedule, which also drew stadium shows from...
State, federal legislators look to keep AM radio a standard, free feature in vehicles
In recent years, some car manufacturers, including Ford, Tesla and Volkswagen, have quietly proposed removing AM radio from some vehicles. Members of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters think it’s the tip of a subscription-based iceberg and are hoping recent bipartisan federal legislation can stop it in its tracks. “The best...
Federal court revives lawsuit against Nirvana over 1991 ‘Nevermind’ naked baby album cover
LOS ANGELES — A federal appeals court on Thursday revived a child sexual exploitation lawsuit filed by the man who appeared naked as a 4-month-old on the cover of Nirvana’s 1991 album “Nevermind.” Spencer Elden’s lawsuit against the grunge rock group alleges that he has suffered “permanent harm” as the...
Book Review: The Velvet Underground’s story and afterlife told in oral history ‘Loaded’
Before they became synonymous with downtown cool, the Velvet Underground played a multi-band bill at a suburban New Jersey high school in 1965. Parents and kids in the crowd were repelled by the “screeching urge of sound” from Lou Reed and his bandmates, a local reviewer wrote, and retreated in...
Top 24 concerts (so far) coming to Pittsburgh area in 2024
It’s looking like 2024 will be another year of big concerts for the Pittsburgh region. Topping the list is the almost annual appearance by Kenny Chesney at Acrisure Stadium. The chart-topping country singer, who’s already headlined the stadium 11 times since 2005, will bring his Sun Goes Down tour to...
Original AC/DC drummer Colin Burgess has died at 77. The Australian helped form the group in 1973
Australian drummer Colin Burgess, an original member of the hard rock band AC/DC in the early 1970s, has died, the band confirmed on its social media accounts. He was 77. “Very sad to hear of the passing of Colin Burgess,” says an unsigned post on the band’s official Facebook page...
Women Who Rock celebrates Taylor Swift’s birthday with Swiftmas pop-up shop
Walking into the Swiftmas pop-up shop, guests were greeted by a pink Christmas tree, sweatshirts that read “1989” and bedazzled lightning bolt earrings. A pink neon sign read, “Babe you look so cool.” It was held at the SouthSide Works by Women Who Rock in honor of the pop star’s...
Lawmakers consider declaring 2023 ‘Taylor Swift Era’ in Pennsylvania
Taylor Swift’s widespread popularity could soon be commemorated by the Pennsylvania state legislature. Three Democratic state representatives from suburban Philadelphia — Danielle Friel Otten of Chester County, Jennifer O’Mara of Delaware County and Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz of Berks County, where Swift grew up — introduced a resolution Friday to declare 2023...
Rapper Travis Scott creates ‘UTOPIA’ in Pittsburgh concert
Rapper Travis Scott didn’t let some bad tacos get in the way of his sold-out Pittsburgh show Friday night. Saying he received two IVs after battling the stomach woes for about a day, Scott had no intentions of following the medical advice he received. “The doctor told me if I...
Local musicians will take the stage in A Very Yinzer Christmas concert
Certain holiday music is often associated with a specific singer — such as Andy Williams’ voice in “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” What if the sounds of that song brought to mind one of Pittsburgh’s well-known musicians? Well, they just might because Scott Blasey, lead vocalist of...
Def Leppard, Journey, Steve Miller Band coming to PNC Park
It seems like a rock music lover’s dream: Def Leppard and Journey on the same bill, with the Steve Miller Band thrown in for good measure. Well, that dream is headed to Pittsburgh’s PNC Park in July. The concert, part of Def Leppard and Journey’s 23-city Summer Stadium Tour in...
Boyz II Men set to return to Pittsburgh at Rivers Casino
Boyz II Men, the powerhouse R&B act that ruled the charts in the 1990s, will return to Pittsburgh for a performance at Rivers Casino in February. The trio, known for their hits “End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “One Sweet Day” (with Mariah Carey) and “Motownphilly,” is...
Taylor Swift is named Time’s person of the year
NEW YORK — Is the year of Taylor Swift over now? Not yet. Time magazine named Swift its person of the year on Wednesday, a week after Spotify announced she was the most-played artist on the streaming platform. Swift was picked from a group of nine finalists that included Barbie,...
Mariah Carey rocks Pittsburgh with soulful performance of holiday hits
Santa hats and sparkly outfits adorned the crowd Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena in Uptown Pittsburgh, and with so much holiday bling, there’s only one show it could have been for — singer Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas One And All!” tour. Opening the concert with an overture to “Sugar...
Denny Laine, founding member of the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney’s Wings, dead at 79
NEW YORK — Denny Laine, a British singer, songwriter and guitarist who performed in an early, pop-oriented version of the Moody Blues and was later Paul McCartney’s longtime sideman in the ex-Beatle’s solo band Wings, has died at age 79. Laine, inducted five years ago into the Rock and Roll...
Desert island albums: Here’s what Grace Potter, Nicotine Dolls, Barns Courtney and others would bring with them
It’s a simple enough question: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three albums would you want with you? Plenty of bands who either played or were scheduled to perform in Pittsburgh this fall offered their choices, with albums ranging from big band to gospel to alternative rock,...
AP’s top albums of 2023: Music from Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma, the Rolling Stones and more
LOS ANGELES — Ten of the top albums of the year, as chosen by Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman. It was a blockbuster year across genres, but only a few could make AP’s list. (SZA’s “SOS” released in December 2022, Ice Spice’s “Like…?” isn’t a full-length release, and the...
