Joe Grushecky set to rock out at Allegheny RiverTrail Park
Legendary Pittsburgh rocker Joe Grushecky will hit the stage Friday in Aspinwall for an evening of blues and soul sure to get audiences movin’ in their seats. The concert is part of the Rock the River series, the park’s annual summer shows, aimed at bringing stellar musical performances to the...
Cyndi Lauper says ‘Kinky Boots’ offers hope for a new time
NEW YORK — Three years after it closed on Broadway, the musical “Kinky Boots” returns to New York City. The show may not have changed, but the country has. The Cyndi Lauper- and Harvey Fierstein-created musical landed on Broadway in 2013 in the middle of the Obama administration, a big...
The Shins’ mastermind James Mercer, 51, reflects on his band’s 2001 debut album: ‘I get the chills’
You can take the young American out of England. But, even after four decades, you can’t take England out of the now not-so-young American. That is very specifically the case for James Mercer, the mastermind and sole original member of indie-rock favorite The Shins. He is now leading the latest...
Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow top MTV VMA nominees
LOS ANGELES — Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow are top contenders with seven nominations at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. MTV announced Tuesday that Lil Nas X and Harlow earned multiple nominations for their collaborative hit “Industry Baby,” which is nominated for video of the year....
Free JamBrewzle music festival set at Latrobe brewery
Playing at various festivals over the years, musician Derek Woods of Hempfield had a vision for creating one of his own. “I always wanted to start a festival that had a semi-circus theme to it,” said the front man for the Derek Woods Band. The dream became a reality when...
Westmoreland Symphony’s chamber music series returns to Unity Chapel
Following outdoor dates during the pandemic in Hempfield Park, Westmoreland Symphony’s Summer Chamber Music Series returns to its longtime home in Unity Chapel for two performances. The series opens at 7:30 p.m. July 28 Thursday with the Pittsburgh-based Beo String Quartet, familiar to WSO audiences from previous appearances. The quartet...
Greensburg music studio strives for an inclusive, welcoming vibe
The Greensburg-based Practice Makes Perfect Music Studio offers an array of classes, from piano and strings, to reeds and brass, to voice and percussion — including the boomwhacker, a hollow plastic tube tuned to a specific musical pitch by its length. “The only thing we don’t have — and we’re...
Jon Anderson brings Yes songs to Greensburg with new generation of musiciansVideo
Jon Anderson still hasn’t given up on a Yes reunion. He knows Yes fans have spent 18 years hoping the surviving members of the seminal prog rock group would achieve some sort of détente and reunite on stage. But Anderson also knows he doesn’t necessarily need former band mates like...
Morgan Wallen’s Burgettstown show sold out; fans asked to carpool, arrive early
Fans of country musician Morgan Wallen are being asked to arrive early or consider carpooling for Thursday’s sold-out show at The Pavilion at Star Lake near Burgettstown. Fans must have tickets to enter parking lots, which open at 3 p.m. Early entry parking opens at 1 p.m. The show is...
Pittsburgh Black Pride Week concert features Grammy winner Mya, Pittsburgh native Amir White
As he was growing up in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, Amir White would sing along and mimic television and radio – first the commercials, but not long after, the songs. “I think I was born to do music,” said White, who now splits his time between the Steel City and Atlanta...
California artist paints giant Mac Miller mural on side of Etna recording studioVideo
California artist Gustavo Zermeño Jr. was happy he waited three years to paint a giant mural of Mac Miller at I.D. Labs, where the late rapper and Pittsburgh native recorded his music in Etna. Zermeño painted a mural for Miller, whose real name is Malcolm James McCormick, on the side...
Bethel Park-based Keystone Chorus brings old-time tunes to life
In the basement of Hamilton Presbyterian Church in Bethel Park is the sound of music. Familiar songs such as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Under the Boardwalk” and “When I’m Sixty-Four” conjure up memories of tunes reminiscent of the days of barbershop quartets. On this night it’s a group of singers:...
The Chicks, now Dixie-free and on tour, talk music, feminism and singing the anthem at the 2003 Super Bowl
The Chicks, the groundbreaking country-music trio formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, have a specific requirement for the members of their new, talent-rich touring band. “We do have a policy,” said violinist and vocalist Martie Maguire. “We have a ‘no a—holes’ policy.” “No a—holes — and no armpit hair!” added...
Q&A: Meet Brent Faiyaz, R&B’s antihero: ‘It’s not human to be constantly writing love songs’
This summer, billboards in major cities across the country displayed the following cryptic phrase: “I would like to apologize in advance for the person I’m gonna become once this album drops.” The billboards belonged to 26-year-old singer-songwriter Brent Faiyaz; the album in question was “Wasteland,” a cautionary, R&B-trap opera deriding...
The Chainsmokers to perform at the edge of space
NEW YORK — One of The Chainsmokers’ latest hits is “High” and they’re hoping to live up to their lyrics. The hit-making duo of Drew Taggart and Alex Pall have signed up to get into a pressurized capsule tethered to a stratospheric balloon in a few years and perform some...
Don McLean looks back at his masterpiece, ‘American Pie’Video
NEW YORK — Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song “American Pie” at last call or at karaoke — and applauds you for the effort. “I’ve heard whole bars burst into this song when I’ve been across the room,” McLean tells The Associated Press...
Elton John opens last leg of goodbye tour in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — I think it’s gonna be a long, long time until we see another songwriter and performer like Elton John. Wrapping up a 50-plus year career with a farewell tour, the British pianist and vocalist has created some of the most memorable and enduring music in the history of...
Giveon’s ‘Give or Take’ makes heartbreak enjoyable
NEW YORK — Giveon is a hopeless romantic. That could be why his disappointment toward failed relationships has been on full display in his music and is palpable throughout his debut album, “Give or Take.” “I just feel like the way society is going now, so many people, they just...
Pittsburgh Black Music Festival kicks off Thursday
A century of Black music in Pittsburgh, everything from jazz to hip hop, will be celebrated over four days during the city’s 4th annual Black Music Festival opening Thursday. Each day from Thursday to Sunday is being dedicated to a different genre of Black music and being performed on stages...
3 charged in scheme to sell stolen ‘Hotel California’ notes
NEW YORK — A rock memorabilia dealer and two other men were charged Tuesday with scheming to sell allegedly ill-gotten, handwritten lyrics to the classic rock juggernaut “Hotel California” and other hits by the Eagles. Prosecutors said the trio lied to auction houses and buyers about the manuscripts’ fuzzy chain...
Bruce Springsteen tour skips Pittsburgh, so far
No Boss in the ‘Burgh. At least not yet. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are embarking on a U.S. tour next year — but Pittsburgh is not on the list of stops so far. Related: • Pittsburgh area concert calendar • Pittsburgh has plenty of places that have...
‘This Is Us’ star Mandy Moore talks about the tricky sleepless balance of motherhood and music
MINNEAPOLIS — Maybe the signs were already there. Mandy Moore phoned last month three concerts into her first tour in 15 years. Her joy of being back in front of a live audience was palpable, but one could sense her trying to mask the stress of being on the road...
Shawn Mendes postpones Pittsburgh show, citing mental health concerns
Singer Shawn Mendes has postponed his upcoming Pittsburgh concert. In an Instagram post, the 23-year-old cited mental health concerns as the reason he is pushing back 12 shows from “Wonder: The World Tour” over the next three weeks. “After speaking with my team and health professionals, I need to take...
Westmoreland Symphony’s Summer Philharmonic to debut director’s concerto
The Summer Philharmonic of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra Academy of Music will debut a new piece by music director Morrie Brand during a free concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg. Brand’s Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra was written...
Hanson brings ‘Red Green Blue’ album tour to Greensburg’s Palace TheatreVideo
Hanson, a trio of preteen brothers from Tulsa, Okla., burst onto the pop music scene with their catchy 1997 hit, “MMMBop.” Unlike so many boy bands who hit it big and then quickly faded away, Hanson has endured. The brothers are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their major-label debut with...
