Pittsburgh local band spotlight: Chip & the Charge Ups

Pittsburgh hard rockers Chip & the Charge Ups will be back for the third iteration of Beasts of the ‘Burgh, a showcase spotlighting four local bands.

“Most local and national concerts feature one great headlining band and one or more bands of lesser caliber as openers,” Chip Dominick said. “In collaborating with Opus One Productions — the promoter for the first Beasts of the ‘Burgh as well as this one — we talked about having a ‘stacked lineup,’ where there could be four great bands instead of just one. I said that it reminded me of Monsters of Rock and that’s when the phrase Beasts of the ‘Burgh came to me.”

Chip & the Charge Ups will be joined by Griffen Handshake, Never Say Die and XDB (Xander Demos Band), with each band going 30 minutes, on March 22 at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale.

Founded in 2018, the trio features Chip Dominick along with his daughter, Maleena.

“It’s the greatest thing. We didn’t plan it this way,” he said. “As I was forming the band with a couple of other founding members, we needed a bass player. Maleena has played bass since she was a little kid. When bassist auditions went badly or the candidate didn’t show up, Maleena sat in and it ended up being meant to be.

“It has made the band special. And it has made my life more special.”

Chip Dominick filled TribLive in on what else we should know about Chip & the Charge Ups:

Band: Chip and the Charge Ups

Band members: Chip Dominick (lead vocals/guitar); Maleena Dominick (bass/backing vocals); Nolan Allen (drums/backing vocals)

Founding story: Formed in 2018 by the unique family team of Chip Dominick and then 16-year old Maleena Dominick, the band quickly created an electrifying buzz. After a few lineup changes, they added drummer Nolan Allen in 2022.

Origin of band’s name: I came up with over two dozen names and eventually narrowed the list down to seven, asking friends which they liked best. It was a close race between Chip & The Charged Ups and Chip & The Checkouts. One of those friends said he hated Chip & The Charged Ups, that it was awkward to say, and it would be better to call it Chip & The Charge Ups (without the “d”). He nailed it … that name rolled off the tongue and just sounded “right!”

For fans of: hard rock, pop-punk, and modernized emo

Influences: Green Day, Metallica, Blink-182, Black Veil Brides

Releases: “Flow of the Current, Part I” six-song EP in 2018; “Flow of the Current, Part II” EP in 2019; “Lightning in Our Veins” album in 2020; “Under the Exit Sign” single in 2020; “The Nightmare’s Over” single in 2021; “What Happened to the Boy Next Door?” EP in 2023; “Where I Fit In (Don’t Wanna Go Home)” single in 2025

Next shows: March 22, Beasts of the ‘Burgh 3 featuring Chip & The Charge Ups, Never Say Die, XDB (Xander Demos Band), Griffen Handshake at Mr. Smalls Theater in Millvale (all ages); March 29, Emo Night featuring Chip & The Charge Ups, Kings Rook Club in Erie

How to find them: Chip & the Charge Ups can be found on their website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Three other Pittsburgh area bands to check out: Never Say Die; XDB (Xander Demos Band); Griffen Handshake

Favorite pizza shop: Pizza Bella, Moon Township

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