Pittsburgh local music spotlight: Rachel Whitcomb

Mike Palm
Monday, July 21, 2025 8:05 a.m. | Monday, July 21, 2025 8:05 a.m.

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Music City Content Kings

Pittsburgh country artist Rachel Whitcomb

Rachel Whitcomb

Pittsburgh country artist Rachel Whitcomb released her album “Wildest Dreams” earlier this year.

Rachel Whitcomb described her new album “Wildest Dreams” as a love letter to 1990s country music.

Whitcomb, an associate dean at Duquesne University, worked with Nashville musicians like Brent Mason (guitar) and Scotty Sanders (steel guitar), as well as Ryan Joseph (fiddle), a Duquesne graduate who has toured with Alan Jackson. She also took songwriting classes from Hayden Nicholas, who co-wrote Clint Black’s debut album “Killin’ Time.”

“It was a joy to work with such great people,” she said. “If you love that ’90s country sound, you’ll love this album.”

The song “Live in the Lonely” stemmed from a conversation with a friend.

“I was feeling very lonely, and I asked her advice. She said, ‘You’re going to have to find a way to live in your loneliness,’ and I knew there was a song there! I went into writing the song with the title ‘Live in the Lonely,’ sat down at the piano, and the emotions, words and music just flowed,” she said. “It kind of helped that it was a dark and wintry time in Pittsburgh — that added to the mood of the song. Right around that time, I learned that the surgeon general had written ‘Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation’ and I realized I actually wasn’t alone in my loneliness. People often cry when I perform this song live, and I honestly feel those are tears of relief because they realize someone else feels the same way. It’s definitely a bonding experience for the audience.”

Another song, “Flirt With Me,” came as a response to the Tim McGraw song “Angry All the Time,” which was written by Bruce Robison.

“I always loved that song, which is from a man’s perspective in a long-term relationship, asking why his partner is angry all the time. ‘Flirt With Me’ is my response to that, with the first line of the chorus saying, ‘if you would flirt with me, I’d let a lot of things go,’” she said. “This song resonates with women who are married or in a long-term relationship and are longing for their partner’s attention. I’ve also had male musicians tell me it’s been a good reminder to them about the need to pay attention in their marriages. I try to write lyrics that tell the truth, and I think people can certainly relate to this song.”

Whitcomb said she’s found a welcoming environment for her music at Duquesne.

“I’m a faculty member in a music school, so obviously we are all musicians. When I first started writing songs and performing as a singer-songwriter, students were a little surprised because country music is not often a style that is studied or focused on in higher education,” she said. “Duquesne has always been a welcoming place for a variety of musical styles, and I’ve performed country music there for over 10 years. Before I shared my own musical preferences, students were afraid to share their favorites, so we were missing out on a lot from/with each other. Now, I cowrite songs with students and they often join me on stage to perform. It’s a great shared experience.”

Whitcomb filled in TribLive on what else we should know about her music:

Musician: Rachel Whitcomb

Band members: I collaborate most often with Jacob Zang (guitar/engineer/producer) and Dylan Bradley (guitar/background vocals). Our collaborations have included co-writing songs, performing live and recording in the studio. They were both former students in the Mary Pappert School of Music who moved to Nashville in recent years. They have been a big part of my musical journey.

Founding story: As Associate Dean of the Mary Pappert School of Music and Associate Professor of Music Education, I’ve spent my entire professional life focused on music and teaching. I was always musical, of course, but didn’t become a songwriter until about 13 years ago. I always wanted to write songs, but I had a very traditional music education. As a teacher, I wanted to provide my students and their future students with opportunities to create/compose their own music, something that I was not often given the opportunity to do. In 2012, I required my undergraduate students to write a song in a popular style and since I would never ask students to do something that I haven’t done, I had to write my first song. I performed it for my class and was terrified, but they were very kind and welcoming. I’ve been writing and performing original music ever since.

For fans of: 1990s country music; songs with heartfelt lyrics and memorable melodies; steel guitar and fiddle

Influences: Lee Ann Womack, Miranda Lambert, John Denver, Pam Tillis

Releases: “You’ll Want Me” single, Jan. 10; “Live in the Lonely” single, Feb. 21; “Wildest Dreams” album, March 28

Next shows: She’ll be performing at songwriter rounds in Nashville this summer; Jan. 10, 2026, annual concert at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University

How to find her: Whitcomb can be found on Linktree, as well as Instagram, Facebook, Apple Music and Spotify.

Three other Pittsburgh area bands to check out: November Blue; singer-songwriter Christopher Mark Jones; Lisa Jay and the TriO

Favorite local pizza shop: Milano’s on 5th Avenue (of course!)

Mike Palm is a TribLive digital producer who also writes music reviews and features. A Westmoreland County native, he joined the Trib in 2001, where he spent years on the sports copy desk, including serving as night sports editor. He has been with the multimedia staff since 2013. He can be reached at mpalm@triblive.com.

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