Mike Palm stories, Page 6
From detention to distortion: Beauty School Dropout hits the road with ‘Baby Warped’ tour including Pittsburgh stopVideo
Brent “Beepus” Burdett, the bassist for Los Angeles’ pop-punk band Beauty School Dropout, believes his time in summer school this year will be “way cooler” than his previous stint during middle school. “I was in seventh grade, and I didn’t do my biggest project and so I was ‘sick’ before...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: Mark MicchelliVideo
Mark Micchelli considers his new album “Glitched-On Bop” to be a spiritual successor to “Switched-On Bach,” a 1968 album by Wendy Carlos that was the first to use synthesizers to create classical music. “‘Glitched-On Bop’ is a jazz piano record with layers of electronic processing piled on top. All of...
Q&A: Mike Campbell brings The Dirty Knobs to Pittsburgh, reflects on time with Tom PettyVideo
After spending more than 40 years riding shotgun alongside Tom Petty with the Heartbreakers, guitarist Mike Campbell is feeling more and more comfortable as the frontman of his own band. And his time leading Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs has him appreciating what he didn’t have to do in...
Q&A: Dance music artist Kiesza opening her Dancing and Crying tour in PittsburghVideo
As dance music artist Kiesza prepares to release “Dancing and Crying: Vol. 2” on Friday, the Canadian electropop singer reflected on which of the two acts she’d been doing more of in 2025. “I’ll be doing more dancing the second half of this year, and I did more crying the...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: Rachel Whitcomb
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...
Review: Guitarist Ace Frehley dives into Kiss history in Pittsburgh area showVideo
Ace Frehley didn’t rock and roll all night on Friday, with the former Kiss guitarist’s show at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille in Warrendale ending shortly before 11 p.m. But “The Spaceman” showed why countless guitar players derived inspiration from his Kiss heyday, as he and his band took a dive into...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: The Pump Fakes
Earlier this year, The Pump Fakes released their first new album in 14 years, with several reasons for the big gap. “The easy answer is the pandemic,” singer/guitarist Patrick Maloney said, “but it was really that and the changes within the band lineup and trying to narrow it down to...
Review: Pantera opens Heaviest Tour of the Summer in PittsburghVideo
Touted as the Heaviest Tour of the Summer, Tuesday night’s Pantera/Amon Amarth/SNAFU show at the Pavilion at Star Lake more than lived up to the billing. Pantera opened their tour at Star Lake, getting in several days of rehearsals at the venue after earlier opening shows for Metallica, festival appearances...
The Head and the Heart guitarist Matty Gervais on band’s ‘new beginning’ ahead of Aperture tour stop in PittsburghVideo
Just as The Head and the Heart guitarist Matty Gervais started talking about the influence having a new child had on the band’s latest album, who should crawl on to his left shoulder but his older daughter, 4-year-old Franny? The indie folk rock band’s sixth album, “Aperture,” came together as...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: The Long HuntVideo
The Long Hunt, a heavy instrumental band based in Pittsburgh, are releasing their next album “Natural Order” on July 18 — “a labor of love and an artifact of where we are musically at the present moment,” according to guitarist Trevor Richards. “To me, it’s very evocative,” said bassist Allison...
Review: Pop-soul singer Teddy Swims’ career keeps getting bigger, just like his Pittsburgh crowdsVideo
The career of pop-soul singer Teddy Swims has come a long way in five years, going from posting YouTube covers in 2019 and 2020 to a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist this year. At Pittsburgh’s Stage AE, those achievements can be measured in feet. Swims played the Club at...
Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson talks collabs with Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors ahead of Pittsburgh tour stop
Over the course of their almost 40-year career, Arizona alternative rockers Gin Blossoms have hit the road extensively with Spin Doctors, but they’ve never toured with Blues Traveler. Until now. The trio of bands, which all scored huge radio hits in the 1990s, is together for a summer tour, which...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: Arden WebsterVideo
Written over the past three years, Arden Webster’s debut album “Flight Risk” encapsulates her “journey into young adulthood through my own heartbreak and healing” in a mix of country, folk and indie music. “The album is largely a journey of self-discovery,” she said, “of getting so lost you in turn...
Paul McCartney’s Got Back tour includes Pittsburgh date this fall
Paul McCartney is getting back to Pittsburgh for the first time in more than 10 years. The Beatles icon announced his national Got Back tour on Thursday, including a Nov. 11 stop at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m....
Gin Blossoms singer Robin Wilson talks collabs with Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors ahead of Pittsburgh tour stop
Over the course of their almost 40-year career, Arizona alternative rockers Gin Blossoms have hit the road extensively with Spin Doctors, but they’ve never toured with Blues Traveler. Until now. The trio of bands, which all scored huge radio hits in the 1990s, is together for a summer tour, which...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: The ZellsVideo
The Zells released a pair of singles — “Dog’s Night” and “You Are Not the Moon” — on July 1 as the band looks forward to even more new music down the road. “The plan is to start recording our third full length album in early 2026,” bassist Roman Benty...
Poison drummer Rikki Rockett revamps classic rock songs with The Rockett MafiaVideo
When Poison drummer Rikki Rockett brings his new group The Rockett Mafia to town, even he isn’t 100% sure about what’s going to be played. “We change our mind every other day, I swear to God. That’s what’s cool is, whatever you see this time, you probably will not see...
Former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, a Pittsburgh native, dies at 73
Former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, a native of Pittsburgh, died Monday at age 73. Shooter died after battling esophageal cancer, according to several reports. A 1969 graduate of Bethel Park High School, Shooter plotted stories for DC Comics as a teenager, created dozens of characters for several companies and...
Pittsburgh’s Frame and Mantle release 2nd album, ‘Well of Light’Video
Pittsburgh’s Frame and Mantle could be described as indie rock or post-emo, but a cursory listen on Spotify might give the impression that horns play a larger role. “I think that’s what people gravitate toward mainly, if they’re a listener, which I love,” guitarist Brian Thompson said. “That’s awesome that...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: Stereo ScandalVideo
When Stereo Scandal put together their first album in 2023, the band’s members were still getting used to each other and focused on coming up with enough material to start playing shows. Their new EP, “Dancing in the Ashes,” is the next step in their evolution. “On this release, there...
The Lumineers, Pantera, Wiz Khalifa among July’s top concerts in Pittsburgh
The Billy Joel-Rod Stewart show slated for July 5 at Acrisure Stadium would have been the highlight of the month before health concerns forced the entire tour’s cancellation. There are still plenty of big shows coming to the Pittsburgh area in July, including Pittsburgh’s own Wiz Khalifa: Top concerts July...
Adam Sandler visiting Pittsburgh for comedy show this fallVideo
Comedian Adam Sandler will bring his You’re My Best Friend tour to Pittsburgh this fall. Sandler, who’s starred in comedies like “Happy Gilmore,” “Billy Madison” and “Grown Ups,” will perform on Sept. 20 at PPG Paints Arena. Tickets go on sale to the general public at noon Friday at ticketmaster.com....
Q&A: Stone Temple Pilots move forward with new singer Jeff Gutt: ‘I don’t think it’s sunk in yet’Video
It’s been almost eight years since Jeff Gutt became Stone Temple Pilots’ singer, and he still finds it hard to believe sometimes. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Gutt said with a laugh. “Every now and then, I’ve got to pinch myself, usually when we’re about to go on...
Western Pa. bands receive Josie Music Award nominations
Western Pennsylvania is well-represented in nominations for the 11th annual Jose Music Awards, which celebrate independent music: Alle-Kiski rock band Sourmash Group of the year, rock Song of the year, rock/alt rock/metal (duo/group alumni), “No More” Vocalist of the year, rock/metal (male), Tim Henry Musician of the year, bass, Dave...
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...
