Carnegie Science Center to showcase rock-themed films on giant screen
The Carnegie Science Center’s Rangos Giant Cinema wants to take you to school this summer. The school of rock, that is. Pittsburgh’s largest screen is showing a series of rock ’n’ roll films showcasing pioneers of the 1960s sound, English rock royalty, and jam band titans. The list includes the...
South African musician Johnny Clegg dies at 66 after cancer
JOHANNESBURG — Johnny Clegg, a South African musician who performed in defiance of racial barriers imposed by the apartheid system decades ago and celebrated its new democracy under Nelson Mandela, died Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 66. The British-born singer sometimes called the “White Zulu” died...
Ben Folds will hit Pittsburgh for concert, event for new book
Fans of Ben Folds will have two opportunities to see the singer-songwriter in the Pittsburgh area. On Aug. 5, the multi-platinum-selling musician will display another kind of writing talent, appearing at an event in support of his new memoir, “A Dream About Lightning Bugs,” from 7-9 p.m. at the First...
Meek Mill seeks new trial, judge after decade-long probation
Lawyers for Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill will ask an appeals court Tuesday to overturn a 2008 drug and gun conviction that’s kept the Philadelphia rapper on probation for a decade. The city judge who oversees the case and sent him to prison in 2017 on a parole violation has a...
Diddy’s ‘Making the Band’ coming back to TV
Diddy’s “Making the Band” is officially coming back to TV. The music mogul announced Monday that the hit series, where he discovered groups including platinum-sellers Danity Kane, would return to MTV in 2020. “Making the Band” made its debut on ABC in 2000 when Lou Pearlman, who managed the Backstreet...
Barbie goes glam rock to honor David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust
Barbie has been many things over the years. Now, she’s dressed as Ziggy Stardust. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of David Bowie’s iconic “Space Oddity,” Barbie overseers at Mattel released a collectible version of the doll dressed as Ziggy Stardust, one of his most beloved alter...
Metallica kids book about the band coming in the fall
“Exit light / Enter night / Take my hand / We’re off to never-never land” If you’re looking for a different bedtime story book for your kids, Metallica might have something for you. The heavy metal heavy-weights announced last week that they are releasing “The ABCs of Metallica” in November...
Youth chorus group will host ‘Summer Singers’ camp in August
The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus will host its annual “Summer Singers” day camp Aug. 5-9 at the Pittsburgh Opera headquarters in the city’s Strip District neighborhood. The camp is for children ages 7-10, and will teach fundamental vocal skills along with hosting fun activities and special guests. Children are encouraged to...
Laurel Harmony Chorus seeks additions to its sweet soundVideo
Outside the Trinity United Church of Christ on Greensburg’s Main Street, the sweet sounds of singing fill the evening air. It’s not choir practice, but rather chorus practice — as in the Laurel Harmony Chorus, Greensburg’s chapter of the Sweet Adelines International. The all-female, four-part harmony, barbershop-style group practices each...
Mister Rogers’ ‘fantastical’ operas coming to Pittsburgh stage
The gentle goodness of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” touched millions of families. The show was so successful and individual that it became an American icon, which will be reflected in Tom Hanks’s new film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” scheduled for release on Nov. 22. The television program reflected the...
Jeannette’s You Are Here hosts singer, acoustic guitarist Kelly Zullo
Ohio native Kelly Zullo, described as a one-person band, will bring her acoustic show to You Are Here: A Place for Art in Jeannette. Zullo, who won the Columbus Songwriter Association competition’s “best songwriter” category, fuses funk, jazz and Americana, and will perform from 7-9 p.m. July 18 at the...
Bruce Hornsby’s new album doesn’t stick with ‘just the way it is’
Bruce Hornsby hit the music scene hard in the late 1980s with hits like “The Way It Is” and “Mandolin Rain,” featuring his high, clear vocals and bright, syncopated piano-playing. So distinctive is his style that it’s spawned articles like “5 Ways to Play Like Bruce Hornsby,” a 2014 Keyboard...
KC and the Sunshine Band will light up Rivers CasinoVideo
In the 1970s, one artist who surely seemed to have his finger on the pulse of what type of songs would be hits at top 40 radio was Harry Wayne Casey. The man who would become known to millions as KC of KC and the Sunshine Band enjoyed some minor...
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble continues to innovate
The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble is relentless in its pursuit of new ways to make concerts more meaningful experiences. When current artistic director Kevin Noe took over the group in 2000, he introduced the “Theatre of Music” approach, which brings the drama, lighting, sound and stage design of the theatre...
Craig Morgan tops bill at Indiana County country show
Country music star Craig Morgan will headline the 45th annual Fraternal Order of Police Rhododendron Lodge No. 33 Country Music Show July 14 in Indiana County. The concert begins at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Indiana County Fairgrounds in White Township’s Mack Park. The Andy Davis Band of Southwestern Pennsylvania...
Primanti Bros. debuts Wiz Khalifa ‘Black and Yellow’ sandwich
What would Wiz eat? From now until July 20, Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa can chow down on Primanti Bros. exclusive “Black and Yellow” sandwich. To celebrate Khalifa’s return home for a concert July 20 at KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown, Primanti Bros. is offering a tribute to Wiz, featuring “a half-pound...
Penn-Trafford grad will join Shinedown onstage at KeyBank PavilionVideo
When hard rock band Shinedown takes the stage Wednesday at KeyBank Pavilion, Penn-Trafford High School alumni from the late ’90s and early 2000s will see a familiar face onstage. Josh Sturm of Murrysville, a 2000 Penn-Trafford graduate, will join the band onstage after a brief stint filling in for bassist...
Daughtry, with ‘American Idol’ frontman, to play Palace TheatreVideo
Rock band Daughtry, fronted by “American Idol” alum Chris Daughtry, will play a show Oct. 20 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Tickets are $59.75-$79.75 and go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. July 12 at 724-836-8000, thepalacetheatre.org and druskyent.com A promoter presale will be held 10 a.m.-10...
New Kids on the Block’s Donnie Wahlberg dances his way through Hersheypark
One way to unwind before performing your hits in an amusement park is to dance along to the beat of a passing band. New Kids On The Block member Donnie Wahlberg grabbed a friend Saturday afternoon and cut a jig through Hersheypark a few hours prior to the band’s show....
Stevie Wonder says he’s getting a kidney transplant
LONDON — Stevie Wonder surprised concertgoers in London on Saturday night by announcing that he will take a break from performing so that he can receive a kidney transplant this fall. The 69-year-old music legend made the announcement after performing “Superstition” at the end of a packed British Summer Time...
Shinedown show is ‘all killer, no filler’Video
Talk to Brent Smith for a few minutes and it becomes clear that there’s never going to be any rest for Shinedown. Nor will the multi-million-selling, hit-generating rock band ever get stuck in its ways. The latter translates to everything from switching up the band’s record-setting stage show to finding...
Deutschtown Music Festival brings more than 300 bands to 30 venues on North SideVideo
It might seem that, after six years of organizing the Deutschtown Music Festival, the logistics would get easier. But when more than 300 bands and 30-some venues are involved, it’s always a challenge, according to organizer Ben Soltesz. “It keeps getting bigger,” said Soltesz, 46, of Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood....
‘Old Town Road’ now longest-running No. 1 hip-hop songVideo
He’s on the Old Town Road to success. Lil Nas X earned the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the 13th consecutive week — the longest for any hip-hop record — with his breakout single “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. The artist beat out “See You...
Thomas Rhett taking risks, reaping rewardsVideo
Four albums into his career, Thomas Rhett has shown that while being one of country music’s top hitmakers, he also has a rebellious streak that has found him pushing the envelope on what kind of song can actually work in the country genre. This willingness to test boundaries comes naturally...
Hip-hop star Nicki Minaj to perform in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that hip-hop star Nicki Minaj will perform in the ultraconservative kingdom as it sheds decades of restrictions on entertainment. The female rapper is known for her outlandish, provocative style and hits like “Anaconda,” where she raps about her “big fat” backside. Her lyrics are often laced...
