SZA leads 2024 Grammy nominations as women outpace men in leading categories
LOS ANGELES — Killing her ex? That’s a bad idea. Writing “Kill Bill” and releasing her critically acclaimed sophomore album “SOS” earlier this year? That was a great one. SZA is the lead contender for the 66th Grammy Awards, with nine nominations announced Friday. “Kill Bill,” her revenge anthem cloaked...
2024 Grammy nomination snubs and surprises: No K-pop, little country and regional Mexican music
LOS ANGELES — With new categories, SZA, and “Barbie” — there’s a lot to discuss regarding the 2024 Grammy Award nominations. Who didn’t make the cut? What were the best surprises of all? Let’s take a look. New blood? There’s a lot to love about the nominations for the 66th...
’90s-era Pittsburgh ska outfit Skankin’ Homer to play rare reunion show on Saturday
Brian Seese returned to his native Pittsburgh in 1996 after two years in Las Vegas with a bug on his mind. “I wanted to start a ska band,” said Seese, now 48, a utility company worker and father of two who’s planning to move from Butler County to Bellevue. “I...
Indie trio AJR bringing The Maybe Man tour to Pittsburgh next summerVideo
AJR, an indie pop trio comprised of brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, are hitting the road for their first arena tour, which includes a stop in Pittsburgh. The multi-platinum group bring their The Maybe Man tour to PPG Paints Arena on June 25, 2024. Their fifth and latest album,...
Hozier extends Unreal Unearth tour to include summer stop at Star LakeVideo
Irish singer-songwriter Hozier is extending his Unreal Unearth tour into 2024, with a stop planned for the Pittsburgh area. The indie folk darling, best known for his 2013 hit “Take Me to Church,” will play July 29 at the Pavilion at Star Lake on a tour named after his latest...
Lainey Wilson wins 5 CMA Awards including entertainer of the year, album of the year
Lainey Wilson took home five trophies including entertainer of the year Wednesday night at the Country Music Association Awards. The 31-year-old Louisiana singer was the undisputed star of the night at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, where she also was named female vocalist of the year, won album of the year for...
CMA Awards will pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett during a show hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The CMA Awards are back Wednesday to honor the top artists in country music, with Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde and Morgan Wallen among the acts hitting the stage. Wilson is the leading nominee for the second year in a row, competing for entertainer of the...
Singer Don McLean on the lasting legacy of ‘American Pie,’ new music and cancel cultureVideo
Singer Don McLean considers himself lucky that he still actually enjoys the song that made him famous. That would be “American Pie,” the nearly nine-minute anthem that sits in the top 5 in the “Songs of the Century” list by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment...
Rapper Frzy to perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Harvey Daniels has a DVD of Jay-Z performing with the London Symphony Orchestra, which was the first time a hip-hop star collaborated with a full orchestra. Daniels, the rapper known as Frzy, watches that DVD before every performance he does. Daniels will create a similar production with the Pittsburgh Symphony...
That Taylor Swift reporter job has been filled by a self-proclaimed Swiftie
LOS ANGELES — After much excitement and controversy, USA Today has hired its first-ever Taylor Swift reporter. The Gannett-owned publication announced Monday that Bryan West, an award-winning journalist, began working on the Swift beat from the chain’s the Tennessean, based near Nashville, Tenn. He joined that paper’s music team, but...
Kenny Chesney set to return to Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium in 2024Video
Kenny Chesney will headline his 12th stadium show in Pittsburgh — but his first officially at Acrisure Stadium — next spring. The chart-topping country singer is bringing his Sun Goes Down tour to the North Shore on June 1. He’ll be joined by Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Uncle...
New Edition announces Las Vegas residency dates starting in late February after touring for 2 years
LOS ANGELES — R&B group New Edition will bring their New Jack Swing tunes to Las Vegas early next year. The Grammy-nominated sextet announced Monday that New Edition: Las Vegas will kick off Feb. 28. The group confirmed six residency shows at the Wynn Las Vegas’ Encore Theater, where acts...
Hootie & the Blowfish bringing Summer Camp with Trucks tour to Star LakeVideo
Hootie & the Blowfish will be back in Pittsburgh for the first time in four years next summer. The band is scheduled to play June 29 at the Pavilion at Star Lake on their Summer Camp with Trucks tour. They’ll be joined by special guests Collective Soul and Edwin McCain....
Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce on touring, ‘Amazing Grace’ rerelease and modern musicVideo
Jason Pierce, the mastermind behind the English band Spiritualized, doesn’t quite know how many years of touring he has in him. “It’s hard to say, isn’t it?” Pierce said with laugh in a phone call from London earlier this week. “I think as long as we’re as good as we...
Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott and Chaka Khan make the crowd go wild at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
NEW YORK — Sheryl Crow and Olivia Rodrigo kicked off the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday night and Missy Elliott closed the show more than four hours later with a roof-shaking set, as the hall celebrated a strong representation of women and Black artists. Chaka...
Watch the Beatles’ video for ‘Now and Then’Video
One day after the last new Beatles song, “Now and Then,” was released, the accompanying video, directed by Peter Jackson, has made its debut. The video brings the band back together — using new and old footage in studio and on stage. “To be honest, just thinking about the responsibility...
McCandless piano teacher inducted into Steinway’s educator hall of fame
When Marina Lupinacci was only 4, her father, a piano teacher and musicologist in Romania, was checking her musical aptitude. By age 10, it was decided that she should pursue a career in music. That was more than six decades ago. Today, after a career teaching music at West Virginia...
Listen to the last new Beatles song with John, Paul, George, Ringo and AI tech: ‘Now and Then’Video
LOS ANGELES — The final Beatles recording is here. Titled “Now and Then,” the almost impossible-to-believe track is four minutes and eight seconds of the first and only original Beatles recording of the 21st century. There’s a countdown, then acoustic guitar strumming and piano bleed into the unmistakable vocal tone...
Green Day, with Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid, coming to PNC Park next September
Green Day are going on a huge tour next year to celebrate 30 years of “Dookie” and 20 years of “American Idiot” and they the are planning a Pittsburgh stop. Green Day, with Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and the Linda Lindas, are bring the Saviors Tour to PNC Park in Pittsburgh...
Saxophonist brings 6 decades of musical dedication to Monroeville concert
The sounds emerging from his father’s bedroom prompted young Calvin Stemley to knock on the door one day. How was it, the boy wondered, that Zackery Stemley Jr. could produce dazzling melodies just by using the three buttons on his trumpet? “Instead of him answering the question, he said, ‘Have...
Huey Lewis’ rom-com musical ‘The Heart of Rock & Roll’ finds a stage on Broadway in spring
NEW YORK — Huey Lewis, who with his band The News stormed radio in the 1980s with such rock-pop hits as “The Power of Love” and “I Want a New Drug,” is about to take his music to a Broadway stage. Lewis and executive producer Hunter Arnold tell The Associated...
Minneapolis trio Barbaro discuss new ‘About the Winter’ album, band’s growth and soundVideo
With their new album “About the Winter,” the Minneapolis trio Barbaro tried to put more emphasis on, for lack of a better description, substance over style. “The big goal for us this time around was to kind of focus on the song and craft a nice-sounding piece,” said singer/guitarist Kyle...
Country singer Jordana Bryant on missing Pennsylvania, turning 18 and Christmas musicVideo
It’s been more than a year since rising country singer Jordana Bryant officially made the move from outside Philadelphia to Nashville. It’s been a relatively smooth transition for the 18-year-old, but there are at least two things she misses about Pennsylvania. ”Yes, I definitely miss Wawa,” she said with a...
Creed’s reunion tour includes August show at Star LakeVideo
A reunited Creed, which climbed “Higher” in the charts during the late 1990s, is hitting the road for the first time in more than a decade. The band’s Summer of ’99 tour will visit the Pittsburgh area, with show Aug. 3, 2024, at the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown....
New Kids on the Block bringing Magic Summer tour to Star LakeVideo
New Kids on the Block are diving back into the past for their Magic Summer tour, which includes a stop in the Pittsburgh area next year. The biggest boy band of the 1980s, New Kids on the Block are reimagining their 1990 blockbuster Magic Summer tour, with a show on...
