New Tears for Fears songs ‘plumb the depths of our souls’
Creating the first Tears for Fears album of new material in 17 years didn’t initially go too well. The duo went into the studio with an array of songwriters to try and tease out a modern hit single. But they ended up with a bunch of songs that sounded like...
Gary Brooker, frontman of rock band Procol Harum, dies at 76Video
LONDON — Gary Brooker, the Procol Harum frontman who sang one of the 1960s’ most enduring hits, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” has died. He was 76. The English rock band said Brooker died at his home on Saturday. He had been receiving treatment for cancer. A statement posted on...
The Foo Fighters make a horror movieVideo
For anyone who found the band tensions that reverberate in “The Beatles: Get Back” too tame, the Foo Fighters have made a movie in which arguments over recording an album lead to a trail of dead bodies — and, no, this isn’t Yoko’s fault, either. “Studio 666,” a horror-comedy starring...
Jimmy Buffett returns to Pavilion at Star Lake this summer
Parrot Heads rejoice! Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band will be back performing at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown on July 16 as part of Jimmy Buffett’s Life On the Flip Side Redux Tour 2022. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring Jimmy Buffett back to Western...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Feb. 19-21
We’ve reached the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Undie Run Cupid’s Undie Run Pittsburgh is from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Hundreds of people are expected to participate in a 1-mile run on the North Shore while wearing underwear, costumes or tutus. McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon on...
South Fayette teen’s song to debut on Pittsburgh radio on Friday
As a 14-year-old, Aleia Snider of South Fayette was excited to be meeting “American Idol” standout Gabby Barrett after one of Barrett’s performances at the South Hills Village Mall a few years ago. “I her her through my dad (Star 100.7 FM DJ) Bubba Snider,” she said. “After hearing that...
What do you give Yoko Ono on her birthday? A tribute albumVideo
NEW YORK — Ben Gibbard wasn’t necessarily looking for music by Yoko Ono when he went record shopping a few decades ago. He was just browsing in the “O” section and stumbled on a copy of her 1973 album “Feeling the Space.” “It wasn’t super-expensive and I was like, ‘Yeah,...
Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett say Stadium Tour is happening this summerVideo
“It’s on.” Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx announced in a video released Thursday that The Stadium Tour with co-headliners Def Leppard and special guests Poison and Joan Jett is happening this summer. The mega concert featuring the four rock acts was first announced in 2019 and set for the summer...
Country stars Jason Aldean, Gabby Barrett coming to Star Lake for concert
Country singer Jason Aldean’s Rock N’ Roll Cowboy Tour has an Aug. 26 date at the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown. Pre-sale tickets will be available at 10 a.m. Thursday with the code “CURTAIN,” with public ticket sale starting at 10 a.m. Friday, both at ticketmaster.com. Munhall native Gabby...
Decades after forming Prince cover band, CAPA alumni lead tribute concert at Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Once up a time nearly four decades ago, Dwayne Fulton of Pittsburgh and his Creative and Performing Arts High School classmates Brian Edwards and Stan Howard started a band with the lofty goal of covering music by funk and R&B legend Prince. In the 1980s, Howard changed his first name...
New York jazz trio’s newest songs named for Pennsylvania disaster townsVideo
To call Moppa Elliott’s approach to music composition “loose” might be an understatement. The Pennsylvania native is a music teacher at Information Technology High School in Long Island City, N.Y., and the bassist for jazz collective Mostly Other People Do the Killing, which will perform in Pittsburgh on Feb. 23...
Boom in vinyl records goes bust for bands facing delays in manufacturing
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s favorite recording artists are starting to pay for the resurgence of vinyl. That includes the Cactus Blossoms, who released a new album last week and are anxiously returning to the road to promote it after two years of tour postponements from covid. One more problem, though: Vinyl...
Halftime Review: Dre, Snoop and friends deliver epic showVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Dr. Dre & Co. took the weight of the hip-hop culture on the Super Bowl stage, shouldered the pressure from skeptics and delivered a strong halftime show to prove that edgy rap can work at the world’s biggest sporting events. All it took was hip-hop’s most controversial...
Eddie Vedder blasts off with new solo tour and album, ‘Earthling,’ while gearing up for Pearl Jam reboot
Can anyone top Eddie Vedder when it comes to fostering unlikely musical convergences that span generations, let alone being a key link between The Beatles and Ramones? That is — to invoke the title of an obscure 1997 Pearl Jam song — hard to imagine. In 2002, Vedder inducted the...
Pittsburgh Opera season promises something for every taste, budget
There’s a misconception that opera is only for those with rarefied musical tastes and deep pockets. Pittsburgh Opera will prove otherwise with offerings in its 2022-23 season, according to general director Christopher Hahn. “We’re continuing the philosophy and mission of Pittsburgh Opera to provide as wide a range of operatic...
Pittsburgh funk music icon Betty Davis remembered: ‘She was bold’
Family members, friends and fans are remembering the public and private sides of pioneering funk musician Betty Davis of Homestead. The cult figure and subject of a 2017 documentary, “Betty — They Say I’m Different,” died Wednesday at 77. To her niece, Cheana Mabry of Carrick, she was the quiet...
Chris Young leads Academy of Country Music nominations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country star Chris Young combined his skills as an artist and a producer to earn seven nominations at the Academy of Country Music Awards, including album of the year and single of the year. The show’s co-hosts Jimmie Allen and Munhall native Gabby Barrett announced the nominations...
Singer Jimmy Mowery from ‘The Voice’ to perform at The Mall at Robinson
Music is a lot more than notes and harmonies to singer Jimmy Mowery. It’s a way to honor his late father who was shot and killed on Thanksgiving Day when Mowery was 11 years old. He turned to music to heal, a career his father gave up to get a...
River City Brass wraps 40th-anniversary season with spring programs
River City Brass will wrap up its 40th-anniversary season with a series of spring concerts in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. “This will be the end of a season post-pandemic with all concerts live and in-person,” said artistic and general director James Gourlay, who also conducts the ensemble. March will mark...
Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre postpones ‘Aqualung’ show at The Palace
Martin Barre, the longtime guitarist for progressive rock band Jethro Tull, has postponed his upcoming concert at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre: “Aqualung” 50th Anniversary Tour, originally set for 8 p.m. Thursday, has been rescheduled for 8 p.m. March 23. All tickets for the original performance...
Billie Eilish, her mom donate plant-based meals to Pittsburgh nonprofit
Billie Eilish’ s “Happier Than Ever” world tour isn’t just about feeding each city with good music. It’s about nourishing the people there. too. Before Eilish’s Tuesday performance at PPG Paints Arena, the singer supplied food to 412 Food Rescue, a Pittsburgh-based organization that prevents food from going to waste...
Greensburg Civic Theatre stages multi-award-winner ‘Rent’
Edward Bostedo loves “Rent” so much that he has a lyric from the musical tattooed on his leg. When Greensburg Civic Theatre needed a director for its upcoming production of the multiple award-winner, he applied right away and was accepted. Though the Delmont resident has been directing community theater for...
Spotify CEO says canceling Joe Rogan isn’t ‘the answer’
Joe Rogan has put Spotify in a tough spot, but the streaming giant is not ready to part ways with the popular podcast host despite intense criticism over his anti-coronavirus vaccine comments and use of racial slurs. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also said in a message to employees Sunday that...
Joe Rogan’s use of racial slurs adds to pressure on SpotifyVideo
NEW YORK — Joe Rogan’s mouth has put Spotify in a tough spot. Anti-coronavirus vaccine comments and racial slurs on some episodes of his popular podcast are forcing the streaming service to weigh difficult choices. Spotify must decide where it stands on race relations and vaccine misinformation in a society...
Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre revisiting ‘Aqualung’ album at Palace Theatre
Martin Barre, the longtime Jethro Tull guitarist, was skeptical when it was suggested he do a 50th anniversary tour for the band’s iconic “Aqualung” album. “I rejected (the idea) immediately,” he said. “Bands go out and say they’re gonna do an entire album, and essentially most albums don’t suit being...