Pittsburgh homeless initiative’s annual bluegrass concert goes virtual
Four area bands will hit the virtual stage during the annual bluegrass festival to benefit St. Joseph House of Hospitality, a homeless outreach program of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The long-running concert usually takes place in Synod Hall in Oakland. Because of the pandemic, this year’s program...
Pittsburgh punk rockers Anti-Flag launch Patreon accountVideo
With most live music venues shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, bands have had to get creative to survive. Shows at drive-in movie theaters, concerts on livestreams and expanded merchandise lines have helped some musicians. Pittsburgh-based Anti-Flag launched its “No Borders. No Nation” Patreon account with different membership tiers...
Apollo native Dan Swank gets gig with favorite band All Time Low
How many music lovers dream of getting onstage with a favorite band? How many actually get a chance to do it? Apollo native Dan Swank is one of the lucky ones. In 2020, he became a member of his all-time favorite band, All Time Low. Working with the band as...
Rapper DMX on life support after heart attack, lawyer says
DMX’s longtime New York-based lawyer, Murray Richman, said the rapper was on life support Saturday evening at White Plains Hospital. “He had a heart attack. He’s quite ill,” Richman said. Richman said he could not confirm reports that DMX, 50, overdosed on drugs and was not sure what caused the...
Mschf stops shipping Lil Nas X’s ‘Satan Shoes’ after Nike gets a restraining order
Looks like Lil Nas X’s “Satan Shoes” collaboration has taken a step too far. The Hollywood Reporter said this week that fulfillment of orders of the controversial sneaker has stopped after a U.S. District Court in New York approved Nike’s request for a temporary restraining order against Mschf, the Brooklyn-based...
The Clarks to play Rivers Casino in May
The Clarks are playing their first indoor show since early 2020. The band announced Friday that they are playing a show May 15 in the Event Center at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. Limited tickets are on sale now to remain “safe and distanced,” according to a social media post from The...
Stick man: Black Keys drummer to fill in for Indians regular
CLEVELAND — The Indians will use a pinch-drummer for their home opener. With long-time drummer and ballpark fixture John Adams recovering from heart surgery and unable to attend his first opener in Cleveland in 48 years, Black Keys drummer and life-long Indians fan Patrick Carney will fill in and pound...
Murrysville native accepted into International Opera Academy in Italy
Saint Vincent College junior Justin Massetto of Murrysville was accepted to the prestigious International Opera Academy in Bologna, Italy, becoming the second member of his family to gain entry. Massetto is a music performance major, with minors in sacred music, mathematics and computer science, and a graduate of Franklin Regional...
Things to do in Western Pa.: March 31, 2021
Have you ever wanted to hear “Old McDonald” played by an orchestra? Learn more about Bigfoot or acupuncture? Dance to some funk in the privacy of your own home? Now is your chance, with these upcoming events. The details are here, in this week’s Big List. Art • Online art...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s livestream concerts get another round
“Always leave them wanting more” is an old saw of the entertainment business. Westmoreland Cultural Trust did that with The VIP Experience, its recent weekly livestream concert series. The free concerts were so popular that the Trust has renewed the series for a second run. The first series aired Jan....
Ariana Grande joins ‘The Voice,’ gets millions of social media likes in an hour
Ariana Grande is joining “The Voice” for its next season. The pop star will be a coach for the NBC show’s 21st season. surprise !!! i am beyond thrilled, honored, excited to be joining @kellyclarkson @johnlegend @blakeshelton next season ~ season 21 of @nbcthevoice ! ? @nickjonas we will miss...
Things to do in Western Pa.: March 24, 2021
Literature is in the spotlight this week, with award-winning writers in conversation and reading from their works. There’s also new art, dance, film and music to enjoy. For the kids, there’s an ‘eggs-citing” adventure on the grounds of an area museum. The details are here, in this week’s Big List....
The Clarks to play Butler drive-in in June
The Clarks are set to play the band’s first in-person show of 2021. The Pittsburgh rock band on Tuesday announced a show at the Starlight Drive-In in Butler on June 5. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are on sale...
Kenny Chesney postpones 2021 tour, including Pittsburgh stop
Country music star Kenny Chesney has postponed his entire 2021 tour — including a stop at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field — for the second time because of the coronavirus pandemic. Chesney announced Tuesday on social media that the tour would be pushed back to 2022. The Chillaxifacation tour was originally supposed...
Pittsburgh dating scene inspires New Hazlett Theater’s ‘Local Singles’Video
He heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend — and it inspired him to write a musical. The playwright is Nick Navari of Pine, the musical is “Local Singles” and the story is about a support group for local singles. “A friend of mine told me...
Ruffs Dale bassoonist, 17, earns Friday Evening Music Club’s Gardner Scholarship
Until Walter Vinoski was 11, he couldn’t have told you what a bassoon even was. Now the 17-year-old Yough senior is the Friday Evening Music Club’s 2021 Mildred Gardner Scholarship Competition winner, earning $1,000 through this year’s virtual competition. He is a member of the Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra and...
Stage Right’s operetta a safe pandemic haven for veteran Greensburg actor
The cast of Stage Right’s “The Pirates of Penzance” includes an actor who has traded the bright lights of the big city — at least temporarily — for the safety of his home town. “I came back to Greensburg last March to do a show at Stage Right that, obviously,...
Paul Stanley makes new music, but not with KissVideo
Veteran rocker Paul Stanley has a new album with his Soul Station project, but fans waiting for new Kiss material may be out of luck. Making the rounds in interviews this week, the “Starchild” said the band’s debut album, “Now and Then,” is inspired by and a tribute to classic...
Review: Kiss star man Paul Stanley shows a whole lotta soulVideo
Paul Stanley’s Soul Station, “Now and Then” (uDiscover) The love guns have all been unloaded and securely holstered, and Detroit is soul city, not rock city this time out as Paul Stanley, ringleader of the four-ring circus known as Kiss, pays homage to classic soul on a new solo album....
Pittsburgh Opera explores 900 years of work by women composers
Pittsburgh Opera will explore 900 years of music by women composers in an upcoming free concert. Called “Women’s March,” the 55-minute program will stream on the opera’s YouTube channel at 7 p.m. March 26. “Certainly, the opera has performed music by women composers before, but this is the first time...
Yinz Citizen virtual concert to return in September with Pittsburgh musicians
On the heels of a successful event that raised $54,000 last November for 412 Food Rescue, the “Yinz Citizen” virtual concert is returning this year. The event will take place on Sept. 16. The inaugural virtual show brought together 25 local bands and artists including Wiz Khalifa, Joe Grushecky, The...
Get out your green for in-person return of Pittsburgh Irish Festival
Irish eyes will be smiling at this news. The 30th annual Pittsburgh Irish Festival is being planned as an in-person event. Its return was announced Tuesday, the day before St. Patrick’s Day. “We are trying to be creative,” said Mairin Petrone, the festival’s executive director. “Our slogan is ‘Irish eyes...
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift make history at the GrammysVideo
The Grammys are drunk in love with Beyoncé and Taylor Swift: the singers both made history at the 2021 show. Swift, 31, became first woman to win album of the year three times. “We just want to thank the fans,” said Swift, who won the top prize with “folklore.” Swift...
Dan + Shay, Justin Bieber win country Grammy AwardVideo
Justin Bieber is a Grammy winner in the country genre for his “10,000 Hours” collaboration with Dan + Shay. Dan + Shay accepted the best country duo/group performance Grammy virtually. Bieber did not appear during the Grammys Premiere Ceremony, where the majority of Sunday’s awards are bestowed. Dan + Shay...
Dutch inventor of audio cassette tape, Lou Ottens, dies at age 94
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Lou Ottens, the Dutch inventor of the cassette tape, the medium of choice for millions of bedroom mix tapes, has died, said Philips, the company where he also helped develop the compact disc. Ottens died Saturday at age 94, Philips confirmed. A structural engineer who trained...
