Mike Palm stories, Page 16
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis deliver powerful punk/jazz punch in Pittsburgh showVideo
The Messthetics are not a typical jazz band by any means. With a rhythm section comprised of bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty — both formerly of punk legends Fugazi — alongside guitarist Anthony Pirog, the Messthetics blur the lines between jazz and punk. On their third album, the...
Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour visits Westmoreland County in SeptemberVideo
Luke Bryan is coming to Westmoreland County this fall. The country music star’s annual Farm Tour will visit Cunningham Family Farm in South Huntingdon on Sept. 28. The farm is located at 355 Fitz Henry Road. Bryan, who also serves as a judge on “American Idol,” is known for songs...
Young Rising Sons’ Andy Tongren on ‘(Un)Happy Hour,’ silver linings and singlesVideo
After a session spent writing songs in Los Angeles, the members of Young Rising Sons decided to go to a bar and grab some drinks. Their arrival, just one minute after happy hour ended, ultimately led to a song — “(Un)Happy Hour,” their latest single — with the concepts and...
The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy on double album, love song … and DokkenVideo
Colin Meloy, the frontman for the Decemberists, laughed when he was informed of a band listed under the influences header on the group’s Wikipedia page. Listed among contemporaries like The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins and Modest Mouse, one group stuck out: Dokken, a 1980s glam metal...
Patty Griffin, Micky Dolenz, Paula Cole highlight Allegheny County Summer Concert Series
A two-time Grammy winner, the last surviving member of The Monkees and a singer whose song became ubiquitous with a 1990s TV show are some of the biggest names in this year’s Allegheny County Summer Concert Series, announced Wednesday. The concert series, with shows at South Park Amphitheater and Hartwood...
Metal veterans Slipknot marks 25th anniversary of debut record with tour including Pittsburgh stopVideo
Heavy metal titans Slipknot will mark the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with a tour, including a stop this summer in Pittsburgh. The masked metal band will play the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown on Aug. 7. They’ll be joined by Knocked Loose and Orbit Culture. The...
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis discuss jazz/punk band ahead of Pittsburgh concert
Brendan Canty, the former drummer for hardcore pioneers Fugazi, jokingly surmised that having a record out before going on tour has proven beneficial for The Messthetics, his current jazz/punk band. “Having people come to the shows that have actually heard the record is not something that I’ve always been good...
Billie Eilish’s world tour includes Pittsburgh stop this fallVideo
With a new album coming out in a few weeks, Billie Eilish announced her world tour, with a stop in Pittsburgh. Eilish, the 22-year-old with multiple Grammy Awards, will play PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 13 on the Hit Me Hard and Soft tour. “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” her...
They Might Be Giants, Sleep Token, Noah Kahan highlight top Pittsburgh concerts in May
Pittsburgh’s concert season is starting to pick up steam, with the year’s first Pavilion at Star Lake show, which has been been sold out for months. Other highlights include a sold-out three night stand by a quirky alternative rock band, as well as the first arena show for a rising...
Brooklyn’s Bodega puts on art punk party in Pittsburgh concertVideo
The lyrical content for Brooklyn’s Bodega may be serious — the absurdity of modern life, consumerism, technology, identity and more — but the messages are wrapped up in catchy, post-punk nuggets. In their show Wednesday at Club Cafe on Pittsburgh’s South Side, Bodega showcased their newest album, “Our Band Could...
Pitbull’s Party After Dark tour hits Pittsburgh in SeptemberVideo
Rapper Pitbull is bringing his Party After Dark tour to the Pittsburgh area later this year. Pitbull, known for songs like “Timber,” “Rain Over Me” and “Give Me Everything,” will play at the Pavilion at Star Lake on Sept. 18. He’ll be joined by rapper T-Pain. Related • We reviewed...
Pittsburgh’s Eyewash continues evolution with heavy new single ‘Bound’
The evolution of Pittsburgh band Eyewash continues with its latest single, “Bound,” which came out earlier this month. Conceived during the pandemic, Eyewash formed in late 2021, started playing shows in 2022 and released its self-titled debut EP in March 2023. Bassist Rachel Hines founded the band with guitarist Alex...
Blues guitarist Coco Montoya discusses new album ‘Writing on the Wall,’ making move from drumsVideo
At 72, touring isn’t getting any easier for blues guitarist Coco Montoya, but it’s still rewarding. “It’s definitely not gonna make me a millionaire,” he said Tuesday in a phone call from Charlotte, N.C., “but it is something that I definitely love what I’m doing.” That love for the road...
Minor Moon’s Sam Cantor discusses new album ‘The Light Up Waltz’ ahead of Pittsburgh show
The new album from Minor Moon, a Chicago-based alt country/rock band, comes amid a period of personal stability for the band’s mastermind, Sam Cantor. “The Light Up Waltz,” released April 12 by Ruination Record Co., balances the positives in his life while also examining what’s happening in the outside world....
Family celebrates Henry Mancini’s legacy on what would have been his 100th birthday
Update: The video for “Pink Panther,” the second single from “The Henry Mancini 100th Sessions — Henry Has Company,” featuring Lizzo and Sir James Galway both on flute, dropped on May 31. When famed composer Henry Mancini discussed his childhood with his family, he made sure to stress exactly where...
The Garment District’s Jennifer Baron on physical media, vintage instruments, new releasesVideo
For Jennifer Baron, the multi-instrumentalist behind Pittsburgh band The Garment District, physical media is important. The thousands of albums — from vinyl (45s, 12-inchers and 78s) and eight tracks to cassettes and CDs — spread throughout her home are proof enough, alongside turntables on two different floors. “I would say...
Aerosmith restarting farewell tour with 1st night in Pittsburgh
Aerosmith will be saying “Another Last Goodbye” to Pittsburgh. The legendary rock band announced Wednesday that they would be resuming their Peace Out tour, starting Sept. 20 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. The band’s farewell tour had been postponed last year because of a vocal injury to lead singer...
Real Estate singer Martin Courtney on new album ‘Daniel,’ recording process, fun gimmicksVideo
The recording process for Real Estate’s latest album, “Daniel,” turned out to be a vastly, and purposefully, different experience than their last record, 2020’s “The Main Thing.” Real Estate, an indie rock band that formed in 2008 in New Jersey, is on the road in support of the new album,...
British metal pioneers Girlschool deliver rocking chaos in Pittsburgh showVideo
In 46 years of playing music with Girlschool, singer/rhythm guitarist Kim McAuliffe has probably seen it all. So a guitar breaking mid-song Thursday night didn’t faze her, as she handed off the guitar, leaned on the shoulder of bassist Tracey Lamb and wondered what to do with her suddenly idle...
$uicideboy$ to play Pittsburgh in September on 2024 Grey Day tourVideo
$uicideboy$, an underground punk/rap group, have announced their annual Grey Day tour is coming back to Pittsburgh. The duo out of New Orleans will play on Sept. 29 at PPG Paints Arena, with Denzel Curry, Pouya, Haarper, Shakewell and Ekkstacy opening the show. Earlier this year, the group announced they’d...
The Brook & the Bluff discuss ‘Bluebeard’ album, road trips, live experienceVideo
The Brook & the Bluff, a Nashville-based, Alabama-raised indie folk band, just recently passed 200,000 miles in their touring van on their way to Colorado. “Thinking about how big that number is, it’s pretty crazy,” said frontman Joseph Settine. “I want to know how many hours we logged in that...
Comic book world reacts to death of Munhall artist/writer Ed Piskor
Artists and writers took to social media to react to the death of Ed Piskor, the Munhall-based artist/writer of “Hip Hop Family Tree” and “X-Men: Grand Design,” who died Monday. Piskor also co-created the YouTube channel Cartoonist Kayfabe alongside fellow Pittsburgh area artist Jim Rugg. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust recently...
Girlschool’s Kim McAuliffe still going strong after 45+ years of rockingVideo
Girlschool, touted as the longest-running all-female rock band, toured plenty of times with their British compatriots Motörhead over the course of almost 40 years. Guitarist Kim McAuliffe can clearly remember one of their early encounters. After early trepidation about meeting them — “we’d only seen a photograph of them, and...
Country star Sam Hunt bringing Locked Up tour to Star Lake this summerVideo
Country music star Sam Hunt is bringing his Locked Up tour to the Pittsburgh area later this summer. Hunt’s tour, named after his soon-to-be released EP, will visit the Pavilion at Star Lake on July 20. He’ll be joined by Russell Dickerson and George Birge. His new EP, “Locked Up,”...
Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign cancel ‘Vultures’ listening party in PittsburghVideo
Rappers Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign were slated to bring the “Vultures 1 and 2 Listening Experience” to Pittsburgh. But it wound up being scrapped not long after the social media posts went out. After a Friday announcement of the “hi-fidelity audio experience” set for April 9 at PPG...
