Jon Anderson brings Yes songs to Greensburg with new generation of musiciansVideo
Jon Anderson still hasn’t given up on a Yes reunion. He knows Yes fans have spent 18 years hoping the surviving members of the seminal prog rock group would achieve some sort of détente and reunite on stage. But Anderson also knows he doesn’t necessarily need former band mates like...
Morgan Wallen’s Burgettstown show sold out; fans asked to carpool, arrive early
Fans of country musician Morgan Wallen are being asked to arrive early or consider carpooling for Thursday’s sold-out show at The Pavilion at Star Lake near Burgettstown. Fans must have tickets to enter parking lots, which open at 3 p.m. Early entry parking opens at 1 p.m. The show is...
Pittsburgh Black Pride Week concert features Grammy winner Mya, Pittsburgh native Amir White
As he was growing up in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, Amir White would sing along and mimic television and radio – first the commercials, but not long after, the songs. “I think I was born to do music,” said White, who now splits his time between the Steel City and Atlanta...
California artist paints giant Mac Miller mural on side of Etna recording studioVideo
California artist Gustavo Zermeño Jr. was happy he waited three years to paint a giant mural of Mac Miller at I.D. Labs, where the late rapper and Pittsburgh native recorded his music in Etna. Zermeño painted a mural for Miller, whose real name is Malcolm James McCormick, on the side...
Bethel Park-based Keystone Chorus brings old-time tunes to life
In the basement of Hamilton Presbyterian Church in Bethel Park is the sound of music. Familiar songs such as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Under the Boardwalk” and “When I’m Sixty-Four” conjure up memories of tunes reminiscent of the days of barbershop quartets. On this night it’s a group of singers:...
The Chicks, now Dixie-free and on tour, talk music, feminism and singing the anthem at the 2003 Super Bowl
The Chicks, the groundbreaking country-music trio formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, have a specific requirement for the members of their new, talent-rich touring band. “We do have a policy,” said violinist and vocalist Martie Maguire. “We have a ‘no a—holes’ policy.” “No a—holes — and no armpit hair!” added...
Q&A: Meet Brent Faiyaz, R&B’s antihero: ‘It’s not human to be constantly writing love songs’
This summer, billboards in major cities across the country displayed the following cryptic phrase: “I would like to apologize in advance for the person I’m gonna become once this album drops.” The billboards belonged to 26-year-old singer-songwriter Brent Faiyaz; the album in question was “Wasteland,” a cautionary, R&B-trap opera deriding...
The Chainsmokers to perform at the edge of space
NEW YORK — One of The Chainsmokers’ latest hits is “High” and they’re hoping to live up to their lyrics. The hit-making duo of Drew Taggart and Alex Pall have signed up to get into a pressurized capsule tethered to a stratospheric balloon in a few years and perform some...
Don McLean looks back at his masterpiece, ‘American Pie’Video
NEW YORK — Don McLean has listened for decades as people belted out his classic song “American Pie” at last call or at karaoke — and applauds you for the effort. “I’ve heard whole bars burst into this song when I’ve been across the room,” McLean tells The Associated Press...
Elton John opens last leg of goodbye tour in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — I think it’s gonna be a long, long time until we see another songwriter and performer like Elton John. Wrapping up a 50-plus year career with a farewell tour, the British pianist and vocalist has created some of the most memorable and enduring music in the history of...
Giveon’s ‘Give or Take’ makes heartbreak enjoyable
NEW YORK — Giveon is a hopeless romantic. That could be why his disappointment toward failed relationships has been on full display in his music and is palpable throughout his debut album, “Give or Take.” “I just feel like the way society is going now, so many people, they just...
Pittsburgh Black Music Festival kicks off Thursday
A century of Black music in Pittsburgh, everything from jazz to hip hop, will be celebrated over four days during the city’s 4th annual Black Music Festival opening Thursday. Each day from Thursday to Sunday is being dedicated to a different genre of Black music and being performed on stages...
3 charged in scheme to sell stolen ‘Hotel California’ notes
NEW YORK — A rock memorabilia dealer and two other men were charged Tuesday with scheming to sell allegedly ill-gotten, handwritten lyrics to the classic rock juggernaut “Hotel California” and other hits by the Eagles. Prosecutors said the trio lied to auction houses and buyers about the manuscripts’ fuzzy chain...
Bruce Springsteen tour skips Pittsburgh, so far
No Boss in the ‘Burgh. At least not yet. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are embarking on a U.S. tour next year — but Pittsburgh is not on the list of stops so far. Related: • Pittsburgh area concert calendar • Pittsburgh has plenty of places that have...
‘This Is Us’ star Mandy Moore talks about the tricky sleepless balance of motherhood and music
MINNEAPOLIS — Maybe the signs were already there. Mandy Moore phoned last month three concerts into her first tour in 15 years. Her joy of being back in front of a live audience was palpable, but one could sense her trying to mask the stress of being on the road...
Shawn Mendes postpones Pittsburgh show, citing mental health concerns
Singer Shawn Mendes has postponed his upcoming Pittsburgh concert. In an Instagram post, the 23-year-old cited mental health concerns as the reason he is pushing back 12 shows from “Wonder: The World Tour” over the next three weeks. “After speaking with my team and health professionals, I need to take...
Westmoreland Symphony’s Summer Philharmonic to debut director’s concerto
The Summer Philharmonic of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra Academy of Music will debut a new piece by music director Morrie Brand during a free concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg. Brand’s Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra was written...
Hanson brings ‘Red Green Blue’ album tour to Greensburg’s Palace TheatreVideo
Hanson, a trio of preteen brothers from Tulsa, Okla., burst onto the pop music scene with their catchy 1997 hit, “MMMBop.” Unlike so many boy bands who hit it big and then quickly faded away, Hanson has endured. The brothers are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their major-label debut with...
Country station Y108 hires new morning show host
Audacy Inc. knew it would have a hard time finding a successor to popular WDSY-FM (Y108) morning show host “Stoney” Richards when he departed last December. And the company was right. Now, after a six-month search, Y108 has its new host. Audacy announced Thursday, it has hired country music radio...
Roger Waters drills down on ‘Not a Drill’ tour opener in Pittsburgh
To hear Roger Waters expound on the state of things in the world today, one is challenged to come away feeling hopeful about the future. “The ruling class are murdering you. They are destroying the Earth and everything that lives on it to make a few (bucks),” he says in...
George Michael spent his career singing about freedom. But he never quite found it
In 1984, George Michael released a song called “Freedom” with his pop duo Wham! Six years later, he put out one of his own called “Freedom! ‘90.” And six years after that? A song called “Free” closed his third solo album, “Older.” The specifics of the liberation he’s describing in...
Jury finds man guilty of 2019 murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle
LOS ANGELES — Jurors found a 32-year-old man guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday for the 2019 fatal shooting of rapper Nipsey Hussle. The Los Angeles County jury also found Eric R. Holder Jr. guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter for gunfire that hit other men at the scene....
Santana’s Pittsburgh concert postponed after musician collapses onstage in Michigan
Santana’s Wednesday show at the Pavilion at Star Lake has been postponed after the group’s leader, Carlos Santana, collapsed onstage Tuesday in Michigan. The 74-year-old musician was hospitalized with heat exhaustion and dehydration. A representative told USA Today that Santana is being held for observation and is doing well. The...
Pittsburgh native Gene Stovall returns from overseas for hometown performancesVideo
From performing onstage at age 12 in a Pittsburgh Public Theater production of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” to winning talent showcases as a teenager, to moving across the Atlantic Ocean to pursue music full time, Gene Stovall has a passion for performance. “I’ve been wanting this for my whole...
105.9 The X’s July 420 countdown sees change at the top
There will be no threepeat for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” In a bit of an upset, Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” finished first in this year’s “July 420,” a countdown of 105.9 WXDX’s top 420 rock and alternative-rock songs of the 1990s. It’s the third straight year the station has held...
