In the past few years, neighborhood-based music festivals have become a fixture in Pittsburgh: mid-summer brings the Deutschtown Festival on the North Side, and Lawrenceville has its RANT in August. But the coldest of them all (most likely) will be a new addition for 2015: The Strip District Music Fest. 

Rock bands of all varieties — from Bastard Bearded Irishmen to Daily Grind and Neon Swing X-perience — will play a slew of venues from 16th all the way up to 28th, on both Penn and Smallman. The anchor venue is Altar Bar, and plenty of traditional and nontraditional venues alike will be participating. 

It's sponsored by City Paper, which I guess I should note, and the real kicker: It's FREE. So you can't really complain about it ... unless you get frostbite on your nose walking from venue to venue. 

Details, including a list of currently announced bands, here.