Posted By Meg Fair on Wed, Jan 10, 2018 at 4:30 PM

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CP photos by Meg Fair

On an only mildly chilly night in Pittsburgh, a small crowd gathered early at Stage AE for the VIP experience pre-doors. The feeling in the group was one of nervous excitement and uncertainty about what to expect upon entering the nearly empty venue.

Around 5:30 p.m., about three dozen of us were brought into the venue to play the signature St. Vincent guitar, pose at her bright pink press podium from the album artwork, and explore the merch table without a crowd. But most importantly, this VIP experience included an acoustic performance (“Laughing With A Mouth of Blood” and “Prince Johnny”) and a half hour or so of discussion.

I don’t call it a Q&A because it wasn’t like a press conference. She asked as many questions of us, if not more, than were asked of her, and the questions ranged from serious to silly. I took off my journalist cap and asked her what her favorite holiday is (“Halloween, I guess. Or, no! A nice Easter, actually.”) I won’t say much more on it, just that it was an absolute privilege to engage with such an empathetic, funny and brilliant artist. If you have a strict, "Don’t meet your hero" rule, she’s one artist worth breaking it for.

Tags: St. Vincent , Annie Clark , MASSEDUCTION , Stage AE , FFW>> , Image

Posted By Meg Fair on Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 4:16 PM

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Photo courtesy of Em Dubin

Slingshot Dakota is a powerful pop duo consisting of vocalist and keyboardist Carly Comando and vocalist and drummer Tom Patterson. The married couple makes exciting music that bursts with far more energy and sonic power than most would expect possible from a two-piece.

Prior to Slingshot Dakota's show at the Mr. Smalls Funhouse with Prawn, People Like You, Us and Us Only and Queen Moo on Tues. Dec. 19, the CP caught up with Comando via email to talk manifestation, cute dogs and how to genuinely support diversity in your own music community.

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Tags: Slingshot Dakota , pop , punk , power pop , piano , Carly Comando , Bethlehem , Mr. Smalls , Mr. Smalls Funhouse , Em Dubin , feminism , FCKYRBOYSCLUB , FCK YR BOYS CLUB , DIY , indie , corgis , Kevin , FFW>> , Image

Posted By Celine Roberts on Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 3:54 PM

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Photo courtesy of Brigitte Henry

The Barr Brothers

I fell in love with The Barr Brothers self-titled debut while driving back from a long weekend of cross country skiing in Thomas, W. Va. I’d been out on mountain trails during the day and frequenting the regionally legendary folk venue, The Purple Fiddle, by night. The Barr Brothers' lo-fi, neo-folk sound provided the perfect soundtrack. It’s a wintry sound and reminiscent of Bon Iver, who I also adored. When I listen to it now, I can still feel the sting on my cheeks of the cold and see the low light flitting across the snow out the car window. It’s fair to say that this band has fit into a deeply sentimental part of my brain and that I went into the show with some high expectations — especially since I also adore their sophomore release Sleeping Operator just as fervently.

Tags: review , live music , Barr Brothers , country , pedal steel , Queens of the Breakers , Sleeping Operator , Rex Theater , FFW>> , Image

Posted By Amanda Reed on Tue, Dec 5, 2017 at 1:52 PM

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Courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Some cities drop pickles, roses and bologna at midnight. But on Highmark First Night, the ball rises as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve.

Now in its 24th year, Highmark First Night, sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, returns on Dec. 31 with more than 100 events throughout Downtown's 14-block Cultural District. (While some First Night performances and attractions take place outdoors, most are indoors.)

This year’s theme, as announced this morning at a press conference Downtown, is “Love, Peace, Pittsburgh.”

The festivities begin at 6 p.m. with children’s fireworks sponsored by Dollar Bank on the Highmark Stage. Afterward, steelpan band Barrels to Beethoven kicks off the night's musical performances with its energetic tropical sound.

Other attractions include the Allegheny Health Network Parade, with Grand Marshal Randy Gilson, artist and creator of the North Side's Randyland, at 8 p.m.; performances by Arcade Comedy Theater’s Penny Arcade, at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Player One, at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. at its new location at 811 Liberty Ave.; and Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers at the Benedum Center, at 7 p.m.

Outdoor warming and cell-phone charging stations return this year, and are located at the August Wilson Center and Katz Plaza.

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Courtesy of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Lee Fields & The Expressions headline the night, performing soul and funk anthems from 10:45 p.m. to 12:10 a.m. at the Highmark stage, at Liberty and Stanwix. During the performance, Lee and company will ring in the New Year with the raising of the Future of Pittsburgh Ball and Zambelli fireworks.

Admission buttons for First Night are $10, and are free for children 5 and under. They are available online at www.firstnightpgh.trustarts.org, in person at the box office at Theater Square on 655 Penn Ave.; or by phone at 412-456-6666. They are also available at a $1 discount with an Advantage Card at participating Giant Eagle stores.

For $40, attendees can purchase First Night Friend VIP buttons that grant access to priority seating, parking and a private lounge in the O’Reilly Theater, where they can relax with hot beverages and sweet treats.

For more information and a complete list of events, visit www.firstnightpgh.trustarts.org.

Tags: First Night , arts event , New Year's Eve , 2018 , Pittsburgh Cultural Trust , Image

Posted By Meg Fair on Tue, Dec 5, 2017 at 1:19 PM

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Photos courtesy of M&C Photo, CMU

On Dec. 2, a group of Carnegie Mellon University creatives shuttled a crowd of curious travelers from CMU's campus to a limestone mine for a subterranean exploration of sight and sound. The location had been turned into an underground storage facility, but for a night it was repurposed into a deep, winding gallery, a space through which light and sound travelled in interesting and unexpected ways.

Tags: CMU , Carnegie Mellon University , Exploded Ensemble , innovation , art , audiovisual , Rich Pell , Jesse Stiles , SubSurface , limestone , FFW>> , Image

Posted By Meg Fair on Wed, Nov 29, 2017 at 11:48 AM

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Photo courtesy of Hans Christian Terslin

To say that Pittsburgh's Code Orange is having a good year would be a criminal understatement.

Since we last spoke to the band's drummer/vocalist Jami Morgan, the group has graced the covers of Revolver and Kerrang!; have put out collaborative tracks with members of Megadeth; and had a hand in creating a ToonTrack Doom/Core midi pack. In addition to packing rooms on headlining tours, CO has performed in Europe, with System of a Down; supported Gojira on a full U.S. tour; and is currently on tour with hardcore legends Hatebreed.

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Code Orange's Forever landed on Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of the Year List, and the band performed "Bleeding in the Blur" live to open up WWE's highly anticipated NXT Takeover III: Brooklyn, in addition to performing Aleister Black's entrance music live. Code Orange is the first band to perform live at a WWE event.

If all of these impressive accolades were not enough, the band has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance for its titular track off 2017's Forever. This makes Code Orange the first rock band from Pittsburgh nominated for a Grammy, and arguably the first hardcore band nominated for a Grammy.

Anyone who has been paying attention to Code Orange since its inception in 2008 knows that this success is not a fluke. The band has been tirelessly hustling since day one to make moves and push musical boundaries, always pushing to be the best band possible. From playing shows at the original Mr. Roboto Project and 222 Ormsby and touring on high school breaks to easily selling out the Rex Theater on Jan. 13 this year, the band has been burning a clear path to success, a road lined with blood and sweat and fierce dedication.

This is Code Orange's world, after all. We're just living in it.

Tags: Code Orange , hardcore , metalcore , metal , Roadrunner Records , Grammy , WWE , NXT , Forever , FFW>> , Image

Posted By Meg Fair on Tue, Nov 14, 2017 at 3:44 PM

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Photo courtesy of YOSH

Edhochuli

ANTIfest is a two-day celebration and music festival featuring current musicians on Pittsburgh-based label A-F Records. It will also showcase several reuniting bands from the label’s history like Tabula Rasa, The Code and Ma Jolie. All the proceeds from the event will go to The Persad Center and Pittsburgh Action Against Rape.

A-F Records was founded in 1997 by the members of Anti-Flag. The band wanted to create a platform to spread the music of socially conscious and politically active punk bands. As the years have passed, the scope of genre and style has widened, but the mission of giving back remains the same.

CP sat down with label runner and ANTIfest organizer Chris Stowe in advance of the festival to talk about the history and potential future of ANTIfest and A-F Records.

Tags: activism , A-F Records , Anti-Flag , A-F , The Code , Mr. Roboto Project , PAAR , Persad Center , Chris Stowe , Stowe , ANTIfest , The Code , Tabula Rasa , Edhochuli , Endless Mike and the Beagle Club , punk , FFW>> , Image

Posted By CP Staff on Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 12:14 PM

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CP photos by Jake Mysliwczyk

Macklemore on stage during his sold-out show at Stage AE on Tue., Nov. 7

Hip-hop artist Macklemore came to Pittsburgh's Stage AE last night, hitting the stage in the same yellow Pittsburgh Pirates jersey he wore on Good Morning America in August.

"I like the jersey. It's yellow, it's Roberto Clemente and it's the National League," Macklemore explained in this WTAE article after his TV appearance.

Here are our favorite photo highlights from last night's sold-out show.

Tags: Stage AE , Macklemore , Pittsburgh Pirates , Clemente Jersey , Good Morning America , FFW>> , Image

Posted By Hannah Lynn on Tue, Nov 7, 2017 at 12:23 PM

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Jeff Rosenstock's Worry

In our Nov. 8 issue, we're publishing a collection of protest songs for the Trump era. These are songs selected by alt-weekly writers around the country that inspire action and resistance in a tumultuous political climate. But to keep up the strength to fight, you need to take care of yourself. So here's an alternative playlist, one that focuses more on what songs have helped comfort, console and chill out local writers and activists in the past year.

Tags: Liz Klie , Hannah Lynn , Meg Fair , Alex Gordon , Shawn Cooke , Derek Zanetti , Homeless Gospel Choir , Laura Hammel , FFW>> , Image , Video