Pittsburgh tends to get passed over by a lot of touring bands because of its awkward… Pittsburgh tends to get passed over by a lot of touring bands because of its awkward position between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states, not to mention the lack of a whole lot of suitable venues. Nevertheless, the remainder of the summer still holds a few shows worth checking out.

7/19 – Neko Case (Byham Theater): While the indie-country songstress continues to tour in support of last year’s widely acclaimed Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, her part-time band, The New Pornographers, is about to release an album as well. Thankfully, this busy schedule doesn’t appear to have had any negative impact on her amazingly powerful voice.

7/21 – Lucinda Williams (Byham Theater): Williams is currently enjoying some of the biggest commercial success of her long career, an oddity in these days of dwindling record sales. Her new album West, and in particular the opening track “Are You Alright?,” have been praised as some of her finest work. The song was even featured on the television show “House,” a surefire indicator of success.

7/24 – Interpol (Byham Theater): After its incredibly hyped 2002 debut, this NYC band hasn’t disappeared completely yet, a rarity in today’s indie-rock scene. “Indie” may be a bit of a misnomer now, as third album Our Love to Admire marks its debut on Capitol Records. Lead single and awesomely titled “The Heinrich Maneuver” has achieved modest radio play.

8/2 – Aretha Franklin (Heinz Hall): The Queen of Soul, the living legend, all of the other superlatives. Most of the attendees will probably turn up to hear the classics, but regardless, Franklin’s new album, A Woman Falling Out of Love