Staff Picks: Summer soundtracks
By The Pitt News Staff
July 16, 2019
It’s about halfway through the summer and your perfectly curated summer playlist may be getting a bit overplayed, or you may just have heard Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” a few too many times and are looking for something new to listen to.
Three Rivers Arts Festival celebrates 60 years
By Sarah Connor, Senior Staff Writer
July 5, 2019
Three multicolored giraffe statues stand at the center of the Wyndham Lawn in Gateway Center Plaza downtown, covered in sporadically placed patches of pink, turquoise, yellow, purple and green. These giraffes are pieces of an art project called Ocean Sole Africa — one of the many major attractions for the 2019 Three Rivers Arts Festival.
Interfaith musical service pays tribute to MLK
By Neena Hagen, Staff Writer
January 23, 2019
On a cold winter night, about 50 people of different ethnicities, ages and faiths huddled together in the front rows of Heinz Chapel for Pitt’s annual interfaith service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
Not just a sports city: Pittsburgh culture is hidden but vibrant
By Sarah Connor, Contributing Editor
May 30, 2018
I grew up in a small town about 25 miles outside of the City — near the Pittsburgh International Airport — called Moon Township. It was common for people from my town to attend schools in and around the City, and I come from a long line of Pitt alumni. But I was independent as a kid and wanted to have new...
Editorial: Hip-hop’s presence in Pulitzer Prize long overdue
By The Pitt News Editorial Board
April 18, 2018
When perusing a list of past Pulitzer Prize for Music award winners and their compositions, it’s not hard to spot Kendrick Lamar’s presence. His 2017 album, “DAMN.,” dropped onto the list with a thud, breaking up the delicate musical embroidery and lace of symphonies, concertos and operas. For the first time since the aw...
“Metal” Mary Bielich: Music and movement
By Caroline Bourque & Issi Glatts
March 30, 2018
On the seventh floor of a nondescript South Side storage locker facility, the industrial walls and bare floor shake with the reverberations of a heavy metal bass line. The sound is surging from a cramped rehearsal space at the end of the hall. Inside, the Mud City Manglers practice for an upcomin...
Zaki defies genre in debut of self-titled album
By Sarah Connor, Staff Writer
March 13, 2018
Jesse Descutner, a 2016 Pitt graduate, heard the environmental term “urban heat island” in an undergraduate urban studies class and immediately thought it would be a good name for his band. In that same class, Descutner, a guitarist, met bassist Sean O’Connor, a 2017 Pitt graduate. The two ...
Poetry: A game of snakes
By Maggie Koontz | Senior Columnist
March 2, 2018
I slide my red and yellow headphones onto my head, the cushions covering my ears, and I plug myself in. I push play to begin the game. Music slips into my ears from both sides of my headphones, a literal earworm entering my brain. The notes caress my inner ear before sp...
Cry me a river: Timberlake’s controversial Super Bowl homage to Prince
By Darren Campuzano | Staff Writer
February 6, 2018
Prince once told an audience in Los Angeles, “Instead of hate, celebrate.” Apparently, that memo never reached this year’s Super Bowl — as mutual hatred for all things Patriots stretched from Minneapolis all the way to Forbes Avenue. But for those that had no stake in the game, outrage wa...
Battle for the band: students trade pop for performance at Hofbrauhaus College Night
By Siddhi Shockey | Staff Writer
February 1, 2018
In the great beer hall at Hofbrauhaus every Thursday night, college students dance under the warm light of chandeliers to authentic live music — partaking in a beloved College Night tradition. But when Pitt senior accounting and business information systems major Derek Arnold walked into College ...
Review: Walk the Moon delivers electrifying performance at Stage AE
By Darren Campuzano | Staff Writer
January 25, 2018
If there is a single guideline for bands performing in Pittsburgh, it is to never offend Steel City football. The audience at Stage AE witnessed this cardinal sin committed onstage Tuesday night by the unapologetic Cincinnati band, Walk the Moon. “When I think of Pittsburgh, I think of how badass ...
The Naughties focus on the fans
By Caroline Bourque and Prachi Patel | Pitt News Staff
January 19, 2018
The audience at a typical Naughties show can expect anything from bass player Jad Hilal’s usual joke segment to a patriotic onstage reading of the Constitution — backed by red, white and blue stage lights. Lead vocalist and guitar player Jesse Wehner, a Pitt senior and economics major, said th...
Review: Miguel makes waves with ‘War & Leisure’
By Taylor Robinson | For The Pitt News
January 16, 2018
Miguel’s most recent album is a practice in reflection — asking listeners to re-examine their integrity and take a second look at their treatment of each other. In the chorus of “Now,” Miguel sings, “Is that the look of freedom, now? / Is that the sound of freedom, now? / ‘Cause it's ...
Soda Club creates their own genre
By Sarah Connor, Staff Writer
January 9, 2018
Jarrett Krause opened the doors to his classroom at Beth Shalom Early Learning Center in Squirrel Hill Friday morning. His prekindergarten students drew colorful, scribbly pictures and asked him about his long, curly hair. One day later, the 2015 Pitt alumnus was tossing that same curly hair onst...
Women who rocked 2017
By Amanda Reed | Contributing Editor
January 8, 2018
This past year challenged woman in the United States. A man who was recorded saying, “grab ‘em by the pussy” was sworn in as the president. Title IX, which helps and protects survivors of sexual assault across college campuses, is in jeopardy after Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced a review ...
When the whole world collides: global music hits the charts
By Levko Karmazyn | Columnist
November 8, 2017
If you turned on your car radio during the summer of 2016, chances are you came under the influence of the tropical pulse of Drake’s “One Dance.” As the first song to hit one billion plays on Spotify, it marked one of the 2010s’ biggest music stars hitting a viral peak. But it wasn’t just Drake’s magical touch that made the song a success — sweeping sample...
Sam Smith sings with sincerity in sophomore album
By Sarah Morris / Staff Writer
November 6, 2017
Sam Smith is not heartbroken anymore — sad and emotional, sure, but that seems to be a part of who he will always be. The heartbreak that propelled most of Smith’s 2014 debut, “In The Lonely Hour,” is a thing of the past. And while his new record, “The Thrill of It All,” holds onto the e...
Preparation pays off: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra plays Shostakovich
By Joanna Li / For The Pitt News
October 16, 2017
World-renowned musicians clad in dark colors quickly filled 101 empty black chairs organized in a crescent shape on the stage. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra played their program “Shostakovich Triumphant” Sunday at Heinz Hall Downtown as part of their BNY Mellon Grand Classics series. Polish gue...
Poets and performers explore black futures
By Anna Bongardino | Contributing Editor
October 5, 2017
Projected onto a screen behind the stage of the Frick Fine Arts building, images of demolition were overlaid with the slow motion image of a woman twirling in a bright blue skirt. Colors shifted from negatives to sepia tone to a washed-out golden color which reflected the clouds of dust and destruct...
Bob Seger rocks through PGH on ‘Runaway Train’ tour
By Darren Campuzano / For The Pitt News
October 3, 2017
“Usually it’s dedication time here,” Michigan-bred rocker Bob Seger said. “I’d like to dedicate this to everyone in the building.” Wearing true blue jeans, a Triumph Motorcycles T-shirt and a wide grin, Seger burst into a kicking rendition of “Old Time Rock ‘n Roll.” He grasped ...
Thrival revival: fall music fest returns to Pittsburgh
By Dieer Hu and Luke Stambaugh / For The Pitt News
October 2, 2017
“Here’s to my city!” Wiz Khalifa said to thousands of elated festivalgoers as the melody of his Pittsburgh Steelers-inspired anthem “Black and Yellow” began to play. The Pittsburgh native and award-winning rapper performed as headliner of the 2017 Thrival Innovation + Music Festival this week...
Fall Fest fires up Bigelow
By Joanna Li and Sarah Connor
September 25, 2017
Large, green and decorated with white trim and orange circular designs, a Chinese dragon sat in the middle of the William Pitt Union on Saturday. One student held up the dragon’s head while another took the rear. The dragon danced to a quick drum beat, sidling up to the student spectators and ...
WPTS creates playlists after hectic day at Pitt
By Lexi Kennell / Culture Editor
September 18, 2017
With the Cathedral flooding and Pitt students standing up to homophobia in a counter protest at Towers yesterday, our news writers had more than enough to write about. The hectic Monday inspired the new media director of WPTS, Josh Chamberlain, to create two playlists to match the mood — Cathy ...
Riding the party wave with Surf Bored
By Luke Stambaugh / Staff Writer
September 11, 2017
In an Oakland basement adorned with Christmas lights, a two-person “mosh-pop” outfit jams in front of a sweaty crowd of college students. The crowd moshes to the fast-paced, resounding tunes as the guitarist wipes beads of sweat from his forehead. Surf Bored, a prominent Do-It-Yourself band...
Tailgate tunes: Pitt vs. PSU game day playlist
By Jack Mulligan / For The Pitt News
September 7, 2017
Every college football fan in Pennsylvania has a reason to get excited for this Saturday’s game. Thousands of fans from both teams will meet at the massive Beaver Stadium for the in-state matchup. After Pitt’s stunning victory last year at Heinz Field, a lot is riding on this game for both teams....
Pitt remembers professor, jazz icon Geri Allen
By Grant Burgman / Staff Writer
July 5, 2017
Geri Allen, who made a profound impact on both the jazz genre and her students at Pitt, died of cancer on June 27 in Philadelphia. She was 60. Born and raised in Detroit, Allen studied at Howard University before going on to earn her Master’s degree in ethnomusicology at Pitt in 1982. Allen spent the n...
Slice of life: Dave Pirozzi’s music makes waves at Pitt
By Jack Mulligan / For The Pitt News
June 28, 2017
While most artists draw inspiration from love and heartbreak, Pitt student and musician Dave Pirozzi finds inspiration in seemingly strange places — video games, cartoons and the changing of seasons. “I really have this weird obsession with fall,” Pirozzi said. “For my future writing with...
No sudden sounds: PSO performs sensory-friendly show
By Matt Maielli / Contributing Editor
June 21, 2017
Donning a red and gold Gryffindor tie and a pair of rounded glasses, Conductor Lawrence Loh guides the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra through a song from “Harry Potter” with a wizard’s wand in place of a baton. The “Harry Potter And the Sorcerer’s Stone” theme was just one of the many po...
GALLERY: Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival 2017
By Maria Heines
June 20, 2017
The annual Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival was held downtown from Friday, June 16 to Sunday, June 18 and included more than 140 local musicians. ...
One prolonged party: Lorde’s “Melodrama” masters love and heartbreak
By Amanda Reed / Senior Staff Writer
June 20, 2017
The early 2010s were a beautiful time for pop music. Songstresses like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry kept the genre alive by pumping out award-winning albums with numerous hit singles in thousand-dollar studios with world-renowned producers. Then Lorde’s “Pure Heroine” came along in 2013 and shook t...
Column: Tired of house parties? Try house shows instead
By Christian Snyder, Columnist
May 30, 2017
There were too many people, the music was too loud, the cooler was empty and it smelled like sweat. I think that might describe every party I attended my first year of college. No matter where it was or who was there, I have no fond memories of piling into someone’s basement with what seemed lik...
Moving on: O’Hara says goodbye to Pitt
By Jack Mulligan / For The Pitt News
May 23, 2017
Pitt said goodbye to a musical fixture in South Oakland as O’Hara ended their set with a cover of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” to a boisterous crowd the Friday before spring graduation. From their start in a basement on Parkview Ave. to their final show April 28 at Mr. Smalls Theatre, O...
Music festivals need more focus on safety, less on security
By Julia Aldrich | Columnist
April 11, 2017
When I walked through the security gates at Electric Zoo — a dance music festival that takes place every Labor Day weekend in New York City — in 2015, there was a noticeable nervous vibe in the air. Police walked dogs up and down the aisles of festival-goers waiting to enter the grounds, as sec...
Bigelow Bash preview
By Caoline Bourque / Staff Writer
April 5, 2017
Acrobats will juggle and flip alongside musicians and food truck vendors on Bigelow Boulevard Sunday as crowds take over the street at Bigelow Bash. Bigelow Boulevard will transform into a festival venue Sunday, April 9, beginning at 1 p.m., for Bigelow Bash — an annual concert and festival organiz...
In tune with a b-flat: Artists, physicists collaborate on campus
By Abhignya Mallepalli / Staff Writer
April 5, 2017
Sarah Thornton stands in the basement of the Frick Fine Arts Center, preparing for her work to appear in an exhibit Tuesday night. She dips her fingers in paint and presses them to the canvas, using gray and purple colors to put the finishing touches on her visual representation of the connections between phys...
An ode to ‘Pet Sounds’: the enduring genius of Brian Wilson
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 17, 2016
Before The Beatles truly blossomed, The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” represented one of the most seismic shifts in the rapidly evolving landscape of popular music during the latter half of the ’60s. Brian Wilson’s magnum opus turned 50 years old May 16, and the record remains a remarkable lis...
Radiohead makes strong return with “A Moon Shaped Pool”
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 10, 2016
England’s most perplexing rock band has finally broken its five-year silence, returning to the same hallmark glumness, lyrical oddity and eerie musicality that make up Radiohead. After its members went their separate ways for various solo works and collaborations, Radiohead came together again to ...
Kanye’s jest?: the revised ‘Life of Pablo’
By Nick Mullen / staff writer
April 20, 2016
Hip-hop’s most obsessive artist might be getting too finicky for his own good. When Kanye West released his new album, “The Life of Pablo,” on Apple Music, Spotify and other streaming services on April 1, he brought along some revisions. The album was initially released as a TIDAL exclusive, ...
Christmastime revives jazz legends
By Marlo Safi / Columnist
December 3, 2015
Everywhere from the Macy’s shoe department to the gentleman who sits outside Rite Aid on Forbes with his radio, people are spreading holiday cheer. Yet, a large section of our generation meets these yuletide carols with groaning and animosity — we humbugs tend to view classic holiday songs as monot...
Passenger transcends hit single ‘Let Her Go’ with masterful new album
By Evan Malachosky / For The Pitt News
June 17, 2014
PassengerWhispersGrade: AUnlike the title of his most recent release, the past two years have been nothing to whisper about for Passenger. Still riding the coattails of his breakout single, “Let Her Go,” Michael David Rosenberg, the man behind Passenger, has stepped out of the song’s enormous sha...
Walk-up music a crucial fixture for Pirates players
By Shawn Cooke / A&E Editor
May 7, 2014
Whenever Pittsburgh Pirates closer Jason Grilli emerges from the outfield to wrap up a game at PNC Park, no matter what the situation might be, there’s always an element of consistency.Much like Mariano Rivera’s adoption of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” Grilli finds motivation from a steady ...
PigPen Theatre Co. Makes Triumphant Return to Pittsburgh
By John Lavanga / A&E Editor
March 26, 2014
The world of performance is rife with multitalented figures who seem to constantly flip back and forth between multiple roles as actor, musician, artist, writer and back again. Still, perhaps no acting troupe employs the fluidity of showmanship quite like the Carnegie Mellon graduates who make up PigPen...
The War on Drugs gives Altar Bar some Rock ‘n’ Roll
By Jack Trainor / Staff Writer
March 24, 2014
While waiting concert-goers stood in line outside the Altar Bar on Saturday, a man stopped his car in the middle of the road and asked the crowd who this band, The War on Drugs, was and if they were any good. “Really good,” someone answered. “It’s rock ‘n’ roll!” Rising Philadelphia band ...
Julianna Barwick talks Drake, Choirs
By Shawn Cooke / Staff Writer
February 5, 2014
Julianna Barwick specializes in a stunning brand of simplicity. Characterized by wordless melodies, choral looping and a penchant for ethereal reverb, Barwick’s songs layer dozens of sounds and vocal patterns into one gorgeous landscape. Her excellent 2013 album, “Nepenthe,” made small refinements t...
Warhol’s connection to music lives on in the Sound Series
By Emma Kilcup / Staff Writer
February 3, 2014
Though Andy Warhol’s fame comes largely from his iconic pop art, it was actually his interest in music that launched his later success. Now, the Andy Warhol Museum is bringing his work full circle.Warhol began his career drawing album covers when he moved to New York City in 1949. Over the span of h...
Pixies play with awe-striking precision at Carnegie Music Hall
By John Lavanga / A&E Editor
January 28, 2014
As the last forceful barks of opening act FIDLAR’s hard-driving single “Cocaine” ricocheted around the Carnegie Music Hall’s half-empty auditorium and the band took their leave to little fanfare, it was hard to shake the nagging feeling that Saturday night’s Pixies concert was going to be ...
Jewish a cappella group balances heritage, hits
By Sam Bojarski / Staff Writer
January 9, 2014
Singing is Sam Haberman-Chopp’s first love, so when she arrived on Pitt’s campus her freshman year, she was looking to join an a capella group.Being Jewish, she thought Vokols would be the perfect fit for her. Although the Vokols a cappella group is not formally affiliated with any religion, the ...
Beyonce’s new album reveals how to succeed in the digital age
By Jeff Ihaza / Senior Staff Writer
January 8, 2014
News happens differently now. Over break, I knew Beyoncé did something important because, on Twitter, 18 different people said things to the effect of: “OMG BEY.” Turns out the Houston-born (and don’t you forget it) pop icon blew up the music industry by putting out a full-length “visual album...
Built to Spill plays simple show at Mr. Smalls
By Jack Trainor / For The Pitt News
November 14, 2013
After a couple of embarrassingly bad opening performances, it soon became clear that on Monday night at Mr. Smalls, Built to Spill had a clean-up job to do.Thankfully, the Idahoan alt-rockers took to the task with refreshing and unassuming professionalism, as well as a little bit of fun that broke through ...
Celebration of ‘America’s Instrument’ draws young and old alike
By Sam Bojarski / Staff Writer
November 11, 2013
In 1976, Frank Rossi joined an organization that had one goal: the preservation of America’s instrument — the banjo. It is no surprise that Rossi’s very own Pittsburgh Banjo Club shares the same goal, 37 years after Rossi started playing the instrument. But Rossi’s club has been able to do something that most other banjo clubs...
Weekly Rundown
By A&E Staff
November 11, 2013
Tuesday, Nov. 12Johnny Marr with special guest AlamarMr. Smalls Theatre400 Lincoln Ave, Millvale, Pa.8 p.m.Admission: $25He’s played with Modest Mouse, Electronic, The Cribs and a little band called The Smiths. Johnny Marr fought off the synthesizer to prove that the six-string still had a place in ’80s pop musi...
Glut of talented young musicians show poise as well as potential
By John Lavanga / A&E Editor
October 16, 2013
I knew that I’d begin dreading getting older eventually. I just didn’t know it’d be this soon.For the first decade or so of my life, each and every birthday was special. It was the one day (well, two really — one of the many benefits of having separated parents) each year that, for whatever re...
Weekly Rundown features circus performances, ex-battle rappers
By John Lavanga / A&E Editor
October 14, 2013
Wednesday, Oct. 16Zimmermann & de PerrotThrough Oct. 18August Wilson Center980 Liberty Ave., Cultural DistrictShowtimes varyAdmission: $18-25 Unwaveringly original performers Zimmermann and de Perrot have created a strange, vaudevillian blend of circus performance, theater and dance that is certain to make audiences’ heads spin...
Dr. Dog’s latest release lacks stand-out sound
By Matt Singer / Senior Staff Writer
October 14, 2013
B-Room Dr. DogANTI- RecordsGrade: CSounds like: That one Dr. Dog song you'll never like enough to buy on vinyl.When a band ceases to be innovative, its reliability often makes up for its lack of groundbreaking work. But with some bands, this reliability sometimes waxes and wanes, and venerable bands that u...
Haim sisters make waves on surfer sourced, immersive debut
By Grace Kelly / Staff Writer
October 7, 2013
HaimDays Are GoneGrade: A-Sounds Like: LA pop band meets Fleetwood MacWith much of the new pop music produced either blending into ubiquitous obscurity or hitting high marks through media promotion, it can be hard to find refreshingly original music that makes it big. But the Haim sisters quietly br...
In its 4th year, VIA continues to evolve
By Jeff Ihaza / Staff Writer
September 30, 2013
Artistically, Pittsburgh is one of the country’s burgeoning centers for innovation. The birthplace of Andy Warhol lends itself to creative types’ continued exploration of ways to engage their world. The VIA festival, now in its fourth year, is an embodiment of a playfully creative spirit that cou...
Bruiser Brigade: Danny Brown goes hard at Altar Bar
By Sheldon Satenstein / Assistant Visual Editor
September 30, 2013
The line to get inside the Altar Bar stretched a block down Penn Avenue before turning a sharp corner and continuing down 16th Street as hundreds of fans stood outside the venue in anticipation of the “2 High 2 Die” tour headlined by Action Bronson and Detroit native Danny Brown. Among those wai...
The xx maintains intimate sound, passion in spacious Stage AE
By Brett Sholtis / Staff Writer
September 23, 2013
During their performance at Stage AE on Saturday night, The xx proved that sometimes real emotion comes not as a scream, but as a murmur.By now, anyone who cares about music is familiar with The xx, the Mercury-Prize-winning trio from London whose sophomore release, Coexist, hit No. 1 on the British cha...
Neko Case makes a spirited return to music
By Shawn Cooke / For The Pitt News
September 19, 2013
Neko CaseThe Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love YouGrade: B+Sounds Like: A musician rising above her depressionBetween 2009’s Middle Cyclone and her latest full-length album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, Neko Case...
Bluegrass’s complex evolution isn’t about to end
By Joey Wilks / WPTS Contributor
September 19, 2013
Coming from a West Virginian family, I have learned to love country and western music. From that point, it was only a small jump over to bluegrass. My first experience with bluegrass was during my sophomore year of high school when I found a CD by the band The Blue Rags on the discount rack at my loc...
The Gaslight Anthem shows their age in Pittsburgh
By Vincent Smith / Staff Writer
September 16, 2013
The Gaslight Anthem has entered a new phase in its career. With four full-length albums under its belt, coupled with a large and growing fan base, The Gaslight Anthem can no longer be looked at as a heartland rock revivalist group. After their performance Thursday night at Mr. Small’s Theatre in Millva...
Pittsburgh rocker Nic Lawless shows polish, versatility on newest release
By Shawn Cooke / For The Pitt News
September 11, 2013
Nic Lawless and His Young CriminalesSunlessGrade: BSelf-releasedA name like Nic Lawless can evoke a dangerous brand of listener expectations. Harkening back to a time when punk implied serious troublemaking, a sensational alias may raise a few eyebrows within the now hyper-image-conscious scene. Such is...
STRFKR puts on delightfully oddball performance at Altar Bar
By John Lavanga / A&E Editor
September 4, 2013
If STRFKR’s performance at Altar Bar on Tuesday night had ended halfway through, it would have been a success. A large pixelated display behind the band flashed artful visuals of multicolored pyramids and whorls that accompanied their appealing blend of synthesizers and live instruments perfectly ...
Kings of the Mic
By MCT Campus
September 2, 2013
De La Soul will be making an appearance Saturday at Thrival
Five songs exceed musical expectations with humorous intentions
By Hagedorn
January 22, 2013
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