Calling all audiophiles: Pittsburgh’s best record stores
By Melanie Pantano, Staff Writer
August 22, 2019
Any Pittsburghers who’ve fallen under the spell of the “vinyl revival” have a plethora of places to choose from that sell both new and used records, catering to customers seeking a legendary grail record or just their favorite album.
Staff Picks: Summer soundtracks
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 29, 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 12, 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...