After reviewing Country/Folk/Americana for the first installments, we’re moving on to Electronic/Pop. This is a big umbrella, potentially covering anything from the bubblegum to the experimental. The influences these artists draw from vary widely, but they all have something in common: a knack for crafting earworms that feature at least a little bit of our [...]
Photo and text by Melanie Stangl Today, July 17, 2020, I turn 28. In normal times, I’d be celebrating by heading out to the first night of the Deutschtown Music Festival, one of my favorite events of the summer, with my camera in tow. I’d be seeing and shooting so many great performances, catching up [...]
Photo and text by Melanie Stangl In December, I introduced this decade retrospective series of Pittsburgh music, and started the list with four standout country/folk/Americana releases of the 2010’s. Once again, my day job got in the way of a more timely follow-up, but here’s the next installment. There will be one more before we [...]
Photo and text by Melanie Stangl Every new year calls for reflection, but entering a new decade is more significant. Ten years tend to have personalities, distinct character traits that can be tough to distinguish in any one year alone. But for the music industry, almost the opposite was true. If anything, the slow decline [...]
By Melanie StanglPhotography by Jason StarrModeling by Lydia DailyEditing by Christian Laliberte Summer may be winding down, but with two new songs dropping Friday September 20, local alt-rock artist Caleb Kopta keeps the season’s bright, passionate hopefulness alive. Recalling the vinyl records of singles with B-sides of yesteryear, “Girls” and “Wanderer” are being released simultaneously, [...]
By Melanie StanglPhoto by Gage Vota Album art by John Muldoon and Annika Ignozzi It’s no secret that local hip-hop artists have generated the most widespread buzz about Pittsburgh’s music scene. From powerhouses like Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, and Jimmy Wopo, to promising up-and-comers such as Benji. and My Favorite Color, there’s hometown pride to [...]
By Melanie Stangl and Max KovalchukAlbum cover by Tate Kirgiss, Ashleigh Powell, and Jordan WetherbeePhotos by Tate Kirgiss It’s no secret to locals that our music scene is packed with cool, talented artists. And with Vice’s recent in-depth article discussing the state of Pittsburgh rap, featuring local hip-hop dynamos Benji. and My Favorite Color, it [...]
More photos at end of articlePictures and text by Melanie Stangl Four months ago, on a January evening, I made my way down East Carson Street to Club Café, battling bone-chilling winds and icy sidewalks for several blocks. The occasion? Local nonprofit arts organization Captured :: Pittsburgh’s third annual Concert Photography Meet-Up. Music photographers of all experience levels were invited [...]
By Kellie Gormly If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band, as the famous Alabama song goes. And likewise, if you’re Alabama and you’re gonna play at PPG Paints Arena – or anywhere, for that matter – the show wouldn’t be complete without the lively fiddle interludes, which got [...]
April 3, 2019
soundsceneexpress
Concert Preview
After dropping their debut album Vodkawine to widespread acclaim at the end of 2018, local indie pop duo Sad Girls Aquatics Club (Chelsea Rumbaugh and Marie Mashyna) haven’t exactly been resting on their laurels. In addition to gearing up for live performances once the weather gets warmer, they’ve also been working on a music video [...]
February 8, 2019
Melanie Stangl
Local Artists, Local Releases