Sound Scene Express

The Best Pittsburgh Music of the Decade: Electronic/Pop, Part 1

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 [...]

July 16, 2021 Melanie Stangl Album Reviews, Local Artists, Local Releases 0

The Best Pittsburgh Music of the Decade: Country/Folk/Americana, Part 3

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 [...]

July 17, 2020 Melanie Stangl Album Reviews, Feature, Local Artists, Local Releases 0

The Best Pittsburgh Music of the Decade: Country/Folk/Americana, Part 2

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 [...]

February 10, 2020 Melanie Stangl Album Reviews, Local Artists, Local Releases 0

The Best Pittsburgh Music of the Decade: An Introduction

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 [...]

December 20, 2019 Melanie Stangl Album Reviews, Local Artists, Local Releases 0

Caleb Kopta Hits the Gas With New Singles, “Girls” and “Wanderer”

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, [...]

September 19, 2019 Melanie Stangl Local Artists, Local Releases, Upcoming Shows 0

Indie Hip-Hop Duo BBGuns Encourages You to “Help Yourself” with Phenomenal Second Album

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 [...]

June 27, 2019 Melanie Stangl Album Reviews, Concert Calendar, Feature, Interviews, Local Artists, Local Releases, Upcoming Shows 0

Alt-Rocker Caleb Kopta Gets Real About the Digital Blues in New Single “Foreign Language”

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 [...]

May 16, 2019 Melanie Stangl Album Reviews, Local Artists, Local Releases, Upcoming Shows 0

Captured :: Pittsburgh Hits the Mark with 3rd Annual Concert Photography Meet-Up

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 [...]

May 15, 2019 Melanie Stangl Concert Reviews, Feature, Local Artists 0

Alabama Celebrates 50

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 0

Local Indie Pop Duo Sad Girls Aquatics Club Release Their First Music Video for “Oh Billy”

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 0