The Moment blends tech, DJs and musicians: Aug. 19
Perhaps the summer’s most unusual musical night out happens on Aug. 19, when 40 musicians gather for a live performance at This Is Red, a Slovakian Catholic church turned event space in Munhall.
They’ll be led not by a conductor, but by DJs, who will send their musical samples (or stems) as sheet music directly to the musicians, enabling them to perform every song live.
It’s called The Moment, the brainchild of Joe Maggiore, a musician who’s training to be a tissue engineer through an M.D./Ph.D. program at Pitt.
“I was always a builder kind of person,” he says.
Conversion from stem to sheet music happens through Conduction, a software platform and startup founded by Maggiore.
The evening is sponsored in part by Pitt’s Big Idea Center and the Pittsburgh Innovation District. Future events include Robo-Sapiens, where robots will join human patrons on the dance floor.
Tickets range from $45 to $90 for VIP access.
Gaadge album release show: Aug. 5
“Shoegaze” is defined by Wikipedia as “a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume.” According to Pitchfork, the number one shoegaze album of all time is “Loveless” by My Bloody Valentine, from back in 1991.
But it’s a new term to me, and as happens often with new words, I ran across it in descriptions of three different acts.
First is Gaadge, a Pittsburgh band whose third album, “Somewhere Down Below,” comes out on Aug. 4. (Bassist Nick Boston agrees it’s a shoegaze sound, with an emphasis on alt-rock.) They’re celebrating the release with a show at Bottlerocket Social Hall on Aug. 5. Gina Gory, Gundy, and a new act, Find My Friends, are playing too. Tickets are here.
Four Chord Music Festival kickoff: Aug. 11
The Four Chord Music Festival comes to Washington’s Wild Things Park for two days, Aug. 12 and 13. Headliners include Yellowcard and The Gaslight Anthem, as well as Western Pennsylvania’s Old Neon and Mallory Run. But the party starts early, with six of the bands doing a kick-off show on Aug. 11 at New Kensington’s Preserving showroom. Real Friends, The Home Team, Hit The Lights, Northbound, The Great Heights Band and Keep Flying will all be warming up for the next two days. Four Chord tickets will be on sale too. Two-day admission and VIP tickets are already sold out online.
Kenny Stockard: Aug. 12 and 17
Soul and rhythm and blues singer Kenny Stockard has a busy August: he’s part of the lineup for the Barrel & Flow Fest at The Stacks at 3 Crossings in the Strip District on Aug. 12. Then, on the 17th, he’ll be opening for Phillip-Michael Scales (“dive bar soul” singer, according to his bio) at the Hard Rock Cafe. Definitely sounds promising. And look for new music from Stockard coming this fall.
Warhol Sound Series: Aug. 3 and 17
The Warhol Sound Series features two events this month, both outside on Silver Street, the renovated alley next to the museum.
On Thursday, Aug. 3, the local music series, produced in conjunction with The Government Center, features a double bill with The Real Sea and Good Sport. The Real Sea’s music is described as shoegaze (there it is again) and dream pop. Good Sport’s sound, on the other hand, is “high energy and dance friendly,” influenced by Talking Heads and Beck. Tickets are between $8 and $10.
And Dub Corridor, a series focusing on the evolution of reggae, continues. Each month, Soy Sos (Herman Pearl of PearlArts, who conceived the series), collaborates with a different creator for an electronic dub-inspired set, created with the acoustics of Silver Street in mind. On Aug. 17, Soy Sos partners with PVKVSV (Hussein Pwono), a local artist, DJ and producer. Tickets range from $5 to $8.
FYI: The Allegheny Regional Asset District is sponsoring free admission to the Andy Warhol Museum, Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Heinz History Center throughout August. Online reservations are encouraged.
Live jazz every day
Do you know you can see live jazz in Pittsburgh seven days a week?
Between the Downtown and Shadyside locations, Con Alma hosts live jazz six nights a week, and on Mondays, Eddie V’s features Maria Becoates-Bey (and jazz the other six nights too). There are also Blue Mondays with Jimmy Adler and Wine Down Wednesdays at The Bridge Music Bar in East Liberty. On Tuesdays after work through September, BNY Mellon sponsors JazzLive at the Agnes Katz Plaza in Downtown Pittsburgh. And don’t miss the Reservoir of Jazz series on Sunday evenings in Highland Park.
On Aug. 4, bassist Richie Goods and vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu play in support of their new album, “Connected,” at the South Park Amphitheater. And on Aug. 12, you can see Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum for free at the Community Empowerment Association’s Health & Wellness Summit on Kelly Street in Homewood. (WZUM’s Jazz Central event listings are a great resource.)
Ameri-kinda at Mr. Smalls: Aug. 25
The (quite successful) Americana musician Todd Snider has joked that Americana is really “unsuccessful country music,” which is more an indictment of mainstream country than of Americana music. The label, admittedly amorphous, can cover bluegrass, folk, classic country and “roots” (another amorphous term).
Ameri-kinda, a show organized by Hannah McGovern of Woodland Creatures and set for Aug. 25 at Mr. Smalls, takes that broad definition even further. In addition to Hannah’s band, the lineup includes Lindsay Dragan, a garage folk singer/songwriter, Dan Getkin and the Twelve Six, Low Gap (teenage brothers who cite bluegrass, country and southern rock as influences), and Bonnie & the Mere Mortals (southern gothic crossed with, yes, shoegaze).