PGH Music

There aren't any posts in the music section, which isn't surprising. Pittsburgh is full of incredibly talented musicians producing mass amounts of material and it seems like a gigantic hassle to get anyone to pay attention.

Think about it:

Donora, Formula 412, The Whips, The Space Pimps, Punchline, Slim Cessna, The Beagle Brothers, Sonji, Cultivator, and the fallen allstars: Beam. This is just of the top of my head, and the list goes far deeper than that. That list of bands is also incredibly diverse in terms of genre. All over the map. (Hey I took 10 minutes to hook up those links, so go check them out while your at it.)

So, that's it really. Pittsburgh has been a music town since the very beginning and always will be. Getting people to pay attention is another thing.

Here's one for you:

Once a month The New Hazlett Theater, in the North Side, hosts The Pittsburgh Jazz Network. High-caliber jazz musicians. Free. No one comes. I see 5 people show up, and there on stage are Nelson Harrison and Howie Alexander along with a revolving group of guitarists, drummers, vocalists, horn and string players break off jazz standards on demand. It's amazing. No one comes.

This is just the tip of the iceberg too. So much music in this city.

So as the first discussion post in this section of the Waterline, I think that the dialogue should be opened about what music is happening where, and what can be done to foster support for the incredibly talented musicians in the great city of Pittsburgh.

I admit it, I am a music idiot. Yes, when it comes to music I have no sense of anything, I can't even identify a solg I may have heard 2 minutes ago. 

But the rest of my family are music buffs (I think I was found under the bridge as an infant) who go to as many live music shows as humanly possible. They are incredibly jealous of ALL the free music that happens in Pittsburgh. If they lived locally they would be part of the regulars at all these free jazz shows. When they do come for a visit, they are always looking for something new.

As a a person with no musical sense, I'd love to be able to pass along some of the exciting happenings in Pittsburgh, the family may just find something worthy of a visit.  (yes, they will take music over visiting me.)