Submitted by meatsweats77 t3_10oc3do in pittsburgh
I’m not talking about big name bands playing larger venues, I’m talking good local bands that play at little dive bars and clubs. Punk, hardcore, jazz, country, what’s going on in Pittsburgh? My partner and I are considering moving to Pittsburgh from Austin and we’r curious about what kind of local music scene there is.
That sounds sick. I’m so tired of Austin. I’ve been totally priced out and live in the suburbs now, so it takes over an hour on the bus to even get to anything decent to do that’s not a strip mall bar.
I would take what people say here with a HUGE grain of salt given you're coming from Austin.
IMO a lot of people in this sub that have only lived in SWPA have very strong opinions on how certain aspects of the area are but they don't align with reality (like hiking/outdoor opportunities, how "bad" our traffic is, how "unaffordable" housing is, etc).
I don't think you'll find a "scene" even exists compared to what you're used to in Austin, but maybe someone with experience in both cities can chime in.
there are tons of musicians and musical groups around the burgh and a hugely diverse amount of venues from the obvious huge ones to diy under the radar spots. this city loves music and creativity, probably similar to austin (which i’ve been to and enjoyed- but yeah ppl have moved there from here and come right back ;)
I'm a hip hop head with a degree in music composition. Our classical music scene blows Austin away. Our symphony is exceptional, our opera is very good and progressive for its size, we have a variety of active chamber groups, and CMU has a great program.
Our hip hop scene is sad, but frankly only worse than Austin because we don't have Houston and Dallas churning out great music right down the road. Fedd and Hardo are great and there are some other nice up and coming rappers, but we just don't have an awesome scene on that front. RIP Jimmy Wopo and Flatline Nizzy.
I agree with you 100%. I never lived in Austin but visited frequently specifically for the music scene. If Austin music scene is the bar for comparison, there really isn’t a comparable music scene here. If that’s the expectation, Pittsburgh will be a letdown.
It’s nice but be warned, almost all of the venues are woefully undersized and the music is usually far too loud.
Exactly. There uses to be a great local music in a wide variety of genres, but that hasn’t been the case for decades (no pun). But in general, they were centered around the universities, primarily Pitt / CMU, with tons of small venues with an easy bus ride or walk from the campuses, but then the real estate prices went up significantly because the universities (and UPMC) were expanding, so the owners sold, and there were no venues to take their place.
There are some, farther out into the ‘burbs, but those are fewer and farther between.
Yeah, I think the other thing people forget too is how small Pittsburgh is compared to other places. The population of Austin proper is close to 1m people. We only have about 300k in the city here (greater metro area doesn’t exactly drive the arts). They don’t realize that our options are functionally limited because we don’t have a lot of people.
You’d struggle to find live music here that you want to listen to every night of the week. In Austin, that’d be very easy.
Local musician in a very active punk band. I’ve only lived here 5 years and in that time we have lost some great smaller dive bar type venues. Covid caused a lot of bands to quit rehearsing and they didn’t have the desire to begin again after so they just broke up.
It is definitely not Austin here. I’ve played there many times.
I honestly am kind of in the middle on pittsburghs scene. I stay pretty busy woth my own band so I’m certain I am missing a great deal of what’s going on with others. And I do fall on the rock side so I can’t speak for other genres. There could be amazing things happening and me just not in the know
I do want to mention…it seemed someone was ragging on the cromags in a church basement.
It is out of the way. But!!!! It has been turned into a record store/venue/ etc. the owner is apparently straight edge. No booze at all not even byob. That aligns fairly well with cromags so it makes sense.
Oh for sure not expecting it to be Austin level! Honestly though I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve seen a million shows, both local and touring bands, and I’m happy with pretty low key stuff now. I just had no sense of if there was a local music scene to be heard of.
NSFW Pretty good if you’re into hardcore Rap
Nizzy was going places
Lots of different music in and around the city. Sooo many dive bars. A booker recently told me there's fewer bands than before covid. Personally, I'm just dipping my toe back in; had my first gig since covid a couple weeks ago. Summer is music festival season, that might be a good measure of how much music is still around. My gut feeling is there's still a lot.
Looks like we're going to have to change this!
This is generally correct in terms of hiking, housing, bahn mi reviews, ect. I think even without a scene we are very fortunate for our venues when adjusting for size of city. Mr smalls, club Cafe, metal shows, Thunderbird, spirit, i think the more bluegrass bend one closed in southside... I would agree the hip hop is lacking. It's also very affordable to go to the smaller venues and we catch many artists traveling between dc/Philly and Chicago/Cleveland/Detroit
Things were much better before covid. I've noticed it seems a lot quieter gig-wise than it was before. I think it's going to take some time before it gets back to normal.
Have you heard of Skullfest? Mostly punk with a bit of metal, goth, noise, and electronica on some nights scattered across multiple venues. Caught the tail end of it last year and it was really solid.
Summer Recess is another decent, more eclectic and varied local festival - for the most recent the headliner was a solo industrial act and the rest included acoustic sets, jazz, and a drag-wrestling show.
Some venues to keep in mind for independent music: Cattivo, Brillobox, Mr Roboto Project, Black Forge, The Government Center, Spirit, The Rock Room. Check their respective events schedules and you’ll likely find something of interest to you.
Per Capita, Pittsburgh likely has the best local jazz scene in the US (I’ve previously lived in NY and Boston). Check out the calendar of Con Alma (two locations), Kingfly Spirits, and City of Asylum.
There’s also a healthy amount of punk, electronic, and experimental music happening, too. The Government Center record shop has live music a few times a week. Many of the people driving underground efforts are students/faculty/alums of CMU and music/art programs at Pitt who have a ton of institutional support to make stuff happen in the community.
The PSO is a great orchestra with new programs every week, too. Right up there with the Houston symphony (keeping with the TX theme here…) if you ask me.
I moved here from Nashville during Covid. It was a big adjustment and I really miss the live music scene, it feels dead around here
How does one get involved with these scenes or know when shows are without a Facebook or Instagram
check out https://arcane.city/ + the WZUM and WRCT event calendars for starters
>I just had no sense of if there was a local music scene to be heard of.
Local scene.. yeah. I'm not tuned into the jazz scene but I'll take those at their word saying it's happening. Punk has always seemed fairly healthy here, although not my scene either so can't judge it well. Agree with others who said we have a strong classical core as well. The strength of the area is the schools... Chatham, CMU, Point Park, Duquesne, Pitt... all bring things in and host smaller events. Chatham's baroque program is the only one I visit with any frequency.
There's a decent investment into our cultural district, Pittsburgh Sympathy and some other theaters. So we have a lot of local professional talent.
The folk/bluegrass/acoustic scene is a bit hit and miss, especially compared to somewhere like Nashville or Austin. Folk Alley is based out of Kent, OH though, which isn't too far and they bring some acts in. Pittsburgh's annual Arts Fest brings in some good acts for a couple of weeks, so you could look up past events to see the schedules for that.
Pittsburgh isn't the melting pot that it once was, but there's still a strong influence from the Russian Jewish population so that adds some flavor. Not that we have a big klezmer scene or anything but there are players around.
Our open mic scene is nothing to brag about, but it's healthy enough to go out and contribute and make it better. Check out Mr. Smalls & Funhouse. Some random singalong fun at the Northside Elk's lodge banjo night (mostly tenor banjos and Americana). The Quakers sometimes host some performances and singalongs. Other occasional events hosted by local museums like the Warhol.
Where Pittsburgh is lacking is with touring bands bothering to stop by.. we tend to be flyover country for a lot of bigger acts so if you want to catch a lot of larger tours you'll need to travel. This is a double edged sword though, as it's a fairly easy drive to Philly, DC, Delfest (Cumberland), Columbus, Cleveland, Chautauqua, Buffalo, and Toronto.. and the trip to Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, or Detroit isn't terrible either. We're a good hub to a lot of other cities if you have a weekend to travel for shows and events.
Covid has shut a lot down and we're still crawling back to life. Acoustic Music Works in Squirrel Hill used to regularly host some cool little intimate acts. They're our local Collings dealer so you might want to reach out to them and ask about the music scene here. Oh, and we have a local mandolin orchestra too!
Beyond that.. keep an eye on the local NPR music stations. WYEP and WKSU (Kent, OH) and see if they are actively promoting anything.
We're a smaller city.. the music scene here is lacking compared to other places I've lived (San Diego, Seattle, Chicago). But for the size of the city, it's relatively healthy.
covid was definitely a hiccup and some bands folded during it, but I've been seeing alooot of bands popping up over the past couple years. I see less local advertising for it since some of the smaller venues that housed those acts have closed, but there are still some great venues that do local acts justice and help them feel big.
Lots of cool stuff going on in the city, kinda have to do a bit of digging to find it though. Most of the best gigs won't be on like a newspaper events page or something. Check out Stabscotch if you like wacky shit they're probably my favorite band in the city rn. https://stabscotch.bandcamp.com/album/honeysuckle-flood
Ever hear of fuck yeah, dinosaurs!?
I gotta say, having the "Cro-Mags" playing in the basement of Preserving Underground is cool and all, but it really shows where the local music scene has been heading in the last few years (especially when it comes to this genre of music.)
A year or two before the pandemic, Harley Flanagan came here with his solo band - which is pretty much the same as the Cro-Mags these days. Anyway, they played the second floor of the smiling moose down on the south side and it was PACKED and a ton of fun and a ton of energy. What you would expect from a show of that calibre.
Now, Harley finally has the Cro-Mags name again, and he's playing the basement of Preserving Hardcore. A 20 minute drive outside of town. No way that venue can hold as many people, and it's not really that big. Not complaining, but a LOT of the good venues have shut down of the last few years. I appreciate Preserving Underground doing what they can to step up, but I hope we see some others popping up soon. Honestly surprised this show is not at Cattivo - or even Sprit, where Jon Joseph's version of the Cro Mags played once with eyehategod.
Agreed. I grew up in western PA but unlike so many here, I had the opportunity to move away. I lived on the west coast for many years and recently moved back to help family but not necessarily because I wanted to. It’s just as backwards as ever here, so many folks never leave and experience anything outside of the region.
I think OP would be full of regrets if they move here.
I will say there are a lot of bars just about any where you’d end up that host local live bands, a lot of them are talented.
Vs. Austin, fewer high quality bar bands looking to be discovered, lots of odd niche bands playing tiny venues and comfortable doing their own thing.
On the plus side, you end up with labels like willowtip (death metal, black metal), new genes (Don Caballero - math rock), things like Sleigher (krampus band playing Xmas themed metal covers), bowling alley live music, but no clubs/labels are churning out nationally recognized top 40 acts.
Bigger acts that are touring will hit up Pittsburgh as it is a convenient stopping point after Buffalo, DC, Cleveland, Toronto, Philly, NYC heading east or west and easy to find a venue to host their niche.
There is no equivalent to 6th Street.
Can you give me some recommendations on up and comers to give a listen to?
Pittsburgh seems to do better with specific genres and with large, multi-stage summer festivals supporting local artists than with curating nightly or weekend shows on a consistent basis.
From a festival perspective, the Deutschtown Music Festival and Millvale Music Festival both do an excellent job of bringing a wide range of local artists from around the region. All genres, all tastes. Family-oriented during the day, a bit rowdier at night.
I think the best evaluation of the local scene is that the smaller venues bring in regional or even national touring acts to fill out their schedules and/or bring in more revenue.
In addition to Fedd the God (the best in the city rn) my favorites include:
Guapo Lennon - sort of melodic trap, not super distinctive, but a good artist
Hardo - really nice, I like his recent project with DJ Drama and Deezlee a lot
Deezlee - the other half of that Drama project. I think hardo has better bars, but Deezlee is cool
Stunna2Fly - gang rap, good stuff. Similar to Jimmy Wopo, but not quite as good for me
Blacc Cuzz - a ton of talent. Most of his music thus far has been fairly generic, but the raw material is all there. Good ear for beats, some decent bars and flows, good hooks. Just needs to put it all together
Mayhem Mal - decent street rapper
My Favorite Color - doesn't really ride for the city it seems, but he's from here. Also a different, more campy vibe than the others on this list.
Reese Young - just okay to me most of the time, but worth checking out. Occasionally hits you with a great track
Many world class musicians in the PGH jazz scene. Be sure to check out the master Roger Humphries. Con Alma is a great place to start, some nights are duds but normally great music happening
The fans of that music are getting older. And are moving away from the center of the city. Parking is also an issue and rock n roll in general is pulling smaller and smaller crowds.
Many bands I used to see at The Rex now play the Crafthouse.
Check out Millvale music fest, Deutchtown Music fest. Lots of good local stuff. Con Alma has good Jazz regularly.
Punk, hardcore, and metal are all pretty active around here, check out Preserving Underground in New Kensington for hardcore shows.
The venues are moving, not the people.
It’s both.
I will now agree with you!
Incredible indie rock scene. Here are some of my fave bands right now. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5lqz59a6TNlZW8Efx9PSOC?si=p7QKkUdXSkiaAx-j8ZdyTg
If you ever get the opportunity to see Central Flow in Pittsburgh, GO!!! I've seen them twice at Mr Smalls. Added them on Spotify and everything. Super great!
pittsburgh's hardcore/punk/metal scene is on the rise rn. preserving underground is putting on some fantastic shows (and always has). theres a lot of fresh, young bands right now. imo great place to be atm
I think I seen that dude at Sheetz
There’s a scene?
Jamband scene is poppin right now. Check out thunderbird music hall.
I’ve been playing in the pop/punk scene for the past 4 years and I would say it’s doing okay right now. We have some awesome local bands around here and this year I feel will be great for everyone.
Covid definitely threw a wrench in the momentum and unfortunately got rid of a few iconic spots. But we still have some great venues with shows of any genre happening all the time. Preserving Underground, Black Forge II, Thunderbird Cafe, Smiling Moose, Club Cafe, Mr Smalls, Cattivo, and so many more on the outskirts of the city as well.
I’d recommend: On Your Nerves, Old Neon, Main Street Detour, Mallory Run, Soulios, Better Think Twice, The Middle Room, and Atlantic Wasteland for starters.
I promise if you do some digging and looking around, there are some great spots/bands to discover!
I’d love to talk more bands and info at any time as well, just an fyi.
I haven’t lived in Pittsburgh for a while, but at one point all my friends were in random bands (of wildly varying quality) and I basically bounced around from show to show all weekend.
This so such great information, thank you!
Great suggestions from everyone, thank you! I’ll have plenty to keep me busy if I end up there in a few months.
I think Gooskis still has shows too. Also Con Alma is great for Jazz.
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Hi! I moved here from Austin in May. It’s def a bummer seeing all the shows going through Austin and skip here - they go to Philly and/or Cleveland over Pittsburgh most of the time. I honestly haven’t put much effort into finding a “scene” here but out of the local stuff I’ve stumbled on it’s been all good. It’s just not a real big part of the culture here like it is/was in Austin. I could def put in more effort but it also doesn’t seem promoted as much. I did check out shows at the local music fest here and most was metal/metal adjacent. I’m a bit more into Americana/soul/funk/indie rock and it very well could also be a genre thing. Seeing Angel Olsen Friday tho so that’s exciting. My partner is into country and there is more of the pop stuff that comes through at the larger venues.
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Pretty cool band ;)
Unfortunately I think Pittsburghers have a bit of a problem supporting their local music scene compared to similar sized cities. That's not to say there aren't some individuals who try their best. If you know where to look, you'll find plenty live local music, but not a lot of venues have built-in crowds.
I'm from Texas and hip hop there isn't what it used to be that's for sure. I wouldn't necessarily say Houston and Dallas are churning out great hip hop these days..I don't even really listen to any new school rappers there besides Le$ and Leroyce, maybe a little bit of Maxo Kream. Check out Big Mello if you haven't already, damn underrated 90s Houston rapper
I felt that way in the 90's lol.
Tons of local jazz, listen to 101.1 on the radio. Great metal bands, Deathlehem, greywalker. Lots of good rappers. The arts festival.
The venues have been getting nicer as well.
We have John Tucci. Look him up on YouTube.
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Howlers was kind of its own music scene. When it closed and Mary Jo got sick, I think a lot of people had to accept that it was over, and for some folks that meant not going to shows anymore or playing live music. You can still see good live bands at The Government Center and Bottlerocket, among others.
it's the dumb novelty punk band capitol of the world
Not from here. Have spent a little time in Austin and other town with good local and indy music scenes.
100% this. There really is no local music scene. It’s a lot of mainstream country and clinging to 90s grunge, very dated “metal”, or classic rock.
Thunderbird usually your best bet then. I’ve seen an interesting show at the Warhol once - Malian blues group. Was totes the wrong (blue haired) crowd and venue or would have otherwise been a hoppin show.
A while back I created a Spotify playlist of local artists. I try to keep it as up to date as I can. Feel free to check it out - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6F7At5e0WbFY5QLKpFE9Hs?si=b6fa5071fd2b4fee
I really like Mr. Small's in Millvale, it's a cozy joint that you get intimate shows at. I'm always going to other random venues seeing smaller bands and tribute bands
The jazz and rock/fusion scene are pretty strong. There are some insanely talented players around here
Listen to WYEP. (WYEP.org) It’s Pittsburgh’s “cough” equivalent “cough” to KUTX. They play a lot of local music.
Venues/bars that have shows to look into that would have locals (as well as touring acts) and I’m having punk/metal in mind: Mr. Roboto Project, Gooskis, Rock Room, Whisper Nest, Mr. Smalls Funhouse, Club Cafe, Black Forge, I am forgetting a bunch here.
Bigger venues for national touring acts: Stage AE, Mr. Smalls Theater (same location different room/vibe), Thunderbird, Roxian Theater, Spirit
Thanks for this list. The campy vibe described for My Favorite Color was something I’ve been looking for but didn’t know how to explain it. I thought it more like backpack rap but it just wasn’t right.
I still wear my Action shirt from the first Punchline show I went to and the a self/group made homecoming shirt from the Erie show prob 12 years back.
bugeyedtransient t1_j6dpn4w wrote
extremely active scenes in punk, indie/emo/shoegaze etc, noise/experimental electronic, djs dealing in niche styles, electroacoustic/free improv/"new music." very good metal draw to smaller rooms than the rest of the tour, tho lacking in local acts rn. cromags are playing a church basement in march. there are at least 3 world class jazz ensembles playing somewhere random with no cover every single night.