Penn-Trafford Community Band plays on during pandemic, new shows planned
Despite the covid-19 pandemic, the Penn Trafford Community Band is rehearsing again and planning at least four concerts for August and September, while following social distancing guidelines, the band manager said. The 65-member community band will play concerts at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, including one in Fox Chapel,...
Garth Brooks doesn’t want to win CMA entertainer award againVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country superstar Garth Brooks says he is pulling himself out of nominations for the Country Music Association’s entertainer of the year award, saying it’s time for someone else to win the top prize. Brooks, who won the top prize in November, said during an online press conference...
Westmoreland Symphony musicians plan ‘Live on the Lawn’ concert
A quartet of Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra string musicians will be “Live on the Lawn” Friday on the grounds of the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. The concert, beginning at 7 p.m., features the WSO String Quartet — violinists Dena Miller and Samantha Nelson, Sarah Ferrell on cello and Sasha Shapiro...
Moon teen’s debut record will be released FridayVideo
After winning a national songwriting competition for a Colorado nonprofit, Moon singer-songwriter Maleena Dominick is preparing to release her first record, “Bruises to Prove It,” on July 31. Dominick, 18, a Moon Area High School graduate this year, said writing the album was an emotional process, and a conversation with...
Fleetwood Mac blues guitarist Peter Green dies at 73
LONDON — Peter Green, the dexterous blues guitarist who led the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac in a career shortened by psychedelic drugs and mental illness, has died at 73. A law firm representing his family, Swan Turton, announced the death in a statement Saturday. It said he died “peacefully...
Bands returning to the stage at Butler drive-in movie theaterVideo
Social distancing guidelines are making live music experiences difficult … but not impossible. To abide by venue restrictions, bands have been hitting the stage at drive-in movie theaters with cars arranged for enough space to enjoy the show. The Starlight Drive-In in Butler seems to be leading the way in...
Justin Bieber announces 2021 dates for rescheduled tour
New dates have been announced for Justin Bieber’s previously scheduled 2020 tour, which will now take place next summer. The Justin Bieber World Tour was originally planned to begin in May but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. AEG Presents said the 45-date tour will kick off on June...
Taylor Swift to release surprise album ‘folklore’ Friday
Taylor Swift shared some news Thursday morning that was unexpected. She’s releasing a new album Friday. “Most of the things I had planned this summer didn’t end up happening, but there is something I hadn’t planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore,” Swift...
Kim Kardashian asks public to show compassion, empathy to Kanye West
NEW YORK — Kim Kardashian West is asking the public to show compassion and empathy to husband Kanye West, who caused a stir this week after fulminating in a series of social media posts. She says he is bipolar. The reality TV star and beauty mogul posted a lengthy message...
Linkin Park issues cease and desist order to Trump campaign over use of video
For the Trump reelection campaign, use of songs from the band Linkin Park needs to hit the pause button. The Chicago-based band is the latest act to demand the removal of a video the White House has used on social media. The band issued a cease and desist order during...
‘Laser Queen’ at Buhl Planetarium promises to be ‘Killer Queen’ show
It’s been 35 years since the rock band Queen turned in the most memorable performance at Live Aid and nearly three decades since the death of flamboyant lead singer Freddie Mercury. But thanks in part to the 2018 movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” named after the band’s biggest song, Queen is as...
Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days festival rescheduled for fallVideo
Bloomfield’s Little Italy Days have been rescheduled. The four-day Italian festival is now planned for Oct. 8-11, producer Sal Richetti said Monday. Richetti made the decision last week because of the ever-changing restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. “I’ve been monitoring the situation and because of all the restrictions, I felt...
Jay-Z, other celebs ask feds to probe student’s 2010 killing
Rihanna, Jay-Z, Charlize Theron and other celebrities are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the death of 20-year-old Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr., a Black football player at Pace University killed by a white police officer in New York nearly a decade ago. In a letter sent this...
Michael Jackson channel launching on SiriusXMVideo
The King of Pop is joining The Boss and Old Blue Eyes on SiriusXM satellite radio. The month-long Michael Jackson channel was announced Wednesday by the singer’s estate. The channel will feature music from Jackson’s albums and from live performances, including his 1988 concerts at London’s Wembley Stadium on his...
Gibson officials offer reward for return of ‘Golden Era’ shipping ledger
Members of the Gibson company are launching a global search for a missing shipping ledger from 1959-’60, the time period which saw the company produce some of the most sought-after guitars in the world. And they’re willing to award $59,000 cash for its safe return. The 1959-’60 ledger disappeared from...
Reliving the Live Aid experience 35 years later
Editor’s note: Monday is the 35th anniversary of the Live Aid benefit concert. The Trib’s Paul Guggenheimer was there. Here, he shares his first-person remembrance of the historic event in Philadelphia. In the days leading up to the Live Aid benefit concert in Philadelphia and London on Saturday, July 13,...
Great White apologizes for mask-less show in North Dakota
DICKINSON, N.D. — Rock band Great White has apologized for performing at an outdoor North Dakota concert where the crowd didn’t wear masks despite the ongoing threat of the coronavirus. The band drew criticism on social media after the performance Thursday night as part of the “First on First: Dickinson...
Pittsburgh-area musicians find new ways to stage live music amid covid-19 restrictions
When Pittsburgh’s nightlife scene shut down amid the covid-19 quarantine, hundreds of live performances were shelved. In the quarantine’s early days, livestreaming was a primary mode of musical communication, with bands setting up “virtual tip jars” through services such as PayPal and Venmo. And while there is still plenty of...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust cancels TGIS concert set for tonight
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust today canceled tonight’s TGIS concert featuring Andy and Natalie Gregg with Jackson Gardner scheduled for 5 p.m. on the lawn at Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. “The safety of trust patrons, artists, volunteers, team members, and the community it serves is our top priority,” Westmoreland Cultural...
East Huntingdon drive-in to screen exclusive Blake Shelton concert
The Evergreen Drive-In Theatre in East Huntingdon is among sites nationwide that will show the first installment of a new drive-in theater concert series from Encore Live. The July 25 musical event will feature country singer Blake Shelton with special guests Gwen Stefani and Trace Adkins. Tickets go on sale...
Kanye West talks Trump, presidential bid, having covid-19 in Forbes interview
Kanye West is definitely planning to run for president in 2020, according to Forbes. The rapper and fashion designer did his first interview since announcing he was running July 4 and filled in some blanks about the situation. West, 43, whose original plan was to run in 2024, will seek...
Moon teen wins national songwriting competitionVideo
Maleena Dominick had already written a song about how she felt losing the last few months of her senior year at Moon Area High School to the covid-19 shutdown. So when the 18-year-old heard about the “Living in a Covid World”-themed Robbie’s Hope Foundation songwriting contest, she immediately entered. Dominick’s...
Pittsburgh Symphony plans more online summer programming
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is presenting “Summer With the Symphony,” featuring six weeks of musical offerings throughout its digital platforms, all available free to the public. “While we continue to confront this pandemic together and our home stage is closed, we will bring the concert hall to you,” said Melia...
Country rocker and fiddler Charlie Daniels dies at age 83
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country music firebrand and fiddler Charlie Daniels, who had a hit with “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” has died at 83. A statement from his publicist said the Country Music Hall of Famer died Monday at a hospital in Hermitage, Tennessee, after doctors said he had a...
Nirvana tops Pearl Jam, Chili Peppers for top spot on 105.9 The X’s countdownVideo
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” topped the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” and Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” for the top spot on 105.9 The X’s July 420 countdown. Nirvana also had the most songs with 17, followed by Pearl Jam and the Stone Temple Pilots, each with 16. Spread...
