Prosecutors drop charges midtrial against 3 accused of possessing stolen ‘Hotel California’ lyrics
NEW YORK — New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their criminal case midtrial Wednesday against three men who had been accused of conspiring to possess a cache of hand-drafted lyrics to “Hotel California” and other Eagles hits. Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Aaron Ginandes informed the judge at 10 a.m. that prosecutors...
Ben Folds to play Three Rivers Arts Fest in Pittsburgh
Ben Folds dropped the tour dates Wednesday for his “Paper Airplane Request Tour,” and a stop in Pittsburgh at the Three Rivers Arts Festival is among them. Folds will play on June 9 during the fest. The festival has not announced this show yet, so this is a little bit...
Q&A: Norah Jones on her ‘ratty-sounding’ new album and the old song that’s almost ‘too sad’ to play
Twenty-two years ago, Norah Jones blasted into superstardom at age 23 with the release of her instant-smash debut, “Come Away With Me.” An easygoing blend of jazz, folk, pop and country, the LP sold 4 million copies in its first 12 months and spun off an adult-contemporary radio staple in...
Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Bar ready to open on Pittsburgh’s North Shore
A vintage 4020 John Deere tractor is parked inside the establishment with built-on shelves displaying of bottles of alcohol. The signature bright green paint on the vehicle with bold yellow wheels and large rear tires is consistent décor. It’s pretty much a given who owns this place. Country music star...
Andy Falkous interview: Mclusky guitarist/singer on Pittsburgh, touring, reunion and new albumVideo
Andy Falkous, the singer/guitarist for Welsh post-hardcore group Mclusky, will be paying his first visit to Pittsburgh later this month — “unless I got really drunk in 2003 and we played a show somewhere that I just don’t recall.” Aside from the Pittsburgh Steelers, he admitted to not knowing much...
Marc Broussard interview: ‘Bayou soul’ singer/songwriter celebrating with 20th anniversary tour of ‘Carencro’ albumVideo
Louisiana singer/songwriter Marc Broussard looks back at 2004 as a great time for music. At the time, he was signed to Island Def Jam records, which released his major-label debut, “Carencro,” that year, and he opened for Maroon 5 and the Dave Matthews Band. Now 20 years later, the Bayou...
Kacey Musgraves bringing Deeper Well tour to Pittsburgh in NovemberVideo
Country singer Kacey Musgraves is launching the biggest tour of her career, and it includes a stop in Pittsburgh this fall. Musgraves, the seven-time Grammy Award winner, will play PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 10 as a part of the Deeper Well world tour. Indie rockers Lord Huron and bluegrass...
Cage the Elephant, with new album coming soon, announce Pittsburgh tour stop
Cage the Elephant announced a new album and tour, which includes a stop in Pittsburgh later this year. The Grammy Award-winning rock band will visit the Pavilion at Star Lake on Aug. 29, with special guests Young The Giant and Bakar. Their sixth album, “Neon Pill,” is scheduled for a...
JP Saxe interview: Singer/songwriter on internet conspiracy theories, new music and oversharing ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
For Canadian singer-songwriter JP Saxe, a role in an internet conspiracy theory is just a rite of passage in media nowadays. That happened with his song, “If the World Was Ending,” released in October 2019, or just a few months before the coronavirus pandemic rattled the world. Featuring Julia Michaels,...
2 men convicted of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay nearly 22 years after rap star’s deathVideo
NEW YORK — More than 20 years after Run-D.M.C. star Jam Master Jay was brazenly gunned down in his recording studio, two men close to him were convicted Tuesday of murder, marking a moment authorities had long awaited in one of the hip-hop world’s most elusive cases. An anonymous Brooklyn...
Band, orchestra shine in Music of Pink Floyd show at Heinz HallVideo
Half a century after its release, audiophiles continue to demonstrate their latest gear by playing Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.” The landmark LP by the British band not only pushed the boundaries of recorded clarity and depth, but its popularity is practically unparalleled, with 45 million copies...
Photographer accuses Taylor Swift’s dad of punching him in the face on Sydney waterfront
MELBOURNE, Australia — A photographer told police he was punched in the face by Taylor Swift’s father on the Sydney waterfront on Tuesday, hours after the pop star’s Australian tour ended. Ben McDonald said he provided police with a statement alleging that Scott Swift assaulted him at the Neutral Bay...
Zach Bryan, Donnie Iris, Fall Out Boy highlight March’s top Pittsburgh concerts
One of country music’s hottest stars, a Pittsburgh legend and a band known for pop-punk anthems will take the stage in Pittsburgh this month. Here’s a look at the most notable shows coming to the area in March: Top shows March 9: Zach Bryan, The Middle East, Levi Turner at...
Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp to headline Outlaw Music Festival at Star Lake
A trio of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will headline this year’s Outlaw Music Festival, which will visit the Pittsburgh area in September. Willie Nelson & Family will be joined by Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp for this year’s festival stop, set for Sept. 14 at the Pavilion at...
‘Crank it up as loud as you want’: Richland studio offers optimal recording environment
The sun never rises on Sunset Place Recording Studio in Richland, at least not in the part where the action is. “We’re underground, so you don’t have to worry about bothering the neighbors,” owner Destin LeCornu said. “You can crank it up as loud as you want.” For example, guests...
Black Pa. country musicians celebrate the Beyoncé effect, invite new listeners to stick around
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. As Beyoncé’s rootsy new country singles “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” usher in a new era for the superstar, other...
Baldwin-bred professional jazz guitarist stokes flames of family’s ‘musical royalty’
Shawn Purcell doesn’t remember the precise moment he decided to become a professional musician. He does know that it was during spring 1989, his senior year at Baldwin High School. Purcell had been accepted to the University of Ohio and planned to major in business and pre-law. Then, a switch...
Jelly Roll bringing Beautifully Broken tour to PittsburghVideo
Grammy Award-nominated country singer Jelly Roll is coming back to Pittsburgh. The multi-genre artist is bringing his Beautifully Broken tour to PPG Paints Arena on Oct. 5. He’ll be joined by Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay. With hit songs like “Son of a Sinner,” “Need A Favor” and “Save Me”...
Four Chord Music Fest 10 moves to Pittsburgh for 2024, lineup announced
The Four Chord Music Fest, featuring loads of national and local punk rock, pop punk and indie bands, is moving back to Pittsburgh for its 10th edition. The festival, which started in 2014 at the former Xtaza nightclub in the Strip District, has been at Wild Things Park in Washington...
Beatles to get Fab Four of biopics, a movie each for Paul, John, George, Ringo
NEW YORK — The Beatles are getting the big-screen biopic treatment in not just one film, but a Fab Four of movies that will give each band member their own spotlight — all of which are to be directed by Sam Mendes. For the first time, the Beatles, long among...
James Taylor, Dan + Shay concerts added this summer at Star LakeVideo
The concert lineup at the Pavilion at Star Lake got even more crowded with the addition of two more shows Tuesday. Pop duo Dan + Shay will visit the Burgettstown venue on Aug. 2, while singer-songwriter James Taylor, with his all-star band, will stop on Sept. 7. Taylor, who was...
Welcome to the ‘Hotel California’ case: The trial over handwritten lyrics to an Eagles classic
NEW YORK — In the mid-1970s, the Eagles were working on a spooky, cryptic new song. On a lined yellow pad, Don Henley, with input from band co-founder Glenn Frey, jotted thoughts about “a dark desert highway” and “a lovely place” with a luxurious surface and ominous undertones. And something...
Modern music, personal tragedy inform Carnegie Mellon professor’s classical compositionsVideo
Nancy Galbraith has been publishing her orchestral musical compositions since 1979. But even four-plus decades is a drop in the bucket, compared to the centuries’ worth of classical music written over the years. Galbraith, 72, composition chair and professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said her composing style has come a...
Drake and J. Cole wow old and new fans at PPG Paints Arena
Two legends can co-exist, and they did it Friday night as the Drake with J. Cole: It’s All A Blur Tour-Big As The What? hit the PPG Paints Arena stage for the first of two nights. It might have been snowy and cold outside, but Drake and J. Cole brought...
Jennifer Lopez making Pittsburgh concert debut in JulyVideo
Jennifer Lopez will make her Pittsburgh concert debut later this summer. The actress/singer’s This is Me … Now tour will stop at PPG Paints Arena on July 30. Her new album, “This is Me … Now,” comes out Friday and is accompanied by an Amazon Prime Video special, “This is...
