Summer in Pittsburgh means lots of live music! We asked three WYEP hosts to put together their recommendations for the best shows to check out this July.
Fireside Collective & Buffalo Rose – July 3 at Thunderbird Café & Music Hall
Fans of folk and bluegrass can experience traditional music with twist from two different ends of Appalachia when hometown favorites Buffalo Rose share the stage with Asheville-based Fireside Collective. The six-piece group Buffalo Rose excels at crafting warm, uplifting harmonies, underpinned by excellent musicianship and songwriting — just last fall they hosted a show with their songwriting mentor, legendary Greenwich Village folk singer Tom Paxton. Meanwhile, Fireside Collective built their foundation as a tight bluegrass outfit, and nowadays, they take the ancestral music of North Carolina and add some groove to it, turning simple tunes into improvisational jams with elements of funk, rock, and electric blues. You can catch these modern interpreters of Americana at the Thunderbird Music Hall on July 3.
Kasey Chambers – July 6 at City Winery
Just because you may not be familiar with an artist doesn’t mean they haven’t had success. Kasey Chambers has seen 5 of her 12 albums hit no. 1 on the ARIA album charts, and she was the first Australian country singer to have a simultaneous no. 1 single and album. She began her career performing with her parents and brothers in the family group Dead Ringer Band. She’s won many awards over her nearly 30-year solo career, and in 2018 she was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Her unique sound combines an Australian accent with a classic country nasal drawl, but it is her songwriting that pulls you in and wreaks havoc with your heart. Do a quick search on songs like “Not Pretty Enough” or “The Captain,” and you’ll get the picture. Kasey Chambers is a storyteller extraordinaire with a unique sound. City Winery offers a chance to catch her in an intimate setting.
Ames Harding & The Mirage – July 11 at Thunderbird Café & Music Hall
Ames Harding recently announced that he’s leaving Pittsburgh for California, but we can’t hold that against him — he’s been traveling his whole life. He grew up in the world of diplomacy, learned a little something from each culture he’s been immersed in, and it all comes out in his music. Ames Harding & The Mirage will return to Pittsburgh and bring rhythm, beauty, and a whole lot of passion to the Thunderbird Café & Music Hall on July 11.
Listen to Ames Harding & The Mirage doing “The Governor’s Dead” live on WPTS Radio
DiLisio – July 12 at Thunderbird Café & Music Hall
Mark Jeffries is a Pittsburgh artist your kids might know. He’s not TikTok famous or anything like that, but he does have his finger on the pulse of middle school life as a teacher in the Pittsburgh suburbs. Musically, however, it’s a different story: Everyone needs an outlet and Jeffries found his in his musical alter ego DiLisio. DiLisio started releasing music in 2017 and has since put out some really interesting albums full of bombastic guitars and drums, full album themes, and Mark’s warm voice and introspective lyrics. If the band shows up as a power trio, you’re in for a real treat.
They've been WYEP's Pittsburgh Artist of the Week
DiLisio’s “Firebomb” from the new album "Make It Go Away".
Palmyra – July 13 at Allegheny River Trail Park
Palmyra are a folk trio from the Shenandoah Valley with a big sound and an innovative performance style. They can be quiet and contemplative, but they can also knock your socks off while you’re wearing boots. There’s a lot of power and passion in Palmyra and they’ll shine at Allegheny River Trail Park in Aspinwall on July 13. If it’s been a minute since you’ve spent some time in Aspinwall, you’re going to love what they’ve done with the place. It’s always nice to be by the river — and Aspinwall has always been an idyllic little retreat along the Allegheny — but the revamp that’s been taking place down there over the last couple of years is impressive to say the least. Bring a blanket and some chairs. Bring something to snack on and bring the kids! It’s hard not to have a good time in such a beautiful setting.
Palmyra doing “Speak My Mind” live on WNRN
Ms. Ezra Furman – July 15 at Mr. Smalls Theatre
If you’ve seen the popular Netflix comedy series “Sex Education,” then you’ve already heard the music of Ms. Ezra Furman, though she began making music decades before being featured on that soundtrack. Her brand of folk-punk packs raw power and feeling into driving rock ‘n’ roll tunes and emotionally complex ballads — often touching on broad social and political topics as well as her own LGBTQ identity — all delivered in a distinctive voice that exudes both defiance and vulnerability. Her current tour promotes the album “Goodbye Small Head.” Recorded in the wake of a difficult period in her life, this record takes a more dreamy, introspective stance than some of her past material, but still maintains her strong voice, catchy melodies, and alternative rock style. You can hear some of her new sound as well as past favorites at Mr. Smalls on July 15.
Buddy Guy – July 16 at Capitol Theatre
Buddy Guy is a legend. His awards include eight Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, and a Kennedy Center Honors. His music, particularly his Chicago Blues guitar style has influenced the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Gary Clark, Jr.
He worked under the guidance of Muddy Waters and cut his first album with the help of Ike Turner. The music he has seen and made tells the story of American life over the past sixty years. His vocals range from menacing to sexy, to sweaty rock and roll, and the man is not beyond throwing a bit of kitsch into his performance. (I heard a story of Buddy leaving the stage and moving into the men’s room while still plugged in and playing his guitar.) Now, at nearly 89 (his birthday is July 30), Buddy Guy is saying farewell, but he’s also releasing a new album, “Ain’t Done with the Blues.” You still have a chance to catch him at the Capitol Theatre July 16.
Old Crow Medicine Show – July 18 at Timber Rock Amphitheater
Who’s up for some good foot-stomping sweaty fun? Get your boots on and head out to Farmington, Pa., and the Timber Rock Amphitheater. That’s where you and several thousand of your fellow Old Crow Medicine Show fans will be getting down. This Americana band has been entertaining audiences for a quarter century with their mix of new and old, folk, country, rock, and bluegrass, delivered with a punk aesthetic. They were discovered by none other than Doc Watson, were frequent guests on A Prairie Home Companion, and recorded their own version of Dylan’s “Blonde On Blonde.” That takes Hutzpah, and Old Crow has plenty of that. It’s sure to be a rollicking night in a beautiful setting.
Indigenous – July 23 at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
Born and raised on the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, lead singer and guitarist Mato Nanji had a musical family upbringing which planted his love of the blues and led him, his siblings and cousin to form Indigenous as teenagers. The band released their first album, “Things We Do,” in 1998, along with a music video directed by Chris Eyre, who helmed the award-winning Native American film “Smoke Signals.” Mato Nanji has been touring and recording blues rock with Indigenous ever since, inspired by guitar greats like B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Jimi Hendrix, and receiving critical praise from contemporaries like Bonnie Raitt and the Indigo Girls. If you’re looking for soulful tunes delivered by well-honed craftsmen of the blues, you won’t want to miss Indigenous at Jergel’s on July 23.
