Scott Mervis

2 days ago | post-gazette.com | Scott Mervis

The 2018 PBS documentary “We Knew What We Had: The Greatest Jazz Story Never Told,” opens with Chuck Spatafore talking about the rich culture of the neighborhood in which he was raised. “I was born in the Hill District of Pittsburgh,” Mr. Spatafore said. “People called it ‘a ghetto.’ Ghetto? I called it paradise.”The Hill District was the playground for jazz in the middle of the 20th century, and Mr. Spatafore, who died June 20 at the age of 92, was part of the heartbeat of the Hill.

2 days ago | mahoningmatters.com | Scott Mervis

Clarks guitarist Rob James recalls the dramatic and thunderous ending of the last Randall Baumann Ramble at Hartwood Acres in 2016. "Mike Minda was out front," James recalled of the blazing Commonheart guitarist. "He's now part of the core band, thank god. He's so good, dude. He's one of the best guitarists to ever come out of Pittsburgh. Like, incredible, and such a humble and fun kid. Oh my gosh.

3 days ago | mahoningmatters.com | Scott Mervis

Someday down the road there might be a "lost" album coming from The Cheats, so long as they can remember where it is. It was to be the proper followup to the Pittsburgh punk band's fifth album, "Cussin', Crying 'n' Carrying On," released in the dreaded summer of 2020. "We did 14 songs," says frontman Todd Porter, aka Todd Cheat. "But, ahhh, it was weird. It didn't have hooks or anything.

3 days ago | post-gazette.com | Scott Mervis

Clarks guitarist Rob James recalls the dramatic and thunderous ending of the last Randall Baumann Ramble at Hartwood Acres in 2016. “Mike Minda was out front,” James recalled of the blazing Commonheart guitarist. “He's now part of the core band, thank god. He's so good, dude. He's one of the best guitarists to ever come out of Pittsburgh. Like, incredible, and such a humble and fun kid. Oh my gosh.

3 days ago | mahoningmatters.com | Scott Mervis

It would be hard to find a quieter band on social media right now than Brand New. The Long Island, N.Y., quartet, which released some of the most stunning emo/alt-rock albums of the early aughts, is doing its best to keep down the chatter while it slinks back into venues. Brand New, which returns to Stage AE on Wednesday for the first time in nine years, went dark in November 2017 after a post in which its volatile frontman Jesse Lacey addressed accusations of sexual misconduct.