Concerts
First Fridays at the Frick |
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One of Pittsburgh’s most popular summertime events is the annual First Fridays at the Frick outdoor musical performance series, which takes place on the first Friday in June, July, August, and September on the Great Lawn in front of Clayton. All concerts begin at 7:00 p.m. Gourmet picnic dinners are available at The Café at the Frick. Suggested donation: $5 per adult; children free.
Summer 2012 Season
| Matrimony Americana | folk | pop | indie Friday, June 1 7:00 p.m. matrimonyband.bandcamp.com |
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The season kicks off with a performance by the rising Charlotte, North Carolina-based group, Matrimony, whose gorgeous original songs infused with infectious melodies and great energy, combine folk, pop and bluegrass into a truly satisfying blend.
In late 2009, Belfast native Jimmy Brown and Ashlee Hardee of North Carolina met in Charlotte, and immediately started writing and singing together as part of a project they called Matrimony. Soon, the band was being acclaimed as one of the best new bands in Charlotte. With the help of artist friends and Bright City Studios, their 2010 release, The Storm & The Eye, a blend of modern anti-folk and indie rock, was met with widespread critical acclaim. In early 2011, the duo became a five piece band as Jordan Hardee, C.J. Hardee, and Alex Watson came onboard. The band has been busy in 2011 with a trip to SXSW, touring with Langhorne Slim and recording new music and videos. Smashingly original tunes with infectious melodies and great energy help define this North Carolina band on the rise!
River City Brass |
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For more than 30 years, River City Brass has entertained audiences in Pittsburgh and across the U.S. with a diverse repertoire that encompasses American tunes, big band swing and jazz, Broadway, Hollywood, classical, and contemporary masterworks, as well as traditional marches.
On November 21, 1981, the River City Brass played its inaugural concert onstage at Carnegie Music Hall under the baton of conductor Robert Bernat. Today, the River City Brass performs a 56-concert series in eight different venues here in Western Pennsylvania while also touring extensively throughout the United States with more than 20 performances each year as part of community concert series, major symphony pops series and arts festivals. From California to New York (as well as everywhere in between), River City Brass has delighted audiences with its signature style. The band has been featured at the Adelaide Festival of the Arts (Australia), Musikfest (Pennsylvania), Chautauqua Institution (New York), New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, Interlochen Center for the Arts, (Michigan), and Thalian Hall (North Carolina), among many other venues.
River City Brass provides high quality entertainment that is fun and meaningful to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
The Bobs 7:00 p.m. |
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The Bobs were dubbed the first New Wave a cappella group in history when they were founded in 1981. This genre-bending, eccentric vocal group has maintained a healthy cult following in the U.S. and Europe in the 30+ years they have been touring and recording, winning numerous songwriting and vocal performance honors along the way. According to their website, The Bobs fall outside a cappella traditions, landing in a hot tub of humor and vocal prowess. “What other band,” they ask, “can headline The American Songbook series, open for Frank Zappa and The Dead, and perform for 700 million people on the Emmy Awards?”
Matthew Stull and Gunnar Madsen founded The Bobs in Berkeley, California, and were quickly joined by bass singer Richard Greene and über-alto Janie Scott. They performed in the San Francisco area until a 1984 Grammy nomination for their unique vocal cover of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” catapulted them into a national and international tour schedule. Over the years, their diverse experience has ranged from performing comedian Andy Kaufmann’s wrestling theme, March & Fanfare, to performing television themes on the 1995 Emmy Awards with Jason Alexander. The current lineup of The Bobs includes Stull, Richard Greene, Dan Schumacher, and Angie Doctor.
Ancient Future 7:00 p.m. |
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Formed in 1978, Ancient Future is the first and longest-running musical organization dedicated exclusively to the mission of creating “world fusion music,” a term coined by bandleader Matthew Montfort to describe the group’s unusual blend of musical traditions from around the world. Ancient Future’s sound combines elements of African, Balinese, Indian, Middle Eastern, South American, European, and Asian musical styles.
