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been excited about how much the music/ art scene has grown in Pittsburgh in just the past few years. I’m excited to be a part of it.” Annibale writes that she ultimately decided to come back to Pittsburgh to be close to family. “As a musician, I can do my job from anywhere — in fact, most of it is done either on the road or on a laptop (and obviously on a guitar).” “I know I can always go down to Nashville to work on recordings,” she notes. “Plus, things just kept falling into place here that made me have to keep making trips back quite often.”
MH the Verb {PHOTO COURTESY OF DAN MASON}
Marcus Harris, a.k.a. rapper MH the Verb, grew up all over, going to high school in Florida. He came to Pittsburgh in the mid-2000s for college, and spent seven years here before leaving for Philadelphia and then New York, where he lives now. One of his pet projects at Pitt, where he was hip-hop director at WPTS, was bringing the city and the college together. “Unlike a lot of the students, I embrace the city a lot more, I think,” he says. “I wanted people from the college to embrace the arts community. There was, and I think unfortunately, there still is, a disconnect between the university and the rest of the community.” Harris still recalls his first off-campus venture: a trip to an open mic at Shadow Lounge with “a bunch of people who wanted to venture a little off the Safe Rider,” he says with a laugh, referencing the university shuttle service. At the Lounge, he read poetry for the first time on a public stage. “I got offstage and immediately people said, ‘Hey, you did good, young fellow, here’s what you did good’ — it was very natural. After that, we started going there a lot.” Later Harris and his friends formed The BnVz, a hip-hop band with live instrumentation. He left for Philadelphia and then New York in order to be closer to the music industry, which doesn’t have much of a presence in Pittsburgh. But he’d like to help change that, and sees a few ways in which Pittsburgh can encourage the growth of a healthy music scene. “Public transportation: That could lead to a lot more collaborative efforts between different parts of Pittsburgh,” Harris says. “I also think the education systems, Pitt and Duquesne, could do a lot more integrating with the local arts community to help develop those industries. Drexel, for instance, has a music-industry program through their business school that promotes a lot of young people with that interest to come to [Philadelphia]. Pitt is a place where you have a strong business school; they already have interdisciplinary majors. If they had that kind of program, it would be killer.” AMULKERIN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
For under-21 bands who can’t play at bars, there are DIY venues like The Mr. Roboto Project. Here, a member-promoter (who may be a member of one of the bands playing) pays a $65 fee to rent the space and retains the money from ticket sales. Its members say the venue offers an inexpensive alternative to newer bands looking for a way to put themselves out there without having to sell tickets or be forced to pay the remaining balance for unsold tickets. “That’s the whole reason Roboto exists,” says Hanlin. She also recommends looking into booking shows at local festivals like Art All Night in April. While bands aren’t paid, the event is attended by thousands of people, making it a great place to gain exposure. Muscian Max Somerville, of Wreck Loose, sees both sides of the pay-to-play debate. His band recently gained exposure at Altar Bar, opening for local rock veteran Joe Grushecky. “We had to pay; we had to sell a lot of tickets; but a lot of people were excited to see us,” Somerville says. “It can be a problem if you’re opening with a really big act and they want $30 a ticket. But you just want to get in front of as many people as possible. It’s a price you have to pay sometimes to get in front of that many people.” Not every show at a venue with a promoter requires pay-to-play, of course; some local openers play for a percentage of the door, depending on the show. City Paper reached out to Drusky Entertainment, Altar Bar’s promoter, but wasn’t able to speak with representatives before press time. Opus One Productions, another major local promoter, historically does not speak to press on the record. Others say pay-to-play is a necessary cost for bands just starting out. Rachel Vigliotti, of Touchfaster Entertainment and Media Services, says she’s seen bands sell 50 to 75 tickets to earn a slot at larger venues in Pittsburgh. “For those bands who don’t have the exposure, they’re doing pay-to-play not to open for a national tour, but to say they played at a big local venue,” Vigliotti says. Whether the band chooses to go DIY, work with a promoter or contact a venue directly, the musicians agreed that presentation is key. “There’s so many bands out there, that you have to stand out,” says Cuneo. “I’m a big fan of self-promotion and marketing yourself.” “If you want to make money for your music, you have to take the steps,” says Somerville. “Make yourself look professional before you go out there and start knocking on all these venues’ doors.” RN UT TA L L @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.19/03.26.2014