Pittsburgh, PA

[yovan]

Mulling a job offer in Pittsburgh. Does anybody know about the music venues there? Good or bad music scene?

Actually even general information about the city would be helpful. We can discuss through e-mail so not to clog this board up...

Mucho Gracias

[go-go grrrl]

I graduated from the University of Pgh and lived out there for a total of 6 years. The music scene is a bit lacking, but you do get some good bands that stop there. It's been 3 years since I've lived there, but I know there are some good shows at Club Laga in Oakland and the 31st Street Pub in the Strip District. There are a few cool "dive/indie" bars like Dee's in the Southside and Gooskie's in Polish Hill. If you'd like more info. email me at crystalm1126@att.net

[Dave]

Anyone who knows me has most likely already had an earful of this, but I am very pro Pittsburgh. Feel free to e-mail me for a more details but here is a quick rundown:
Record stores:
Paul's CDs One of the best stores in the the entire country for new music.
Jerry's Records: Unreal used LP store.
Brave New World: More Punk, Metal and Hip Hop than indie, but they are centrally located in Oakland near Pitt and CMU and they are great people.
The Attic: weird store w/a ton of old 7"s. You have to have your gameface on, but it can still produce some gems.
Premiere CDs: A very good indie record store on the South Side

Radio:
WRCT, CMU's radio station. One of the best stations in the country.
WPTS, Pitt's radio station. They adhere to a format, but still play lots of good stuff and are very supportive

Venues:
Club Laga: a big (for Pgh) club that is an ok place to see a show
The Upstage: In the same building as Club Laga. this place used to be a great venue then they stopped having shows for years. Now they are sort of back. Not too many shows, but it's not that bad of a place to see a show.
31st Street Pub: Great rough "rock bar". I personally really like the place
There are other places too, but I'm gonna stop here.
Dave

[penelec]

Check out eightonefour.com or Union Media's website. There's a really strong independent music scene (albeit punk-rocky) that leads to interesting events. As far as places to live, I've been in few towns that seem both vibrant and scrutable. The student population keeps the culture dynamic, too.

[bitterfruit]

Isn't there some type of sandwich that's famous for late night drunken states in Pitt? A pamani (sp?) or something?

[Dave]

Yep
That would be Primanti Bros. the original location in the Strip District is still tops, but all of the other locations (I've lost count, but there are locations on the South Side and in Oakland) deliver the goods too. Whatever the sandwich that you order the fries and coleslaw are put onto the sandwich. I may be biased, but I don't know of anything better for a drunk person to eat. They're even good when not drunk.
Dave