On the road

June 28, 2006 11:48 AM

Where can I get indie rock gigs outside of (but nearby to) Pittsburgh, PA?

I'm based in Pittsburgh, PA, and I want to play some shows in other cities this summer. I'm willing to go as far as Cleveland or Columbus Ohio (about a 3 hour drive west), but if there are good venues in closer proximity, that'd be awesome. And stuff in other directions, too. But I'd rather not drive out somewhere just to play a no-name bar. So what cool venues should I contact? Web sites or promoter contact info appreciated.

This is an indie pop/rock band, i.e. The Shins, Belle and Sebastian, Magnetic Fields, Neutral Milk Hotel.

posted by ludwig_van to media & arts (21 answers total)

In Philadelphia, Joey Lekkas now books The Khyber and the North Star Bar, replacing Heyday/Stacie George. Joey's partner Maiken Scott books The M Room. You might also try the increasingly indie Tin Angel (e-mail me for more info regarding booking) or The Fire. If all else fails, you could play a show at someone's house.
posted by gac at 12:13 PM on June 28, 2006

Book your own f-in life here.
posted by mds35 at 12:16 PM on June 28, 2006

uh, or maybe try here.
posted by mds35 at 12:17 PM on June 28, 2006

Look at 123 Pleasant Street in Morgantown.
posted by arco at 12:53 PM on June 28, 2006

Cleveland: The Beachland Ballroom, The Grog Shop, Pat's in the Flats. There are probably some other places I'm forgetting. I'll comment again if I think of others, but the Beachland is by far the music venue I went to most when I lived in Cleveland. If you want to contact me via email (in profile), I may be able to put you in touch with a talent booker there.
posted by amro at 1:35 PM on June 28, 2006

Hook up with bands in cities you want to play in. Offer to get them a gig at a venue in Pittsburgh in exchange for an opening gig in the city you want to play in.

Do this a lot, and you will make lots of contacts and eventually be able to book shows in other towns yourself.
posted by Xazeru at 1:58 PM on June 28, 2006

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Philly is a 5.5 hour drive, and a bit further than I'd like to travel. I don't know bands in other cities and I'm not really interested in that approach - I don't tend to have trouble booking my own shows, I'm just looking for venues.
posted by ludwig_van at 2:07 PM on June 28, 2006

Also, thanks for the Morgantown suggestion, that's the sort of thing I'm looking for, as Google tells me it's about 80 miles south of Pittsburgh (Philly is 300 miles away).
posted by ludwig_van at 2:24 PM on June 28, 2006

I'm not entirely sure how to get ahold of the people in charge, but Roustabout in State College, PA features indie bands.

http://www.roustabout.net/

You could maybe get in touch with them through the Darkhorse tavern (which is where the Roustabout is held).
posted by jefeweiss at 3:07 PM on June 28, 2006

Thanks for the suggestion, jefe, I've e-mailed them.

And for future readers of this thread, I found this site to be helpful, even though a good handful of the links are dead: parocks.com
posted by ludwig_van at 3:20 PM on June 28, 2006

Cleveland not already mentioned- the HiFi, the phantasy

Akron- the lime spider

There is a place in Kent I havent been to, but I have seen advertised in the Cleveland Scene magazine, which lists most all of the concert venues and shows around Cleveland.
posted by Recockulous at 6:22 PM on June 28, 2006

Scene Cleveland
posted by Recockulous at 6:26 PM on June 28, 2006

Roustabout was a real A+ event for the area. I attended school nearby (Juniata College, maybe 30 miles away) and it was like a little bit of NYC dropped into PA. Look into it for sure.
posted by GilloD at 6:36 PM on June 28, 2006

Check out:

http://www.x814x.com/
These kids do a lot of different types of shows around Johnstown and that area.

For Buffalo, you can always check out: wnymusic.com there is always people booking shows on there around WNY.

I would second the Morgantown idea too. I spent many, many, many hours in that particular pub when it was still the dryhouse, the underground railroad and the nyabinghi dance hall. Great town for music.
posted by punkrockrat at 7:12 PM on June 28, 2006

ludwig_van, CrowBar in State College is known for exactly what you're looking for. Especially during the Fall and Spring (when State College is actually rocking), CrowBar has some of the greatest almost famous talents playing (and some actually famous guys as well). BTW, as you may or may not know, State College is only 2 hours, 15 minutes from Pittsburgh.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 7:13 PM on June 28, 2006

New place in Cleveland: The Church. They're always looking for bands.

In Columbus:
Cafe Bourbon Street (MySpace, maybe music)
Little Brother's
Andyman's Tree House
Skully's
posted by Kronoss at 7:16 PM on June 28, 2006

Probably Mr. Smalls
posted by nuclear_soup at 7:39 PM on June 28, 2006

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

SeizeTheDay, I just spoke to a friend who goes to Penn State, and he told me the CrowBar closed. He recommended The Brewery, though.

And nuclear_soup, thanks, but Mr. Smalls is in Pittsburgh.
posted by ludwig_van at 8:22 PM on June 28, 2006

Wow, that sucks. When I was an undergrad I saw Tim Reynolds there (of Dave & Tim). If you've never been there, you would've loved it. If you have, then you can understand how crappy this is.
posted by SeizeTheDay at 8:33 PM on June 28, 2006

We got a gig at Club Khameleon, which is in Kent, Ohio.
posted by ludwig_van at 4:32 PM on July 24, 2006

Rise, zombie thread!

Club Khameleon show is this Friday! We're going to play at The Khyber, too! Whoo!
posted by ludwig_van at 12:38 PM on August 23, 2006