Comments on: On the road

Question: On the road

ludwig_van — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 11:48:39 -0800

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.

By: gac

gac — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 12:13:40 -0800

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.

By: mds35

mds35 — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 12:16:59 -0800

Book your own f-in life here.

By: mds35

mds35 — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 12:17:55 -0800

uh, or maybe try here.

By: arco

arco — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 12:53:03 -0800

Look at 123 Pleasant Street in Morgantown.

By: amro

amro — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:35:13 -0800

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.

By: Xazeru

Xazeru — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 13:58:32 -0800

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.

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 14:07:40 -0800

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.

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 14:24:43 -0800

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).

By: jefeweiss

jefeweiss — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:07:23 -0800

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).

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:20:07 -0800

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

By: Recockulous

Recockulous — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 18:22:51 -0800

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.

By: Recockulous

Recockulous — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 18:26:44 -0800

Scene Cleveland

By: GilloD

GilloD — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 18:36:17 -0800

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.

By: punkrockrat

punkrockrat — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 19:12:05 -0800

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.

By: SeizeTheDay

SeizeTheDay — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 19:13:51 -0800

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.

By: Kronoss

Kronoss — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 19:16:25 -0800

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

By: nuclear_soup

nuclear_soup — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 19:39:11 -0800

Probably Mr. Smalls

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 20:22:03 -0800

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.

By: SeizeTheDay

SeizeTheDay — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 20:33:49 -0800

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.

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:32:24 -0800

We got a gig at Club Khameleon, which is in Kent, Ohio.

By: ludwig_van

ludwig_van — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 12:38:39 -0800

Rise, zombie thread!

Club Khameleon show is this Friday! We're going to play at The Khyber, too! Whoo!