More to come at SongSpace this spring! People are already buying tickets for these shows online at songspace.brownpapertickets.com:
Friday Apr 3, 2020: The Early Mays – Entwined, Entrancing Harmonies
.The warmth emanating from every song and tune is proof that the collaboration is a labour of love. … instrumentalism and harmony singing to make the heart soar.” — Isabel Boothby | UK Old Time News
Saturday May 2, 2020: Joe Crookston – Beauty in a Broken World
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Shadyside, 605 Morewood Avenue, Pgh., 15213. All ages; wheelchair accessible. For more information, 412.621.8008 or uusongspace@gmail.com or uusongspace.com.
Thanks for Sharing a Great Evening with the Afro Yaqui Music Collective!
YOU are who make SongSpace possible. We, and the artists, are so grateful that you support live music!
What a show! January 11 was a foot-tapping, body-moving, cross-cultural, justice-raising event! If you were there you know what a great audience you were part of, and how much energy was coming from the Afro Yaqui Music Collective onstage! We wanted to share a few pictures of the show with you, from our crack staff and several generous audience members.
Thanks to Richard Gordon and “Whiskey Before Breakfast” on WRCT for playing some AYMC music this morning! Hear them again on Saturday in the 11:00 hour of “The Saturday Light Brigade” on WRCT! Here’s a great interview with some of the Afro-Yaqui personnel: https://downstream.city/…/interview-the-afro-yaqui-music-c…/ …And their recent “Tiny Desk” submission too (below).
See you Saturday Jan 11, 7:30pm, First Unitarian Church on Morewood and Ellsworth in Shadyside. Tickets at songspace.brownpapertickets.com or at the door!
Art is never neutral in the struggle for a new world. The Afro Yaqui Music Collective combines rhythms of Africa, Asia, and the Yaqui people to imagine a world beyond mass incarceration and ecocide — a world where life fits. And they will be here at SongSpace to disturb, inspire and amaze you this coming Saturday!
Blending jazz and native Yaqui tribe musical influences of founders Ben Barson and Gizelxanath Rodriguez with Asian, Rap, Tango and African musics, AYMC is soothing, introspective, grooving, hard-hitting and funky all at once. You can hear more about them Wednesday in the 11 o’clock hour of Whiskey Before Breakfast, and hear Ben and Gizel live in the studio at 11am this Saturday on the Saturday Light Brigade!
“For the Pittsburgh-based funk-jazz group Afro Yaqui Music Collective, advocacy is at the core of who they are. Their new album, a jazz opera titled Mirror Butterfly: the Migrant Liberation Movement Suite, is about climate change and mass migration.” — Nick Lippa, WBFO 88.7 NPR Buffalo
“A one word summary of this concert? Unforgettable. To simply call the event a “concert” would be a misnomer- instead it was a musical journey, blending funk, jazz, hip-hop, rap, African music, Yaqui and Tzotzil-Tzeltal indigenous music from northern Mexico with powerful political messages.” — Dhruva Krishna,FoundSound Music
“Percussively driven and mighty.” — WNYC New Sounds
Come and be moved and inspired.
Afro Yaqui Music Collective at SongSpace Saturday January 11, 2020, 7:30pm Doors – 7:00pm
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Shadyside, 605 Morewood Avenue, Pgh., 15213. All ages; wheelchair accessible. For more information, 412.621.8008 or uusongspace@gmail.com or uusongspace.com.
Great show with Heather Pierson, Davy Sturtevant and Shawn Nadeau last night! As Davy said as they were going into their second encore, “you’re a really fun audience!”. Heather’s voice gave out early so she’ll have to come back and sing for us sometime, but here are some highlights from the show…. Enjoy!
Highlights of the Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio, thanks to SongSpace friend Becky Dougan!
Heather Pierson chatted with Mando Richard about her life as a musician on WRCT’s Whiskey Before Breakfast on Oct. 30, 2019. Some parts of the conversation are very moving, some are charming, and some are funny. It was a fun conversation! Also includes three songs: Singin’, Lines and Spaces, and Motherless Child. Check it out!
And then come see Heather with her Acoustic Trio (Heather Pierson, bass player Shawn Nadeau and multi-instrumentalist Davy Sturtevant) this Saturday Nov 2, 7:30 pm at First Unitarian Church in Shadyside!
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Shadyside, 605 Morewood Avenue, Pgh., 15213. All ages; wheelchair accessible. For more information, 412.621.8008 or uusongspace@gmail.com or uusongspace.com.
Banjo, ukelele, guitar, killer piano and great songwriting are what you’ll hear when Heather Pierson comes to SongSpace this Saturday Nov 2. On top of that, there’s great bass playing from Shawn Nadeau and guitar, mando, trumpet (and who knows what else?) from western PA favorite Davy Sturtevant. It’s going to be a great show!
“[Heather] has created a new trio that embraces Americana styles and gives it a new perspective. Blending jazz, folk, blues with three part harmonies and stellar instrumentals, this band turns heads!” Ron Olesko | Sing Out! Magazine | WFDU
Joy, honesty and heart fill the music of the Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio, whether live or on their new recording, Lines and Spaces. We are so looking forward to this musical powerhouse. and we look forward to seeing you there too!
“If you’re one of those people who likes any style done well– old-school jazz, folk, pop, classical–you’ll love this prodigiously talented threesome. Keyboards, brass, all sorts of strings, and beautiful singing make for a dynamic show packed with energy and surprises.” Sarah Craig | Caffe Lena | Saratoga Springs, NY
You’ve probably heard some tracks from her brand-new Lines and Spaces CD on Whiskey Before Breakfastwith Mando Richard (11am-1pm Wednesdays on WRCT); she’ll also be chatting with Richard on his show this Wednesday October 30. You can also hear her music on WYEP’s An American Sampler with Ken Batista on Sunday evenings! So, catch her on the radio (broadcast or streaming) and then come on out for a great live show this Saturday.
Get your tickets in advance & save a few dollars!
Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio, Saturday Nov 2, 7:30pm $20 advance, songspace.brownpapertickets.com $25 at the door $10 discount for students/reduced income.
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Shadyside, 605 Morewood Avenue, Pgh., 15213. All ages; wheelchair accessible. For more information, 412.621.8008 or uusongspace@gmail.com or uusongspace.com.
A couple of years ago we saw the Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio at a house concert here in the ‘burgh, attracted by the sounds we heard on Heather’s 2015 release Still She Will Fly… We were blown away by the breadth, musicianship, and pure joy of Heather and her crew. Accompanied by super bass player Shawn Nadeau and multi-instrumentalist Davy Sturtevant (well-known in Western PA), Heather is a superb songwriter and band leader whose music ranges from early 20th century Jazz and Blues, Tin Pan Alley, and Americana. We had to bring them to SongSpace!
Hailing from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley, the trio brings very different backgrounds, mad skills, quiet charm, and down-to earth honesty to bear on songs that bring to life the sounds of the streets of New Orleans and the valleys of Appalachia and everywhere in between. Their recordings (2015’s Still She Will Fly and 2017’s Singin’) and live performances feature Heather’s multi-genre songwriting, their instrumental virtuosity, and stirring three part vocal harmonies. With a brand-new full-length recording, Lines and Spaces, the Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio are a musical powerhouse!
“Heather is like two great acts in one, sliding from sweet acoustic Appalachian old-timey vibe with Patty Griffinesque lyrics to brassy New Orleans blues piano with a bone thrown to Bessie Smith.” — DC Bloom | Lone Star Music Magazine
Listen for Heather’s music on WYEP’s An American Sampler with Ken Batista on Sunday evenings, and for an interview with Heather on Wednesday Oct 30 in the 11 o’clock hour on Whiskey Before Breakfastwith Mando Richard,on WRCT!
First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Shadyside, 605 Morewood Avenue, Pgh., 15213. All ages; wheelchair accessible. For more information, 412.621.8008 or uusongspace@gmail.com or uusongspace.com.
