During the music scene Town Hall at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in February, a panelist suggested that perhaps sprawling festivals with dozens of venues and hundreds of random acts, like the Deutschtown Music Festival, weren’t the best showcase for Pittsburgh music.
Deutschtown’s response?
Make it even bigger and more sprawling.
Where last year’s festival stretched 223 acts across 20 venues on the North Side, the sixth annual event pushes that total to 369 across 37.
“We decided to go full blown on Friday is what happened,” says Cody Walters, who founded the festival with Ben Soltesz.
That came as a result of a spontaneous event that happened last year. They had the main outdoor stage on Foreland Street erected on Friday, for the bands to play on Saturday. With no sound hooked up yet for the stage, his friend London Johnson jumped up there at 8 p.m. with his drum trio and started to play. They put it on Facebook Live.
“And just from the sound of the drums,” Mr. Walters says, “within five minutes, there was a crowd of about 400 people. It was crazy. We expected some people to show up and see it, but, no, the street was full, and it was incredible.”
So they’ve added a full Friday night slate for that main stage. There are also new venues, including the addition of NOVA Place, and Threadbare Cider House running three simultaneous stages. Deutschtown wouldn’t be itself without the James Street Gastropub and Speakeasy. It shut down the music because of noise complaints last year and then closed closed in November, but it will be up and running, without food, on stages in the ballroom, speakeasy and ground floor.
The building’s new owner, who runs an engineering firm, is looking for someone to lease the building once again as a music venue. In the meantime, Tim Gaber, from the Pittsburgh Winery in the Strip, which hasn’t been able to present music the past year due to zoning restrictions, will host the entertainment there.
“It’s one last hurrah before [James Street] goes through some updating and becomes whatever it might be,” Mr. Walters says.
Deutschtown, which began in 2013 with 40 acts, has reached the point where it received more than 500 submissions from 26 states and seven countries. Weeding through that was Hugh Twyman, local music presenter/photographer and host of the online program HughShows, who grabbed the 200-some bands that he knew of and figured would draw a crowd and dove into the rest looking for some hidden gems.
He’s excited by a band called INCO FIdO, which he describes as like a high-energy Commonheart that he later saw at the Millvale Festival and says, “blew me away.”
He also recommends checking out indie-pop singer-songwriter Raven Clifton, teen singer-guitarist Elias Khouri, pop-rock band ATL&S and, on the heavier and gorier side, the metal band Leprosy.
They expanded the out-of-town bands to 15 with the long-term goal of enhancing the city’s image as a music city.
“One of the talking points in some of those town halls is that in the mind of the tourist, they come to Pittsburgh, they don’t think music,” Mr. Walters says. “Not dissimilar to other cities, we have music — every day of the week. It’s not hard to find. It’s just a matter of that not being in the forefront of people’s mind when they show up here. When they show up in Austin, they think South by Southwest: ‘Oh, I should expect music year round.’ But when they show up here, they don’t think that, and that’s partially our thinking there, that eventually we could be recognized as something outside of Pittsburgh itself.”
The tricky part is getting the bands from other cities to understand what the festival is and not back out at the last minute.
“My experience is with some of those bands,” Mr. Twyman says with a laugh, “is like, ‘What’s our per diem and where are we staying, and where’s the green M&M’s? But it makes sense to want to be a nationally known festival.”
The other programming move was to address the problem of the boys club.
“One of our criticisms was that we had somehow overlooked not having a female-led performer on the Foreland Street stage, and it was a legit criticism,” Mr. Walters says.
So, they formed an inclusiveness committee of about 10 people of various backgrounds to make sure that the festival maintained a level of diversity.
“It was a lot of people working together and coming up with ideas and ways of how best to make sure that we’re crossing our t’s and dotting our i’s. Nothing’s ever perfect, and we don’t claim to be, and there will be criticisms made. But had that criticism been made last year before the festival, we probably would have adjusted it and said, ‘Oh, we’re really stupid. How did we overlook this?’ We were really happy to receive the criticism and work with people to address that.”
Youth will be represented as well, thanks in part to Mary Jo Coll of Lawrenceville’s RANT (Rock All Night Tour) festival, which came first and inspired both Deutschtown and the Millvale Music Festival but will not be holding its usual event this summer due to the demands of founder Michael “Zombo” Devine’s congressional campaign.
“She didn’t want to lose their youth stage,” Mr. Walters says. “She wanted a place for young performers to play at a bigger festival, so we adopted that from her.”
He points to one stage as standing out for its aesthetics. In response to the park planning commission announcing that it was opening its master plan for discussion in October, Deutschtown quickly threw together an unpromoted concert in September to show off what the Skyline Park Stage could look like.
“There’s an old stage there, but it faces the wrong direction,” he says. “It has the band facing the city as opposed to the crowd. I’ve long thought a permanent stage that would engage the pool and the area there would be amazing. It really is picturesque. It’s almost like ‘Austin City Limits’ without a fake backdrop. It’s the real backdrop of our city. We put together this show, literally, just to get a photograph.”
The idea was approved by the planning commission and can be built when funding becomes available.
***
Although Deutschtown isn’t a big payday for the artists — they get a cut of the revenues from grants, sponsorships and the sale of $5 beer bracelets — they cherish it as a showcase for themselves and the scene.
“It’s like the big ol’ family picnic for the Pittsburgh music scene,” says Jon Bindley of Americana band Bindley Hardware Co., adding, “It seems to grow a little bit every year without becoming a caricature of itself or going too far with corporate influence.”
(Comic promo made by Adam Koisor of The Wire Riots and Stosh Jonjack of Maxxout — contains profanity).
Adam Koisor of The Wire Riots likes the way it’s progressed over the past six years.
“It used to be a music fest for musicians with secret handshakes and the friends of friends,” he says. “It was like you’ve never heard of the town, or the festival unless you were playing it. Now it’s for everyone: mainstream and being covered by all local media. It’s at the height of its popularity.”
“It’s a chance to party with our band friends, introduce new acts to each other and plop the musicians down in front of a big juicy crowd,” says Addi Twigg, singer for The Telephone Line. “Maybe we entertain them for 45 minutes and never cross paths again. But sometimes folks lock in when they really love the band, and you walk away with some new fans.”
“When I first hit the scene in 2005,” says Chip DiMonick, of the new band Chip & the Charge Ups, “these types of local music festivals were virtually nonexistent in Pittsburgh.
“Certain aspects of music scenes,” he adds, “put up barriers between musical entertainers and fans: cover charges, inconvenient locations, age restrictions. … Deutschtown and other Pittsburgh music festivals obliterate those barriers.”
“It gives us a chance as musicians to see and support each other,” says Kiki Brown, who fronts The Buckle Downs. “With so many popular music venues closing, the festival gives us a chance to jam together. Second, it’s such a well-known festival and it’s so much fun to groove with people who know us and introduce ourselves to people who don’t.”
Says Michael T. Nolan, frontman of the long-running dark industrial band Venus in Furs, “Any time people get together for such a wide range of musical discovery, it can’t help but be positive. The world could use as much positive energy as it can get.”
DEUTSCHTOWN MUSIC FESTIVAL
Where: North Side.
When: Friday-Saturday.
Details: Three main stages are featured during the day, one in Allegheny Commons Park, the second on a closed-off block of Foreland Street, and the third, Skyline Stage, right outside the Sue Murray pool. There will be a beer garden in a closed-off portion of the city-owned parking lot next to the main stage and Foreland Street. Family-friendly programming is featured during the daytime, with more than 20 food trucks, children’s activities, an artists’ market, and other activities to supplement the music. Throughout the day and night, two free shuttles with multiple stops on the North Side and North Shore will be available for the more than 20,000 people that are expected to attend. Information: deutschtownmusicfestival.com.
FRIDAY
Allegheny City Brewing
6 p.m.: Threesound
7 p.m.: Chloe Wiecz Collective
8 p.m.: Douglas Lowell Blevins
9 p.m.: Ben Valasek and the Growlers
10 p.m.: Anjroy
Allegheny Elks Lodge #339
7 p.m.: The Shadow Event
8 p.m.: Benefits
9 p.m.: Murder for Girls
10 p.m.: Chip & the Charge Ups
Arnold’s Tea (all ages)
3 p.m.: Scott & Rosanna
4 p.m.: Bitter Whiskers
5 p.m.: $tatu$
6 p.m.: Jordan Montgomery
7 p.m.: Hayley Dailey Trio
Bier’s Pub (all ages)
5 p.m.: The Resaca Tango Duo feat. Tom Roberts
Gospel Stage at ACAC (all ages)
5 p.m.: Urban Impact Youth Jazz Band
Highmark/AHN Park Stage (all ages)
3 p.m.: Jenny and the Jags
4 p.m.: Bass Treble Harmony
5 p.m.: Jack Swing
6 p.m.: Essential Machine
7 p.m.: Lee Robinson & ISKA
8 p.m.: Wreck Loose
HughShows Stage at Foreland (all ages)
2 p.m.: Venus in Furs
3 p.m.: Kate Clark
4 p.m.: Elias Khouri and The EK Band
5 p.m.: Kaelber
6 p.m.: iD
7 p.m.: The Rents
8 p.m.: Jill West & Blues Attack
9 p.m.: The Buckle Downs
Huszar (all ages)
5 p.m.: T J Locklear
6 p.m.: Eric “The Pianofighter” Popek
7 p.m.: Adam Fitz
8 p.m.: Julia Capuzzi
9 p.m.: Aaron Lewinter
10 p.m.: Jeremy Caywood
Max’s Allegheny Tavern Rathskeller
6 p.m.: Dead Sin
7 p.m.: Dayshift
8 p.m.: Charlie Wheeler Band
9 p.m.: Phased Out
Nova Place Stage (all ages)
5 p.m.: Matt w/2 t’s
6 p.m.: Koz
7 p.m.: Jordan Auth
8 p.m.: J Roger Davis
9 p.m.: Justin Wade
10 p.m.: Katie Dee & The Quaking Aspens
Penn Brewery (all ages)
4 p.m.: Dainty Life
5 p.m.: The Chiodi Trio
6 p.m.: lowlight signal
7 p.m.: Randy Hollenbeck
8 p.m.: Lyra
9 p.m.: Callan
Pittsburgh Winery at James St. — Ballroom
4 p.m.: Alex Mendenall
5 p.m.: Makeshift Urn
6 p.m.: The Dark Lines
7 p.m.: Neonstorm
8 p.m.: The Long Hunt
9 p.m.: The Black Six
Pittsburgh Winery at James St. — Ground Floor
5 p.m.: Luke B. Wood
6 p.m.: Dirty Leaf
7 p.m.: Matt King & The Dukes of St. Clair
8 p.m.: Wolfhouse
9 p.m.: Nameless in August
10 p.m.: Slugss
Pittsburgh Winery at James St. — Speakeasy
5 p.m.: Gary Musisko
6 p.m.: Appalachian Doom Gospel
7 p.m.: Lem
8 p.m.: String Machine
9 p.m.: Tessellation
10 p.m.: Habatat
11 p.m.: ... or the Duck Dies
Pittsburgh Winery East Street (all ages)
5 p.m.: Ethan Jano & The Heart of rhe Wild
6 p.m.: Olga Watkins Band
7 p.m.: Adelaide in Autumn
8 p.m.: Atomic Shindig
9 p.m.: Mahajibee Blues
10 p.m.: Bindley Hardware Co.
St. Mary’s Lyceum
6 p.m.: Skeletonized
7 p.m.: The Groove Element
8 p.m.: The Goodfoots
9 p.m.: The Hoover-Rosenberg Jazz Ensemble
Teutonia Mannerchor — Biergarten (all ages)
4 p.m.: BIA
5 p.m.: Lee N. Sage
6 p.m.: The Highlevel
7 p.m.: The Vics
8 p.m.: Venus Monolith
The Park House
9 p.m.: Whiskey Gents
Threadbare Cider House — Restaurant (all ages)
5 p.m.: Paz and Ukulele Eddie
6 p.m.: Aloha Salvation
7 p.m.: Paul Eisert
8 p.m.: Samantha Sears
9 p.m.: Rowan Erikson
10 p.m.: Soccershoe
Threadbare Cider House — Tent (all ages)
4 p.m.: Horus Maze
5 p.m.: WEST
6 p.m.: Princess Nostalgia
7 p.m.: The Turbosonics
8 p.m.: Funky Fly Project
Threadbare Cider House — Warehouse (all ages)
5 p.m.: Optimus Riff
6 p.m.: Vertical 48
7 p.m.: Marjory and The Public Works Band
8 p.m.: Paul Labrise Band
9 p.m.: Rhythm’n’Steel
10 p.m.: Jordan McLaughlin
Verdetto’s
5 p.m.: One Ray
6 p.m.: The Shiners
7 p.m.: AE Honick
8 p.m.: The Roof
9 p.m.: The Zells
10 p.m.: MaxXouT
11 p.m.: The Wire Riots
Wigle Whiskey (all ages)
5 p.m.: Smoke & Mirrors
6 p.m.: Rachel Whitcomb
7 p.m.: Trinity
8 p.m.: The Living Street
YMR Club
5 p.m.: Sorry, I’m Dead
6 p.m.: neostem
7 p.m.: Fortune Teller
8 p.m.: Daisy Chain
9 p.m.: Mickey and the Snake Oil Boys
10 p.m.: Walker and the Rebellion
11 p.m.: Alfomega
SATURDAY
AIR — Artists Image Resource (all ages)
1 p.m.: Zack Keim
2 p.m.: Tai Chirovsky
3 p.m.: The Wreckids
4 p.m.: Lindsay Dragan
5 p.m.: Chet Vincent
6 p.m.: Lady Jessica
7 p.m.: Midge Crickett
8 p.m.: Shay
9 p.m.: Diamond Shapes
10 p.m.: Sadie
Allegheny City Brewing
3 p.m.: The Waif
4 p.m.: Ryan Hoffman and the Pioneers
5 p.m.: Honey Prisms
6 p.m.: Middle Children
7 p.m.: Dumplings
8 p.m.: Soda Club
9 p.m.: Bikini Islands
10 p.m.: Honeyriders
Allegheny Elks Lodge #339
6 p.m.: The Crew of the Half Moon
7 p.m.: The Me Toos
8 p.m.: Paddy The Wanderer
9 p.m.: The Weird Paul Rock Band
10 p.m.: Rave Ami
11 p.m.: SPISH
Alphabet City (all ages)
4:30 p.m.: Moe Seager
Annex PGH (all ages)
Noon: Danny Rectenwald
1 p.m.: Jon Bañuelos
2 p.m.: Jason Gamble
3 p.m.: Slagle Rock & Sue
Arnold’s Tea (all ages)
5 p.m.: Kanti Kasa
6 p.m.: Morgan Erina
7 p.m.: Lexa Terrestrial
8 p.m.: Tupelo
Bier’s Pub (all ages)
7 p.m.: Joel Pace Organ Trio
East Street Distributing Co. (all ages)
2 p.m.: Antoinette No Ordinary Soul Band
3 p.m.: Grand Prismatic
4 p.m.: Scott Fry Experience
5 p.m.: Blackbird Bullet
6 p.m.: Evan Isaac (Pugglefox)
7 p.m.: The Filthy Lowdowns
8 p.m.: Seven Story Fall
Gospel Stage at ACAC (all ages)
1 p.m.: Joy Ike
2 p.m.: The Sparks
Highmark/AHN Park Stage (all ages)
11 a.m.: Tim Vitullo Band
Noon: Nightly Standard
1 p.m.: little good bad
2 p.m.: Dori Cameron & the Invisible Monsters
3 p.m.: Coexist Music Group
4 p.m.: Emily Rodgers Band
5 p.m.: Chad Sipes Stereo
6 p.m.: Working Breed
7 p.m.: Late Hit Jam
HughShows Stage at Foreland (all ages)
Noon: Jim Donovan & Sun King Warriors
1 p.m.: Raven Clifton
2 p.m.: Sourmash
3 p.m.: HollyHood
4 p.m.: Buffalo Rose
5 p.m.: Byron Nash & Plan B
6 p.m.: LoFi Delphi
7 p.m.: Dinosoul
8 p.m.: The Telephone Line
9 p.m.: BBGuns
10 p.m.: Andre Costello and the Cool Minors
Huszar (all ages) Outside 1-6 p.m.
1 p.m.: Six Demon Bag
2 p.m.: Gator Shakes
3 p.m.: Remission
4 p.m.: Leprosy
5 p.m.: Aaron Romeo
6 p.m.: Ken Turetzky
8 p.m.: Same Moon
9 p.m.: Mild Fever
10 p.m.: Matt Wheeler
J R’s Bar
2 p.m.: Dev Structures
3 p.m.: Astra Robotica
4 p.m.: Grits Capone
5 p.m.: Kyna
6 p.m.: HUBBS
7 p.m.: NVSV
9 p.m.: DJ Cherry Bomb
Kaffeehaus (all ages)
1 p.m.: Six O’Matic
2 p.m.: OHM Project
3 p.m.: Brittney Chantele & Remy Vega
4 p.m.: Alyssa Hankey
Max’s Allegheny Tavern Rathskeller
5 p.m.: The Hipsters
6 p.m.: Hedonism Bots
7 p.m.: Tears of Joy
8 p.m.: 8 Balls
9 p.m.: Smokey Bellows
10 p.m.: Ten Thousand Dollars Cash
Modern Cafe
8 p.m.: Burlap Band
New Hazlett Theater — Front Steps
3 p.m.: Magnificent Street Entertainment M.S.E
4 p.m.: Run the Meat
Nova Place Stage (all ages)
2 p.m.: Stone Throwers
3 p.m.: Redson
4 p.m.: Intermission Improv
5 p.m.: James Drakes and CT3
6 p.m.: Ikea Damone
7 p.m.: Donna O
8 p.m.: Ben Alper
9 p.m.: Clay
10 p.m.: Paul Tabachneck
Penn Brewery — Biergarten (all ages)
1 p.m.: Josh Crusan & The Coconut Band
2 p.m.: Billy B
3 p.m.: Ellie Lee
4 p.m.: David Hipchen
Penn Brewery — Restaurant (all ages)
2 p.m.: Charm & Chain
3 p.m.: Her Ladyship
4 p.m.: The Petals
5 p.m.: Cape Cod
6 p.m.: Avi Diamond
7 p.m.: Ferdinand the Bull
8 p.m.: Some Kind of Animal
Penn Brewery — Terrace (all ages)
6 p.m.: Thirty Years Later
7 p.m.: Soul Shine Overdrive
8 p.m.: Chrome Moses
9 p.m.: Two Birds
10 p.m.: The Clock Reads
11 p.m.: Gene the Werewolf
Pittsburgh Winery at James St. — Ballroom
2 p.m.: EASE
3 p.m.: New Moons
4 p.m.: Demos Papadimas
5 p.m.: Cisco Kid
6 p.m.: Elkhound
7 p.m.: Balloon Ride Fantasy
8 p.m.: Old Game
9 p.m.: Sikes and The New Violence
10 p.m.: Blue Clutch
11 p.m.: ATL&S
Pittsburgh Winery at James St. — Ground Floor
2 p.m.: Good Ship Gibralter
3 p.m.: Strange Monsters
4 p.m.: Aris Paul Band
5 p.m.: God Hates Unicorns
6 p.m.: Heavy Chest
7 p.m.: The Mixus Brothers
8 p.m.: As Ladders
9 p.m.: The Nox Boys
10 p.m.: Bipolariod
Pittsburgh Winery at James St. — Speakeasy
1 p.m.: Yung Delirious
2 p.m.: Sean Howard Orchestra
3 p.m.: Trent in the Trees
4 p.m.: Jack Stauber
5 p.m.: Track Meet
6 p.m.: The Uptown Woods
7 p.m.: Decaffeinated Grapefruit
8 p.m.: Different Places in SPACE
9 p.m.: The Moat Rats
10 p.m.: Chase and the Barons
Pittsburgh Winery East Street (all ages)
3 p.m.: Street Pigeons
4 p.m.: Upon Rocket
5 p.m.: NORM
6 p.m.: Paint31
7 p.m.: There You Are
8 p.m.: vireo
9 p.m.: Adler & Barath Blues Band
10 p.m.: The Pump Fakes
11 p.m.: Northern Gold
Skyline Stage (all ages)
12 p.m.: MaxXouT
1 p.m.: Dan Bubien & the Delta Struts
2 p.m.: Sun Hound
3 p.m.: For Dizzier Hights
4 p.m.: iNCO FIdO
5 p.m.: Clara Kent
6 p.m.: LiveFromTheCity
7 p.m.: Molly Alphabet
8 p.m.: Grand Piano
9 p.m.: Starship Mantis
St. Mary’s Lyceum
7 p.m.: The Struggle Bus
8 p.m.: Sound Elevator
9 p.m.: Standard Broadcast
10 p.m.: Keystone Vibe
11 p.m.: Right TurnClyde
Teutonia Mannerchor — Biergarten (all ages)
2 p.m.: Lady Lala and the Spiritual Shakedown
3 p.m.: Nick Barilla
4 p.m.: Bambino
5 p.m.: Pompi
6 p.m.: Strange Cocktail
7 p.m.: The Low Kings
8 p.m.: Terrie Rimson
The Blacksmith Studio (all ages)
2 p.m.: Hear Tonight
3 p.m.: Dave D. & The West Hills All-Stars
4 p.m.: Zeve
5 p.m.: Will Simmons & The Upholsterers
6 p.m.: The Bleepy Things
7 p.m.: The Semi-Supervillains
8 p.m.: Altar Boy
The Park House
9 p.m.: Pennsylvania Dirt
10:30 p.m.: Locks and Dams
Threadbare Cider House — Restaurant (all ages)
2 p.m.: Sloane Simon
3 p.m.: Jay Michaels
4 p.m.: Daryl Shawn
5 p.m.: Mighty Kasey
6 p.m.: Maleena Dominick
7 p.m.: feeble organs
8 p.m.: Carrie Collins
9 p.m.: HANK the businessman
10 p.m.: William Sparks
Threadbare Cider House — Tent (all ages)
4 p.m.: Second Street Strangers
5 p.m.: Jimmy Adler Band
6 p.m.: JakeTheHawk
7 p.m.: American Spirits
Threadbare Cider House — Warehouse (all ages)
3 p.m.: 9Sundays
4 p.m.: Wine & Spirit
5 p.m.: Professor Stomach Ache
6 p.m.: Ugly Blondes
7 p.m.: Back Alley Sound
8 p.m.: Kid Durango
9 p.m.: Love Dumpster
10 p.m.: Venus in Furs
Verdetto’s
5 p.m.: Razz Newtons
6 p.m.: Dream Job
7 p.m.: The Velcro Shoes
8 p.m.: The Danzas
9 p.m.: Tilted Shadows
10 p.m.: Klaymore
11 p.m.: Dead River
Wigle Whiskey (all ages)
12 p.m.: Still Not Sober
1 p.m.: Sweetheart of the Barricades
2 p.m.: The Lone Pines
3 p.m.: Matt Aquline & The Dead End Streets
4 p.m.: The Leah Hohman Band
5 p.m.: Brahctopus
6 p.m.: Cello Fury
7 p.m.: The YJJs
8 p.m.: The Employees of Funk
9 p.m.: Bad Custer
YMR Club
7 p.m.: School of Athens
8 p.m.: Shifted Past
9 p.m.: The Night’s Watch
10 p.m.: The Full Counts
11 p.m.: Black Ridge
Midnight: f— yeah, dinosaurs!
1 a.m.: Rat T*ts
Youth Stage (all ages)
2 p.m.: ROX Performance Group
3 p.m.: This Is the World
4 p.m.: Self-Seriousness
5 p.m.: The Electric Army
6 p.m.: Blue Shift
7 p.m.: Big Blitz Band
8 p.m.: Snowdonia
First Published: July 10, 2018, 1:52 p.m.