Some day in the not too distant future, America will dip its corners deeper into the ocean, the waves ever grinding at its shores as tectonic plates shift and sink. The effect of melting icecaps on the beaches of her native Long Island is one of the triggers for Laura Stevenson's worrying mind, as she struggles with the overwhelming notions of an infinite universe and the imminence of her own death. Obsessive musings on these subjects has led her to describe herself as an "unfunny Woody Allen," though friends and fans might disagree, finding plenty of humor in her introspective and self-deprecating nature. The repetition of these existential questions is the driving force behind Wheel, an album brimming with life and death in the desperate search for what keeps us turning in the face of doubt, an exercise in coming to terms with the overwhelming beauty that can be found in the lack of an answer.

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Laura Stevenson was born and raised on Long Island into a family of mariners and music makers. She spent many of her younger days on the sugar barges of NY harbor with her father and uncles, who all made their living on the water, at one time running one of the largest fleets on the Hudson. Meanwhile, her mother's parents were successful musicians; Harry Simeone, the composer and choral arranger responsible for such works as "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and Margaret McCravy (stage name McCrae), a singer from South Carolina who got her start accompanying her elder siblings "The McCravy Brothers," a harmonious gospel folk duo, before continuing on her own to record and tour with bandleader Benny Goodman. Armed with her grandfather's love for modernist dissonance, a genetic predisposition for harmony, and with her sea legs firmly planted in the traditions of American folk singing, Stevenson began creating melodies at a very young age. "My mom would find me in my room, looking out the window, out at the street, singing by myself, sometimes crying," she laughs, "I was a weird kid."

At around five Stevenson began playing piano by ear, and at that point her mother decided lessons were a sound investment for the young musician. In High School between going to punk shows every weekend, she spent her afternoons singing in four different choral groups, exploring a growing love for acapella. "Big time nerd stuff," as she recalls, lamenting that there wasn't a show like Glee around to validate her when she was in the thick of it. Hundreds of hours of extra-curricular singing combined with a natural talent has no doubt paid dividends when it comes to Stevenson's powerful vocals. The confidence and precision with which she unabashedly sings out on record and on stage stands in sharp contrast with the reflective uncertainty and isolation that comes through in her lyrics.

Though Stevenson began writing classically on piano early on, it wasn't until her late teens that she taught herself how to fingerpick the guitar, aspiring to have the quickness and intricacy of her "guitar god," Dolly Parton. The new instrument opened up a window of creativity and Stevenson soon began writing songs heavily influenced by the writers her father had raised her on, such as Neil Young, Gram Parsons, and Carole King, while also drawing inspiration from music that she discovered on her own like Leonard Cohen, and Jeff Mangum. Meanwhile, leaving her comfort zone, Stevenson started playing in friends' bands in and around Long Island, a time that she says, "taught me how to be on tour, how to give and take with other musicians, and not be afraid of my own ideas." With a new found confidence and a solid and supportive community of creative people behind her, Stevenson moved to Brooklyn in her early 20s and soon started performing her own material, loosely assembling a backing band of friends from other projects. In 2010, she released her bare-bones full-length debut simply entitled, A Record, which she quickly followed the year after with Sit Resist, the first solid document of her work playing with a full band. Those two albums and a healthy amount of touring brought Stevenson a dedicated fan base, drawn to her voice, her words, and her relatable down-to-earth persona.

While writing the 13 songs that make-up her newest record, Wheel, Stevenson sought to understand her place within the frame of time, nature, and among those that she loves. With her words, a careful twine of prose and humor, Stevenson manages to expose the nagging contradictions that make life so terrifying but also so worth living, how it is possible to simultaneously feel both fear and joy, the bitter aftertaste of something so beautiful it makes you sick. Themes of passage, the cycle of the moon, the seasons, and love's ever-shifting states of dependence, are all interwoven throughout Wheel as songs ebb and flow from her band's crashing walls of distortion and pounding drums, to sweet string-led overtures, to moments where it is just Stevenson and a guitar.

In recording Wheel, Stevenson decided to up the production value, steering away from the lo-fi approach of her previous two albums. Forcing herself to fully give-in to the recording process, and relinquish some of creative control she enlisted producer, Kevin McMahon, someone whose work she respected immensely and who would, as she put it, "be the perfect set of ears for these songs." She also brought in Rob Moose on violin and Kelly Pratt to play brass, adding their own layers of depth to the band's full arrangements. Despite the move to sleeker production, Wheel retains its organic nature, relying primarily on the resonance of acoustic instruments and the electricity of simply over-driven amplifiers, with its most synthetic moment coming from a Roland organ, an unconscious decision that Stevenson explains as her and her band's way of "being real, relying on each other's energy to keep time and just playing the songs like human beings, flaws and all." show less

Pittsburgh's favorite hellraising folksinger, Anne Feeney, returns to the stage for a full show for the first time since her diagnosis of small cell lung cancer in August 2010. Her doctors say she is a medical outlier, completely defying the statistics. Feeney says she's been defiant since 1968 and she recommends it to everyone.

Until her illness struck, Feeney toured regularly all over Canada, the US, Sweden and Denmark. Her monthly newsletter, archived at http://fellow-travelers-advisory.blogspot.com/ has over 10,000 subscribers. Her vast repertoire includes traditional Irish and American songs, contemporary songs, and her award-winning originals. Feeney's still got that engaging stage presence, and great sense of humor. Don't miss the show.
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The Inevitable Mr. Chris is best known for his work in San Diego, CA post-punk outfit Firethorn, with whom he has been honored to travel and perform with the likes of many influential musicians such as Mike Watt + The Missing Men, The Bellrays, Local H, and Demasiado (ex-Unwritten Law/Fenix TX).
With an assembled three piece, Chris culls material from across his catalogue including previews of his new musical undertaking, Love Ethic.
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Krish is an Indian Stand Up Comedian that started performing at age 15. Since then he has performed at various Comedy Clubs, Colleges, Bars, Theaters & Coffee Shops, telling stories about his family, past & current relationships, personal stories, race & immigration issues, religion, social issues and sharing thoughts and ideas that are close to him. He has opened for various Comedians such as Kenny Zimlinghaus (SiriusXM: Cosmo Radio) Lee Camp (Comedy Central, Showtime, The Onion), Lisa Landry (Comedy Central), Spark Mann (BET's Comic View, Sirius Radio), Ron Placone (Madness in the Message), Dave McDonald and Brian McKim (Last Comic Standing, Shecky Magazine). show less

KINETIC: An exciting and original blend of grooves and memorable melodies inspired by Afropop, jazz, and soul music. Kinetic has been heard at the African Festival of Arts and Music downtown, and at various bars and clubs around Pittsburgh. show less

An Evening With the Truth
Featuring Paul Benson and Ayesha Scott
Rock that will roll your soul

Formed in Pittsburgh, PA by lead vocalist and guitarist Paul Benson, The Truth brings a driving rock and roll sound back to the forefront from the days back when bands rocked arenas. This eclectic group of musician's debut album was produced by Kid Rock's Kenny Olson and features original songs written by the band and co-writers Jeff Thurston and legendary, number one song writer Bernie Nelson.

Founder, Paul Benson has had a passion and uncanny musical ability from a very young age. Both Paul, a veteran performer of the big stage, and drummer Josh Gerba, a road warrior, have performed hundreds of live shows with various bands. Shayne MacLaughlin brings the distinct guitar sound Paul has been searching for. Beautiful and multi-talented vocalist Ayesha Scott, who joined Paul after several guest appearances on his live shows, has been collaborating on music and lyrics ever since, getting their musical styles together to form the sound of The Truth. show less

In observance of Memorial Day, Club Cafe will be closed. Sunday Brunch will return next week, June 2 show less

In observance of Memorial Day, Club Cafe will be closed May 27. AcoustiCafe will return tomorrow, Tuesday May 28 for a special Tuesday night edition. show less

No Cover!

Pittsburgh's #1 Open Stage returns to Club Cafe with host Pete Bush ['Jocelyn, how great thou art' birthday party]. Fashioned after some of the high profile and wildly successful open stages in Nashville and New York City, AcoustiCafe's open stage intends to create a supportive environment for artists to network with their peers, test new music or haul out old favorites, and most importantly, extend their reach in the local scene.

Ages 21+ Only. show less

Peter Case is a three time Grammy nominee for his work as a singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer (his 2007 solo album, Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John, was among those named in the Best Contemporary Folk category). He has recorded more than a dozen solo records for the Geffen, Vanguard and Yep Roc labels. He is the author of several books as well as a sought-after record producer. His songs have been featured in movies and TV shows including True Blood, Friday Night Lights, and Parenthood. Peter’s songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Dave Alvin, Chris Smither, Alejandro Escovedo, Marshall Crenshaw, the Goo Goo Dolls, the Go-Go's, and many others. Passionate about writing songs and connecting to audiences, Case tours throughout the year in the US, Canada, and Europe, while his hardcore fans bring to the shows their deep connection to the songs and to the artist.

Riding the rails from Buffalo to California while still a teenager, Case performed as a street musician in San Francisco before joining Jack Lee and Paul Collins to form The Nerves. The groups single, “Hanging on the Telephone,” would later become a Top 10 hit for Blondie.

Case then moved to LA and formed The Plimsouls. The group landed a deal with Geffen on the strength of the hit song, "A Million Miles Away," which they performed in the movie Valley Girl.

Case has been a solo performer since the late '80s. His albums include his T-Bone Burnett-produced Grammy-nominated solo debut; the widely acclaimed The Man With the Blue Post Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar, (featuring the signature songs "Entella Hotel," "Two Angels," and "Put Down The Gun"); the self-released acoustic blues album Peter Case Sings Like Hell; the Grammy-nominated Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John and last-year's collection of unreleased and alternate tracks, The Case Files. Last year also saw the release of Beach Town Confidential, a previously unreleased live recording of a 1983 Plimsouls show in front of a rowdy, appreciative crowd at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, CA.

Case is the central figure in the feature-length documentary TROUBADOUR BLUES by Pennsylvania filmmaker Tom Weber, released in 2011. The film also featuring Dave Alvin, Mary Gauthier and many other fine singer-songwriters, is an honest and intimate look at the lives of modern-day wandering minstrels.
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