If live bluegrass at a brewery is what we'd consider a normal music outing, Banjo Night is the exact opposite- this one is unique. But Rossi's club has been able to do something that most other banjo clubs around the country haven't: get the youth of the city to . Its really a lot of fun.. On my first visit, the special was chicken parmesan with fries for $7. The Pittsburgh Banjo Club has been playing free public concerts on Wednesday nights in Deutschtown so long that without many of its members hailing from this side of town, many think of them as a Northside band. Open rehearsal and sing-along We add new reviews on this site weekly! Pittsburgh, for the last 60 years, has been reinventing itself in light of the decline of the steel industry, said John Hepp, a historian and professor at Wilkes University. The Pittsburgh Banjo Club mainly sticks to what Rossi calls the golden age of the banjo, 1920 to 1930, playing a host of well-known ragtime, jazz and bluegrass ballads. The Banjo Hall of Fame is located at the American Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since the teacher I was taking lessons from was a club member, I tended to go [to banjo night]. There are typically about 20 members who show up each Wednesday, and they play from 8 to 11 p.m. For more live music in the North Side, check out MCG Jazz! During the past 28 years, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club has performed at the Cultural District Street Fair, Pittsburgh; Ambridge Nationality Days; Butler County Community College Summer Concerts; Star Lake Amphitheater; Pepsi Roadhouse; Brodhead Cultural Center, Monaca, PA; Carnegie Science Center; Carnegie Music Hall; Children's Museum of Pittsburgh; Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council; Hazlett Theater; Heinz Hall; Civic Arena; Three Rivers Arts Festival; PPG Place; DiCesare & Engler Riverfest; Three Rivers Stadium; Major League Baseball's All Star Game FanFests; The Stephen Foster Music and Heritage Festival (Doo Dah Days);PNC Park Opening Day; Three Rivers Regatta; First Night Pittsburgh; Olin Fine Arts Center at Washington & Jefferson College; Casino Theatre, Vandergrift, PA, Groundhog Festival, Punxsutawney, PA, Kennywood Park, and the Gateway Clipper Fleet Sunday Family Cruises. Wendy R. said: We are absolutely thrilled with this center. All Rights Reserved. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. On this night in June, as the band picks up the opening notes of the jazz standard Blueberry Hill, and one of the bands trumpet player begins tooting away, Rossi, 75, smiles over the crowd. Me and my wife used to slow dance to this song 1967 Ive been married for 59 years Where did I go wrong?, The crowd roars, and Rossi launches into the chorus, The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill.. For a certain segment of the beard-growing, vintage dress wearing counterculture, often called hipsters, there isnt a better Wednesday night hangout in the city. We're available for banquets, parties, grand openings, concerts, conventions, fund raisers, political rallies, reunions and any other gathering where the happy sound of the banjo is needed. The crowd was as diverse as it was eclecticall of them here to see the same Roaring 1920s-style banjo bandand it wasnt long before the generations merged together over drinks and a song. The Pittsburgh Banjo Club operates as a non-profit and has donated over $120,000 to local charities over the past 26 years. The best part? Join our community of 140,000+ on social media to never miss an update! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We Have No Bananas. This is one of the many singalongs. He was also chosen as a 2009 Jefferson Awards winner for his work with the Pittsburgh Banjo Club. City: Pittsburgh The Rust Belt city underwent its industrial boom during the Civil War when its steel mills helped produce weapons. Tracey Sartoris, a four-year Elk member, takes the food orders and sparks up lively conversations. Adult Admission: FREEChild Admission: FREESenior Admission: FREE. Hot Food, Snacks and Beverages available, For more information and/or reservations, call 412-321-1834 Since founding the site in 2015, we have explored over 1,000 attractions, restaurants, bars/breweries, events, cool public spaces, and so many more things to do in Pittsburgh. Most just pick it up. License type: Please try again later. We Have No Bananas and drinking a beer with volunteer waiter and my new friend, Rich. Their goal is to revive the 4-string banjo (as opposed to the bluegrass 5-string) and turn younger generations on to the instrument. Web Address: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~pittsburghbanjoclub/. So we came down as audience members. And the $1.50 beers, of course, dont hurt either. Norman Azinger, musical director of the Pittsburgh Banjo Club, says it was 1954 when he heard the song "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and got "bit by the banjo bug." "As soon as I heard it . CMU art grad Magali Duzant falls into this crowd. Rich Ferro, the volunteer waiter, greeted us with a friendly smile and jokes. It is no surprise that Rossi's very own Pittsburgh Banjo Club shares the same goal, 37 years after Rossi started playing the instrument. Get directions, reviews and information for Pittsburgh Banjo Club in Pittsburgh, PA. The PBC is available for banquets, parties, grand openings, concerts, sing-alongs, conventions, fund raisers, political rallies, reunions and any other gathering where the happy sound of the banjo is needed. Elks Lodge simply becomes a hubspot for a diverse group of people to enjoy one another and banjo music. Weve been in Florida for 30 years, Bach says. At her core, she is an extreme foodie and dog enthusiast. Looking to go on a brewery crawl? The Pittsburgh Banjo Club. (412) 429-3101. Duzant and her friend, Michelle Lee, sat hunched over the bar, drinking their Yuengling out of plastic cups. Well you still have time to decide Where are you staying? A number of museums, including the Fort Pitt Museum and Heinz Museum, are a stroll down memory lane, while attractions like the century-old Duquesne Incline cable cars offer breathtaking views of the citys golden triangle, surrounded by three rivers. The PBC program consists of sing-alongs, vocals, banjo solos, music from the 20s and 30s, polkas and Dixieland. Like a drive in movie, it feels like the 1950's. Banjo players converge at the Allegheny Elks every Wednesday and play for the love of music. Songs are often dedicated to our military's servicemen that fight for us at home. ? Their weekly gig at the Elks Club on Cedar Avenue, which is actually disguised as a rehearsal, often brings in a crowd of more than 100. We play the music of the 1890s and the 1950s. Julianna Bagwell is the Managing Editor for LOCALpittsburgh as well as a freelance writer for various publications including Thrillist.com. When you think of Pittsburgh's music scene, your first thought is likelynotabout the North Side. She began taking lessons on a classic style banjo, which has five strings, as opposed to the plectrum banjo, with four strings, she now plays. Banjo players, banjo enthusiasts, and cheap beer lovers can all be found partying it up with the Pittsburgh Banjo Club where the unlikely venue brings together a diverse and lively crowd. The PBC is available for banquets, parties, grand openings, concerts, sing-alongs, conventions, fund raisers, political rallies, reunions and any other gathering where the happy sound of the banjo is needed. March 29th - The Outlaws Live in Concert. Open rehearsal and sing-along. 271 McKinley St PITTSBURGH PA 15221 Allegheny; Thankfully, nearby brewery Allegheny City swooped in, built a beer garden right on East Ohio Street just around the corner from the taproom, and invited the band to be regulars on most Wednesday nights as well. The Pittsburgh Banjo Club appears every Wednesday 8-11 p.m., Elks Lodge #339, 400 Cedar Avenue. Beyond catching the Banjo Club performance on any given Wednesday night, visitors to Pittsburgh have dozens of activities to choose from. So join over 200,000 monthly readers and come find out the best that Pittsburgh has to offer! Zip Code: 15237 The PBC meets every Wednesday, 8 p.m., at the Elks Lodge#339, 400 Cedar Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. (412-321-1834). Hot Food, Snacks and Beverages available. Not bothered by hanging out with folks their grandparents age, most of these twenty-somethings say theyre intrigued by the old-fashioned vibe. There are a lot of things that reflect where we came from and where were going., In many ways, the Banjo Club and its enthusiastic fans are the perfect metaphor for Pittsburghs past and present. ), Pittsburgh has all the advantage of a big city, added Hepp. Pricing, operating hours, or menus may have changed since our initial visit and may not be reflected in subsequent updates. Band leader Joseph Griffith saw Lessman knew all of . These practice sessions are open to the general public. Frank Rossi was inducted into the National Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame on May 24, 2001. The band leader bounces on his toes, a signal to pick up the pace. And this is one of the central themes of the band: everyone whos interested in banjo, can join in. 120 Fifth Avenue, Fifth Avenue PlaceSuite 2800Pittsburgh, PA 15222U.S. There are only two original members left since it was founded in 1988, Azinger says. I always tell them to come down here and sit with the kids that have the tattoos and the piercings in their nose, and you get to find out theyre nice kids. That was at Mad Anthony's in Ambridge, where the Sewickleyland Doctor's Band was playing in the early 1970s to a packed house. In Deutschtown, for example, the music scene thrives on Wednesdays thanks to the Pittsburgh Banjo Club's free practice at the Elks Lodge and the Shelf Life String Band playing at Allegheny City Brewing in the summer months. Then come see us! Disclaimer: Our site uses demographic data, email opt-ins, display advertising, and affiliate links. Before long, crowds of twentysomethings, tattooed and pierced, sporting hipster fashions and guzzling $2 beers, packed the long rectangular bar in the back until it was standing room only. Date created: April 10, 2006. This is not technically a show; rather it's the club's rehearsal. Musical Director Norm Azinger leads a Pittsburgh Banjo Club session at the Elks Lodge #339 on the North Side Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. . Pittsburgh PA (North Side). 90 minutes of bluegrass with a lovely beer from the brewery starts the night, and then at just before 8 pm we migrate our way to the Elks Lodge just a few blocks over for old-time banjo music! Reading the reviews and checking on their website, I made reservations by calling and leaving a message at the number provided on Monday afternoon. Senator Robert Taft Jr., and Sam Beard. The club has donated over $140,000 to local Pittsburgh area charities. As we approach the end of the year, I wanted to share a fe From: Gina Grone Executive Director, Northside North Shore Chamber of Commerce Photo: Gina Grone The Northside North Shore Chamber serves the busine Allegheny City Central Nicholas Ross to Chris and Nada Wheelock at 1238 Monterey St. for $367,500. I also discovered my new favorite song at the banjo club Yes! The swell of trumpets and banjos fill the North Side Elks Club every Wednesday night from 8-10pm. Its also landed on national TV; it was featured in an episode of ABCs sitcom , Spotlight on Theater in Pittsburgh: Shakespeare Like You've Never Seen Before, Can't Miss Events in Pittsburgh in February, Pittsburgh Amtrak Customers To Travel To The Big Apple In Style With Upgraded Trains, 8 Best New Restaurants in Pittsburgh in 2022, Popular North Hills Restaurant Reopens Across The Street for Takeout and Catering. __ (Photo/Henry Clay Webster). Box 101025 The happiest sound in the world is a banjo and the Pittsburgh Banjo Club provides miles of smiles! By Tuesday morning, I received a message on my phone that our table would be reserved for us. Only a handful have taken lessons. Otherwise, don't be surprised if it is standing room only! Company Number 7482071 Status Active Incorporation Date 19 January 2022 (12 months ago) Company Type Non-Profit (Non Stock) Jurisdiction Pennsylvania (US) Registered Address. For more information and/or reservations, call 412-321-1834. The group was founded by National Four-String Banjo Hall of Famer, Frank Rossi, and is dedicated to keeping the music of the Golden Era alive and kicking. (The locals are impassioned Steelers fans, and anyone who says otherwise will get a talking to! This is an "all-ages" concert with free admission. Founded on December 15, 1988, by Frank Rossi, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club is dedicated to keeping the music of the Golden Age of the Banjo alive (1920-1930). When the song ends, Rossi makes a joke of it: If I were dancing that slow, we would have never had any kids, Ill tell you that.. If you think you dont like banjo music, youre wrong, Sartoris says. Im eager to share with all of you some of Democrats win thin majority in PA House Photo: Office of Rep. 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