Thursday, January 25, 2007

When Did Pittsburgh Become a Country Town?

Music was a big deal when I was in junior high and high school. You had to know songs by Metallica and Poison as well as Naughty by Nature and Salt-n-Pepa. Near the end of my high school years and when I went away to college, there was a decent local music scene in Pittsburgh led by Rusted Root and The Clarks. No one EVER talked about country music. I've been away from Pittsburgh now for several years, but it seems to me that Pittsburgh has become a country music town. Here's your proof:

I wrote about my experience at the Browns-Steelers game in November 2005 when the Povertyneck Hillbillies performed the National Anthem and the halftime show. At the Saints-Steelers game this past fall, another random "up-and-coming" female country artist performed the National Anthem. Apparently, a country act did this at nearly every home Steelers game this season. Just today, I read the 2007 Pittsburgh Pirates promotional schedule which includes Big & Rich and Povertyneck Hillbillies concerts following some games. In addition, I received an e-mail from the Pittsburgh Steelers inviting me to participate in a special pre-sale ticket offer for the Kenny Chesney Flip Flop Summer Tour 2007.

So when did this all happen? Are country music stations dominating the Pittsburgh airways?

Oh, in case you're wondering why I have a picture of Yosemite Sam, I wanted to picture of a country hat, and I figured Sam's hat was close enough.
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3 comments:

  1. Sean9:11 PM

    Jason - I had no idea. What songs do they sing?

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  2. Anonymous7:13 PM

    Well, Poverty Neck Hillbillies are not only a PGH band, but basically the only prominent one of any genre right now, so their presence is easy to explain.

    As for the market... I think it's one of the better country markets in the north. Y108, the primary country station, has been in the top 5 stations here for a very long time.

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  3. Rinsem's Rink7:57 AM

    I like all kinds of music and listen to country as well. But, it seems that the radio is completely dominated by country music. DVE still plays some decent rock, but other than that, you have the option of country, or easy listening.

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