Scott Tady: Working Breed to rock Beaver; Hopewell shows set: Beaver County band playing stadiums

Another unique, successful Pittsburgh band makes its Beaver County debut April 26.

Working Breed showcases its art-rock sound and glam-rock attitude at a sure-to-be-lively performance closing out the 2024 Cabin Fever Music Series at the Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center.

Working Breed earned "Artist of The Week" accolades last year from 91.3-WYEP timed with the band's second full-length album, "Gaslighter."

Earning gigs at cool places like South Park (opening for Jefferson Starship) and Thunderbird Music Hall, the quartet utilizes synthesizers, guitar, bass, drums, a musical saw and self-professed “angry trombone.”

What makes the trombone angry?

You'll have to come see.

"The use of trombone in a rock band usually makes people think of ska, but we try to give the horn a sense of emotion by toning it differently across songs," frontwoman Erika June Christina Laing said. "Sometimes it’s sultry, sometimes it’s jazzy, and sometimes it’s downright angry. And of course, the musical saw could be just a sound effect, but we make it a lead instrument so people can really see what the instrument is capable of."

Count on visual flair and interesting banter, too, from Laing, who works a day job as a neuroscientist, and is known for wearing shiny blue tights or hot pink pants and light-up wings for Working Breed’s live shows.

Laing's bandmates are Mike Dugan on guitar, Jeremy Papay on drums and Jake Churton (originally from Pittsburgh indie darlings Donora) on bass.

"Working Breed shows are festive and dynamic," the foursome's press pitch says. "On top of a strong rock base, the band explores eccentric textures through play with time signatures and instrumentation. The most salient feature of the show is that this is a band that loves to play music together, and that energy has oft been described as infectious. Ideally, we hope to leave audience members with a sense of joy, maybe even the kind that comes from one’s innermost childlike spirits."

Working Breed will perform songs from its two albums.

"We (also) will be peppering covers in throughout the show," Laing said. "These songs typically showcase the talents of the band members, but sometimes are just plain fun."

Beaver Station's doors open at 7 p.m. for complimentary premium beer and wine. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Reserve your $35 seat at beaverstation.org.

"We’ve played so many different venue types, but never a train station, so we are stoked," Laing says. "The train station is a beautiful setting, and we are honored to play in such a unique venue space."

The “glam” side of the band refers to their increasingly flamboyant performances.

"Erika is always in some glamorous outfit doing high kicks and there is action all over the stage as band members interact throughout," the band's press kit says. "One might see the emergence of pom poms, tutus, and of course our blue light-up wings, which builds momentum and excitement in our sets from start to finish."

Adds Laing, "By the end of the night, we hope we’ve earned the term 'glam-art rock,' but you can let us know what you think after the show. We can’t wait to play and also meet everyone who comes to Beaver Station."

Hopewell announces Concerts in the Park

The Hopewell Community Park concert lineup is taking shape.

"Concerts in The Park" shows to look forward to:

June 18: West Hills Symphonic

June 25: Burke's Bavarian Brass Band

July 2: Beaver County Symphonic Wind Ensemble

July 9: The Polkamaniacs

July 16: Hopewell Community Big Band

July 20: The Jaggerz

July 23: Doo Wop Doctors

July 30: Pittsburgh Banjo Club

Aug 6: To be announced

There's also Park Fest on July 13 that so far includes an open mic hour with Josh Tarquinio and Rust Valley Revival headlining at 8, with a mid-show band slot still open in the 6 p.m. timeframe.

Details will be forthcoming on the park's BBQ & Blues festival, too.

Beaver Co. musicians playing stadiums

Charles Wesley Godwin and The Allegheny High began their run of stadium concerts last week supporting country star Luke Combs.

To feel like you're along for the ride, I'd suggest following the Instagram or Facebook pages of Godwin's band members Al Torrence, Max Somerville, Nate Catanzarite, Joey Pinchotti, Eric Dull and Amico “Meex” Demuzio, all six of whom are Beaver County-ites. It's heartwarming and inspiring seeing the looks on their faces in action photos snapped on stage in front of 40,000 concertgoers.

Starting out at American Family Field in Milwaukee, the tour with Combs ventures to football/baseball stadiums in Buffalo (April 19); Jacksonville (May 3); San Antonio (May 10); Santa Clara, Calif. (May 17); Phoenix (May 31); Salt Lake City (June 7); SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (June 14); MetLife Stadium, New Jersey (July 19); Washington, D.C. (July 26); Cincinnati (Aug. 2) and Houston (Aug. 9).

Scattered amid those dates, Godwin and his Beaver County band will play prestigious festivals such as Bonnaroo and Stagecoach.

Suzanne Vega delighted

As thrilling as stadium shows can be, there's something special, too, about witnessing an intimate club performance.

Ask any of the 300 spectators at last weekend's Suzanne Vega show at sold-out City Winery Pittsburgh.

Vega was a sheer delight, telling funny, insightful stories between her folk-punk songs including hits "Luka," "99.9F" and "Tom's Diner," plus her Elvis Costello-inspired "When Heroes Go Down" and a Ramones-ish new song about New York City's escalating rat presence.

Vega's voice sounded resplendent, with every word clearly heard by the quiet-but-attentive winery audience. She strummed guitar, joined by the excellent Gerry Leonard, former David Bowie music director/guitarist, providing the ideal measure of fuzzy ambiance, or occasional firepower, without being a showboat.

If you haven't checked out a City Winery show yet, you owe it to yourself. It's well run, with a helpful and friendly staff.

More: Film star Jeff Goldblum brings jokes & jazz back home to Allegheny County

Real Estate sold me

They've got one of 2024's most enjoyable albums so far, which means I had to check out New Jersey indie-rockers Real Estate live.

I'm happy to report Real Estate sounded great in concert, too, delivering its jangly, pretty melodies and gentle melancholy to a chatty Mr. Smalls Theatre audience.

Many in the crowd seemed to favor older material, though I was stoked to hear bright new cuts like "Water Underground" from the seamless February release "Daniel."

Martin Courtney's vocals were pleasant; lead guitarist Julian Lynch fretwork and foot pedals evoked the proper amount of wistfulness and buoyancy.

Bassist Alex Bleeker challenged fans in the two balconies to get off their seats and dance, though it really wasn't that kind of vibe.

Formed in 2008, Real Estate might someday take the step up to thrice as large venues like Stage AE indoor (2,400 capacity) though for now, they're in a fine place. Check out the "Daniel" album.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Working Breed to rock Beaver; Hopewell Community Park sets shows