NEXT Pittsburgh and Yellow Couch Live

Yellow Couch Live @ Society for Contemporary Craft is a summer series that I’ve put together (with a ton of help) as a way to showcase some of my very favorite regional and touring songwriters. The idea was born out of a conversation with a new friend, Matt Wein, after he attended one of our house shows. We were trying to figure out a way to make the experience even more worthwhile for the artists who travel here to play in our home and arrived at the idea of launching a series at the Society for Contemporary Craft. Having once played at SCC myself (and also having worked there for two years), I have a great deal of affection for the place. Its aesthetic, acoustics and — perhaps most of all — the people who work there are all top-notch and their willingness to host this series is a gesture that warms my heart mightily.

The shows will take place from 5:00 – 8:00 PM on the third-Friday of each month this summer, with the first scheduled for Friday, June 20 and featuring Terri Binion and Matt Conner. I look forward to meeting Matt and hearing him live. What I’ve heard so far is heartfelt and genuine. I’ve known Terri for a good long while now and I can’t wait for people to hear songs from her upcoming release. Her songs have the power to move me in a way that little else ever has and I’m sure that anyone who hears her will feel the same way. The price to attend these concerts is a paltry $7 and 100% of the proceeds go to the artists and programs at SCC!

First and foremost, I wouldn’t be doing any of this without the support and love of my badass wife, Kim Fox. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Matt Wein and his associate (and my friend) Jennifer Baron for helping me convince NEXT Pittsburgh‘s publisher and editor Tracy Certo to take a chance on this series. Thanks in large part to their efforts, I am able to proudly say that NEXT Pittsburgh is our media sponsor. In addition, my amazing friend at Peluso Microphone Lab has offered to send me some wonderful mics to use for these shows. Lastly, my friend and life sherpa, Dan Rugh, over at Commonwealth Press has agreed to sponsor the series as well. I am blown away to have the trust and enthusiasm that these people have shown in helping to make Yellow Couch Live @ Society for Contemporary Craft become a success. I truly do thank you all. I also want to thank SCC’s executive director/my former boss and still-friend Janet McCall. You are a remarkable human being by any measure and inspiring to know.

And now I thank you for reading this. If you can, I really hope you’ll come out to these shows. However, if you can’t, please check back as we’ll be posting videos from the shows here and each performer that plays the series will be featured on our Yellow Couch Sessions series as well. This is going to be the best summer ever!

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