In 2009...Pittsburgh has nothing to offer people aged 18-45 (Philadelphia: lawyers, house)

[IheartRobots]

Don't get me started on the singles scene here...

As an electronic dance DJ, I'm often frustrated at how little there is to do for young people in this city. When I was younger, there were numerous clubs to go to, and now all of them are closed. I constantly see listings for hot concerts and events in the US, and 0 of them are in Pittsburgh.

I honestly don't see any reason to stay here anymore. It's just a cycle of watching stuff close down to be replaced by another law office (how many of these do we really need? I know Pittsburgh ranks up there for legal representation for corporations, but it seems there are more lawyers than actual cases to be filled!), some corny corporate retail spot like starbucks, or absolutely nothing. I'm sick and tired of looking at it and seeing the masses of energetic young people seemingly confused as what to do with themselves in this city. I feel their despair and boredom as i was once there in there shoes, but in a different time.

On top of that, there are too many shady and just unprofessional people running things here. I hear so many stories about promoters holding out on money for artists shows, artists taking promoters money and leaving without even giving a performance, establishments that have closed due to starting on drug money, egotistical club owners, and other horro stories. To top it off too, many events and business ventures that suceed in other cities and fail here due to the lack of people who would go to these shows, poor or no promotion, and the fact that the city is so small that no one even wants to go out to a show at the same spot for the 100th time.

The constant construction around here just makes a city that is old and crumbling look even worse to outsiders.

The south side bar scene is the only thing to do, but it's not cutting edge or different to same the least. DJs play songs from 5-10 years ago and seem to have very little of an awareness of new music. It's 190% superficial...and it seems everyone involved in that scene drinks so damn hard that it's almost bordering on disturbing....like what's the point? Only to do it again the next day.

My advice if you are an artist, musician, DJ, etc. Move. Out. Of Pittsburgh....and never come back. Anybody who says otherwise is just out of touch with what it is like to be a young adult in the US in the internet era. Sorry to say this, but everyone who has told me that Pittsburgh is some sort of untapped goldmine just seems very out of touch with what someone like myself is into and want for themselves. I just don't see what they are talking about, and even when I try to think about all of the good things about pittsburgh in it's present state....i just can't.

Most of the time I just stay in my house and work on music and art because this city is so boring!!!!!!!!!! And to top it off, it seems almost impossible to find a decent job to make money to move somewhere else, so people are forced to leave on scant funds or wallow in the sea of making slightly above minimum wage.

Honestly, I can see why Andy Warhol left Pittsburgh now.

[lifepgh2op]

I found something for you to do!

Pittsburgh museum plans "largest national" robotics exhibition

^ Because of your screen name...I'm sorry. I couldn't resist.

[ditchdigger]

Honestly, I can see why Andy Warhol left Pittsburgh now.

Yeah, there was nothing to do here in 1949 either. That's relevant...

[RedBall]

If every electronic dance DJ moved out of Pittsburgh tomorrow it would probably register about a zero on my care continuum.

[BrianTH]

We were at the Science Center just the other day (for a kids' birthday party), and the robotics exhibit was quite cool.

[bradjl2009]

I wouldn't consider 30-45 as the same category as 18-29 at all. I'm people in that group are past getting hammered every saturday and going to the club. And if all the music is so old, why don't you play new songs then? Since you're the DJ it should be up to you to play the song.

[khyron]

I'm 18-45, and so is my wife, and we're both amazed at the fun things there are to do here. We made a list of stuff we were interested in before we even moved here (and have been adding to it) and have barely made a dent having lived here a little over a year now.

I'm sorry that you don't find a lot of stuff to you or perhaps your friends' liking, but just for the record, I'm between 18 and 45 and know a bunch of folks, some of whom are at the very low end of that range, who are really happy to be here and never seem lacking for fun stuff to do. Heck just yesterday I was updating my calendar with various concerts we're looking forward to in the next few weeks, and in the past week there were three we wanted to go to and we had to skip one of them just because so much was on the same night.

I like lots of electronic music, and I don't seem to be feeling any despair here. I understand your frustrations, but it's a little silly to think everyone in a certain age bracket likes what you like. It's sad that you're not getting what you want out of this area, but believe me, any one genre of music and any one kind of night club that please you are not going to necessarily be what everyone else is into.

Just my $0.02.

[IheartRobots]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

I wouldn't consider 30-45 as the same category as 18-29 at all. I'm people in that group are past getting hammered every saturday and going to the club. And if all the music is so old, why don't you play new songs then? Since you're the DJ it should be up to you to play the song.

True. I guess I was just putting that age up there, because I notice there's a very noticeable age gap that's kind of hard for someone like myself to gauge...although it's very present.

I guess my issues with Pittsburgh as far as being involved with the music scene goes is fostering a scene that thrives on creativity and the willing involvement of other people. I know there are many people trying to bring relevant culture to Pittsburgh, but compared to everything else in the city, it's a small community of dedicated individuals who are all coming from different places with the similar goals. As far as the live music thing is concerned, I feel that that energy that was provided by many of the clubs in the past is just not there. It's an element that made Pittsburgh exciting so to speak.

and now, I realize my own Djing is a bit over the top as I take cues from what people have been doing in cities like NYC and LA and from my own travels abroad to London, Portugal, Spain, Toronto, and to Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC, and Vegas as far as playing brand new styles of electronic dance. I guess the problem with that is mainly that these styles of music are really only limited to the internet, but with the DJ technology I use, I can play them out like vinyl with a pair of turntables.

People obviously love electronica in Pittsburgh, I would like to know where they are at so they could come out, have a good time, enjoy some great tunes, and party! but it seems that Top 40 is so prevalent in the city and in general, that anything outside of that isn't given a chance which is just a shame.

it's a shame simply put that these events and this style of music has an international following that's just not truly represented here in Pittsburgh anymore.

I realize that what I do as a DJ is in kind of a weird niche category, and that's what makes it incredibly hard to make a living off of it in a city like Pittsburgh when there isn't that much of a demand and/or that demand has to be made.

[IheartRobots]

If anything, living in Pittsburgh in the lapse of industry has made me become more aware of the need to manufacture things...even if it should be something as intangible but important as music or as tangible as art. Or generally, things that have a purpose. Dance music is just one of those things to me that has such profound purpose that goes beyond what's even in Pittsburgh, but I'd love to let it in on the fun for the time being.

Alot of people I know have crazy ideas about what could be possible for nightlife in the city...it's just a matter that it doesn't receive the support that other styles of music and DJs get in the city as much as I respect where they are coming from and what they do.

[IheartRobots]

Originally Posted by khyron

I'm 18-45, and so is my wife, and we're both amazed at the fun things there are to do here. We made a list of stuff we were interested in before we even moved here (and have been adding to it) and have barely made a dent having lived here a little over a year now.

I'm sorry that you don't find a lot of stuff to you or perhaps your friends' liking, but just for the record, I'm between 18 and 45 and know a bunch of folks, some of whom are at the very low end of that range, who are really happy to be here and never seem lacking for fun stuff to do. Heck just yesterday I was updating my calendar with various concerts we're looking forward to in the next few weeks, and in the past week there were three we wanted to go to and we had to skip one of them just because so much was on the same night.

I like lots of electronic music, and I don't seem to be feeling any despair here. I understand your frustrations, but it's a little silly to think everyone in a certain age bracket likes what you like. It's sad that you're not getting what you want out of this area, but believe me, any one genre of music and any one kind of night club that please you are not going to necessarily be what everyone else is into.

Just my $0.02.

I wasn't implying that silly notion. I just figured young people in Pittsburgh were more up with the times as far as new music is concerned, but that obviously doesn't seem like it's neccessarily the case.

As for me, i've been going out and seeing concerts since the late nineties. I've seen everything from punk, hip-hop, reggae, metal, hardcore, electronica, brazillian funk, merengue, latin music to even classical and folk music live and I still fiend for live music. I guess my issue comes from the fact that i've grown out of those and have now become smitten with EDM...and Pittsburgh seems to largely not care about it except for those bold individuals (like myself) who are into it and do it for a living.

Here's a little sample of what I do...for anybody that's interested...
(sigh...shameless self-promotion...whatever!)

LimeLinx - File Preview - Free File Hosting and Sharing - Audio, Video, Image
zSHARE - WHE42309.mp3
zSHARE - WHE41609.mp3
zSHARE - WHE4909.mp3
zSHARE - WHE32609.mp3
zSHARE - WHE4209.mp3
zSHARE - WHE3509pt1.mp3
zSHARE - WHE 22609 Pt1.mp3
zSHARE - WHE 22609 Pt2.mp3

alot of this is live from Pittsburgh's own WRCT 88.3FM which I did a show on.