Dear friends and supporters of 91.3 WYEP:

You may have seen news over the past week that WYEP is collaborating with the City of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on a project intended to support and bolster Pittsburgh’s music ecosystem. I wanted to share some detail on the project with you, and then explain why we believe this is so important to our community.

The goal of our project is simple:  to make Pittsburgh a city that better embraces music and musicians by   identifying the things that get in the way.  Our initiative will examine all the regulations, policies and guidelines surrounding live music in the city. We will be working with an experienced consultant, digging into everything from sound ordinances and complaint mediation to zoning and permitting…and we will also create an inventory of the music ecosystem in Pittsburgh and seek to attract the kinds of businesses necessary for musicians and venues to be sustainable. Artists, venue owners, music businesses, educational institutions and residents will all have a chance to add to the conversation, and together we will create a music ecosystem that supports the diverse and amazing music scene we have now and that we want to have in the future.

Pittsburgh is in the midst of a great resurgence, from our growing tech sector to our thriving restaurant scene. With this resurgence comes national accolades for all the wonderful amenities that Pittsburgh has to offer and I believe wholeheartedly that the original music being made here can and should be recognized as one of our great strengths. Pittsburgh’s local music scene is filled with diverse and amazing talent. There is a rich and iconic music history in Pittsburgh that we can celebrate. There are interesting spaces in our unique neighborhoods that add to the quality of life in our communities. There is an economic advantage to presenting live music that can lead to financial sustainability for venues, artists and businesses. Now is the time to set the foundation so that Pittsburgh musicians can do what they do best and we can all be proud of them when they make national headlines.

As a local institution with a mission to enrich the community through music, WYEP brings people together to experience music in any number of ways. We help connect people to artists and artists to audiences. As a local nonprofit that serves the entire region and is committed to music discovery, WYEP can facilitate conversations that will lead to systemic change, allowing this music scene to thrive. This is an exciting time to be a music lover and I thank you for supporting all our efforts here at 91.3 WYEP.  

Abby Goldstein

WYEP General Manager

Below are the 5 key tracks that you need to know from Vampire Weekend.

• Song: "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"

• Album: Vampire Weekend
• Year: 2008
• Comment: Vocalist and songwriter Ezra Koenig said the song was inspired by the intersection between colonialism and African culture. "Kwassa kwassa" is a rhythmic style from Congo.

• Song: "Holiday"

• Album: Contra
• Year: 2010
• Comment: The album Contra derives its title from two very different sources: the rebel groups of Nicaragua and the Contra video game.

• Song: "Giving Up the Gun"

• Album: Contra
• Year: 2010
• Comment: The "Giving Up the Gun" video features several significant performers: the Wu Tang Clan's RZA, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Jonas, and Lil Jon. Star Jenny Murray also appears as the goth girl in the video for "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa."

• Song: "Unbelievers"

• Album: Modern Vampires of the City
• Year: 2013
• Comment: "Unbelievers" and the rest of the Modern Vampires album was co-produced by Ariel Rechtshaid, known for his work with Solange, HAIM, Sky Ferreria, Madonna, and others.

• Song: "Horchata"

• Album: Contra
• Year: 2010
• Comment: "Horchata" refers to several types of drink of the same name. They can be made with almonds, rice, barley, sesame seeds, tigernuts, or melon seeds.

Catch Key Tracks every weekday during the Midday Mix at 1 PM on 91.3 WYEP.

Below are the 5 key tracks that you need to know from T. Rex.

• Song: "Mambo Sun"

• Album: Electric Warrior
• Year: 1971

• Song: "Bang A Gong (Get It On)"

• Album: Electric Warrior
• Year: 1971

• Song: "Jeepster"

• Album: Electric Warrior
• Year: 1971
• Comment: Live Version

• Song: "Telegram Sam"

• Album: The Slider
• Year: 1972

• Song: "20th Century Boy"

• Album: Tanx
• Year: 1973
• Comment: Reached #3 on the UK charts in 1973

Catch Key Tracks every weekday during the Midday Mix at 1 PM on 91.3 WYEP.

Below are the 5 key tracks that you need to know from Patti Smith.

• Song: "Mother Rose"

• Album: Trampin'
• Year: 2004

• Song: "Rendondo Beach"

• Album: Horses
• Year: 1975

• Song: "Dancing Barefoot"

• Album: Wave
• Year: 1979
• Comment: Pattis Smith Group album

• Song: "Stride Of The Mind"

• Album: Trampin'
• Year: 2004

• Song: "People Have the Power"

• Album: Dream Of Life
• Year: 1988

Catch Key Tracks every weekday during the Midday Mix at 1 PM on 91.3 WYEP.

Below are the 5 key tracks that you need to know from Phoenix.

The French band Phoenix got their start in 1997, by pressing 500 copies of their first single and hit the road. Their musical journey has included winning a Grammy in 2009 after releasing their debut full length a decade earlier.

• Song: "Trying to Be Cool"

• Album: Bankrupt!
• Year: 2013

• Song: "If I Ever Feel Better"

• Album: United
• Year: 2000
• Comment: Song made a splash by being placed in the series "Entourage"

• Song: "Consolation Prizes"

• Album: It's Never Been Like That
• Year: 2006

• Song: "J-Boy"

• Album: Ti-Amo
• Year: 2017

• Song: "1901"

• Album: Wolfgang Amedeus Phoenix
• Year: 2009
• Comment: Biggest song for the band, so far.

Catch Key Tracks every weekday during the Midday Mix at 1 PM on 91.3 WYEP.

Below are the 5 key tracks that you need to know from Mumford & Sons.

Following their 2009 release Sigh No More and a record deal with Island, they have grown to be one of the largest rock bands in the country

• Song: "Babel"

• Album: Babel
• Year: 2012
• Comment: As the first and title track on the album, the album won a Grammy for Album of the Year

• Song: "Roll Away Your Stone"

• Album: Sigh No More
• Year: 2009
• Comment: Mumford & Sons themselves have stated that this song is highly influenced by Shakespeare's MacBeth

• Song: "The Wolf"

• Album: Wilder Mind
• Year: 2015
• Comment: The song and album as a whole marks a shift in the band's sound toward more electric instrumentation as there is a noticeable lack of banjo

• Song: "I Will Wait"

• Album: Babel
• Year: 2012
• Comment: The music video for arguably the band's most popular song was filmed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado

• Song: "Little Lion Man"

• Album: Sigh No More
• Year: 2009
• Comment: This was the band's first single and has been certified double platinum, not bad for their first track

Catch Key Tracks every weekday during the Midday Mix at 1 PM on 91.3 WYEP.

Below are the 5 key tracks that you need to know from Dr. Dog.

Following their 2002 debut release, Dr. Dog was "discovered" by My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James and have gone on to release eight albums since.

• Song: "Shadow People"

• Album: Shame, Shame
• Year: 2010
• Comment: This record was the band's first on the ANTI- label.

• Song: "Bring My Baby Back"

• Album: The Psychedelic Swamp
• Year: 2016
• Comment: The album's release is shrouded in a mythos about its origination. Start with swamptruth.com

• Song: "Be the Void"

• Album: Be the Void
• Year: 2012
• Comment: While no longer there, the album was recorded in the band's Meth Beach studio in Philadelphia.

• Song: "Distant Light"

• Album: B-Room
• Year: 2013
• Comment: Consistent with other Dr. Dog releases, both the track and the album evoke a sense of rawness that fans have come to appreciate at live shows.

• Song: "That Old Black Hole"

• Album: Be the Void
• Year: 2012
• Comment: The video for "That Old Black Hole" evokes a sense of whimsy found in Dr. Dog while practicing.

Catch Key Tracks every weekday during the Midday Mix at 1 PM on 91.3 WYEP.