Pittsburgh has seen a few locally nurtured musicians break nationally in recent decades, including hip-hop stars Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller. But such success stories are notable because they’re so rare – and because they often involve the artists leaving town to make it.
Changing that dynamic is the goal of the brand-new Music of Pittsburgh Convention. Organizers said they want musicians in all genres to be able to thrive without leaving. The day-and-evening-long event at Homestead’s The Forge Urban Winery includes live performances as well as workshops, panel discussions and more on aspects of the business including songwriting, online marketing, internet radio, and even video-game music.
Singer-songwriter Jessica Bella created the convention with her husband and manager, Ian Robertson. They call it MOPCON, and they said it’s open to all styles of music. Robertson said one issue is getting musicians to venture outside such silos as genre, and share information and resources.
“It’s really just pulling all musicians together and trying to create a community, a learning environment, a sharing environment, that sort of thing,” said Robertson.
“The idea is, you’ve got a lot of great artists right here in Pittsburgh, but it’s a hard place to make a living doing that,” said Tony Mator, an electronic-music composer and performer who’s helping organize the convention. “We wanted to sort of create a space where local musicians can come to kind of further themselves, not just to be great musicians but to be successful musicians. We don’t want people from Pittsburgh to have to go to Nashville to make it.”
Robertson and Bella have experience organizing music events, including Pleasant Fest, which combines indie music and indie films made in the Pittsburgh area. Many of the events take place at Forge Urban Winery, which includes a fully-equipped stage and video-screening capabilities.
MOPCON, as organizers call the new event, features speakers including singer-songwriter Megan Pennington on DIY internet radio, and game developer Ryan Lee Eicheldinger on video-game music. George Fadale, of the Dreamz of Music Foundation, hosts contests for participants to show off their dance, guitar, drum or rap skills.
Most of the live music is scheduled for after 4 p.m. Acts include Bella and her band, Devin Russian, Abby Morgan, Colin and the Crows, Chip and the ChargeUps, Royce, No Sleep for Zombies, Day Shift, Pop Baby, and Mator, who performs as Maximus Monk.
MOPCON is set to be an all-night affair, with Maximus Monk’s set scheduled to begin at 3 a.m.
MOPCON is a ticketed event. More information is here.
