Identity & Community

Soundscapes & Postcards

Western Pennsylvania is brimming with rich sounds and interesting people and places. Soundscapes & Postcards features snapshots of iconic Pittsburgh and peeks into the daily lives of people in our community.Have an idea for a postcard or suggestion on what sounds we should record? Email us!

Listen: At Banjo Night, Some Old-Fashioned Fun With 'America's Instrument'

90.5 WESA

Published August 14, 2013 at 11:00 AM EDT

1 of 6

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club holds its public rehearsal every Wednesday night at the Elks Lodge in Pittsburgh's North Side. Even though it's not an official show, the group entertains the diverse audience week after week.

Haldan Kirsch / 90.5 WESA

2 of 6

The Banjo Club plays a four string banjo which had found its hey day in the 1920s and '30s.

Haldan Kirsch / 90.5 WESA

3 of 6

The band also adds variety to each of its songs with a horns section and a number of different vocalists.

Haldan Kirsch / 90.5 WESA

4 of 6

DJ Devine, a vocalist with the banjo club, puts on a show for the audience at the Elks Lodge.

Haldan Kirsch / 90.5 WESA

5 of 6

The Banjo Club's usual set could include anything from popular hits of the early twentieth century, to Broadway show tunes, or the occasional polka.

Haldan Kirsch / 90.5 WESA

6 of 6

Frank Rossi, the founder of the Pittsburgh Banjo Club, leads the group and always starts each song with a little history lesson for the younger members of the audience who aren't familiar with the older music.

Haldan Kirsch / 90.5 WESA

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club has been playing together for 25 years, but it still manages to get audiences clapping, singing and dancing along to some of the biggest hits of the 1920s and '30s, as well as a few Pittsburgh favorites.

Every Wednesday night the group puts on a show for a diverse audience at the Elks Lodge in Pittsburgh's North Side. The music starts at 8 p.m.