Weekly music in Mt. Lebanon benefits Blues in the Schools program

The fresh-faced musician sat at the microphone with his guitar, performing a song written by a grizzled bluesman three-quarters of a century before Pierce Dipner was born.
“I woke up this morning, had them Statesboro blues,” Pierce sang, channeling the style of the long-deceased Blind Willie McTell. “I looked over in the corner, and Grandpa seemed to have them, too.”

Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Stevee Wellons performs as part of Soulful Femme at a recent “Blues & Brews” night. The combo returns Aug. 9.
As he played the final notes, the 14-year-old Mt. Lebanon resident drew a fervent round of applause from members of an audience that included Jonnye Weber, president of the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania. She has been a major supporter of Pierce’s since his selection as the society’s Youth Showcase representative at the 2017 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn.
This summer, he has been a frequent guest performer at Houlihan’s in the Galleria of Mt. Lebanon, where weekly “Blues & Brews” events benefit a cause that is indicative of the society’s goal of “playing it forward” for young musicians.
Houlihan’s is donating 15 percent of food sales for 7 to 10 Sundays to Blues in the Schools, a program supported by the Memphis, Tenn.-based Blues Foundation, of which the Western Pennsylvania group is an affiliate.
- July 8 – Ron Vis with Keith Gamble
- July 15 – Eugene Morgan
- July 22 – Jason Born
- July 29 – Charlie Barath and company
- Aug. 5 – Dan Bubien
- Aug. 12 – Bubs McKeg
- Aug. 19 – Soulful Femme
- Aug. 26 – Ron Vis with Keith Gamble
- Sept. 2 – Miss Freddye
- Sept. 9 – Bobby G.
“We embrace Blues in the Schools because it’s our way of reaching out to young people to make them aspire to do something better with their lives,” Weber explained. “Studies show that if children take up music, they develop different parts of the brain so that academically they are much better achievers.”
The society sets up sessions in which musicians talk to students about the impact music has had on their lives and, of course, giving performances.
For example, Blues Foundation Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipient Tas Cru will be working with a summer camp this month in Clairton.
“He teaches kids to relate their lives to the music,” Weber said. “You can sing about your dog, and you feel better. Or you can sing about your homework, and it gets better. And sometimes it might inspire a kid. What we’re doing is trying to give kids something to aspire to.”
Other society initiatives on behalf of youngsters include PITCH, Putting Instruments In Children’s Hands, which makes donations to those who are musically inclined but financially challenged. Also, the nonprofit organization pays for a student each semester to attend an eight-week session at Those About to Rock Academy in Ambridge.

Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Berklee-educated guitarist and composer Cheryl Rinovato, who is on the board of the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania, performs in Soulful Femme as a duo with Stevee Wellons.
“Our mission is to keep the blues alive and live music alive,” said Weber, who lives in Aliquippa. “We engage younger people and introduce them to the blues. They may go to other things like rock first, but everything comes from the blues. So they’ll learn the blues sooner or later.”
The opportunity for the weekly Blues in the Schools benefits at Houlihan’s came through managing partner Tony Mercurio, who featured live entertainment when he managed the restaurant chain’s location in Robinson Township. In November, he started an acoustic night on Thursdays in Mt. Lebanon, and its success prompted him to look for another opportunity for musicians to perform.
“I looked through my contacts. I saw Jonnye and thought, wow! If I could get together with Jonnye and we could help the schools through the Blues Society, I think that would be a really nice thing,” he said.
As school officials throughout the area seek savings, more and more arts-related programs are going by the wayside.
“I hate to see them cut the music,” Mercurio said. “That’s one thing that you don’t have to be athletic to do. It’s for everyone, and I hate to see it disappear.”
Regarding “Blues & Brews,” Weber and her fellow Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania board members are fully supportive and attend whenever possible.
“It’s a great idea,” she said. “We’ll share the blues. We don’t mind.”
For more information, visit www.bswpa.org.

Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Steve Binsberger, a member of the Stevee Wellons Band and alumnus of the Keystone Rhythm Band, accompanies Soulful Femme at Houlihan’s.