Sunday’s fun day for fans of live music
For fans of live music who don’t quite get enough on Friday and Saturday nights, there’s Sunday in Bridgeville.
And they have plenty of time to get your rest for Monday.
“We figured, what a perfect time to go, from 1 to 3 in the afternoon. For lunch, maybe you want to enjoy a nice ambiance with your meal and maybe get a little pep in your step,” said Nick Ciesielski, co-general manager at Railyard Grill and Tap Room. “It’s been bringing in a nice crowd, and it’s nice to bring in a different option for people than a full band.”
Harry Funk/The Almanac
The Sunday performances are billed as Eclectic Acoustics, with quieter dynamics that perhaps serve as somewhat of a tonic for folks who are wrapping up a particularly busy weekend.
A recent example was Paul Mac N’at, named Pittsburghese-style for members Paul Macedonia and Natalie Rogers, who performed at Railyard as a duo, minus regular percussionist Evan Bellan.
Although Rogers plays bass guitar to complement Macedonia’s acoustic, she takes more of a melodic approach to the instrument than the usual low-tone boom, providing a distinctive accompaniment to the pair’s engaging vocals.
“I used to not be able to sing and play anything at all simultaneously,” said Rogers, who earned a degree in vocal performance from the University of Pittsburgh. “I can play keyboards, too, but I like playing bass better. Every time I would learn songs, it made more sense to couple the bass with the acoustic guitar. It just sounded better.”
She and Macedonia attended the vast student population of North Allegheny High School together, but they didn’t meet officially until several years after graduating. He recalled a buddy suggesting, “Hey, you want to go check out Natalie Rogers? She’s a friend of mine.”
“So I went over to watch her play, and she sounded incredible,” Macedonia said. “Maybe a month or two later, we played our first gig together.”
Their repertoire draws from quite a few decades of popular music, from 1960s-era Van Morrison and ’70s Fleetwood Mac to much more recent material, with arrangements highlighting the interplay between acoustic and bass guitars.
In addition to Paul Mac N’at, Rogers also sings with the Good Karma Band, which specializes in Classic Rock crowd-pleasers from, well, quite a while before she was born.
“It’s mostly stuff I hadn’t heard of before,” she said, “but it’s a lot of fun.”
Harry Funk/The Almanac
She also is working on producing a video for her song “Full Body” and has a casting call scheduled for Aug. 29 at Howl at the Moon in downtown Pittsburgh, inviting men with beards and women who are “open to creative ideas.”
“A shy man enters a speed dating competition where beards reign supreme, but he’ll have to bring more than a well-groomed face to win the heart of his love,” she said of the video’s premise.
For his part, Macedonia began playing guitar at about age 10 and eventually studied in the College of Music and Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. He composes original music and is working on a demo recording of his songs.
As far as originals, Ciesielski is planning events for next year during which writer-performers can showcase their own tunes.
“There aren’t many venues that give that opportunity anymore, unless you’re renting a hall to do it yourself,” he said, as he did as a musician in his younger days.
Cody Ciesielski, his brother, also is a musician and hosts a monthly Railyard open mic night, which resumed in July after being on hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With musicians having the opportunity to play for live audiences again, the establishment has a schedule of performances including the bands of Bridgeville native Bill Ali on Aug. 21 and Peters Township resident Matt Baranti Aug. 28. Guitarist is playing the Eclectic Acoustics show on Aug. 22.
“We’re always enthusiastic and excited to see what type of crowds they bring,” Nick Ciesielski said. “But at the end of the day, I’m a music guy, so if it’s just me, I’m happy, too.”
Harry Funk/The Almanac