Billy Price and Daily Grind Hold New Release Celebrations; “Fences” at Playwrights (Fri., 5/29/15)

1) Pittsburgh’s own Billy Price is a hardworking performer – this is one of about half a dozen local gigs you can head along to this month. But the Club Cafe show is extra special – Price has a new album out this month, and The Billy Price Band are celebrating its release. The album, This Time for Real, is a joint recording with Chicago soul/gospel icon Otis Clay, who Price has called his biggest influence as a singer. The pair have collaborated several times in the past three decades. This Time for Real includes covers of soul and R&B tracks and new versions of two Clay originals. 7 p.m. 56-58 South 12th St., South Side.

2) 2015’s shaping to be a great year for Pittsburgh rockers Daily Grind. Successful appearance at the Strip District Music Fest last January—check. Pittsburgh Pirates-themed song and music video, to air as part of Root Sports’ “Friday Night Rocks” pregame shows—double check. And now a CD release show at Club Cafe. The show will celebrate their new six-song EP, The New Wave. It is the four-piece’s sophomore effort, and it marks the next step in the band’s sound, one which effortlessly walks the tightrope between rock and distortion. The band’s currently in the middle of a cross-country tour, so be sure to see them while they’re in town. Red Room Effect opens. 10:30 p.m. 56-58 S. 12th Street, South Side.

3) One does not have to be a baseball fan to appreciate August Wilson’s Fences. Set in the 1950s, the play concerns a former star who missed a shot at the Major Leagues because his prime years came before the color line was broken. But as in all Wilson plays, while the shadow of the past hangs over the action, the story revolves around the drama and humor of the characters’ tangled personal lives as they try to build a future. Fences won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in 1987. Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company gives it a new production in the group’s intimate downtown space, which is ideal for conveying Wilson’s intimate style. 8 p.m. Runs through tomorrow. 937 Liberty Ave., Cultural District.

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