Christian Rockers Casting Crowns Play PPG; Byham Hosts The Bereishit Dance Company (Sat., 3/4/17)

1) From student-worship band to arena act, independent albums to Billboard’s top-selling Christian music act since 2007, Casting Crowns have risen meteorically since forming in 1999 in Daytona Beach, Florida. That’s not to say the members, now based in Georgia, haven’t forgotten their roots. Every one still works “in ministry in their respective churches,” according to the band’s website. This includes frontman Mark Hall. “Oh My Soul,” off of 2016’s The Very Next Thing, addresses his cancer diagnosis in 2015. Elsewhere on the album, like on the single “One Step Away,” the band encourages listeners to find “what’s right next to you.” Casting Crowns broke with their self-titled 2003 album, which quickly went platinum. Their follow-up, 2005’s Lifesong, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. They are currently touring and will play PPG Paints Arena. Danny Gokey and Unspoken open. 7 p.m. 1001 5th Ave., Uptown. (CM)

Bereishit Dance Company of South Korea floats a new take on traditional genres. photo: Se-Gyu Lee.

2) The Bereishit Dance Company, based in Seoul, South Korea, is touring two works: BOW and Balance and Imbalance. Both performances combine contemporary dance with East Asian culture; they also incorporate some street dancing and multimedia. Traditional Korean archery inspires BOW, a male duet, while Balance and Imbalance is a larger affair, incorporating not only company dancers but also traditional drummers and pansori vocalists. Pansori is a Korean genre of musical storytelling by a singer and a drummer. The art form originated in the 1600s, hit its peak in the 1800s, and has experienced a resurgence since being declared a National Intangible Cultural Property in 1964. In 2000, Park Soon-Ho, a graduate of the Netherland’s European Dance Development Center, founded Bereishit Dance Company. The Pittsburgh Dance Council, a division of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, presents the 8 p.m. performance. Byham Theater, 101 6th St., Cultural District. (CM)

Bill Toms plays some killer lead guitar riffs (c.) while Hard Rain and the Soulville Horns jam on at the Moondog’s Holiday Rock party.

3) Bill Toms and Hard Rain with the Soulville Horns are heating up March and will be rockn’ out Excuses Bar on the South Side tonight. Toms’ slightly raspy, deeply soulful voice and his guitar playing prowess combine with the drums, horns, and rest of the band to create a hot blues rock sound. Toms’ next gig will be at Club Cafe on April 8. 9 p.m. 2526 E. Carson St.

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