Graham Nash Plays CHMH; Alabama at PPG, Club Cafe Hosts Mark Dignam, Selwyn Birchwood at Moondog’s (Fri., 3/15/19)

1) Twice the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted Graham Nash: once with folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, and Nash and a second time with British pop group The Hollies. With the Hollies, Nash sang on pop songs like 1964’s “To You My Love.” With CSN, he wrote some of their biggest hits, like 1970’s “Our House,” which also features occasional CSN-collaborator Neil Young. In both acts, Nash lent his guitar stylings and distinct tenor vocals, both of which are sure to be on display for his solo show at Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. He knows people will be coming to hear hits like “Our House,” “Guinnevere,” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.” But fans can also expect a few newer compositions as well from his latest studio album, 2016s, The Path Tonight. In addition to being a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Nash is also an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to both charity and music. An Intimate Evening of Songs and Stories with Graham Nash begins at 8 p.m. 510 E. 10th St., Munhall. (CM)

2) If you’ve ever heard the classic country rock song “Mountain Music” than you’ve heard the group Alabama (although other artists have covered it). The group is actually from Alabama, Fort Payne, to be exact. During the bands Heyday in the 1980’s, Alabama added to their total of over 27 No. 1 hits. Now they are on their 50th Anniversary Tour and fans can see them in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena. 7:30 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown

3) If you prefer a fun yet more dignified celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, then Club Cafe‘s eighth annual The Calm Before the Storm – A Night of Irish Traditional Music and Song with Mark Dignam & Friends might be the ticket for you. Mark Dignam was raised in Finglas, a North Side Dublin suburb, where he showed early aptitude as a singer. He moved to Dublin at 18 and began busking on Grafton Street. He is now Pittsburgh-based and performs with his band, The House of Song, The tradition continues. 8 p.m. 56 – 58 S. 12th St., South Side. (CM)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8ePGXDIcRY

4) The Tampa Bay, Florida, area has some very talented blues guitarists, and one of those players—Selwyn Birchwood—is on the rise. He started playing at 13 and later met a neighbor—noted blues guitarist Sonny Rhodes—who taught him about blues guitar, lap steel guitar, and the business of running a band. Rhodes also insisted that Birchwood get a college education. He played in Rhodes’s band, took classes, and would even eventually earn an MBA from the University of Tampa. 2013 saw him winning the International Blues Challenge (IBC), and the next year he released Don’t Call No Ambulance on Alligator Records. Birchwood and his band won several major awards for the release. His latest album is 2017s Pick Your Poison. Moondog’s. 8:30 p.m. 378 Freeport Rd., Blawnox.  

5) Playwright Christopher Durang broke upon the cultural scene around the same time as a certain British New Wave band, which is why your mind’s voice wants to say “Durang Durang.” But rather than howling “Hungry Like the Wolf,” Durang writes satirical comedies that make audiences howl. Baby with the Bathwater is a 1983 play about a boy named Daisy, who manfully (womanfully?) overcomes obstacles galore while growing up to assert his (her?) true gender identity. 8 p.m. Continues through March 24. McKeesport Little Theater performs it at 1614 Coursin St., McKeesport.

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