The Motels and Bow Wow Wow Play Jergel’s; Tap Artist Sarah Reich at Greer Cabaret (Thurs., 1/16/20)

1) The Motels’ sound was built upon the foundation of lead singer Martha Davis’ melancholy, crystalline vocals, with keyboard, bass, and percussion highlights. That sound resulted in big success for the band in the early days of MTV. 1982’s “Only the Lonely” and 1983’s “Suddenly Last Summer” both reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in their respective years and were in heavy rotation on the new music network. The group’s latest effort is the 2018 LP The Last Few Beautiful Days. Also performing on the Totally ’80s Live music bill are Bow Wow Wow and When in Rome II. 285 Northgate Dr., Warrendale. Jergel’s.

2) Maybe you’ve seen Sarah Reich tap dancing to a Star Wars medley with the New York-based group Postmodern Jukebox. Reich is in the vanguard of the new wave of tap artists—younger than Gen-X tappers like Savion Glover, who kick-started (or shall we say tap-started?) the modern revival of the form—and she’s currently touring with her own band and guest dancers. Reich comes to town in a visit presented by Pittsburgh Dance Council. She’s here for four shows but seats are going quickly at the Greer Cabaret Theater. 8 p.m. Performances continue through January 18. 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District.  (MV)

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