Pittsburgh has a way of calling people back home and for Rob Stokes it couldn't be a better time.  Following the second game of the Penguins' road to a third-straight Stanley Cup, Stokes is returning to the Steel City to debut his latest album, Live at the Heartbreak Hotel along with fellow Burgh band, The Bird Hour.  He's not alone, though. Having spent the last eight years in Washington, D.C., he's amassed some epic music friendships as GUMP (Give Us More Power) and Sir E.U will be joining the band on a sprint of east coast tour dates.

GUMP from Rockville, Maryland is a four-piece quartet drawing from alternative and punk rock genres who performs with varying speeds.  They evoke images of a Green Day-esque, Gym Class Heroes amalgamation that gathers to perform in a garage every day. In fact, the accompanying video to their latest track "Flight Song," projects this very scenario.  Other times, though listeners might catch more orchestrated notes in their music as one of the band members plays the cello. Stay tuned to their channels as they are working on a series of releases for 2018.

Sir E.U is no stranger to InTheRough web pages, but his presence is truly one you must experience live.  Whether he's rapping for 25-hours straight, freestyling to various house music sets, or posturing with two microphones in his hands, his bars are dense and adaptable to a range of sonics.  He's one of the defining musicians of the DMV traversing a fluctuating underground scene since he was a teen. As a result, his voice can be heard on a number of collaborations, and attributed writing credits on Stokes' album, his pen is equally prolific. 

Rob Stokes Band delivers the follow up to their 2017 album, Love Was Made for these Times with a record that shines through the vulnerable vocals of Stokes himself.  Live at the Heartbreak Hotel is an album made from a Pittsburgh perspective.  On Late Bloom Radio, Stokes talked about envisioning a steelworker in the smog-ridden sixties, off the clock at the local dive bar ruminating on the sacrifices of love while engaging in the hedonisms of life. 

This bill of veteran musicians and experimentalists is available Friday, April 13 at The Smiling Moose on East Carson St.  If you're in Pittsburgh, don't miss the opportunity to hear a sample of some of the soundscapes from Washington, D.C.

Friday, April 13

10pm - 1:30am

The Smiling Moose

1306 East Carson St.