PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WTRF) – Hosting a festival is no easy feat. It takes “blood, sweat, and literal tears.” Give it 10 years, and that's exactly what the Four Chords Musical Festival has done.
Four Chords Musical Festival is a two-day (June 22-June 23) indie punk, emo, and hardcore music festival in Pittsburgh that prides itself on being Do It Yourself (DIY). Masu.
“Ten years is a really long time to do something. It's amazing how far we've come. What started in a small club in Pittsburgh, this event has grown not only as an independent festival, but also in all 50 states. We've grown into a nationally recognized festival that attracts people from all over the world and beyond. There's no corporate backing. Money comes out of people's pockets to make this happen.”
Adam Valen – Marketing Director
The Four Chords Musical Festival began in 2014 at the former Extaza Nightclub in Pittsburgh's Strip District and has since grown to bigger and better venues, including Highmark Stadium and most recently Washington Wild Things Park. But for the 10th year, the Four Chords Music Festival will be moving to the Cary Furnace in the industrial Pittsburgh area of Swissvale, Pennsylvania.
“We wanted to bring it back to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is where the festival started and we really wanted to bring it back home. We've been trying to bring it to Carey Furnace for a while. . Being one of the last remaining blast furnaces in Pittsburgh is a testament to the blue-collar nature of the area we're in and the fact that we're kind of an independent festival, and it takes a lot of hard work and effort. It really speaks to the bootstrapped spirit of being there. It felt very symbolic to bring this festival back to that place.”
Adam Valen – Director of Marketing
Celebrating their 10th anniversary, Four Chord are undaunted and have assembled perhaps their biggest and best lineup to date. Headliners include “A Day to Remember” on June 22nd and “All American Rejects” on June 23rd. Other artists include The Story So Far, State Champs, Senses Fair, Four Years Strong, Microwave, Eternal Boy, Motion City Soundtrack, Cliff Diver, and Return It will be done. Corporate stuff.
“This really epitomizes the Warped Tour era, and we always try to keep in mind bands that fit that ethos that has fueled the whole pop-punk scene, which has been rekindled over the past few years. We strive to work with the right partners and bring in the right artists.”
Adam Valen – Director of Marketing
Single-day festival tickets and deluxe VIP tickets are still on sale. You can purchase it here.
As part of recent festival tradition, a kick-off show is held the night before the festival. Kicking off this year's show will be The Emo Band (live band his emo karaoke), The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, 408, and Midnight Lights at the Save Concert on June 21st. Pre-show tickets can be purchased here. You can also purchase free Four Chord tickets at the pre-show.
The festival also announced an ongoing partnership with Dancing Gnome Beer and “Decade” IPA. 'Decade' will be released for the first time at the Dancing Gnomes Takeover on Thursday, May 30th from 4pm to 10pm. The day will feature DJ sets from Emo and Pop-Punk Trivia, Old Neon, Mallory Lunn and Fortune Cove. Fortune Cove will also be performing an acoustic set.
Ten years? Can Four Chords go on for another decade? “As long as people keep coming to this thing, we're going to keep rocking,” Valen said.
Experience the pop-punk scene and celebrate a decade of homegrown music joy at the Four Chord Musical Festival this June.