London love story roots of Steel City band
By: Larissa Gula and Natalie Bell / A&E Staff
Joel Lindsey
1810 Tavern
Sat., Jane 8 at 8 p.m.
Boulevard of the Allies
The Smiling Moose
Fri., Jan 14 at 7 p.m.
Acoustic Trio
The Park House
Fri., Jan. 21 at 9 p.m.
Joel Lindsey would never have moved to Pittsburgh or formed his local band Boulevard of the Allies were it not for one Beaver County woman.
Lindsey, who will perform solo and with his band in the Steel City area this month, met his wife, Amy in a bar in his hometown of London.
The first time they met, Lindsey faked an American accent. The next time the two met he used his actual British accent and Amy called him out on it. After he explained his upbringing with an American mother and British father, Amy said she was charmed.
“For whatever reason, that endeared him to me and I fell in love ... all based on a lie that he had an American accent,” she said.
But the cost of living in London was expensive so Lindsey, a Duquesne graduate, suggested they relocate to Pittsburgh.
Lindsey agreed to move, explaining that his band in London “wasn’t taking it seriously then” and he didn’t mind a change because there “wasn’t a way to make money and work full time.” However, he had some stipulations about the change.
“[London] is like New York, there’s just so many more musicians and so many more venues,” Amy Lindsey said.
“The funny thing was Joel didn’t know anything about Pittsburgh. He said ‘I’ll go for six months. I won’t stay any longer than six months.’... It’s been like three and a half years, and we just bought a house. So I don’t think we’re leaving,” Amy Lindsey said.
Once in America, Lindsey began a solo career, traveling the country from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. Before his tour, he explored the Pittsburgh music scene and found he enjoyed playing in the city.
“There’s something cool about Pittsburgh,” he said. “[My wife and I] soon realized we wanted to stay in Pittsburgh for a while. I got really involved with the music scene. People want to collaborate, and it’s laid back. I recognized how good the talent is here.”
Boulevard of the Allies began with the when Lindsey met bassist Jim Kurasch in 2007. Lindsey began networking and got involved with the Acoustic Cafe, a weekly radio show. He met Kurasch when he opened for the band the bassist played in previously.
Kurasch had a life change of his own upon meeting Lindsey.
“I was into playing music but I was satisfied with it on the side,” he said. “I never expected to meet someone as talented as Joel or be in a band as good as Boulevard.”
Kurasch graduated from Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering in 2006. As a student, he tried to take all of his electives in music but he stuck with engineering as his main goal. He now works as a mechanical engineer at Curtiss-Wright Corporation, an global engineering company and balances the band with his day job.
“[Engineering] was the original plan since I figured I wouldn’t make it in music. Music has become more and more of a career path and is taking more and more of my time, but it’s a love, so how bad can that be?” he said.
At its full line-up. Boulevard of the Allies features singer-songwriter Lindsey, bassist Kurasch, percussionist Chris Massa, drummer Tim College and guitarist Jim Graff.
Boulevard of the Allies released a debut studio album this past May, after which Lindsey performed in London in June, sharing music about how his life changed and how he misses his old city. Still, it’s easier to make it in the music scene in Pittsburgh, he said.
“Pittsburgh isn’t known for its music scene, but there was an opportunity to do something here,” he said. “I quickly got myself a lot of gigs. I’m a busy musician and make a living doing it.”
“There’s a higher ratio of really good talent here,” Amy Lindsey said.
“I think it was a struggle at first but he quickly met, dare I say, even better musicians or at least different kinds of musicians ... that gave him a new direction ... I think it inspired some of his best songs,” Amy said.
Oddly though, the acoustic-rock band rarely performs as a whole.
“It varies,” Lindsey said on the band’s performances. “I work professionally as a musician in Pittsburgh. I get gigs all over the place from Beaver to New York City. I play a lot of solo shows. Originally the group was a trio, but we expanded to record an album. We made it a five-piece for that.”
Lindsey believes the group’s energetic performances and “unique soulful sound” are what attracts a large demographic to the band and allows it to exist even if they rarely perform.
But whereas he’s been fortunate enough to make his living performing, Lindsey will readily admit it wasn’t easy gaining his status.
“It’s difficult to know where people are in this city,” he said, citing culture differences as an issue. “In London a student union is a place where students go to listen to music. Here a student union doesn’t seem to be a place for a band. For someone who didn’t live here and study here, it’s hard to know how to appeal to younger people. I think our success comes from playing in so many different places.”
Kurasch plans to stay with engineering and will enjoy being in the band, but he can see a potentially bigger future.
“Joel and I promote Boulevard as much as we can,” he said. “We’re in love with the band and would love it to take off. That’s what one everyone hopes for. As much as I love engineering, it’s hard to compete with something like music. There’s no job better. If record deals fly our way, the choice is pretty obvious.”
