The fifth annual VIA Music & New Media Festival is coming up next week, Oct. 1-5. This year’s festival features over 50 artists at more than 15 events, so we’re here to help you decide which to go see. The full lineup and ticketing info is online at via2014.com. Check out some of WRCT’s picks for VIA 2014:

Blue Hawaii / October 4 / Union Trust Buliding
Blue Hawaii is a duo from Montreal. They make ambient pop infused with techno, layered with gentle female vocals. Check out a few of their singles:

IVIES / October 3 / Belvedere’s Ultra-Dive
The Pittsburgh-based Milwaukee producer, has been rolling out beat after beat, pumping his sounds full of vintage distortion, found samples, and sunshine. His latest sound, “Burgundy,” is a loose, hip-hop-influenced rhythm. If you enjoy the eclectic, patchwork beats of Koushik or Oh No, and crave the smooth sampling of producers like Vanilla or AshTreJinkins, IVIES deserves a listen.

Little People, A/V showcase / October 4 / The Rex Theater
Little People is a instrumental hip-hop artist thats been releasing these sick cerebral videos to accompany songs on his most recent release, We Are But Hunks of Wood.

Mark McGuire, A/V showcase / October 1 / The Shop
Mark McGuire, a midwestern producer and guitarist, is coming to blow your mind with his gorgeous soundscapes.

Tell your friends: Saturday’s main event at the Union Trust Building feat. Zebra Katz, Blue Hawaii, Cakes Da Killa, Traxman, and more is just $15 at the door for students with valid ID.

This year’s VIA festival boasts an impressive lineup, including an event that I have been drooling over since it was announced: Deafheaven, Liturgy, and local act Slices at the Rex Theater on Thursday, October 2^nd.  Cinematic post-metal, experimental black metal, and a dash of Pittsburgh’s own punk scene for good measure; apart from the showcase on Saturday, this is the VIA event I am most excited to see.

Deafheaven broke onto the scene last year with the release of Sunbather, which quickly earned them a spot as Pitchfork’s darlings.  If that sounds pejorative, give them a listen anyway—post-rock and black metal fuse into haunting landscapes in Deafheaven’s particular formulation of “heavy,” alternately pummeling and uplifting the listener throughout the course of the often 10+ minute tracks.  I have been waiting since the album’s release to catch this phenomenon live, and I am especially proud of the VIA festival for incorporating this sound into their lineup this year.

2011’s Aesthetica put Liturgy on the map with its blend of black metal and moments of relative simplicity, featuring vocal loops or sounds as breathing room amongst the frenetic pace and tortured vocals of the more traditional material.  Although Liturgy’s transcendental, manifesto-driven aesthetic might not be for everyone, I am very excited for their VIA set.  A band with an experimental bent and a flair for the dramatic is a live music event that I would hate to miss.

Of course, it’s also great to see the local scene getting its due along with these national acts.  Pittsburgh hardcore outfit Slices promise to deliver a blistering opener, setting the stage for the deluge of sound to follow.  I’m planning on showing up early for this late show so as not to miss a second of this wonderfully loud and varied bill.

Tickets to the show are available here: http://www.ticketfly.com/event/668007

Post by Gesina Phillips.

Tune in today at 3pm for a special show featuring our picks for the upcoming VIA Festival (Oct 1-5)!

They’ve got a stacked line up with Zebra Katz, Deafheaven, Traxman, L-Vis 1990, Blue Hawaii, Real Estate, and many more, and we’ll be sharing our favorites on today’s show.

Check the full line-up and get tickets at www.via2014.com.