Enter the Sonic Pit

Manny Theiner, Mike Shanley and Scott Mervis -- three writers from the heyday of the alt-weeklies -- launch a Substack dedicated to Pittsburgh music

Three writers from the heyday of the alt-weeklies.

More than 100 years of combined experience in the Pittsburgh music scene.

That is the foundation of Sonic Pit, a new Substack dedicated to the Pittsburgh music scene: the artists who live here, and the ones who pass through.

It was prompted by Scott Mervis’ departure from the Post-Gazette after 40 years. Not only was he the pop music critic and Weekend Magazine editor, he was the last arts writer at the paper.

Enter Manny Theiner. While Mervis was weighing his options and causing commotion on social media, Manny sent a DM on his last day at the PG: “Ugh, sorry to hear you were passed over…[cool biblical reference]...If you are interested in a ‘super-blog,’ let me know.”

Manny and Merv have a long history, going back to the day when Manny walked into the South Side offices of In Pittsburgh Newsweekly as an intern in the late ‘80s. Manny, a true tastemaker, was known for being a WRCT DJ with a sharp eye for what was below the radar.

He had also been a bandmate of Weird Paul, who had one song that called out Mervis for somehow being a consultant to WYEP (that wasn’t true, but it was bitingly hilarious — Merv didn’t think so). At a certain point, Paul, Manny and Merv all got over that little mess.

For decades, there’s been an uneasy respect between the two local scenesters, and much disagreement about music, though they share a love for classic New Wave.

MERV

He grew up on Michael Jackson and AM bubblegum before Harry the Wire (who became a famed local DJ) got him into Kiss, Blue Oyster Cult and Mott the Hoople in the early ‘70s. His first concert was Kiss at the Civic Arena in 1977 on the Destroyer Tour, triggering a lifelong craving for spectacle.

Living in the Pitt dorms in 1979, he bonded with new friends over Dylan, the Dead and The Band, and then one day, after a trip to Jim’s Records, he returned to Tower B with “London Calling.” Friends looked at him skeptically. He was never the same.

One of his first stories for The Pitt News was a backstage interview with Gang of Four (still one of his favorite bands) from the Stanley Theater. He got the IP gig with that story and an account of the final Iron City Houserockers show at the Decade in 1983.

While at IP, Mervis was a co-creator of the In Pittsburgh Music Awards, an actual primetime show that aired on KDKA-TV. He also took a stab at saving the Syria Mosque by filing the historic landmark application and arguing it before that board.

Also while at IP, in ‘85, he began writing concert reviews for the Post-Gazette, beginning with The Ramones in the Syria Mosque ballroom as a tryout. He passed that audition and went on to write thousands of reviews for the PG. His mother, rest in peace, was fond of telling waitresses, much to his embarrassment, “That’s my son - he’s the critic for Bruce Springsteen.” (Bruce Springsteen himself was not aware of this staff member.)

Mervis left IP for the PG full-time in September 1991, just days after a bulldozer rammed the right side of the Mosque.

During his tenure there, working with the great Ed Masley, he brought Manny’s always-insightful writing into the mainstream as a freelancer.

MANNY

Manny had already written for the Allderdice Forward, Pittsburgh Rock Newz, the CMU Tartan, the Jewish Chronicle and the Pitt News, mostly about independent music, before joining the In Pittsburgh Newsweekly for a long stint as feature writer and music listings editor.

But he’d influenced the local scene in several other ways. Building on his experience at WRCT, he became a promoter of smaller-scale concert tours, the proprietor of two local labels pressing both indie rock and experimental music, and a frequent collaborator with nonprofits such as the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.

One of Manny’s impactful projects was the short-lived Sonic Temple, a venue which demonstrated the ability to work outside the conventional Oakland club system, which hosted the likes of Nirvana, Fugazi and White Zombie in less than six months of operation.

Manny followed that up with over two decades of writing for In Pittsburgh Newsweekly, Pittsburgh City Paper and the Post-Gazette, while producing over three thousand concerts ranging from indie icons such as Sleater-Kinney and Death Cab for Cutie to industrial legends like Laibach and Swans to avant-garde jazz luminaries from Peter Brotzmann to Nels Cline. These events happened in over 70 venues all around the city and also filled calendars at two-full time venues he administered: Millvale Industrial Theater (1998-2001) and Garfield Artworks (2003-2014).

MIKE

Shanley’s pursuit of music journalism began with a small Pittsburgh fanzine called Discourse, at which he eventually became the editor. His fondness for both jazz and all forms of underground music had free reign, a wide focus which he was able to utilize as a writer for InPgh Newsweekly. He eventually became Assistant Arts Editor at the weekly, previewing performances by local and national performers, as well as providing nuanced profiles on local institutions such as saxophonist Don Aliquo, Sr. and Cynics guitarist Gregg Kostelich.

When InPgh was shuttered, Shanley helped to launch Pulp, a weekly that gained a solid reputation among the Pittsburgh arts community during its two-year existence. He also began a relationship with the national publication JazzTimes. In 2026, JazzTimes exists online only, but Shanley continues to write for them, in addition to The New York City Jazz Record.

He also spent over a decade freelancing for Pittsburgh City Paper, at one point interviewing two of the most cantankerous people in music — Ginger Baker and John Lydon — in the same year. (Both went well.)

While all that was going on, Mike also logged many years as a bassist and singer in several Pittsburgh bands, beginning with Bone of Contention and going on to include the Mofones and the Love Letters. He currently plays with the Harry Von Zells and (as a drummer) with Pink Gin Marimbas.

SONIC PIT PITCH

Now it’s May 13, and we’re launching Sonic Pit with the goal of bringing Pittsburgh the music coverage this city deserves — smart, obsessive, funny, passionate and deeply engaged.

We can’t do it for free. Mervis no longer has a newspaper paycheck, and independent music journalism survives only if readers decide it matters. Manny and Mike would enjoy a bit of support as well.

If you believe Pittsburgh deserves serious music coverage — and a few strong opinions — we hope you’ll help us build this thing.

A free subscription gets you access to Sonic Pit and helps us build an audience.

A paid subscription helps fund our coverage of the local scene.

Founding Members help us build something lasting — an independent Pittsburgh music publication that can grow beyond a launch and become a real cultural voice for the city.

We’re also looking for a small number of sponsors who believe in local music, local culture and local journalism. If you own a venue, business, label, brewery, festival or organization that wants to reach passionate music fans in Pittsburgh, we’d love to talk.

The alt-weeklies faded. Arts sections disappeared. The vast majority of music coverage vanished with them.

Sonic Pit is our attempt to bring some of that spirit back.

Thanks for reading, subscribing and helping us keep the music conversation alive in Pittsburgh

.