The Commonheart's singer talks joys of hometown headlining show at Stage AE

PITTSBURGH ― The Commonheart tour itinerary includes a North Dakota art museum, a Wisconsin park, a Detroit bar, concert halls in Illinois, Manhattan and Massachusetts, and festivals in Michigan and New Brunswick.

Each date is important, though none more special than the July 28 hometown show at Stage AE in Pittsburgh.

"That's the one that's always circled on the calendar," The Commonheart singer Clinton Clegg said. "It's always so exciting to come home and play Pittsburgh and to see the progression of our band there. We get to celebrate with friends and family, so that makes it incredibly special to us all."

Like The Clarks before them, The Commonheart have cultivated a western Pennsylvania following loyal enough to earn the band a headlining slot at Stage's AE 5,500-capacity outdoor venue.

Reaching that milestone involved multiple turning points for the soul-rock band that offers the triple shot of Clegg's gut-grabbing vocals, Mike Minda's fiery guitar and the horn infusion of Abby Gross on saxophone and Nate Insko on trumpet.

First came a 2016 opening act gig at a sold-out Stage AE, where The Commonheart's raw intensity and stellar musicianship dazzled 2,100 fans there to see Gary Clark Jr.

A 2019 "CBS Saturday Morning" feature on The Commonheart helped spread the fan base coast-to-coast.

"That was a huge thing for us," Clegg said. "2019 was when we released (the album) 'Pressure,' and watching it trending on iTunes was so crazy. Suddenly three of our shows sold out and they weren't in Pittsburgh, so we were like 'Hmm... maybe we're on the right path.'"

The game-changer came when the band added a particular "Pressure" track to the setlist, and Clegg turned it into a nightly standout.

"'Do Right' is a fan favorite and when we started performing it live, I'd do this special thing − like a preacher at a church − encouraging people to love each other and look after each other," Clegg said. "Whenever we introduced that to the set, it affected me, because I felt I was doing something positive, and it affected the band and our growth. After shows, we'd get more feedback on our message than on our sound. People would say 'I loved your message and the way it was about positivity.'"

A deeper connection between band and fans resulted, with concertgoers sensing the earnestness of Clegg's impassioned, uplifting vocal delivery conveying his basic philosophical musings on the power of love and hard work.

At the Pittsburgh show, he will spot audience members singing along.

"That's an amazing feeling you never get used to," Clegg said. "It gives you the feeling you're doing the right thing,"

Like many bands, The Commonheart's momentum halted in 2020 when the pandemic hit.

"But that was the reality. Just another challenge we had to keep pushing through," Clegg said.

The Commonheart's brand of rocking soul, fleshed out by Ralph Crewe on bass, Cole Insko on drums and Lucas Bowman on keyboards, reignited the spark with last year's "For Work or Love" album earning praise on Americana/roots and blues sites. Pittsburgh's adult album alternative station 91.3-WYEP proclaimed The Commonheart as 2022's Pittsburgh Artist of The Year.

Commonheart songs like "Josephine," inspired by a military friend's experience becoming a first-time father, bear a cinematic quality that would befit a TV streamer or film soundtrack.

Come January, The Commonheart will perform on a rock cruise setting sail from Miami with Young The Giant and The Struts as headliners.

"Those cruise type shows are a big opportunity because they have the most amazing fan bases from all over the country, that can help us build something," Clegg said.

But at the moment, the septet is on the highway, with Clegg granting a phone interview July 18 as the band's tour van cruised down Interstate 2 toward Grand Forks, N.D.

Probably one of those tricked-out vans with state-of-the-art sound and a glovebox refrigerator, right?

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"If you want to imagine that go right ahead," Clegg said with a laugh, assuring it's not a ritzy ride.

Barnstorming the continent isn't for everybody.

"I love it," said Clegg, who looks the part of a troubadour on the band's website, replete with bushy, gray-speckled beard and weathered knapsack, perched in front of a wall filled with pennants from destinations like Green River, Wyo., Smuggler's Notch, Vt. and The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania

"You learn how to process things," Clegg said. "You get used to gas station stops and quick lunches. It becomes habitual."

As referenced in the band's "All I Ever Wanted," calls home to mom saying you miss your sisters and brothers are valuable.

"Keeping in touch is important for your sanity," Clegg said.

No matter what city they're playing, The Commonheart represent Pittsburgh.

"We always tell them where we're from, even in Philly or Cleveland," he said. "We wear it on our sleeve. We do celebrate that every night."

The celebration hits an apex when the band faces its Stage AE faithful. Tickets are $25 at promowestlive.com and axs.com or $30 at the door.

Opening acts are Youngstown rockers The Vindys and Pittsburgh funk band Beauty Slap.

"I had a little more input than usual for who we brought in," Clegg said. "Those were my two dream choices so I can't believe it worked out."

"Beauty Slap have been friends for a long time, and that band is so cutting edge and cool," Clegg said. "And The Vindys absolutely rock. Jackie (Popovec) is truly a special singer."

The Stage AE show finds the band partnering with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items that will be collected by the food bank prior to entry.

"For every Commonheart show in Pittsburgh we collaborate with a charity, typically a hyperlocal one," Clegg said.

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Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: The Commonheart's singer talks joys of headlining Pittsburgh stage