Above image via Instagram: @pioneerrecs and @capturedbykullen
Giovanni Mori | Posted May 3rd, 2025
If you’re from or living around the greater Pittsburgh area, you’re probably familiar with Downtown Pittsburgh’s Point Park University. You might know the school heavily supports the arts and is famous for its musical theater and dance programs, but what you may not know is the school is also very supportive of the music industry with their student-run label, Pioneer Records.
The organization is known for annually holding a contest to become Point Park’s Pioneer Stars, which is an amazing opportunity for students ready to share their music and talent with the world. A lucky chosen three have the chance to win real experiences in the music world including getting to professionally record an original song at Pittsburgh’s Red Caiman Studios, and perform at the Club at Stage AE. In addition, secondary prizes for Pioneer Stars include a music video for their song produced by Point Park’s Cinema Department, and a Gibson guitar presented by Gibson Gives.
This year, I had the pleasure of attending the school’s Pioneer Star Showcase and enjoy multi-genre performances from this year’s winners: Lotus Naki, Alexis Zak, and Marshall Benton, plus an additional performance from one of last year’s Pioneer Stars, The Pit Crew.
Above image via Instagram: @pioneerrecs
The first act to perform was Lotus Naki, who started the evening with a more intimate setting of herself on the microphone, singing over a set of soothing backing tracks. The freshman SAEM (Sports, Arts, Entertainment, and Music Management) major’s sound, reminiscent of modern indie pop artists like beabadoobee and Clairo was a fitting start to grab Stage AE’s attention, and eased the crowd into the other Pioneer Stars’ high energy performances. Her song recorded with Red Caiman Studios is not currently available on streaming services, but the artist has still been able to share her music with the world through Soundcloud. Below is one of the artist’s older tunes, “MyrotTtenluck.”
YouTube: Release – Topic
The next artist to perform was Pioneer Records’ Gibson guitar winner Alexis Zak, a sophomore SAEM major whose set put more of an old school country spin to the evening with clear influences of iconic artists like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Zak opened the set with her recorded song, “Ghost on the Avenue,” which is a haunting folk track filled with acoustic guitars, synths, and other various instruments, all of which her five-piece band was able to amplify nearly identical to the recording. Her set not only added new and exciting energy, but also had more original music which she’ll certainly want to share with the world soon. Check out her first single, “Ghost on the Avenue,” in the meantime!
YouTube: Alexis Zak – Topic
Hard-hitting rock band, The Pit Crew, was up next to turn the stage on its head and strike the evening with heavy guitars and bass, gripping drums, and high shrills. The band was one of last year’s Pioneer Stars and recorded their debut single, “Sleep,” mixing darker and more modern sounds influenced by bands like Evanescence and Halestorm with a twist of early metal bands like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. The Pit Crew came back to the Club at Stage AE this year with new and unreleased material as well as covers of classic sing-along rock songs including “Peace of Mind” from Boston and “Panama” from Van Halen. As of now, “Sleep” is currently the band’s only tune released, listen below.
YouTube: The Pit Crew
The final act of the evening was none other than this year’s music video winner, Marshall Benton, who has consistently released music as early as 2022, accumulating nearly 20,000 total streams on Spotify. The sophomore musical theater major re-recorded his 2024 track “ANYMORE,” the song and premiere of the accompanying music video is reminiscent of pop and alternative artists like twenty one pilots, MGMT, and The Neighborhood. With performance experience clearly under his belt, Benton effortlessly pulled the surrounding crowd closer together with just himself and his acoustic guitar, strumming big and powerful chords and belting notes that seemed almost impossible for a male voice. Listen and watch the music video to “Anymore (Studio Version)” below!
YouTube: Pioneer Records
With the help of Point Park University and Pioneer Record’s annual contest, it’s clear how much each artist has a passion for music and performing with much more to share. Whether it’s because of another show or new music, it’s very likely the music scene in Pittsburgh will be hearing their names again very soon. Keep listening to each of the artist’s songs while you wait for more!
Sources
“Anymore – Marshall Benton (Official Music Video)” YouTube, uploaded by Pioneer Records, 18 Apr. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD_KpU_AHe0
“Ghost on the Avenue” YouTube, uploaded by Alexis Zak – Topic, 15 Apr. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLgYsuEukLE
“MyroTtenluck” YouTube, uploaded by Release – Topic, 13 Dec. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVNwdDoNZ7Q
Pioneer Records [@pioneerrecs]. Action shot. Instagram, photographed by Jordan Kullen, 26 Apr. 2025, https://www.instagram.com/p/DI6Y9hbO0_2/?img_index=9
Pioneer Records [@pioneerrecs]. Show Promo. Instagram, 11 Mar. 2025, https://www.instagram.com/p/DHEX4g5xsRg/
“Sleep” YouTube, uploaded by The Pit Crew, 16 May 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5nJNlauYbY
