Pete Spynda
Event producer and promoter
What is great about Pittsburgh is that if you don’t see something that you want to see happening, you can actually create a space for it and watch it grow. An example of someone who has done this? Pete Spynda.
A fan of world music since age 15, he began Pandemic in 2005 as a dance party that snowballed into booking live bands at Brillobox in Bloomfield.
“It has just grown organically into what I do now,” Spynda said.
In October, for example, Pandemic hosted a neighborhood block party in East Liberty that featured groups such as Ram from Haiti and the Cumbia River Band. Participants were asked to “pay what makes you happy.” On Carrick Avenue, Les Filles de Illighadad were playing with admission fees from $15 to $20.
But why world music? “At first, I was introduced to the sounds of the Romany people. The music was unclassifiable, and then a friend reached out to me about Eastern Europe’s Balkan brass bands,” Spynda recalled.
The research became even more compelling as he learned of the trials and tribulations of the Romany people.
“It resonated with me. No one was really producing these types of shows or bands. They became popular and started traveling, so I began booking them. The same thing with Latin music, and I’m been obsessing over it for 15 years,” Spynda said.
The music hooked him with its rhythmic structures. And new musicians are showcasing themselves in different ways, using technology to fuse the traditional cultural music and dance music to create something unique.
“I think that is why, for me, the focus is on this: Currently we live with homophobia, racism, xenophobia and misogyny. To deal with these issues, it’s important to embrace other cultures and stay open-minded,” Spynda said. “The way we portray immigrants in media and through policy is derogatory, and I want to present all cultures in a celebratory way.
“This is important that we bring people together through celebration, not just times of injustice. Music can do that.”
When Spynda began, he was overwhelmed by the support that he received.
“I expected 20 to 30 people to show up for live shows, but we would have 200 people,” he said.
Pandemic has been able to provide a place for emerging artists to showcase their music from all over the world, but he works multiple jobs to be able to continue the work.
“Sometimes I just break even. Sometimes you lose money, too. It can be hard. But I do it because artists need a spot, and no one has really stepped up to this space,” Spynda said.
To stay afloat, he works in digital media consulting, paints houses, cuts grass and even sells sausage at a Polish deli. “I have 10 jobs at all times,” he said with a laugh.
He explains that it isn’t easy for these artists either. Spynda helps them obtain tourist visas and contracts.
“The Trump administration is not making this any easier,” he adds. “But it is worth it. We have a lot of immigrants and refugees living here, and their experiences aren’t really represented through our culture or art and they should be celebrated.
“We are all Americans, but we all come from somewhere. It’s important to have new artists from all over the world come through the city. It has become my mission.”