The Commonheart’s new video is tour of favorite Pittsburgh places
“How Do I Do This,” a song from the new album by The Commonheart, was written during the pandemic as a message about the power of community. In the opening lines, frontman Clinton Clegg even sings about how “it takes a village.”
So, in the new video for “How Do I Do This,” the singer goes out into that village to shout out some of his favorite Pittsburgh establishments.
The video, directed by Sarah Bizanovich, begins with the dynamic local soulrock band doing an afternoon soundcheck at Stage AE back in May that fades into the packed evening show.
They cut away for Clegg to visit just a
few places: Allegheny City Brewing, Lawrenceville Pet Supply, Peppi’s, Wiener World, The Pub Chip Shop, Pittsburgh Guitars, Monterey Pub, Badamo’s Pizza, Modern Cafe, Bier’s Pub, Carmella’s Plates & Pints, the Just Roll’d Up food truck, Thyme Machine, Roundabout Brewery and Saint Ravioli.
“I had this idea,” Clegg says, “of, ‘Let’s just highlight as many Pittsburgh small businesses as we can’ — places that I love,
places that I know are fans of the band, places I know that are staples of Pittsburgh and just good entrepreneurs in general. So, Sarah and I traveled around the city and visited these places, spent some money there, spent some time there, got to meet some owners. It’s all about promoting community and just celebrating small business.”
Viewers will also notice that, during the AE show, Clegg sports a black bomber jacket with the name “CARL” prominently displayed on the back. That’s a nod to his late father.
“He passed away in October while we were in the studio actually tracking,” Clegg says. “That was a big part of the heaviness of the record, too. The CARL jacket was actually his. It didn’t have his name on it. It was just a jacket that he had at the house and I had my buddy, who’s a graphics printer, put the ‘CARL’ on the back for me and a heart on the front, and that’s been my new stage gear just to honor my dad.”
When they visit other cities, as they’ll be doing in the fall (there is no Pittsburgh date on the books yet), people are thinking his name is Carl, and he’s OK with that.
“How Do I Do This” is one of the singles off of the band’s third album “For Work or Love,” produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, the saxophonist-producer they met while opening for the band in the South. Across the 10-song album, Berlin helps them capture a number of classic soul vibes, from Philly to Detroit to Muscle Shoals, and, as always, Clegg delivers with the growling, heartfelt vocals.
“Working with him and having that kind of experienced leadership in the studio was really special,” the singer says. “I’m really happy with it. I think hands down it’s the best writing The Commonheart ever did. I’m just really proud of it.”