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NASHVILLE – This week’s Nashville Pick is Black Ridge and their song “Brick by Brick,” bringing the spotlight to a Pittsburgh band with driving guitars, memorable hooks and a strong connection to the stage. Their music reflects the enthusiasm of musicians who want an audience involved, engaged and having a good time. For Nashville.com readers who appreciate a band that puts personality and performance into its original material, Black Ridge offers a welcome introduction to an act that has been steadily expanding its reach.
Released July 11, 2026, “Brick by Brick” is the title track of a two-song release that also includes “Take My Power Back.” The single has found support within Pennsylvania’s independent music community, appearing on the September 20 playlist of The Homegrown Rocker, a program carried by Q94 Classic Rock and regional Jack FM stations. That exposure gives the song another avenue to reach listeners discovering original music beyond the national charts, while its companion track offers an opportunity to spend more time with the band’s latest work.
Black Ridge’s seven-piece lineup gives the group a distinctive musical foundation. Lead vocalist Paul Guerrini fronts a band featuring guitarists Paul Cha and Joey Conner, bassist Cody Lemmon, keyboardist Corey Carrozza, saxophonist Tony Lassick and drummer Mike Conrad. With saxophone and keyboards alongside the guitars and rhythm section, the lineup offers room for the rock, soul and blues influences the band identifies as central to its sound. It is a combination that gives Black Ridge several ways to bring color, movement and personality to a performance.
That personality comes through in Guerrini’s description of the people behind the music. In a 2022 interview with NashvilleVoyager, he described the band as “blue-collar guys with strong work ethics, and oodles of passion.” He also discussed sharing lyric-writing duties with Paul Cha and the pleasure of inviting audiences into the performance. At all-ages shows, that has included bringing percussion instruments for children to join the fun. Those details reveal a band that values the human connection surrounding a song, from the people writing it to the crowd responding in front of the stage.
Music City is already part of Black Ridge’s story. In July 2022, the band traveled to Nashville for Broadway performances, including an appearance at Tootsie’s World Famous Orchid Lounge. Their original music has also reached sports audiences through televised Pittsburgh Pirates and Penguins games, while “You’ll Never Stop This Machine” received exposure during the 2021–2022 NHL playoffs on Hockey Night in Canada. Those experiences have carried the band’s music from club stages to much larger audiences, adding chapters to a career rooted in performing and releasing original songs.
For listeners discovering Black Ridge through “Brick by Brick,” there is a substantial trail of earlier music to explore. The band has been performing original rock since 2013, with releases including Good Time to Go, Live Fast (And Leave a Good Looking Corpse) and Raw Power, followed by the singles “Sweat” in 2024 and “Hardwired” in 2025. Seen against that history, “Brick by Brick” feels like a fitting title for a band whose progress has come through years of songs, rehearsals and live performances. This week, we’re inviting Nashville.com listeners to discover that work for themselves, starting with our Nashville Pick, “Brick by Brick.”
WEBSITE: www.blackridgeofficial.com
There is so much talent that resides in Nashville along with many artists that visit Music City just trying to be heard, seen and hopefully discovered. If you would like your song or video to be considered for our Nashville Picks, submit it using our Nashville Picks form:
