Meet Phil Harrold | Creative Director & Event Booking

We had the good fortune of connecting with Phil Harrold and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Phil, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m originally from Greensburg. My dad was a drummer and a sales rep for a Christian record label in the 80’s and 90’s, so music was pretty heavily integrated into every corner of my life from a young age. I can’t remember my first concert because I was going to them long before my brain was developed enough to remember any of em’. Growing up playing in bands eventually turned into playing in bands AND booking shows, that’s where I’ve landed with the Beacon. Couldn’t imagine what I would possibly be into these days if I wasn’t fed such a prolific sonic diet from an early age!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The initial seed of the idea was to open a live music venue in downtown Greensburg, as the only options for local bands to play were selling out the Palace Theater or stuffed into the corner of a bar. We’d pack the walls with art created by local hands and rent working studios to in-house artists. Pretty much, things have gone according to that plan. We’re two years in, and we’re kinda starting to see why no one else has been motivated to open such a business in town… there’s no money in it at all for anybody! “Regular” venues sell food/beverage amenities on top of expensive tickets to their concerts to turn a profit. We are completely DIY, the bands and ourselves are supported directly from event admissions (which are pay-what-you-can for most shows. One of the worst feelings in the world is missing a concert due to being broke. We tried to fix that!) Sometimes we do okay at the door. Sometimes we pay out everything to performers and get nothing. It’s very hit-and-miss. At the end of the day, I’m pretty happy to be stirring up forward motion in the local art and music scenes.

We clearly are not slick business tycoons. If money was the reason we did any of this, we would have opened a restaurant or something. We’re trying to consistently offer quality entertainment options to this town, even if they’re too confused about us or unaware of what we do to come check us out. There are five or six signs out front saying what we do, and there’s a mannequin in a bright pink dress atop the front balcony. And we STILL get people coming in and saying, “I drive down this road every week, and I never knew you were here.” That is infuriating to hear so often. I don’t know how else to encourage the public to pay attention or educate them about the things we’re trying to do for them.

We want to work with anyone who is motivated to be creative! If you want to play here or display your artwork in the gallery, prepare for a different experience.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a close friend visiting the area, I would surely hope that they would be here on a Tuesday so that we could go to Mr. Toad’s for tacos! They’re made by one of our gallery artists, Rev. Daisher Rocket, and their mysterious deliciousness is quickly garnering underground culinary renown! Other Greensburg essentials to hit would be Mz. Jones’ Curio for a solid dose of oddities, Major Stokes Restaurant & Bar for Sunday brunch, Invisible Man Brewing for choice beverages, StopWatch Gallery (it’s so awesome not being the only art gallery in town!! <3) Rabbit Hole Records for vinyl, DV8 coffee shop, the Headkeeper for worldwide beers, Jioio’s for pizza, and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Maybe take em’ inside the post office, that’s always a real odd and intimate way to get to know an area new to you. And of course, bring em’ by the Green Beacon Gallery to check out the dumpsite for all my time and energy!

If we were getting into Pittsburgh proper, we’d have to stop by the Rock Room and Gooskis (for P I E R O G I S !) in Polish Hill, Black Forge Coffee, Dancing Gnome Brewery, Arsenal Cider House, the Improv, maybe check out shows at Mr. Smalls Funhouse or 222 Ormsby, and Row House Theater.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely my dad, Keith Harrold. His musical input had a profound impact on my life. I moved back to Greensburg and opened the Green Beacon with my brother, Steve, in 2018 after our dad died. I’m not certain I’d be here in town doing what I’m doing now if he was still alive. Even still, I know that he would be completely stoked on the things we are trying to accomplish in the name of art & music in this town. He was pretty involved with making cool things happen through the Westmoreland Cultural Trust, so we’re really just keeping going with the spirit he started.

Website: https://greenbeacongallery.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenbeacongallery/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenBeaconGallery/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7i-7SQbyvaDzeil6PWq6_g

Image Credits
Shauna Miller (profile picture) Phil Harrold (all the rest)