On Thursday, August 19, enjoy happy hour in the museum’s outdoor sculpture courtyard with a DJ set emphasizing Asian hip-hop and electronic music by Bento Boombox.

Bring your appetite, too! Regional food trucks and a bar created by Café Carnegie offering custom snacks, kid-friendly treats, local beers, delicious wines, and more will be on-site.

While you’re at Inside Out, participate in art-making activities for all ages.

Inside Out events are FREE, open to all ages, have limited capacity, and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Make a day of it and reserve your timed tickets to visit the museum before or after you enjoy Inside Out!

Liner Notes

August 19 – Bento Boombox
Co-producer, Lauren Goshinski
Bento Boombox DJs: Bamboo, Pav Gee, Tony 2 Keys

LG: Hi guys, excited to have Bento Boombox take over the Carnegie Museum of Art courtyard! This was a new bi-monthly event that you started right before Covid hit at Cobra Lounge in Bloomfield. Can you tell us about the impetus behind the night?
Bamboo: Bento BoomBox started as a mixtape and party concept in 2016, based around American hip hop, electronic, dance, and its influence on global music.

LG: What kind of space do you hope to create through the events you each do?
Bamboo: My whole career DJing I’ve spent trying to make space for folks that like the same weird things I do. Whether it’s music or fashion, I enjoy making space for those that are breaking barriers and testing new waters.

LG: Each of you are established in your own right as DJs and music producers traversing house and hip-hop. How does being a producer influence how you approach DJ-ing, and vice-versa?
Bamboo: Starting out as a musician before diving into Djing / production, I learned the structure of music. I saw that certain parts of songs drove people nuts, while other parts would just leave them in a trance. It’s this same knowledge that I try to apply to my production.

Pav Gee: I think being a producer for years before ever picking up DJing has a direct impact on my transitions, I sometimes just know exactly what song to play because it’s the same key or same rhythm. As a drummer growing up, I love playing around with and blending different rhythms and I love incorporating that into my transitions.

LG: How are music nights like BB part of creating and preserving community in Pittsburgh? Who is BB for?
Bamboo: Music nights centered around dance music fuel the scene. It was going to nights like these when I was younger that made me want to DJ. There is no better feeling than seeing your favorite local DJ crush a set in front of a crowd of people. We are striving to preserve authenticity through music.

LG: Drop some knowledge. What are the sources of your music inspiration?
Or, is there anything you wish people knew more about Pittsburgh music and nightlife?
Bamboo: Pittsburgh has so much talent it’s unreal! A huge inspiration of mine is George Benson. Everything from his guitar playing, to musical scores, and production was top tier and sonically outstanding. He also is an avid proponent of the guitar and music and still teaches lessons to this day. I really admire his lifelong dedication to music.

LG: How can people help music and nightlife in Pittsburgh recover from Covid, and come back better? Anything on the horizon folks should attend or support?
Bamboo: Support your small business! Buy gift cards, merchandise, or whatever you can. We all have banded together in an amazing way, we are all we got!

LG: For you, why is music and nightlife an essential part of culture at large?
Bamboo: Music is such a universal language and its effect on people will be studied for eons to come. I think it’s essential because of its effect on all of us personally. Each of us has different tastes, beliefs, and ideals but on the dancefloor that all disappears.

LG: TRACK ID. Name a track you’re rinsing right now, that we might hear at Carnegie Museum of Art.
Pav Gee: who am I (channel tres remix) – toro y moi
Bamboo: Mogwaa – Distance Between Spaces

LG: Describe a Bento Boombox night or your sound in 5 words or less :)
Bamboo: Fun, Funky, Fresh

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About the Artists:

Bento Boombox is a dance party focused on the fusion of American and Asian hip hop, electronic, and high energy dance music.

About Inside Out:

Inside Out is Carnegie Museum of Art’s new outdoor summer event series celebrating and supporting Pittsburgh’s rich cultural landscape. Running from June 5 through September 4 on Thursdays from 4-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 12-5 p.m., the museum is partnering with over 28 regional artists and small arts organizations to transform the museum’s outdoor Sculpture Courtyard into the season’s go-to destination with a robust schedule of pop-up performances, DJs, art-making activities, local food trucks and beverages, kid-friendly treats, and more. See the full schedule of events here.