Things Worth Knowing

Things Worth Knowing (TWK) is a Pittsburgh-based band that performs original, singer/songwriter rock music. Although they come from vastly different musical backgrounds, the members of the band were drawn to one another's passion for music. Their converging perspectives and musical abilities deliver songs containing catchy melodies and stories to which an audience can relate. With musical influences including the Drive By Truckers, The White Stripes, and Sarah MacLachlan, TWK has a sound that melds the concept of a solo acoustic act with effect-driven electric guitar and a powerful backbeat.

Craig “Shifty” Barwell (drums) and Jeanine Jandecka (rhythm guitar and vocals) formed TWK in 2006, shortly after Jeanine moved to the Pittsburgh area. A military brat, Jeanine had a somewhat nomadic childhood, and music and family were the only two stable aspects of her life. “My family spent a lot of time together playing our various instruments,” recalls Jeanine. “A love of music was instilled into me at a very early age; I'm pretty sure I could read notes on a staff before I could read words.” Her move to Pittsburgh was an attempt to start anew following a difficult phase of her life, and she refocused her passion for music and sought out a musical partner. Several weeks of scanning online musician boards led her to Craig, and the two began to collaborate on originals that Jeanine wrote.

His first name says it all – Craig was destined to play music: “I was named after a stereo,” he explains. “My parents had a Craig stereo and no name for me. I always wanted to be able to make music.” He tried playing numerous instruments throughout his youth, but only the drums stuck with him. After spending several years working hard to raise his five children, he saved up to purchase a set of drums and started to seek out other musicians. Craig's vast spectrum of musical influences allow him to contribute to each song in a unique way, accenting the aspects of the song that call out to him, whether the vocals or a strum pattern, and making an effort to drive TWK's sound forward in a meaningful way.

After playing together for about a year, Craig and Jeanine began to search for a certain sound they felt TWK lacked, and that sound showed up to practice personified in Joe Hale. Not only did Joe bring excellent technical skills on the guitar, but he also brought strong vocals, his own songwriting ability, and decades of extensive experience. “I heard the Munsters theme when I was 6 and I wanted to make that sound. I bought myself my first electric guitar from a friends brother for 10 dollars when I was 13. Since then I have spent just about every spare minute making music,” he says. Joe has played guitar in several Pittsburgh-area bands over the past two decades and wanted to find like-minded musicians with a desire to play original music when he joined TWK. Joe's melodic lead guitar parts demonstrate his consciousness of the overall sound of the music.

The collaboration of the three members has created a sound that is very accessible to listeners across several genres, with the melody and lyrics of The Pretenders, the guitar jangle of REM, and the backbeat reminiscent of The Who. From the catchy chorus of “Play It Simple” to the lyrical depth of “Most Perfect,” the band appeals to fun-loving and heady audiences alike. Things Worth knowing performs regularly at Pittsburgh live music venues, including Shootz, Moondog's, and the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern.