Search ErieReader.com
DonateBest of Erie40 Under 40TicketsAdvertiseDistributionIssuesAboutContactEventsNewsletter
Close
Donate!
Best of Erie 2025
40 Under 40
The Reader Beat
Tickets
Newsletter Signup
Erie Reader Business Quarterly
City Guide
Events
Opinion
Features
Issues Archive
Events Calendar
Advertise
More
Arts & Culture
Business
Columns
Community
Environment
Film
From the Editors
Gem City Style
Local, Original Comics
Music Reviews
News & Politics
Recipes
Sports
Theater
Distribution Locations
About Us
Contact Us
Issue Archives
Internship Opportunities
Write for Us
Share:
Arts & Culture / EntertainmentMusicCommunity

Watch Tyler Smilo Play a Trio of Songs on Top of the Renaissance Centre

Local singer-songwriter braves the cold weather on the Renaissance Centre roof for the latest additions to his Rooftop Sessions series.

by Alex Bieler
View ProfileFacebookTwitterInstagramGoogle+RSS Feed
November 15, 2014 at 12:40 PM
Photo courtesy of David Strenio

I'm a sucker for a good live music series. There are several great ones that are just a few clicks away, showcasing some great artists in different locales. You can get anything from Chris Bathgate playing "Serpentine" in a dark studio for Sleepover Shows, Andrew Bird doing "Spare-Ohs" for La Blogotheque's A Take Away Show in the streets of Montmarte, Paris, or Bill Callahan performing "River Guard" in an English cab for the unsurprisingly titled Black Cab Sessions.

Fortunately for Erieites, The Flaship City has been treated to some of this live music magic thanks to local singer-songwriter Tyler Smilo. I've been a fan of the Smilo since the release of his debut solo album Blood Into Sound earlier this year, not to mention his work in local rock groups Daybreak Radio and Potwhole, and now he continues to impress with three new additions to his ongoing Rooftop Sessions. As you may have been able to guess by the name, the videos showcase the scruffy Smilo braving heights on the top of various Erie buildings, including a pair of songs on the King's Rook Club from this past October and an Eddie Aranda-shot session in September.

Smilo didn't stop there, however, as he just released a trio of new live tracks, this time weathering the, um, cold weather from the top of the Renaissance Centre right on 10th and State streets. Shot and directed by R. Frank Photography with audio by Ben Wayt, a bundled-up Smilo gives heartfelt performances of "These Will Be the Days," "Texas," and "Slippin' Away" with Lake Erie and Presque Isle in view from the top of Erie's tallest building. Fortunately for Smilo, he seems to have just avoided the recent snowfall, although it would be cool to see someone perform with an inch of snow built up on his or her guitar.

Either way, check out the latest Rooftop Sessions and look out for Smilo's new album Dust in a Grave when it drops sometime in the near future, as well as a Rooftop Sessions DVD package with bonus features that will come out sometime this winter. Enjoy!

"These Will Be the Days"

"Texas"

"Slippin' Away"

tyler smilodaybreak radioking's rook clubrenaissance centrelive musicpotwhole

Featured Events

Today Tomorrow This Weekend

2026 Greater Erie Awards & Keynote

Community & Causes
Oct. 14th, 6 PM to 8 PM

Teen: The Grim Readers - The Dark We Know

Hobbies & Interests
Oct. 14th, 6 PM to 7 PM

Smith Creative Writers Reading Series: Molly McNett, Fiction

Literary Arts
Oct. 15th, 6 PM

Movie Night For Adults: Beetlejuice

Movies
Oct. 15th, 6 PM to 8 PM

Green Jello (Jellÿ ) + JOE NAMELESS

Music
Oct. 15th, 7 PM

Submit Your Event   View Calendar

October 2026: Halloween
Erie Reader: Vol. 16, No. 10
View Past Issues
In This Issue
Erie Reader Best of Erie City Guide 2023-2026

Popular This Week

COVID-19 Cases Rise Slightly In Erie County, Across Country

xRepresentx, Vice, Counterfeit, Cop Torture at BT

Ludacris Shows Behrend Some Southern Hospitality

Best of Erie 2014 Finalists

Hangin' Out at the South Pier

Related Articles

Celebrate Cinematic Splendor and The Nightmare Before Christmas

by Erin Phillips10/6/2026, 11:00 AM
The Erie Philharmonic presents both Symphonic and Pops concerts for October

Complete the Cycle: Brother's Keeper Returns to Erie

by Larry Wheaton10/5/2026, 8:30 AM
30 years later, Mike Ski and Chris Bazan reflect on Erie's formative scene

Erie Anime-Fest Comes to the Ambassador Center

by Thomas Taylor10/2/2026, 12:00 PM
Celebrity guests, cosplay contests, and more

A Big Event in a Big Space: NANA FEST at FEED Media Art Center

by Dan Schank10/1/2026, 10:00 AM
Four days of art and music

Hello Yellow Brick Road

by Thomas Taylor9/18/2026, 10:00 AM
Erie Philharmonic and Michael Cavanaugh return with The Music of Elton John

This American Song Moves Forward to Play It in Reverse

by Nick Warren9/17/2026, 8:00 AM
How the Erie band stayed active over 15 years, evolving into a collective art project
Member of Reporters Shield
© 2026 Great Lakes Online Media
PO Box 10963  //  Erie, PA 16514
Editorial Standards Terms of Use Privacy Policy