Macklemore brings Gemini Tour to Pittsburgh
Photo highlights from hip-hop artist Macklemore’s appearance at Pittsburgh’s Stage AE
Pittsburgh becomes first U.S. city with year-round UPS bike-delivery route
With Pittsburgh’s narrow streets and sustainability goals, UPS says the city is perfect place for emission-free bike delivery.
Karl Marx biographers speak here Wednesday
Authors Mary Gabriel and Jonathan Sperber speak
Listen Up! Nov. 8 Issue
Music from Olivia Newton-John, Fruit & Flowers, Greywalker, Murder for Girls and more
U.S. Congressional candidate Bob Solomon believes moving left is necessary to flip the 18th District
Bob Solomon says campaigning on policies like single-payer health care and campaign-finance reform can lead to a Democratic victory in the 18th District.
City Paper‘s 2017 Survival Playlist
Songs of self-care in a time of turmoil, resistance and persistence
Lynn Cullen Live – 11/7/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Lynn Cullen Live – 11/6/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Allegheny County residents ask Board of Health to address their “toxic neighbor,” Clairton Coke Works
More than a dozen people spoke at a recent Allegheny County Board of Health meeting about pollution caused by Clairton Coke Works
Poet and retired cop Jimmy Cvetic honored with a reading on Wednesday
Top local poets to give benefit tribute reading at Hemingway’s
Decoding state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s far-right messaging targeting Pittsburgh City Paper
The controversial politician from Butler County appears to be mimicking far-right messaging techniques to build his support.
FEST Wrestling’s Effy is a weapon of Sass Destruction here to queer the world of wrestling
“Long story short, he ate some whipped cream out of my ass, and we’re leading people into the assumption that we’ve experimented sexually and maybe I got my heart broken, maybe he doesn’t want a part of it anymore.”
Chase and the Barons win inaugural Face the Music Battle of the Bands sponsored by Pittsburgh City Paper and Drusky Entertainment
Six amazing bands came to Jergel’s Rhythm Grille on Nov. 2 looking to be crowned champion of the inaugural Pittsburgh City Paper and Drusky Entertainment’s Face the Music Battle of the Bands contest. But when the amps stopped shaking, Chase and the Barons were selected by the judges as the Critics’ Choice award-winner. The band won…
Vino Italiano!
Pittsburgh has long been a city of immigrant enclaves, the signs of which are still apparent in the many private social clubs, family-owned markets and hundreds of churches. Ron Casertano was raised in a traditional Italian community in the city, where he witnessed the yearly tradition of winemaking that still continues. Over the last 41…
Lynn Cullen Live – 11/3/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Monessen Mayor Lou Mavrakis slings mud and potentially encourages voter fraud in last week of race
Mayor Lou Mavrakis lost the Mon Valley town’s Democratic primary to Matt Shorraw, but is attempting an absentee-ballot campaign to keep his seat.
Lynn Cullen Live – 11/2/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Port Authority light-rail now has real-time tracking
Light-rail riders in Allegheny County can now track the process of their rail car on their smart phones.
wats:ON? Festival Returns to Carnegie Mellon University
Events Nov. 2-4 feature cutting-edge art exploring the use of space
Pa. Auditor-General Eugene DePasquale report finds Pittsburgh Zoo and others receive free water from struggling PWSA
An audit released by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today makes recommendations for fixing the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
Lynn Cullen Live – 11/1/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Buford’s Kitchen, in Uptown, offers sandwiches and Southern-style fare
Location, location, location — that famous triumvirate of real-estate virtues — is not quite so unambiguous when it comes to restaurants. Absolutely, being in or near a campus, shopping district or other heavily trafficked area can be a boon, keeping even mediocre establishments in business far longer than we’d otherwise expect. On the other hand,…
Lessons learned from a 12-year-old drag queen
I’ve been working at City Paper in some capacity or another since early 2005. So, that means that this issue of CP is roughly my 616th. There are so many cover stories that I’ve loved over the years, and I definitely have my favorites (some of them even by writers other than myself). But as…
New Local Release: Colourshow’s Run Away From Everything
Colourshow Run Away From Everything Self-released colourshow.bandcamp.com Change can be an incredibly stressful prospect. The fear of change keeps people from leaving the home they’ve grown up in their whole lives, or the job they hate, just because the uncertainty is too much to take. On Run Away From Everything, Colourshow pushes back against that…
Critics’ Pick: Turkuaz at Rex Theater
[FUNK AND SOUL] + THU., NOV. 2 The color palette of the Brooklyn band Turkuaz is somewhere between a rainbow and an exploded Crayola box. Like the band itself, which clocks in at nine members, the sound is big and varied, encompassing bits of funk, soul and pop. I know what you’re thinking: Nine?! That’s…
All I See Is You
Gina (Blake Lively) and James (Jason Clarke) are a married couple living in Bangkok, Thailand. (We know this because the screen tell us so, but this film will take place in some alternate space where there are only Anglo people.) Gina is blind — we know this because director Marc Forster immediately and frequently engages…
Bourbon Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
Established in 1795, Jim Beam is one of the oldest food brands in America. The Bohm family came from Germany and settled in Kentucky. Soon after, they changed their surname to Beam and began producing a whiskey (bourbon) originally called Old Jake Beam Sour Mash. The corn grown in Western Pennsylvania and Kentucky created a…
Blade of the Immortal
This samurai actioner from the prolific Takashi Miike is fairly straightforward, once you account for the hero, who isn’t quite dead yet. Manji (Takuya Kimura), a legendary samurai, is killed, but then a witch doctors him with “blood worms,” which effectively keep him from dying, despite gruesome injuries. He meets a young orphaned girl named…
Critics’ Pick: The Struts at Mr. Smalls
[GLAM ROCK] + SAT., NOV. 4 I’m a sucker for anyone who looks and/or sounds like Freddie Mercury, and the modern British glam-rock group The Struts hits the spot on both accounts. The band makes big, anthemic rock. The stage outfits range from leather to sequins, and the members have the kind of command over…
Goodbye Christopher Robin
This origin tale, directed by Simon Curtis, about the much-beloved children’s books about Winnie-the-Pooh toggles between charming and clunky, affecting and cloying. It begins in the sad aftermath of the Great War, when writer A.A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) is having trouble readjusting after his military experience. He leaves behind the glitter of 1920s West End…
Savage Love
I am a pretty handsome gay (I have been told), and I am dating a gorgeous man. I am 34, and he is 31. I am bottom only, and he is top only — so it’s a good match. He seems sincerely interested in me, and we are talking about being together. But here is…
Thank You for Your Service
Being in war is hard, but so is re-adjusting to civilian life when service is over. Jason Hall’s drama is adapted from the eponymous book by journalist David Finkel. The story focuses on three men, all buddies who served in Iraq during the surge; the film opens when a mission goes horribly wrong. But the…
Critics’ Pick: Regina Spektor at The Palace Theatre
[FOLK/POP] + TUE., NOV. 7 It’s hard to believe that Regina Spektor has been making music for nearly 20 years, because she always sounds fresh and new. She’s known for her emphatic piano-playing and clear falsetto voice. Even though her sound is sweet, her songs are sweeping, layered short stories that welcome the ugly and…
Tragedy Girls
Tyler MacIntyre directs this dark horror comedy about two high school besties who are obsessed with serial killers and murder. So obsessed that they have their own blog, Tragedy Girls. So obsessed that they start killing people in their small town, if only to drive traffic to their blog. Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand) and McKayla (Alexandra…
Drag queens get all the attention, but there’s more to the drag community than what’s on TV
Next year will mark the 10th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality competition television show hosted by the world’s most well-known drag queen, RuPaul. In the time that it’s been on the air, the show has done much to thrust drag into the mainstream. And after airing on LGBTQ cable network Logo for the…
Annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert will be a tribute to late director Geri Allen
47th Annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert 7:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 4. Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Oakland. $30. 412-624-7529 or here for full schedule In a 2010 interview with Jazztimes magazine’s Shaun Brady, pianist Geri Allen said: “We have to be students of life and be very careful as we move through it.…
Activists and elected officials say CHIP amendment is an attack on the trans community
For the past few weeks, Naiymah Sanchez has been traveling around Pennsylvania to raise awareness about an amendment, which is attached to a bill reauthorizing the state program that provides health insurance to children. As the transgender-education-and-advocacy coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, it’s her job to bring attention to this issue,…
After 25 years, Pittsburgh’s most venerable drag pageant has one last show
MISS TRI-STATE ALL-STAR CELEBRATION 7:30 p.m. Sun., Nov. 5. Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Downtown. $30-40. facebook.com/tsaspageant In 1993, Kierra Darshell and her drag mother, Denise Darshell, organized the inaugural Miss Tri-State All-Star Pageant, surely Pittsburgh’s first annual drag competition. In Pittsburgh, the fine art of female impersonation was then limited to gay…
Nick Offerman, comedian and philosopher
NICK OFFERMAN 7:30 p.m. Sun., Nov. 5. Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St., Downtown. $39.50-59.50. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org When you think of Nick Offerman, you may first think of him as an actor, writer, comedian, voice-over artist or carpenter; you may connect him with a character he developed, like Parks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson or Fargo’s…
Brooklyn’s Fits brings its power-pop sound and a new record to Pittsburgh’s Spirit Hall
Yes Yes A Thousand Times Yes, with Fits, Yucky Duster and One Hundred Year Ocean 8 p.m. Thu., Nov. 9. Spirit Hall, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. spiritpgh.com It all started with a log from Sweden. “I was actually DJing this very strange event at the Silent Barn,” Nicholas Cummins says in a recent phone interview,…
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The Killing of a Sacred Deer Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan Starts Fri., Nov. 3 The Killing of a Sacred Deer begins with a disturbing image — an off-putting close-up of some glistening blob of pulsating viscera. It’s only when the camera pulls back slowly that it’s revealed to…
Pittsburgh Poke is a Downtown spot for poke bowls
Poke bowls have become a thing, but Downtown is home to perhaps Pittsburgh’s lone spot specializing in the sushi-like cuisine. Pittsburgh Poke, which opened in June, serves variations on this traditional Hawaiian dish built around raw fish, cubed and seasoned. It’s fast, healthy and not too pricey, but the numerous ingredient options take forethought. For…
A visit by Homegoing author Yaa Gyasi
YAA GAYASI 7 p.m. Thu., Nov. 9. Peters Township Public Library at the Bible Chapel’s South Hills Campus, 300 Gallery Drive, McMurray. $10-15 (VIP: $60). ptlibrary.org In her 2016 book Homegoing (her first), author Yaa Gyasi tells the multi-layered stories of seven generations of two connected family trees. A “homegoing” can be the act of…
Jane
Most people know Jane Goodall for her lifelong work studying chimpanzees in Africa, but Brett Morgen’s new biographical documentary Jane relates the quite fascinating story of how the young British woman came to the job six decades ago, and how remarkably her life unfolded from there. Goodall was a 26-year-old secretary with no scientific degree…
This week in Pittsburgh Sports History
Nov. 2, 1946 Pittsburgh’s “love affair” with pro basketball begins when the Pittsburgh Ironmen play their first game in the newly formed Basketball Association of America. The team would lose the game, at St. Louis, and pretty much keep on losing for the rest of the season, going 15-45. The Ironmen lasted one season; in…
The Hard Problem at Quantum Theatre
THE HARD PROBLEM continues through Nov. 19. Quantum Theatre at the Energy Innovation Center, 1435 Bedford Ave., Hill District. $38-58. 412-362-1713 or quantumtheatre.com Are we just a bunch of genes and neurons that direct our behavior? Where does consciousness come in? Those are among the questions asked in The Hard Problem, tackled by Quantum Theater…
When it comes to WPIAL sports, it’s all in the name
The historic Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League — the WPIAL for short — oversees competitive sports at more than 170 schools across, to no one’s surprise, Western Pennsylvania. Each of these schools is unique, especially when it comes to its team name; some are unique in a good way and some in a bad way. …
12-year-old drag artist E! The Dragnificent wants people to change the way they view gender
Drag queens and kings perform as caricatures of gender, playing up the most extreme ends of the gender spectrum and creating larger-than-life characters who entertain through their exuberance or humor, and sometimes both. Drag artists lip-sync and perform routines that push boundaries to make crowds respond with laughter or screams of delight. The art of…
Angelmakers at Real/Time Interventions
ANGELMAKERS continues through Nov. 11. Real/Time Interventions at Aftershock Theater, 115 57th St., Lawrenceville. $20. realtimeinterventions@gmail.com People losing their minds over Netflix’s Mindhunter emphasizes our deathless fascination with serial killers. Angelmakers, an engrossing new stage work from Real/Time Interventions, explores the often-neglected world of women who kill again. Angelmakers is no docudrama, nor a play.…
Short List: Nov 2-8
Back in February 2013, it seemed ambitious: opening a comedy-only theater Downtown, with shows booked every Friday and Saturday. But Arcade Comedy Theater’s unique mix of improv, sketch and standup, plus comedy classes, caught on quickly. Today, Arcade has ushered some 50,000 spectators and students through its doors, and is adding to its total of…
Wine-and-Pairing 101 with Alix Hoylman
Believe it or not (and I still don’t), the holiday season is right around the corner. With parties that need throwing, menus that need planning, and stress that will surely need alleviating, there’s no better time to learn a bit about wine and cheese. A well-chosen wine-and-cheese pairing is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. I sat down…
Xanadu at Pittsburgh CLO
XANADU continues through Dec. 17. Pittsburgh CLO at Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Downtown. $35.75-59.75. 412-456-6666 or pittsburghclo.org Did you ever hear of the Razzies? They are awards given annually to the worst films of the year and were founded in 1980 specifically to “honor” the Olivia Newton-John/Gene Kelly musical disaster Xanadu. In…
Two-on-one: Pittsburgh Drag Queen Marsha Monster Mellow and her alter ego discuss their 20 years together
Outlandish, wild and extremely fashion-forward, Pittsburgh drag legend Marsha Monster Mellow and her alter-ego, Mark Wilkes, have been tearing up the local drag scene for more than 20 years. City Paper recently sat down with the pair to get their take on drag, shopping and 4 a.m. trips to Primanti’s. How did you two meet?…
Undead Goon, Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, Spoonwood Brewing Company
Spoonwood Brewing Company 5981 Baptist Road, Pittsburgh, PA 412-833-0333 website Mike Potter, editor-in-chief and founder of online beer magazine Black Brew Culture, has a hometown favorite, thanks to an experiment from Spoonwood Brewing Company. Undead Goon is the result of Spoonwood’s roasty imperial stout, Dead Goon, spending a year aging in Four Roses bourbon barrels.…
After more than 40 years, Cleveland’s Pere Ubu is still on its musical journey
PERE UBU with Johnny Dowd 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 8. Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side. $30. 412-431-4950 or clubcafelive.com Pere Ubu might have paved the way for all that followed it: punk rock, noise, weird pop and anything else you’d like to add to the list. It’s also well known that the…
Yoga Factory Pittsburgh adds new classes to its tradition hot-yoga practice
It’s a little before noon on a Friday at Yoga Factory Pittsburgh. One by one, a mix of men and women shuffle into the studio, heated to 105 degrees. No, it’s not an exceptionally hot summer day in mid-August, and no, the heating isn’t broken. The 105-degree temperature is purposeful. According to instructor Angelica Daniele,…
Pittsburgh City Paper Booze Battles: DiAnoia’s Eatery vs. Apteka
Each week, we order the same cocktail at two different bars for a friendly head-to-head battle. Go to the bars, taste both drinks and tell us what you like about each by tagging @pghcitypaper on Twitter or Instagram and using #CPBoozeBattles. If you want to be a part of Booze Battles, send an email to…
New Local Release: Cisco Kid’s Beautiful Day to Die
Cisco Kid Beautiful Day to Die Self-released ciscokidpgh.bandcamp.com Cisco Kid’s sound has an easy, groovy feel to it — the kind that feels spacious and smooth and easy to sway to. This ease and coolness is the primary tone of Beautiful Day to Die, the band’s latest record. It’s a psych-tinged rock album, with a…
Critics’ Pick: Paperhaus at Spirit
[BUDDY ROCK] + WED., NOV. 8 Ever wanted to go to a show where all the bands were formed by childhood friends? That’s pretty much what’s going down at Spirit tonight. Washington, D.C-based Paperhaus is three childhood friends making moody psychedelic rock. The Lampshades came together as teens in an Altoona basement more than 10…
Lynn Cullen Live – 10/30/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
