Jason Martinko Revue’s easygoing surface…and horror-punk roots
Jason Martinko Revue Damaged Goods Bonedog A band like the Jason Martinko Revue should fit in well around here. They’ve got the danceable grooves of a rhythm ‘n’ blues band, the edgy swing of rockabilly cats, and a horn section that can blast it out like Huey Lewis & The News. With five musicians onstage,…
Silver Tongued Devil reunites for punk-rock New Year’s bash
“It’s gonna be over the top.”
Chuck Owston’s Bonfire Night releases debut EP
Blustery pirate sea shanties for gothic landlubbers dressed in tall boots and corsets.
Pittsburgh n’@
From: http://pittsburghinternetdating.com/ Keeping the Mt. Lebanon Ladies’ Neighborhood Happy Hour Lively … One tradition we have on our street is the Ladies’ Neighborhood Happy Hour, recently changed to Ladies’ Neighborhood Respite Hour for reasons unknown to me. We rotate homes and get together every Friday at 5:00 for an hour of socializing. I can’t make…
The battle over a casino parking garage hasn’t gone through the proper public channels.
Before the first slot machine is even plugged in, this city already has a gambling problem.
Politics: POG members protest Ravenstahl inauguration
After the Pittsburgh Organizing Group announced plans to march outside the inauguration in protest, the police turned out in full force for the event. Upwards of 60 officers were dispatched to the Dec. 20 event at the Carnegie Music Hall. The POG contingent numbered only 15, and there was roughly one officer for every protester.…
A Night to Remember
On a night when the Steelers were literally playing for their post-season lives in St. Louis and the Penguins were in Boston, desperate for points within the Eastern Conference, 5-foot-10-inch Levance Fields upstaged them all. It doesn’t get more exciting than the Penguins blowing a four-goal lead against the Bruins, then winning an overtime shoot-out,…
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Don’t fret, folks: Nothing you read on page 30 of the Dec. 10 Trib PM is true. Staph infections are not caused by staff meetings. The Pittsburgh Pirates are not replacing their first- and third-base coaches with cardboard cutouts. The headlines represent Carbolic Smoke Ball’s latest incursion into the mainstream media. “We’re looking to take…
A Conversation with Rufus Wainwright
Whether it’s the confessional cabaret-inflected pop of his own material, or his show-stealing interpretations of Leonard Cohen songs in the tribute film I’m Your Man, Rufus Wainwright seems at his best when he’s at his most performative — a strength he’s increasingly played to since his 1998 self-titled debut. In fact, Wainwright’s most recent musical…
The Book on Stephen Colbert
The problem with parodying pop culture, of course, is that pop culture keeps upping the ante. Yesterday’s Daily Show spoof becomes today’s lead segment on Good Morning America. For example: Britney Spears’ pregnant 16-year-old sister was on the TV morning “news,” again today, prompting the host and an in-house psychologist to fret over how society…
A Pittsburgh native offers a fine collection of stories about growing up in East Liberty.
Bathanti offers the texture of the physical world, teen-age angst in straightforward terms, the rhythms unforcedly jazzy, the characters hard-edged but never definitively settled, always capable of surprise.
Breaking News
It’s easy to be flip about the deep implications of the Writers Guild of America strike, which is now stretching into its second month. After all, what’s the harm in missing a few episodes of Two and a Half Men? But this take is too facile. In today’s media landscape, more and more serious-news coverage…
The Taste of New Orleans Cafe
On a Main Street that most Pittsburghers never see, you can find a neon streetcar and The Taste of New Orleans Café. The menu is simple, focused on the classics of Creole cuisine: fried chicken, pork chops, jambalaya, gumbo and rice. Half of the twin storefront is dedicated to takeout, with a few tables in…
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
In order to prove that his great-great-grandfather was not part of a conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln, treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) must find a hidden pre-Colombian city of gold. From the high-octane, low-intellect House of Bruckheimer, the film moves at a good, engaging clip, especially since the screenwriters don’t waste much time on…
The Great Debaters
In 1935, a team of African-American debaters from a tiny Texas college took on the national champs and beat ’em. But, as Debaters takes pains to show, the victory was won not simply in the halls of academe, but in each footstep the team trod through the dusty streets of Jim Crow South. But the…
Idol contender Frenchie Davis performs on New Year’s Eve
“If the rules have changed, I believe there should be something to make up for the fact that I was humiliated needlessly.”
Plaid Tidings
And there’s something to be said about the silly songs of the 1950s — when, at least, you could understand their goofy simplicity.
Unwanted Poster: Anti-drink tax campaign could leave 11 public officials very thirsty
After passing the county’s 10 percent drink tax, some members of Allegheny County Council may soon realize that a bar’s “right to refuse service” sign is more than just words.
Letters to the Editor: Dec 26 – Jan 2
Feedback from our readers: Bigotry in the immigration debate.
A kind of global anxiety permeats India: New Installations, Part II, at the Mattress Factory.
The sound of toes throbbing audibly, of hammer strikes and piercing cartoon screams fills the tiny space, making the sense of violence — despite the sugary animated coating — painfully evident.
This Just In: Dec 26 – Jan 2
Highlights from the local TV news: Ringing in the holidays with stories about hunger, utility shut-offs, and dead geese.
Savage Love
Long story short: I’m a 28-year-old woman in a long-term relationship. Recently, I realized that I’m a female cuckold! Nothing gets me hotter than the thought of my boyfriend fucking somebody else in front of me. The logical solution, of course, is to have threesomes. A bunch. My boyfriend feels like he has died and…
Bistro To Go
There are not too many places you can find tuna-noodle casserole outside of your grandmother’s kitchen. Enter Bistro To Go. Located on the North Side, along East Ohio Street’s commercial corridor, Bistro has garnered warm support and accolades since it opened this past fall. Owner Nikki Heckman, who is also a cook at a nearby…
Justin Vellucci releases introspective lo-fi pop album, Terminal Harbor
As someone whose day job is writing, Vellucci surely thinks a lot about clichés.
Choice Words
I hate talking about abortion. There’s no middle ground, and it’s an endless, predictable argument. I’m pro-choice. I’m one of those nuts who believe in stem-cell research. I’m just crazy enough to believe that, since we throw away frozen embryos at fertility clinics anyway, we might as well use them to try to develop cures…
