Meet Rippin’ Cigs and their debut EP Auto Infinite Fantasy Vol. 1
Relaxing beach sounds, like squawking seagulls and cresting waves, open Rippin’ Cigs’ debut EP, Auto Infinite Fantasy Vol. 1. The EP, which dropped Jan. 9, seeks to inspire listeners to worry less and groove more. The pair that makes up the alternative/indie R&B duo, lifelong friends Brad Sprentz and Jacob Markosky, do just that with…
Pittsburgh Grooveline: Dance parties at Brillobox, Tana Ethiopian Cuisine, and more (Jan. 16-22)
Each week, the Pittsburgh City Paper compiles a list of Pittsburgh dance parties for you and your crew to bust loose to the best bangers, EDM, pop hits, and more. (All events are 21 and over unless otherwise stated.) Fri., Jan. 17 Second Skin 5 Year Anniversary at Brillobox. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. 4104 Penn Ave.,…
The results are in: Here’s who’s using medical marijuana in Pennsylvania, and why
Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana has been operating for almost two years, with new patients joining every day. Last month, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the state had 153,000 patients, up from 70,000 in January 2019. A new survey from Compassionate Certification Centers shows who those patients are, why they are using medical marijuana, and how they have…
Pittsburgh Pittsburghed in Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh Penguins’ Pittsburgh! Night
Sports teams have held themed nights for years in efforts to bring in more ticket sales, and last night at PPG Paints Arena, the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated the city with its most Pittsburgh-y theme of all time: Pittsburgh! Night. (Yes, the exclamation mark is theirs.) The evening was a yinzer’s wet dream full of Pittsburgh…
In Pa., it’s legal for medical students to perform pelvic exams on unconscious patients without consent. A new bill aims to change that
In 42 states, it is legal for doctors to allow medical students to perform pelvic exams on unconscious patients without their consent. The practice is done to train students, and not for any medically necessary reason. Two Pennsylvania state representatives, Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia County) and Liz Hanbidge (D-Montgomery County) are introducing a bill to ban…
Fundraiser launched after tragic fishing accident impacts Pittsburgh artists
A member of the local arts community suffered a devastating loss last week, and now a fundraiser has been launched to help her family and anyone else who was affected. Floyd Guy “F.G.” Gibbs Jr., the father of Nina Gibbs, died when his fishing boat, Papa’s Girl, capsized off the coast of Engelhard, N.C., in the…
Weekly Food Truck Schedule: Jan. 15-21
Are you tired of tracking down food trucks? Welcome to the Pittsburgh City Paper food truck roundup, where we do the hard work for you. Each week, we’re compiling a list of city trucks and their schedules. (For the most up-to-date schedule, visit each truck’s website.) AFRICAN Kilimanjaro Flavour @kilimanjaro_flavour Thursday: McCandless. 5500 Corporate Drive,…
Pittsburgh Record Label Roundup: Pittsburgh Tracks / Machine Age Records / Love What You Feel
No matter how ingrained you are in the Pittsburgh music scene, you still might not know just how many record labels are operating locally. Many of them fly under the radar, but they’re definitely worth knowing. So, Pittsburgh City Paper decided to create a Pittsburgh Record Label Roundup, featuring larger labels like the North Side’s…
Why Pittsburgh’s signature beer style should be brown ale
As the craft beer industry has exploded across America, certain regions are carving out their own niches. New England has the Hazy IPA, a fruity, hoppy and opaque style. The Pacific states have West Coast IPAs, which are bitter and heavy on hop flavor. The Southwest has taken to producing Mexican-style lagers recently and Midwestern…
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/14/20
Video Archive There is so much awful news, but Lynn and Susan are trying their best to avoid it for a little while. They are starting off by talking about Palm Springs, which is where Susan is calling in from today. They are also discussing Diego, the 100 year old Galapagos giant tortoise who helped…
Pittsburgh Year in Review: 2019 in Pictures
Over the course of twelve months as a photojournalist, so many assignments get sent my way, especially when you’re on a small team like the one we have at Pittsburgh City Paper. For those of you who don’t know, I’m the only photographer on staff, but I do enjoy that because it just means I…
River City “sleepcast” lulls listeners with dreamy descriptions of Pittsburgh
Hitting the Hay. Shut Eye. Old Dreamy Time. No matter what you call it, sleep is one of the most important factors to being a healthy, functioning person, yet many people struggle to get the recommended eight hours a night (yours truly included). But what if, instead of anxiously scrolling through Instagram and mulling over…
Candidate Jerry Dickinson backs Green New Deal, criticizes Rep. Mike Doyle’s lack of support
Last week, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Forest Hills) announced his support for the CLEAN Future Act, a plan to take action against the climate crisis. Along with his colleagues in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Doyle helped create the bill that appears as a more moderate alternative to the Green New Deal, a sweeping proposal to…
President of Delta Foundation Gary Van Horn resigns
Delta Foundation Board President Gary Van Horn resigned on Monday following a brief leave of absence from the organization. In December, Van Horn was charged with impersonating law enforcement. The Delta Foundation, one of the city’s most prominent LGBTQ organizations, released a statement on Monday announcing the changes and naming board member Jim Sheppard as…
Cinderlands’ Lawrenceville location is now officially a ‘foederhouse.’ What exactly does that mean?
In early November, Cinderlands Beer Co. embarked on a new chapter of brewing, rebranding their original, Lawrenceville location into Cinderlands Foederhouse. Cinderlands Foederhouse specializes in beer fermented in foeders (pronounced FOOD-er) – large wooden tanks typically used for fermenting wine. The giant barrels give the beer a unique “sensory profile,” says Cinderlands head brewer…
Talkin’ Snack: Flavored Milano Cookies
Talkin’ Snack is a Pittsburgh City Paper column all about the delicious world of snacks, from salty to sweet, from crunchy to gummy, from weird Oreo flavor to another weird Oreo flavor. Browsing not so soberly through the aisles of Bloomfield’s K2 Convenience Store on Saturday, my friends and I thought we discovered a hidden…
City Paper Live – 1/10/20
Video Archive Writers Ryan Deto and Amanda Waltz talk about the prevalence of local drag, Peduto’s Green New Deal Opposition, and producer Josh Oswald downloads a fart-noise app. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Derek Hughes brings mind-blowing tricks and side-splitting laughs to Liberty Magic
When magician Derek Hughes performed a mental telepathy trick on America’s Got Talent, the television audience erupted into applause and celebrity judge Heidi Klum’s jaw nearly hit the floor. The same thing happened when Hughes repeated the trick on the opening night of Bag of Tricks, his new month-long gig at Downtown’s Liberty Magic, as…
Now Playing: 1917, Just Mercy, and Agnès Varda
Every Friday, Pittsburgh City Paper compiles a round-up of new releases and second-run films playing around the city. This only covers films that are new to theaters this week; check out what movies opened previously here. 1917 Centering around a high-stakes messenger mission during World War I, this drama was carefully shot and edited to…
Dozens gather Downtown to protest poor air quality in Allegheny County
Over Christmas, the Pittsburgh region experienced an eight-day stretch of poor air quality thanks to industrial air pollution being trapped by an inversion, a weather phenomenon in which a warm air mass tops a cold air mass, thus preventing pollution from escaping higher into the atmosphere. In response, the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) announced…
North Side to host multimedia listening party for Mac Miller’s posthumous album Circles
Mac Miller fans received some exciting, yet somber, news earlier this week when his family announced that a posthumous album titled Circles would be released via Warner Records on Fri., Jan. 17. On the day the album drops, Pittsburgh will be one of three cities, along with New York and L.A., that can hear and experience…
Rep. Mike Doyle backs the CLEAN Future Act. How does it compare to the Green New Deal?
On Wed., Jan. 8, a group of U.S. Representatives from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, including local Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Forest Hills), released details about the CLEAN Future Act, a plan to tackle the causes and effects of climate change. The plan is similar to the Green New Deal, a plan supported by presidential…
Frzy attempts to break Guinness World Record for longest freestyle rap (He did it!)
Emmy award-winning rapper/musician Harvey ‘Frzy’ Daniels is marking the one year anniversary of Frzy Day — which was created by the City of Pittsburgh on Jan. 11, 2019 — with a record-breaking performance. On Saturday, he will attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for longest freestyle rap. Starting at 10 a.m. on Jan. 11, and running…
Pittsburgh has a lot of flipped homes recently. What does that mean for the region?
The Pittsburgh house-flipping market is red hot. House flipping is generally considered an activity when people or companies buy older, more run-down homes, add amenities and rehab the properties relatively quickly, and then sell them for much higher than originally purchased. According to ATTOM Data Solutions, Pittsburgh reached a new peak last year for flipped…
There Ultra Lounge seeks variety artists for fundraiser show for animals impacted by Australia’s wildfires
You don’t have to live in Australia to understand the effects of the raging bushfires devastating the country’s state of New South Wales. For weeks, the news and social media have been flooded with images of blood-red skies, badly burned koalas, and terrified Australians trying to escape the blaze. Even more staggering are the reports…
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/9/20
Video Archive First thing today Lynn is apologizing for her singing on yesterday’s show. On a more serious note she is covering Trump’s address to the nation after the Iran strike. Lynn is also sharing a wonderful experience she had last night watching a magic show. Derek Hughes was at Liberty Magic, and will be…
My favorite Pittsburgh television lawyers
It’s dangerous out there for us 99 percenters. Without basic access to personal drivers, hot-shot accountants, and lawyers on retainer, we are left to our own devices when the proverbial shit hits the proverbial fan. It’s a wonder any of us survive the omnipresent dangers of slips-and-falls (it’s black-ice season), crippling tax-filing errors, and marital…
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/8/19
Video Archive The top story of the day is the attack on the Iraqi military base housing US forces by Iran last night. Reports are coming out that Iran warned Iraq, who in turn warned the US before the strike. Lynn is discussing these events first. She is also talking about various other stories happening…
Agnès Varda’s career, as told by Varda herself
Varda By Agnès. Opens Fri., Jan. 10. Continues through Thurs., Jan. 16. Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. trustarts.org/film It’s hard to know where to start with the work of an acclaimed filmmaker. But Agnès Varda, as her parting gift, made a film about her films, and a prime starter for why her work was…
Greensburg-based author’s memoir about love, loss, and how running kept her life together
Cheryl Collins Gatons buried her husband on the day of her 40th birthday in 2006. Kevin Gatons, with whom she shared a love of running and family, was only 46 when he died suddenly from arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) while coaching a runner at a state cross-country meet in Hershey. They’d been married eight years and…
The popularity of drag brunches and other events show the scene’s mainstream appeal in Pittsburgh
When the Hard Rock Cafe in South Side started hosting drag brunches two years ago, the organizers ran into a problem: Many patrons had no idea about tipping etiquette, an integral component for both the show’s energy and the performers’ bottom line. “We always have to have a lot of dollars ready to change out…
Astrology Now isn’t the same band it was in 2018
Since the release of psychedelic rock band Astrology Now’s debut album, Semi-Hollow Review, there have been some significant changes. Most notably, the act went from a one-man project to a full group. And that’s what the band’s founder, Greg Mastrean, hopes listeners take note of in Astrology Now’s latest drop, Knife EP, which the group…
Taste Test: Which hard seltzer bubbles to the top?
Hard seltzer was the drink of 2019. This phenomenal rise of alcoholic, “better-for-you” bubbles was the reason the summer was named The Summer of White Claw, with the seltzer outselling major light beer companies through the season. Since The Claw blew up, there’s been a flood of brands hopping on the hard seltzer trend. But…
Stripping helped autistic woman notice the dichotomy between her club persona and autistic self
Reese Piper is an autistic writer and stripper living in Brooklyn, N.Y. She writes about disability, her experiences stripping, and the labor laws that impact her. This week, I sat down to talk to her about what it is like to be an autistic stripper. Reese Piper is currently writing a memoir on how she…
Blake Ragghianti of Kingfly Distillery is going to change how you think about rum
Name: Blake Ragghianti, Scott Township Work: Co-owner and head distiller, Kingfly Distillery What do you do? Develop the character of the company through the spirits we produce. We have a full bar, and everything behind the bar and on the cocktail menu, we make: rum, vodka, bourbon, vermouth, bitters, seltzer, tonic, sodas. Everything we make…
Free Will Astrology (1/8 – 1/15)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Let’s get 2020 started with a proper send-off. According to my reading of the astrological omens, the coming months will bring you opportunities to achieve a host of liberations. Among the things from which you could be at least partially emancipated: stale old suffering; shrunken expectations; people who don’t appreciate you…
Hundreds take to Pittsburgh streets to protest Trump’s efforts to escalate war in the Middle East
On Thu., Jan. 2, the Trump administration announced it had carried out the killing of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general considered one of the most powerful people in Iran. Following the killing, there have been several reports on the likelihood of an escalated war with Iran. The Pentagon announced recently that about 3,500 additional troops…
The tracks on Ignition! don’t burn out or fade away
Find more album reviews from local artists in Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s STACKS platform each week at pghcitypaper.com. All music is free to stream, and free to download with a library card. Lord Dubious’ Ignition! is a cornucopia of sonic textures and musical styles. The only element of this record that remains constant throughout its…
Meticulous prep creates one-of-a-kind McKees Rocks pie
The crusts at Doughboy’s Pizza are colossal. Maybe it’s obvious from the name, but the McKees Rocks pizzeria sets itself apart with a unique dough and a meticulous, semi-secret process of preparation. The result? Pizzas with eye-popping, formidable crusts that resemble few other pies in the city. “The dough recipe is pretty simple,” says…
Jerome Charles turns garbage into art as a ‘public acknowledgment of being a garbage person’
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but for artist Jerome “Chu” Charles, other people’s trash serves as the canvas for his work. His show Still Good, which runs through Sun., Feb. 9 at CDCP Project Space, incorporates recycled or discarded material and uses them as inspiration for the works themselves. The garbage theme of…
CP columnist Tereneh Idia heads to India for first-ever Wildbiyoo artist residency
Pittsburgh City Paper columnist Tereneh Idia is temporarily going off the grid. Idia, whose award-winning column covers social justice and race issues, as well as fashion, will be absent this January to become an artist-in-resident for the first-ever Wildbiyoo zero-waste arts program in Goa, India. United by the theme of addressing the climate crisis, the…
