Final week for “Venus in Fur” at Pittsburgh Public Theater
Seven performances remain of this top-notch drama.
Word Cloud: Issue June 22-28, 2006
Movie reviews for Nacho Libre and The Devil and Daniel Johnston; Ben Roethlisberger’s motorcycle accident. Read the stories from this issue
Pittsburgh advocacy groups to seek ballot initiative to fund affordable-housing trust fund
This November, Pittsburgh could see its first affordable-housing ballot initiative to support local fund.
August Burns Red, Punchline are the first acts announced for Altar Bar send-off
Altar Bar begins announcing final shows before its closing.
MP3 Monday: Swiss Army
Stream or download a song from Swiss Army
Ball on the Bridge highlights LGBT ball culture on the Andy Warhol Bridge
Pittsburgh’s underground ball culture takes dance to the Andy Warhol Bridge to raise awareness for LGBT health care.
Lynn Cullen Live 06/20/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Oakmont U.S. open fans. Believeland. Lynn takes issue with the head of Policemen’s Union. The country’s reaction to PULSE shootings. Professional cuddling. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Chillegal Kitchen
Sound Bite returns with Celine dining at a pop-up kitchen tucked away in a hillside garden. Original music by Reid Magette. A soup course of Tom Kha, a Thai coconut soup, with chili oil and cilantro.
What you need to know about Pittsburgh news this week
Pride takes over the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh mourns for Orlando victims; and the Pens do a victory lap with the Stanley Cup.
Author of new book ‘Frackopoly’ speaks in Pittsburgh tonight
Wenonah Hauter of Food & Water Watch speaks in Pittsburgh tonight about her new book Frackopoly.
Lynn Cullen Live 06/17/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Gun control laws. Assassination of a young member of English Parliament. On a light note, Larry David to put out a 9th season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” John McCain surprises us. Bernie still not conceding. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with…
Rivers Casino workers in Pittsburgh file for union election
Rivers Casino workers have filed for a union election
Local gun-reform advocates gather for letter-writing
Gun reform advocates wrote letters of support for “common-sense” legislation to reduce gun violence in wake of national and local tragedies.
Afro-Pop, Reggae Concert on Saturday Benefits Pittsburgh-Based Medical Nonprofit
Matthew Tembo and the Afro Routes Band performs in Pittsburgh to benefit Surgicorps.
Drusky Entertainment announces it will bid farewell to Pittsburgh’s Altar Bar at the end of July
For the past decade, Altar Bar, the de-sanctified church turned bar and music venue has been the flagship venue for Drusky Entertainment. This morning, the concert-promotion company announced the end of an era, saying that they will no longer occupy the building. According to the press release, “Altar Bar Inc., the current management team of…
Lynn Cullen Live 06/16/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. New proposed superintendent for the Pittsburgh schools doesn’t get the job because of plagiarism. Orlando still reeling. Filibuster in Congress for gun control. U.S. Open underway in Oakmont. Summer Olympics approach. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and…
Pittsburgh Penguins hoist the Stanley Cup in victory parade
The Penguins hoisted the Stanley Cup as they rode through the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh during a victory parade.
Pittsburgh Pride attendees reflect on the event’s purpose in the wake of Orlando mass shooting
Early Sunday morning, a man armed with an assault rifle opened fire in a gay club in Orlando, killing 49 people and injuring more than 50 others. While officials say the gunman claimed allegiance to the Islamic terrorist organization ISIS, and the details of Omar Mateen’s motives are still being worked out, what’s clear is…
Sweet or savory, fried apples work as a side for most anything
Some say that this dish was first prepared in the Deep South — especially since a traditional recipe usually calls for at least a stick of butter, pork renderings and maybe a cup of white sugar. But my grandmother, born and raised just above the Mason-Dixon line, used to toss these apples together on weekends.…
A community oven rises in Deutschtown
Neu Kirche Contemporary Art Center seeks to build community around re-activated vacant lots in Deutschtown. Michelle Illuminato is an artist who loves to bake and is inspired by the history of communal ovens. Now the metaphorical dough is rising for the Tripoli Street Bake Club, the result of Illuminato’s month-long Fallow Ground residency with Neu…
Booze Battles: Muddy Waters Oyster Bar vs. Sienna Mercato Il Tetto
Each week, we order the same cocktail at two different bars for a head-to-head battle. Go to the bars, taste them both and tell us what you like about each by tagging @pghcitypaper on Twitter or Instagram and use #CPBoozeBattles. If you want to be a part of Booze Battles, send an email to food-and-beverage…
On its second EP, Pittsburgh’s LoFi Delphi balances elaborate arrangements with strong hooks
LOFI DELPHI CD RELEASE with JEREMY CAYWOOD, CITY STEPS, CHROME MOSES, THE PARK PLAN 8 p.m. Sat., June 18. James Street Gastropub & Speakeasy, 422 Foreland St., North Side. $10 (includes CD). 412-904-3335 or jamesstreetgastropub.com The members of LoFi Delphi seem bemused when asked about the origin of their name. The moniker combines a production…
A review of Stewart O’Nan’s compelling new novel, City of Secrets
Back in 10th grade, Mr. Wells made us copy passages from Thomas Hardy’s novels into our exercise books, as if the physical act of rewriting might instill the artfulness of those words into our minds. Today, a teacher like Mr. Wells could do the same with the novels of Stewart O’Nan. His sentences are clean,…
Ustianochka Vodka
Ustianochka Vodka $15-18 / bottle This Russian vodka is distilled with icy Arctic spring water and offers a smooth, not syrupy taste. Introduced to the U.S. by Amruss, Inc., of Beaver County, I enjoy it on hot days, either on ice or mixed with a refreshing juice. The Arctic waters cool me down. — Ryan…
Philadelphia’s Modern Baseball aims to make show spaces safer
MODERN BASEBALL, JOYCE MANOR, THIN LIPS 7:30 p.m. Wed., June 22. Altar Bar, 1620 Penn Ave., Strip District. $20-23. All ages. 412-206-9719 or www.thealtarbar.com In the handful of years that Modern Baseball has been around, the band has grown in sound and notoriety. With each release, the Philadelphia-based band has found a way to mature…
Pittsburgh’s The Gotobeds come out swinging on their Sub Pop debut
THE GOTOBEDS RECORD-RELEASE SHOW with THE S/CKS, SAVOY MOTEL 9 p.m. Sat., June 18. Brillobox, 4104 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. $12-15. 412-621-4900 or brillobox.net After the Gotobeds’ recent experience of being courted by a record label, Eli Kasan, the band’s guitarist and vocalist, sees a similarity between music-industry people and oil speculators, both of whom are…
Mexican immigrants in Pittsburgh and across the country are trailing other foreign-born citizens in getting U.S. citizenship
Twenty foreign-born individuals from countries including Togo, Colombia, China, Italy and India became American citizens last week at a venue that couldn’t be more American — a baseball stadium. The Pittsburgh Pirates hosted their first-ever naturalization ceremony last week at PNC Park. One of those new citizens was Luis Guzman. He came to the U.S.…
Critics’ Picks, June 16-22
[BLUES] + FRI., JUNE 17 Barbara Blue is the queen of Beale Street in Memphis, Tenn., where folks can hear her spectacularly soulful voice every night at Silky O’Sullivan’s. Not only has she performed gritty blues Monday through Friday for 19 years, but she has co-written songs and recorded her work at historic studios like…
Pittsburgh-based luthier Stuart Day celebrates the opening of his new guitar store in Allentown
In the internet age, taking up a craft is almost as easy as opening a browser and finding a YouTube channel or subreddit. While many view craftsmanship as a way to pass the time, there are still a few left who see honing such skills as a calling — finding a higher purpose in learning…
From Danny Murtaugh to John Russell, Mike Wysocki ranks the Pittsburgh Pirates best managers
In 1971, Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh had a rotation including Steve Blass and Dock “no-hitter on acid” Ellis. Behind them was an outfield containing Al Oliver, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. In 2008,Pirates manager John Russell had a rotation led by John Van Benschoten and Phil Dumatrait. Behind them was an outfield featuring Nyjer Morgan,…
Weiner
“This is the worst — doing a documentary on my scandal,” says Anthony Weiner in the opening sequence of Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg’s Weiner, which covers the former U.S. Congressman’s 2013 run for mayor of New York City. Weiner proves prophetic: The campaign goes from great to terrible fast, and much of the damage…
Stuff We Like
Sunrise on the Ohio River. Pittsburgh’s rivers look great year-round. Rodef Shalom’s Biblical Botanical Garden. A quiet escape where one can just sit and think. Find this hidden treasure just off Shadyside’s busy Fifth Avenue. Open to the public during specific hours. www.biblicalgardenpittsburgh.org Loot Crate. You never know what’s coming from this monthly subscription box…
Pittsburgh rapper Jasiri X premieres an original live hip-hop score for 1925 film Body and Soul
BODY AND SOUL Black-cinema historian Joseph Kennedy IV will introduce the film. Doors at 7 p.m.; introduction at 8 p.m. followed by screening. Fri., June 17. Hollywood. $15 ($25 VIP balcony seats include poster, popcorn and beverages); $10 students/kids This Friday, at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont, patrons can catch the premiere of a unique…
Weird Pittsburgh
A court-certified forensic document examiner claims to have found a forged document in the soap opera that has entangled the Ambridge Area School District. Assistant Superintendent Megan Mealie, who administrators accused of an inappropriate romantic relationship with a teacher, resigned last October. She’s contesting her settlement with the school board in court, claiming she was…
Jasiri X on Creating a New Hip-Hop Score for the 1925 Silent Film Body and Soul
In an interview with Pittsburgh City Paper, Jasiri X talks about creating an original hip-hop score for the 1925 Paul Robeson silent film Body and Soul. “This was a project organized with the Hollywood Theater to do something creative and different. It’s a theater where you can have live performances as the movie takes place.…
Being Cured
If you want to preserve a piece of meat, you cure it. You pack it in salt to draw all the moisture out, or leave it to dry in the wind or bathe it in smoke until it takes on a different quality: tougher, preserved, full of flavor and a wicked sense of humor. If…
Venus in Fur at Pittsburgh Public Theater
VENUS IN FUR continues through June 26. Pittsburgh Public Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $15.75-60. 412-316-1600 or www.ppt.org Hoorah! Theater for adults! Pittsburgh Public Theater presents the local premiere of Venus in Fur, an old-fashioned two-hander crackling with wit, and a sly, dark comedy celebrating the bewitching possibilities of theater. Let’s try that again with…
Short List: June 16 – 22
SPOTLIGHT: Fri., June 17 – Art Acupuncture is perhaps the most emphatic statement a public artwork has made in Pittsburgh in years. The new permanent sculpture, by German artist Hans Peter Kuhn, will appear by night to be six 100-foot-long shafts of white light piercing the roof and upper floor of the Mattress Factory museum…
Judgment at Nuremburg at Throughline
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG continues through Sat., June 18. Throughline Theatre Co. at the Grey Box Theatre, 3595 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $15-20. 888-718-4253 or throughlinetheatre.org In an age of assassination-by-drone, government-sanctioned torture and the “collateral damage” that ensues, Abby Mann’s 2001 play Judgment at Nuremberg remains painfully relevant. But Throughline Theatre Co. artistic director Liam Macik…
Savage Love
I’ve been dating a nice guy for a month or so. Sex is good, and we’re faulty compatible in other ways, too. He told me he likes to wear diapers. He said he doesn’t want me to do it with him, but that every once in a while he likes to wear them because it…
All Around Us, at Wood Street Galleries, explores our relationship with insects
ALL AROUND US continues through June 19. 600 Wood St., Downtown. 412-471-5605 or woodstreetgalleries.org Art, biology and technology are often conjoined nowadays, but seldom more literally than in Garnet Hertz’s Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot. The Canada-based researcher’s bucket-sized, three-wheeled machine is guided by a Madagascar hissing cockroach harnessed atop a ball, and immersed in a…
Arrival of SolarCity in Pittsburgh reflects the ongoing solar-energy boom
Every day, it seems, solar energy creeps closer to fulfilling two promises on a grand scale: cheap electricity with a fraction of the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels. The solar industry reports that 2015 was another record year for photovoltaic installations — and that new solar generation capacity outstripped new capacity fueled by natural…
This week in City Paper History
At state-budget time, Gov. Tom Corbett was never afraid to drop the ax, especially when it came to things like education funding and social services. He also wasn’t shy about giving tax incentives to corporations moving into the state, or about pushing through business-friendly legislation. On June 13, 2012, CP’s Charlie Deitch highlighted the disproportion…
The gun lobby is culpable for the Orlando nightclub shooting whether they’ll admit it or not
Cold, dead hands. It’s 2 a.m. I’m wide awake for the second straight night and I can’t get those words out of my head. Cold, dead hands. Three words crashing around in my head more violently and more rapidly with each passing second. The sound in my head is like a tennis ball repeatedly crashing…
City Paper Podcast – Episode 22
This week on the City Paper Podcast, we’re “celebrating” Father’s Day with CP Editor Charlie Deitch and his brother David, discussing what it was like growing up with a father who suffered from mental illness.
Bakersfield brings another batch of delicious tacos to Downtown Pittsburgh
Bakersfield 940 Penn Ave., Downtown. 412-586-5024 Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-midnight; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Prices: $3-9 Liquor: Full bar Bakersfield is named after the central California town perhaps best known for its Western swing and honky-tonk sounds. It opened its first location in Cincinnati serving refined, but basically traditional, tacos, tortas and tostadas. Now, it…
Pennsylvania liquor stores offer more than meets the eye
Wandering around a liquor store in another state is like being a kid in a candy store — one that’s full of new and wonderful candies that you never even knew existed. For better or worse, in Pennsylvania’s state-run system, every Fine Wine & Good Spirits store feels more or less the same. Some are…
Len Barcousky’s Hidden History of Pittsburgh edifies and amuses
Len Barcousky’s new book Hidden History of Pittsburgh (The History Press, $21.99) is a brisk little tome about lesser-known events in the Steel City’s past, as well as the region’s connection to history at large. Barcousky, who retired this past fall as a reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (where I am also a former staffer),…
Lynn Cullen Live 06/15/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Even Fox News anchors question gun control laws. Let that sink in. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Pittsburgh religious leaders, advocates call for peace and united action in wake of Orlando massacre
Hundreds of mourners fill Grant Street in Downtown Pittsburgh to pay respects to the 49 victims of the Orlando shooting and to call for peace, unity and action.
Lynn Cullen Live 06/13/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Religion and it’s many faces. Trump and irrationality. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
