Hip-hop legend Large Professor schools the Shadow Lounge
At the tender age of 17, he was already at work on Eric B & Rakim’s landmark album Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em and Kool G Rap’s Wanted Dead or Alive.
Early Television Icons Are Dying
A poem by Michael Wurster.
Kill the Mic
With local artists such as rapper Wiz Khalifa and others on the verge of mainstream success, and fresh voices — and beats — reverberating from the underground, Pittsburgh’s hip-hop scene seems poised to step into the national spotlight. Yet for some, questions remain about the scene’s infrastructure, its relationships with the media and music industry…
OUTstanding
Pride in the Street brought together a throng of revelers –more than 2,000 tickets were sold in advance –on Liberty Avenue between 10th Street and 7thAvenue for an evening of dancing, drinking and celebrating their community.
Local trio Magic Wolf updates cock rock for a new generation of “slackers”
Even in 2007, don’t be afraid to just rock. You never know when you’ll get your ass destroyed by the disasteroid.
At the Carnegie, a British artist lets Istanbulites karaoke to The Smiths.
Concepts aside, The World Won’t Listen succeeds on the screen because of the cathartic emotion of its participants.
Daryl Fleming debuts with new group The Private Sector
The local avant-singer-songwriter is perhaps not rewriting history, but he is using history to rewrite his own.
Up the Creek
A river-access point along the Allegheny River has, for now, become a bit less accessible to area boaters. A line of caution tape threaded through a metal chain between eight, one-ton chunks of concrete now blocks the dirt parking lot near the 40th Street Bridge kayak launch in Lawrenceville.
Going through the Motions: June 12 and 13
For several weeks, Pittsburgh City Council has argued over animal control, but there is still no easy solution to the issue of how to either shelter or euthanize local animals. Or the reporters covering the debate, for that matter. While I’d vowed not to mention the wildlife issue this week, your city council decided to…
A native Pittsburgher discusses his first book — a cultural history of the song “House of the Rising Sun.”
The book’s trajectory suggests another of Anthony’s themes: That “authenticity” isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.
David Bernabo unites diverse elements on Assembly
There are two things people generally say about Dave Bernabo.
Sherman Alexie discusses Flight, his first novel in a decade.
“What it shows is that it’s pretty easy to flip the switch between self-defense and murder. It’s pretty easy to flip the switch between good and evil.”
Fast Eddie’s mixtape, Chairman of Da Hood Vol. 1
This mixtape delivers a maximum dosage of raw Pittsburgh hip hop from emcees from all over the city.
Shut out
The Fair Housing Partnership of Greater Pittsburgh completed a preliminary study on it calls “a skewed housing pattern” of voucher-holders across the city. Although only 2 percent of all occupied rental units in the city is taken up by voucher-holders, they are concentrated in a handful of neighborhoods.
This Just In: June 20 – 27
Highlights from the local TV news.
Courts Case dismissed against protester in 2005 dog-bite case
On June 18, Court of Common Pleas Judge Robert C. Gallo dismissed disorderly-conduct charges against Carole Wiedmann, who had been bitten on the back of her thigh while leaving an Aug. 20, 2005 anti-war demonstration in Oakland.
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid
The cast is amazing, for stamina as well as versatility.
Eat’n Drive
It won’t just be the power of suggestion that has you smelling French fries while driving behind Eat’n Park trucks. That’s because they’ll soon be running on a biodiesel blend made from the oil from the fry vats at their own restaurants.
The Constant Prince
Do not mistake this for Romantic war-is-noble pishtosh.
Tough Love
Some fans still think the Pirates are worth fighting for.
Pittsburgh Pride Theater Festival
Martinac has mastered the voice of small-town New Englanders, the unique way they can politely damage each other.
A Mighty Heart
This is all yesterday’s headlines, and that’s the problem with A Mighty Heart. We learn nothing here that we couldn’t learn from a thorough newspaper article.
The Admirable Crichton
It must have been quite an experience for Victorian audiences to see their secret fears realized on stage.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
The film’s rapid-fire yet dull plot has been scrabbled together from a couple decades of comics mythology, sure to irritate fanboys and newbies alike.
Steve Byrne, Pittsburgh’s favorite native-son Asian-American standup comic, talks Playboy TV, MySpace and bikinis.
“This goes on for about an hour and three girls sharing a dildo say, ‘And now let’s get ready to laugh!'”
Eggs N’at
Location: 8556 University Blvd., Moon Township. 412-262-2920 Hours: Sun.-Thu. 7 a.m.-2 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Prices: Breakfast $3-9; lunch $6-8 Fare: Basic breakfast and lunch, with special items Atmosphere: Stylish luncheonette Liquor: None Smoking: None Permitted The American diner is a cultural touchstone, a mid-20th-century concatenation of chrome, Formica and jukeboxes. They don’t make…
Maxed Out
James Scurlock’s documentary is a scare ride through the cascading woes of personal debt.
Killer of Sheep
Three decades after its release, audiences can see what they’ve been missing: one of the best American films ever about children, city life, the working class and the black experience, all at once.
Boy Culture
This is a really sappy love story about a high-class callboy hidden under an archly studied tone of hip/cool cynicism. (Capsule review)
Savage Love
I’m a 47-year-old man and my wife is 49. We got married four years ago. Two days ago, she came back from the doctor and told me she has genital herpes. I am floored. She said she just found out. She said she must have contracted it years ago and never had an outbreak until…
My understanding is that Philadelphia is the only first-class city in the state, and Pittsburgh is the only second-class city. What would we have to do to become a third-class city?
Some would argue that we already are a third-class city, of course. But we call such people “haters,” and this question (sent in via an anonymous e-mail) is technical rather than snarky. State law categorizes local governments (including counties and school districts) in varying classes, based on population. There are no less than nine classes…
Brooklyn Rules
Three working-class pals grow up in Brooklyn in the 1980s, and flirt with the mob, with predictable consequences. (Capsule review)
Sinéad O’Connor performs at The Warhol and WYEP’s free summer festival
And when she’s not ripping off God, she’s ripping off herself — in a way.
Bunker Mentality
When you’re the mayor of a city, you’re someone that, theoretically, we’re supposed to be proud of. What can you say about Mayor Luke “Opie” Ravenstahl? He does embarrassing things. But does it matter? Most Pittsburghers don’t seem to think so. The latest embarrassment was very much like the other ones: a self-inflicted wound caused…
Evan Almighty
Somebody booked too many digitally composed animals, but the kids at the screening loved all the silly monkeys and birds, even if they looked pasted on. (Capsule review)
