Pittsburgh activists and officials call on lawmakers to pass gun-reform measures
At a press conference earlier today, Pittsburgh activists and officials called on federal lawmakers to pass gun-reform legislation, but local efforts to address gun violence have stalled.
Listen Up! June 29
Every Wednesday, we make a Spotify playlist containing tracks from artists mentioned in the current music section. Listen while you read!
Hebru Brantley’s Pittsburgh debut is a hopeful and haunting commentary on our times
I WISH I KNEW (HOW IT FELT TO BE FREE) continues through July 8. August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org Hebru Brantley, the self-taught Chicago-based artist, makes his Pittsburgh premiere with I Wish I Knew (How It Felt to Be Free), an exhibit at the August Wilson Center. Brantley’s work is worn…
This Just In: A look at local news online and on the tube.
Wendy “The Bus” Bell News-reading, self-righteous and erstwhile WTAE anchor Wendy Bell is suing Hearst Broadcasting in an effort to get her job back. She says she was wrongfully terminated, claiming she was fired because she is white. As reported by Matt Santoni of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Bell’s attorney, Samuel J. Cordes, asserted, “Had an…
Activists call for coal reform at federal hearing in Pittsburgh
Local activists are calling for reform to reduce the negative environmental and health effects of the coal industry.
Word Cloud: Issue June 26-July 2, 2008
This week in CP history, we took a look at Grand Theft Auto IV, PrideWeek, and The Love Guru. Read the stories from this issue.
MP3 Monday: LoFi Delphi
Stream or download a song from LoFi Delphi’s new record.
Lynn Cullen Live 06/27/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Supreme Court overrules Texas abortion restrictions. Effects of the Brexit vote. Harrisburg Republicans want development in PA State Parks Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Buzzin’ around Pittsburgh’s beehives with BEEBOY Honey
“There are lots of different kinds of bees. There’s 30,000 or more native bees in our area.”
National revitalization conference scheduled in Pittsburgh next May
Next year’s Main Street Now conference in Pittsburgh could help struggling neighborhoods.
Health professionals tell Allegheny County to make HPV vaccine mandatory
The Allegheny County Health Department hears from doctors, researchers and cancer survivors, who are asking for an HPV-vaccine mandate.
Advocates ask Port Authority of Allegheny County to move toward all-electric fleet
Pittsburgh’s air quality ranks low on lists of clean cities, and advocates believe that Port Authority could improve it if they update their fleet.
“Interactive video bath” premieres tonight at Pittsburgh’s Neu Kirche
Internationally exhibited artist debuts large-scale cutting-edge installation in Pittsburgh.
What you need to know about Pittsburgh news this week
This week: Advocates for Pittsburgh’s Latino community are fighting against deportation; affordable-housing organizers collect signatures for a referendum on housing funds; the Allegheny County Health Department hears testimony on mandating the HPV vaccine; and a local chef imagines picnic food without honeybees.
A conversation with Pere Ubu
A Q&A with Pere Ubu: “I don’t pay attention to my feelings.”
Lynn Cullen Live 06/24/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. UK leaves the EU in Brexit vote. Interesting times await. Wilkinsburg shooting suspects. Supreme Court votes down Obama’s immigration law. Pittsburgh school board pays two superintendents and hires a PR consultant. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and…
Modern Baseball’s sold-out show confirms pop punk can be inclusive and electric
Modern Baseball’s live show has bit of a messier feel, but it suits the style of the music well. It isn’t sloppy, but it reminds you that you’re experiencing live music and not something that has been recorded and re-recorded over and over.
Cirque du Soleil’s “Toruk” debuts in Pittsburgh
Cirque du Soleil’s “Toruk: The First Flight” has loads of strong performers, but suffers from a hackneyed story.
More thoughts from Wadada Leo Smith
There were so many thoughts that Wadada Leo Smith expressed and which didn’t make it into the feature in this week’s City Paper. So it felt appropriate to include a few more here.
Listen Up! June 22
Every Wednesday, we make a Spotify playlist containing tracks from artists mentioned in the current music section. Listen below!
Lynn Cullen Live 06/23/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Dems host sit in on the House floor. Trump’s speech gets ripped apart. Assassination attempt on Trump. Supreme court upholds Affirmative Action at UT. Officer Goodson found not guilty on all counts in the Freddie Gray case. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives…
Pittsburgh advocates and chefs host a picnic without bees
What would picnic food be if the honeybees that pollinate our produce disappeared? Advocates from the environmental advocacy organization PennEnvironment and the executive chef from The Porch at Schenley demonstrate.
Martin Esquivel-Hernandez has been a rock for Pittsburgh’s Latino community but with deportation looming, he’s the one in need of support
On May 1, Martin Esquivel-Hernandez and his family marched in an immigrants’ rights rally from Beechview to Brookline. He and his young daughters held a sign that read: “Not one more deportation.” The next morning at 6 a.m., U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took Esquivel-Hernandez from his Pittsburgh home. Now, the next deportation could…
More highlights of the Pittsburgh JazzLive International
The Pittsburgh JazzLive International, now in its fifth year, took a hint from the Detroit Jazz Festival, with multiple stages set up outside and a schedule that, by and large, allows listeners to move up and down Penn Avenue to catch performances throughout the weekend of June 24-26. With few exceptions, all performances are free…
A conversation with comedian Roy Wood Jr.
WDVE COMEDY FESTIVAL 8 p.m. Fri., June 24. Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $55. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org Comedian and Daily Show correspondent Roy Wood Jr. performs June 24 at the DVE Comedy Festival, at the Byham Theater, with headliner Chris D’Elia. Wood recently spoke to CP. How would you compare your standup persona to…
Troy Hill’s Pear & The Pickle combines a coffee shop with sandwiches and a small general store
The concept for Pear & The Pickle, the new Troy Hill eatery from Alexis Tragos and Bobby Stockard, is simple: a neighborhood coffee shop with a general-store vibe, stocked with a modest selection of household groceries like dish soap, olive oil and Cheerios. But Tragos and Stockard, who are married with twin boys born just…
Critics’ Picks, June 23-29
[PUNK] + THU., JUNE 23 Worriers is comprised of political punk rockers, socially conscious riff creators. The band uses its music to address social ailments like police brutality and transphobic attitudes, and they package those themes into addictive punk tunes. Joining Worriers tonight at Sonny’s Tavern is Mikey Erg, performing with a full band, as…
Weird Pittsburgh
Kathleen Kane is the Pennsylvania Attorney General but she is not, presently, a practicing lawyer. Her law license was suspended as she faces criminal charges for allegedly leaking secret grand-jury documents to reportedly embarrass a deputy in her office. Despite the suspension, however, she continues to work as AG. The functional problem with this situation…
An ex-Marine turns full time to distilling
Drive a curving road in Sewickley and you’ll spot a small plywood sign that says, “Welcome. Yes. This is IT!!!” McLaughlin Distillery is the new venture of Kim McLaughlin. McLaughlin grew up in a family of distillers and learned from relatives. “I don’t want to say how long I’ve been doing this, but I’ve had…
Need to spend a week celebrating with the Stanley Cup? Wysocki has some suggestions for the Pittsburgh Penguins
Lord Stanley’s Cup is back in the 412. And when you look around the NHL, we’re pretty fortunate. To fans of the New York Rangers, the Cup is just like Halley’s Comet. They see it once every 76 years. Philadelphia Flyers fans last saw it in 1975, when the finals pre-empted an episode of the…
Stuff We Like
Underwear Bike Ride. Once a month, a group of Pittsburgh cyclists strip down to their underclothes for a ride through the city. The next outing is Thu., June 30. www.facebook.com/PghUnderwearBikeRide Commonwealth Ciders. Brewed in Philadelphia, these ultra-dry ciders (including ginger and raspberry) are a nice alternative to the super-sweetness of many brands. www.commonwealthciders.com Petty: The…
Short List: June 24-28
SPOTLIGHT: Fri., June 24 – Art Even if you don’t know who John Riegert is, you’ll be intrigued by the concept behind John Riegert: The SPACE exhibit, which opens June 24, comprises 250 portraits of a single person by a near-Who’s Who of local artists, with Riegert himself as full-time docent. If you do know…
City Paper Podcast – Episode 23
This week on the City Paper Podcast, host Alex Gordon sits down with local artist David Bernabo, who you might recognize from his many appearances in local art, music and dance. Today, David discusses his new(ish) album The Inn and his novel approach to writing and recording.
New Releases
Doors In The Labyrinth The Sound of Her Wings (Self-released) doorsinthelabyrinth.bandcamp.com The brooding synths and through-gritted-teeth vocals of Doors in the Labyrinth draw on a variety of influences: the angst of Nine Inch Nails, the futuristic sci-fi journeys of Vangelis, occasionally even the distorted Broadway-isms of The Wall-era Pink Floyd. Josh Loughrey, the man behind…
Finding Dory
Finding Dory Directed by Andrew Stanton Starring the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill In 3-D, in select theaters Released in 2003, Finding Nemo was an instant classic, exhibiting everything that made viewers embrace Pixar animated films: It was fresh, funny, full of heart without being sappy, wonderfully animated and gave viewers sparkling…
Art Crawl showcases South Side as one of the city’s artsy neighborhoods, not just a mile-long bar
Sean Coffey, a Lawrenceville resident, didn’t mind the attention of a photographer — or the gaping mouths of onlookers — as he painted on the sidewalk of East Carson Street. “If you don’t want people looking [at your art] and taking pictures, paint in your closet,” Coffey said, as his casual brushwork added layers to…
Dark Horse
There are some things that generally only rich people do, like own race horses. Louise Osmond’s engaging documentary Dark Horse recounts the story of some working-class folk and their scrappy horse who challenged this assertion. It was an idea born of bar chatter in a depressed Welsh coal town — to raise a competitive horse.…
Pittsburgh youth will be showcased alongside national talent at WYEP Summer Music Festival
Showgoers might be excited to see the flashy pop of Lucius, the sharp rock of Margaret Glaspy and the folk-tinged indie of Boy & Bear, but those aren’t the only musicians performing at WYEP’s Summer Music Festival this weekend. For those who decide to stroll into Schenley Plaza this Saturday afternoon, there’s a special treat.…
Born to Be Blue
Soon after another sort-of bio-pic about a wrecked jazz legend finding his mojo (Don Cheadle’s Miles Ahead, about Miles Davis) comes Robert Budreau’s take on Chet Baker. The drama is set in the early 1960s, when Baker (Ethan Hawke) washes up in Los Angeles and, with the help of a new girlfriend (Carmen Ejogo), tries…
Pittsburgh City Paper Booze Battles: The Commoner vs. Grapperia
Each week, we order the same cocktail at two different bars for a friendly 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…
Central Intelligence
Probably the best part of Rawson Marshall Thurber’s Mutt and Jeff buddy comedy is the facility Dwayne Johnson has for selling his oddball character: a bulked-up CIA agent who still retains a lot of his adorkably nerdy self from high school (favorite movie: Pretty in Pink). There is some over-plotted nonsense in which the former…
This week in City Paper History
Yes, we know that the word “HER’S” on the woman’s shirt should not have an apostrophe. And yes, a lot of readers and social-media monitors made a big deal about it. But you know what? To hell with grammar when love is in the air. Still, that’s not why we’re featuring this cover from June…
The Phenom
There’s a lot of cheering of championship sports teams right now, but writer-director Noah Buschel’s low-key drama looks at a less-explored and darker aspect of professional sports. Hopper Gibson (Johnny Simmons) is a hot new prospect in baseball’s major leagues, but an anxiety attack on the mound gets him busted down to the minors —…
Piane de Maggio Rosé
We are savoring rosé from around the world this summer. This one comes from Agriverde Winery and Vineyards in Italy and is made from the Cerasuolo — meaning “little cherry” — grape. This wine is soft with a light cherry essence. It’s perfect for drinking on the porch or at a picnic. I’m sipping all…
An undocumented immigrant has spent his time in Pittsburgh serving this community. As he faces deportation, it’s time to return the favor.
If you haven’t yet done so, you need to read Ryan Deto’s excellent cover story this week about the government’s attempt to convict and deport Pittsburgh resident Martin Esquivel-Hernandez. Did you read it? Are you outraged? You should be, and so should every other Pittsburgher. The U.S. government is trying to deport one of our…
Savage Love
There is a guy at my work who is into puppy play. I know this because I have some friends in the gay puppy community. I don’t give two shits what anyone I work with does to get off. All well and good, except … he wants us to call him Spike, his puppy name.…
Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Movie Ever Made
Over seven years, three teenage boys from a small town in Mississippi used all their free time and limited resources to film a shot-for-shot adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s 1981 mega-hit Raiders of the Lost Ark. They played roles, cast their friends, built props and nearly burned down a house. By the time the film was…
Chris Frangiadis returns to Pittsburgh with Spork, a new small-plates venue
Spork 5430 Penn Ave., Friendship. 412-441-1700 Hours: Mon.-Thu. 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Prices: $6-17 Liquor: Full bar If East End gentrification can be condensed into one address, this might be it. In 15 years, the storefront at the southwest corner of Penn Avenue and Graham Street has gone from nuisance bar…
Three installation artists explore the spaces we inhabit
FACTORY INSTALLED continues through July 3. Mattress Factory, 500 Sampsonia Way, North Side. 412-231-3169 or mattress.org Asked where they live, most humans would name a city, state or town — some bordered entity itself created by other humans. In various ways, the three artists in Factory Installed, at the Mattress Factory, question our assumptions about…
Innovative composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith joins pianist Vijay Iyer at the 2016 Pittsburgh JazzLive International Jazz Festival
VIJAY IYER & WADADA LEO SMITH 4 p.m. Sat., June 24. Pittsburgh JazzLive International Jazz Festival, UPMC Stage, Penn Avenue, Downtown. Free. pittsburghjazzlive.com One day prior to our interview, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith was working in the studio with his Golden Quartet on a suite honoring six national parks. “The parks are really something fantastic,”…
New Dance Council head looks to push the envelope — eventually
Randal Miller, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s new director of dance programming and special events, learned the ropes largely under Paul Organisak, who resigned in August after 12 years as the Trust’s vice president for programming. Organisak left big shoes to fill. He programmed the Pittsburgh Dance Council and the Trust’s Broadway and Cabaret series, and…
Cuban comfort food: plantains and black beans
Beans and rice with fried plantains are a staple food in Cuba. My love of it was instilled by my first college friend, Katie, and her Cuban brother-in-law. He loved to cook and we happily adopted his recipes. She and I bonded over stealing food from the cafeteria and using the secret conference-room kitchen to…
Light Up the Sky at Little Lake
LIGHT UP THE SKY continues through July 2. Little Lake Theatre, 500 Lakeside Drive South, Canonsburg. $12-18. 724-745-6300 or littlelaketheatre.org. The most curious part of the evening I spent at Little Lake Theatre was wondering how I’d gotten to 2016 without ever having seen Moss Hart’s Light Up the Sky. He wrote this backstage comedy…
On her ethereal new record, Julianna Barwick checks a few items off her musical wishlist
JULIANNA BARWICK, MAS YSA 8 p.m. Fri., June 24. Club Café, 56 S. 12th St. $15. 412-431-4950 or clubcafelive.com Julianna Barwick makes beautiful, genre-defying music that doesn’t impose much on its listeners. Take her 2013 album Nepenthe: It was massive and spacious enough to fill either a temple or valley, but not specific enough to…
Chicago at Pittsburgh CLO
CHICAGO continues through Sun., June 26. Pittsburgh CLO at the Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St., Downtown. $25.75-80.75. pittsburghclose.org Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s new production of Chicago offers an entertaining evening of song and dance depicting murder, greed and corruption in 1920s Chicago. Chicago, with a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse and songs by…
The popularity of food foraging in Pittsburgh and across the country spotlights the need for sustainable practices
Each June, Stephanie Dax looks forward to harvesting juneberries across the Pittsburgh region. These wild berries look like blueberries and have a taste similar to “sweet black cherries,” according to, where else, www.juneberries.org. You might also know the tasty treat as a shadbush, shadblow, Saskatoon berry or by one of several other monikers. Dax, a…
Reviews of chapbooks by Kelly Scarff and Eric M.R. Webb
Esteemed local poet Judith Vollmer, in publicity notes for Kelly Scarff’s chapbook Mother Russia (Kattywompus Press), states that “the lyrical energies … make me want more poems of hers to hold, read and re-read.” Scarff, of Greensburg, uses powerfully concise writing to explore emotions raised by a missionary trip taken with her pastor-mom to an…
Lynn Cullen Live 06/22/15
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Wendy Bell files lawsuit and PittGirl takes her on. Republican National Convention. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
