Listen Up! Music in this week’s issue, put into a playlist
As is tradition now, I bring you a new Spotify playlist that can also act as your guide to what concerts to go see (or perhaps what not to go see, depending) this week in Pittsburgh. This was kind of a tough week, for two reasons: First, holiday weekends tend to be light on touring…
Stuffing traditional holiday gender roles
Traditional gender roles dictate that women can usually be found in the kitchen on Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season while men get some R&R watching football in the living room. I went shopping with Chris Rapier, who divides work with his girlfriend by skill set, not by gender role. He cooks Thanksgiving dinner for…
Pittsburgh supports Michael Brown and Ferguson
For the young black men at today’s Pittsburgh rally to support Ferguson, Mo, the death of Michael Brown is a terrifying reality. Brown was a high school graduate shot and killed on Aug. 9 by a police officer. “As a black man who is the same age as Michael Brown, it worries me that I…
Show announcements: New Pornographers, Ali Spagnola and more
It’s Tuesday afternoon, which means I bring you a roundup of recent concert announcements from local promoters. Let’s get down to it! A couple new ones for Mr. Small’s: Sun., Feb. 8, the Millvale hall hosts the Chris Robinson Brotherhood ($22, on sale now), featuring the Black Crowe brother. And Fri., Feb. 13, The New…
Strip District Music Fest to debut Jan. 17
A bajillion Pittsburgh bands will descend on the Strip for a day.
Lynn Cullen Live 11/25/14
Video Archive Lynn and Suz talk about the decision in the Michael Brown case and the impending federal investigation. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno at the Carnegie
Post written by Lissa Brennan As we waited for the audience to troop into Carnegie Music Hall for the live performance of Green Porno on Friday, Isabella Rossellini’s famously gorgeous face could be seen repeatedly popping out from behind the curtain. Isabella Rossellini in “Green Porno” Due to some difficulties at the will-call counter, the…
Meghann Wright comes to Smiling Moose Tuesday
It’s almost Thanksgiving, and by default it’s also almost the drinkingest day of the year, but before we get to either of those, we’ve got Meghann Wright coming to the Smiling Moose tomorrow (Tuesday). The Brooklyn-based folkie is hitting the home stretch on a tour that took her up and down the East Coast; this…
U.S. Steel to build headquarters on former Civic Arena site
Today the Pittsburgh Penguins and local leaders announced plans to build a new U.S. Steel headquarters on the former Civic Arena site in the lower Hill District. The site will be built with a mix of private and public dollars including $15 million in state funding and unknown local contributions from taxpayers. Penguins President and…
W. Kamau Bell (and friends) at the Garfield Artworks
The ole Artworks is not known as a comedy venue — indeed this storefront space, though an underground standby, is not known to the vast majority of Pittsburghers as a venue of any sort. That was a subplot of last Friday’s show, which included a nice set by the nationally known sociopolitical comic as well…
Smokey Robinson will judge First Night sing-off for kids grade 6-12
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced Smokey Robinson will be the celebrity judge for this year’s sing-off competition at Highmark First Night Pittsburgh. The sing-off competition is for kids in grades 6-12, and contestants enter by submitting Youtube videos of themselves singing one song written by Smokey Robinson, and one other song of their choice. …
Lynn Cullen Live 11/24/14
Video Archive I’m back. Thank you for your support over this last month! Happy to report that Lynn Cullen’s Wild Ride went swimmingly. Chuck Hagel “steps down”. Cameras in a convent: The Sisterhood reality T.V. show. Duke Rupert and I make friends. R.I.P. Marion Barry. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with…
Local advocates celebrate immigration announcement, but call it a ‘first step’
Photo by Alex Zimmerman Rev. Linda Theophilus addresses a crowd at United Steelworkers headquarters this morning The mood in the lobby of the United Steelworkers headquarters this morning, where dozens gathered to celebrate a renewed push to offer legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants, was undeniably festive. “Christmas came early for immigrant families,” declared…
Moon Baby unveils new EP produced by Wise Blood; release show tonight
If you’re not hip to The Moon Baby yet, you will be soon. The PIttsburgh-based artist just released her debut EP, urallpoor.us, with a streaming debut via Vice’s Noisey blog. Produced by another local, Wise Blood, it’s a weird and beautiful trip, with quiet moments and bassy explosions, somewhere between club music and chamber pop…
Cariad Harmon opens at Club Cafe tonight
Photo Courtesty of Shervin Lainez You may have listened to Heather Kropf’s MP3 Monday last week in preparation for her headlining show at Club Café tonight. However, you may have overlooked a special feature of her show: the opener. London-based Cariad Harmon now lives and works in Brooklyn and is toting around her folk-inspired songs…
Final Eargasm Tonight
The open-mic series focusing on spoken-word artists ends its four-year run with a poetry slam — and a book-launch. The book-launch is for Straightening Combs and Other Things That Changed My Life, by local performer and poet Kim El. The book incorporates material from her solo stage show Straightening Combs. The slam, meanwhile, will feature…
Health department announces syphilis spike
The Allegheny County Health Department this morning announced a “significant” increase in syphilis across the county, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). There were 98 cases reported this year as of Nov. 10, a 75 percent increase from the same period last year. Ninety percent of reported infections were in men. “There…
New show announcements this week: Foo Fighters, alt-J, more
Erin McKeown is slated to come to Club Cafe in January, and The Lone Bellow plays Stage AE in February.
Correction: Wyatt Cenac show is on Fri., Nov. 21
The interview with comedian Wyatt Cenac in today’s print edition of City Paper includes an incorrect date for his performance at Club Cafe. The show is at 10:30 p.m. Fri., Nov. 21. CP regrets the error. The online version of the interview, expanded and with correct show info, is here.
Former Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac brings his standup to town
WYATT CENAC 10:30 p.m. Fri., Nov. 21 Club Café 56 S. 12th St. South Side. $20. clubcafelive.com Fresh off the release of his new Netflix comedy special, Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn, Wyatt Cenac is taking his standup across the country. The Daily Show alum’s new material is sharp and sometimes personal, with bits that range from…
Short List: November 19 – 25
Spotlight: Sat., Nov. 20 — Stage Patrick Jordan and Melissa Martin get why Pittsburgh hasn’t seen a professional production of A Streetcar Named Desire for some 15 years: It’s a classic with a large cast — “a monster play,” says Jordan — and it’s shadowed by the iconic 1951 Marlon Brando-Vivien Leigh film version. “People…
The Trojan Women at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama
TROJAN WOMEN: A LOVE STORY continues through Sat., Nov. 22. Philip Chosky Theater CMU campus Oakland $28.75-33 drama.cmu.edu The Trojan Women is a classic palimpsest: re-written, re-adapted and re-translated since 451 BCE, when Euripides copped the story from Homer’s even-more-ancient Iliad. The School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University’s latest iteration, Charles L. Mee’s Trojan…
Stuff We Like
Beer Flights. Mount Washington’s Bigham Tavern offers a flight of four craft brews for $10. Stop in soon for the Weyerbacher Merry Monks. Dero Bicycle Fixit Stations. There are now more than a dozen of these amenities around town, each with an air pump and a variety of tools strung on cables. (This one’s by…
W. Kamau Bell returns to Pittsburgh
W. KAMAU BELL 7 p.m. Fri., Nov. 21 Garfield Artworks 4931 Penn Ave. Garfield $15 wkamaubell.com In 2011, before launching his acclaimed FX/FXX TV program, Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell, W. Kamau Bell did his first stand-up show in Pittsburgh. Fans packed the unlikely confines of Downtown restaurant Papa J’s Centro, and Bell still…
Serious Question (2)
Because he doesn’t know everything we came here for I hope we don’t but, when he’s a teen, will I have to follow my half-Italian/Irish/Swedish half-Jamaican son around the store or were you going to be doing that anyway? — Stephen Pusateri Stephen Pusateri works for WYEP-FM on its soul and blues shows. He has…
Dumb and Dumber To
Let’s talk about Dumb and Dumber To, the Farrelly brothers’ un-asked-for sequel to their 1994 hit, Dumb and Dumber: Stale and Staler. Stupid and Stupider. Critic and Critic-er. That’s right — City Paper sent two staffers to the screening, since guest critic Charlie Deitch loved the first film and was eager to see the second.…
Dive Bar and Grille
Dive Bar and Grille 5147 Butler St. Lawrenceville 412-408-2015 Hours: Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Prices: $7-19 Liquor: Full bar Don’t let the name mislead you — although really, how could it? What are the odds that a bar named “Dive” actually is one? Dive Bar and Grille, on Butler Street near 51st, doesn’t beat those…
Pulp: A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets
Florian Habicht’s rock doc follows Jarvis Cocker and his mates as they prepare for their (maybe) final show in their hometown of Sheffield. It’s a reunion of sorts after close to a decade of inactivity, and, of course, the film delves a bit into their history. Artfully put together, the film is a pleasure in…
At this year’s Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival, some traditional tastes stood out
The Pittsburgh Whiskey & Fine Spirits Festival, a salute to all things distilled, stampeded through Rivers Casino late last month. The annual event showcased hundreds of spirits from around the world, accompanied by shot girls, elaborate displays and an all-important buffet. Since then, I’ve had the chance to reflect on — and sleep off —…
Up-and-comer Tairey mixes art and hip hop
TAIREY CELESTIAL EP-RELEASE PARTY AND ART EXHIBIT 7:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 22. The Space Upstairs 214 N. Lexington St. North Point Breeze. Free. All ages. taireymusic.com Most teenagers are worried about prom, college applications or keeping up with trending topics on Twitter. In a basement on the North Side two years ago, though, Tairey Perez…
By your pie, this holiday season, you shall be judged
Holiday pies used to be something grandma made, or dad pulled out of the freezer section. Now, in these artisanal times, from-scratch pies are de rigueur at any gathering, and yet another way for foodies to get judge-y, especially about your crust. A classic pie crust can be tricky, and novice pastry makers can be…
Janis Ian talks about bullying and the indie-versus-major argument
JANIS IAN 7:30 p.m. Sat., Nov. 22. Carnegie Lecture Hall 4400 Forbes Ave. Oakland. $23-39. All ages. 412-361-1915 or calliopehouse.org Janis Ian rose to fame early, scoring a hit in 1967 with “Society’s Child,” written two years before when she was only 14. She had another charting (and Grammy-winning) song, “At Seventeen,” in 1975, and…
Tom Sokolowski – Lynn Cullen Live 11/21/14
Video Archive Lynn’s show was a success! Society’s response to rape victims needs to change and be more supportive (Cosby, educational institutions, athletic teams) The President’s comments last night about immigration cause a stir. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Pittpunk makes a comeback
It’s Saturday night at the Smiling Moose, and Adam Rahuba is talking shit on himself. “If there’s a DJ that claims to be the worst DJ in Pittsburgh — I’m worse,” he says with a laugh. Rahuba, 33, of Highland Park, might merely be using self-deprecation to deflect his anxiety over the latest in a…
Critics’ Picks: Nov. 20-26
[INDIE ROCK] + SAT., NOV. 22 Nashville-based quintet Dinner and a Suit got its name from the family history of band members (and cousins) Jonathan Capeci and Joey Berette. The tale goes that their great-grandmother was a seamstress who collected and repaired discarded suits from the factory that she worked at; she made it a…
On the Record with Paul Giallorenzo of GitGO
GITGO 8 p.m. Thu., Nov. 20. Thunderbird Café 4023 Butler St. Lawrenceville. $15-20. 412-682-0177 or thunderbirdcafe.net Pianist Paul Giallorenzo plays in several projects in Chicago, which range from jazz to electronic. His quintet GitGO (short for “Get In to Get Out”) includes saxophonist Mars Williams, who likewise has a résumé that includes The Waitresses and…
As CMU’s Conflict Kitchen reopens, the discussion of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities continues
If there was ever a time to get kosher or halal food in Pittsburgh while at the same time engaging in discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this is it. Two events planned this week are the latest development in a back-and-forth that’s been ongoing since Conflict Kitchen began serving a Palestinian menu this fall. Conflict…
ShotSpotter surveillance system to provide faster response to gunfire in Pittsburgh neighborhood
Last year in the city, 1,463 gunshots were reported to 911 — experts say that a multitude of shots are never even called in. That gunfire, says Pittsburgh City Councilor Ricky Burgess, can paralyze a neighborhood. “We talk about the homicides and we talk about the shootings, but we don’t talk about how much gunfire…
Study: More Pennsylvanians with autism ‘getting tangled up’ in criminal-justice system than ever
Luciana Randall, of the Autism Connection of PA, estimates that nearly 10 percent of the calls for help she receives are related to people with autism getting tangled up in the criminal-justice system. So when the state recently published data that shows people with autism are getting caught in the justice system more frequently, she…
Isabella Rossellini brings Green Porno to Pittsburgh
GREEN PORNO featuring Isabella Rossellini. 8 p.m. Fri., Nov. 21. Carnegie Music Hall 4400 Forbes Ave. Oakland. $20-25. 412-237-8300 or warhol.org The word “green” is richly evocative. It conjures the botanical, the natural world ripe and lush. It’s fresh and clean. The word “porno” is highly suggestive. It references sexuality that goes beyond the basic…
Narrative Arks: We need help envisioning a sustainable future
The University of Pittsburgh’s recent day-long event marking the centenary of Jonas Salk reminded us why there were few 20th-century American heroes bigger than the man who discovered the polio vaccine. Yet the Jonas Salk Centenary Symposium on Sustainability, organized by Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health, focused on one of Salk’s later concerns: how…
One misstep aside, Contemporary Choreographers is a strong program
Conservatory Dance Company’s CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHERS continues through Sun., Nov. 23. George Rowland White Performance Studio 201 Wood St. Downtown. $18-20. 412-392-8000 or pittsburghplayhouse.com. Emotionally powerful and thrilling was the ultimate effect of this past Sunday’s performance of Conservatory Dance Company’s Contemporary Choreographers program. The annual production showcases works by some of today’s best choreographers and talented…
Great American Beer Festival puts Pittsburgh brewers on display
For American craft-beer brewers and drinkers, Denver’s Great American Beer Festival is the pinnacle. The wildly popular event — held this year from Oct. 2-4, with tickets selling out in just 32 minutes — is comprised of three parts: a beer competition, with 5,507 beers entered by 1,309 breweries; a beer festival, where over 700…
Evita at Stage 62
EVITA continues through Sun., Nov. 23. Andrew Carnegie Free Library Music Hall 300 Beechwood Ave. Carnegie. $15-18. 412-429-6262 or stage62.com Patrick Palamara must have been sobbing with relief when Cynthia Dougherty, Jeff Way and Leon S. Zionts walked into auditions for Evita. Palamara’s the director of the Stage 62 production of this Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim…
Savage Love
I am a 30-year-old trans guy, on T since college, happy and comfortable with my sexuality. However, I can’t find any helpful health info on a fetish I’ve developed: I insert needles directly into my clit, maybe an inch and a half in. I’m not talking through it, like a piercing, but into it, going…
