“In Defense of Gravity” at Attack Theatre
A review of a new dance work based on the writings of poet and retired cop Jimmy Cvetic
KDKA journalist Marty Griffin tweets meme making light of sexual misconduct
The well-known gotcha journalist and talk-show host tweeted a meme that advocates say is insensitive to victims of sexual assault.
Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf says Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s committee seat should be re-examined in light of homophobic comments
The Republican state representative from Cranberry insinuated a colleague was gay because he touched him on the arm.
Three steps to build your own ugly holiday sweater
Ugly-sweater parties are a newer holiday tradition, partly inspired by a love of nostalgia. Holiday pictures from the 80s and 90s are chock full of ugly sweaters fit for merciless mocking. But instead of being embarrassed by the fashion skeletons in our respective closets, many have embraced the ugly sweaters of years past and celebrate…
Where to buy Pittsburgh-specific gifts that aren’t made in China
Everybody loves something with “yinz” written on it. In Pittsburgh, this usually means buying a cheaply made item of questionable quality that was made nowhere near the Steel City. But there is a better way to celebrate your Pittsburgh pride. The region is home to five cool boutiques that supply a plethora of gifts like…
Listen Up! Dec. 6 Issue
A selection of music from the artists featured in the Dec. 6 issue of City Paper
First Night 2018 attractions announced
Downtown New Year’s Eve festival features music, comedy, fireworks, a parade and more
CMU takes art underground with audiovisual experience SubSurface
Musicians and visual artists took over a repurposed limestone mine to create a unique audiovisual voyage underground.
Lynn Cullen Live – 12/5/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Protesters block entrance to Sen. Pat Toomey’s Pittsburgh office, hope to inspire more action against proposed tax bill
Pennsylvania constituents upset with the proposed tax-cut bill hope to reignite action against Republicans that swept the state earlier in the year.
Actress and singer Lillian Russell Moore, buried in Allegheny Cemetery, turns 156
In her heyday, Russell was one of the most famous actor/singers in the country, dubbed “The American Beauty,” long before the advent of popular mass media
MP3 Monday: Anjroy
Brand new music from Anjroy’s new album Sonic Sea, available for download here, today, free
Lynn Cullen Live – 12/4/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Allegheny County has the most car crashes of any county in Pennsylvania
Studies provide grim figures in terms of safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians in Western Pennsylvania’s urban and suburban landscapes.
Sound Bite Podcast 33: Gone Fishin’
Mill Creek Trout Farm is tucked into the hillside of a valley in Utica, Pa. This fish farm is a unique gem and focuses on raising trout to organic standards in spring-fed pools. The Seltzer family runs the business and lives on the property in a cabin that was cheerily puffing wood smoke from the chimney on…
Final performances of OId Man and the Old Moon at City Theatre
The show by CMU alums PigPen Theatre closes this weekend
Lynn Cullen Live – 11/30/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Pittsburgh’s North Hills constituents worry GOP tax plan could hurt 12th District senior citizens
The Republicans’ proposed tax bill would likely trigger an automatic cut of $25 billion to Medicare, which provides health insurance to seniors.
Lynn Cullen Live – 11/29/17
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Comedian Mike Birbigilia at Pittsburgh’s Byham this Friday
Birbiglia’s national tour of “The New One” hits town
Friendship and a shared love of music is driving Pittsburgh’s Chase and the Barons
Chase and the Barons 9 p.m. Fri., Dec. 1. Wooley Bullys, 1317 Allegheny St., New Brighton. Free. 724-843-4702 or wooleybullys.com While every young person knows that you’re supposed to listen to your mother, very few often do. Fortunately for drummer Jake Stretch, he took his mother’s advice roughly four years ago at an open house…
A conversation with Jennifer Egan
JENNIFER EGAN 7:30 p.m. Mon., Dec. 4. Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $15-35. 412-622-8866 or pittsburghlectures.org Jennifer Egan won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her 2011 book Welcome to the Goon Squad, set inside the record industry. Her new best-seller, Manhattan Beach, tells the story of deep-sea divers at the Brooklyn Naval…
Savage Love
I’m a straight man in a live-in relationship with a beautiful woman. There are no sparks in bed, and it’s been more than a year since we’ve had sex. She says, “I’m sorry, but I’m just not interested.” Sometimes she asks me if I’m disappointed, and I say something like, “I miss sex.” And she…
The Humans at Pittsburgh Public Theater
When Stephen Karam’s The Humans opened off-Broadway in 2015, the praise was strong enough to occasion a Broadway transfer, and garner both a Pulitzer-finalist nod and a Tony for Best Play. The local premiere, at Pittsburgh Public Theater, gives us an opportunity to enjoy this comedy/drama’s lots o’ yuks, personal turmoil, family secrets and finale,…
Drug Church performs at the Rex Theater with The Story So Far and Turnstile on Nov. 29
The Story So Far, with Drug Church and Turnstile 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 29. Rex Theater. 1602 E. Carson St., South Side. $22-25 (sold out). 412-381-6811 or rextheater.net Self-deprecation has essentially become a survival mechanism for millennials, a comforting comedic form to ease the dread of impending joblessness, governmental collapse and climatic apocalypse within our…
This week in Pittsburgh Sports History
Nov. 30, 1952 While we all know the Pittsburgh Steelers as a six-ring powerhouse, times weren’t always so golden. Quite frankly, before the Chuck Noll era, the team sucked. So when the Steelers scored nine touchdowns, forced nine turnovers and held the New York Giants to 15 rushing yards en route to a 63-7 victory…
LoFi Delphi releases Tilt at The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls on Dec. 1
On its third release, LoFi Delphi worked closely with J Vega, who runs Wilderness Studios, where the band recorded its new EP, TILT. Vega became something of a George Martin figure to the band, encouraging ideas and tweaking others. At one point during the sessions, he made an astute observation to bassist Andrew Belsick: “I…
Critics’ Pick: Starship Mantis
[DANCE+FUNK] + SAT., DEC. 2 Writings on the Wall has managed to create a space and community that grows and fosters collaboration and connection. Its sixth iteration at Flow Lounge features musical performers Starship Mantis, a groovy-ass band that makes funky dance tunes and radiates positive energy. There will also be an open jam session…
Wysocki: The Pittsburgh Pirates won’t be able to turn it around without a major trade
Christmas is still three weeks away, but the Christmas songs are entering their fourth week of ubiquity. As Americans lavishly spend money they may or may not have on friends, family and co-workers they don’t like, Major League Baseball teams start shopping sprees of their own. The wealthy teams in Los Angeles, New York and…
Critics’ Pick: Okey Dokey at Spirit
[INDIE ROCK] + TUE., DEC. 5 Okey Dokey is a good name for Okey Dokey. Johny Fisher (The Weeks) and Aaron Martin’s music is affable, slightly retro and easy on the ears (think: Dr. Dog, Foxygen, that kind of stuff). Catch them playing tunes from their debut, Love You, Mean It, tonight at Spirit. 9…
My Friend Dahmer
My Friend Dahmer Directed by Marc Meyers Starring Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Dallas Roberts, Anne Heche Starts Fri., Dec. 1. SouthSide Works When apprehended in 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer — killer of 17 men, cannibal and body-part hoarder — quickly entered the pantheon of single-name-famous serial killers. Much has been written about Dahmer’s gruesome crimes, but…
Thelma
Joachim Trier’s semi-supernatural psycho-sexual slow-burn thriller is the second European film I’ve seen in a year about sensitive young women who show up at college and have rather bizarre meltdowns. The other was Raw, from Belgium, and this Norwegian entry is decidedly more Nordic — austere, beautifully shot and notably less bloody. But both films…
Get your cardigans ready for Mr. Rogers Bar
Thanks to Carrie Clayton and Spencer Warren, of Subversive Cocktails and Penn Avenue Fish Company, Downtown will welcome a new neighbor, Mr. Rogers, in January. Even unfinished, the spot at 245 Seventh Ave. already gives off a sense of modern meets old-school, with booths and barware picked up from local Goodwills. The bar top has…
Attack Theatre tackles the poetry of local character Jimmy Cvetic
A stated goal of Attack Theatre is to create passionate portrayals of everyday life. So when the dance company’s co-artistic director and co-founder Peter Kope was introduced to the poetry of former Allegheny County police detective and boxing coach Jimmy Cvetic, he was inspired to create a work infused with the passionate portrayals of everyday…
New Local Release: Radon Chong’s I Keep on Talking to You
Radon Chong I Keep on Talking to You Single Girl Married Girl radonchong.bandcamp.com Radon Chong — a Pittsburgh act that crafts musical nooses out of knotted guitars — sets its sights high on I Keep on Talking to You, a debut cassette sitting at the intersection of post-rock’s interwoven trajectories and Captain Beefheart’s atonal laments.…
Critics’ Pick: Donora at Spirit
[INDIE POP] + FRI., DEC. 1 It’s been three years since we last heard from Donora, and the band’s return couldn’t have come at a better time. Bright but not overproduced, upbeat but not lacking for edge, Donora’s music has an unmatched ability to bring gloomy folks out of their funks — and there’s no…
No Need To Panic: The Pittsburgh Pirates will be just fine in 2018
To call the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2017 season a disappointment would be a gross understatement. It was the team’s second straight losing season after having turned things around in 2013, and fans wanted no part of it. The masses want big changes now because they think two losing seasons can turn into 20 and, granted, there’s…
Critics’ Pick: The Mountain Goats at Smalls
[FOLK ROCK] + SAT., DEC. 2 Indie folk-rock band The Mountain Goats are probably best known for the popular track “This Year,” which asserts “I am going to make it through this year / If it kills me.” As we near the end of 2017 (unofficially the longest year of all time), this song and…
Award-winning photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier and artist Sandra Gould Ford honor working-class life at the August Wilson Center
In 1977, while studying at the University of Pittsburgh, Sandra Gould Ford took the first of a series of clerical jobs at J&L Steel. That was five years before LaToya Ruby Frazier was born. But upon meeting, in 2015, the two women connected immediately: They were both African-American artists from Pittsburgh committed to honoring the…
Critics’ Pick: Peaer at Roboto
[MOODY] + SUN., DEC. 3 There’s something for everyone tonight at Mr. Roboto Project (as long as everyone has a lot of feelings). Brooklyn-based Peaer makes low and slow punk with a rotating lineup of musicians. Its latest self-titled album ranges from dark and philosophical to slightly less dark and hopeful. The band will be…
Or, The Whale is a new fine-dining restaurant Downtown
Or, The Whale 463 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 412-632-0002 website Theme restaurants have come a long way from the Western-styled steakhouses and crustacean-encrusted seafood shacks of our youth, places where cultural fantasy came suspiciously close to substitution for quality. Then, as now, finer dining rarely indulged in themes more elaborate than “luxury,” perhaps…
Homemade Scallion Pancakes
A couple of my colleagues here at City Paper laughed when I said I was attempting a homemade meal of Chinese food for an upcoming staycation. They warned me that it could turn out OK, even good-ish, but that it would never match the quality of the real thing. On one hand, I agreed; on…
Montenegro Amaro
This silky, lovely amaro is a great gateway to the more forminable bitterness of other amari on the market. With herbal notes of coriander and orange, it makes a perfect palate-cleanser and stomach-settling sipper at the end of a meal. Recommended by Celine Roberts Montenegro Amaro is available at fl.2, inside the Fairmont Hotel, Downtown.
Freddie Mercury came to me in a dream
We were singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” in a Prius. In his white tank top and tight jeans, he ordered me to drive further into space. He called me Space Queen. Freddie took off his suit of skin and threw it out the window. I want to be 21 forever. I want to sit in this Prius…
These Pennsylvania politicians have received the most money from pharmaceutical companies accused of exacerbating the opioid crisis
In October, Beaver County officials filed a lawsuit against a dozen pharmaceutical companies, alleging they blatantly overprescribed painkillers and worsened the region’s opioid crisis. According to the complaint, opioid prescriptions quadrupled, starting in the early 2000s, and as a result, pharmaceutical companies made billions in profits. Beaver County officials say the opioid epidemic is costing…
Short List: Nov 30 – Dec 7
SPOTLIGHT: Thu., Nov. 30 – Stage Millennials and their boomer parents’ generation are often portrayed as at odds, and you’ll get no argument from acclaimed British playwright Mike Bartlett. His 2010 comedy Love, Love, Love concerns a boomer couple and their two children. With acts set in 1967, 1990 and the present, it tracks Kenneth…
Tinseltown
Happy holidays, Downtowners! The Harris Grill, on Fourth Avenue Downtown, is putting some extra sparkle in Sparkle Season with its holiday pop-up bar, Tinseltown. After taking over the former Tavern 245 space in June, and opening the second and third floors, the owners weren’t sure what to do with the small first-floor space. That is,…
Inside the weird world of YouTube channels dedicated to reviewing toilets
Like many of you, I’ve journeyed down many bizarre YouTube rabbit-holes in my day. Knife-making competitions. Blue Apron-sponsored ASMR. Sandra Lee compilations. Raw vegan cooking shows. Hip-hop dressage. A python eating a whole alligator. I mean it when I say I’ve seen some weird shit, but even I was truly confused when I learned about…
While Pittsburgh has seen recent victories on abortion access, activists say a persistent piece of legislation could roll back a woman’s right to choose
In early October, then-U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair) made national news when it was revealed he had pressured his mistress to have an abortion (it turned out she wasn’t pregnant). The very day the story broke, Murphy voted in favor a national ban on abortions after 20 weeks. Widespread outrage against the purportedly…
