March 8, 2017 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

EVENTS 3.10 – 7pm WHAT COUNTS AS HUMAN? A DISCUSSION WITH CHRISTOPHER FYNSK, URSULA HEISE, AND ILLAH NOURBAKHSH The Warhol theater Presented with Carnegie Nexus, as part of the Strange Times series. FREE; Registration suggested

3.16 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: KID KOALA: NUFONIA MUST FALL Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland) Presented with Carnegie Nexus, as part of the Strange Times series and Toonseum. Tickets $25/$20 members & students

3.18 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: DUNGEN The Warhol theater Tickets $20/$15 members & students

Miwa Matreyek: This World Made Itself and Myth & Infrastructure

3.19 – 2pm ACTIVIST PRINT: ARTISTS IN DIALOGUE The Warhol theater Presented in conjunction with the installation Activist Print with artists Paradise Gray, Alisha B. Wormsley, and Bekezela Mguni. FREE; Registration suggested

4.8 – 6 & 8pm Carnegie Museum of Natural History Hall of Mammals 3.25 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: BANG ON A CAN: FIELD RECORDINGS Carnegie Lecture Hall (Oakland) Presented with Carnegie Nexus, as part of the Strange Times series and the Music on the Edge series of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Music, and the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival. Tickets $15/$12 members & students

Get rapt in a cinematic vista of animation, theater, and shadow play on this thematic journey that takes you through Earth’s history—from its ﬁrst spark of beginning to the complex world of accelerated human interaction, the Anthropocene. Tickets $15/$12 members & students Co-presented with Carnegie Nexus, as part of the Strange Times series.

Media sponsors for Strange Times.

The Andy Warhol Museum receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency and The Heinz Endowments. Further support is provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

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We’ve made it simple! Riding Port Authority is now faster, simpler and easier than ever before. Starting March 1st, riders will have the option of exiting the front or rear doors when the situation is appropriate.* Riders will continue to pay when entering the front door of the bus regardless of travel direction or time of day.

*Some exceptions may apply since there may be times when it is unsafe to open the rear doors.

.......................………………simple.PortAuthority.org 4

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

Animal Rescue League & Wildlife Center/Western PA Humane Society

03.08/03.15.2017 VOLUME 27 + ISSUE 10

WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER FUNDRAISER [EDITORIAL] Editor CHARLIE DEITCH News Editor REBECCA ADDISON Arts & Entertainment Editor BILL O’DRISCOLL Associate Editor AL HOFF Web Producer ALEX GORDON Staff Writers RYAN DETO, CELINE ROBERTS Music Writer MEG FAIR Interns JOHN HAMILTON, AMANI NEWTON, ALONA WILLIAMS

March 18 • 12 - 4pm Raise funds & supplies for the coming animal babies! Drop Off Location: Journeys of Life 810 Bellefonte Street Pittsburgh, PA 15232

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Meet Adrienne & Rocky, the eastern box turtles!

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Senior Account Executives PAUL KLATZKIN, JEREMY WITHERELL Advertising Representatives MACKENNA DONAHUE, BLAKE LEWIS Classified Manager ANDREA JAMES National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529

LANDMARKS PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER - A program of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Foundation

Join us at the Landmarks Preservation Resource Center for ongoing workshops as we continue programming on architecture, history, design, urban planning, and other topics related to how cities function and historic preservation as a tool of community development.

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“Let’s fix the problems that we have before building more highways.” PAGE 06

Marketing Director DEANNA KONESNI Marketing Design Coordinator LINDSEY THOMPSON Marketing Assistant THRIA DEVLIN

THURSDAY, MARCH 16 • 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

[ADMINISTRATION]

WORKSHOP: MULTIPLE MOLDING MAKING METHODS

Circulation Director JIM LAVRINC Office Administrator RODNEY REGAN Interactive Media Manager CARLO LEO

REGIS WILL

[PUBLISHER] EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

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“Writers have two or three obsessions that they go back to forever, and I think that’s a good thing.” PAGE 30

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• Vesta Home Services LLC

Learn several different methods of replicating a moulding using saws, chisels, planes, and scrapers to get to the ﬁnal proﬁle you are trying to replicate. The methods explained are most valuable for re-creating short pieces of moulding that may be damaged or missing in your home.

GENERAL POLICIES: Contents copyrighted 2017 by Eagle Media Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Pittsburgh City Paper are those of the author and not necessarily of Eagle Media Corp. LETTER POLICY: Letters, faxes or e-mails must be signed and include town and daytime phone number for confirmation. We may edit for length and clarity. DISTRIBUTION: Pittsburgh City Paper is published weekly by Eagle Media Corp. and is available free of charge at select distribution locations. One copy per reader; copies of past issues may be purchased for $3.00 each, payable in advance to Pittsburgh City Paper. FIRST CLASS MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Available for $175 per year, $95 per half year. No refunds.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Regis Will is a woodworker, craftsman, and owner of Vesta Home Services, a consulting ﬁrm on house restoration and Do-it-Yourself projects. He blogs about his work at The New Yinzer Workshop..

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Wilkins Township Supervisor Mike Boyd standing on Thompson Run Road, which will be eliminated with the creation of the Mon-Fayette Expressway.

ROAD TO NOWHERE T

HE PROPOSED extension of the Mon-

Fayette Expressway is the highway plan that just won’t die. The raised, four-lane express toll-road from Jefferson Hills through Duquesne to Monroeville has been started and stalled so many times since the idea was ﬁrst dreamed up in the late 1950s, that some have nicknamed it the “zombie highway.” Sustainable-development nonprofit PennFuture has campaigned against the Mon-Fayette for years and gave it the undead moniker in 2015. “It is the zombie highway because you can’t kill it,” says Andrea Boykowycz, formerly of PennFuture. “It’s impossible to kill.” But there’s a reason the Mon-Fayette won’t stay buried: It’s been embedded into the Mon Valley’s hopes and dreams for decades. The highway was ﬁrst proposed as a way to increase productivity of the

steel and industrial facilities that hummed along the Monongahela River in the 1950s, but it was scrapped due to lack of funding. It was proposed again in the mid-1980s to help revitalize the Mon Valley, which had seen massive decline with the collapse of Pittsburgh’s steel industry, but funding remained an issue.

Despite changing infrastructure needs in the Mon Valley, the Mon-Fayette Expressway refuses to die {BY RYAN DETO} Since then, every several years, the Mon-Fayette gets ﬂoated as the big idea to help revitalize the Mon Valley, which suffers from some of the worst unemploy-

ment in the Pittsburgh region. But critics recognize the highway’s serious issues, like its high price tag and the lengthy completion timeline. Additionally, the project never actually materializes. “It’s almost a meaningless promise, but it also serves as gospel,” says Boykowycz. Regardless, a powerful group of state politicians and business leaders believes the Mon-Fayette is still the answer. However, critics, including town supervisors and activists, say the Mon Valley should instead make improvements to existing infrastructure with Complete Streets policies — where road design equally accommodates drivers, pedestrians, public transit and cyclists — believing that will spur economic development. Whether the Mon-Fayette could revive the Mon-Valley economy or not is up for debate, but it appears the discussion CONTINUES ON PG. 08

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{CP PHOTO BY RYAN DETO}

Officials presenting Mon-Fayette Expressway plans to residents, at the Monroeville Public Library

isn’t fading away anytime soon. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, which is tasked with designing and constructing the Mon-Fayette, says funding will come from the state tax that drivers pay for gasoline, and the group is in process of renewing the Mon-Fayette’s approval with Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a transportation and development-planning agency. The Turnpike Commission currently projects a $2.1 billion price-tag for the 14-mile highway connecting two suburban municipalities. According to Turnpike Commission spokesperson Carl DeFebo, the highway extension should receive 37,000 vehicles a day in 2045. DeFebo says current designs show the commission will need to acquire land on 689 properties, including 237 residences, to complete construction of the Mon-Fayette. A toll amount hasn’t been ﬁnalized for the Mon-Fayette, but DeFebo says it will be comparable to other Turnpike extensions in the region, like the Beaver Valley Expressway. (These cashless tolls require drivers to have an E-Z Pass.) DeFebo says that the commission is merely the facilitator of the project, not its advocate. “The [Turnpike Commission] was directed to advance this project as well as other projects by the [state] Legislature,” wrote DeFebo in an email to Pittsburgh City Paper. “Our role is not to advocate the expressway, but to design and construct it.” Projects like the Mon-Fayette were given to the Turnpike Commission in 1986 thanks to the passage of state Act 61, which authorized the commission to undertake a program of capital improvements and construction projects. State Sen. Jim Brewster (D-McKeesport) still very much supports the Mon-Fayette, says his chief of staff Tim Joyce, citing its

economic development potential. “It opens up different opportunities,” says Joyce. “Businesses have always looked for the shortest roots to deliver their products, and a modern highway improves those options.” Joyce points out old brownfield sites in Clairton, McKeesport and Duquesne as potential beneficiaries of the highway, even though the proposed Mon-Fayette route doesn’t directly connect to many of those sites. “It’s close enough that the surrounding communities will take notice and benefit,” says Joyce. He adds that just because the highway is built doesn’t mean towns can’t also focus on streetscape improvements and redesigns. However, history shows that large, raised expressways can have a negative effect on neighborhoods. According to a March 2016 Washington Post article, former U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who grew up in a Charlotte neighborhood bisected by expressways, advocated for removing expressways in Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle and Baltimore because they sliced through and hurt neighborhoods. “It became clear to me only later on, that those freeways were there to carry people through my neighborhood, but never to my neighborhood,” said Foxx in the Post. “Businesses didn’t invest there. Grocery stores and pharmacies didn’t take the risk.” (Local politicians have cited similar effects from I-279 in the North Side.) PennFuture CEO Larry Schweiger still believes the Mon-Fayette will hurt the Mon Valley, and will take away potential funds to help repair some of the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania has the second-highest number CONTINUES ON PG. 10

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Animal Rescue League & Wildlife Center/Western PA Humane Society

WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER FUNDRAISER March 18 • 12 - 4pm Raise funds & supplies for the coming animal babies! REI - Southside 412 S 27th Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203

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a negative impact of the Mon-Fayette. Mike Boyd is a town supervisor from Wilkins Township. Wilkins supervisors recently voted 5-0 on a resolution against the Mon-Fayette. “From the perspective of residents in Wilkins, the Mon-Fayette expressway will not add a lot of useful connectivity,” says Boyd. “We need access to the city of Pittsburgh.” Originally, a segment was planned to connect Turtle Creek to Oakland. That plan was scrapped in 2015, due to high costs and opposition from the community. (Ironically, an area that would have been served by the canceled leg of highway, Almono in Hazelwood, is now seeing development commitments from Uber and Carnegie Mellon University, and will be Pittsburgh’s first Complete Streetsdesigned development.) Boyd would like to see a commitment to alternative transit in the Mon Valley to facilitate people visiting areas like Wilkins. (Turnpike officials have floated the idea of connecting the East Busway to Turtle Creek, and then allowing buses on the Mon-Fayette, but Port Authority would have to build the busway extension and its capital funds are limited.) And Molly Nichols, of public-transit advocacy group Pittsburghers for Public Transportation, agrees with Boyd and believes addressing current transit needs are better than the “if we build it they will come” mentality of Brewster and Burqwin. “Our region should not spend over $2 billion on a highway, especially when there is a lack of clear evidence that we need it,” says Nichols. “There is no question we need more public transit and Complete Streets infrastructure in the Mon Valley.” Boyd sees the Mon-Fayette as counter to Wilkins’ current bike and pedestrian friendliness since the highway would eliminate Thompson Run Road, a popular road for biking and jogging. Boyd also worries that the Mon-Fayette will increase traffic, noise and pollution in Wilkins, which sits nestled in a valley, and he can’t imagine his residents using the road, since it will only be accessible via cashless toll. “There is necessity for better connectivity in the Mon Valley,” says Boyd, “but we should make improvements to the state roads, and make minor modifications to improve flow and accessibility. A giant toll road connecting two semi-outer communities doesn’t answer our region’s needs. We need a more holistic approach, rather than this one-off approach.” Not all town leaders are opposed. Duquesne Mayor Phil Krivacek told WPXI

“WE WILL SIMPLY BE THE TOWN THAT EVERYONE DRIVES OVER.”

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of structurally deficient bridges (9,561) among the 50 states, and 57 percent of its roads are in mediocre or poor condition. “The Mon/Fayette Expressway is an extremely expensive pork-barrel project that will rip apart communities to provide access to a sparsely populated part of the state,” wrote Schweiger in a statement to CP. “This boondoggle will saddle the motoring public statewide with the bill when … fuel taxes could be better served repairing failing bridges and crumbling roadways. Let’s fix the problems that we have before building more highways.” But Mon-Yough Area Chamber of Commerce director Maury Burgwin feels the Mon-Fayette must come first to revitalize development in the region. His business organization covers most of the area the MonFayette would serve, and he says a modern highway would attract industrial developers to the almost 1,000 acres of “shovel-ready” plots in the region. “If you are going to put in some serious development on those sites, you need to develop those roads,” says Burgwin. “The trucking industry is growing.” Burgwin added that Kennywood has expressed interest in expanding if the road were completed. The Turnpike Commission’s projections forecast the creation of 5,700 private-sector jobs, 19,500 jobs in relation to building the highway, and $3.86 billion in total economic impact. Burgwin says some developers have been intrigued by industrial sites in McKeesport, but no one has committed. He believes building out the road is necessary to attract business. But there is a long time to wait. According to the Turnpike Commission’s projections, the road wouldn’t be complete until 2036. For Turtle Creek Mayor Kelley Kelley, this lengthy build-time will only perpetuate the decades-long promise to Mon-Valley residents. Although her town’s government has not officially come out against the project, Kelley is opposed because the road will cut through Turtle Creek’s business district; it would displace some long-time residents, and she fears the area will become a bypassed borough. “We will simply be the town that everyone drives over,” wrote Kelley in an email to CP. “I personally feel that the threat of the expressway being built (going on 30 some years now) has actually discouraged people from moving businesses into our area, or redeveloping other parts. Why come into a town and buy or rent space that is scheduled to be demolished and not replaced?” Turtle Creek isn’t the only town fearing

CONTINUES ON PG. 12

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Some participants may also undergo an fMRI scan. There is no cost for this procedure. Participants are compensated $50 upon completion of the fMRI.

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in August 2016 that the expressway will exceed expectations. “It’s about the economy and building the economy. And that’s what I’m hoping for. It brings it back, so we don’t have to struggle,” Krivacek told WPXI. Fifteen towns also passed resolutions supporting the Mon-Fayette in 2014. But Boykowycz, formerly of PennFuture, is quick to point out that those resolutions passed before the Turnpike Commission eliminated the connection to Pittsburgh, which provided an alternate route around the trafﬁc-heavy Squirrel Hill Tunnel. Boykowycz worries the highway will just encourage sprawl that creates suburban bedroom communities, instead of spurring business growth in the Mon Valley. She believes those billions could go a long way to redeveloping Mon Valley towns with road and sidewalk improvements that modernize business districts. Boykowycz says this is the way to attract new small businesses and young residents looking for a walkable community, citing Millvale’s recent success in revitalizing its business district. “It’s a complete and utter waste of money,” she says. “It’s not furthering or supporting a vision. It’s not congruent with

current transportation priorities.” Ultimately, however, critics’ opinions of the Mon-Fayette only matter if they are able to sway the Mon Valley’s state legislators. Boykowycz says the only way to kill the Mon-Fayette is for the state legislators to pass a bill rewriting Act 61. She says that trying to outﬂank the Mon Valley representatives, almost all of whom are Democrats, by garnering Republican support is unlikely because legislators don’t tend to vote to remove projects from other legislators’ districts. This means Brewster and the Mon Valley state House reps would have to denounce the Mon-Fayette. But because the Mon-Fayette has become such a powerful symbol of revitalization over the decades, Boykowycz says it’s extremely rare for a state legislator in the area to campaign against it. But the zombie highway isn’t fully revived yet. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission still has to approve placing the project on its Transportation Improvement Program, which helps the project comply with federal guidelines. Public comments are accepted for the Mon-Fayette until March 10 and can be sent to comments@ spcregion.org. RYA N D E TO@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

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myself when I let go of that hold and found self-conﬁdence in other areas. There are a lot of pressures a person faces within their ﬁrst year of recovery. I had to maintain a weight, utilize brand-new coping skills, and be a new person in an environment that, for years, had kept me sick. I didn’t have a chance. I knew I could not be alone in this aspect of my struggle. We decided to launch Garment to beat this problem before it starts for other women.

The Garment Project removes triggers for women with eating disorders {BY REBECCA ADDISON} ACCORDING TO the National Eating Disorders Association, an estimated 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their life. But only one in 10 of those suffering from an eating disorder ever receive treatment. Erin Drischler was one of the lucky ones who received professional treatment. But after several attempts and 14 years, she continued to struggle with her illness. During treatment, eating-disorder patients are not exposed to body measurements like their weight and clothing sizes. But once Drischler returned home, she was faced with a closet full of clothes with a size on every label. Her old clothes didn’t always fit her new body, and buying new clothes proved a difficult experience. That’s the motivation behind Garment Project, a nonprofit organization Drischler created with her partner, Jordan Tomb, to help people with eating disorders. City Paper interviewed Drischler by email about the organization and the impact the couple hopes it will have.

WHAT DOES THE GARMENT PROJECT OFFER? Garment empowers women in recovery from an eating disorder by providing them with new, never-worn clothing individualized for their healthy bodies and lifestyles. We receive clothing donations from the same stores where you already shop. Garment removes all sizing information as soon as the clothing gets to us. Our size-less inventory helps our clients remain focused on their recovery. Garment’s direct partnerships with eating-disorder treatment centers allow us to learn size and style infor-

{PHOTO COURTESY OF BEN PERKINS}

The Garment Project partners Jordan Tomb and Erin Drischler

mation about each woman we serve. With that, the Garment team curates an individualized shopping website based off of each woman’s personal style and needs. She picks her favorite items, and a week later, they will show up on her doorstep. No need to sift through sizes on the racks or play guessing games with online retailers to see what will ﬁt. Garment offers a one-of-a-kind service that hopes to bring conﬁdence back into each woman’s daily life.

home to a closet full of clothes that at one point filled me with such (false) confidence, I would find myself unconsciously striving to fit back into them. I was still giving my clothing too much power over my ability to recover. My closet ranged in sizes because my weight fluctuated severely throughout my struggle. Items that still fit led to panic and discomfort due to the number on the label. Going to the mall and trying on clothes was overwhelming, and quickly revealed my new size or sizes depending on the store. I, like most other women in recovery, chose to keep my weight hidden from me throughout my treatment. In hindsight, my fear of gaining weight was only one small aspect of my eating disorder. Knowing your weight and size can create a mental block and leads the client to believe her success in recovery is based off another number. I only was able to see success for

“I WAS STILL GIVING MY CLOTHING TOO MUCH POWER OVER MY ABILITY TO RECOVER.”

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START THE GARMENT PROJECT? After about a decade into my eating disorder, I could start to pinpoint things that were keeping me sick. Every time I would go through treatment, I would lose all sense of self, since my core beliefs about food and life were being stripped away from me. After months of hard work, I would return

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WHAT KIND OF IMPACT DO YOU THINK/ HOPE THE PROJECT WILL HAVE? Garment is not just giving clothing that fits, we are allowing our client to build confidence in other aspects of her life while tackling the worst part — body image. We want to provide an opportunity for success that is not currently available. Your favorite outfit has the power to make you feel strong and beautiful. Garment strives to create that feeling of empowerment for all women. Long term, we want to serve all struggling populations, not just females. WHAT HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN SO FAR? Since our launch at the end of February, we have been very humbled by the generosity of individuals and prospective corporate partners. [These donations allow clients to use the service free of charge.] We are continuing conversations with our first class of corporate partners and are excited about the range of commitments we will be able to share soon. There are many ways for corporations to work with Garment. The first is to provide Garment with donations of new, never-worn clothing. The second way to contribute is with a monetary donation. Similarly, the third is to begin a donation-match program with your employees. RA D D I S ON @ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM

For more information or to donate, email thegarmentproject@gmail.com or visit www.thegarmentproject.org.

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What have you always wanted to know about Pittsburgh?

“WHY DOES PITTSBURGH HAVE AN H IN IT?” “IS A PARKING-SPOT CHAIR LEGALLY BINDING?” “WHAT IS SLIPPY?” Mike Wysocki has the answers. (well...sorta)

SUBMIT YOUR PITTSBURGH QUESTIONS AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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ON MARCH 6, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale made a pretty bold move when he announced that the state should legalize and tax recreational marijuana to generate roughly $200 million in new revenues. “The regulation and taxation of the marijuana train has rumbled out of the station, and it is time to add a stop in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” DePasquale said during a news conference. “I make this recommendation because it is a more sane policy to deal with a critical issue facing the state. Other states are already taking advantage of the opportunity for massive job creation and savings from reduced arrests and criminal prosecutions. In addition, it would generate hundreds of millions of dollars each year that could help tackle Pennsylvania’s budget problems.” If it were to ever happen (emphasis on “ever”), Pennsylvania would become the first state to have pot legalized by its state legislature instead of a voter referendum. The fact is, though, Pennsylvania’s legislature is rarely the leader in any kind of progressive movement. And despite polling data in recent years showing that an overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians support recreational legalization, this body of representatives rarely does anything the electorate wants it to. But when you look at the idea rationally, without the hindrance of reefer-madness paranoia, it makes sense. Last April, the legislature finally approved medical marijuana, and it is currently in the licensingapplication process for dispensaries and producers. Again, it was a measure overwhelmingly supported by Pennsylvanians. It happened through one of the biggest nonpartisan efforts that this legislature has seen in a really long time. Meanwhile, our elected officials can’t deny that there’s a gaping $3 billion hole in the state’s budget that has to be filled somehow. The Harrisburg crowd obviously has no trouble with sin taxes; they’ve long taxed alcohol and cigarettes. In recent years, a favorite tax-revenue generator for lawmakers has been legalized gambling. First it was slot machines, then table games, and it’s very likely this year that some form of online gambling will be legalized. And while I don’t have an issue with legalized gambling, it’s hard to argue that it’s a better play than legalizing recreational marijuana use. First, let’s look at weed. It would generate an estimated $200 million per year in new tax dollars. Despite the won’t-somebodythink-of-the-children hysteria, there were

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale

exactly zero reports of marijuana overdose in 2016. In fact, there has never been a case of THC overdose anywhere, ever. Yes, there are risks of driving under the influence and causing accidents, but the same holds true for alcohol. Now let’s look at gambling. If online gambling is passed, it’s estimated to raise $400 million over the next five years. And as far as causing harm, in 2015, according to TribLive.com, the state spent $670,000 to treat 520 problem gamblers. And according to the 2016 annual report from the state Board of Gaming Control, there are more than 10,000 people on Pennsylvania’s voluntary-exclusion list. These are people who asked the state to ban them from casinos and risk charges of criminal trespass if they violate the ban; they need the threat of criminal charges to keep them from placing a wager. Again, I’m not passing judgment on anyone who gambles; after all, I refer to Las Vegas as the holy land. What I’m saying is, gambling can cause addiction; marijuana cannot. Yet ever since the state opened the floodgates for gaming revenue, it’s constantly looked for new ways to gain tax dollars from it, despite the dangers. For most legislators it comes down to a personal decision about what vice is OK to exploit and what vice isn’t. For some, there’s such a stigma to marijuana that a lot of Republican legislators work very hard to keep legislation from ever coming to the floor. State Rep. Mike Turzai once broke out in tears over the thought of sick children having access to medical marijuana. But the fact is, if we’ve decided that taxing our vices is an appropriate way to increase state revenues, it’s hypocritical to choose one over another. Eugene DePasquale knows this and he’s never been afraid to give his opinion or get involved in controversial matters. He has gotten behind this because it’s a seemingly endless revenue stream and because he knows that most citizens are in favor of legalization. He’s also not saying let’s pass a law today and smoke a bowl tomorrow; but it is time to start having a serious conversation. C D E I T C H @ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

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LYNN CULLEN + IS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!

News of the Weird

Despite California’s 2015 law aimed at improving the fairness of its red-light cameras, the city of Fremont (pop. 214,000, just north of San Jose) reported earning an additional $190,000 more each month last year by shortening the yellow light by twothirds of a second at just two intersections. Tickets went up 445 percent at one and 883 percent at the other. (In November 2016, for “undisclosed reasons,” the city raised the speed limit on the street slightly, “allowing” it to reinstate the old 0.7-second-longer yellow light.)

Tammy Felbaum surfaced in News of the Weird in 2001 when she, originally Mr. Tommy Wyda, consensually castrated James Felbaum (her sixth husband), but he died of complications, resulting in Tammy’s manslaughter conviction. (Among the trial witnesses: a previous spouse, who had also let “expert” Tammy castrate him: “She could castrate a dog in less than five minutes.”) Felbaum, now 58, was arrested in February at the Westmoreland County (Pa.) Courthouse after mouthing off at security guards searching her purse. She quipped sarcastically, “I have guns and an Uzi [and] a rocket launcher. I am going to shoot a judge today.” (She was in court on a dispute over installation of a sewer line to her trailer home.)

Lynn Cullen Live is now broadcasting daily from studios at Point Park University’s

Center for Media Innovation The show, presented by Pittsburgh City Paper in conjunction with Point Park University, airs daily at 10 a.m. at

www.pghcitypaper.com

Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville, Fla., convicted and given a 20-year sentence in 2012 for firing a warning shot into a wall to fend off her abusive estranged husband, finally had the charges dropped in February. The persnickety trial judge had earlier determined that Florida’s notorious “Stand Your Ground” law did not apply, even though the husband admitted that he was threatening to rough up Alexander and that she never aimed the gun at him. (With that defense not allowed, Alexander was doomed under Florida’s similarly notorious 20-year mandatory sentence for aggravated assault using a gun.)

In 2008, Vince Li, a passenger on a Greyhound bus in Canada, stabbed another passenger, then beheaded him and started to eat him, and in 2009 was “convicted” — but “not criminally responsible” because of schizophrenia. He has been institutionalized and under treatment since then, and in February, doctors signed off on an “absolute” release back into society for Li (now known as Will Baker) — declining a “conditional” release, which would have required continued monitoring. Manitoba province law requires absolute discharge if doctors conclude, on the “weight of the evidence,” that the patient is no longer a “significant” safety threat.

Doris Payne, 86, was arrested once again for shoplifting — this time at an upscale mall in an Atlanta suburb in December — but according to a 2013 documentary, “careerwise,” she has stolen more than $2 million in jewelry from high-end

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

S E N D YO UR WE I R D N E WS TO W E I RD N E W S @ E ART HL I NK . N E T O R WWW. NE WS O F T HE WE I R D. C OM

{BY CHUCK SHEPHERD}

shops around the world. No regrets, she said on the film, except “I regret getting caught.” Said her California-based lawyer, “Aside from her ‘activities,’ she is a wonderful person with a lot of fun stories.”

When disaster strikes, well-meaning people are beseeched to help, but relief workers seem always bogged down with wholly inappropriate donations (which take additional time and money to sort and store and discard; instead, all such charities recommend “cash”). A January report by Australia’s principal relief organization praised Aussies’ generosity in spite of recent contributions of high heels, handbags, chain saws, sports gear, wool clothing and canned goods — much of which will eventually go to landfills. (Workers in Rwanda reported receiving prom gowns, wigs, tiger costumes, pumpkins and frostbite cream.)

“I grew up fishing with my dad,” Alabaman Bart Lindsey told a reporter,

which might explain why Lindsey likes to sit in a boat in a lake on a lazy afternoon. More challenging is why (and how) he became so good at the phenomenon that turned up in News of the Weird first in 2006: “fantasy fishing,” handing in a perfect card picking the top eight competitors in the Fishing League Worldwide Tour event in February on Lake Guntersville. “It can be tricky,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of research.”

Each December, Deadspin.com reviews public records of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission to compile a list of items that caused emergency-room visits when they somehow got stuck inside people. Highlights from 2016: in the nose (raisin, plastic snake, magnets in each nostril); throat (pill bottle, bottle cap, hoop earring); penis (sandal buckle, doll shoe, marble); vagina (USB adapter, “small painting kit,” heel of a shoe); and rectum (flashlight, shot glass, egg timer, hammer, baseball, ice pick “to push hemorrhoids back in”).

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Call 412-329-6523 today to schedule a visit and complimentary meal!

SUMMER INTERNS WANTED

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City Paper’s editorial team is seeking several interns for the summer. Please send résumé, cover letter and samples to the appropriate editor listed below by March 21, 2017. Each internship includes a small stipend. No calls, please.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT INTERN

The position is focused on reporting and writing about local people, performances, artworks and events, in fields including but not limited to theater, visual art, literature, dance and comedy. Send a cover letter, résumé and three writing samples to arts editor Bill O’Driscoll, driscoll@pghcitypaper.com.

MULTIMEDIA INTERN

The multimedia intern will produce content for our digital platform at pghcitypaper.com. The right candidate must be capable of working in the field as well as in the office. Necessary skills include: recording and editing audio and video, writing and copy-editing, as well as a working knowledge of social media. Apply to editor Charlie Deitch, cdeitch@pghcitypaper.com.

MUSIC INTERN

The music intern will have a working knowledge of the local music scene and experience writing reviews, previewing shows and interviewing artists. Apply to editor Charlie Deitch, cdeitch@pghcitypaper.com.

NEWS INTERN

The news intern will pitch and write stories for both the print and online editions, as well as assist news reporters with research and factchecking. Basic writing and reporting experience required. Please send résumé, cover letter and samples to news editor Rebecca Addison, rnuttall@pghcitypaper.com.

PHOTO INTERN

We are looking for a student photojournalist with an artistic eye who can tell a story through images. Editorial work will include shooting assignments to supplement the paper’s news and arts coverage, both in print and online. Weekend availability is required. Send a résumé and a link to an online portfolio to art director Lisa Cunningham, lcunning@pghcitypaper.com.

SPORTS INTERN

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City Paper is looking for a sports intern to work with the editor to find and write stories about Pittsburgh sports that people don’t usually hear about, the stranger the better. How strange? Last year we wrote a story about underwater hockey. The ideal intern candidate will have a background in sports reporting or a solid background in news and feature writing but a deep knowledge and appreciation for sports. Email a resume, 4-6 writing samples and a letter detailing why you think you’re perfect for the gig to Editor Charlie Deitch, cdeitch@pghcitypaper.com.

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LOCAL

“I’M NOT HERE TO BE SOME UNDERGROUND ACT FOREVER.”

BEAT

{BY MIKE SHANLEY}

PAYING TRIBUTE

For a guy who was well versed in obscure music, Dave Vucenich never used that knowledge to show superiority. He was more concerned with sharing the music, either as a rock-solid bassist, a record-store employee who organized the 45s inventory, or a friend who made cassette compilations of ’60s garage rock. “He would number my tapes,” says Max Terasauro. “I think I was up to 47. Think about that — 47 tapes! Those singles are only two or three minutes long!” Vucenich died in his sleep on Feb. 5 of an apparent heart attack. He was 50. Best known perhaps as the bassist of locals Mt. McKinleys, he also played in several other bands, including the Cynics and, recently, the Shapes of Things. Terasauro, who was in the latter band, and Eric Vermillion (of the Full Counts) are organizing a public tribute to Vucenich at 9:30 p.m. Fri., March 10, at Gooski’s (3117 Brereton St., Polish Hill). The Mt. McKinleys will perform (as a duo), and DJs Tera Dactyl, Maxx and Gregg Kostelich will spin records. The organizers plan to auction Vucenich’s Hofner bass guitar and give away “Dave V” grab bags, which will include copies of his beloved tape compilations. Proceeds from the auction and the $5 cover charge will go to Vucenich’s family. “He was such a nice dude,” Vermillion recalls. “That’s why he was always in the center of everything when it came to music.”

G N I GO UP

“HE WAS SUCH A NICE DUDE.”

At 7 p.m. Sat., March 11, Distro’s (4614 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield) will host a festival honoring the Unread Records imprint. Chris Fischer started the vinyl and tape label nearly two decades ago as a teenager in Lancaster, Pa. Despite having moved around the country, Fischer (now a Pittsburgh resident) continues to release music, which runs the gamut from singersongwriters to noise. When some Unread acts discovered the 200th release was imminent, they assembled a three-cassette compilation tribute and talked about staging a festival. Fourteen acts, 10 from as far away as Portland, Ore., perform on Saturday. Will Simmons, guitarist of the Upholsterers, says the evening “is going to be lots of bite-sized chunks of things,” with everyone playing brief sets. The bill includes his band and local performers GG, C. Frank and Swampwalk.

HOO JACKSON has a habit of naming

his albums before he ﬁnishes them. He likes to set the mood for the creative process, and it makes it easier when that mood has a name. His latest mixtape, Choo, Where U Goin’?, was released last December, but the Pittsburgh-based Jackson came up with the title long before that. The title is about avoiding complacency, always thinking about the next thing. He’s on the move before he gets to where he’s going. The title also poses a reasonable question. From all appearances, Jackson’s career is poised for a breakthrough. He’s not a household name, but he’s far from obscure, thanks to an early nod in 2013 from Mac Miller, who brought him on tour and signed him to his indie label, REmember Music. Jackson is always releasing new music and workshopping new projects; he never goes more than a few weeks without posting one-off tracks to his Soundcloud. Next year,

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{CP PHOTO BY LUKE THOR TRAVIS}

{BY ALEX GORDON}

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

On the Right Track: Choo Jackson

he’ll release his official debut (yes, it has a name already), executive produced by E. Dan, the ID Labs producer whom many credit with crafting Wiz Khalifa’s breakthrough. It’s never fun to be called “the next soand-so” (looking at you, CP reader’s poll), less so for an idiosyncratic dude like Choo Jackson. But it’s hard not to see similarities between his career arc and those of Miller and Khalifa. “I’m here to be on a bigger level,” Jackson says. “I’m not here to be some underground act forever. I don’t see myself as that.” Jackson is not big-headed, at least as much as a phone call and a couple of emails can reveal, but he’s not bashful about his ambitions, or ignorant about how much is riding on his official debut. The music business is littered with artists perpetually poised for breakout success without ever getting it. But Jackson is confident, nonetheless. “I can’t say much about the name be-

cause I want it to be polarizing when it comes out,” says Jackson. “I deﬁnitely know that’s gonna be the project to take me to the next level.” Tracing his output to date, you hear an artist getting weirder, bolder and more interesting with each release. Choo, Where U Goin’? opens with “Camo,” a brooding track about deceptive appearances and unseen sadness. It’s a disarming, wicked-smart piece of music. Christo, the track’s producer and Jackson’s longtime collaborator, explains that Jackson told him to “make something that makes him feel like he’s not from this planet.” Jackson’s style was never middle of the road, but over the past few years, he’s begun to veer more and more into experimentation, and it’s paying off. Earlier this year, he signed a distribution deal with the San Francisco-based Empire Distribution. Growing up in Vero Beach, Fla., Jackson kept his hip-hop ambitions to himself. He

wrote lyrics and practiced privately, and might have never gone public if not for his friend Josh Jordan, who set up a home studio in his closet and asked Choo to lay down vocals on a test track. “They didn’t know I’d already been preparing,” he says. Jackson doesn’t remember the name of the song or its lyrics, but it sticks with him as his first step toward going professional in hip hop. Things got rolling once he moved to Chambersburg, Pa., as a teenager. Then in 10th grade, it was not a good fit at first. “I fought with my mom for almost a month. Just being a kid, I didn’t wanna lose my friends,” says Jackson. “Little did I know, God had a plan for me to be a musician, and it only happened [once] I moved.” Within a few years, he began making music with a number of Pittsburgh-based producers, including Christo (who, along with E. Dan, will executive produce the debut). The two connected through a mutual friend at Duquesne University and started making music the day they met. “Choo was the first artist I worked with who never wrote lyrics down, which served to save a lot of time and effort toward making a record,” says Christo. “I remember leaving that session thinking, ‘I’m gonna work with this kid for a long time.’” Before long, Jackson caught Mac Miller’s attention, and his career has been on a steady rise ever since. He’s released Beer Flavored Pizza, Broken Hearts Make Money, ANIME and Choo, Where U Goin’?, as well as a handful of splits, EPs, mixtapes and singles. It can be hard to distinguish an album from a mixtape; it’s sort of a dealer’s-choice thing, but Jackson sees his forthcoming album as his official debut. The albums are wellthought out, cohesive collections of tracks, but he uses his Soundcloud as a forum for experimentation, testing out new directions to see how they’re received by fans. One example is “Bug Spray,” posted last month. The beat is deep, heavy and trippy, produced by Christo. The track is a bit more straightforward and less nerdy than most of his output (or maybe just less flamboyant). “Bug Spray” and many of his Soundcloud tracks serve as a testament to his willingness to try new things, while keeping a pulse on what his audience wants and retaining his distinctive personality. “I’ve just always been a weird type of dude,” says Jackson. “When I was in Florida, I was the only dude skateboarding. When everybody was fighting or dealing drugs, me and my friends were just tearing up rails and curbs.” Details are mum on the debut, but true to form, Jackson has another project with E. Dan on deck to be released beforehand. Keep an eye on Choo. AL E X GOR DON@ PGHC ITY PAP ER.CO M

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Mark Whitfield, left, and the Whitfield Family Band

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FAMILY MUSIC {BY MIKE SHANLEY} “THE SOCRATES CURSE,” on Mark Whitfield’s new album Grace, features the guitarist’s rapid-melody lines getting extra drive from his taut rhythm section. The group dynamic hints at a long-standing relationship between the players, which is accurate in a way. But Whitfield has a different connection to the pianist and drummer. His 26-year old son, Mark Jr., sits behind the kit, with 24-year-old son, Davis, handling the piano. (Bassist Yasushi Nakamura rounds out the quartet.) In some ways, the younger Whitfields could be considered musical veterans like their 50-year-old father. Mark Jr. showed potential as a toddler, and performed with dad at age 4. Davis didn’t begin quite as early, studying piano in third grade, but he now plays with the authority of someone like McCoy Tyner. Both came to jazz naturally. “I never felt like music was something I should force on them,” Mark Whitfield says from his New Jersey home. “I always approached it as something we could share. I think that attitude helped foster a healthy appreciation for jazz music and for what this life has to offer. And from that point on, we just do what we do.” Whitfield — who has played with everyone from Herbie Hancock to Dave Matthews — grew up at a time when there was still a chance to play with musicians from what he calls the “golden age of jazz.” A friendship with guitarist George Benson helped him land a spot with legendary organist Jack McDuff, who taught him some old-school lessons. If McDuff wasn’t impressed by a musician’s solo on a tune, he wouldn’t let him solo in the next song. “He fired me every

night for the first two months,” Whitfield recalls of his time with the B3 master. “That kind of trial by fire is what fosters the improvement that I sometimes don’t hear [in younger players].” While he hasn’t been as brusque as McDuff, Whitfield believes in putting musicians in situations that help them grow as players. “Rather than me walking by [their] bedroom or the practice room and saying, ‘Do this,’ [I told them], ‘I’m going to put you on the bandstand with us tonight, and you’ll hear it for yourself.’ That’s how I developed, and I’m fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to share it with them.”

WHITFIELD FAMILY BAND

WITH MARK STRICKLAND 7:30 p.m. Fri., March 10. Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. $30. 412-363-3000 or www.kelly-strayhorn.org

Their upcoming performance bills them as the Whitfield Family Band, and Grace proves that nepotism has nothing to do with it. It’s all about the musical rapport, something that can be elusive for any player. “When you finally find yourself in the position where … all of a sudden you develop an unspoken language [with your band], whether someone is interjecting a chord or a melody that causes everyone to make a collective left turn or right turn, or make you say, ‘Man that was awesome,’ that’s very reaffirming,” he says. Whitfield also learns a good deal from his kids. “They constantly turn me on to new styles, new artists, new concepts, not so much in jazz but in music in general,” he says. “It helps us maintain a creative dialogue.” I N F O@ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

HORSE SHOW {BY MIKE SHANLEY}

For the Record: Patti Smith and Horses

Patti Smith threw herself under the bus in The New Yorker last December. In the “Cultural Comment” section of the magazine, she discussed her performance at the Nobel Prize ceremony three months prior, where she honored recipient Bob Dylan by singing “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” The song, written during the Cuban Missile Crisis, is still ripe with foreboding imagery, much like Smith’s best work. Unfortunately, she stumbled during the regal ceremony in Stockholm. “Unaccustomed to such an overwhelming case of nerves, I was unable to continue. I hadn’t forgotten the words that were now a part of me. I was simply unable to draw them out,” she wrote in the New Yorker, adding, “As I took my seat, I felt the humiliating sting of failure, but also the strange realization that I had somehow entered and truly lived the world of the lyrics.” Watching the video of the performance, a slight breakdown is evident. Yet, to viewers, it’s not as harsh as she made it sound. Smith didn’t give up. After a bashful apology, she persevered, drawing on her signature, somewhat husky vocal to deliver the song. It was flawed, perhaps, but still meaningful. The challenge of “Hard Rain” lies in the ability to get past its cachet to the emotional heft of the lyrics. Even with a mistake, Smith still delivered a captivating performance — a few months shy of her 70th birthday to boot. When Smith comes to town next week, she’ll perform her debut album, Horses, in its entirety. “Whole album sets” have become the norm for many established rockers, but a set of Horses doesn’t have the same dubious quality as U2’s The Unforgettable Fire. Horses blended inspirations from Arthur Rimbaud, William Burroughs and Jim Morrison with garage rock (it came out in 1975, pre-dating punk rock by a year or so), and delivered it with passion that didn’t let up for 43 minutes. If any levity is needed next week, Smith could likely draw on another one of her early inspirations: Johnny Carson.

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PATTI SMITH 8 p.m. Mon., March 13. Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $59-94. 412-622-3131 NEWS

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Game Time: Sammus

METROID PRIME {BY MEG FAIR} SAMUS WAS one of the ďŹ rst female protag-

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onists in a video-game series. The Metroid main character, and certiďŹ ed bad ass, appeared in 1986, as a galactic bountyhunter ďŹ tted with an exterior power suit and an arm cannon. It is from this character that hip-hop performer Sammus draws her name, except her weapons are clever rhymes, accessibility and a powerful stage presence. Sammus is Enongo Lumumba-Kasango, an Ithaca, N.Y., native currently teaching at New York University, while working on her Ph.D. at the Department of Science and Technologies at Cornell. In addition to being a proliďŹ c hip-hop artist and an academic, Sammus is also an activist and a writer, balancing her time between touring, teaching, writing and collaborating. Her immense knowledge of politics and current affairs, and her academic background, are evident in conversation, but everything she says is easily understood and accessible. Her punchlines are witty and loaded with geeky pop-culture references, and she makes sure no one gets left behind. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I recognize that folks are coming to me from a variety of places,â&#x20AC;? Sammus says to City Paper, via Skype. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if some of the references are a little obscure, I try to always annotate the lyrics on Genius.â&#x20AC;? Many fans discovered her after she released Another M, a concept album based on Metroid and overďŹ&#x201A;owing with videogame references. After she started writing songs about things like grad school, mental illness and her introverted personality, she expressed some anxiety about people moving away from her music. But so far, her listener base has only grown with her

last two works, Infusion and Pieces in Space. Sammus currently releases music with Don Giovanni Records, a label usually recognized for its punk-rock roster. The labelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s co-founder Joe Steinhardt and Sammus met when Steinhardt was doing postdoctoral work at Cornell, and they bonded as academics who were also involved in the independent-music scene. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of my goals was to push my music in spaces where I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it would be heard traditionally,â&#x20AC;? says Sammus, â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Don Giovanni] is perfect for that. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all here to experience something together, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not rooted in strict identity politics.â&#x20AC;?

SAMMUS

WITH THE LOPEZ, DJ EYEJAY 8 p.m. Mon., March 13. The Glitter Box Theater, 460 Melwood Ave., Oakland. All ages. $8. 724-699-2613

Sharing music on that kind of punkrock label was the perfect vehicle for Sammusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; creations; the themes, such as Black Lives Matter and feminism, at the heart of her music are relatable and served over addictive beats. Her gift for peppering popculture references and clever jokes shines in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Time Crisis,â&#x20AC;? especially when Sammus walks listeners through pushing back against the pressures to be a mother. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My vaginaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a Timex, so why you all up in my privates? / Tell â&#x20AC;&#x2122;em itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my body to decide if Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mma be about it or Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m childless,â&#x20AC;? she spits with ďŹ re over production that could induce a dance party on its own. And although Sammus can be introverted in conversation and in her work, her stage performance is overďŹ&#x201A;owing with charisma and fun surprises, like an armcannon replica. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this balance that makes her body of work so novel, and her style so refreshing. M E G FA I R@ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM

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Rinse. Repeat.

Animal Rescue League & Wildlife Center/Western PA Humane Society

WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER FUNDRAISER

Tortoise

March 18 • 12 - 4pm Raise funds & supplies for the coming animal babies! [FOLK POP] + FRI., MARCH 10

Wild Birds Unlimited 1775 N Highland Road Pittsburgh, PA 15241

Meet Mellie, the eastern screech owl! C O H E N

G R I G S B Y

T R U S T

animalrescue.org

P R E S E N T S

S E R I E S

Seasaw may be just two people, but the duo of multi-instrumentalists Eve Wilczewski and Meg Golz amp up its sound with intricate harmonies and a careful weaving of folk-laden melodies to create a warm indie-pop vibe. The lyrics are sharp, and meld heartfelt, witty stories into the acoustic guitar, banjo, synths and strings that provide the musical foundation. Getting in on the fun at Cattivo is the upbeat alternative folk of Robin Vote, as well as the country rock ’n’ roll of Franny Moon. Side Eye draws the rock attitude of each act and swirls it into a dreamy surf-rock sound that manages to blend the ’tude of Joan Jett with the pop delight of the Beach Boys. Meg Fair 7 p.m. 146 44th St., Lawrenceville. $6. 412-687-2157 or www.cattivopgh.com {PHOTO COURTESY OF SCOTIFY}

Drop Off Location:

[HOBOCORE] + FRI., MARCH 10

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017 7 PM • BYHAM THEATER TRUSTART S.ORG • BOX OFFICE AT THE ATER SQUARE 412-456-6666 • GROUPS 10+ TICKETS 412-471-6930

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“Y’all Motherfuckers Need Jesus.” No, that’s not an observation about our fine readers (although it may certainly hold true for some of you). It’s a shredding, catchy-as-fuck earworm of a song from The Goddamn Gallows. The band is mostly metal and hardcore, but when your instrumentation includes an upright bass, a banjo and a dude who shreds on both an accordion and a washboard, the sound that comes out isn’t traditional metal. The group spent four straight years living in a vehicle, and touring the country perfecting its game (thus the Hobocore label). The boys roll into Cattivo tonight to bring Jesus to Y’all Motherfuckers, with Crooked Cobras and The Hills & the Rivers. Charlie Deitch 8 p.m.

146 44th St., Lawrenceville. $10-12. 412-687-2157 or www.cattivopgh.com

[BRUTAL] + SAT., MARCH 11 Forget black-metal yoga. Tonight, at Black Forge Coffee, you can get your power-violence aerobics on with some of the Rust Belt’s finest. From the dear, unsuspecting town of Ashtabula, Ohio, arrives Homewrecker, a wickedly brutal metal band who performs every gig like it’s tearing up a beersoaked basement full of rowdy punks. Its menacing sound harkens back to the dramatic, squealing-metal goodness of the ’90s, but the breakdowns Seasaw are dirtier and the bass tone is dank. Massachusetts’ High Command kicks in on the fun with a punkmeets-black-metal bite. Steel City’s heavy scene represents with the death-metal savants of Taphos Nomos and Legendry, a heavy-metal band that rocks a retro sound. MF 7:30 p.m. 1206 Arlington Ave., Allentown. $10. All ages. 412-291-8994

[POST ROCK] + MON., MARCH 13 Tortoise’s latest release, The Catastrophist — its first in seven years — is also its first to use prominent vocals (even tapping Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley for a guest spot on this album’s “Yonder Blue”). The Chicago-bred five-piece is a pioneering force in instrumental rock, one of the firsts to incorporate heavy jazz and electronic-synth elements into something cohesive and accessible. Tonight, Tortoise is joined by notable locals IT IT at Mr. Smalls. Alona Williams 8 p.m. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $16. 412-821-4447 or www.mrsmalls.com

TO SUBMIT A LISTING: HTTP://PGHCITYPAPER.COM/HAPPENINGS 412.316.3388 (FAX) + 412.316.3342 X165 (PHONE) {ALL LISTINGS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 9 A.M. FRIDAY PRIOR TO PUBLICATION} Pittsburgh for every piece of art sold during the exhibition. Opening reception March 10, 6-8:30 p.m. For a full list of performers & artists, visit www.girlsrockpittsburgh.org. Wilkinsburg. 412-477-4540.

ROCK/POP THU 09 CLUB CAFE. Lowland Hum. South Side. 412-431-4950. DIESEL. Great American Ghost, Until We Are Ghosts, Bungler. South Side. 412-431-8800. HOWLERS. FOX 45, Monolith Wielder & Smoke Wizzzard. Bloomfield. 412-682-0320. MR. SMALLS THEATER. Mae w/ Constellations. Millvale. 412-821-4447.

SAT 11

SERBIAN CLUB. Half n’ Tans. Proceeds from the event will benefit the ASC scholarship fund & Brain Aneurysm Research in loving memory of Patty Sergeant. South Side. 412-551-6926.

SUN 12

EAST LIBERTY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Renaissance City Choir BAJA BAR AND GRILL. Cabaret. East Liberty. 412-441-3800. Told Ya So Band. Fox Chapel. THE R BAR. Billy The Kid & 412-963-0640. the Regulators. Dormont. CATTIVO. MaxXouT, 412-942-0882. Stone Cold Killer, Burned & Stone Wicked Souls. Lawrenceville. DIESEL. Memphis 412-687-2157. www. per pa May Fire, Blessthefall, pghcitym JERGEL’S RHYTHM .co The Color Morale, GRILLE. Bon Journey. Sylar, Bad Seed Rising. Warrendale. 724-799-8333. South Side. 412-431-8800. KENDREW’S. Hellin Back Band. MR. SMALLS THEATER. Tortoise. Moon. 724-375-5959. Millvale. 412-821-4447. KOPPER KETTLE. King’s Ransom. Washington. 724-225-5221. MR. SMALLS THEATER. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Herbivore. Millvale. 412-821-4447. Jackyl. Warrendale. 724-799-8333. NOLA ON THE SQUARE. Dan Bubien Band. Downtown. 412-471-9100. CLUB CAFE. Will Home. South Side. 412-431-4950. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Jimbo & the Soupbones. Warrendale. 724-799-8333.

FULL LIST ONLINE

FRI 10 CATTIVO. The Goddamn Gallows, Gallows Bound, The Hills & The Rivers w/ Crooked Cobras. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2157. PERCOLATE ART SPACE. Girls Rock Exhibition & Benefit. Emerging & established female artists come together for this exhibition inspired by music, political & feminist views. Percolate Art Space will donate a portion of its commission to Girls Rock

MON 13

TUE 14

WED 15

MP 3 MONDAY

COHEN & GRIGSBY

TRUST PRESENTS SERIES

DJS

SOFT GIRL {PHOTO COURTESY OF D. HAGER}

THU 09

Each week, we post a song from a local artist, for free online. This week’s is SOFT GIRL’s “Home/You,” a sweetly nostalgic slow-burner in what a dumb writer might call the “indie rock” realm. If that sounds like your cup of tea, don’t miss the Softgirl EP, out now on Bandcamp. Stream or download the song for free at FFW>>, the music blog at www.pghcitypaper.com.

BELVEDERE’S. The Last 80s Night. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. MR. SMALLS THEATER. Centrifuge Thursdays. At the Funhouse. Millvale. 412-821-4447. PERLE CHAMPAGNE BAR. Bobby D Bachata. Downtown. 412-471-2058.

FRI 10 ANDYS WINE BAR. DJ Malls Spins Vinyl. Downtown. 412-773-8884. BELVEDERE’S. DJ ADMC. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. THE FLATS ON CARSON. Pete Butta. South Side. 412-586-7644. JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Downtempo & Ambient PLAY. North Side. 412-904-3335. ONE 10 LOUNGE. DJ Goodnight, DJ Rojo. Downtown. 412-874-4582. ROWDY BUCK. Top 40 Dance. South Side. 412-431-2825. RUGGER’S PUB. 80s Night w/ DJ Connor. South Side. 412-381-1330.

THIS SUNDAY! SUNDAY, DAY DA AY MA AY MARCH ARCH 12 112, 2 7 PM

BENEDUM CENTER

SAT 11 BELVEDERE’S. California Love w/ DJ ADMC. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. DIESEL. DJ CK. South Side. 412-431-8800.

TRUSTART S.ORG • BOX OFFICE AT THE ATER SQUARE 412-456-6666 • GROUPS 10+ TICKETS 412- 471-6930

CONTINUES ON PG. 28

NEWS

MUSIC

ARTS

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CONCERTS, CONTINUED FROM PG. 27

Animal Rescue League & Wildlife Center/Western PA Humane Society

WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER FUNDRAISER March 18 • 12 - 4pm Raise funds & supplies for the coming animal babies! Drop Off Location: Wild Birds Unlimited 12019 Perry Hwy Wexford, PA 15090

Meet Cece, the barred owl!

animalrescue.org

EARLY WARNINGS

LINDEN GROVE. DJ Tim. Castle Shannon. 412-882-8687. PERLE CHAMPAGNE BAR. DJ Tenova. ladies night. Downtown. 412-471-2058. REMEDY. Feeling Without Touching. Lawrenceville. 412-781-6771. ROWDY BUCK. Top 40 Dance. South Side. 412-431-2825.

Screaming Females

CLUB CAFE. The Dustbowl Revival. South Side. 412-431-4950.

THE GOLDMARK. Pete Butta. Reggae & dancehall. Lawrenceville. 412-688-8820.

CLASSICAL

WED 15 SMILING MOOSE. Rock Star Karaoke w/ T-MONEY. South Side. 412-431-4668. SPOON. Spoon Fed. East Liberty. 412-362-6001.

BLUES SAT 11 BALTIMORE HOUSE. Strange Brew. Pleasant Hills. 412-653-3800. PALACE THEATRE. Steven Seagal Blue’s Band. Greensburg. 724-836-8000. WOOLEY BULLY’S. Eugene Morgan w/ Jimmy Adler. New Brighton. 724-494-1578.

FRI 10 MOZART IN PRAGUE. Heinz Hall, Downtown. 412-392-4900.

[WED., MARCH 22]

Screaming Females Mr. Roboto Project, 5106 Penn Ave., Bloomfield

Half Waif Smiling Moose, 1306 E. Carson St., South Side [SAT., APRIL 01]

Minus the Bear

THU 09

Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale

JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Roger Humphries Jam Session. Ballroom. North Side. 412-904-3335. VALLOZZI’S PITTSBURGH. Eric Johnson. Downtown. 412-394-3400.

ANDORA RESTAURANT FOX CHAPEL. Pianist Harry Cardillo & vocalist Charlie Sanders. Fox Chapel. 412-967-1900. BACKSTAGE BAR AT THEATRE SQUARE. Jeremy Fisher Jr & Mark Perna. Downtown. 412-325-6769. GRILLE ON SEVENTH. Tony Campbell & Howie Alexander. Downtown. 412-391-1004.

SUN 12 CITY OF ASYLUM @ ALPHABET CITY. Thomas Wendt Trio. North Side. 412-435-1110. ROCKS LANDING BAR & GRILLE. Tony Campbell & the Jazz Surgery. McKees Rocks. 412-857-5809.

MON 13

HAMBONE’S. Ian Kane, Ronnie Weiss & Tom Boyce. Jazz Standards, showtunes & blues. Lawrenceville. 412-681-4318. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Balcony Big Band w/ www. per WVU Jazz Combo. pa pghcitym Warrendale. .co 724-799-8333.

FULL LIST ONLINE

THE CLUB BAR & GRILL. Lee Robinson & ISKA. Monroeville. 412-728 4155. JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Tony Campbell Saturday Afternoon Jazz Session. North Side. 412-904-3335. THE MONROEVILLE RACQUET CLUB. Jazz Bean Live. Every Saturday, a different band. Monroeville. 412-728-4155. THE SPACE UPSTAIRS. Second Saturdays. Jazz-happening series feat. live music, multimedia experimentations, more. Hosted by The Pillow Project. Point Breeze. 412-225-9269. TABLE 86 BY HINES WARD. RML Jazz. Mars. 412-370-9621.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

WED 15

SAT 11 EAST LIBERTY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Renaissance City Choir Cabaret. East Liberty. 412-441-3800.

SUN 12

[SUN., MARCH 26]

JAZZ

FRI 10

EAST END BREWERY TAP ROOM. Beagle Brothers Irish Band. Strip District. 412-537-2337. NIED’S HOTEL. Slim’s Irish Band w/ The Four Fiddlin’ Sisters & Queens of the West. Lawrenceville. 412-770-8150.

SUN 12

TUE 14

SAT 11

CLUB CAFE. JD Eicher w/ Ruby Rose Fox. South Side. 412-431-4950.

SUN 12 HAMBONE’S. Ukulele Jam. Lawrenceville. 412-681-4318.

WED 15 ALLEGHENY ELKS LODGE #339. Pittsburgh Banjo Club. Wednesdays. North Side. 412-321-1834. PARK HOUSE. Shelf Life String Band. North Side. 412-224-2273. WHEELFISH. Jason Born. Ross. 412-487-8909.

EAST LIBERTY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Renaissance City Choir Cabaret. East Liberty. 412-441-3800. MOZART IN PRAGUE. Heinz Hall, Downtown. 412-392-4900.

MON 13 U.S. NAVY CONCERT BAND PERFORMANCE. Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall, Oakland. 412-621-4253.

WED 15 REBECCA VEITH. First Lutheran Church, Downtown. 412-471-8125.

OTHER MUSIC THU 09 LINDEN GROVE. Karaoke. Castle Shannon. 412-882-8687. RIVERS CASINO. Rebecca Kaufman & the Groove Doctors. North Side. 412-231-7777.

FRI 10

PIRATA. The Flow Band. Downtown. 412-323-3000.

CLUB CAFE. Mark Dignam & Friends. A night of Irish traditional music. South Side. 412-431-4950. RIVERS CASINO. Juan & Erica. Terrance Vaughn Band. North Side. 412-231-7777.

FRI 10

SAT 11

REGGAE THU 09

RIVERS CLUB. Lucarelli Jazz feat. Peg Wilson. Downtown. 412-391-5227.

CAPRI PIZZA AND BAR. Bombo Claat w/ VYBZ Machine Intl Sound System. East Liberty. 412-362-1250.

ACOUSTIC

COUNTRY

THU 09

DOROTHY SIX BLAST FURNACE CAFE. Right TurnClyde. Homestead. 412-464-9023.

JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Michael Tyler, Tucker Beathard & William Michael Morgan. Warrendale. 724-799-8333. PALACE THEATRE. Martina McBride w/ Lauren Alaina. Greensburg. 724-836-8000.

RIVERS CASINO. Ferris Buellers Revenge. Terry Griffith. North Side. 412-231-7777. WOODVILLE PLANTATION. 18th Century Candlelight Concert. Ft. the Pittsburgh Historical Music Society. Musicians dressed in period attire and using period instruments will delight you with tavern songs as well as music popular from the 17th & 18th centuries and the genteel society. Bridgeville. 412-221-0348.

SAT 11

FRI 10

MON 13

BAR LOUIE NORTHSHORE. Right TurnClyde. Downtown. 412-500-7530.

JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Cash’D Out. Warrendale. 724-799-8333.

REX THEATER. sunn o))), Big Brave. South Side. 412-381-6811.

DOWNEY’S HOUSE. Snarfunkle. Robinson. 412-489-5631.

FRI 10

PAID ADVERTORIAL SPONSORED BY

What to do March

IN PITTSBURGH

8 - 14

WEDNESDAY 8 Beauty Slap, Two Tall Twins & DJ SOY SOS

REVEL + ROOST Downtown. 412-281-1134. Free event. For more info visit downtown pittsburgh.com. 4:30p.m.

Travis Wall’s Shaping Sound

SECONDHAND SERENADE ENADE REX THEATER THURSDAY MARCH 9

Avion Roe SMILING MOOSE South Side. 412-431-4668. With special guests Ghost Parade & The Arcade. All ages show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 6:30p.m.

JJ G Grey. Tickets: Ti k t ticketmaster. ti k t com or 1-800-745-3000. 8p.m.

Renaissance City Winds CARNEGIE MELLON KRESGE THEATER Oakland. With special guest Nathan Carterette. For tickets and more info visit rcwinds.org. 7p.m.

FRIDAY 10 105 Granger Smith

BENEDUM CENTER Downtown. 412-456-6666. Tickets: trustarts.org. 7:30p.m.

THURSDAY 9 Mae

MR. SMALLS THEATRE Millvale. 412-421-4447. With special guests Owel & Constellations. All ages show. Tickets: ticketweb.com/ opusone. 8p.m.

Secondhand Serenade REX THEATER South Side. 412-381-1681. With special guests Hawthorne Heights, Ronnie of Red Jumpsuit Apparatus & more. All ages show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 6:30p.m.

NEWS

STAGE AE North Side. With special guest Earl Dibbles Jr. All ages show. Tickets: ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Doors open at 7p.m.

MONDAY 13 Tortoise

MR. SMALLS THEATRE Millvale. 412-421-4447. With special guest IT IT. All ages show. Tickets: ticketweb.com/ opusone. 8p.m.

Brit Floyd BENEDUM CENTER Downtown. 412-456-6666. Tickets: trustarts.org. Through Mar. 11.

The Whitfield Family Band & The Mark Strickland Quartet KELLY-STRAYHORN THEATER East Liberty. Tickets: showclix.com or 888-718-4253. 7:30p.m.

SATURDAY 11

MUSIC

The Town Pants

Howie Day

HARD ROCK CAFE Station Square. 412-481-ROCK. With special guests Nick Barilla & Kenny Sukitch. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 8p.m.

The Guard CITY THEATER South Side. 412-431-2489. Tickets: citytheatercompany. org. Through Apr. 2.

ARTS

EVENTS

BENEDUM CENTER Downtown. 412-456-6666. Tickets: trustarts.org. 7p.m.

SUNDAY 12

REX THEATER South Side. 412-381-1681. Over 21 show. Free show. 8p.m.

Drumline Live

TASTE

TUESDAY 14 Jackyl

An Evening with Southern Soul Assembly CARNEGIE LECTURE HALL Oakland. With special guests Luther Dickinson, Anders Osborne, Marc Broussard &

SCREEN

SPORTS

JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE Warrendale. 724-799-8333. With special guests Sound Servent & Dying Breed. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 7p.m.

CLASSIFIEDS

[COMEDY]

“I’VE GOTTEN A LOT OF FLACK FROM MEN ABOUT IT.”

FIRING BACK Nearly three years after the debut of his weekly online political-comedy talk show on RT.com, Redacted Tonight, Lee Camp is still basking in the freedom it gives him to fire away at big targets. In one late-February opening monologue, for instance, Camp ran a master class on deconstructing a feel-good Starbucks ad. “In the first five seconds, they’re already taking credit for your life,” he noted in his characteristic high-keyed style, before skewering the ad’s schmaltzy aesthetic (“like a montage you’d play at a wedding reception”), its pandering to concern about veterans, and more. Camp’s Chomsky-on-Red Bull approach is paying off, especially of late. Interviewed recently, Camp says the presidential campaign gave Redacted, which addressed issues like voter suppression and flawed voting technology, “a huge bump in viewership” and got it moved into a bigger studio in Washington, D.C. The attention has also grown his standup act into bigger venues. In his two most recent Pittsburgh visits, for instance, Camp played Hambone’s Pub; on March 11, he’s at Mr. Smalls Funhouse. But Camp, speaking by phone, says neither he nor Redacted are much changed by Donald Trump’s victory. Sure, Camp has been unsparing in his criticism of the new president — but no moreso, he says, than when he took Obama to task for bombing civilians or deporting immigrants in record numbers. Camp acknowledges that more liberals are upset about Trump — the comic’s own biggest concern is climate change — but he considers our political crisis mostly an ongoing one. “The grim reality of it may be people needed to have a big ugly face to the situation to realize how upsetting it is,” he says. “So I’m glad people are getting upset. I wish they’d gotten upset earlier, but hey, if this is what needs to happen, well, America has woken up and I think that’s probably a good thing.” One curious twist here is that Redacted’s home base, RT, is the Russian government’s English-language news channel. Some have called RT a propaganda tool of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Camp, however, says, “I have incredible freedom there and I do a lot of anticorporate comedy, and I’m not allowed to do it anywhere else, basically.” Would he criticize the Russian government, if he thought it was warranted? “Yeah, probably,” he says. DRISCOLL@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

LEE CAMP with Krish Mohan 7:30 p.m. Sat., March 11. Mr Smalls Funhouse, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $13.99-24.95. www.leecamp.net

Lee Camp

{BY BILL O’DRISCOLL}

{CP PHOTO BY KATHLEEN HAGERTY}

Jan Beatty

[BOOKS]

POEMS ON THE EDGE {BY BILL O’DRISCOLL}

OR TWO DECADES, Jan Beatty has

been one of Pittsburgh’s most prominent — and edgiest — poets. As longtime host and producer of WESA 90.5 FM’s weekly show Prosody, she’s also been one of poetry’s most visible advocates here; at Carlow University, she directs the creativewriting program, teaches, and leads the long-running Madwomen in the Attic writing workshops. Now the critically acclaimed Beatty, 64, has published her ﬁrst career retrospective. Jacknife: New and Selected Poems, on her longtime publisher, the University of Pittsburgh Press, contains 22 new works and 54 from her four earlier collections dating to 1995’s Mad River. Beatty has worked jobs including waitress, abortion counselor and teacher in maximum-security prisons — all experiences reﬂected in her work. Jackknife, a project originated by Pitt Poetry Series editor Ed Ochester, features poems that highlight Beatty’s artistic journey as well as such recurring themes as the body,

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

sex, violence, adoption and parentage, and working-class life. The new work includes powerful poems about a young girl getting an abortion (“The 12-year-old walks thin, like a child …”); dealing with poverty; and discussing a birth father with an ashamed birth mother. Beatty sat down with CP in advance of her March 11 book launch. A longer version of this interview is available at www.pghcitypaper.com.

JAN BEATTY BOOK LAUNCH 7:30 p.m. Sat., March 11 (with live music, refreshments and book-signing). Community Broadcast Center, 67 Bedford Square, South Side. Free. beattyjp@aol.com

HOW DID YOU PICK THE POEMS FOR JACKKNIFE? I made some choices, and I worked with people who help me. Judith Vollmer, who I’m lucky enough to have as a reader, and

also Aaron Smith. … They wanted some family poems that I had cut. Some more maybe softer, sentimental poems that I cut. Which is my habit: I want to make a tough, strong book. Sometimes I forget to put in the softer stuff. ONE OLDER ONE IS “A WAITRESS’ INSTRUCTIONS ON TIPPING …”: “OVERTIP, THEN TIP SOME MORE …” It’s [my] most anthologized poem. That poem has traveled around the country. ... It started showing up in bus stands, in restaurants. People were posting it, because it was really popular with waitresses and waiters — of course. But non-poets. So that was kind of cool. It made it … where I really want poetry to be, out of the university, into the community. ANOTHER KEY POEM IS “SHOOTER,” A CATALOGUE OF ABUSERS WHOM THE SPEAKER WOULD SHOOT. When I ﬁrst wrote that, that was kind of

frightening for me as a writer, because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very intense poem about abuse that women suffer on a daily basis. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s misread often, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotten a lot of ďŹ&#x201A;ack from men about it. In public, at readings â&#x20AC;&#x201D; men who think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hate speech, or that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m saying terrible things to young girls. â&#x20AC;Ś What happens with women, is women wait and talk to me after the reading, and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of crying and talking happening â&#x20AC;&#x201D; like, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This happened to me, this is my story.â&#x20AC;?

Â&#x201D; Â&#x2019;Â&#x2020;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2014;Â&#x17E; Â&#x2122;Â?Â&#x160; Â&#x2014;Â&#x17D;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x160;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2DC;Ć˝ Â&#x17E;Â&#x201D;Â&#x161; Â&#x2019;Â&#x161;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2122; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2018;Â&#x203A;Â&#x160; Č&#x17E; Â&#x2014;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2030;Â&#x2030;Â&#x2018;Â&#x160;Â&#x2DC;Ç¤ Â&#x2020; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x17D;Â&#x201C;Â&#x152;Â&#x2018;Â&#x160; Â&#x153;Â&#x2014;Â&#x201D;Â&#x201C;Â&#x152; Â&#x2020;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x153;Â&#x160;Â&#x2014; Â&#x2014;Â&#x160;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x161;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2DC; Â&#x17D;Â&#x201C; Â&#x2030;Â&#x160;Â&#x2020;Â&#x2122;Â?Ç&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;RED SUGARâ&#x20AC;? ALSO TACKLES A LOT OF YOUR FAMILIAR THEMES. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that moment of the speaker thinking she ďŹ nds the birth mother, and how to relate that to standing on solid ground. Which I think I write a lot about, as a woman, as an adoptee, how to walk around in your own body, when you leave it and when you come back. YOU OFTEN ADDRESS ADOPTION AND PARENTAGE. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure who said it, but writers have two or three obsessions that they go back to forever, and I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good thing. â&#x20AC;Ś I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know my real name until I was in my 30s, so that dislocation was primary for me, and I think for anyone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adopted. DO YOU WORRY ABOUT REPEATING YOURSELF? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really concerned about that. With each new book, I want to make sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing something new craftwise. â&#x20AC;Ś I always think, â&#x20AC;&#x153;When Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m ďŹ nished with this, no more father poems.â&#x20AC;? But I just deal with whatever comes up, and see if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something signiďŹ cant. TALK ABOUT THE NEW POEM â&#x20AC;&#x153;STRICKEN,â&#x20AC;? ABOUT A MENTALLY DISTURBED FRIEND WHO WANTS A GUN. It was sort of like some of the prison poems Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve written, that sort of terrifying place where you know something and it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t match up with the world and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no ground. And how do you handle that? And I think for me it related to being a woman because I think historically for me itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a long journey, with all women to be heard and to be believed, even though you know a, b and c, having other people hear you is a whole other world that often doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen. YOU WRITE ABOUT THE BODY SO MUCH. HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BODY CHANGED AS YOU AGE? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve dealt with that question. I think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in denial about my own mortality. I mean, I know Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m gonna die. â&#x20AC;Ś Maybe thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the next [book]!

ALEXANDRA LOUTSION as Princess Turandot

THIAGO ARANCAM as Prince Calaf

WEI WU as Timur

MARIA LUIGIA BORSI as LiĂš

ÇŚ Č?Č Ć˝ Č?ČŁĆ˝ Č&#x17E;Č&#x153;Ćž Č? ÇŚ Â&#x160;Â&#x201C;Â&#x160;Â&#x2030;Â&#x161;Â&#x2019; Â&#x160;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2122;Â&#x160;Â&#x2014; ÇŚ Â&#x17D;Â&#x2C6;Â?Â&#x160;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2DC; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2020;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2122; Â&#x2020;Â&#x2122; Č&#x2013;Č&#x153;Č? ÇŚ Č&#x;Č&#x153;Č?Ç&#x201A;Č&#x;Č ČĄÇ&#x201A;ČĄČĄČĄČĄ Â&#x201D;Â&#x2014; Â&#x2022;Â&#x17D;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2122;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2021;Â&#x161;Â&#x2014;Â&#x152;Â?Â&#x201D;Â&#x2022;Â&#x160;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2020;Ç&#x20AC;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2014;Â&#x152;Ç Â&#x2122;Â&#x161;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2020;Â&#x201C;Â&#x2030;Â&#x201D;Â&#x2122; UNDERSTAND EVERY WORD! Sung in Italian with English texts projected above the stage. Campaign by Creme Fraiche Design.

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{PHOTO COURTESY OF HEATHER MULL}

Amy Marsalis, in Findings

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REVELATIONS {BY MICHELLE PILECKI} I USUALLY DON’T get to say this about a play, but Findings could stand to be a bit longer. The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co.’s world premiere of Arlene Weiner’s family drama is in serious need of a bit more backstory for its initially confusing narrative, which eventually settles down into a coherent and often absorbing tale. The title can refer to the results of, say, research or medical exams. The actual first mention of “findings” — to my amusement as a jewelry-maker — was to the craft’s hardware (pinbacks, jumprings, earwires, etc.) as opposed to the decorative beads, stones and other fancies. But the play is a series of “findings,” as in revelations, so the risk of spoiler alerts curtails discussion of the plot.

FINDINGS PROVIDES MUCHO OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN TO SHINE.

FINDINGS continues through March 19. Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co., 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $22.50. www.pghplaywrights.org

a comedy/drama by David Ives

MARCH 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 2017 Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. TICKETS ARE $15.00, $10.00 FOR STUDENTS - GROUP RATES AVAILABLE. HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE.

1614 COURSIN STREET • McKEESPORT • (412) 673-1100 FOR RESERVATIONS VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.MCKEESPORTLITTLETHEATER.COM

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

there’s not enough “before” to establish the wonderful person being eulogized at the funeral, “after” her downward spiral. Directed by Lisa Ann Goldsmith, Findings provides mucho opportunities for women to shine. Lissa Brennan grabs Gloria’s dysfunction with both hands and teeth for a glorious portrait of a woman out of control. As her elder sister, Jennifer Cortland, Amy Marsalis reﬂects common sense and strength, not to mention over-protectiveness toward both Gloria and daughter Lainie. Julia de Avilez Rocha credibly captures that whiny, self-centered teenager. The men are sympathetic but deﬁnitely secondary: John Michnya as Dr. Cortland, supportive husband and doting father; Sam Lothard as the loving teddy bear, but much sinned-against, husband of Gloria; and Charles David Richards in a trio of roles. While the pacing is a bit erratic, Findings looks and sounds great, thanks to the always dependable scenic designer and painter Diane Melchitzky, and the excellent sound designer Mark Whitehead. Capable of lifting both eyebrows and hearts, Findings offers an instructive evening’s enjoyment.

As with many good dramas, Findings begins with the death of the central character and tells its story in ﬂashback. Unfortunately, it takes several scenes to establish just who this person is and how she connects to the players you’ve already met. (Allowable spoiler so you can avoid my stumbles: It’s Gloria Bazon.) Also,

I N F O@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM

STILL WATCHING {BY DREW PRASKOVICH} HAVE YOU EVER had a negative thought about the ruling party of government?

1984, adapted from George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, and now at Prime Stage Theatre directed by Richard Keitel, portrays a society in which individualism and free thought are punishable by law. Orwell’s novel was published in 1949. Sixty-eight years later, that world of government surveillance and jingoism remains a history lesson and a foreboding warning all at once. A large, austere bird is perched on the back wall of the New Hazlett stage. It feels reminiscent of Nazi symbolism and is also the “telescreen” that Big Brother is always watching from. The characters in 1984 live in constant fear. At work, in the Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith (Justin Fortunato) participates in micro-rebellions like pouring his cup of “victory coffee” into the trash. He must hold his personal longing for a free world at bay, fearing that one of his coworkers will turn him in to the “Thought Police.” The adaptation by Robert Owens, Wilton E. Hall Jr. and William A. Miles introduces the audience to the “Newspeak” language; it’s a way of speaking developed to censor thought, but through it, the richer nuances of the society get lost and condensed.

[BOOK REVIEW]

HOME AND AWAY {BY FRED SHAW}

A new employee, Julia (Jessie Wray Goodman), fills the vacancy of a missing coworker and she begins a risky new relationship with Smith. The chemistry between Goodman and Fortunato takes time to emerge. They’re viewed as adulterers, but their love and desire for individuality is so palpable they’ll stop at nothing to get married behind Big Brother’s back. Their passion goes from periods of feeling contrived to moments of wistful naivety. They find temporary sanctuary in a small apartment owned by a prole, or member of the uneducated working class. Tracey D. Turner plays the landlady with an earthy soul, still deeply connected to her past in the free world. Scenes are slow to find their pace, but the third act is a graphic and compelling highlight. Throughout, director Keitel allows Big Brother to address the characters from the telescreen. Like Big Brother, the audience is also always watching these characters, but when it’s most needed, they don’t fully manifest the terror of living under a microscope.

Travel has long played an important role in literature, allowing writers to steep themselves in foreign cultures, sightseeing and mixing with locals before returning home to report their adventures. Getting away also allows for perspectives to change, and time for reflection. With a nod to Beat legend Gary Snyder, these ideas are at the heart of Jen Ashburn’s solid debut full-length poetry collection, The Light on the Wall (Main Street Rag). Ashburn, an Indiana native, Pittsburgh resident and master’s-of-fine-arts graduate from Chatham University, spent four formative years in Asia. But while the volume’s middle parts focus on experiences there, it’s the bookended sections dealing with family that hit hardest. The strategy works well, adding symmetry while the writing remains observant and grounded in detail. This is best evidenced in “Lijiang, China,” when, after riding a bus with costumed folk dancers who perform for tourists, she writes, “How many jobs / have I had with uniforms and hats, cigarette breaks / by back dumpsters?” It squares nicely with her “Datsun Hatchback with the Windows Rolled Down,” where the speaker shares a Friday night with “Just me and Roger Daltrey’s / sacred, scarred voice of rebellion and the smell / of grease in the fibers of my Burger King uniform.” The contrast of settings highlights unglamorous work that knows no borders. Poems dealing with a schizophrenic mother who lives in a “land of milk and delusional honey” are both intriguing and disturbing. Her disappearance “In My Mother Left a Diary” lacks clear resolution, but it’s the language that matters. In “Our Mother Drove Barefoot,” Ashburn describes a road trip that “took us to the end / of our childhood. Hooked on Classics / played from a portable tape player … / the tuba sounding like an oboe, / the oboe like a cow giving birth with her lips held shut.” A haunting clarity lingers in lines like these. This work gets balanced by focus given to the more grounded father, “a knight in armor worn thin.” It’s an interesting dynamic Ashburn pulls off, as in “My Father Hates Hippies,” which highlights a man who, after drinking, “talks of his life / in the black and white photos / where he’s a young man holding a rooster … / the color Polaroids where he wears olive drab and holds / an M-14.” With such compelling moments, compiled over 62 pages, The Light on the Wall stands as revealing and compassionate.

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1984 continues through Sun., March 12. Prime Stage Theatre at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. $10-25. 724-773-0700 or www.primestage.com

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03.09-03.16.17 Full events listed online at www.pghcitypaper.com Call it a lust for language: Lori Howsare, a.k.a. The Mad Muse, is starting a Literary Brothel. On arrival, guests will make the rounds of the chambers occupied by a series of Sacred Literary Whores, who’ll pleasure them with words and narrative (until, one assumes, each story climaxes). Howsare, partly inspired by poetry brothels in Pittsburgh and elsewhere, adds the twist that her inaugural production, with three shows nightly March 9-11 at a private home in Bellevue, honors Maurice Level,

the French writer whose stories of the macabre were bloodily staged at the notorious Grand Guignol theaters in Paris and London in the early 20th century. Concierge Lilith DeVille (pictured) will introduce three Whores — drag artist Janet Granite, actress Katie Crandol and performer Madame D — who’ll regale visitors with tales such as Level’s “30 Hours With a Corpse.” “I wanted to use a theatrical form that could show us human monsters,” says Howsare. Besides turning people on to literature, she says, the idea is to create empathy: “Not all monsters are born that way.” The performances will conclude in the attic, with the Mad Muse herself enacting a half-hour monologue (co-written with Stephanie Lenz) about an infamous Western Pennsylvanian: Stella Williamson, a loner who after her death was, under Southern-gothic circumstances, implicated in the murder of five infants whose bodies were later found in a trunk in Williamson’s residence. Howsare, as it happens, grew up in that same small town, Gallitzin, near Altoona. What’s more, says Howsare, “I knew Stella. She would give us cookies.” And after Stella died, “We watched them bring the trunk out of the house.”

{ART BY SAM THORP}

^ Fri., March 10: Girls Rock Exhibition and Benefit

thursday 03.09

BY BILL O’DRISCOLL

9 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and midnight Thu., March 9-Sat., March 11. 449 Jefferson Ave., Bellevue. $10-12. www.facebook.com (“literary brothel grand guignol”)

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

THU., MARCH 9 – MUSIC The newly opened Alphabet City Center, the bookstore/ restaurant/performance space operated by City of Asylum, welcomes Ghanaian musician Osei Korankye for a one-night performance. Korankye is one of the very last remaining seperewa (Akan harp) musicians in Ghana. Once used in the traditional ceremonies of the Ashanti and Akai people, the instrument has nearly disappeared, replaced with guitars. Korankye has dedicated his life to preserving this instrument and sharing its unique sounds and history with Ghanaian and Western students. Amani Newton 8 p.m. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. 412-435-1110 or www.alphabetcity.org

STAGE Set in the early 20th century and based on the 1912 novel by American writer Jean Webster, Daddy Long Legs premiered in regional theater in 2007 before migrating to London’s West End in 2012. It tells the story of orphan Jerusha Abbott and the mysterious benefactor with very long legs who agrees to send her to college, under the condition she write him once a month. These letters form the center of the two-character musical written by John Caird, with music and lyrics by

Paul Gordon. Pittsburgh Public Theater’s local-premiere production, starring Danielle Bowen and Allan Snyder, has its first performance tonight. AN 8 p.m. Continues through April 9. 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $25-62. 412-316-1600 or www.ppt.org

friday 03.10 ART Art and empowerment join forces tonight at Wilkinsburg’s Percolate Art Space for the Girls Rocks Exhibition and Benefit. Some 60 emerging and established women artists, inspired by music, politics and feminism, contribute work to a show to aid Girls Rock Pittsburgh, which uses music-making to promote self-confidence, creative expression and more. (Works include Sam Thorp’s drawing of rock ’n’ roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, pictured.) The show runs all month; Percolate will donate to Girls Rock a portion of the commission from all work sold during the exhibition. Tonight’s opening reception also includes a raffle. Bill O’Driscoll 6-8:30 p.m. 317 S. Trenton Ave., Wilkinsburg. 412-477-4540 or www.facebook.com (“percolate art”) ^ Thu., March 9: Osei Korankye {PHOTO COURTESY OF ALPHABET CITY}

Animal Rescue League & Wildlife Center/Western PA Humane Society

blogh.pghcitypaper.com

Clicking “reload” makes the workday go faster

{PHOTO COURTESY OF ED MASSERY}

^ Sat., March 11: Action, Ideas, Architecture: Arthur Lubetz/Front Studio

STAGE Bricolage Productions’ big fundraiser is also its biggest annual high-wire act. Tonight, six local playwrights take six separate 90-minute Port Authority bus rides. They then get 10 hours to each write a one-act play thus inspired, with 14 hours more for cast and crew to rehearse and tech each production for a Saturdaynight premiere, at the August Wilson Center. For the 12th annual BUS, Gab Cody, Kim El, Gayle Pazerski, Dave Harris, Sloan MacRae and Mark Clayton Southers will write for a cross-section of local directors and actors. A VIP reception tonight includes the entertaining Live Actor Exhibition and sports-style actor draft, as well as Saturday’s VIP gala. BO 7 p.m. Performance: 8 p.m. Sat., March 11 (6:30 gala and reception). Downtown. $45-150. 412-456-6666 or www.bricolagepgh.org

WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER FUNDRAISER March 18 • 12 - 4pm Raise funds & supplies for the coming animal babies! Drop Off Location: Galleria of Mt. Lebanon 1500 Washington Road Pittsburgh, PA 15228

Meet Chuck, the red-tailed hawk!

animalrescue.org

saturday 03.11 EXHIBIT Arthur Lubetz has worked in Pittsburgh for a half-century, but even if you don’t know him, you know his work: His bold colors, signature geometric forms and inventively constructed spaces distinguish such landmarks as Shadyside’s Ellsworth II building; the {PHOTO COURTESY OF LUKE BRUEHLMAN} Sharpsburg Library (pictured); ^ Fri., March 10: Bricolage Productions Garfield’s Glass Lofts; and the renovated Carnegie Library branch in Squirrel Hill. Today, at the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Heinz Architectural Center opens Action, Ideas, Architecture: Arthur Lubetz/Front Studio, a retrospective curated by critic, historian and occasional CP contributor Charles Rosenblum. BO 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $11.95-19.95 (free for kids under 2). 412-622-3131 or www.cmoa.org

ART As detailed in last week’s CP, ever since the election, Artists Image Resource has gotten busier, from its open-studio screenprinting nights to special evenings devoted to making protest art. Tonight, the North Side artspace’s open-submission, unjuried show Active Voice — A Response to the New Administration holds a reception. View this salon-style exhibition featuring work expressing anger, disdain and the need to fight back against fear, bigotry, greed and apathy. AIR promises the project will continue, but this is the perfect chance to appreciate phase one. BO 6-9 p.m. 422 Foreland St., North Side. Free. www.artistsimageresource.org CONTINUES ON PG. 36

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SHORT LIST, CONTINUED FROM PG. 35

Animal Rescue League & Wildlife Center/Western PA Humane Society

WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER FUNDRAISER March 18 • 12 - 4pm Raise funds & supplies for the coming animal babies! Drop Off Location: AE Nobel & Associates 6149 Saltsburg Road #100 Verona, PA 15147

Meet Clover, the striped skunk!

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The first hit is free. Actually, so are all the others. {ARTWORK BY ANN HAMILTON “OFFERING”}

^ Thu., March 16: A Walk Through the Archives

STAGE

animalrescue.org

An Old Master once depicted a classical philosopher contemplating the sculpture of a legendary poet — and Rembrandt’s iconic “Aristotle With a Bust of Homer” in turn inspired Jessica Dickey’s The Guard. The 2015 drama portrays a dedicated museum guard who takes a time-bending journey after breaking the rules to physically connect with a painting. City Theatre’s Tracy Brigden directs this main-stage show by Dickey (whose The Amish Project and Charles Ives Take Me Home City previously staged). The cast features Andrew May as both the guard Henry and Rembrandt, and includes Melinda Helfrich and Raphael Nash Thompson. The first performance is tonight. BO 5:30 p.m. Continues through April 2. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. $15-59. 412-431-2489 or www.citytheatrecompany.org

BURLESQUE The 18-and-over event After Hours Cabaret — A Burlesque Tribute to Postmodern Jukebox promises a sexy speakeasy vibe. Burlesque dancers, belly-dancers, go-go dancers, singers and hula-hoopers perform live on the Oaks Theater stage to the prerecorded sounds of Scott {DIMPLES DIAMOND PHOTO OF COURTESY OF ERIC PAUL OWENS} Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, ^ Sat., March 11: After Hours Cabaret the viral YouTube group that interprets contemporary pop hits in the style of genres including swing and big-band jazz. The show’s presented by Pin-Up Perfection Productions, and organized by Pittsburgh’s own award winning Boom Boom Bridgette, the “Buxom Beauty with the Banging Booty.” AN 7-11 p.m. 310 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. $12-18. 412-828-6322 or www.theoakstheater.com

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

EVERYONE IS A CRITIC EVENT: Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn CRITIC: Joe Lentini, 61, nonprofit employee, Garfield WHEN: Fri.,

March 03

Normally, I don’t like to walk down Penn Avenue in the middle of the night. Although things are getting better, it’s still a little shaky, I think. But this is one time you can get out and walk, and I’m doing that, and seeing what’s going on in the neighborhood. The [Center for] Post Natural History, I saw that. Not a lot of things are going on right now because it’s cold. I did notice Level Up [Studios] down there; it looked like it was happening a little bit. I would say, come next time, and if the weather gets better you’ll probably see a lot more people around here than you might tonight. I go to it most of the time; it’s only once a month, anyway. Some things are interesting, and some things you say, “Oh my.”

Join us

Saturday, March 11th

B Y AMANI NE WTO N

for for

Parade Day

sunday 03.12 WORDS In conjunction with the exhibition Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion, the Carnegie Museum of Art hosts talks by designers committed to changing the way we think about fashion. This afternoon, the spotlight shines on Pittsburgh native Tereneh Mosley. In “Globalization for Good,” Mosley will discuss founding Idia’Dega: Elegant Ethical Apparel, which brings together environmentally sustainable practices with creative teams of Maasai women artisans in Kenya as equal partners in process and design. The talk is free, but registration is recommended. AN 1:30-2:30 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. 412-622-3131 or www.cmoa.org

DRUMS Some might say the marching bands are the actual draw to football games between historically black colleges and universities; it’s common to go to an HBCU matchup and find the stadium vibrating from 60,000 people {PHOTO COURTESY NJAIMEH NJIE/ELEVEN STANLEY PRODUCTIONS} shaking a tailfeather. Tonight ^ Sun., March 12: “Globalization for Good” only, the DRUMLine Live Worldwide Tour brings that energy to Pittsburgh at the Benedum Center. The show, featuring 45 trained musicians, dancers, singers and actors, was created by the same musical team behind the hit Nick Cannon movie of the same name. AN 7 p.m. 237 Seventh St., Downtown. $28.50-53.50. 412-456-6666 or www.trustarts.org

FEATURING GREEN BEER & YUENGLING DRAFTS

$15

Best Irish Outfit

Breakfast Buffet 7am-11am. Plenty of green to go around all day! Kitchen open until 1am (Late Night Menu)

ART The Mattress Factory turns 40 this year. (Dahling, you don’t look a day over 29!) The North Side’s world-renowned museum of installation art is celebrating its landmark birthday with a series of events beginning with tonight’s A Walk Through the Archives. This guided tour samples archival materials — most never before publicly displayed — from installations by the likes of Damien Hirst, Ann Hamilton, Juan R. Diago and more, chosen by museum co-directors Barbara Luderowski and Michael Olijnyk and archivist Sarah Hallett. Tickets include two drinks and light appetizers. BO 6-8 p.m. 500 Sampsonia Way, North Side. $15. 412-231-3169 or www.mattresss.org

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AT DOOR INCLUDES BREAKFAST & 2 GREEN BEERS

every hour GREAT Prizes for

thursday 03.16

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THE BARBACOA LAMB WAS INTENSELY FLAVORED, ALTERNATING BETWEEN JUICY AND CRUSTY

INSIDE THE BOX {BY ALEX GORDON} Packaging ice cream might sound simple enough, but there are a slew of unexpected challenges. There are strict laws about labeling; having to coordinate with the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture; and, not least, the basic challenge of keeping a frozen product frozen. Katie Heldstab, co-owner of Leona’s Ice Cream, discovered this firsthand, while working to get her company’s lactose-free, 100 percent dairy ice cream into stores. “Why didn’t I make granola bars? Or bread? Something that’s a little easier to ship,” says Heldstab, laughing. “Alas, we did ice cream ... and it’s delicious.”

{PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT DAYAK}

A pint of Leona’s lactose-free coffee ice cream

Last month, the company known locally for its ice-cream sandwiches released its first round of pints. The flavors include: vanilla, chocolate, fresh mint chocolate, coffee and cinnamon oatmeal lace, as well as a rotating seasonal flavor. The packaged ice cream is currently available at just a few stores in the region, including the 52nd St. Market, in Lawrenceville, and the Sunny Bridge Natural Foods and Café, in the South Hills, but that number is growing. True to the company’s aesthetic, the owners opted to package the ice cream in colorful — and frankly, pretty adorable — boxes, rather than the standard cylindrical cartons. “I remember growing up with boxes of ice cream,” says Heldstab. “That shape evoked a nice memory.” The box design also allows for more efficient stacking and shelving, which is a big plus when working with limited for space, as Heldstab and her purveyors are. “We’re small, all of our retailers are small, and frozen shelf space is very hard to get,” she says. The research and design process was another unexpected chore, she adds, but a well-built, aesthetically pleasing result justified the work. “It took a little bit longer than we would’ve liked it to,” says Heldstab. “But we did it right.” ALEXGORDON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

For a list of retailers carrying Leona’s pints, check out leonaspgh.squarespace.com.

{CP PHOTO BY VANESSA SONG}

Mexicuban: Cuban sandwich with chile ancho mayo, chorizo, ham, turkey and Swiss on grilled ciabatta

MEX-AMERICAN

HOTSPOT {BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}

HEN PITTSBURGH was a factory town, it was, famously, so dark from pollution that the streetlights sometimes shone at day. Today, with the factories gone and the air scrubbed clean, it has become fashionable to eat in restaurants inspired by the old industrial “aesthetic.” Furnished with blackened gas pipe, dim Edison bulbs and ubiquitous chalkboard paint, these restaurants can feel as seriously gloomy as a Pittsburgh afternoon in 1942. Which might be why were so charmed by the quirky decor of Tres Rios, “South Side’s newest Mexican kitchen and tequila bar with an iconic Pittsburgh twist.” Oh, there are Edison bulbs. There’s even barn wood, which has somehow gotten caught

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

up in the industrial-interior playbook. But there’s also a big glass-topped table built from old gears, cranks and assorted detritus welded into a sort of weird, wheeled chassis like a factory-seconds Frankenstein’s

TRES RIOS 1719 E. Carson St., South Side. 412-930-0868 HOURS: Sun.-Wed. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Thu. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight PRICES: $6-16 LIQUOR: Full bar

CP APPROVED lab slab. Elsewhere, lengths of heavy chain form a curtain of sorts between the bar and a booth. And in place of darkness, there’s bright lighting and big, bright paintings of

tacos done in the pop-art style of Andy Warhol. It’s all a bit of a happy mess. The food was artfully served as well. A sandwich arrived on a polished slab of tree, its natural edges left intact, and chips in a cone of paper held by a sculptural wire frame. Even simple empanadas on a plate were arrayed with care and sauced for visual effect. This artfulness was a pleasing way to elevate a menu that floated between fairly straightforward Mex-American fare and modern, inventive dishes more inspired by than derived from traditional Mexican cuisine. Next visit, we’ll definitely try the shrimp ceviche on a bed of sweet-potato pureeé. On our first, the more fundamental pleasures of the house nachos were

irresistible. Its meats — lamb, pork belly and grilled chicken — were superb, with the shredded barbacoa lamb particularly intensely flavored and alternating between juicy and crusty. Only the assembly was, uncharacteristically, rather careless, with the meat mostly in a single layer between two piles of chips and the white cheese sauce blobbed on at random. Empanadas are frequently wrapped in a fairly substantial, pie-like crust, but those at Tres Rios had a lighter, flakier crust that became almost as papery as puff pastry in the fryer. Fillings were a bit scant, but we were OK with that when the wrapper was this exceptional. Similarly, the chicken quesadilla was distinguished by the airy, flaky texture and almost smoky flavor of its toasted flour tortillas. Inside, the chicken was the same moist, flavorful, griddled bits — not shreds — we’d enjoyed in the nachos. Pato tacos featured rich, braised-duckleg meat topped with both mango salsa and jicama slaw, plus spiced crema. The meat was extraordinarily juicy, and its unctuous texture played wonderfully against the lightly crunchy slaw and mildly sweet salsa. The only flaw was the tortilla itself, a housemade corn version that was almost crepe-like, with a smooth, semi-glossy surface and too much heft. Filled with more pedestrian ingredients, it would have brought the whole taco down. Tres Rios’ burrito mojado came stuffed with a choice of meat (we picked barbacoa lamb), black beans and rice, and was draped in two sauces: guajillo ancho pepper and cheese. It seems churlish to complain about too much of that excellent lamb, so suffice it to say that the meat was present out of all proportion to the rice and beans. Tres Rios offers tortas, or Mexican-style sandwiches, but none were served on the traditional sort of crusty-soft roll. Instead, our “Mexicuban” torta came on a ciabatta, which would normally be too hearty for a pressed Cuban. But when spicy chorizo, chile ancho mayo and beer-braised jalapeños were added to the mix, the more substantial roll came into its own, providing safe, starchy harbor for all that flavorful goodness. Yucca fries were an obvious swap for potatoes, but yucca’s a tricky root, far starchier than spuds. Tres Rios is the first local place we’ve been served truly excellent yucca fries: thick wedges that were fluffy within, firmly crusty without, and addictive with salsa or the aforementioned ancho mayo. Tres Rios is a bright spot on the map of Mexican-ish food and drink in Pittsburgh. It’s hip, it’s friendly, and the food is good. INFO@ PGHC ITY PAP ER.CO M

NEWS

MUSIC

[PERSONAL CHEF]

ARTICHOKE BISQUE {BY SARA RASZEWSKI,

MEXICAN RESTAURANT & BAR

Sushi Kim

FRIDAY, MARCH 10 LIVE MUSIC LATIN GUITAR

Korean BBQ Buffet

OAXACAN CUISINE

FORMERLY OF SOUP NANCYS} This soup is the first one ever sold by Soup Nancys. It pairs a classic, creamy bisque texture with the delicious subtle earthiness of artichokes. And it won’t leave you penniless for your next date because potatoes make up a good deal of the volume. The best soup you can make starts with good stock (do it), but just use cheapo wine. The soup stand opened inside the Pittsburgh Public Market on Easter weekend 2011 (so that we wouldn’t have to work on that first Sunday). We were right to plan for a day off right away. When doing anything worth doing, there’s a million considerations, and being humans, especially humans that like beer, not everything will get addressed. We cooked our tails off in the church-basement kitchen, worried and fretted, and lugged gallons of cold soup to the old produce terminal building. We plugged in soupwarming pots and waited for it to heat up. Lesson learned: Those pots are for keeping hot stuff hot. If you put cold stuff in, well, we didn’t have time to find out how long it would take. Mr. Nancy got tasked with running to the Sears scratch-and-dent on 52nd Street to buy the least-scratched and -dented microwave available. There will always be bumps in the road, but this soup g is a proven winner. Eat it in good health with people you love, even if that person is just you.

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INGREDIENTS • 4 tbsp. butter • 1 large onion, chopped ed • 4 cloves garlic, minced d • 6 potatoes (gold preferred), d) peeled, roughly chopped • 3 cans artichoke hearts, drained • 2 qts. vegetable stock • 1 cup white wine • 2 cups grated Parmesan • ½ tsp. nutmeg • 2 cups cream or half-and-half alf

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INSTRUCTIONS In a four-quart pot or larger, melt butter. Sauté onions and garlic, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and artichokes. Add stock and wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on medium until potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Using a hand blender in the pot (or working in batches with a stand blender), purée the soup. Add the cheese and nutmeg, plus salt and pepper to taste. Purée to combine. Add cream and purée again. Be impressed with yourself and serve hot. Serves six.

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Soup Nancy soups, now made by Raszewski’s business partner, Linzee Mihalcin, can be enjoyed at Umbrella Café, Downtown. WE WANT YOUR PERSONAL RECIPES AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM. EMAIL THEM TO CELINE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM.

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2017 E. CARSON ST. 412-251-0558 PUBLIC PARKING IN THE BACK. +

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Animal Rescue League & Wildlife Center/Western PA Humane Society

WILDLIFE BABY SHOWER FUNDRAISER March 18 • 12 - 4pm Raise funds & supplies for the coming animal babies! Drop Off Location: Wild Birds Unlimited 3848 William Penn Hwy Monroeville, PA 15146

Meet Hermes, the short-eared owl!

[ON THE ROCKS]

ARE YOU BEING SRVD? New app promises easier time ordering drinks {BY DREW CRANISKY} EVERYONE KNOWS the frustration of trying

animalrescue.org

TAJ MAHAL INDIAN RESTAURANT

to get a drink at a busy bar. The shouting, the jockeying for position, the fruitless attempts to make eye contact with the bartender. Of course, that bartender can move only so fast, and things get especially bogged down when people pay as they go or everyone wants to close a tab. The tedium of ringing in drinks and swiping cards often eats up far more time than just pouring a beer. There’s got to be a better way. Now there might be one. Lee Selkowitz, Sachal Lakhavani and Nick Mele are the Pittsburgh-based cofounders of Srvd, an app that allows you to order and pay for drinks using your smartphone. Selkowitz, a bar-industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience, says the app is the result of a conversation about how to improve the bargoing experience. “Everything surrounding this industry has changed,” he says. “The integration of POS systems, the boom of the craft-beer market … but the actual process of getting a drink, what’s at the core of going out, has not changed. There seemed to be a real big disconnect there.” If you can order a cup of coffee or a ride home using your phone, why not a cocktail? That’s the simple but innovative premise behind Srvd. Rather than ﬁghting crowds or opening tabs, Srvd (www.srvdapp.com) allows you to order and pay from your phone. The order is sent to a tablet or the bar’s POS system; through the app, staff

notify you when your drink is ready to pick up, meaning you can spend more time socializing and less time waiting. Srvd launched last summer, and Lakhavani says the reception has been warm, with customers already putting it to use in unanticipated ways. One customer said she ordered a drink from the dance ﬂoor, picked it up and was back before her song was over, while another placed her order from her Uber so her drink would be ready the moment she walked in. Like any new technology, Srvd has been met with some skepticism. As Selkowitz says, bartenders and customers wonder whether the app “is taking away from the ‘service’ of the ‘service industry.’” In practice, however, he says that they’ve seen quite the opposite: by freeing bartenders from the tedium of processing payments and making change, Srvd actually gives them more time to interact with the people around them. Srvd is currently live in a handful of bars around Pittsburgh (including Belvedere’s, Mixtape and Rivertowne North Shore), and it’s making appearances in New York and State College as well. The team continues to add new features, including the ability to save custom drink orders and new options for in-app deals and discounts. Though the app is still young, Srvd has the potential to change the way you go out: Instead of batting your eyes at the bartender, just make sure your battery is charged.

“EVERYTHING SURROUNDING THIS INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED.”

Serving North Indian, South Indian and other authentic regional Indian Cuisine OPEN 7 DAYS FROM 11AM-10PM

7795 McKnight Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 412-364-1760 • tajmahalinc.com

I N F O@ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

BOOZE BATTLES {BY CELINE ROBERTS}

Each week, we order the same cocktail at two different bars for a friendly head-to-head battle. Go to the bars, taste both drinks 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 writer Celine Roberts, at celine@pghcitypaper.com.

THE DRINK: A MINTY MARCH

VS.

Kaya

Pirata

2000 Smallman St., Strip District

274 Forbes Ave., Downtown

DRINK: Mojito INGREDIENTS: Don Q silver rum, mint, lime, demerara sugar, soda OUR TAKE: This version of a mojito played up the sweeter, softer aspects of mint, while also making lime the star of the show. The white rum smoothly faded into the background, showing up for one light kick at the finish.

DRINK: Mojito Royale INGREDIENTS: Don Q añejo rum, lime, mint, mint-infused brown-sugar syrup, sparkling wine float OUR TAKE: This drink harnessed the carbonation of the sparkling wine to provide a fruity, feather-light balance to the intensity of mint and lime. The nose held notes of peach and mint, and the sips were pleasantly, but not overly, sweet.

This week on Five Minutes in Food History: Cecil Usher returns with the folklore and history behind the green veil of absinthe. www.pghcitypaper.com

One Bordeaux, One Scotch, One Beer Wild Side: T-Funk, Full Pint Brewing Company $6.50/pint “It’s a light sour beer made with black tea and blackberries. It’s really good to drink with food because it’s so light. It was supposed to be a one-off beer, and it’s named after one of [Full Pint’s] bartenders. It became so popular that they keep brewing it.” RECOMMENDED BY ALISON ZAZACKY, BARTENDER AT CARSON STREET DELI & CRAFT BEER BAR

Wild Side: T-Funk is available at Carson Street Deli & Craft Beer Bar, South Side, and at Full Pint Brewing Company, Lawrenceville.

NEWS

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SEX SHOW {BY CHARLIE DEITCH}

THE SUBPLOTS VACILLATE FROM BORING TO KOOKY TO MIND-NUMBINGLY HACKNEYED

As we all know, if you want to watch two people, or three people, or eight people fucking on film, there’s no reason to leave your house. Grab a laptop and some headphones, and you can be filling your eyes with all the sex you want in a matter of seconds. That’s why Dan Savage’s Hump Film Festival, a traveling program of amateur porn, has always confused me. Why would people go to a crowded theater to watch porn? It’s not 1978; I’m not Travis Bickle or Peewee Herman.

See new sides of sexuality at Hump

The festival, started in 2005 by Savage, the Seattle-based syndicated sex-advice columnist, features 22 dirty short films. Each film is less than five minutes long, and while some feature hardcore sex, others don’t; some are serious, some are funny and some are downright bizarre. The short films also feature adult performers of all ages, races and body types, and explore sex and sexuality in a variety of ways — from the traditional to the absurd, and everything in between. That’s why people go to this festival. Part of the experience of watching, enjoying and parsing meaning in these films is to do so with a group of people in a theater. It breaks the stigma of sex being something that is seedy or to be embarrassed about, and lets viewers take in fresh perspectives in a shared fashion. A few films are worthy of special mention. “I’m Not Poly But My Boyfriends Are” is a sensational documentary, and the festival’s best-in-show winner. It examines the sex life of an older woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to express it with any of her four boyfriends. “Sock Puppet” is presented like a Sesame Street-style musical segment. And “Summer Fuckation” chronicles the travels of a couple of action-sports junkies who go at it everywhere, including on the top of some rocks they have just climbed. But not to worry — everyone was on the belay rope. CDEITCH@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HUMP FILM FESTIVAL 7:15 and 9:15 p.m. Fri., March, and 7:15 and 9:15 p.m. Sat., March 11. Spirit, 242 51st St., Larwenceville. $20. 412-586-4441 or www.spiritpgh.com

A dog and six guests on a log: Craig Robinson, Lisa Kudrow, Stephen Merchant, June Squibb, Anna Kendrick and Tony Revolori

POOR RECEPTION {BY AL HOFF}

LENTY OF THE wedding-day experi-

ence is grimly endured by guests (and celebrants), whether it’s a tedious service, a draggy dinner reception or a lackluster cover band. But just as we have all suffered, so too should we all laugh knowingly at a brisk, bright comedy about how miserable and silly attending weddings can be. Alas, despite that low bar, Table 19 is not that ﬁlm. Like many a nuptial gone sour, it looked hopeful early on: The director, Jeffrey Blitz, helmed the great 2002 spelling-bee doc Spellbound and debate-team comedy Rocket Science (2007); the script was written by brothers Jay and Mark Duplass, creators of HBO’s Togetherness. That seems like a team with a decent pedigree for an observational comedy about an awkward social situation, like being stuck at the reception’s “losers table.” Eloise (Anna Kendrick) reluctantly RSVPs “yes” to her best friend’s wedding. She was dating the bride’s brother, Teddy (Wyatt Russell), and she was the maid of honor;

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

now, having been dumped by Teddy, she’s at Table 19, the Siberia of the reception hall. Joining her there are: Jo (June Squibb), the bride’s former nanny; Renzo (Tony Revolori), a nerdy teen who reckons a wedding party might cure him of his virginity; Walter (Stephen Merchant), a bumbling dude out on a day-pass from his halfway house; and Bina (Lisa Kudrow) and Jerry (Craig Robinson), a bickering married couple.

TABLE 19 DIRECTED BY: Jeffrey Blitz STARRING: Anna Kendrick, Craig Robinson, Lisa Kudrow, Wyatt Russell

From the meet-up, some rather familiar things happen, ranging from weddingcake mishap to crying in the ladies’ room, while the Table 19 crew double down on their cardboard characterizations. In a poor script decision, some characters are having real-life problems, while others are

burdened with wacky, exaggerated-forguffaws travails. (Nothing about Walter’s dim-bulb criminal act makes any sense, but Merchant has such great comic chops that he winds up with most of the laughs anyway.) Likewise, the assorted subplots — each character gets a backstory — vacillate from boring to kooky to mindnumbingly hackneyed. Ultimately, we don’t even spend that much time at Table 19, listening to the band churn through 1980s pop songs. Eliose wanders the hotel hallways fretting, and after the aforementioned cake incident, everybody decides to hang out in Nanny Jo’s room. Confessions are made, kindnesses are offered, bonds are formed, then everybody takes a walk in the woods. Speaking of the 1980s, Table 19 is in essence an updated The Breakfast Club, where the ostracized wedding-party misﬁts teach each other life lessons over an hour or two of forced togetherness. So, you know — don’t you forget about me, and don’t forget to RSVP your regrets to Table 19. A H OF F @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM

FILM CAPSULES CP

= CITY PAPER APPROVED

NEW DONALD CRIED. After his grandmother dies, a guy returns to his hometown and encounters an old friend, in Kris Avedisian’s dramedy. Starts Fri., March 10 KEDI: THE CATS OF ISTANBUL. The Turkish capital is known for its large population of stray cats, and in Ceyda Torun’s charming documentary essay, some of those felines — and the humans who care for them — are profiled. What unfolds at a leisurely pace is a unique portrait of a vibrant and cosmopolitan city from the perspective of its cats; some of the film is shot at “cat level,” where there is a lot of sidewalk and footwear. But Torun can’t resist taking in Istanbul’s sweeping vistas, with the city’s famed hills and waterways. And speaking of the harbor, plenty of cats hang out there, flirting with the fisherman, and competing with seagulls for fishy scraps. (The wide variety of cats in town may have originated from the city’s significance as a port; vessels from all over would keep a cat as a mouser, and some cats undoubtedly jumped ship for dry land.) Assorted people, from an artist to a restaurateur, speak of the soulful connection one can form with cats; even the badass stand-offish street cat is affectionately called “the neighborhood psychopath,” and given a scratch around the ears. “Without the cat,” one man muses, “Istanbul would lose part of its soul.” A must for fans of cats, cities and city cats. In Turkish, with subtitles. Starts Fri., March 10. Manor (Al Hoff)

KONG: SKULL ISLAND. Jordan Vogt-Roberts directs yet another version of the King Kong legend. This ill-fated trip of scientists and soldiers to a mysterious island is set in 1971. Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson head up the ensemble cast. In 3-D, in select theaters. Starts Fri., March 10 THE OTTOMAN LIEUTENANT. In the mid1910s, a headstrong American nurse named Lillie (Hera Hilmar) joins a medical mission in the wilds of Turkey. It proves a dangerous place to be, to least of which, two handsome men are fighting for her affections. One is Ismail (Michiel Huisman, Game of Thrones), a dashing Turkish lieutenant; the other is an American doctor (Josh Hartnett). Joseph Ruben’s romance sets this love triangle against many warring factions: Christians vs. Muslims, Turks vs. Armenians, men vs. women, despair vs. hope, the old ways vs. the new ways, the whole of World War I — and yet the enterprise feels flat and predictable. The actors struggle with hokey dialogue. (Sir Ben Kingsley has a small role, and unsurprisingly, he takes to his bed with ether.) There is some nice scenery, but horse rides at sunset can’t propel this forward. Starts Fri., March 10. AMC Loews Waterfront (AH)

REPERTORY

PHILADELPHIA. When a lawyer (Tom Hanks) is fired by his firm after contracting HIV, he hires another lawyer (Denzel Washington) to sue for wrongful dismissal. Jonathan Demme directs this 1993 drama. March 10-11 and March 13-15. Row House Cinema

it packs a lot into its loosely plotted and deceptively low-key spaces. In Spanish, with subtitles. 7 p.m. Tue., March 14. Public Health G23, 130 DeSoto St., Oakland. www.ucis.pitt.edu/clas/node/432. Free (includes pizza) (AH)

TRAINING DAY. In Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 drama, Denzel Washington plays an unconventional Los Angeles police narcotics officer, who gets paired up with a wide-eyed rookie (Ethan Hawke). March 1014 and March 16. Row House Cinema

FILM KITCHEN. The March edition of the Film Kitchen screening series has a “mental health” theme, according to curator Matthew R. Day. But while the hour-long program includes four strong shorts by local artists, that theme feels tenuously related to its most elaborately produced film, Chris Preksta’s “Echo Torch.” Preksta, a writer and director best known for web comedy series Pittsburgh Dad and science-fiction web serial The Mercury Men, offers an involving — and dialogueless — 20-minute 2016

UNSTOPPABLE. It’s up to railroad man Denzel Washington to stop a runaway train loaded with explosives before it crashes into a Western Pennsylvania town. Tony Scott directs this 2010 actioner. March 10-13 and March 15-16. Row House Cinema THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH. There are many ways to approach Nicolas Roeg’s 1976 cult classic starring David Bowie as a copper-haired space alien; perhaps the readiest is as a grandiose parable of rock-star degeneration. In one reel, Bowie’s mysterious Mr. Newton goes from solitary nobody to technology tycoon. He lives reclusively: “My life is not secret, but it’s private. But eventually the distractions of affluence drag him down: The ascetic Newton turns to gin, sex and the comfortably numbing pleasures of 20 TVs to watch at once. But those are just the bare narrative bones of this iconic film. This gorgeous film also showcases Roeg’s visionary widescreen style, stuffed with symbol, implication, crazy sets and memorably surreal interludes. 7 p.m. Fri., March 10; 4:30 and 8 p.m. Sat., March 11; 4:30 and 8 p.m. Sun., March 12; and 7:30 p.m. Mon., March 13. Hollywood (Bill O’Driscoll)

M I CH I E L H U IS MAN

HERA HILMAR

LABYRINTH. This cultish 1986 film from Muppetmaster Jim Henson spins a fairy-tale-ish yarn about a teenage girl (Jennifer Connelly) who must navigate a strange world in order to rescue her baby brother from a goblin king (David Bowie). Featuring one of the Thin White Duke’s worst hair-dos ever. 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 15. AMC Loews Waterfront. $5 FINDING DAWN. Christine Welsh’s 2006 documentary looks at the disappearance or murder of an estimated 500 native Canadian women in a span of 30 years. The film screens as part of an ongoing series of social-justice films. 6:30 p.m. Thu., March. 16. Eddy Theater, Chatham campus, Shadyside. Free. www.justfilmspgh.org WITH

JOSH HARTNETT

AND ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER

BEN KINGSLEY

“A gorgeous,

sweeping romantic epic in the classic Hollywood style!” Jeffrey Lyons/LYONS DEN RADIO/WCBS

MA VIE EN ROSE. Alain Berliner directs this 1997 Belgian film about a transgender girl coming out, and how she copes with her family and neighborhood. The film begins a monthly series of LGBT films presented by Reel Q. 7 p.m. Fri., March 10. Alphabet City, 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. www.reelq.org/events THE CLUB. In a small seaside town, a small group of former Catholic priests and a nun share a house. They are intentionally isolated, having committed some sin and now live in an on-earth purgatory, caught between the oversight of church and potential dangers and temptations of the secular world. But a new resident, a disgraced priest, arrives and precipitates a disruption severe enough to bring an investigative priest from church headquarters in Santiago. As he questions the very role of the house — “this is not a spa” — and the disposition of its members, long-buried secrets, torments and desires come to the surface. This 2015 Chilean drama from Pablo Larraín (Jackie) may be spare, but

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS. Stanley Donen directed this lively 1954 musical comedy starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell — barn-raisin’ in the Old West has never had so much singing and dancing! 7:30 p.m. Wed., March 8. AMC Loews Waterfront. $5 FENCES. Denzel Washington directs and stars in this recent adaptation of August Wilson’s play about a former Negro Leagues ball player working as a garbage man in 1950s Pittsburgh. March 1012 and March 14-16. Row House Cinema

NEWS

Kedi: The Cats of Istanbul

thriller about an inventor whose new machine lets him see ghosts. What he’s after isn’t clear until the final few minutes, but “Echo Torch” boasts top-notch production values, including the cinematography, by John Pope, and the acting, with James FitzGerald as the inventor. Of the other three shorts, Kristen Lauth Shaeffer’s “Mercury in Tuna” is a sly, darkly comic 2010 drama about the effects of our fear-mongering culture; Dana Dancho plays a young woman who goes too far in her efforts to overcome her anxiety. Danny Yourd’s “The Wizard, Oz” profiles Oberon ZellRavenheart, a charming California-based neopagan wizard (complete with pointed hat) whose story includes finding the love of his life; cryptozoological adventures with unicorns and mermaids; and an unwitting association with a serial killer. (Whether you consider this film mental-health-related is your call.) And in “The John Show,” Julie Sokolow sympathetically profiles local character John Riegert, whose suicide attempt and lifelong battle with depression were subtexts of the notable 2016 art exhibit at Pittsburgh’s SPACE gallery that consisted of portraits of him by 250 different artists. 8 p.m. Tue., March 14 (7 p.m. reception). Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. $5. www.pfpca.org (BO)

MUSIC

ARTS

EVENTS

STARTS FRIDAY, MARCH 10 TASTE

SCREEN

SPORTS

WEST HOMESTEAD AMC Loews Waterfront 22 amctheatres.com CLASSIFIEDS

ELVIS LEFT THE BUILDING WHEN HE SAW A CANNONBALL COMIN’.

KEY PLAYERS A guide to City Paper’s sports-broadcasters bracket

South Side Region 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8

MIKE LANGE: Pittsburgh Penguins radio play-by play. Legendary broadcaster who was in a JeanClaude Van Damme flick. ANDREW STOCKEY: WTAE’s four-tool superstar: Sports anchor, news anchor, sports director and reporter. GREG BROWN: Pirates play-by-play guy with a great voice and even greater calls. BOB POMPEANI: KDKA sports director for nearly 35 years. Delivers every time he’s on air. ANDREW FILLIPPONI: Cohost of The Fan’s 10 a.m.-2 p.m. show. Once made Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Simeon Rice so mad that Rice signed off by telling the host to “suck a dick.” GUY JUNKER: WTAE weekend sports anchor and reporter. A solid anchor and reporter since the mid-1980s. ROBBY INCMIKOSKI: Pirates sideline reporter for Root Sports. Affable and knowledgeable. RON COOK: Fillipponi’s co-host on The Fan. Plays to the “get-off-my-lawn” demo.

1 8 6 3 5 4 7

MIKE LANGE MIKE LANGE

1 2 3 4 5

6 7

MARK MADDEN

RON COOK

MIKE WYSOCKI GREG BROWN

GUY JUNKER

ROB KING JIM COLONY

GREG BROWN

ROB KING

GREG BROWN

ROB KING

WINNER:

BILL HILLGROVE

ANDREW FILLIPPONI BOB POMPEANI

STAN SAVRAN STAN SAVRAN

BILL HILLGROVE

BOB POMPEANI ANDREW STOCKEY

ALBY OXENREITER BILL HILLGROVE JOSH MILLER

ROBBY INCMIKOSKI BILL HILLGROVE

ANDREW STOCKEY

North Side Region BILL HILLGROVE: The dean of Pittsburgh broadcasters. At 76, still calling Steelers and Pitt football and hoops at a high level. MARK MADDEN: WXDX afternoon host. “Super Genius,” hockey expert, once fired by ESPN for a Teddy Kennedy joke. STAN SAVRAN: Daily radio show on 970 AM and covers the Bucs/Pens for Root Sports; an institution. ROB KING: Main sports anchor for Root Sports. Underrated as an anchor and overlooked as a play-by-play guy. JIM COLONY: Solid sports reporter. Used to be Madden’s sidekick on 1250 AM. Has come into his own as Fan Morning Show cohost. ALBY OXENREITER: Used to be “Ox on Fox,” now the sports director at WPXI, following John Fedko. MIKE WYSOCKI: *Sponsor’s Exemption. Standup comic, City Paper columnist and TribLive Radio host brings a different voice to the conversation. JOSH MILLER: Former Steelers punter, now cohost of Fan Morning Show. Powered through early years with a great voice and charisma to become a solid talent.

MARK MADDEN

ANDREW STOCKEY

BILL HILLGROVE

2 7 5 4 3 6 8 1

BROADCAST BRACKET {BY CHARLIE DEITCH}

N SUN., March 12, college-basketball fans and bandwagonoffice-pool aficionados will find out which teams will make their March Madness bracket. Even people who don’t care about basketball will fill these out because they know that everything’s better in a bracket. With that in mind, I made my own little bracket to decide who my favorite Pittsburgh sports broadcaster is. I selected 16 people, ranked them according to my whims and then used arbitrary standards to pick winners. For example,

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

you’ll notice that Ron Cook (see key at left for afﬁliation) was eliminated in the ﬁrst round, because about 14 years ago he tried to make me move from my

FILL OUT YOUR OWN BRACKET ONLINE at www.pghcitypaper.com

press-box seat so a friend of his could sit beside him. See? Arbitrary. The results below are broken down by round with just a few highlights from each.

Sweet 16 The round stays upset-free, but there is some grumbling in the ranks regarding some of the rankings. The two most surprising were Root Sports’ Rob King capturing the four-seed in the North Side Region (played at Perry High School) and The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi in the South Side Region (played at the Oliver Bath House). The sharp-tongued and occasionally disliked Fillipponi would run into the buzzsaw that is Bob Pompeani, but King quickly dispatched his bespectacled challenger, Jim Colony.

Elite 8 Two major upsets have some Las Vegas gamblers pleased that they can spot a strong underdog capable of big wins. In the North Side Region (played at the new Pittsburgh Penguins practice facility in Cranberry), Pirates play-by-play man Greg Brown upsets broadcasting legend Mike Lange simply because I like baseball better than hockey. Both men are catch-phrase wizards, but Elvis left the building when he saw a cannonball comin’. Brown will take on Andrew Stockey, who just edged Pompeani, in the Final Four. King’s underdog steamroller continues plowing ahead when he takes out the Super Genius. Sometimes nice guys do ﬁnish ﬁrst, or at least fourth. Can King keep it rolling against overall No. 1 seed Bill Hillgrove?

Final Four The answer is: No, no he can’t. Hillgrove has dominated the competition to this point, although Stan Savran put up a ﬁght in the last round. King’s Cinderella run comes to an end when Hillgrove starts reciting stats from players who’ve been dead for 20 years. The knowledge is just too deep. In the second Final Four semiﬁnal matchup (played in the gym at the Ace Hotel), Stockey and Brown are tight down to the wire, with Brown somehow winning on a TRIP-TRIP-TRIPLE and a TRIP-TRIPTRIPLE-DOUBLE.

The Championship Fans gather on the banks of the Three Rivers and hang off bridges as Pirates announcer Greg Brown challenges “The Legend” Bill Hillgrove aboard the just-aslegendary Gateway Empress, the oldest ship in the Gateway Clipper Fleet. Brown strikes early, calling three-straight tworun homers and two references to a Martay Partay! Hillgrove plays small ball, confusing the crowd with his strategy of calling three straight plays for no gain, before charging into the lead with a perfect unexpected call of a fumbled snap turning into a 70-yard touchdown run. From there, Hillgrove effortlessly calls a fake punt, then a 30-foot jumper to tie the game at 68-68 in the final. The ﬁnal dagger comes with Hillgrove’s emotional call of the Steelers’ seventh Super Bowl win, which eclipses Brown’s brilliant call of yet another Pirates wildcard berth. And in a career of “one shining moments,” Hillgrove gets one more, even if it is in the back of the City Paper. C DE ITC H@ PGHC ITY PAP ER.CO M

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[THE CHEAP SEATS]

ALMOST HEAVEN {BY MIKE WYSOCKI}

LET S GET ’

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ON A CLASSIC episode of Family Ties, which was set in Columbus, Ohio, Alex P. Keaton wanted to celebrate his 18th birthday with his bros, Neil and Doug. One of these lads made the suggestion, “Let’s go to Wheeling, West Virginia, and drink.” Before 1986, you only had to be 18 to get drunk in the Mountain State; things were simpler back then. And while drinking is still the thing to do in Wheeling, you can also see some good professional hockey. Just an hour from Pittsburgh International Airport sits the WesBanco Arena, the home of the Wheeling Nailers, of the East Coast Hockey League. (The franchise has been in Wheeling since 1992, after 10 seasons in North Carolina.) If a player succeeds in Wheeling, it’s off to Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre, and then to the NHL and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Wheeling hockey is a breeding ground for new Penguin talent that has already put Tom Kuhnhackl, Josh Archibald and Carter Rowney on the Pens’ roster. Rowney became the 60th Wheeling Nailer to make it to the NHL. The Nailers haven’t won the big one yet, the Kelly Cup. Last year, they came close, but lost in the Kelly Cup Finals to the not-very-cleverly-named Allen Americans. The Americans won in six games, just as their parent club, the San Jose Sharks, were losing to the Nailers’ parent club, the Penguins, in the Stanley Cup Finals. During those finals, the Nailers interim head coach, David Gove, took a leave of absence for still undisclosed reasons. Weird things always happen in the minor leagues of any sport. Jeff Christian was promoted to head coach while the finals were being played. He’s in his first full season as the leader after playing 23 years at the professional level. Christian played in 18 different organizations during his nomadic tenure on the ice. His best year as a player was on the 1996-97 Penguins, when he scored two goals and two assists. Peter Laviolette, head coach of the unfortunately named Nashville Predators, also got his coaching career started in Wheeling. You might remember him for breaking a stick against the boards and threatening Penguins coach “Disco” Dan Bylsma when Laviolette was a coach for the Flyers. A player who was hated in both the Mellon Arena and PPG arena, former Flyer and New York Ranger Daniel Carcillo spent some time as a Nailer, too. Former Pen and current Edmon-

ton Oiler Mark Letestu and Chicago Blackhawk goalie Jeff Darling also are former Nailers. That’s the beauty of Wheeling — you can see players before you hate them. The ECHL’s North Division is composed of six teams; three of them have cool names. The Nailers, Elmira Jackals and Brampton Beast are all great names. Then you have the Adirondack Thunder, which is OK. Then things get stupid with The Reading Royals and Manchester Monarchs. Excuse me, your majesties, I think Nailers, Jackals, and Beast are way more creative. Right now, everybody but the Jackals has a shot at the division title, with just a couple weeks left in the season. If you go to NHL games, you know how crazy expensive it is. Besides the ticket, you can add another $50 to your tab just by parking and getting a beer and sandwich. But the poor man’s Penguins, the Nailers, have seats that cost $23, and those are the good ones. Center-ice seats will cost that much, and they go as low as $9 on the other end. There is still time to go out and see the Nailers. On March 11, the Quad City Mallards waddle into town on “Duck Dynasty Night.” The next day, the Toledo Walleye invade West-By-God-Virginia. On March 22, 24 and 25, the Iowa Steelheads come to town. Told you the minors are weird: Why do teams name their hockey squads after fish? The season winds down with the firstplace Brampton Beast on March 31. Then, April 2 is “Pup and Pucks Night” against the Reading Royals. Finally, after a life of only being able to attend baseball games, dogs can finally see hockey. The 2016-17 regular season wraps up with a visit from the Kalamazoo Wings on April 7. Fill up on gas, cigarettes and alcohol while you’re in Wheeling. Just like the hockey, it’s much cheaper.

BEFORE 1986, YOU ONLY HAD TO BE 18 TO GET DRUNK IN THE MOUNTAIN STATE.

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HELP WANTED PAID IN ADVANCE Make $1000 a Week Mailing Brochures From Home. Helping home workers since 2001. Genuine Opportunity. No experience required. Start immediately www.TheIncomeHub.com (AANCAN)

Levy @ PNC PARK is HIRING FOR THE SEASON!

We have exciting opportunities for people with energy and passion like you! Hiring all hourly positions Apply online: www.workatlevy.com Select location and positions EOE

HELP WANTED

Summa Technologies, Inc. seeks Sr. Business Consultant (multiple openings) to work in Pittsburgh, PA & unanticipated locations thruout U.S. Duties of this position incl.: eliciting bus. req’ts through user interviews, wrkshps, doc. analysis, stakeholder engagements, data driven analysis, wrkﬂw analysis, bus. process descriptions, & use case techniques; reconciling conﬂicts & coordinating teams to map, design, & optimize bus. processes in alignment w/organizational technical capabilities. This position is for a roving employee who will work in unanticipated locations thruout the U.S. The employee will have to relocate, but travel is not req’d from any particular location. Apply at http://www. summa.com/careers

NOW HIRING LOCATION: WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA / WEST VIRGINIA / WESTERN MARYLAND

Pittsburgh Langley K-8 Foundation Waterproofing & Classroom Renovations General, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical and Asbestos Primes Documents available: March 7, 2017 Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 Restroom, Lobby & Safety Renovations General, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical and Asbestos Primes Documents available: March 10, 2017 Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on February 6, 2017 at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual. We are an equal rights and opportunity school district. Parent Hotline: 412-622-7920 www.pps.k12.pa.us

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Sealed bids will be received in the Office Of The Chief Operations Officer, Room 251, Administration Building, 341 South Bellefield Avenue until 11:00a.m. prevailing time, Tuesday, March 14, 2017 and will be opened at thesame hour for the purchase of the following equipment and supplies:

CPRB Case #72-16 Monday, 03/27/17, 6:00 PM

PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7.

AIR COMPRESSOR/ DRYER SERVICE TECH

Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Room 251, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on April 4, 2017, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for the following:

NOTICES CITIZEN POLICE REVIEW BOARD

AIRLINE CAREERS begin here – Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-7251563 (AAN CAN)

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THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

(MULTIPLE OPENINGS)

CLASSES

KRUMAN EQUIPMENT COMPANY IS A DYNAMIC AND GROWING ORGANIZATION.

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

SENIOR BUSINESS CONSULTANT

City Council Chambers 510 City County Building Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Questions may be directed to 412-765-8023

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877-362-2401

General Information regarding bids may be obtained at the Office of the Purchasing Agent, Service Center, 1305 Muriel Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. The bid documents are available on the School District’s Purchasing web site at:

Kruman Equipment Company is seeking highly motivated service techs to perform routine, preventive maintenance and to repair rotary and reciprocating air compressors. Candidates must be able to demonstrate a knowledge of electrical circuits and have the ability to analyze and repair problems. Must be a self-starter with the ability to work in an unsupervised environment. Requirements: Qualiﬁed applicants should possess a minimum of (3) years experience repairing industrial air compressors. Service vehicle and tools, beneﬁts and job stability are provided. Send resume to jobs@kruman.com NEWS

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http://www.pghboe.net/pps/site/default.asp Click on Bid Opportunities under Quick Links. The Board of Public Education reserves the right to reject any

and all bids, or select a single item from any bid.

LEON WEBB Purchasing Agent WE ARE AN EQUAL RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT. +

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{BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY / WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM}

SUMMER INTERNS WANTED City Paper’s editorial team is seeking several interns for the summer. Please send résumé, cover letter and samples to the appropriate editor listed below by March 21, 2017. Each internship includes a small stipend. No calls, please.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 03.08/03.15.2017

ACROSS 1. Ridiculous comedy 6. German mark? 11. Tease gently 14. Complete buffoon 15. Extend for twelve more months 16. Cesar Chavez’s org. 17. Thingamabob whose purpose is unclear? 19. Some raiders: Abbr. 20. 23-Across rash 21. Judge who heard “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” 22. Unelected political bigwig 23. Body covering 24. Coastline after California falls into the ocean? 27. Viscous stuff 29. Member of the a capella group Spizzwinks(?) 30. Iraq war subject, briefly 33. Drill locale: Abbr. 34. Make legal 38. Cheap fanzine about the “Whip It” band? 40. Pecking order? 42. 31-Down gesture 43. Prefix with marketer 44. MLS player, e.g. 45. Dry, in a wine shop

47. Outsider, to Hawaiians 49. Overhaul of a cloverleaf? 53. Mouths, in slang 57. It can provide the big picture 58. Chick ___ 59. Chef with a “Louisiana Real and Rustic” cookbook 61. Stat in sabermetrics 62. Analgesic with a peppery sweet taste? 64. “I meant tomorrow, duh!” 65. With all the scenes 66. TV actress Olstead 67. Billhook relative 68. “I’m out” 69. Reeked

DOWN 1. High-pitched flutes 2. “So, if she weighs the same as ___, then she’s made of wood” (“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”) 3. Carlo ___ (“The Godfather” bookie) 4. Defrauds 5. Dict. entry involving origins 6. Test for M.A. seekers 7. Brought back to Broadway 8. Novelist Brookner 9. Translate into English

10. Member with a herd mentality 11. Spreading vine 12. “Hate to say this ...” 13. Rise above, big time 18. Racer Patrick 22. Series with detective Mac Taylor 25. Kindle Fire fodder 26. Brit’s school exam 28. More stupendous 30. Entries in a cryptic: Abbr. 31. “I’ve heard better” 32. ReplayTV, for one 35. Finsteraarhorn, e.g. 36. Turo rental 37. Blue ball 39. Kicks out

40. Travel in a sci-fi style 41. Short and sweet wedding attendee 43. Way too drunk jackass at a wedding, e.g. 46. Singer Dion 48. Shoelace hole 49. Justice Kagan 50. Copy 51. Stunned 52. Rapper Staples 54. Play area? 55. “Entourage” actor Jeremy 56. Aerodynamic 60. Crooner Bruno 62. Gloomy fellow 63. Alaska guess: Abbr.

{LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS}

FOR THE WEEK OF

Free Will Astrology

03.08-03.15

{BY ROB BREZSNY}

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If you normally wear adornments and accessories and fine disguises, I invite you not to do so for the next two weeks. Instead, try out an unembellished, what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach to your appearance. If, on the other hand, you don’t normally wear adornments and accessories and fine disguises, I encourage you to embrace such possibilities in a spirit of fun and enthusiasm. Now you may inquire: How can these contradictory suggestions both apply to the Pisces tribe? The answer: There’s a more sweeping mandate behind it all, namely: to tinker and experiment with the ways you present yourself … to play around with strategies for translating your inner depths into outer expression.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): As soon as you can, sneak away to a private place where you can be alone — preferably to a comfy sanctuary where you can indulge in eccentric behavior without being seen or heard or judged. When you get there, launch into an extended session of moaning and complaining. I mean, do it out loud. Wail and whine and whisper about everything that’s making you sad and puzzled and crazy. For best results, leap into the air and wave your arms. Whirl around in erratic figure-eights while drooling and messing up your hair. Breathe extra deeply. And all the while, let your pungent emotions and poignant fantasies flow freely through your wild heart. Keep on going until you find the relief that lies on the other side.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “I’ve always belonged to what isn’t where I am and to what I could never be,” wrote Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935). That was his prerogative, of course. Or maybe it was a fervent desire of his, and it came true. I bring his perspective to your attention, Taurus, because I believe your mandate is just the opposite, at least for the next few weeks: You must belong to what is where you are. You must belong to what you will always be.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Nothing is ever as simple as it may seem. The bad times always harbor opportunities. The good times inevitably have a caveat. According to my astrological analysis, you’ll prove the latter truth in the coming weeks. On one hand, you will be closer than you’ve been in many moons to your ultimate sources of meaning and motivation. On the other hand, you sure as hell had better take advantage of this good fortune. You can’t afford to be shy about claiming the rewards and accepting the responsibilities that come with the opportunities.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Seek intimacy with experiences that are dewy and slippery and succulent. Make sure you get more than your fair share of swirling feelings and flowing sensations, cascading streams and misty rain, arousing drinks and sumptuous sauces, warm baths and purifying saunas, skin moisturizers and lustrous massages, the milk of human kindness and the buttery release of deep sex — and maybe even a sensational do-it-yourself baptism that frees you from at least some of your regrets. Don’t stay thirsty, my undulating friend. Quench your need to be very, very wet. Gush and spill. Be gushed and spilled on.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Would you like to live to the age of 99? If so, experiences and realizations that arrive in the coming weeks could be important in that project. A win-

dow to longevity will open, giving you a chance to gather clues about actions you can take and meditations you can do to remain vital for 10 decades. I hope you’re not too much of a serious, know-itall adult to benefit from this opportunity. If you’d like to be deeply receptive to the secrets of a long life, you must be able to see with innocent, curious eyes. Playfulness is not just a winsome quality in this quest; it’s an essential asset.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’re ripe. You’re delectable. Your intelligence is especially sexy. I think it’s time to unveil the premium version of your urge to merge. To prepare, let’s review a few flirtation strategies. The eyebrow flash is a good place to start. A subtle, flicking lick of your lips is a fine follow-up. Try tilting your neck to the side ever-so-coyly. If there are signs of reciprocation from the other party, smooth your hair or pat your clothes. Fondle nearby objects like a wine glass or your keys. And this is very important: Listen raptly to the person you’re wooing. P.S.: If you already have a steady partner, use these techniques as part of a crafty plan to draw him or her into deeper levels of affection.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Let’s talk about a compassionate version of robbery. The thieves who practice this art don’t steal valuable things you love. Rather, they pilfer stuff you don’t actually need but are reluctant to let go of. For example, the spirit of a beloved ancestor may sweep into your nightmare and carry off a delicious poison that has been damaging you in ways you’ve become comfortable with. A bandit angel might sneak into your imagination and burglarize the debilitating beliefs and psychological crutches you cling to as if they were bars of gold. Are you interested in benefiting from this service? Ask and you shall receive.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Either you learn to live with paradox and ambiguity, or you’ll be 6 years old for the rest of your life,” says author Anne Lamott. How are you doing with that lesson, Capricorn? Still learning? If you would like to get even more advanced teachings about paradox and ambiguity — as well as conundrums, incongruity and anomalies — there

will be plenty of chances in the coming weeks. Be glad! Remember the words of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr: “How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Lichen is a hardy form of life that by some estimates covers 6 percent of the earth’s surface. It thrives in arctic tundra and rainforests, on tree bark and rock surfaces, on walls and toxic slag heaps, from sea level to alpine environments. The secret of its success is symbiosis. Fungi and algae band together (or sometimes fungi and bacteria) to create a blended entity; two very dissimilar organisms forge an intricate relationship that comprises a third organism. I propose that you regard lichen as your spirit ally in the coming weeks, Aquarius. You’re primed for some sterling symbioses. For an hour, act as if you’re living the life you’ve always wanted to. Testify at Freewillastrology.com.

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Evolved Scorpios don’t fantasize about bad things happening to their competitors and adversaries. They don’t seethe with smoldering desires to torment anyone who fails to give them what they want. They may, however, experience urges to achieve TOTAL CUNNNG DAZZLING MERCILESS VICTORY over those who won’t acknowledge them as golden gods or golden goddesses. But even then, they don’t indulge in the deeply counterproductive emotion of hatred. Instead, they sublimate their ferocity into a drive to keep honing their talents. After all, that game plan is the best way to accomplish something even better than mere revenge: success in fulfilling their dreams. Please keep these thoughts close to your heart in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “The noble art of music is the greatest treasure in

GO TO REALASTROLOGY.COM TO CHECK OUT ROB BREZSNY’S EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES AND DAILY TEXT-MESSAGE HOROSCOPES. THE AUDIO HOROSCOPES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE BY PHONE AT 1-877-873-4888 OR 1-900-950-7700

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the world,” wrote Martin Luther (1483-1546), a revolutionary who helped break the stranglehold of the Catholic Church on the European imagination. I bring this up, Sagittarius, because you’re entering a phase when you need the kind of uprising that’s best incited by music. So I invite you to gather the tunes that have inspired you over the years, and also go hunting for a fresh batch. Then listen intently, curiously and creatively as you feed your intention to initiate constructive mutation. It’s time to overthrow anything about your status quo that is jaded, lazy, sterile or apathetic.

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Savage Love {BY DAN SAVAGE}

I got divorced five years ago after a 15year marriage that produced two children who are now 13 and 6. When their mother moved out, she left pretty much everything. I took the wedding mementos — dress, video, photo albums — and threw them in a trunk. I have not looked at them since. Last night, my girlfriend of almost a year told me she thinks it is “really fucked up” that I still have this stuff. Is it?

sexual adventures — will either avoid commitment entirely or murder the ones they make so they can have sexual adventures again. I’m not saying you have to be nonmonogamous, PDUMN. I’m saying a couple can be exclusive and sexually adventurous at the same time. I’m also saying the person you are now — a person who enjoys sexual adventures — is the person you’re likely to be after your cumspringa is over and you’re ready to make a commitment.

BOX OF MEMENTOS BOTHERS

It’s not, BOMB. Your marriage is a part of your past — it shaped the man you are today, the man your current girlfriend claims to love — and your children are a product of that marriage. Even if you never looked at those items again, even if they held no sentimental value for you (though it’s fine if they do), one day your children might want to see those pictures or watch that video or handle that dress. And any attempt to erase your first marriage — by stuffing those items down the memory hole — could be interpreted by your children as evidence that you would have erased them too, if you could have. Your girlfriend is a grown-up, and she needs to act like one. She’s free to think it’s fucked up that you still have those wedding mementos, of course, but it’s ultimately none of her business and she needs to STFU about it.

I’m a straight-identified guy in my early 30s. I am married, but my wife lives in another part of the country and we’re doing an open relationship until she moves to live with me. Last weekend, I met a girl at a bar who ended up coming home with me, and she turned out to be a pre-op trans woman. I’d never been with a trans person before, so I decided to just roll with it and ended up having a pretty good time. Over the course of the weekend, I started to get the sense that she really liked me and maybe even considered me boyfriend material. I want to see her again, but I’m not really available for a serious relationship. Knowing the kind of unbelievable shit trans people have to deal with, I feel like it would be unfair to string her along. She is not aware of my marital status. What should I do?

“STRINGING PEOPLE ALONG IS WRONG, PERIOD.”

I’m a 31-year-old gay man. I grew up in a conservative town and got a late start exploring my sexuality. I lost my virginity at 26, but I lacked the confidence to really allow myself to enjoy sex until I learned how to enjoy the present moment. I really hit my stride a couple of months ago, and now the floodgates have opened. I get on Grindr and have sex up to three times a week. I feel in my gut that this isn’t a compulsion so much as an exploration, and something I need to get out of my system while I search for a monogamous relationship. As long as I’m safe, do you see any problem with me fucking around for a while? PLEASE DON’T USE MY NAME

You’re on your cumspringa, PDUMN. Most gay men have at least one. Be safe, get on PrEP, remember that HIV isn’t the only sexually transmitted infection (use condoms), enjoy yourself, and be kind to the guys you meet on your cumspringa (even those you don’t expect to see again). And if a monogamous relationship is what you ultimately want — and monogamy is a fine choice — telling yourself that sexual adventures are something you have to get out of your system first is a mistake. People who convince themselves that serious commitment means the death of sexual adventures — particularly people who enjoy

CAN’T THINK OF FUNNY ACRONYM

O brave new world that has such straightidentified guys in it. Anyway, CTOFA, here’s what you should do: Get in a time machine and go be completely — what’s the word? — oh right, go be completely straight with this woman before you take her home from that bar. You’re married and doing the LDR thing and the marriage is open and you’re available for fun but nothing more. No time machine? Then handle it the same way you would if you’d deceived some cis woman — excuse me, if you’d accidentally gotten some cis woman’s hopes up by failing to mention the wife. Level with her — you’re married — and let the nips fall where they may. She might be angry or she might not give a wet squart (she may not be as interested as you think she is). If she accuses you of making up a wife because you don’t want to date a trans woman, it shouldn’t be hard to prove your wife — and your marriage — exists. Finally, CTOFA, you say it would “be unfair to string her along” because of the “unbelievable shit trans people have to deal with.” It would be unfair — it would be wrong — to string a cis woman along, too. Stringing people along is wrong, period. On the Lovecast, we love Lindsey Doe from Sexplanations, and you will too: savage lovecast.com.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET AND FIND THE SAVAGE LOVECAST (DAN’S WEEKLY PODCAST) AT SAVAGELOVECAST.COM

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EDITING HISTORY {BY MEG FAIR}

N MARCH 4, the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hall of Sculptures

transformed into a center for feminist action. Natural light flooded the room; six large tables were assembled in the middle of the cavernous hall, anchored by a small cart in the center with books and colorful folders full of information packets. Participants, from across the gender and age spectrum, wore nametags stating their preferred pronouns; conversations floated in the echoing hall, as they gathered around their laptops. They were participating in an Art+Feminism edit-a-thon. Art+Feminism is a national organization that aims to close the gender gap in Wikipedia’s store of information related to art. The movement was sparked after The Wikimedia Foundation released information showing that barely 10 percent of Wikipedia contributors identified as female. Artists who have pages on the internet database are largely reflective of the identity of the average Wikipedia editor, a coding-savvy white male. Art+Feminism and the Wikimedia Foundation took action, speculating that if the editor base was more diverse, the content and populations represented on the database would also be more diverse.

{PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYAN CONLEY, CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART}

Participants update Wikipedia articles about underrepresented artists using resources from local libraries.

“Museums are a part of perpetuating canons and creating new canons,” said Turpin, “Who are we talking about? Reading about? Showcasing in our galleries?” Turpin, the curatorial assistant for contemporary art and photography at the CMOA, helped coordinate the ﬁrst edit-a-thon, hosted at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum two years ago. Participation in these edit-a-thons just makes sense to Turpin, as her master’s work centered around restoring the narrative and combating the erasure of gender-nonconforming and trans soldaderas in photographs taken during the Mexican Revolution. Turpin emphasized how important it is for feminist discussion to ﬂow from these spaces and at large institutions like the CMOA, which hold cultural power. “Because this is an open-door public event, we can engage passersby in

“IN ANY ARCHIVE, IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER WHO IS DEEMED WORTHY OF BEING CANONIZED.” As a result, Wikipedia took steps to make the structural aspects of its website much easier to edit, by offering a new visual editor option. By making the technology more accessible, pop-up edit-a-thons became easier, since a quick tutorial in editing would be enough to get most people started. Since Art+Feminism’s inception in 2014, the intersectional feminist collective has spurred more than 300 edit-a-thons across six continents. The event was the second Art+Feminism edit-a-thon hosted in Pittsburgh. In 2016, the events were hosted by Carnegie Mellon University at its STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, while the University of Pittsburgh held a sister edit-a-thon at the Frick Fine Arts Library. Angela Washko, a professor at CMU and feminist visual artist, organized the edit-a-thon at the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry last year. She also participated in Brooklyn’s edit-a-thon and organized an edit-a-thon at the University of California San Diego. This year she co-organized the event and taught tutorial sessions for new Wikipedia editors. As an artist who is involved in a scene at the intersection of technology and internet-based practices, Washko is hyper-aware of the importance of feminist representation online and in academia. “In any archive, be it Wikipedia or any database, it’s really important to consider who is deemed worthy of being canonized,” said Washko. Washko’s co-organizing partner, Hannah Turpin, echoed that sentiment with an eye toward the museum itself.

feminist thought and art,” said Turpin, “That confrontation is important.” Washko and Turpin were aided by the Carnegie Library Main Branch, University of Pittsburgh libraries, Carnegie Museum of Art and CMU. Pitt and CMU students helped curate the list of artists who needed a proﬁle or whose proﬁles needed improvement. Prior to the event, the list was handed off to the librarians who found books and created packets of information regarding as many artists as possible. This list was then digitally distributed to editors on the day of the event, but participants were also encouraged to contribute artists of their own. Participant and CMU student Char Stiles expressed approval of the artists selected. “The list is more directed, especially towards women in art and women featured at the CMOA,” said Stiles. “It’s really helpful to have the library leverage their resources to help document these artists.” As Wikipedia tightens up its notation and citation rules, it is becoming a more valid source of factual information. As an easily accessible database of knowledge, the opportunity to make Wikipedia articles more egalitarian is crucial and central to the edit-a-thon’s mission. Turpin emphasized that the organizers of the edit-a-thon care about the takeaway above all. “If the participants leave here and realize they can make a big difference by editing in their spare time, that’s great,” Turpin said. “This is something anyone can do.” M E G FA I R@ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM

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