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EVENTS 4.28 – 5-10pm YOUTH INVASION Teens’ take over the entire museum. Tickets $10/$5 students
5.11 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: SAN FERMIN WITH SPECIAL GUESTS LOW ROAR The Warhol entrance space Co-presented with WYEP 91.3FM Tickets $15/$12 members & students; VIP $65
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CANC 5.13 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: RY X The Warhol entrance space Free parking in The Warhol lot. Tickets $15/$12 members & students
5.19 – 5-9:30pm FACTORY SWING SHIFT The Factory stays up late! Free with museum admission
5.20 – 10am TEACHER WORKSHOP: ART AND ACTIVISM Presented in conjunction with our collaborative public art project Activist Print. Tickets $30
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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Get a helping hand with health care. Our Medical Assistance plan keeps it simple. You can expect more from UPMC for You. Let’s face it. Health care is complex. Our team of Health Care Concierges can see you through that journey. Your Concierge can arrange a visit to a doctor, check on your prescription coverage, or answer other questions you have. For the most from your Medical Assistance coverage, choose UPMC for You..
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
04.26/05.03.2017
OUR FIRST SHIPMENT OF TREES & SHRUBS HAVE ARRIVED!
04.26/05.03.2017 VOLUME 27 + ISSUE 17
Cavacini
[EDITORIAL]
Garden Center
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
CHECK OUT THE GORGEOUS BLOOMING TULIPS, LILIES, AZALEAS, HYDRANGEAS, DAFFODILS & PANSIES!
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{COVER PHOTO BY JOHN COLOMBO}
[COVER STORY]
We want this 2017 City Paper Music Issue to serve as a reminder that Pittsburgh has a talented creative community, one that’s worthwhile to explore and support. PAGE 12
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The Robert M. Mill Lecture Series
Invites You to Attend Pittsburgh Labor & Management Past & Future: A Labor-Management Discussion presents
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“They had 17 years of marriage, they just never had a wedding day.” PAGE 06
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“It’s the ideal canvas for an opera.” PAGE 32
News 06 Views 10 Weird 11 Music 20 Arts 32 Events 36 Taste 40
Screen 44 Sports 46 Classifieds 48 Crossword 49 Astrology 52 Savage Love 53 The Last Word 54 NEWS
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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. PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 650 Smithfield Street, Suite 2200 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412.316.3342 FAX: 412.316.3388 E-MAIL info@pghcitypaper.com
Tuesday, May 2, 2017 • 2:00 PM–4:00 PM The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested by Friday, April 28, 2017. CEUs are available. For more information or to register, contact 412.237.4412 or LaborManagement@ccac.edu. Free parking is available.
CCAC Boyce Campus Performance Hall 595 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA 15146
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M A I N F E AT U R E
A discussion of how using union building trade pension fund assets has helped to finance some of the region’s most well-known developments, including Bakery Square, Airside Business Park, the Regional Learning Alliance and others. In return, these investments guaranteed the employment of union workers on job sites while replenishing and enhancing their pension funds.
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THIS WEEK
“THEY HAD 17 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, THEY JUST NEVER HAD A WEDDING DAY.”
ONLINE
www.pghcitypaper.com
This week, we surveyed local musicians for our Music Issue. Check out more of their answers online at www.pghcitypaper.com.
In a recent episode of Sound Bite, we talk to Quelcy Kogel, a Pittsburgh-based food stylist. Listen at www.pghcitypaper.com.
{PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL HUNTER}
This month, we tackled fake news with our media-literacy guide.
Michael Hunter (left) with his now-deceased husband, Stephen Carter
COMMON SENSE LAW
Check out all of the stories at www.pghcitypaper.com.
CITY PAPER
INTERACTIVE
I Our featured #CPReaderArt photo from last week is a great shot of the Point State Park fountain by @sam.i.still.am. Use #CPReaderArt to share your local photos with us for your chance to be featured next!
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
N 2005, Pennsylvania abolished com-
mon-law marriages. Critics to common-law marriages point out that they’re antiquated and made more sense in a rural society where courthouses and officials who could legally marry people were harder to access. Today, couples can walk into courthouses and get married with relative ease. But until recently, this wasn’t the case for same-sex couples; they weren’t legally allowed to get married in Pennsylvania until 2014, and nationwide until 2015. “We had made a decision that we were not going to get it in another state, we were going to fight for it to be legal here,” says Michael Hunter about
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his partnership with his spouse, Stephen Carter. The couple had been together since 1996. They bought a house
Pennsylvania Superior Court gives surviving partners of long-time same-sex relationships the right to prove common-law marriage {BY RYAN DETO} together in Philadelphia, wrote each other into their wills and even proposed to each other with rings. They eventu-
ally moved to Economy Borough, in Beaver County. Unfortunately, Carter was killed in a motorcycle crash in Schenley Park in 2013, before several critical state and federal court rulings cleared the path for legalized same-sex marriages. This left Hunter in limbo. He and Carter lived as a married couple, but weren’t legally bound by a marriage license. So when it came time to settle Carter’s estate, Hunter was left without many spousal benefits, like the waiver of the estate tax. Hunter decided to prove that his relationship was, in fact, a legal marriage through Pennsylvania’s common-
law-marriage provision, because he and Carter had been together almost a decade before the law was abolished. The battle that ensued proved to be another example of the struggles same-sex couples endure just to access equal rights. Hunter’s request was initially denied by a Beaver County judge in 2016. But this past April 17, the Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled in Hunter’s favor, granting him his constitutional right to marriage. LGBT-rights advocates say Hunter’s case proves the law is on their side. But legal experts expect battles in court, and are unsure how exactly Hunter’s case will affect more complex cases. For the immediate future, however, the marriage of Hunter and Carter opens another door in the ongoing battle for LGBT rights. In the spring of 2016, Hunter started working through Carter’s estate. He says he knew most everything his late partner wanted. “When he died, I didn’t have to ask anybody how to handle his funeral and his remains,” says Hunter. “There were not any real questions from me about our relationship. We considered ourselves to be spouses. Internally, in our family, we were spouses; to my siblings and his sisters and brothers, we were spouses.” But when Hunter starting getting into managing the estate, like paying taxes and managing assets, Hunter’s lawyer, Sam Hens-Greco, believed he could prove Hunter and Carter qualified for a retroactive common-law marriage, thus providing Hunter with spousal benefits. Hens-Greco filed the case in the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas. But in April 2016, Judge John D. McBride ruled against Hunter, writing in an opinion that Hunter and Carter only “intended” to get married and “never did carry through their statement of intent.” According to court documents, McBride didn’t seem to be looking for a legal marriage, which was impossible to have in Pennsylvania during the tenure of Hunter and Carter’s relationship. However, the judge did want evidence of, at least, a ceremonial one. For example, McBride wrote that Hunter and Carter never “exchanged vows.” But Hens-Greco, citing five other similar cases from the Philadelphia area where Common Pleas judges ruled in favor of same-sex couples, argued the absence of a ceremony shouldn’t matter since
the couple had done everything else that married couples do. “They had 17 years of marriage, they just never had a wedding day,” says Hens-Greco. “But they did all the hard work of marriage.” After McBride’s ruling, Hens-Greco appealed the decision up to Pennsylvania’s Superior Court. The appellate court reversed McBride’s decision, and Judge H. Geoffrey Moulton wrote in his opinion that the U.S. Constitution “mandates that same-sex couples have the same right to prove a common-law marriage as do opposite-sex couples.” Today, all lower courts in Pennsylvania must adhere to this decision, clearing the way for samesex couples across the state to prove they were married, even if a spouse died prior to the 2014 law allowing them to legally marry. “For a similar case that comes in Allegheny County, Tioga County, wherever,” says Hens-Greco, “those [lower] courts are bound to find that there is a retroactive right to a samesex commonlaw marriage.” Judge McBride’s law clerk, who did not provide her name, told City Paper on April 24 that it’s not customary for judges to comment on rulings outside of their official opinions. Of course, Hunter is happy about the decision for his own case, but is also glad that it might help same-sex couples throughout the commonwealth. “What is said in that opinion is pretty cool, I was kinda taken aback by it,” says Hunter. “That the right to marry pre-existed the [2014] ruling. Now, there is possibility that couples could be common-law married because of their circumstance.” Levana Layendecker, of Equality Pennsylvania, a statewide LGBT-advocacy group, is also pleased with the decision. “Things like this ruling make a huge difference in [LGBT] lives,” says Layendecker. “The most common story we hear, for elder LGBT folks, if one partner dies and the family does not like the partner, then they take the assets. It has contributed to elder LGBT poverty.” Still, some question why rulings like these have to go through legal obstacles in the first place. John Paul is a news blogger at the Beaver Countian, and has been with his husband for 19 years. Paul and his spouse waited to get married until it was legal, and did so in 2014.
“WE CONSIDERED OURSELVES TO BE SPOUSES.”
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.
THURSDAY, APRIL 27 • 6:00 TO 7:30 P.M.
MANAGING AND ADMINISTERING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IAN MILLER • CONSTRUCTION/ GENERAL CONTRACTOR We provide an overview of construction contracts, change orders, requests for information, insurance requirements, quality control inspections and other administrative and paperwork aspects of construction. This workshop is helpful for both homeowners and young contractors, and it will include discussion with enough realworld examples, and focus on how horror stories in simple house construction projects happen and how to avoid them. About the presenter: Ian Miller has been a general contractor since 2003 with projects ranging from changing a doorknob to building a $1.5 million house for fifteen retired nuns. He is the owner of Zambano & Sons, a residential remodeling company, as well as partner in the HL2M Group, a design/build firm focused primarily on modular and shipping container construction. Ian and his family live in a 100-year old house in Friendship.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FREE TO PHLF MEMBERS. NON-MEMBERS: $10. RSVPS ARE APPRECIATED: MARYLU@PHLF.ORG OR 412-471-5808 EXT. 527 FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.PHLF.ORG 744 REBECCA AVENUE
WILKINSBURG, PA 15221
412-471-5808
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COMMON SENSE LAW, CONTINUED FROM PG. 07
“Our marriage day was one day, but our life together has been much longer,” says Paul. “That didn’t magically start when the courts decided our rights had not been protected up to that point.” Paul says Hunter’s case shows just how powerful a marriage contract can be, and how the laws, even two years after the U.S. Supreme Court declared samesex marriage a constitutional right, are still stacked against same-sex couples. “I think a lot of heterosexual couples take advantage of that power that document gives you,” says Paul. “You can see with Judge McBride’s ruling, just how difficult that it was to prove those protections [without it].” Judge Debbie Kunselman also serves on Beaver County’s Court of Common Pleas and has handled many LGBT cases in the county, like issuing transgender name changes and same-sex marriage licenses. Kunselman wouldn’t comment on McBride’s ruling, but says that “judges have struggled with common-law marriage for a long time.” She believes the Superior Court’s ruling shows the impor-
tance of the appellate court system. Kunselman believes battles like Hunter’s may become less frequent, because culture and the laws are changing in the favor of LGBT issues. “I think our society has evolved and accepted [LGBT people],” she says. But Hens-Greco sees new same-sex marriage issues stemming from this common-law marriage decision, and future battles on the horizon. Like determining amounts of pension inheritances and divorce assets, since now there is a path for same-sex couples to prove marriage actually began before the date of legal marriage. Hens-Greco also sees more same-sex couples coming forward to prove marriages, even those who got together after the state abolished common-law marriages in 2005. “What happens if someone has the same decision as [Hunter and Carter], but got together after 2005, but then something tragically happened before they were legally allowed to be married,” says Hens-Greco. “They are in this time warp. Are they just out of luck, because of that? If that case walked through my door, I would take it.” RYA N D E TO@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
JENSORENSEN Engineer a night of fun without the kids!
Friday, April 28 We’re making a scene with our friends from City Theatre. Design a set, pose in front of a green screen, or design and float a boat. Enjoy four floors of exhibits, cash bars, snacks available for purchase, and no kids! Details & tickets: CarnegieScienceCenter.org
CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
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PEN TO PAPER Girls Write Pittsburgh is helping local kids explore their creativity and their selves {BY KIM LYONS} THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD Maddie Nolan read
the poem she had written in class that day — an “ode to an ode” as she called it — a swirling vocal exercise that brought to mind a poetry slam, with its internal rhymes and alliteration reminiscent of LinManuel Miranda’s Hamilton lyrics, of which Maddie is a huge fan. She read it at the weekly meeting of Girls Write Pittsburgh, a program designed to empower at-risk teenage girls through writing and self-expression. The all-female group applauded when Maddie was finished, and her demeanor was confident; clearly, it was a safe space where she felt relaxed. Girls Write Pittsburgh was the brainchild of local writers Vivian Lee Croft, Andrea Laurion and Sheena Carroll, who say their personal experiences as teenagers left them yearning for more like-minded creative people to share their work with. “When I was a teenager, my life started to fall apart, and writing was my outlet,” Croft says. “I lived in a small, conservative town and I was very different. I had no friends to collaborate with or even discuss what I was thinking.” The group meets every Wednesday at the Brookline Community Center, and will be starting a second group in Garfield in May. Any girl, age 13 to 18, is eligible to join. New Sun Rising is Girls Write Pittsburgh’s fiscal sponsor, and Girls Write was the recent recipient of Barrelhouse Magazine’s Amplifier Award for emerging literary organizations, which was co-sponsored by Submittable, a submission-management software company.
Writing it out: A Girls Write Pittsburgh quarterly workshop
The team of volunteers coaches the girls, gives them feedback and editing suggestions, and talks about how and why they write. They also plan workshops and other events to expose the girls to cultural experiences they might not otherwise have, like an upcoming trip to The Andy Warhol Museum. On this Wednesday night, 17-year-old Kaitlyn Shay left the room while Maddie read one of Kaitlyn’s poems. Kaitlyn doesn’t like to read her own work aloud or hear it read, but she’s come a long way from where she began with the group, Croft says. “She didn’t even want to write anything.” Kaitlyn’s poem was deep and thoughtful, if a bit somber. The experience of writing and digging deep for creative inspiration tends to dredge up a lot of emotion, the leaders say, something they encourage, but are also sensitive to. They have a therapist who works with the group and offers guidance for the heavier issues. The group was inspired to try writing poems after receiving tickets to a March lecture in Pittsburgh by writer Roxane Gay. “At first, they weren’t sure they could do it,” Laurion
says, but several girls, including Maddie and Kaitlyn, discovered they had a real talent for poetry. Since the group leaders aren’t teachers, the dynamic they have with the girls is a little different than with the usual authority figure. “We can be vulnerable in ways that I think a lot of teachers can’t because they have to be that authority figure and have that removed,” Laurion says. “I remember being a kid; it’s so important to have adults in your life who take an inter-
est in you and are enthusiastic to be with you and want to help you.” Carroll says a lot of her motivation comes from wanting to spare the girls the difficulties she had growing up. “I came from a low-income home, and a low-income school district, and we didn’t have programs like this,” she says. “I learned a lot of stuff, as a person and a writer, the hard way. I don’t want them to learn in a way that is unnecessarily difficult, whether it’s writing or them not being able to express themselves.” Girls Write Pittsburgh is also working on starting a one-on-one mentorship program for girls who want a little extra instruction. They plan to launch it in May. In the meantime, Croft and Laurion will start the Garfield group, while Carroll continues with the Brookline girls. Putting things on paper can be scary and frustrating, but Girls Write Pittsburgh provides feedback and critique of some very raw emotions at a crucial point in the girls’ lives. “We just allow them to explore and find where they’re comfortable,” Croft says. “These young women who are facing shit can just come and feel like they’re safe and feel like it’s OK to express this and work through it. They can grow to become the writers they want to be.” I N F O@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
“SHE DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO WRITE ANYTHING.”
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[PITTSBURGH LEFT]
BIRTHDAY WISHES {BY CHARLIE DEITCH} ON APRIL 25, Republican U.S. Congressman Keith Rothfus, whose gerrymandered District 12 stretches from southern Lawrence County to Johnstown, turned 55. Birthdays come but once a year and deserve to be recognized; especially the birthday of a fine American patriot and “man of the people” like Rothfus. OK, yes, I’m kidding. Rothfus is a weak, ineffective legislator who rode the GOP wave into office and has done little since then except bitch about Obamacare. That’s one of the main reasons he backed Donald Trump: He thought he’d finally be able to realize his dream of taking health care from people who need it. I’m sure he thought he’d be spending his birthday basking in the glow of repeal; after all, how could a political machine featuring a Republican House, Senate and president not get that done? But alas, that horrible piece of legislation didn’t satisfy the Tea Party faction of the GOP and was never brought forward for a vote. Keith Rothfus is one of those far-right guys, by the way, but we don’t know what he thought about Trumpcare because he stayed conveniently “undecided” right up until the point that he didn’t have to make a decision. For the first months of his third term, Rothfus has been busy trying to walk that fine line between kissing Donald Trump’s ass and pretending that he’s still a man of his convictions. Still, it’s Rothfus’ birthday, and he deserves a celebration. I went to the congressman’s Facebook page to gather a collection of nice things that his constituents have written about him because everybody’s nice to you on Facebook when it’s your birthday. Alas, there were none. However, the show must go on, so instead of a birthday tribute, I guess this will be more of a roast. On April 23, Rothfus touted Trump’s contributions to strengthening the economy by making progress on “regulatory reform and rolling back harmful Obama-era regulations. The day President Trump signed legislation overturning one of President Obama’s anti-coal rules, Corsa Coal in Somerset County announced it would open a new coal mine with at least 70 new middle-class jobs.” His constituents obviously don’t see this as progress: “Harmful regulations? Most of us don’t want to choke on air pollution and look at
streams that are dead from mine acid. Perhaps you should concentrate on evicting the mad man that lives part time in the White House,” wrote one constituent. Rothfus has come under fire for most of his tenure for not meeting with the people he represents, and they still gently remind him of that fact. Wrote one poster: “Could you find time to meet with your constituents, or at the very least declare a position on health care, defense spending, or anything of substance? ... Better start looking for that lobbyist position.” On April 19, Rothfus posted a radio interview he did with conservative windbag Lars Larson about a trip Rothfus recently took to the Middle East. Not the best idea for an elected official with a reputation for not meeting with his own district. One person responded, “Maybe during the next congressional recess you can travel with a delegation to the PA 12th District to meet with its residents? Would that be possible?” “How about you fly back to PA and visit your district? Enough with the photo opportunities,” posted another. “You’re not even on a defense committee! Last I checked, the Committee on Financial Services doesn’t require going overseas on a trip.” Not everyone was critical. One person even offered Rothfus some advice: “Keith, I would suggest you refrain from posting,” the author wrote. “Every time you post your nonsense you get seriously blasted. Would think you would get the message that you are not helping yourself.” Happy Birthday, Keith!
“KEITH, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU REFRAIN FROM POSTING.”
Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs provide students with hands-on training in high-demand fields, allowing them to earn college credits and industry certifications while in high school. There are 15 CTE programs located in the six comprehensive high schools in the district. CTE programs are offered in three-period blocks for three years, beginning in the 10th grade. Students are taught in labs with state-of-the-art equipment, and they have the opportunity to learn from teachers who are industry professionals. Applications are available now. Parents and students should act quickly to secure a seat in the Fall 2017 class (parent/guardian signature required on the application). For more information, call 412-529-8690 or send an email to cte@pghboe.net.
Apply Online at www.pps.k12.pa.us/cteapplication
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
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News of the Weird
S E N D YO U R W E IRD N E W S TO WE IR DNE WS@E A RTH L IN K. N E T O R W W W. N E W S O FTH E W E IRD. CO M
{BY CHUCK SHEPHERD}
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A June 2016 police raid on David Jessen’s Fresno County, Calif., farmhouse caused a $150,000 mess when sheriff’s deputies and Clovis Police Department officers “rescued” it from a trespassing homeless man — with the massive destruction leading to Jessen’s lawsuit announced in March. The misdemeanant helped himself to an icecream bar, some milk and half a tomato, but was otherwise “unarmed”; however, by the time the police standoff ended, the “crime scene” included more than 50 cop cars, a SWAT team (and backups), two helicopters, standby ambulances, a police robot and a crisis-negotiation team. Windows, walls and wrought-iron doors were destroyed; tear gas and a “flash bomb” were employed. (Jessen suspects that the farmhouse’s isolation enticed police to decide that it presented an excellent training opportunity.)
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The eight elite Ivy League universities are better thought of as “hedge fund(s) with classes,” according to a March report by the activist group Open The Books, and thus there is little reason for taxpayers to have given them the more than $41 billion in grants and entitlements they received over a recent six-year period. The schools are already legendary for their $119 billion “endowments” (based on donations from alumni and aggressive investment). Those endowments are enough, according to Open The Books, that (assuming donations continue to arrive at the same pace) schools could provide free tuition to every student in the eight schools — in perpetuity. (Even if no new donations are made, the eight schools could provide such free tuition for 51 years.)
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The Foreign Press (1) Village police in Bangladesh arrested Yasin Byapari, 45, in January on the complaint of his wife — after she had learned that she was not, as he had told her, his second spouse, but rather the 25th of his 28. (Police found him at the home of No. 27.) The accuser said she had, through sleuthing, tracked down 17 of her “competitors.” (2) A male schoolteacher reported in February that he had been kidnapped by four women near Lupane, Zimbabwe, drugged with a beverage and sexually assaulted, in what appears to be a return of the “sperm bandits” said to operate in the area; previously, police set up roadblocks and arrested three women with 31 condoms full of semen.
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The Passing Parade (1) In same-day competitions in March, perennial Guinness Book records jockeys Zoe L’Amore and Ashrita Furman squared off over the record for stopping blades on an electric table fan the most
times in one minute using only their tongues. On Italian TV, L’Amore stopped blades 32 times, but Furman, at a different venue, later stopped 35. (2) Norway unseated Denmark as the world’s “happiest” country, according to the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network. (There was no word on whether Denmark was unhappy about losing the top spot.)
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A News of the Weird Classic (August 2013): The upscale restaurant at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced in August (2013) that it would soon add a 20-item selection of waters from around the world, priced from $8 to $16 a bottle (and a $12 “tasting menu”). The restaurant’s manager, Martin Riese, who is a renowned water gourmet, will sell his own California-made 9OH2O (from “limited editions of 10,000 individually numbered glass bottles” at $14 each). Riese has been certified as a “Water Sommelier” by the German Mineral Water Association.
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Federico Musto was suspected recently by Wired.com of audaciously inventing academic credentials to help land his job as CEO of the company Arduino (a circuitboard manufacturer popular in the computer industry among coders creating, among other things, robots and motion detectors). Arduino’s work is “open source” — creating hardware that others, by design, can exploit and modify for their own loftier projects. It might thus be said that Musto’s claimed academic “accomplishments” (his so-called MBA from New York University and claimed Ph.D. from MIT) are themselves the product of his having “open-sourced” his own, previously modest curriculum vitae.
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In January, local government and sexualassault critics unveiled a consciousnessraising exhibit on Mexico City’s trains: a plastic seat onto which is subtly molded contours of a male body, except with genitals sharply exposed. (Men supposedly have been spotted absentmindedly lowering themselves onto the seat only to leap up in shock.) A note on the floor by the body read (in Spanish): “It’s uncomfortable to sit here, but that’s nothing compared to the sexual violence suffered by women on their commute.”
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{CP PHOTO BY JOHN COLOMBO}
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{CP PHOTO BY SARAH WILSON}
The Otis Wolves at Mr. Roboto Project
MUSIC CITY
Pittsburgh isn’t just home to good local bands, it’s home to great artists {BY MEG FAIR}
P
ITTSBURGH IS a city full of musical talent. Musicians of all races, ages, sizes, shapes, genders and sexualities collaborate, take up space, make noise and celebrate the beautiful expression that is music. We have homegrown record labels, independent record stores, a wide variety of music spaces, practice rooms in Etna and Allentown and Bloomfield, and cooperative-learning spaces to screen shirts and bags and posters. On any given night, you might have to pick from between three to seven vastly different shows spread across the city. Actually, the Pittsburgh music community is a lot like the city itself. There’s a core group of people (kind of like Downtown in this scenario), who spend time seeing and booking all sorts of music. There are also almost 100 other genre- and location-specific music scenes that reflect the neighborhoods piled together and on top of each other in the greater Pittsburgh area. Much like the city’s actual residents, there are people who move between these neighborhoods and scenes, some people who never leave their ZIP codes, and others who seem to never leave their bedroom, but certainly have a lot to say online.
Full disclosure: I love Pittsburgh and I love its music. When I went to school in Ohio, I’d never miss a gig in Athens that featured a band touring from Pittsburgh, even if the genre wasn’t my favorite at the time. I once piled in a car and traveled 90 minutes on a “school night” just to see three Pittsburgh hardcore bands perform at a show in Columbus. Why? Because I felt the hunger to show up for the back-home scene that I love. I am hopelessly devoted to the weird creative epicenter that is our city.
FULL DISCLOSURE:
I LOVE PITTSBURGH AND I LOVE ITS MUSIC. At this moment, there is so much talent in Pittsburgh. I’d need more than 10 fingers and 10 toes to count all the bands, songwriters, producers and recording engineers in this city who impress me on a regular basis. There are venues, like the Mr. Roboto Project, that reflect some of the things I love most about the DIY scene. It’s an all-ages, straight-edge location that
has gender-neutral bathrooms, regularly showcases visual art, and provides a space for artists to sell their wares. The ticket prices are generally affordable, and it serves as a gathering place on non-show nights for meetings and activist planning. In addition to Roboto, there are some 21-andolder venues that consistently showcase local talent, like Spirit, in Lawrenceville, and the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, in Millvale, as well as Gooski’s, in Polish Hill, and Howlers, in Bloomfield. I could list a lot more, but you could just keep an eye on the concert calendar and check out the dozens of venues in the city doing great work. At this moment, there are bands in Pittsburgh whose albums end up on my Top 10 lists at the end of the year. Pittsburgh isn’t just home to good local bands, it’s home to great artists. Period. What makes me even more excited is that a healthy chunk of this community of creators are people of color, non-men, queer folks, trans folks, working-class folks, etc. While every scene could do better to consistently book diverse talent, some of the biggest movers and shakers with the most powerful voices and presences fall into social categories that are usually disenfranchised. And if CONTINUES ON PG. 14
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MUSIC CITY, CONTINUED FROM PG. 13
you want to see more of that, it’s imperative that you take the time, and use your money, to go out and support these musicians in their mission. Now, I don’t love the scene so much that I can’t see its flaws or where there’s room for improvement. There’s desperate need for more all-ages and substancefree spaces, as well as affordable venues. In my humble opinion, a four-band-maximum bill and fewer late shows would be lovely. Seeing more group shows, featuring a variety of genres and performer ages would also be super refreshing. That would also help bring different corners of the scene together in a meaningful way. All-ages shows need to be promoted to high schoolers to foster teen involvement in the community.
HOW COULD PITTSBURGH’S MUSIC SCENE IMPROVE?
NEW GAME IN TOWN {BY MEG FAIR} The best music scenes thrive when there is a solid number of younger musicians and fans at its base. The more high schoolers who play gigs and come to shows, the more bodies there’ll be to take up the torch when older members of the community go into punk retirement. In Pittsburgh, there’s an unfortunate shortage of all-ages venues and, as a result, the youth participation is lacking. There are some exceptions to the rule, however. Take Grant Charney; he’s 18 years old and plays in a band called Johnny Hates 45’s. In an effort to be taken more seriously, he started Social Fools Booking (SFB) and began to book his own shows. In the year or so since he began, Charney and SFB have developed a following, booking shows at the Mr. Roboto Project almost exclusively.
Find out what local musicians think at www.pghcitypaper.com.
A 40th birthday party for Calliope, with legendary singer-songwriter
TOM PAXTON
Sunday, May 21, 7:00 pm, Carnegie Lecture Hall. VIP tickets include food and drink after the concert with Tom & the DonJuans Go to: calliopehouse.org or 412-361-1915
The scene’s greatest enemy is the constant internet complaining. Some grumpy folks, young and old, amplify their voices online to talk about the things they dislike about the community. My hot take? If you’re truly not impressed with the labels, promoters, musicians and producers in the city, close your laptop, and get up and make your own that reflects the scene you want. In this year’s music issue, we’re showcasing just a sliver of the best that Pittsburgh has to offer. For example, we profile Glitter Box Theater, an all-ages venue with an incredibly accessible room cost and a game plan geared toward making spaces friendly for families, and which also features art that isn’t just music. CP also dives into Pittonkatonk, an annual day of music that serves to fund a year-round musiceducation program and create a sense of communal power. We examine artists who are taking their careers into their own hands by promoting themselves on social media. Then we’ll look at the 4th River Music Collective, which highlights the power of collaboration and visible music. High school student Grant Charney’s promotion group, Social Fools, reminds us of the power of youth involvement; and some of the pillars of the scene give insight into the community, including DJ Afterthought, who is leaving the Steel City. We want this music issue to serve as a reminder that we have a talented creative community, one that’s worth the time and energy to explore and support. ME GFAIR @PGH C IT YAPE R . C O M
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{CP PHOTO BY LUKE THOR TRAVIS}
Grant Charney outside the Mr. Roboto Project, where he books most of his shows
“It’s just really easy to put on shows there,” Charney explains via email. “There’s no presale or anything, it’s not a house venue so you can give out the address without concern, and it’s not 21+.” Charney books an ongoing series of events called “One’s & Twos”; the inaugural show was the first he ever booked. A second was held in November and a third is in the works for this summer. “It’s a good time because it’s all the bands we’ve become good friends with over the years,” Charney writes. “It always draws a decent crowd and is a lot of fun.” Although Charney’s work is important to the long-term health of the scene, he doesn’t consider SFB a part of the broader community, and he certainly won’t take part in scene politics. “I generally only care about the artistry and the message, not any other bullshit,” explains Charney. “Regardless of who you are, we’re really all in this together, and dividing into our own little subsets, which is what I think the scene is, doesn’t help anybody.” When asked about what DIY ethics mean to him, Charney responds: “Doing it yourself; the acronym says it all. Not complaining that it’s hard to get discovered as a musician because, thanks to the internet, anybody can make music. “In reality, if you put the effort into it, you can do a lot.” MEGFAIR@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
{CP PHOTO BY MARANIE STAAB}
Growing Presence: Flatline Nizzy
SOCIAL STUDIES Platforms like Instagram and Spotify are changing the way musical artists promote themselves {BY REBECCA ADDISON} TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Pittsburgh hip-hop burgh’s hip-hop scene for very long. He
artist Flatline Nizzy has 15,000 Instagram followers. His posts include everyday snaps of his life, music videos and virtual flyers for upcoming shows. He has fans in cities like Detroit and Atlanta. Social-media sites like Instagram have replaced traditional advertising methods, like a show flyer on the telephone poll. Today, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify are how many artists are promoting their work and gaining popularity. “I promote concerts on social media. I’m going to make sure the people who follow me are going to show up,” Nizzy says. “Everyone’s on social media right now. We’re linked in. It’s not like back in the day. If you wanna know anything you have to go through social media.” Nizzy hasn’t been a player in Pitts-
released his first single on Spotify last year, and a 12-track album just last month. But he’s already collaborating with Pittsburgh hip-hop heavy hitters like Jimmy Wopo and Hardo, whose song “Today’s a Good Day,” featuring Wiz Khalifa, has more than five million Spotify listens.
“EVERYONE’S ON SOCIAL MEDIA RIGHT NOW.” “I use social media to look for artists to collab with,” says Nizzy. “If you’re doing your thing and I’m doing my thing, why not try to come up together?” Spotify has been a boon to 21-year-old Amir Miles. The social network features
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curated playlists, and inclusion on one of Spotify’s coveted playlists can promote your music to millions of subscribers. That’s what happened to Miles. “This is a big thing for people who are unknown like me,” Miles says. “Spotify has these playlists that people follow, and some of them have two million followers. Because of my presence online, this playlist called Fresh Finds found me.” Miles’ new single, “Bad Habits,” got 60,000 listens on Spotify in one day after it was added to the Fresh Finds playlist. Before that, it had 800 listens. “It’s kind of lucky that Fresh Finds found me, but your name being on the internet and circulating just helps your chances,” says Miles. Miles started out using other tools like SoundCloud, a site that lets anyone post and listen to audio files for free. Then his music got picked up by popular YouTube channels. Today he boasts 115,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and “Bad Habits” has more than 320,000 listens. But there are downsides to social media. Thanks to the megaphone social media gives to every artist, some say it’s easy to get lost in all the noise. Scotty Sabatasso, also known as DJ Spillz, is a member of the music collective RARE (Revitalizing Art Reimagining Emotion) Nation. While he believes in the power of social media, and its power in the music industry, he says it’s becoming oversaturated. “It makes it tough when you’re trying to go somewhere and become something, and there’s so many other DJs out there who are sending their music out,” Sabatasso says. “If I don’t make a personal connection, then I most likely won’t get my music heard.” Still, Sabatasso sees social media’s role in music as mostly positive; it’s great for networking, for example. “We started really using social media to help us gain avenues and started networking with different artists,” Sabatasso says. “We’ve built a network of people and we all share each other’s fans, and it’s really been all because of social media.” Last summer, Sabatasso and other members of RARE embarked on a fivecity East Coast tour. Sabatasso says social media was a big part of ensuring those shows weren’t empty. They’re planning on doing it again this year. “Because of social media, we were able to reach out to the popular artists in those cities and get them to do the show with us,” Sabatasso says. “Then they bring their fan base and it turns out to be a good show and we’re not performing in front of nobody because no one there knows us yet. Now their fans are our fans.”
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365 DAYS OF PITTONKATONK {BY MEG FAIR} PITTONKATONK is not a music festival.
It’s a series of community activities that includes a music-bolstered, family-reunionstyle party in Schenley Park each May, but Pittonkatonk is active year-round. It’s a protest, it’s an educational program, it’s a community-organizing catalyst. One of the Pittonkatonk collective’s biggest campaigns is to bring music education to underserved local schools and communities. Some schools don’t even have a musiceducation program, and many don’t have enough instruments to go around. Some students have never seen live musicians perform, and the idea of becoming a musician is one that’s inaccessible to many of them. Pittonkatonk aims to change that. The Pittonkatonk website displays its educational mission with a call to action: “Pittonkatonk may just be a day in the park for you, but for us it’s a year-round initiative that we feel is essential in building community, empowering youth voices through musical expression, and an innovative way of producing grassroots events unlike anything else.” About three weeks before the May picnic, Pittonkatonk performers Ben Barson and Gizelexanath, from Afro Yaqui Music Collective, visit Sto-Rox School District for a workshop. Afro Yaqui is a political musical group that pairs jazz, funk, hip hop and soul with indigenous music; Afro Yaqui has hosted workshops at schools with Pittonkatonk in the past. When people donate money to Pittonkatonk’s IndieGogo site, give a cash donation or buy a shirt at the May Day picnic, that money goes toward helping fund workshops like the Afro Yaqui event. School visits in the past have included artists like La Misa Negra, Timbeleza, Low Down Brass Band, Black Bear Combo and Osie Korankye & Colter Harper. Those dollars contribute to the larger mission of giving disenfranchised people a voice through music. City Paper sat down at Gooski’s, in Polish Hill, with just two of Pittonkatonk’s volunteers, Rich Randall and “Pandemic” Pete Spynda. The two have been immersed in Pittonkatonk since its inception four years ago. Both Spynda and Randall work for nonprofits and help organize the educational programs within local schools. The pair put a tremendous amount of time and effort to make the in-school workshops,
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{CP PHOTO BY JOHN COLOMBO}
Sto-Rox students with (front, left to right): Band teacher Suellen Engelhard, “Pandemic” Pete Spynda, Rich Randall, Ben Barson and Gizelexanath
political discussions, panels and May Day picnic happen. “We want to empower people to be a part of a group or a collective,” explains Randall. “Pittonkatonk is constellation of political actions, workshops and other events. We want people to know that when they contribute time and money, they contribute to all of that.” As Spynda sees it, the Pittonkatonk BBQ itself is not the be-all, end-all action. “We’re just that spark that starts the fire,” says Spynda. For Spynda and Randall, the concept of a pay-what-you-can event was not new. The two grew up in the world of donation-based house shows. “We’re trying to take these practices that happen in small groups and neighborhoods,” explains Randall, “What if you had a house show or community meeting where 3,000 people showed up? Now that’s compelling.” While booking musicians and educational workshops that depend upon community donations probably sounds stressful to most, it’s not fiscal success that dictates a victory. Spynda tells the story of a young boy who wanted a shirt but had only $5 instead of the suggested $10. Randall urged the boy to take a shirt anyway, and later watched as the young boy jumped into the crowd and surfed during What Cheer? Brigade’s set. “There’s no ticket price because we don’t want to divide people because they can afford or not afford to come,” says Spynda. “Money should never be a barrier to
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participation,” adds Randall. The collective is aware of those barriers, so it distributes information differently. Instead of relying on Facebook and its website alone, the collective drops off newspaperstyle newsletters all over the city, from barber shops and senior centers to libraries and coffee shops.
2017 PITTONKATONK LINEUP: La Misa Negra (Oakland, Calif.) What Cheer? Brigade (Providence, R.I.) Afro Yaqui (Pittsburgh) Black Bear Combo (Chicago) Detroit Party Marching Band (Detroit) Lowdown Brass Band (Chicago) Extraordinary Rendition Band (Providence, R.I.)
Timbeleza (Pittsburgh) May Day Marching Band (Pittsburgh) May Day Choir (Pittsburgh) Detroit Pleasure Society (Detroit) Drum Lines and Hard Rhymes (Pittsburgh) Colonel Eagleburger’s Highstepping Goodtime Band (Pittsburgh) This year, Pittonkatonk is collaborating with One PA, 1Hood and Fair Districts PA to spread a message of social justice and bring awareness to the issues that all of Pittsburgh’s residents should be concerned with, such as the city’s lack of affordable housing, its racism, and gerrymandered voting districts, to name just a few. The day before the event, Artists Image Resource, on the North Side, will provide a space for Printonkatonk, an event featuring music
from the Mayday Marching Band and resources to create your own political art and learn how to screen-print. “We’re interested in curating partnerships with other organizations that share the same radical ideals as us,” explains Spynda. “We’re all concerned about these [issues], even if we live in different neighborhoods,” says Randall. The day in the park is a family-friendly block party for Pittsburgh’s 90 vastly different neighborhoods with an air of celebratory protest. People bring and share food, and dance alongside strangers and performers. The key to Pittonkatonk’s community engagement on the day of the picnic is picking bands that are mobile. There’s no stage and no green room. Musicians mingle with picnic-goers and dance in the middle of the crowd during their sets. Some bands ask audiences to keep the rhythm or request volunteers to step up and spit bars over a riff or beat they’ve created. “We want to give our neighbors a voice,” says Spynda. “We want to show them they can just get up and do it, show up somewhere and play.” Ultimately it is the community that wills Pittonkatonk’s vision into a tangible existence. “You have to leave it up to everyone to make Pittonkatonk happen. The responsibility is on the community,” points out Spynda. “They’re part of this.” M E G FA I R@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
Pittonkatonk takes place from 1-11 p.m. Sat., May 6, at the Vietnam Veterans Pavilion in Schenley Park, Oakland. The event operates on a pay-what-you-can scale, and food is potluck.
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Crucible Sounds plays to the Glitter Box Theater crowd on April 13
SOUTH SIDE
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HOURS: MON-THU 11AM-8PM • FRI-SAT 11AM-5PM
Oakland’s Glitter Box Theater is all about affordability, accessibility {BY ALEX GORDON}
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trendiness of the other places he’d lived, and was blown away by the level of commitment he witnessed in the scene here, despite the weather. “I came to Pittsburgh in the dead of winter, and people were doing shit and having fun and talking to each other,” Eaker says. “I was like, ‘Holy shit.’ That’s what drew me here.” In the time since, he became immersed in a loosely organized social scene that revolved around leftist activism, DIY shows and non-traditional theater. When a space For event schedule and more information: www.theglitterboxtheater.com opened at 460 Melwood Ave., Eaker and crew decided to bite the bullet and move “Music is not our first priority by any forward with The Glitter Box. When they moved in, the space was means,” says Matt Eaker, who runs the space along with Teresa Martuccio, Chris framed and dry-walled, but otherwise an St. Pierre and Nick Stocks. “But Pittsburgh unfinished room. After months of renowas lacking a place that catered to female- vations, it’s now a welcoming, clean and led music, queer music. Pittsburgh has a well-decorated venue, featuring some really cool music scene, but it really caters seriously good-looking hardwood floors, a to — nothing against anybody — but white lounge outfitted with couches and a home-dude rock ’n’ roll. And as much as individual made bar, and, in Eaker’s words, “the most beautiful macramé shit you’ve seen members here are into white-dude in your whole life.” rock ’n’ roll sometimes, we’re just While organizers host the ocnot really interested in providing LONGER N IO S casional BYOB night, many events one more space for that.” R E V E IN Lw at The Glitter Box are all-ages, OaN The organizers of The Glitter . w t w per pa and they’re hoping to expand the Box have all worked in various pghcitym .co audience base to as many democapacities in booking and orgagraphics as possible. They also host nizing grassroots theater and DIY political-activism events free of charge. events, so they knew the challenges and financial risks involved. Many radical As of this month, they’re hosting around and DIY spaces across the country have six events a week, but looking to grow. Since the organizers make no profit and closed in the past 15 years due to rising rents, says Eaker. The concept for The aim only to make their rent and insurance Glitter Box was to address the lack of each month, ticket and booking prices are kept low and flexible. If a performer or oraffordable DIY spaces in Pittsburgh. Eaker came to Pittsburgh five years ago, ganization has the desire and passion to after stints working in DIY theater scenes in put on a show, Eaker says they don’t want Nashville and Tucson. He’d been frustrated a lack of money to deter them. Sometimes by the “up-and-coming vibe” and false they waive the fee altogether. LOOKING AT The Glitter Box Theater’s event schedule for April, you’ll see yoga classes, self-defense classes, an evening of Star Wars burlesque, dance workshops and a meeting for members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union. The venue, which opened in Oakland in early January, hosts concerts too — next week it’s got Ben Grubb and a Pittonkatonk after-party — but the mission goes wider than that.
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THE PALACE THEATRE COMING EVENTS!
CEASAR MILLAN
FABULOUS EQUINOX ORCHESTRA
BUDDY GUY
PAUL ANKA
FRI • 5/5 • 8PM
SUN • 5/14 • 7:30PM
WED • 5/10 • 7:30PM
WED • 5/17 • 7:30PM
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN FRI • 5/12 • 8PM
THE CRYSTAL BLUE BAND WITH JOHNNY ANGEL & THE HALOS AND TERRY BROCK
SAT • 5/27 • 7:30PM
BILL ENGVALL
SAT • 5/13 • 6:30PM & 9:30PM
{CP PHOTO BY SARAH WILSON}
DJ Afterthought
CHICAGO THE MUSICAL FRI & SAT • 6/2 & 6/3 • 8PM
EXIT INTERVIEW: DJ AFTERTHOUGHT {BY ALEX GORDON} AFTER NINE YEARS living in Pittsburgh, DJ
STEVE SOLOMON’S
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
SLEEPING BEAUTY
MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY
AN EVENING WITH TOTO
GAELIC STORM
WENDY BELL’S EVENING OF THANKS
MARSHALL TUCKER BAND
THE CHI-LITES & THE DELFONICS
SUN • 6/4 • 7PM
WED • 6/14 • 7:30PM
DWIGHT YOAKAM SUN • 7/23 • 7PM
TESLA
TUE • 8/8 • 7:30PM
SAT • 6/10 • 2PM & 7PM
WED • 6/28 • 6:30PM
STEVEN SEAGAL BLUES BAND SAT • 7/29 • 7:30PM
SAL VALENTINETTI & MIKE MARINO SAT • 8/12 • 7:30PM
SUN • 6/11 • 3PM
W/GUESTS THE STEPPIN STONES FRI • 6/30 • 8PM
THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW TUE • 8/1 • 7:30PM
YESTIVAL WITH YES
TODD RUNDGREN & CARL PALMER WED • 8/16 • 7PM
TUE • 6/13 • 7:30PM
SAT • 7/22 • 7PM
DON FELDER SUN • 8/6 • 8PM
STEPHEN STILLS & JUDY COLLINS FRI • 8/18 • 8PM
RIVER CITY BRASS
SWING INTO SUMMER
SAT • 5/6 • 7:30PM
TED NUGENT
SUN • 8/20 • 7:30PM
TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS SAT • 9/16 • 7:30PM
ADAM ANT THE ANTHEMS TOUR SUN • 9/17 • 7:30PM
The Palace Theatre, Greensburg
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BY PHONE: 724-836-8000 FREE PARKING FOR WEEKEND & EVENING SHOWS!
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PalacePA
WESTMORELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
BEETHOVEN’S ODE TO JOY
SAT • 5/20 • 7:30PM
Afterthought is moving on. The 29-year-old DJ, producer and songwriter (real name: Ryan Haynes) has grown into one of the city’s marquee names in hip hop and EDM, working with acts like Riff Raff, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller and many more. If you’ve worked or spent time in Pittsburgh’s hip hop and related scenes, chances are you’ve bumped elbows with Afterthought. This summer, Haynes and his family are moving to Nashville, so City Paper reached out for something of an exit interview, to gauge his experience in Pittsburgh and where he’d like the scene to go from here. WHEN DID YOU COME TO PITTSBURGH? 2011-2012 is when I started to DJ in Pittsburgh, but I did stuff on a really small scale. I had to go to Butler to throw my own shows. I threw a Bubba Sparxxx show at a fire hall and did all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink and we sold it out, like 700 people. After that, and the little French Montana tour that I did, people started to say, “Oh well, it might be at least worth sitting down and talking to him.” WHO SPECIFICALLY HELPED YOU GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR? My manager that I have today, his name is Jordan Lyles. He was with me from the start; he had no idea what he was doing, but he had a little bit of budget and the belief in me. He really stuck with me and kept me going and kept me pushing. I met the guys from Daily Bread, and Big Jerm and E. Dan at ID Labs kind of all at the same time. At the end of the day, looking back at everything, they didn’t hand me the keys or hand me the winning ticket. But they definitely put me in the position where my respect level went way up, because they associated with me and spoke very highly of me and allowed me to come to ID Labs. WHAT’S BEHIND THE DECISION TO MOVE? In Pittsburgh, it’s really hard to be a DJ. Even
if you have the support of the whole city, and you have the venues and you have the events, it’s really hard to make a living because the clubs and the venues don’t have the budget to support someone trying to do this professionally. It’s like, they have a $125 budget for somebody to spin for four hours. Back then, that was awesome, when I was younger and didn’t have a family to support, but it just kind of got to the point where I’m either on the road to make money, or I’m not really making a living out of the city, per se. WHAT ARE THE SCENE’S WEAKNESSES AS YOU SEE THEM? There’s still a disconnect between the genre of music and the city itself. Obviously, it’s a real blue-collar kind of city — [there isn’t as much] hip hop and EDM as a lot of other cities. I just think that people need to remember that there’s still a lot of work to do and to not get complacent. Because I think that once people see people get a little bit of success, they think it’s easy; they take their foot off the gas a little bit, so that’s the one thing that really concerns me. It’s really the only thing that concerns me. I just don’t want to see people get comfortable, because I’ve seen where we’ve been, I’ve seen when it’s been at its lowest. After Shadow Lounge shut down, there was no outlet for anybody. I want people to remember that’s where we came from. One false move, one bad step, one big shooting, one big negative mark, and it’s gonna go right back to it. ADVICE FOR A NEWCOMER? I would just, until my face is blue, say, “Hey, network. Get out there, meet people, be everywhere and anywhere you can, and eventually, if it’s something that you really want, you’ll make it happen.” At the same time, it’s just like anywhere else, you can sink or you can swim. But that’s not based on other people either, so as long as you stay true to yourself and work your ass off, it doesn’t matter where you are. Pittsburgh, Nashville, L.A., Duluth, you know what I mean? It doesn’t really matter where you are with the internet. As long as you’re working your ass off and you’re putting time into your craft, you have a shot. A L E X G ORD ON @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
COLLECTIVE SOUL
hooked. Coleman is a busker who refurbishes old instruments from flea markets and found objects for fellow buskers to use. Hill, now 28, has become an experienced busker and ranks Pittsburgh’s street-music scene a solid B-plus compared to other cities. “Some cities like Burlington [Vermont] and New Orleans are pretty good,” he says. “The nice thing about Burlington is there’s a part where there’s no car traffic, and people just walk through.” Buskers need a license to perform in Burlington, however, which is not the case in Pittsburgh. His favorite place to busk is the Strip District because of the diversity of the audience. “People come from all over, from the suburbs and outside the area to spend money,” he says. “A lot of people come through with their kids.” The 4th River Collective will hold its third annual festival from June 16-18, at Owl Hollow in Hazelwood. Dozens of local and national (and some international) bands are scheduled to perform. The fest will also have poetry readings, workshops on permaculture and herbal medicine, a clothing swap, a book drive and an open-mic session. “The first year it was one day,” Schuller says, “but it’s grown every year.” Hill says he likes performing with a band as well as busking solo, which he says can be meditative for him. And he acknowledges that as The Hills and The Rivers gets more gigs, the band will probably busk less. But busking will never lose its appeal for him, Hill adds. “What I love about busking is that any kind of person on the street can hear you,” he says. “It’s both intimate and anonymous. Concerts tend to draw one kind of person depending on the music, but with busking, you can connect with anyone who happens to be walking by.”
{BY KIM LYONS} IF YOU’VE BEEN in the Strip District on a spring or summer day, chances are you’ve seen the 4th River Collective. “People are out getting fish at Wholey’s, and there we are singing songs at them,” says band member Joey Schuller. In the olden days of rock ’n’ roll, we used to call this kind of band a “supergroup,” since it melds two distinct bands into one larger entity. But it seems a little off to use traditional phrases to describe a band as quirky as 4th River. And they’re kind of OK with that. “We grew up together in the music scene, playing shows together and swapping members,” says Schuller, who heads up Cousin Boneless, one of the two member bands, along with The Hills and The Rivers. “But when we would go out to busk as this huge group, people would ask us, ‘What’s your group called?’” So, the members came up with the umbrella name. Cousin Boneless’ ensemble includes, among others, a trombone, a washboard, a singing saw, a washtub bass, Schuller on banjo, a squeezebox, a couple of singers and a mandolin. They describe their sound as “spooky street folk.” The bands are like-minded, Schuller says, and not just in terms of music. “We’re deliberately not associated with the ‘music business,’” he says. “We book our own tours and sell our own merch. The aesthetic goes further than music. We’re trying to create pockets of community outside of capitalism.” That includes, for some members of the bands, growing their own food. Partner band The Hills and The Rivers describe themselves as a “post-apocalyptic DIY folk family band.” They’re in the same kind of folk-punk vein as Cousin Boneless, with a djembe, a flute, a trumpet and a mandoletto among their instruments. Frontperson Isaac Hill says the large group dynamic definitely
{CP PHOTO BY SARAH WILSON}
“Family Band” 4th River Collective
draws a crowd, especially at an outdoor event like the Three Rivers Arts Festival. “When we perform as a large group, usually people give more money,” he says. “It’s more of a spectacle than just one guy singing by himself.”
“WE’RE TRYING TO CREATE POCKETS OF COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF CAPITALISM.” DIY musicians often don’t have formal musical training, which is true in Schuller’s case. He was going to school for writing and studied anthropology, but it was when he first encountered punk music that he started on his current path. “It really helped form some of my ideas about society,” he says. He was given an acoustic guitar as a gift and taught himself to play. “For me at that point, it was about figuring out how songs worked.” 4th River’s member bands have built a network among buskers in other cities,
Schuller adds. “Once you enter that world of DIY touring, once you know a few people, there’s someone who knows everyone,” he says. Hill says his musical experience began with open-mic nights. But when he was in college, he says “I didn’t really do music at all.” It was after college when he went to Occupy Pittsburgh and a friend initiated him into the world of busking. “I had never really seen it done like that before,” Hill adds. He says street culture has been a big influence on him personally, but his biggest musical influence is the DIY band, Rail Yard Ghosts, his first encounter with a street band. There’s definitely a sense of community among Pittsburgh’s DIY musicians, Hill says. And when he met Tom Coleman, whom he called the Pittsburgh “busker dad,” he was
I N F O@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
FRI., MAY 12 • 7:30PM
$25 3 $59 & $49 3 .50
Scott Blasey of The Clarks and Bo Wagner salute Old Blue Eyes
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MR. SPEED
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LOCAL
ON WHY LOVE NOW, GENDER COMES TO THE SURFACE IN CLEARER WAYS
BEAT
{BY MEG FAIR}
The patriarchy has a pervasive presence in nearly all music communities. Talented women are often ignored or pushed aside, treated as an afterthought or an exception to the rule. Depending on the pocket of the scene in which you exist, seeing women and non-men on stage can be a rarity. Such was the truth for musician and consultant Melissa Colaizzi. She spent a lot of time going to benefit shows and fundraisers and was disappointed in the lack of femme representation. Especially since she knew how many talented women in music called Pittsburgh home. “We needed some kind of event or concert to showcase the amazing women in our community,” says Colaizzi. “And if we could tie it to a charity, it would have double the impact.” Colaizzi got to know the work at Magee Women’s Research Institute, while performing at a Magee fundraiser herself, so she felt it was a perfect cause for the event. Just as women face systemic misogyny in the music industry, women are systematically ignored in the medical community at large. In 2016, for example, the National Institutes of Health spent just 13 percent of its $32 billion budget on women’s-health research and less than .5 percent was spent on research looking to stem violence against women. In order to support the crucial but underfunded research for women’shealth issues, Colaizzi and a team of event coordinators, all women, hand-picked three very different Pittsburgh acts to perform at the fundraiser. The Hobbs Sisters are a country duo whose knack for harmonizing and catchy hooks drives the heart of its music. Jill West & Blues Attack bring the blues with West’s gritty, powerful voice and sultry timbre. With more than enough charisma to go around and a voice that evokes chills, Lyndsey Smith and her Soul Distribution fill out the night with an enormous soul sound. In addition to the three acts, WDVE’s long-standing rock DJ Michele Michaels will emcee the event. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for women to get together and celebrate each other,” says Colaizzi. MEGFAIR@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
WOMEN WHO ROCK PITTSBURGH 7 p.m. Thu., May 11. Hard Rock Café, 230 W. Station Square St., South Side. $35600. www.tinyurl.com/womenrockpgh
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
The Hobbs Sisters
WOMEN WHO ROCK
{PHOTO COURTESY OF EBRU YILDIZ}
Pissed Jeans (Matt Korvette, left)
UNEASY LISTENING {BY MARGARET WELSH}
F
OR THE MOST uncomfortable few
minutes on Pissed Jean’s new record, Why Love Now — and probably the most uncomfortable in its whole catalogue — the band enlisted help from Chicagobased author Lindsay Hunter. In the spoken-word track, “I’m a Man” (written and performed by Hunter), a male boss aggressively propositions his female employee with a series of grotesque double entendres. “You know what a man does?” he purrs over a frantic drum beat. “Lays his finger to the side of his nose to catch the grease, then dips that finger into his beer head, and that head goes down. Yeah, I mentioned going down. Ever heard of it?” It’s a track that would be hard for anyone to pull off, but “I’m a Man” manages to hit a sweet spot between funny and nauseating. It’s also disturbingly on point and, for many women, that character — slimy, entitled, full of unearned sexual confidence — will feel all too familiar. Pissed Jeans frontman Matt Korvette
04.26/05.03.2017
enjoys making listeners squirm: He is, after all, the author of songs like “Ashamed of My Cum” and “Male Gaze.” And to an extent, he says, creating discomfort has always been the impetus for the band. But when he first listened to “I’m a Man,” it got to him.
PISSED JEANS, S.L.I.P., PEACE TALKS 9 p.m. Sat., April 29. Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $15. 412-821-4447 or www.mrsmalls.com
“It’s made me really uncomfortable,” he admits. “I felt like it was aimed at me … this horrible character [that Hunter] is painting isn’t insanely far removed from the way that I’ve been conditioned as a hetero, middle-class white guy.” Highlighting the absurdity of hetero, middle-class white-guy-ness has been a vital part of the Pissed Jeans ethos since its formation in Allentown, Pa., in 2004.
(The band, which also includes drummer Sean McGuinness, guitarist Brad Fry and bassist Randy Huth, is currently based in Philadelphia.) But on Why Love Now, which was produced by legendary no-wave punk artist Lydia Lunch, gender comes to the surface in clearer ways. The heavy, huge-sounding “It’s Your Knees,” for example, explores the brazenness with which men critique women’s bodies; “Ignorecam” channels the band’s early primal punkness and imagines a world where men pay to be ignored; the new-wavy, melancholic “Love Without Emotion” resigns to detachment in close relationships. And on the AC/DC-esque single “The Bar Is Low,” Korvette incredulously examines how little it takes to be considered a “good guy”: “Held down a job / even snagged a raise / right there you’re due / for effusive praise.” Of course, when cis-gendered white men take to calling out the shittiness of their fellow cisgendered white men, it CONTINUES ON PG. 22
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UNEASY LISTENING, CONTINUED FROM PG. 20
Save $10 on 4-day passes! Use promo code goingtodelfest thru 5/22!
often comes off as performative wokeness. That’s something that Korvette is well aware of, and Why Love Now manages to avoid that feeling of icky nice-guy-ness. These songs aren’t moralizing PSAs from male allies (though some listeners may still read them as such). They’re reflections of the mundane anxieties and miseries of life in the United States in 2017. Regardless, it’s easy to imagine that the involvement of Hunter, Lunch and several other women in the making and promotion of the record helped keep the band honest. Lunch, a central figure of the New York punk scene in the 1970s, and the singer for Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, has always been a transgressive and aggressively feminist figure. She’s the sort of person who takes on whatever projects she likes; for example, several years ago she began hosting healing workshops for women. In a 2013 New York Times profile, she described herself as “the No Wave Anthony Robbins,” while a participant in her “PostCatastrophe Collaborative workshop” more dramatically compared her to the Hindu destroyer-mother goddess Kali. Korvette admits that his initial reasons for bringing on Lunch (who is not a producer by trade) were self-serving. “I was just kind of wanting to find someone who would be fun to meet,” he says. And, after four records, “we wanted to try something [where] we didn’t know exactly what the outcome would be.” Lunch gave the band a chance to shake things up. “It could have been horrible. We didn’t know her, we don’t have any testimonials from friends who have worked with her,” Korvette recalls. Arthur Rizk, best known for his work with metal bands like Inquisition, handled the technical aspects of recording; Lunch’s attention lay more in lyrics and overall subject matter. “I think she definitely gave me more confidence than I expected,” Korvette says. “She’s really tough and definitely, like, a criminal in her behavior. But she’s also really nurturing and knew how to provide motivation in a really good way.” Why Love Now is arguably Pissed Jeans’ most cohesive, risky and generally fun-tolisten-to record, but not everyone gets what the band was going for, especially when it comes to “I’m a Man. “[Some people] are like, ‘Oh my God, this kicks so much ass, it’s so horrible and brutal,’” says Korvette. His general hope is for men to feel implicated by the track, but “there are guys who are like, ‘Ew, weird track.’ Just casually brushing it off like it was a track of monkey noises or something like that,” he says. “Just the mindset of, ‘This is too real, so my brain shuts off and ignores it.’” “Lydia was moshing on the other hand,” he adds. “Like, throwing chairs around.” I N F O@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
22
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
04.26/05.03.2017
Turn a ConnectCard double play.
Your Port Authority ConnectCard will not only get you to and from Pirates’ home games this season, starting April 9 through September 27, it will help you save big on your game tickets. • Up to $10 per ticket on Outfield Box seats (Monday-Thursday only) • $3 per ticket on Grandstand seats (Sundays) Look for the Connect and Save promotion at Pirates.com\ConnectCard or show your ConnectCard at the Pirates box office on game days.
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LIVE MUSIC FRIDAY APRIL 28
diesel C LU B | LO U N G E
UPCOMING CONCERTS
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5/2 | 7:00 PM | AA
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SIDE EYE
THURSDAY, MAY 4
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
04.26/05.03.2017
SIDE SHOW {BY MEG FAIR} THERE IS something special about seeing a
show that’s also an experience. Think big surprises, over-the-top costumes, compelling visuals: a whole package that sticks with you for days afterward. SIDE EYE is a relatively new Pittsburgh band hungry to create the whole package feel. SIDE EYE’s music is irresistibly fun. On its debut full-length, La Vague, SIDE EYE shows off a sound that’s a blend of surf rock with garage vibes and a spice of yéyé, a style of French pop from the ’60s. At times, it is high-energy and bouncy, while other tracks express a softer, prettier side. The band refers to itself as a group of rock ’n’ roll brats. “I really love the rock ’n’ roll garage aspect, but it’s a fun outlet. Women don’t often get to be that bratty and it be celebrated,” says Carrie Battle, SIDE EYE’s drummer. City Paper chatted with the members of SIDE EYE at Riggs Lounge, on the North Side, a place the band jokingly refers to as its office. Besides Battle, the band includes Chelsea Rumbaugh on guitar and Marie Mashyna on bass. All three contribute vocals. On Fri., April 28, SIDE EYE will celebrate the release of La Vague at Belvedere’s UltraDive along with Mystic Seers and Talkers. The three won’t say exactly what’s in store, but they share knowing smiles when prodded about the show’s content. All SIDE EYE would say is that there would be guest musicians and visual elements in collaboration with other local artists. “We like to blur the lines between performance music with fashion and art,” says Mashyna. “It’s awesome to collaborate with other local women in their creative avenues.”
“We just want to make our shows events, places we ourselves would want to go to see something different,” adds Battle. SIDE EYE creates a powerful live show that oozes larger-than-life fun, but it shines in its ability to make accessible tunes. The music itself is fun and palatable for musiclovers of all levels, and the lyrics are simple and relatable, from love songs to party songs to heartbreak songs. “I’ve always loved the simplicity of lyrics and songs. I don’t think a song needs to be complicated to be good,” says Battle. And starting with simple themes gives the audience a chance to engage in its own way.
SIDE EYE
WITH MYSTIC SEERS AND TALKERS 9 p.m. Fri., April 28. Belvedere’s Ultra-Dive, 4016 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $5-7. 412-687-2555 or www.belvederesultradive.com
“Once you put it out there, in a way, it’s not yours anymore,” says Mashyna, “[Listeners] pull out the things that resonate with them.” Although the band has been together for less than a year, it hopes to keep up the big-show feel. SIDE EYE has a lot to say and is hungry to put its art into the world. “We’re hardworking psychopaths!” jokes Mashyna. But the band isn’t all work and no play, and the play is what makes the music and performance shine. Over the course of the conversation, there is boisterous laughter, the trio’s tight-knit bond in full view. When the three aren’t practicing music, there’s a good chance they’re eating Taco Bell at Rigg’s together, or battling at pingpong. “We work hard, but we also play hard,” Rumbaugh adds with a smile. M E G FA I R@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
NEW RELEASES
T H E
P I T T S B U R G H
C U L T U R A L
T R U S T
P R E S E N T S
{BY MIKE SHANLEY}
m ER pm T p 8 8 L H • T G Y5 U Y6• I A R B A M B M IR . . L N T A F HA SA D T L A A N R E O J G
THE ME TOOS GHOST FLY BY (SELF-RELEASED)
It might be too strong a statement to say that an album’s running order can make or break a band. But when done right, the sequence of songs can serve a band well, showing its variety or simply helping to drive home a concept. The Me Toos understand this idea, since Ghost Fly By starts with a bluesbased version of garage rock — a tried-and-true formula — and with each track shifts tempo and attack to keep the momentum going. In a song like “Set the Moon on Fire,” guitarist/vocalist Jesse Baldoni holds back in the initial verse, playing minimally while bassist Ben Vivio chugs behind him and drummer Kevin Koch adds a syncopated groove. When the break comes, Baldoni explodes into a wall of power chords, releasing the tension. After the song’s roaring climax, they scale it back in “I’ve Been Talking to Myself,” pounding out a garage-punk riff and ending suddenly. A few tracks later, they slow down the mood. The reflective “Skin and Bones” includes acoustic guitars and echoey backing vocals, the latter adding to the impact of many tracks. The Me Toos know how to turn a ballad, but between two of them they insert “Super Charming Death Wish,” a killer take on the four-chord stomp which comes off like a cleaner, sharper version of bands like the 13th Floor Elevators. Cranking out 10 songs in 30 minutes, Ghost Fly By pours on the charm immediately and doesn’t let up. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
THE ME TOOS CD-RELEASE SHOW with Vertigo Go and the Spectres 9 p.m. Sat., April 29. Spirit Lodge, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. Free. 412-586-4441 NEWS
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M A I N F E AT U R E
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{PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF FORNEY}
CRITICS’ PICKS
The Coathangers
[ROCK] + THU., APRIL 27 Hold onto your butts — one of the best modern rock ‘n’ roll bands is coming to the Mr. Roboto Project tonight. The Coathangers, of Atlanta, have a grimy, raw energy you can’t turn away from. The band’s most recent single, “Captain’s Dead,” is a dark, ominous jaunt, a fitting followup to its 2016 album Nosebleed Weekend. Pittsburgh’s Hearken and Murder for Girls open. Meg Fair 7 p.m. 5106 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. $12. All ages. www. robotoproject.org
[ELECTRONIC] + APRIL 28
4/20/17 11:01 AM FRI.,
59_4.75_x_4.75.indd 1
VERSU
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FOOD F TRUCKS T
MONSTER
TRIKE NIGHT
Queer. Electronic. DJs. That’s what’s happening in this first series of MESH tonight at Cattivo. The locally based queer dance party is teaming up with Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania for a night of good jams and drawing support for women’s reproductive health. KIERNAN LAVEAUX, a Cleveland-based DJ, will be spinning some avant-garde techno beats. Joining her is Pittsburgh’s very own ChadKid. Alona Williams 10 p.m. 146 44th St., Lawrenceville. 21 and over. $5-10 sliding donation. 412-687-2157 or www.cattivopgh.com
[GARAGE] + FRI., APRIL 28
YOU R N IGHT. YOU DECI DE. 8PM $25 9PM
KAIJU BIG BATTEL: LIVE MONSTER FIGHTING
$5 ADV. $10 DOOR
NO COVER ALL NIGHT
MONSTER TRIKE NIGHT: ADULT BIG WHEEL RACING
FOOD TRUCKS
JUNE 24, 2017 AUGUST WILSON CENTER 412-456-6666 BOX OFFICE AT THEATER SQUARE
ALL OF THE ABOVE. ALL NIGHT.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
TRUSTARTS.ORG
04.26/05.03.2017
The Cheater Slicks have been at it since 1987. Thirty years and nearly a dozen records later, the garage-punk trio is still out and about, spreading the fuzzy gospel with the fervor and energy present from the start. And what better place to become one with the garage-y grime than Gooski’s? Chicago punk outfit The Sueves, local indie-rock darlings The Gotobeds and Pittsburgh hardcore group Chiller join the party. MF 10 p.m. 3117 Brereton St., Polish Hill. $5. 412-681-1658
[INTERACTIVE HIP HOP] + SAT., APRIL 29 Track Meet, at the Get Down Gang HQ on the North Side, is a pure open mic. No list, just come out and do your thing. Out of the Beatbox, hosted by Reason, is an open mic that welcomes all art forms, from emcees and poets to dancers. The only rule: Show respect to the other artists in the event. DJs Spaed and Blacklisted are spinning back-to-back sets, followed by beatbox sets from PyurTek and Han Seoul O. AW 8 p.m. 915 Spring Garden Ave., North Side. $5. facebook.com Terell (“track meet: out of Stafford the beatbox”)
[JAZZ] + SAT., APRIL 29 Trumpeter Terell Stafford plays his own compositions but has also recorded tributes to Pittsburgh’s Billy Strayhorn and Philadelphia’s Lee Morgan. The latter, best-known for the funky hard-bop hit “The Sidewinder,” was also a trumpet player who “gave 150 percent every time he would play the music. I always admired that about him,” Stafford says. The same can be said for Stafford’s muscular style, which he brings to town tonight. Mike Shanley 8 p.m. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. $30. 412-322-0292
[HXC] + SUN., APRIL 30 Few things in this world are as cool or bad-ass as heavy music from Japan, and AI is no exception. Catch the band at The Shop tonight with Long Knife, Submachine and D.O.G. This gig is for fans of headbanging, studded/patched vests and being just a little sore the morning after a show. MF 7:30 p.m. 4214 Main St., Bloomfield. $10. All ages. 412-951-0622
ADORNING THE BODY, THE TABLE, AND THE BED
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ROCK/POP THU 27 HOWLERS. The Cryptics, God’s Green Apples & Whitethrash. 9 p.m. Bloomfield. 412-682-0320. THE MR. ROBOTO PROJECT. The Coathangers, Hearken & Murder For Girls. 7 p.m. Bloomfield. 412-706-1643.
FRI 28 BELVEDERE’S. Side Eye. 9 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. CLUB CAFE. Kinky Friedman. 6 p.m. Steeltown Horns w/ Gene Stovall. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4950. GOOSKI’S. Cheater Slicks, The Gotobeds & Chiller. 10 p.m. Polish Hill. 412-478-1436. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Ferris Bueller’s Revenge. 8 p.m. Warrendale. 724-799-8333. MR. SMALLS THEATER. O’Hara w/ Some Kind Of Animal, Searights, Portrait People, Johnny Wall. EP Release & Farewell Show. 6:30 p.m. Millvale. 412-821-4447.
PINBALL PERFECTION. Rush Tribute. 7:30 p.m. West View. 412-931-4425. RIVERS CASINO. Totally 80’s. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-231-7777. ROCHESTER INN HARDWOOD GRILLE. SpinCycle. 8:30 p.m. Ross. 412-364-8166. STAGE AE. Mayday Parade feat. Knuckle Puck & Milestones. ‘A Lesson In Romantics’ 10 Year Anniversary Tour. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-229-5483.
THOMPSON RUN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION. God Hates Unicorns, Neostem, Dinosoul, Scattered Planets, Spacefish, Wolfblanket & more. 3 p.m. West Mifflin. 412-398-6074.
SUN 30
JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Anatolian Knights. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335. THE MR. ROBOTO PROJECT. Bad Moves, Puff Pieces, Surf Bored & Preppers. 7 p.m. Bloomfield. 412-706-1643. CLUB CAFE. Acid THE R BAR. Billy The Mothers Temple w/ Kid & the Regulators. www. per BABYLON. 8 p.m. South a p 6 p.m. Dormont. pghcitym Side. 412-431-4950. o .c 412-942-0882. DOWNEY’S HOUSE. The WHITE OAK James Claytor Band. 9:30 p.m. AMERICAN LEGION Robinson. 412-489-5631. POST #701. The Dubs & JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Southside Jerry. 7 p.m. Totally 80s. 9 p.m. Warrendale. McKeesport. 724-863-0758. 724-799-8333. MR. SMALLS THEATER. Pissed Jeans w/ S.L.I.P., Peace Talks. 8 p.m. CLUB CAFE. Maybird. 7 p.m. Millvale. 412-821-4447. South Side. 412-431-4950. SMILING MOOSE. Pop Punk Night. Last Sat of every month, 10 p.m. South Side. 412-439-5706. CLUB CAFE. Parker McKay w/
SAT 29
FULL LIST E N O LIN
MON 01
LIVE MUSIC
FOR THE INTRIGUED…
ADORNING THE BODY, THE TABLE, AND THE BED Offering i
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MAY 14
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TUE 02
Frank Vieira. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4950. DIESEL. Manafest w/ Famous Last Words & It Lives It Breathes. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800. JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Bachelor Boys Showcase. 7 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Bill Ali Band. 7:30 p.m. Warrendale. 724-799-8333.
MP 3 MONDAY SLEEP MOVIES
WED 03 CLUB CAFE. The Whistles & the Bells. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4950. HOWLERS. Divino Niño, Vertigo Go, The Van Allen Belt & One Man Banjo. 9 p.m. Bloomfield. 412-682-0320. JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Tom Breiding & the Minertones. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Coco Montoya. 8 p.m. Warrendale. 724-799-8333. KEYSTONE BAR. The Bo’Hog Brothers. 7 p.m. Sewickley. 724-758-4217. STAGE AE. Breaking Benjamin. 6 p.m. North Side. 412-229-5483.
Each week, we post a song from a local artist online. This week, it’s “Paper Hat,” a woozy lo-fi guitar track from Sleep Movies’ latest EP, EDG. The song is relatively simple: three chords, bedroom production, ambient vocals. But it’s a complex, gratifying listen (especially listened to in order with the EP’s other three tracks). Stream or download “Paper Hat” for free at FFW>>, the music blog at pghcitypaper.com.
DJS THU 27 BELVEDERE’S. Classic Martial w/ Selecta & Smi. 9 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. CONTINUES ON PG. 30
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
JULY 26
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JULY 28
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AUGUST 1
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AUGUST 7
FRIDAY, AUGUST 11
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
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CONCERTS, CONTINUED FROM PG. 27
HEAVY ROTATION
MR. SMALLS THEATER. Centrifuge Thursdays. At the Funhouse. 9 p.m. Millvale. 412-821-4447. PERLE CHAMPAGNE BAR. Bobby D Bachata. 10 p.m. Downtown. 412-471-2058.
Check out four songs City Paper editor Charlie Deitch can’t stop listening to:
FRI 28 ANDYS WINE BAR. DJ Malls Spins Vinyl. 5 p.m. Downtown. 412-773-8884. THE FLATS ON CARSON. Pete Butta. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-586-7644. ONE 10 LOUNGE. DJ Goodnight, DJ Rojo. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-874-4582. ROWDY BUCK. Top 40 Dance. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-431-2825. RUGGER’S PUB. 80s Night w/ DJ Connor. 9 p.m. South Side. 412-381-1330.
Luke Bell
“Sometimes”
Darrin Bradbury
“Junkie Love”
Kaia Kater
“Sun to Sun”
CLASSICAL
Dale Watson and Ray Benson
“I Wish You Knew”
SPRING RHYTHMS W/ THE RENAISSANCE CITY WINDS. 8 p.m. Stephen Hankin Art Gallery, Point Breeze. 412-681-7111. VIENNESE CELEBRATION: BUCHBINDER BIRTHDAY. 8 p.m. Heinz Hall, Downtown. 412-392-4900.
SUN 30
THE GOLDMARK. Pete Butta. Reggae & dancehall. 10 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-688-8820.
WED 03 SMILING MOOSE. Rock Star Karaoke w/ T-MONEY. 9:30 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4668.
BLUES FRI 28 ELWOOD’S PUB. Jack of Diamonds. 8:30 p.m. Rural Ridge. 724-265-1181. MARINA PUB. Strange Brew. 8 p.m. Verona. 412-828-7775. MOONDOG’S. Miss Freddye’s Blues Band. 8 p.m. Blawnox. 412-828-2040.
FRI 28 ANDORA RESTAURANT - FOX CHAPEL. Pianist Harry Cardillo & vocalist Charlie Sanders. 6:30 p.m. Fox Chapel. 412-967-1900. BACKSTAGE BAR AT THEATRE SQUARE. Jeremy Fisher Jr & Matt Ferrante. 5 p.m. Downtown. 412-325-6769. JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Cliff Barnes Trio. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335.
SAT 29
JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Anthony Ambrosa, Ben Opie & Dave Throckmorten. 8 p.m. speakeasy. Tony Campbell Jam Session. Sat, 5 p.m. ballroom. www. per North Side. pa pghcitym 412-904-3335. .co MOONDOG’S. Jimmy THE MONROEVILLE Thackery. 8:30 p.m. RACQUET CLUB. Jazz Blawnox. 412-828-2040. Bean Live. 7 p.m. Monroeville. THE PUB AT 412-728-4155. TONIDALE. Jimmy Adler Band. 8 p.m. Oakdale. 724-307-3019. WHEELFISH. Strange Brew. 8 p.m. ROCKS LANDING BAR & Ross. 412-487-8909. GRILLE. Tony Campbell & the Jazz Surgery. Sun, 7 p.m. McKees Rocks. 412-857-5809.
FULL LIST ONLINE
SUN 30
JAZZ
THU 27
JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Shaq Nicholson & the Paul Keys Band. 8 p.m. speakeasy. Roger Humphries Jam Session. ballroom. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335. VALLOZZI’S PITTSBURGH. Eric Johnson. 5:30 p.m. Downtown. 412-394-3400.
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PIRATA. The Flow Band. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-323-3000.
FRI 28
TUE 02
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
ALLEGHENY ELKS LODGE #339. Pittsburgh Banjo Club. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-321-1834. PARK HOUSE. Shelf Life String Band. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-224-2273. PENN HEBRON GARDEN CLUB. Penn Hills Coffeehouse. Singer songwriter showcase featuring a rotating lineup of jazz, acoustic, bluegrass & world music. 7 p.m. Penn Hills. 412-204-7147. WHEELFISH. Jason Born. 7 p.m. Ross. 412-487-8909.
THU 27
BELVEDERE’S. Down N Derby. 9 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. DIESEL. DJ CK. 9 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800. MIXTAPE. DJ Antithesis. ‘The 1990s (& a bag of chips)’ dance party. 9 p.m. Garfield. 412-661-1727. PERLE CHAMPAGNE BAR. DJ Tenova. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-471-2058. ROWDY BUCK. Top 40 Dance. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-431-2825.
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REGGAE
SAT 29
SAT 29
McQuaid. 7 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335.
MON 01 HAMBONE’S. Ian Kane, Ronnie Weiss & Tom Boyce. Jazz Standards, showtunes & blues. 6:30 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-681-4318.
WED 03 JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Ron Wilson Duo. Join
us every Wednesday in the Dining Room for live music. This week guitarist Ron Wilson will be performing for your pleasure. 7 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335.
ACOUSTIC THU 27 CLUB CAFE. Christopher Mark Jones w/ The Roots Ensemble. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4950. DOWNEY’S HOUSE. Aaron from The Lava Game. 9:30 p.m. Robinson. 412-489-5631.
FRI 28 RIVERS CASINO. Right TurnClyde. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-231-7777. SYNOD HALL. The Allegheny Drifters, Brush Creek, Echo Valley, Fern Hollow & Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers. 19th annual St Joseph House of Hospitality bluegrass benefit concert benefits St Joseph in the Hill District, which provides housing, daily meals and support services to men 50 yrs and older. 5:45 p.m. Oakland. 412-471-0666.
SERAPHIC SINGERS. A 12-voice professional women’s ensemble, will sing a variety of music from Sondheim and Gershwin to Gwyneth Walker. 4 p.m. Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church, Mt. Lebanon. 412-531-5564. VIENNESE CELEBRATION: BUCHBINDER BIRTHDAY. 8 p.m. Heinz Hall, Downtown. 412-392-4900.
OTHER MUSIC THU 27 LINDEN GROVE. Karaoke. 8 p.m. Castle Shannon. 412-882-8687. RIVERS CASINO. The Hawkeyes Acoustic. 7 p.m. North Side. 412-231-7777.
FRI 28 LINDEN GROVE. Dancing Queen. 9 p.m. Castle Shannon. 412-882-8687. PARK HOUSE. Funky Miracle. 9:30 p.m. North Side. 412-224-2273.
SAT 29
KNUCKLEHEAD’S BAR. Eclectic Acoustics. 8 p.m. Ross. 412-366-7468. STARLITE LOUNGE. Steve Ludwig & The Casual Hobos. 8 p.m. Blawnox. 412-828-9842.
IRMA FREEMAN CENTER FOR IMAGINATION. The Guilty Pleasures Party. 8 p.m. Garfield. 412-608-6120. RIVERS CASINO. On the Level. 9 p.m. Levels. Tony Janflone Jr. 9 p.m. Drum Bar. North Side. 412-231-7777.
MON 01
SUN 30
JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Cory Call, Michael Dean Damron, Jay Wiley & Brian
MEMORIAL PARK CHURCH. Keith & Kristyn Getty. 7 p.m. Allison Park. 412-364-9492.
SAT 29
What to do April 26 - May 2
IN PITTSBURGH
WEDNESDAY 26 FRIDAY 28 285 Youth Invasion
CATTIVO Lawrenceville. 412-687-2157. With special guests Swiss Army, Primer & Grayscale. All ages show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX.7p.m.
ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM North Side. For tickets and more info visit warhol.org. 5p.m.
Gucci Mane STAGE AE North Side. With special guests Playboi Carti & Dreezy. All ages show. Tickets: ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Doors open at 6:30p.m.
Disenchanted!
Modern Chemistry BLACK FORGE COFFEE HOUSE Allentown. 412-291-8994. With special guests Shin Guard & Rotations. All ages show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 6:30p.m.
BYHAM THEATER Downtown. 412-456-6666. Over 14 show. Tickets: trustarts.org. 7:30p.m.
THURSDAY 27
Mayday Parade
CLUB CAFE South Side. 412-431-4950. With special guest Mark Williams. Over 21 show. Tickets: ticketweb.com/ opusone. 7:30p.m.
STAGE AE North Side. With special guests Knuckle Puck & Milestones. All ages show. Tickets: ticketmaster. com or 1-800-745-3000. Doors open at 7p.m.
SATURDAY 29
MONDAY 1 Hi-Rez
REX THEATER South Side. 412-381-1681. With special guests Justin Stone, Emilio Rojas, Palermo Stone & DJ Spillz, Tristin Dare & TK Kavi. Over 16 show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 7:30p.m.
FUTURE FEST PHIPPS CONSERVATORY APRIL 29
21+ Night: Construction CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER North Side. Over 21 event. For tickets and more info visit carnegiesciencecenter.org. 6p.m.
Christopher Mark Jones
PHOTO CREDIT: BLUE LENS LLC. FUTUREFEST
Basement
412-456-6666. With special guest Erin McKeown. Tickets: trustarts.org. 7p.m.
PHIPPS CONSERVATORY Oakland. For more info visit futurefestpgh.com. 10a.m.
BENEDUM CENTER Downtown. 412-456-6666. Tickets: pittsburghopera.org. Through May 7.
PGH Photo Fair
Mungion
CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART Oakland. Free event. For more info visit pghphotofair.com. Through Apr. 30.
JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY North Side. 412-904-3335. With special guest Trailheads. Over 21 show. Tickets: greyareaprod. com. 9p.m.
Future Fest
The Summer King
Maybird CLUB CAFE South Side. 412-431-4950. With special guests Shana Falana & Zeve. Over 21 show. Tickets: ticketweb.com/ opusone. 8p.m.
SUNDAY 30 Garry Tallent
HARD ROCK CAFE Station Square. 412-481-ROCK. With special guest Jukehouse Bombers. Over 21 show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 8p.m.
TUESDAY 2 Travis Scott
STAGE AE North Side. With special guest Khalid. All ages show. Tickets: ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. oppenn at at 7p.m. 7p Doors open
Welcome to Night Vale BYHAM YHAM THEATER Downtown.
$88
+tax
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i - spec
Ev er y Mo nd ay ! Open M ic Stan d up co med Hosted y by Elliott burns
Call today to set up your appointment Residential & Commercial Gift Cards Available phone. 412-542-8843 www.littlegreenmaidservices.com
We’re more than just cleaning. * $88 new customer special includes two professional maids, cleaning for a two hour maximum with our environmentally friendly cleaning products.
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[ART]
RE: PAINTING
“EVERYONE KNEW.”
A revolution happened under our noses; it wasn’t televised, but rather torrented and Photoshopped. Heralding this new painting is Michael Williams, an artist whose work makes a case for ars gratia artis, using unique practices: The Los Angeles-based artist makes paintings on top of print-outs of digital drawings, constructed and deconstructed, frosted with oil paint, all in hallucinatory color. If there’s a conversation embedded in the work, an embodied meaning from the heart of the artist, it appears to be that the modern painter’s life is a little absurd and weird and wonderful, and certainly technologically enhanced. At the Carnegie Museum of Art, Williams now has a suite of paintings in the Forum Gallery, and a series of drawings in the Scaife Gallery. Williams is widely celebrated — his work graced the cover of April’s Artforum — but Michael Williams is his first U.S. solo museum exhibition, with all new paintings created specifically for this show. Curator Eric Crosby has been following Williams’ work for years, since his early shows with CANADA gallery in New York’s Lower East Side. “Originally I asked [Williams] to think about an exhibition that takes [his] use of ink-jet printing to the next level,” Crosby said last week, shouting above the sounds of the still-in-progress installation. “There are works in the exhibition made entirely in a digital environment, that Michael prints onto canvas using a large-scale commercial printer. A lot of those works he subsequently re-attacks, using the materials of a traditional painter’s studio. I was really interested in the conflict there: the challenge that an image produced within a digital environment, and then printed, poses to our conventional understanding of what a painter’s work is.” “For a long time I’d been wanting to make drawings in the computer, and finally I got the tools,” says Williams. “At first I wasn’t thinking that I was working on paintings, I was just experimenting with a new tool. Simultaneously, I had been scanning some collages and having those printed, and painting on top of those. At a certain point it occurred to me I could print out these computer drawings. I started doing that, and that was really exciting to me. It was a self-challenge, because for a long time I had a relationship with painting in a sort of expressive, invested-in-the-medium, type of way.” INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
MICHAEL WILLIAMS continues through Aug. 27. Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. 412-622-3131 or www.cmoa.org
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
Michael Williams at the Carnegie {PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYAN CONLEY}
{BY AMANI NEWTON}
{CP PHOTO BY RENEE ROSENSTEEL}
Top of the Summer King line-up (from left): Sean Panikkar, Denyce Graves and Alfred Walker
[OPERA]
{BY BILL O’DRISCOLL}
T
HE COMPOSER was a baseball fan
long before he knew opera. The opera-company director still doesn’t quite know baseball. And when the composer first phoned the great-grandson of the famous ballplayer about whom he was writing an opera, the latter remembers thinking, “Opera? Huh?” Yet art, and history, might well bat last when Pittsburgh Opera makes The Summer King, about Negro Leagues great Josh Gibson, the very first world premiere in its 78 years, with four performances April 29May 7 at the Benedum Center. Gibson, born in 1911 and raised partly in Pittsburgh, starred at catcher, mostly for the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords; his National Baseball Hall of Fame plaque credits him with “almost 800 home runs.” While statistics from the Negro
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Leagues and the era’s barnstorming tours are notoriously incomplete, “the black Babe Ruth” is routinely ranked among the game’s greatest sluggers. He died of a stroke at age 35, in 1947 — three months before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color line.
THE SUMMER KING 8 p.m. Sat., April 29; 7 p.m. Tue., May 2; 7:30 p.m. Fri., May 5; and 3 p.m. Sun., May 7. Pittsburgh Opera at the Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St., Downtown. $12-159. 412-456-6666 or www.pittsburghopera.org
The tragedy of that lost opportunity struck life-long baseball fan Daniel Sonenberg, a teacher and resident composer at the University of Southern Maine who started writing the opera, his first, in 2003.
He set it aside until 2013, when Mainebased arts group Portland Ovations commissioned its completion. (The libretto is credited to Sonenberg and Daniel Nester, with additional lyrics by Mark Campbell.) In 2014, Pittsburgh Opera general director Christopher Hahn saw scenes at a workshop production. Hahn, born in South Africa, is not baseball-literate, but his intrigue grew after he started asking people in Pittsburgh who Gibson was. “Everyone knew,” he recalls. Pittsburgh Opera has long staged contemporary operas — Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking; Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath — alongside favorites like La bohème and Aida. But most opera companies find producing outright world premieres too risky, Hahn says: Traditional audiences don’t always like them. Hahn
says Summer King was worth taking a chance on because of the local connection, the larger-than-life quality of sports stars in our culture, and the tragic dimensions of Gibson’s story. “It’s the ideal canvas for an opera,” says Hahn. Summer King frames Gibson’s story with opening and closing scenes in a barbershop in 1950s Brooklyn, where a former Negro Leagues player who’s now a barber recounts Gibson’s legend — he once knocked a pitch clear out of Yankee Stadium! — for the young ’uns. The story moves from Gibson’s early baseball success to his young wife Helen’s death while giving birth to twins; his triumphs playing ball in Mexico; and the illness and alcoholism that laid him low. Though spurred by both his girlfriend, Grace, and Pittsburgh Courier sportswriter Wendell Smith to aim for the major leagues, Gibson is characterized as largely content to stick with what he knows. “I got my own league,” he sings. The two-hour, three-act work even includes a baseball game (of sorts), complete with trash-talking. Gibson is portrayed by world-renowned bass-baritone Alfred Walker, with famed mezzo Denyce Graves as Grace, and Sean Panikkar as Smith. Other real-life characters include star outfielder Cool Papa Bell
and fabled Pittsburgh Crawfords owner Gus Greenlee, whose iconic Hill District club the Crawford Grill is a featured setting. Sonenberg’s music for Summer King is far from traditional opera. The composer — who also drums with his indie rock band, Lovers of Fiction — says early versions of this, his first opera, were in the musical style of contemporary American opera. Feedback from workshop performances convinced him to blend in styles alluding to the time and place of the story. But the jazz and mariachi music, for instance, are not included revue-style. Rather, he says, they’re woven in allusively, with the melodicism of some passages complemented by dissonance elsewhere, when appropriate. Walker praises the score’s eclecticism: “There are a lot of really cool jazzy parts in there that really make you want to move when you listen to it.” Nor is this an easy score: Walker calls it “rangy” — lots of high notes for a bass-baritone like him — and Sonenberg notes on his blog that Graves playfully chided him for the challenging vocal rhythms. Sonenberg, interviewed at Pittsburgh Opera’s Strip District headquarters in the midst of rehearsals, says he worked hard to ensure fidelity to the key facts of Gibson’s life. (Sources included Sandlot Seasons, the
1987 book by Pittsburgh-based historian Rob Ruck.) Sean Gibson, executive director of the Pittsburgh-based Josh Gibson Foundation, says it was a decade ago that Sonenberg first contacted him with the surprising news that he was composing an opera about his great-grandfather. He and his family were initially skeptical. But Gibson now says, “It’s very exciting. It will bring more awareness to Josh, to the Josh Gibson Foundation,” which promotes athletic and academic development for youths. Sonenberg acknowledges that his opera’s takes on Josh Gibson’s inner life are pure speculation: “We don’t really know how Josh felt about any of the things that happened in his life.” And while a key scene depicting Gibson being disingenuously interviewed for a job by the owners of the Washington Senators is fictional, Sonenberg included it to illustrate the complexity of ending segregation in baseball: It also effectively meant ending the Negro Leagues that were such a source of pride (and revenue) in the black community. Sean Gibson gives Sonenberg good marks for factual accuracy, and adds that Sonenberg was “very receptive” to factual corrections to the libretto offered by the Gibson family. (Josh Gibson’s surviving relatives include a niece and a
daughter-in-law.) Whether audiences for traditional opera will embrace Summer King is one question. Another is whether a mostly Pittsburgh-set work about a local sports hero can attract new audiences to opera. One barrier is simply the label “opera,” which scares off many. Gibson says that in encouraging folks in the black community to attend, he chooses his words carefully. “I say, ‘It’s a musical,’” he says. Hahn says the Opera has been promoting Summer King through its Breaking Barriers program, which works to dispel stereotypes about opera itself: that it’s too pricey (Pittsburgh Opera tickets start at $12); that it’s always sung in another language (Summer King and other works are in English, with supertitles projected above the stage); and that it’s not relatable. In schools and libraries, says Hahn, the programs found receptive ears — some of whom even claimed connections to Gibson’s family or story. In any case, Summer King already has one big fan: Detroit’s Michigan Opera Theater has announced it will stage the work in May 2018. As Sean Gibson puts it, “Josh didn’t make history in the majors, but he’s making history in opera.” D RI S C OL L @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
April 29th
April 30th
10 am - 5 pm 12 pm - 5 pm Carnegie Museum of Art, Hall of Sculpture Free and open to the public. Learn more at pghphotofair.com.
A Family’s Collection Pittsburgh’s Treasures
FINAL WEEKS | THROUGH MAY 14 FREE ADMISSION
More than 80 paintings, sculptures and decorative objects collected by Henry Clay Frick and Helen Clay Frick
THEFRICKPITTSBURGH.ORG | 412-371-0600 Image of Helen Clay Frick courtesy The Frick Collection/Frick Art Reference Library Archives
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[BOOK REVIEW]
”‘‘”œ ‘ŠŒŠ“‰†—ž Ž™™˜‡š—ŒÂ? ‡†˜Š‡†‘‘ Œ—Š†™ ”˜Â? Ž‡˜”“ ‹—”’ ™Â?Š ˜†“‰‘”™˜ ”‹ Ž™™˜‡š—ŒÂ?Ç?˜ ”—™Â? Ž‰Š ™” ™Â?Š •Ž““†ˆ‘Š ”‹ Œ—Š†™“Š˜˜ Ž“ ™Â?Š ŠŒ—” Š†ŒšŠ˜ǀ
Sponsored by:
ALFRED WALKER as Josh Gibson
SEAN PANIKKAR as Wendell Smith
DENYCE GRAVES as Grace
KENNETH KELLOGG as Sam Bankhead
NORMAN SHANKLE as Gus Greenlee
PHILLIP GAY as Cool Papa Bell
JASMINE MUHAMMAD as Hattie
JACQUELINE ECHOLS as Helen Gibson
APRIL 29; MAY 2, 5, 7, 2017 ÇŚ Š“Š‰š’ Š“™Š— è ŽˆÂ?Š™˜ ˜™†—™ †™ Č–ČœČ? ÇŚ Č&#x;ČœČ?Ç‚Č&#x;Č ČĄÇ‚ČĄČĄČĄČĄ Ă¨Â•ÂŽÂ™Â™Â˜Â‡ÂšÂ—ÂŒÂ?Â”Â•ÂŠÂ—Â†Ç€Â”Â—ÂŒÇ Â˜ÂšÂ’Â’ÂŠÂ—Â?Ž“Œ —”‰šˆ™Ž”“ †—™“Š—ƿ Â?Š Ž™™˜‡š—ŒÂ? ”š“‰†™Ž”“ Ž™Â? ŒŠ“Š—”š˜ ˜š••”—™ ‹—”’ƿ Š”•‘Š˜ †™š—†‘ †˜ ™š‰Š“™ †™Ž“ŠŠ Â•Â”Â“Â˜Â”Â—Ćż ”š“‰†™Ž”“ šŠ˜‰†ž •Š—‹”—’†“ˆŠ Â˜Â•Â”Â“Â˜Â”Â—Ćż ’‡—Ž‰ŒŠ ŠŒŽ”“†‘ Ž˜™—Ž‡š™Ž”“ †“‰ †“š‹†ˆ™š—Ž“Œ Campaign by Creme Fraiche Design.
Josh Gibson™ used with permission of Josh Gibson Enterprise, Inc., c/o Luminary Group LLC, www.JoshGibson.org
PARENTAL ADVISORY {BY FRED SHAW} With some 46.2 million U.S. citizens ages 65 and older, and life expectancy near a peak, it often falls to the adult children of the elderly to become caregivers as parents reach senescence. This is a fact of life that many Gen Xers like myself must grapple with, and it’s the focus of some compelling writing in Barbara Edelman’s first full-length poetry collection, Dream of the Gone-From City (Carnegie Mellon University Press, $15.95). Edelman, an Illinois native, has earned degrees from Colgate University and the University of Pittsburgh, where she currently teaches writing and literature. She’s received a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant, and won the TurowKinder Award in short fiction. She’s also a daughter, using 86 pages to explore this dynamic from the lens of both childand adulthood. Her poetry reads strongest when the figurative language stacks up. In “Evening Song,â€? she begins, “My mother is short, my mother is bent, / my mother is sick of living.â€? Here, the ailments of old age become descriptive and metaphorical, as if the body is all there is. Edelman pivots later, writing, “she’s a marvel, a maze, I’m amazed / that she can still feel marvel: at the lilacs, / the ducks, at the purple-gray weight of the storm cloud / distending.â€? The stellar mix of wordplay and imagery points to life’s complicated nature. Edelman continues in this vein, with the speaker considering her father’s dementia on a visit to his nursing home in “Maple Grove.â€? The poem swings between past and present, while considering how loss of memory equals loss of identity. Of one moment, she writes of him saying, “‘Piss, Shit.’ A man who / never swore, who never liked my mother’s cussing in her two / mother tongues (though he admired her flair for juxtaposition).â€? There’s a sense of irony throughout the lines, giving readers a chuckle in recognition of realistic moments like these. While some poems rely on dreamy surrealism, it’s elegies like “For Pattiâ€? that keep it real, allowing the speaker to explore her own shared past. Here she writes of her “arm in arm partnerâ€? and their girlhood adventures in “my cow town shit hole /‌ my pay phone bomb scares‌ / my cornfield arrests.â€? As in much of Dream‌, Edelman uses physical and mental loss as an effective means to contemplate formative time spent with meaningful others. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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{PHOTO COURTESY OF HEATHER MULL}
From left: Tammy Tsai, Erika Cuenca and Siovhan Christensen in 4.48 Psychosis, at Off the Wall
[PLAY REVIEW]
MIND FIELD {BY TED HOOVER} NOBODY CAN accuse anyone connected with Off the Wall Productions’ latest show, Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, of taking the easy path. The play was first performed in 2000, a year-and-a-half after Kane’s death by suicide, and is — by design — one of the most unpleasant evenings you’re likely to spend in a theater.
4.48 PSYCHOSIS continues through May 6. Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. $25-40. 724-873-3576 or www.insideoffthewall.com
British playwright Kane suffered from severe clinical depression and had been institutionalized on more than one occasion. She finished the play shortly before she hung herself, and the feeling you get watching the work is that of being trapped in a box which people on the outside are kicking relentlessly. As Michael Billington of London’s The Guardian wrote in his review of the original production: “How on earth do you award aesthetic points to a suicide note?” It’s something of a stretch to call 4.48 Psychosis a play; Kane doesn’t give stage directions, a cast list or a location. She’s written 24 sections of mostly impregnable language: disconnected, murderous and ceaselessly ugly. If you put a gun to my head (and after 65 intermissionless minutes I was sorta/kinda hoping someone might), I’d say it’s about a person in a mental institution, and we’re locked inside her
brain with all the voices she hears. Because Kane didn’t offer much in the way of theater, it’s left to specific productions to supply their own. At Off the Wall, director Robyne Parrish has divided up the “script” for three actresses: Erika Cuenca, Tammy Tsai and Siovhan Christensen. I don’t have the words to precisely express my admiration for them — how they manage to get through it is astounding. These four bring such incredible intensity and seriousness of purpose that, for a few minutes anyway, you don’t feel like you’re gnawing a limb out of a bear trap. There’s also movement provided by Moriah Ella Mason and original music from Reni Monteverdi. It’s all wonderfully expressive, but I’m not sure how much it helps, because the movement is mostly painful writhing, and the music is aggressively unsettling. And Adrienne Fischer has designed a set which is, like the play, purposefully repugnant. Yet having dumped on the show, I still can’t fault Off the Wall or the artists behind it. Kane’s command of her language is evident in every second of the work. Theater shouldn’t be all about singing cats and slamming-door farces; life is, or can be, a ghastly, destructive, nauseatingly painful experience, and Kane places that sorrow, rage, hurt and hate squarely on stage with force and talent. But just because Off the Wall has every right and reason to stage it, that doesn’t necessarily mean people have to sit through it. Whether you want to see 4.48 Psychosis is entirely up to you. Me personally? I’m already more than aware of how dreadful life is, and that’s why I spend my spare time watching Doris Day movies. I N F O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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FOR THE WEEK OF
FreeEvent
04.27-05.04.17 Full events listed online at www.pghcitypaper.com
Have anything to say to Donald Trump? You’re in luck. This Friday and Saturday (on the 99th and 100th days of his presidency), artist Sheryl Oring brings her public performance piece I Wish to Say to Pittsburgh for the first time, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the Office of Public Art. Head to Market Square and you’ll be welcomed by 10 old-fashioned typists, dressed in 1960s office garb and ready to transcribe your thoughts using vintage manual typewriters.
Your letter will join more than 3,200 others that have already been sent to the White House as part of the project, which, despite the topical coincidence, was not conceived in response to the current administration. First performed in 2004, the piece has been staged more than 70 times throughout the country. Oring, currently based in North Carolina, says interest in I Wish to Say surged in connection with Trump’s election. “Usually, there’s an ebb and flow,” Oring says by phone. “Typically after an election the demand goes down for some time. I’m really busy in an election year, up through the election and then maybe a little after. But then there’s no interest; people are kind of over it, they’re done with politics for a while. That hasn’t happened at all [this time], I’ve been really busy.” She hopes the project can offer catharsis to those overwhelmed by the present political climate. Oring will hold a lecture following Saturday’s performance. Oring asks participants to deeply consider what they’d like to say to the president before talking to a typist. Carbon copies of the letters are compiled in an online archive, to be used later in other projects and books, renewing the passion of today’s citizens into a lasting historical record of the voice of the people. BY AMANI NEWTON
4-7 p.m. Fri., April 28. Also 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., April 29 (artist’s talk: 5:30-7 p.m). Market Square, Downtown. Free. www.publicartpittsburgh.org
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{CP PHOTO BY AARON WARNICK}
^ Sat., April 29: Art All Night
thursday 04.27 TALK The Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh hosts the Pittsburgh stop of Israel Story. Think of the radio program/podcast as “This Israeli Life”: Each week’s show has a theme, and is composed of stories exploring that theme, all connected to the people of Israel. (The podcast began after the host binged This American Life on a road trip; deciding Israel needed its own version, he reached out to Ira Glass and Nancy Updike.) The live show, which visits the New Hazlett Theater tonight, combines storytelling with photos, film clips, sound effects and live music. Amani Newton 7 p.m. 6 Allegheny Square, North Side. $12. 412-681-8000 or www. jfedpgh.org
WORDS City of Asylum shelters writers in exile; the latest is Osama Alomar, a Syrian author who’s spent recent years working as a cabbie in Chicago. Alomar writes super-short stories — flash fiction, but coming out of an Arabian tradition that reflects poetry and fable. Tonight’s reading at Alphabet City marks the launch of The Teeth of the Comb, his new book of stories in English translation from New Directions press. A Q&A follows the free reading. Bill O’Driscoll 8 p.m. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. www.alphabetcity.org
04.26/05.03.2017
COMEDY When people belligerently ask Indian-born Krish Mohan where he’s from, he tells them “Croatia,” because they “don’t know enough information about Croatia to hate anything about me.” In his new show, Approaching Happiness, the socially conscious Washington, D.C.-based comic explores racism, immigration, drugs, guns and other issues, and how they relate to mental health in our society. The performance is tonight at Unplanned Comedy Warehouse. BO 8 p.m. 5601 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $5. www.unplannedcomedy.com
COMEDY The standup comedians of CAKE Comedy took a novel approach to funding their 2017 tour. Carrie Gravenson, Abbi Crutchfield, Kaytlin Bailey and Erin Judge (the tour’s title is based on their initials) launched a Kickstarter in which fans in a given city could buy tickets, and if they sold enough, they’d book the gig. CAKE hit its Pittsburgh goal and performs at Arcade Comedy Theater tonight. Their names might not ring a bell (yet), but if you’re familiar with Comedy Central, Funny or Die or Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, you know their work. Alex Gordon 10 p.m. 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $25. 412-339-0608 or www.arcadecomedytheater.com ^ Thu., April 27: Osama Alomar
{PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX ROSENFELD}
^ Thu., April 27: CAKE Comedy
friday 04.28 WORDS & MUSIC Sculptor James Simon once again opens his studio for a public event, a hybrid reading/music performance by author Josh Barkan and musicians Michael Howard and Caroline Cotter. Barkan, who lives in Roanoke, Va., and Mexico City, will read from his acclaimed new collection, Mexico: Stories. Alaska-native folk singer Howard performs songs off his newest album, Gasoline Dream, and troubadour Cotter, fluent in several languages, performs tunes inspired by her global travels. AN 8 p.m. 305 Gist St., Uptown. Recommended donation: $15. www.joshbarkan.com
Voted BEST Food Festival two years in a row by City Paper Readers!
saturday 04.29 FESTIVAL Seen through an environmental lens, the years ahead do not always look promising. Local nonprofit Communitopia seeks to change that, with initiatives like FutureFest. This year’s edition demonstrates and celebrates our paths to a sustainable future, with art, science, live music, food and hands-on fun. Check out eco-minded vendors and the {PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUE LENS, LLC} electric-vehicle showcase, or (if ^ Sat., April 29: FutureFest you’re 16 or older) test drive an e-bike. The day-long fest is on the front lawn of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, where a FutureFest hand-stamp gets you half-price admission today. BO 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 1 Schenley Drive, Oakland. Free. www.futurefestpgh.com
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral
56th Annual
Sunday, May 7 to Saturday, May 13 Enjoy Wonderful Greek Food, Pastries & Lively Dancing SERVING HOURS Sunday: Noon to 8p Monday thru Thursday: 11a to 9p Friday & Saturday: 11a to 10p (music til midnight)
ART Aficionados of contemporary photography and vintage photos get a treat this weekend as the PGH Photo Fair returns to the Carnegie Museum of Art. Today and tomorrow, the city’s lone fair for the contemporary and fine-art photos hosts 13 internationally known dealers and projects, including New York’s Aperture Foundation and Toronto’s Stephen Bulger Gallery. The free event in the Carnegie’s Hall of Sculpture includes sales of photo books and photo-based magazines, and tonight’s special event: legendary documentary photographer Bruce Davidson (“Brooklyn Gang,” “Subway”) in conversation with Aperture executive director Chris Boot. BO 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Also noon-5 p.m. Sun., April 30. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. www.pghphotofair.com
Credit Cards Accepted LIKE US ON FACEBOOK
*St. Nicholas Cathedral is located on the corner of S. Dithridge St. and Forbes Ave., across from The Carnegie Museum.
Take-out service available Monday through Saturday* Visit the FOOD FESTIVAL section of our website: stnickspgh.org to place your ORDER ONLINE! (*Saturday dinner only)
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SHORT LIST, CONTINUED FROM PG. 37
{PHOTO COURTESY OF NJAIMEH NJIE}
^ Sat., April 29: PGH Photo Fair
FESTIVAL August Wilson’s childhood home is undergoing renovation, and today Daisy Wilson Artist Community, Inc. (named for the Pulitzer-winning Fences playwright’s mother) holds its big annual event. The August Wilson Birthday Celebration Block Party (Wilson would have turned 72 on April 27) includes dancers, drummers, a DJ, children’s activities, dozens of vendors from around town, tours of the new August Wilson Park nearby and — of course — theatrical performances hourly. It’s free, but an RSVP is requested. BO Noon5 p.m. 1727 Bedford Ave., Hill District. Free. RSVP at happybirthday augustwilson.eventbrite.com
ART All day today, people will be dropping off their artworks at Lawrenceville’s cavernous Wilson McGinley building. All night, and into Sunday, everybody else will visit the 20th annual Art All Night. Pittsburgh’s biggest annual art exhibit is unjuried, uncensored and free for artists and visitors alike. There’s also live music and live artmaking; kids are welcome, with art activities for them and adults alike. Grassroots volunteers organize Pittsburgh’s most democratic art show, which last year was visited by some 15,000 attendees. BO 4 p.m.-2 p.m. Sun., April 30. 85 36th St., Lawrenceville. Free. www.artallnight.org
sunday 04.30
^ Sat., April 29: August Wilson Birthday Celebration Block
DRAG This afternoon, it’s a special edition of Kierra Darshell’s Drag Brunch at James Street Gastropub. The festivities include the 10th annual Mr. Tri-State All-Star Contest, a chance for male impersonators to strut their stuff in competition for cash prizes in interview, talent and formalwear categories. The day’s honoree is reigning Mr. Tri-State All-Star Sebastian Armonte (pictured). BO Noon-2 p.m. 422 Foreland St., North Side. $10. 412-904-3335 or www.jamesstreetgastropub.com
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^ Sun., April 30: Mr. Tri-State All-Star Contest
monday 05.01 EXHIBIT
8
A North Side gem, the Pittsburgh Antiquities Museum of Photographic History shines a little brighter today, the first day of what it calls the largest-ever display of photographs of Abraham Lincoln. The museum’s Bruce M. Klein curated the show, with 260 photos and artifacts sourced internationally, some getting their first-ever public display. The exhibit — including the last check Lincoln wrote — coincides with the opening of the museum’s new ground-floor exhibit room. BO 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Exhibit continues through December. 531 E. Ohio St., North Side. $8-10 (free for children 12 and under). 412-231-7881 or www. photoantiquities.org
*Certain restrictions apply.
[DAILY RUNDOWN]
wednesday 05.03 TALK “Every ride, it’s the same conceit: agonizingly slow boat trip through robot wonderland. Like that ride It’s a Small World, which by the way is just a horror of narcotized puppets doing the same rote tasks over and over in what I’m sure Disney totally did not intend to be an accurate and prescient vision of third^ Mon., May 01: Pittsburgh Antiquities world labor.” That’s Museum of Photographic History Nathan Hill’s lacerating summation of amusement parks from his postmodern debut novel The Nix, a New York Times bestseller and 2016 Notable Book. Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures welcomes Hill tonight for a talk. AN 7 p.m. Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $10. 412-622-8866 or www.pittsburghlectures.org
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ON
THE BACON REVEALED EXTRAORDINARY DEPTH OF SMOKINESS
MEN WHO COOK {BY AL HOFF} When the seasons turn to fresh food, it’s time to dust off the cookbooks and bust out some new recipes. Or the old ones: a lifetime of buying used books means digging deep into the past for forgotten recipes, or just musings. For years, men cooked professionally — indeed, the world of fine dining was almost exclusively male — and women cooked for the home. Any reversal of this was an outlier, and even today such attitudes persist. But the back half of the 20th century, with its great migration to the suburbs, codified a safe arena for male cooks — a literal safe space around the outdoor barbeque, where modern-day cavemen could toss raw meat onto some approximation of fire. A publication that did much to promote the barbeque was Sunset Magazine, which heralded the dream post-war Western lifestyle of warm nights, brick-lined patios and men who were unafraid to make dinner. In that spirit, Sunset ran a regular column titled “Chefs of the West,” in which male readers submitted recipes; these were later compiled in a handy 1951 tome titled simply Men Cooking. It’s a fascinating cultural document, and proof that today’s admired male foodie can trace his roots back decades. As the introduction notes, “these are men who scour a city in search of an obscure herb [or] type of flour.” The contributors are listed by name, city and occupation, and the notable number of science and tech types renders instructions such as “test the cooking brine for a pH of 5.” Befitting the West’s cultural melting pot, recipes include plenty of then-exotic fare, such as Asian, South Pacific and Mexican, as well as fresh native ingredients, including avocado, citrus and abalone. And lest you dismiss this as a “BBQ guide,” note that these 575 recipes run the gamut from sliced tomatoes and sopa de garbanzos to char siu pork and fruit cake. But give men their manly due: The egg chapter lists huevos rancheros as a hangover cure; compares another egg dish to a “battle breakfast” served on an aircraft carrier; and practically invents fusion cuisine with the “Pedro Fu Wong Omelet,” calling for Tabasco sauce, chili, soy sauce, bacon and bean sprouts.
{CP PHOTO BY VANESSA SONG}
Stewed chicken paprikás, with sour-cream paprika, over nokedli
HOMESTYLE HUNGARIAN {BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}
O
NE OF THE lasting legacies of Pitts-
burgh’s immigrant-driven, industrial past is its ties — sometimes generations removed, but still tenuously present — to the Old World of Central Europe. Recently, a revival of interest in oldfashioned regional cuisines has provided new opportunities to explore and strengthen this legacy through food. And so, on the North Side, in a nearly windowless tavern perched between Allegheny Hospital and the Parkway North, Judy Torma has converted her father’s Recovery Room into Huszar, a tribute to her Hungarian heritage. A tribute can exaggerate or glorify the memory of the past; not so at Huszar. As befits the refreshingly unaffected surroundings and the humble heroics of the immigrant experience, Huszar presents everyday Hungarian cooking as brought to Pittsburgh by Torma’s parents in the
AHOFF@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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wake of the failed 1956 revolution. Unreconstructed, unabstracted and untouched by post-modern global impulses such as kimchi or black garlic, this is food we imagine would be comfortingly familiar to countless Pittsburghers past.
HUSZAR 627 E. North Ave., North Side. 412-322-8795 HOURS: Tue.-Fri. 9 a.m.-midnight; Sat. noon-11 p.m.; Sun. noon-7 p.m. PRICES: $6-14 LIQUOR: Full bar
CP APPROVED It certainly draws a strong crowd among Pittsburghers present. We wanted to go on one of the nights that the Gipsy Stringz play their biweekly engagement, and ended up waiting almost two months
for a reservation. It was worth it. The music, occasionally augmented by patrons joining in their own Eastern European tongues, was lively and joyful, the crowd convivial, and the service friendly and warm. The food was terrific as well. Huszar originally opened with a limited menu, but in December brought over a Hungarian chef who filled out the menu with options beyond paprikás and gulyás (a.k.a. goulash). An easy choice for a starter was hortobagyi palacsinta (easy to choose, not necessarily to pronounce; there’s no shame in pointing to what you want on this all-Hungarian menu). A tender crepe enveloped shredded chicken and was topped with farmer’s cheese and paprikás sauce. Like the most enduring examples of peasant food, this is a dish designed to stretch last night’s leftovers while offering a change of pace, but it
was savory and satisfying in its own right. We of course tried gulyás. Described as a stew but listed under soups, it seemed more like the latter, with a brothy medium for the traditional simmered beef, potatoes, carrots and onions. While we prefer a stewier version, ourselves, one that can be swirled with sour cream and sopped up with noodles or dumplings, we appreciated this (relatively) lighter recipe. It offered a hearty melding of beef, paprika and root-vegetable flavors, but didn’t fill us up so much that we were unable to sample the rest of the menu. We also tried and liked the creamed onion soup: Shredded cheese melted into the bisque-like broth, making it even creamier, but never obscuring the true onion flavor. Cucumber and red-cabbage salads were little side dishes of very different character. The former was almost like a soup on a plate, with ultra-thin slices of cuke in a sour-creamy dressing. In the latter, hearty shreds of cabbage were flavored, but not softened, by their dressing. Our entire party liked the cucumbers so much we ordered several plates, but the káposzta is for cabbage fans only. Marhapörkölt was a pretty straightforward beef stew highlighted by superb nokedli, a style of dumpling seemingly identical to spätzle. The nokedli were a highlight of Huszar’s excellent chicken paprikás, as well: a generous heaping of white-meat chicken chunks stewed in a sour-cream paprika sauce, accented with sweetly astringent sliced tomatoes, slivers of zingy red onion and fresh leaves of parsley. Steak lecsos augmented an ordinary sirloin with a marvelously flavorful sauce — more like a relish — of peppers, onions and tomatoes. Ingredients aside, you’d never mistake this for that accompaniment to sautéed Italian sausage, and it matched up well with the fried potatoes, which were large, golden chunks that soaked up adjoining flavors. The potatoes stood more on their own in Jason’s dish, Gypsy-style pork loin with bacon. The pork was not too dry — a challenge with loin — and the bacon was amazing: a thick, meaty slice that at first resembled Asian pork belly, but revealed extraordinary depth of smokiness with a character distinct from American bacon, intense yet neither harsh nor sweet. A standout from the dessert menu was gundel palacsinta, a crepe filled with apricot jam and ground walnuts, then topped with a dark, not too thick, chocolate sauce. It was rich without being heavy, and the range of textures was pleasing. Huszar’s food, both familiar and new to us, was consistently good, and along with its casual, friendly atmosphere, made us happy to feel Hungarian for a night. INFO@ PGHC ITY PAP ER.CO M
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[PERSONAL CHEF]
SPRING ASPARAGUS {BY BRANDON BLUMENFELD, EXECUTIVE CHEF OF SCRATCH FOOD & BEVERAGE}
OAXACAN CUISINE
This recipe was created for our spring menu at Scratch Food & Beverage. It’s the first time I’ve had full creative control over a menu, and I’ve been looking forward to making really tasty and pretty vegetable-focused dishes. I took components that I thought worked together, but also [used] pairings that are unusual. Asparagus and horseradish have intensely fresh and earthy flavors. The pickled and roasted ramps bring sweetness and bright acidic notes as well as pungent onion and garlic flavors. The pistachios and egg balance the dish by adding richness. Whether there are three or 23 ingredients doesn’t matter, as all the components have a purpose.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28 LIVE MUSIC LATIN GUITAR
Sushi Kim Korean BBQ Buffet
JOIN US FOR CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION ON MAY 5!
WE CATER!
FRIDAYS-SUNDAY 4-9PM • CHICKEN/ BEEF BULGOGI BULG • PORK, BEEF SHORT RIB • SEAFOOD, VEGETABLES
COOKED AT YOUR OWN TABLE
EAT ME... NOW. HAPPY
INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD • 1 lb. asparagus, rinsed and woody ends cut off • ¼ cup pickled ramp bottoms, sliced thin • 1 cup sautéed ramp greens, rough chopped • ½ cup pistachios, toasted and chopped • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, rough-chopped • 1 lemon, juiced • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil • ¼ cup canola oil • 2-inch piece of fresh horseradish • 4 8-minute eggs, cut into fourths • Salt to taste
HOUR
10% 10 0% O OFF FF
4PM-6PM
CLOSED MONDAY
1241 PENN AVE • 412-281-9956
TAJ MAHAL INDIAN RESTAURANT
Serving North Indian, South Indian and other authentic regional Indian Cuisine
FOR PICKLING • 1 cup white-wine vinegar • 1 cup sugar • 2 cups water • 1/8 cup salt INSTRUCTIONS Separate ramp tops from ramp bottoms with a knife. Sauté ramp tops in olive oil and salt. Place in bowl and cool completely, then refrigerate. For pickling, combine ingredients in a pot. Bring this brine to a boil and pour over top of the bowl of ramp bottoms. Let come to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Toss asparagus in canola oil and salt. Grill until tender. Cool completely. In a big mixing bowl, toss chilled asparagus, pickled ramps, two tablespoons of pickling liquid, sautéed ramps, pistachios, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Place salad on a large flat plate and spread vegetables relatively flat. Place hard-boiled eggs on top of salad. Microplane fresh horseradish over entire dish. Garnish with more olive oil. Serves four to six people as a side dish.
• Award Winner for Best Indian food 2000-2017 • The proud caterer for G20 summit - #1 choice for catering Indian cuisine. All events, weddings, anniversaries, baby showers • Lunch buffet 7 days a week • Dinner buffets Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Tajj Mahal is owned and operated p b chef/owner by h e f/ o ner Us UUsha h a SSethi e th i since in e 1996. 996
WE WANT YOUR PERSONAL RECIPES AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM. EMAIL THEM TO CELINE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM.
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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: WHISKEY SOURS
{PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN TARASI}
Meredith Grelli, John Choi and Chris Moehle test the malting robot.
[ON THE ROCKS]
BOOZE ’BOT Wigle’s new whiskey mixes tradition and high tech Eddie V’s
{BY CELINE ROBERTS}
501 Grant St., Downtown DRINK: Gatsby Sour INGREDIENTS: Woodford Reserve bourbon, cabernet, lemon, angostura bitters, dehydrated orange, luxardo cherry garnish OUR TAKE: A rich cabernet float makes an appearance in this twist on a classic that’s reminiscent of a bourbon punch. Cherry and orange are heavy on the nose, while the overall experience is refreshing, rounded off by a bourbon finish.
VS.
ROBOTS ARE quickly losing their space-age reputation and entering the modern world across disciplines all along the spectrum. They drive our cars and distribute medication in hospital wards; now they even malt the grains used to make whiskey. On May 5, at its Barrelhouse in Spring Garden, Wigle will reveal its new educational floormalting robot installation, the company’s latest collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, The Robotics Hub and Chatham University’s Food Studies Program. For the past couple of years, Wigle has been hard at work exploring different kinds of malts in its whiskeys. Wigle co-
owner Meredith Grelli compared the spectrum of malts to that of coffee roasts. Now the company wants to bring that knowledge (and a new whiskey, aptly named maltmalt) to its customers. “We want to create the most educated customers in the world,” says Grelli. Floor malting is a process by which grains are wetted to begin a germination process and then heated with a fuel source (traditionally peat) to halt sprouting. This helps to loosen up the sugars for fermentation. It’s
traditionally done by hand, with a rake, but Wigle wanted to mix the old and the modern in a nod to the transformation Pittsburgh is undergoing. “A traditional floor malt with a human didn’t seem like a very fun way to show the process,” says Grelli of the decision to make a robot malter. “It was also a staffing issue.” A team was assembled, including Tessa Noble, of Chatham University’s Food Studies Program; Chris Moehle, managing director of startup outfit The Robotics Hub; Carnegie Mellon University; and 22-year-old CMU undergraduate student John Choi. Choi, a bright, friendly student with a passion for robotics, has been working on an educational robot dubbed the Choitek Megamark for about a year-and-a-half. When he started working on engineering the floor-malting robot this past December, he applied this technology as a base platform for building the yet-unnamed humanoid floor-malting robot. The robot, whose “face” is a manipulatable laptop screen, articulates back and forth on rails in order to rake the grains. Choi says the movement recalls how one would rake a zen garden. The machine’s arms are parallel to the ground and its “heart,” an Arduino Mega 2560, sends electrical impulses to activators in order to produce movement. Choi uses open-source software. In the robot’s demonstrations, polystyrene balls will stand in for grains of malt. “This robot is especially good at teaching and inspiring students,” Choi says, listing the robot’s many applications in the STEAM fields. In this melding of science and food, Choi feels, robotics has a place. “After all,” he says, “that’s why they call it ART-ificial intelligence.”
“THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT ART-IFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.”
C E L I N E @ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM
This week on Five Minutes in Food History: CP provides a bonus episode on the Whiskey Rebellion, a time brimming with intrigue. www.pghcitypaper.com
The Summit 200 Shiloh St., Mount Washington DRINK: Whiskey sour INGREDIENTS: Bourbon, lemon, egg whites, angostura bitters, luxardo cherry garnish OUR TAKE: This recipe adds the creamy foam of an egg white to tart lemon notes and the nutty taste of bourbon. Angostura makes a strong herbal presence in the midst of the pillowy texture of the egg. Served up with a sweet reminder of stone fruit in the luxardo cherry garnish.
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One Bordeaux, One Scotch, One Beer Underberg Herbal Digestive Prices vary depending on vendor “For the last five generations, the Underberg family has been making this aromatic and herbaceous digestive with a secret recipe of herbs from 43 countries. Meant to be taken all at once after a large meal to help settle the stomach, Underberg is reminiscent of Fernet Branca and has become a cult favorite among bartenders.” RECOMMENDED BY CELINE ROBERTS
Underberg Herbal Digestive is available for order through www.amazon.com.
AUGUST HENRY’S BENJAMIN’S BURGER BAR BLOCK 292 BRGR BURGATORY BURGH’ERS CAIN’S SALOON THE COMMONER DOROTHY 6 BLAST FURNACE CAFE EASE: MODERN COMFORT CUISINE THE FOUNDRY TABLE & TAP HARD ROCK CAFE HONEST JOHN’S THE MODERN CAFE OVER THE BAR BICYCLE CAFE PIG IRON PUBLIC HOUSE PITTSBURGH STEAK COMPANY SHARP EDGE SOCIAL STACK’D STATION SUNNY JIM’S TESSARO’S
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GLORIA IS A SORT OF MONSTER, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE DRINKS
SELFDISCOVERY {BY AL HOFF} James Gray’s adaptation of the David Grann nonfiction book The Lost City of Z is a thoughtfully melded ripping yarn, journey of self-discovery and gentle rebuke of the “civilized” world’s myopia. Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) has bounced around the Empire with the British military — when we meet him in 1905 he’s posted in Ireland — and is picked for a new assignment. It’s a bit of colonial tidying up: He’s to chart a river border in Bolivia to facilitate the Western rubber plantations there. He takes a small crew, including Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson), and bids his wife (Sienna Miller) and young son goodbye.
Searching: Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam)
CP APPROVED
River navigation in the Amazon is fraught, and there are echoes of both Fitzcarraldo and Heart of Darkness here. But deep in the jungle, Fawcett finds pottery fragments, and believes they are a significant archeological find suggesting the existence of a lost advanced civilization. Back in Britain, his theories are mostly pooh-poohed, but Fawcett is undaunted: He makes several return trips to the Amazon seeking more evidence. Between journeys, for Fawcett, there are domestic joys and woes; arguments with various established cultural and scientific groups; and, of course, the Great War, in which refined European gentlemen mow each other down in muddy trenches. The focus here is on Fawcett — with a few digressions into his wife’s nascent feminism — and how he comes to define his life, and even self, by the search. The story has an external component, of course, and there is the raw excitement of fending off piranhas and bushwhacking into the unknown. But Fawcett possesses the existential elements of the 20th-century man, who climbed Everest because it was there, or simply needed an open-ended quest to find meaning in life. Today, we speak knowingly of the journey being the goal, but Fawcett, as depicted here, pursues this in opposition to the rigid social and military constraints under which he lives. It gives this handsomely produced film a bit of extra depth, even as it rather dutifully marches through Fawcett’s life and times.
People are monsters: Jason Sudeikis and Anne Hathaway
MONSTER MASH-UP {BY AL HOFF}
W
HEN GLORIA (Anne Hathaway)
comes home drunk one too many times, her frustrated boyfriend Tim (Dan Stevens) throws her out of his swank New York City apartment. So homeless — and jobless — Gloria grudgingly returns to the empty family home upstate. That turns out to be the setting for Colossal, written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo. You might have heard it’s a monster movie, but in fact, it’s an indie-ish character-study dramedy that just happens to have a city-crushing monster in it. But first: While lugging an air mattress, Gloria runs into Oscar (Jason Sudeikis), whom she hasn’t talked to since junior high. He never left town, and now runs his dad’s bar. Well, half a bar. There’s not much business, so he’s walled off the former country-and-western-themed joint intact behind stacked pallets. It’s there that Gloria, Oscar and his two pals, Joel (Austin Stowell) and Garth (Tim Blake Nelson), while away the wee hours, getting drunk and shooting the shit. Oscar gives Gloria a waitressing gig, and
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her life takes some shape. But she’s still getting loaded, and one hungover morning, she makes a startling discovery: A giant monster — a standard super-sized upright lizard — that has been wreaking havoc in Seoul, South Korea, is directly connected to her.
COLOSSAL DIRECTED BY: Nacho Vigalondo STARRING: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Dan Stevens Starts Thu., April 27. Hollywood and Regent Square
It’s best to let the specifics of this strange link and how the rest of the story unfolds remain a surprise. Instead, let’s focus on the central metaphor of Vigalondo’s genre-hopping work — that Gloria is a sort of monster, especially when she drinks and becomes uncontrollable. And what makes people monsters? Well, everything from petty disagreements to deep-rooted frustrations. Oh, and adding alcohol — which turns the daily dumb things and submerged emotions into full-
blown catastrophes. So, somebody throws a beer in New York, and the consequences are devastating … in Korea. Colossal isn’t without humor, and while not a monster movie, it does offer plenty of homage to classic kaiju films, like Godzilla (in which, on set, there was literally a man in a monster suit pretending to crush major cities). While the allegorical parts of the film invite you to think, it’s probably best to turn off some of your brain for the explanatory backstory and the conclusion, which I found to be less satisfying than the grander, whoknows-why conceit of the human-monster analog. Colossal asks us to extend sympathy for the emotional needs of one kinda-bratty American woman (portrayed by the likable Hathaway), but there’s never a full picture of the devastating emotional damage likely occurring in Korea. The internet livestream that depicts the horrors of the monster attack collapses the physical distance between New York and Seoul, but that glass screen also renders such terrible events as just another interesting thing to watch. A H OF F @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
SCREAM. Wes Craven’s 1996 horror film had its tongue firmly in cheek, riffing on the conventions of slasher films, while still sticking the knife in the back of its unsuspecting teen victims. April 28-May 4. Row House Cinema
FILM CAPSULES CP
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MEAN GIRLS. Cady (Lindsay Lohan), a blank slate of a high school junior, is about to learn the hard way about adolescent pecking order and the positively feral behavior between teen-age girls, in Mark Waters’ sharp 2004 comedy. April 28-May 4. Row House Cinema
NEW THE CIRCLE. A dream job turns out to be not so great when the company’s real agenda is revealed. Tom Hanks and Emma Watson star in this drama directed by James Ponsoldt. Starts Fri., April 28 GRADUATION. It seems there is no benefit to trodding the moral high road in this slowly unfolding drama from Romanian writerdirector Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days). Romeo (Adrian Titieni), a doctor in a smallish town, has high hopes for his teenage daughter, Eliza (Maria-Victoria Dragus). She has won a scholarship to a U.K. university, and needs only to sit the perfunctory final exams. But the day before the test, Eliza is sexually assaulted, and the resulting trauma (including a sprained wrist) raises concerns about her ability to do well on the exam. But the police detective knows someone on the exam board, and also his own relative needs moved up the transplant list, and … well, it’s just doing favors among friends, right? Romeo, whose own life is in a bit of a shambles, not least because he stuck around this backward burg, is deeply motivated to see his only child succeed, i.e. leave for opportunity abroad. So despite his aversion to the process, he capitulates, entering the roundelay of back-scratching, petty bribery and corruption. Even worse, he is forced to include Eliza in the scheming, perhaps forfeiting his hope of keeping her untainted by the system’s grime. Is there some cold comfort in accepting that it’s all inevitable? Nearly every character in Graduation winds up confronting binary, black-or-white, yes-or-no choices that never quite address the myriad grays endemic in the system: When life is perpetually unfair, shouldn’t you take any advantage? It’s a quietly devastating portrait of good intentions unraveling in the face of systemic corruption. In Romanian, with subtitles. Starts Fri., April 28. Harris (Al Hoff)
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. A nerdy outcast boy named Hiccup (voice of Jay Baruchel), in an ancient Viking town bedeviled by dragons, secretly befriends his counterpart in dragon form, in this 2010 digitally animated feature from Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. 1 p.m. Sat., April 29. Tull Family Theater, 418 Walnut St., Sewickley. www.thetull familytheater.org
CP
JFILM. The annual film festival featuring recent works from Israel and around the world representing Jewish experiences continues through Sun., April 30. The films screening are: 1945 (a drama about the arrival of Orthodox Jews in a Hungarian town), 4:45 p.m. Wed., April 26, and 7 p.m. Sat., April 29; There Are Some Jews Here (doc about synagogues across the U.S. that survive despite dwindling congregations), 7 p.m. Wed., April 26, and 11 a.m. Sun., April 30; The Women’s Balcony (Israeli dramedy about troubles in an Orthodox community), 5 p.m. Thu., April 27; Mr. Predictable (an Israeli rom-com about a guy, a girl and some dogs), 7 p.m. Thu., April 27; Let Yourself Go! (an Italian comedy about a man who needs exercise), 7:30 p.m. Thu., April 27; Doing Jewish: A Story From Ghana (a doc about a young Jewish woman in Africa), 5:30 p.m. Fri., April 28; The Jews (a French satire that seeks to skewer anti-Semitic ideas), 9:15 p.m. Sat., April 29; On the Map (doc about the successful 1977 Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team), 2 p.m. Sun., April 30; Take My Nose … Please! (doc in which female comedians discuss plastic surgery), 3 p.m. Sun., April 30; and The Exception (World War II drama about mismatched lovers), 7 p.m. Sun., April 30. Films screen at the following venues: Manor, in Squirrel Hill; Carmike 10, at South Hills Village; Hollywood Theater, in Dormont; and Seton Hill University, Greensburg. Tickets for most films are $12 for
THE MUTINEER. Local filmmaker John Jaquish premieres his new feature film, a satire based on real events, about a group of men who, fleeing the law, take over a farmhouse in rural Appalachia. Once ensconced there, they make plans to declare themselves “sovereign” and secede from the United States. Jaquish, a graduate of Pitt and Pittsburgh Filmmakers, shot the film in nearby West Virginia. It’s a slow-rolling drawl of a tale, shot in crisp blackand-white 35 mm, and with a keen eye for dramatic framing. 8 p.m. Sat., April 29. Row House Cinema
Graduation adults and $6 for under 18. For tickets and complete schedule, visit www.JfilmPgh.org. MY ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL SINKING INTO THE SEA. Dash Shaw writes and directs this animated dark comedy about a high school which, after an earthquake, floats out to sea. Lena Dunham, Alex Karpovsky, Maya Rudolph and Jason Schwartzman are among those who supply voices. Starts Fri., April 28. Row House Cinema. THEIR FINEST. Lone Scherfig directs this dramedy about a British film crew tasked with making propaganda films to boost morale after the Blitz, in World War II. Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy star. Starts Fri., April 28. Manor UNFORGETTABLE. If you’ve got a yearning for those domestic psychosexual thrillers of yore, here’s a modern one from Denise Di Novi. Well, modern in that it includes social-media catfishing instead of leaving hang-up calls like deranged folks had to do in the analog days; it’s not so modern in that you’ve seen every beat of this film before, and done elsewhere with more style, campiness and wit. Basic story: New financée (Rosario Dawson) is being harassed by her man’s ex-wife (Katherine Heigl). Why these women are fighting over a man-shaped pair of boring khakis (Geoff Stults) is left unchallenged. The predictable story gets a boost from Heigl’s portrayal of the very controlling, picture-perfect, well-to-do suburban mom; with her imperious stare, just-so equestrian wear and flat-ironed blonde hair, she
easily recalls Ivanka Trump. It’s a lucky bit of synergy that won’t last — much like this film — so if inclined, head out sooner than later. (AH)
HEROINEBURGH. It’s a new Pittsburgh-based action series featuring lady justice warriors such as Vendetta and Hellfyra. (See story on page 54.) Catch the premiere of episodes 1-4 tonight. 6 and 8:15 p.m. Sun., April 30. Row House Cinema. $5
REPERTORY THE SOUND OF MUSIC. These hills are alive … with the sound of music. Julie Andrews stars in Robert Wise’s 1965 musical dramedy about the singing Von Trapp family. 7:30 p.m. Wed., April 26. AMC Loews Waterfront. $5
THE WICKER MAN. A policeman (Edward Woodward) journeys to a remote Scottish isle to investigate a missing girl but once he’s there, things turn very, very strange. Robin Hardy directs this 1973 sex-andpagan-laden horror film, screening tonight in honor of May Day. 7:30 p.m. Mon., May 1. Row House Cinema
DRIVE-IN MONSTERAMA. Riverside Drive-In offers its annual two-night April Ghouls Monsterrama, packed with classic horror films, screened on 35 mm. Friday’s slate includes: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986), the farm-to-table classic Motel Hell (1980), I Drink Your Blood (1970) and Deranged (1974). On Saturday, hunker down for Child’s Play (1988), Black Christmas (1974), Madman (1981) and Trick or Treat (1986). Gates open at 7 p.m.; films begin at dusk. Fri., April 28, and Sat., April 29. Riverside Drive-In, Route 66 N, Vandergrift. 724-568-1250 or www.riversidedrivein.com. $10 per night; overnight camping available for an addition $10 per person
THE GREAT DICTATOR. Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 satire aims its jackboots squarely at the Third Reich. Chaplin portrays two characters — a Jewish barber and the fascist, mustachioed Hitler stand-in, Adenoid Hynkel. The film marks Chaplin’s first real talkie, though its most noted scene — Hynkel’s coquettish dance with a globe — is pure silent-screen poetry. 7 p.m. Tue., May 2. Tull Family Theater, 418 Walnut St., Sewickley. www.thetullfamilytheater.org
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“A STRONG GOAL OF OURS HAS BEEN TO INCREASE THE VISIBILITY OF THE ALLEGHENY PARKS SYSTEM.”
HISTORY LESSONS {BY CHARLIE DEITCH}
APRIL 24, 1915 Frank Allen throws a no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the independent Federal League. Pittsburgh has had a ton of sports teams that you’ve probably never heard of, and the Pittsburgh Rebels were completely new to me. It was the first no-hitter in this short-lived organization named after its player-coach, Rebel Oakes. I thought it was an honor to name a team after an influential person until I learned that the team began as a minor-league squad named after former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Deacon Phillippe. No, they weren’t the Pittsburgh Deacons, which would have made too much sense; they were known as the Pittsburgh Filipinos. Imagine being able to get away with a team today sporting such a racially insensitive name. (Yes, that was sarcasm.) APRIL 26, 1974 Mario Mendoza makes his Major League debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. On this day, Mendoza entered the game as a pinch-runner for Willie Stargell. But his real fame, or infamy, would come over the course of the next eight seasons. As a hitter, Mendoza, well, he sucked. He rarely batted over .200 (although his career average was .215) and that average became known in baseball as the “Mendoza Line,” a mark so low that simple mediocrity seemed unattainable. And in short: MAY 2, 1909: Pittsburgh Pirate Honus Wagner steals second base, third base and home during a 6-0 defeat of the Chicago Cubs. APRIL 30, 1932: Greenlee Field, home of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, hosted its first game, when Satchel Paige fired the first pitch to Josh Gibson. It was the nation’s first Negro-league park owned by an African American, Gus Greenlee. APRIL 30, 1977: That bastard, Superstar Billy Graham, takes the then-WWWF championship away from Pittsburgh’s own Bruno Sammartino when he put his feet on the ropes for leverage.
Honus Wagner
I’ve always been a fan of the little segments during live sporting events when they tell you what happened on this day, or that day, in history. I love all of the facts, but when you’ve been alive a while, you start to hear them repeated. So I went looking for events that most people have never have heard of. As part of an occasional feature in this spot, I’m going to look back at this week in Pittsburgh sports history (this week we’ll look at April 24-May 3) with an eye toward the unusual.
{CP PHOTO BY LUKE THOR TRAVIS}
Runners take in the scenery and the warm spring air during the April 22 installment of the Allegheny 9 at Boyce Park.
ONCE AROUND THE PARK {BY BILLY LUDT}
T
HE ALLEGHENY County Parks Foun-
dation wants you to get to know the nine parks that it maintains. Its latest fundraising and awareness effort is a new road-and-trail race series called the Allegheny 9. The fourth race was held April 22 in Boyce Park. “It’s actually one of the largest park systems in the country,” says the foundation’s communications and marketing manager, Carole Smith. “We started this series to get runners to come to the parks and get outside the box.” The series began in October with a 5K run at White Oak Park, in McKeesport, and will end in November at Round Hill Park, in Elizabeth. The foundation aids the county’s parks by raising funds and public awareness for the system. Funds go toward improvements like ecological
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assessments that determine methods for ferent places to run than they typically ran and expose them to how nice these park conservation and sustainability. “A really strong goal of ours has been other parks are,’” Glotfelty says. She says to increase the visibility of the Allegheny a majority of runners tend to use North Parks system, as well as the visibility and South parks for training, but not any of our own organization, because our of the other seven. “A lot of the same people have mission is to raise money for the come out for the races, but, reparks, but the people don’t ally, what it’s about is getting know we exist, and that’s difMORE more people to come to the ficult,” says executive director PHOTOS E IN Lw parks,” says Allegheny County Caren Glotfelty. OaN . t w wp Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who pa er Runners in the Allegheny pghcitym .co gave the starting signal at the 9 receive a shirt and medal for first three Allegheny 9 races. “We each race they participate in, and do have an awful lot of parks in are entered to win a bicycle package Allegheny County, and there’s a little bit from Pro Bike & Run. “We had a pretty large runner con- for everybody to do at them.” The next leg of the Allegheny 9 is at stituency in our region, and we thought, ‘Well, you know, maybe we could appeal 9 a.m. Sun., June 4, at Harrison Hills Park. to that particular segment of the park- A full schedule of races can be found at user population, and give them some dif- theallegheny9.com. I N F O@ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM
{CP PHOTO BY CHARLIE DEITCH}
Francisco Cervelli
[THE CHEAP SEATS]
CATCHING STARS {BY MIKE WYSOCKI} WITHOUT QUESTION, catcher is the toughest position to play in baseball. Catchers take jarring foul tips off their face masks; base-runners try to take them out with slides; and they do all of this while squatting for three hours. The gritty co-pilot of a Major League battery knows the game better than anyone. That’s why catchers usually seem to make pretty good managers. In fact, one player on this list of the Pirates’ top 10 catchers of the past 50 years was once voted manager of the year. Unlike other positions, the Pirates don’t have a distinct, unquestioned best catcher of all time, so the winner of this award is probably the best catcher in franchise history. 10. In the 140-year history of Major League Baseball, only three guys have been named “Ronny,” and the Pirates had two of them at the same time. One is forgettable shortstop Ronny Cedeno. The other is catcher Ronny Paulino, a surprise entrant on this list, barely beating out Milt May and Duffy Dyer. He’s still getting paid to play professionally as a member of the deliciousand spicy-sounding Olmecas de Tobasco, of the Mexican League. 9. OK, Francisco Cervelli, we get it, you’re Italian (even if you were born in Venezuela). Cervelli has been behind the dish in a pleasant continuance of competency since Russell Martin left. Cervelli’s hitting .280 as a Pirate as he starts his third year here. Not a bad average in an era of offensively limited catchers. Cervelli is the only one on this list who can still move up. 8. Ed Ott doesn’t want to hear any of your nonsense. The 195-pound catcher (that was big in the pre-roids era) once ended the career of a player nicknamed “The Kitten”; that’s how mean he was. After infielder Felix Millan hit Ott with a ball, Ott slammed him to the brutally hard green concrete of Three Rivers Stadium, injuring Millan’s shoulder and taking the ninth life of the Kitten’s baseball career. Ott also hit .333 in the 1979 World Series in addition to his fighting skills. 7. When the Pirates got Russell Martin, we fell in love with him. After years of tawdry one-year stints with guys like Rod Barajas, Chris
Snyder, Jason Jaramillo and Robinson Diaz, we finally found a catcher to love. Plus, he was a bigleague catcher who had won a Gold Glove with the Dodgers the year before. In his two seasons here, Martin had the fourth highest OPS (onbase-plus-slugging percentage) and the fourth most stolen bases of all Buccos backstops. 6. Mike LaValliere looked like the quiet guy on your dad’s bowling team who could crush beers all day long. He looked like one of us and we liked it. Spanky threw out almost 40 percent of the runners who even dared to test his deadly accurate, stubby arm. He ranks highest among Pirates catchers in wins above replacement level (WAR), where he was fifth; he was the fourthbest defensively; and was fifth in RBI. 5. Ryan Doumit. What? Ahead of Lavalliere? Yes. Doumit bettered Spanky in almost every single category. In fact, in the history of Pirates baseball, no catcher has hit more home runs than Ryan Doumit. His 67 dingers ties Jason Kendall. Sure, a Ryan Doumit bobblehead will get you 35 cents at a second-rate thrift store, but if it weren’t for injuries he really could’ve been something. But while Doumit was good ... 4. … Sluggo was better. Don Slaught played six years with the Pirates and put up batting averages of .300, .295, .345, .300, .288 and .304. That’s good enough for the second-highest average in Pirates catching history. Sluggo teamed with Spanky to provide maybe the best catching duo in team history, producing three straight NL East division titles. 3. I wonder if there ever was a background check on Tony Pena’s gun. Pena could pick runners off base by firing a ball with his wrists while sitting on the ground with his leg fully extended. Pena could also hit, finishing third in almost every category. Not only that, he could manage; Pena won Manager of the Year in 2003 with the Kansas City Royals. 2. and 1. Picking the top spot was a close call between Manny Sanguillen and Jason Kendall. But Kendall had the highest batting average, the highest WAR, highest OPS, the most runs and the most stolen bases (by far), and tied Doumit for most round-trippers. Sanguillen finishes second, or you could argue 1A. Sanguillen drove in a few more runs and had a higher defensive rating than Kendall, but more numbers fell the other way. A unique ballplayer in that he was a catcher and a leadoff hitter, Kendall has the most stolen bases of any catcher in modern history. Still, Sanguillen was clutch and a two-time World Series champ, and I would rather buy barbecue from him than Kendall any day.
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Call for Organization and Strategy Development for the Partnership Network
The University of Pittsburgh’s Alcohol and Smoking Research Laboratory is seeking participants for a three-part research project.
Proposal requirements and application instructions can be obtained by contacting Shikha Jerath at Neighborhood Allies: Shikha@neighborhoodallies.org, (412) 471.3727 (ext. 219), or visiting the website: http://neighborhoodallies.com/ resources/RFP/ All proposals must be received by 5 p.m. by Thursday May 4th. Neighborhood Allies’ procurement process for this Request for Proposal follows the City of Pittsburgh’s open and fair regulations for procurement.
To participate, you must:
OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Room 251, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on May 2, 2017, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for the following:
Pittsburgh Carrick High School Roof Replacement Plumbing Construction Prime Contract - REBID Pittsburgh Liberty K-5 Playground Improvements General Construction Prime Contract Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on April 10, 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
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
04.26/05.03.2017
322 Fourth Ave.
ADOPTION
Smokers Wanted
Pittsburgh Local 6 International Union of Elevator Constructors will be accepting applications from May 12, 2017 thru May 26, 2017. Application MUST BE COMPLETED ON-LINE by visiting www,neiep. org/careers or for more information contact: ocowan@neiep.org
412-401-4110
PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Neighborhood Allies is looking to engage a team of consultants to help establish the foundation for the Partnership Network. This work includes developing strategy, identifying performance metrics, and developing an operational structure and feedback processes.
Open 24 hours
• Currently smoke cigarettes • Be 18-55 years old, in good health, and speak fluent English • Be willing to fill out questionnaires, and to not smoke before two sessions.
Earn up to $150 for completing this study.
For more information, call (412) 624-8975 *Our laboratory is also seeking couples, where one or both people smoke.
Weekend appointments available. For more information, call (412) 648-2214
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Drivers WANTED Pittsburgh City Paper needs friendly drivers to work (early morning hours) to distribute in the Pittsburgh area. Interested candidates must have a clean DMV history and current proof of insurance. Regular lifting of up to 50 lbs is required. Heavy, bulk retail delivery to distribution sites weekly.
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{BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY / WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM}
ACROSS 1. Check no.? 4. Suds suds 8. Overhand shot 13. Med. grant issuer 14. “___ & Janis” 15. 2006 World Cup winners 16. Brazilian greeting 17. Tests in a tube: Abbr. 18. Colorful jacket part 19. Most challenging tests? 22. Fate 23. New Balance rival 24. Looking around for service on the Now network? 30. August birth 32. Plot of land 33. Chemistry compound of crosswords 34. “The soup’s delicious!” 36. Farm critter 38. “Go ahead, I know everything.” 39. Christian of the cloth? 40. White Sox catcher Narvaez 42. Pick things up? 43. Step on Jiminy? 48. Temple nos.? 49. “Godzilla” creator Tomoyuki
52. Halloween decoration that goes all around the lawn? 57. ___-Lorraine 58. Real heels 59. Peeples of “Pretty Little Liars” 60. Soft drinks that supposedly quell unrest, per a Kendall Jenner ad 61. Color like turquoise 62. Bog newt 63. Taste, e.g. 64. Saharan biters 65. Dickhead?
21. “Don’t give me that!” 25. Grp. that brings the heat? 26. Opera voice 27. Like newspaper employee’s hands 28. Gold Rush mecca 29. Unmitigated joy 30. Classic Fords 31. Actor La Salle 35. “This American Life” host 37. “Please. Stop. Talking.” initially 38. Hot Springs National Park home 41. Misbehaved
DOWN
{LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS}
1. Actress Aimee 2. ___ Vanilli 3. Compliment of an outfit, from one girlfriend to another 4. Repeatedly attack 5. All over the place 6. Left a plane 7. Couple pills, say 8. Add to the pot 9. Court orders 10. “Just ___ Bit” (2005 hit by 50 Cent) 11. Math ratio 12. “Macbeth” witches 15. 2/14 sentiment, in short hand 20. Little brat
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44. Non-paper money 45. Utterly detests 46. Riccardo Muti’s grp. 47. Wedding RSVP card, e.g.: Abbr. 50. Butter spreader 51. Glass marble 52. Drains 53. Swiss cubist Paul 54. FiveThirtyEight owner 55. Final Four inits. 56. Pages whose last entries often have ways of contacting the co.
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SUBOXONE/VIVITROL
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FOR THE WEEK OF
Free Will Astrology
04.26-05.03
{BY ROB BREZSNY}
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “One of the advantages of being disorderly,” said author A.A. Milne, “is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.” I wouldn’t normally offer this idea as advice to a methodical dynamo like you. But my interpretation of the astrological omens compels me to override my personal theories about what you need. I must suggest that you consider experimenting with jaunty, rambunctious behavior in the coming days, even if it generates some disorder. The potential reward? Exciting discoveries, of course.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to my reading of the astrological omens, it’s time for you to take a break from the magic you have been weaving since your birthday in 2016. That’s why I’m suggesting that you go on a brief sabbatical. Allow your deep mind to fully integrate the lessons you’ve been learning and the transformations you have undergone over the past 11 months. In a few weeks, you’ll be ready to resume where you left off. For now, though, you require breathing room. Your spiritual batteries need time to recharge. The hard work you’ve done should be balanced by an extended regimen of relaxed playtime.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Apparently, a lot of kids in the U.K. don’t like to eat vegetables. In response, food researchers in that country marketed a variety of exotic variations designed to appeal to their palate. The new dishes included chocolate-flavored carrots, pizzaflavored corn and cheese-and-onion-flavored cauliflower. I don’t recommend that you get quite so extreme in trying to broaden your own appeal,
Cancerian. But see if you can at least reach out to your potential constituency with a new wrinkle or fresh twist. Be imaginative as you expand the range of what your colleagues and clientele have to choose from.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In speaking about the arduous quest to become one’s authentic self, writer Thomas Merton used the example of poets who aspire to be original but end up being imitative. “Many poets never succeed in being themselves,” he said. “They never get around to being the particular poet they are intended to be by God. They never become the person or artist who is called for by all of the circumstances of their individual lives. They waste their years in vain efforts to be some other poet. They wear out their minds and bodies in a hopeless endeavor to have somebody else’s experiences or write somebody else’s poems.” I happen to believe that this is a problem for non-poets, as well. Many of us never succeed in becoming ourselves. Luckily for you, Leo, in the coming weeks and months you will have an
get your yoga on!
unprecedented chance to become more of who you really are. To expedite the process, work on dissolving any attraction you might have to acting like someone other than yourself.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): On numerous occasions, French acrobat Charles Blondin walked across a tightrope that spanned the gorge near Niagara Falls. His cable was 3¼ inches in diameter, 1,100 feet long and 160 feet above the Niagara River. Once he made the entire crossing by doing back flips and somersaults. Another time he carried a small stove on his back, stopped midway to cook an omelet, and ate the meal before finishing. Now would be an excellent time for you to carry out your personal equivalent of his feats, Virgo. What daring actions have you never tried before even though you’ve been sufficiently trained or educated to perform them well?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Ready for some subterranean journeys? They may not involve literal explorations of deep caverns and ancient tunnels and underground streams. You may not stumble upon lost treasure and forgotten artifacts and valuable ruins. But then again, you might. At the very least, you will encounter metaphorical versions of some of the above. What mysteries would you love to solve? What secrets would be fun to uncover? What shadows would you be excited to illuminate?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
schoolhouseyoga.com gentle yoga yoga levels 1, 2 ashtanga yoga meditation
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Why would you guzzle mind-clouding moonshine when you will eventually get a chance to sip a heart-reviving tonic? Why spoil your appetite by loading up on non-nutritious hors d’oeuvres when a healthy feast will be available sooner than you imagine? I advise you to suppress your compulsion for immediate gratification. It may seem impossible for you to summon such heroic patience, but I know you can. And in the long run, you’ll be happy if you do.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “You’ll always be my favorite what-if.” Many years ago, I heard that phrase whispered in my ear. It came from the mouth of a wonderful-but-impossible woman. We had just decided that it was not a good plan, as we had previously fantasized, to run away and get married at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and then spend the next decade being tour guides who led travelers on exotic getaways to the world’s sacred sites. “You’ll always be my favorite what-if” was a poignant but liberating moment. It allowed us to move on with our lives and pursue other dreams that were more realistic and productive. I invite you to consider triggering a liberation like that sometime soon.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’d love to see you increase the number of people, places and experiences you love, as well as the
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wise intensity with which you love them. From an astrological perspective, now is an excellent time to upgrade your appreciation and adoration for the whole world and everything in it. To get you in the mood, I’ll call your attention to some unfamiliar forms of ardor you may want to pursue: eraunophilia, an attraction to thunder and lightning; cymophilia, a fascination with waves and waviness; chorophilia, a passion for dancing; asymmetrophilia, a zeal for asymmetrical things; and sapiophilia, an erotic enchantment with intelligence.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You could go online and buy an antique Gothic throne or a psychedelic hippie couch to spruce up your living room. For your bathroom, you could get a Japanese “wonder toilet,” complete with a heated seat, automated bidet and whitenoise generator. Here’s another good idea: You could build a sacred crazy altar in your bedroom where you will conduct rituals of playful liberation. Or how about this? Acquire a kit that enables you to create spontaneous poetry on your refrigerator door using tiny magnets with evocative words written on them. Can you think of other ideas to revitalize your home environment? It’s high time you did so.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Among America’s 50 states, Texas has the thirdhighest rate of teenage pregnancies. Uncoincidentally, sex education in Texas is steeped in ignorance. Most of its high schools offer no teaching about contraception other than to advise students to avoid sex. In the coming weeks, Pisces, you can’t afford to be as deprived of the truth as those kids. Even more than usual, you need accurate information that’s tailored to your precise needs, not fake news or ideological delusions or self-serving propaganda. Make sure you gather insight and wisdom from the very best sources. That’s how you’ll avoid behavior that’s irrelevant to your life goals. That’s how you’ll attract experiences that serve your highest good.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I have misgivings when I witness bears riding bicycles or tigers dancing on their hind legs or Aries people wielding diplomatic phrases and making careful compromises at committee meetings. While I am impressed by the disciplined expression of primal power, I worry for the soul of the creature that is behaving with such civilized restraint. So here’s my advice for you in the coming weeks: Take advantage of opportunities to make deals and forge win-win situations. But also keep a part of your fiery heart untamed. Don’t let people think they’ve got you all figured out. What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever done? Testify! Go to Realastrology.com and click on “Email Rob.”
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
Savage Love {BY DAN SAVAGE}
I’m a 31-year-old gay male. I’ve been with my fiancé for three years, and we are getting married in the fall. I’ve got a question about initiating sex in my sleep — I read somewhere that “sexsomnia” is the “medical” term, but maybe the internet invented that? According to my fiancé, I have initiated or performed some kind of sex act in the middle of the night and then gone right back to sleep. The next day, I don’t remember anything. This freaks me out for a couple of reasons: My body doing things without my mind being in control is concerning enough, but it feels kinda rapey, since I doubt I’m capable of hearing “no” in this state. My fiancé doesn’t feel that way; he finds it sexy. The other thing — and maybe I shouldn’t have read so much Freud and Jung in college — is that I’m worried my body is acting out desires that my conscious mind doesn’t want to acknowledge. According to my fiancé, the last time I did stuff in my sleep, I rimmed him and told him how much I wanted to fuck him. Rimming isn’t a typical part of our sex life, and my fiancé has never bottomed for anyone. Is my body doing things that my mind won’t admit it wants to do? Is there a way to prevent it from happening? SEXSOMNIAC HOPING EVENTUALLY EAGER TRYSTS STOP
low or jerk themselves off. The sexsomniacs who tend to make the news — the ones we hear about — are who Dr. Bornemann calls “unintended criminals,” i.e., people who’ve sexually assaulted someone while asleep. You might wanna watch Sleepwalk With Me, an autobiographical film by Mike Birbiglia, a comedian with a sleep disorder. Birbiglia wasn’t initiating sex in his sleep — he was jumping out of windows. A danger to himself and others, he sought treatment and is no longer jumping out of windows in his sleep. You’re not a danger to yourself or others currently, SHEETS, but if you got a new partner or your current partner’s feelings about surprise, middle-of-the-night rimjobs were to change, you could be a danger. So, you should chat with a doctor now about drugs and/or other interventions. I’m a straight married male. My wife has a very close male who happens to be in a poly marriage. Recently, my wife said she would like us to be able to date others, have sex, romance, etc., but still remain a married couple. She specifically wants to date her friend. I am struggling. I am not closed off to having a conversation about no nmonogamy, but I struggle with the thought of her having a boyfriend. I want to be able to give this to her, but I feel like my mind and body are not letting me. Any advice is so much appreciated.
SEXSOMNIA IS A REAL AND SOMETIMES TROUBLING PHENOMENON.
Sexsomnia is a real and sometimes troubling phenomenon, SHEETS, and not something the internet made up like Pizzagate or Sean Spicer. Dr. Michel Cramer Bornemann, a lead researcher at Sleep Forensics Associates (sleepforensicmedicine.org), describes sexsomnia as “sleepwalking-like behaviors that have sexualized attributes.” And sleep-rimming your delighted fiancé definitely counts. “Sexsomnia may be expressed as loud, obscene vocalizations from sleep; prolonged or violent masturbation; inappropriate touch upon the genitals, buttocks, and breast of a bed partner; and initiation of sexual intercourse,” said Dr. Bornemann. “The vast majority of sleep disorders are not reflective of a significant underlying psychiatric condition.” So, your unconscious, late-night gropings/ initiatings/rimmings don’t mean you secretly desire to be an ass-eating top. And there’s no need to drag poor Sigmund or Carl into this, SHEETS, since you’re not doing anything in your sleep that you don’t desire to do wide awake. “The brain is made of approximately 100 billion neurons, or electrical connections that allow effective communication between brain subunits,” said Dr. Bornemann. “As with all electrical systems, errors in transmission may occur — these are called ‘switching errors.’ In sleep, switching errors may activate previously quiescent areas of the brain while other areas remain offline. In sleep-related behaviors, it is thought that deep-seated subunits near the sleep-wake generating center become triggered, which activate primal automatic behaviors. Simply stated, electrical switching errors in sleep may unleash the animal that actually lies within us all — sometimes to an extent that may have unintended criminal or forensics implications.” In most cases, sexsomniacs will hump a pil-
HELP UNDERSTANDING SPOUSE’S BLUNT AND NEW DEMAND
“Introducing nonmonogamy into an existing monogamous relationship can be tough, especially when it wasn’t your idea,” said Cunning Minx, host of the Polyamory Weekly podcast, who has been providing poly news, advice and insights to the masses since 2005 at polyweekly.com. “It’s even more stressful when there is a potential partner waiting in the wings! Yikes!” While Minx is a poly activist and advocate, she thinks both parties need to be on the same page before going poly. And before you take that step — if you take that step — Minx thinks you need to ask yourself some questions. “HUSBAND should do a fear inventory,” said Minx. “What is he afraid of? What would it mean to him if his wife had a boyfriend? What if she wanted to love a woman — does the penis make a difference? If so, why? Then he should sit with his wife and take stock of the health of their current relationship.” You can say no to opening up your marriage, but your wife may decide she wants out of the marriage if no is the answer — basically, this is a circumstance where one of you is going to have to pay a pretty steep price of admission. You’ll either have to accept polyamory, or your wife will have to drop it. There isn’t really a middle ground here — or is there? “It’s perfectly acceptable for HUSBAND to self-identify as monogamous while his wife practices polyamory,” said Minx. “It’s a difficult path … but ultimately your self-identity is your own decision.” On the Lovecast, a deep dive into the world of cuckolding: savagelovecast.com.
SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET AND FIND THE SAVAGE LOVECAST (DAN’S WEEKLY PODCAST) AT SAVAGELOVECAST.COM
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MY LIFE AS A SUPERVILLAIN
{BY MIKE SHANLEY}
“DO YOU WANT to play a supervillain in a live-action video series?”
In all the years I’ve known Manny Theiner, he’s asked me a lot of questions. They usually deal with bands he’s bringing to town. Or a ride home after a show by one of the bands he brought to town. But this one took the cake. If I remember correctly, the question came one night last summer at Howlers, between sets at a show where Manny was running sound. He mapped out the whole concept: Heroineburgh is a live-action video series that takes place in Pittsburgh. The extra “e” in the title should indicate that this has nothing to do with narcotics and everything to do with female protagonists who rid the Steel City of evildoers. Each installment would feature a different heroine, reflecting different ethnicities, and even sexual orientations, with feminist undertones. They acquire their powers through dark energy that has bombarded the earth and affected XX chromosomes. Episode Three, “Everything’s Gone Green,” tells the story of Becky Bloom, a teacher and environmental activist from Squirrel Hill. Transforming herself into Gardenia, she saves the ’Burgh from an evil scientist and a female antagonist who scheme to hold the city hostage through the use of a massive greenhouse effect. An actor was needed to play Dr. Shvitz (a Yiddish word that translates roughly to “sauna” or “heat”). That’s where I came in.
Video Stars: Mike Shanley, Heather Kilgore and Laurie Kudis on the set of Heroineburgh
villains, I could relate more to the Joker or the Penguin from the Batman TV series. But Cesar Romero and Burgess Meredith never seemed all that evil; they just chewed up the scenery. That I can do, but Manny probably wouldn’t go for that. Still, the offer seemed tempting. Besides, as my ego reminded me as it made a cameo appearance in my head, if I didn’t do it, someone else would and I wouldn’t be able to watch the video without thinking, “It could have been me.” So I accepted.
“DO YOU WANT TO PLAY A SUPERVILLAIN IN A LIVE-ACTION VIDEO SERIES?” The offer seemed flattering, but challenging. I can be a cut-up, imitating friends or throwing out a good quip in an office meeting to break the tension. But when offered the role, my mind flashed back to a promotional video at my old workplace. In this short clip, two co-workers improvised roles as skeptical yinzers, with exaggerated accents and quizzical facial expressions that would make Pittsburgh Dad jealous. My supporting role? Stiff. Nervous. Wooden. When I have to think about acting, it seemed, I overthought it and couldn’t be natural.
HEROINEBURGH Premiere (EPISODES 1-4)
6 and 8:15 p.m. Sun., April 30. Row House Cinema, 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $5. 412-904-3225
Besides, I don’t feel villainous. My dark side seems to stop at the corner of Cynical and Sarcastic, before heading back toward Optimisticville. The best evil-scientist characters come off as cold and menacing, ready to scare the bejesus out of anyone who gets in their way. My vision of mad scientists comes from Bugs Bunny cartoons, with two degrees of separation from Peter Lorre. (In fact, the way I communicate with most people is built largely on shtick from Warner Bros. cartoons.) When it comes to
A few weeks later I met my co-stars Laurie Kudis (Gardenia) and Heather Kilgore (Devorra the Queen Bee) at a reading. This was no amateur stuff. The script was fully realized, with character development, action and the occasional Yiddish in-joke. We tweaked lines here and there, with encouragement to shape it to our own delivery. For my opening line, I reacted to some bad news by shouting “Dammit!” I say that half-a-dozen times a day, so I thought this could be a breeze. Dr. Shvitz is driven to treachery because he feels misunderstood, and that no one listens to him. I can totally relate to that. Shooting started a few weeks later. While the exterior shots took place in Squirrel Hill, almost all of my scenes were filmed in a Lawrenceville loft. I was usually the first one there. Laurie was a sight to be seen in green. Heather looked menacing in Queen Bee makeup. I got a lab coat. Throughout filming, I couldn’t shake the delivery of Cesar Romero’s Joker, wild-eyed and enthusiastic at all times. Laurie and Heather kept cracking up at my quips between takes, so I didn’t tone it down. With four episodes done, several of the characters appeared at the recent Steel City Comicon. Sadly, Dr. Shvitz couldn’t get his act together. This weekend will be the first time I’ve seen any of the footage we shot. I’ve held off in hopes that it’ll be better than I thought. But if it isn’t, at least I’ll be proud of the scene where I decided to move my hands like a cat scratching at a door, pretending to manipulate a computer that wasn’t really in front of me. Look for it. I N F O@ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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