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EVENTS 10.18 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: ARTO LINDSAY & BEAUTY PILL The Warhol theater Tickets $20/$15 members and students
SEE CONTRASTING CULTURES BLENDED ON A SINGLE PALETTE. SEE CONTRASTING CULTURES BLENDED ON A SINGLE PALETTE.
10.21 – 2pm CROSSING THE RED LINE: EXHIBITING IRANIAN ART IN THE US City of Asylum @ Alphabet City Co-presented with City of Asylum, Pittsburgh An afternoon with Dr. Shiva Balaghi, an independent scholar and curator based in Los Angeles. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Farhad Moshiri: Go West. FREE; Registration suggested
10.26 – 4:30pm 2017 TEACHER OPEN HOUSE Our annual open house event just for teachers. Free parking available in The Warhol lot. Tickets: $10
10.28 – 2pm MEMBER TOUR: FARHAD MOSHIRI: GO WEST Free for members; Registration suggested.
10.28 – 3pm DANDY ANDY: WARHOL’S QUEER HISTORY Free with museum admission
Farhad Moshiri, Self Portrait on Flying Carpet, 2009, Courtesy Galerie Perrotin, photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli
OCTOBER 13, 2017 - JANUARY 14, 2018 ONLY AT THE WARHOL Farhad Moshiri: Go West is generously supported by The Fine Foundation, Piaget, Galerie Perrotin, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, The Third Line, Dubai, The Soudavar Memorial Foundation, The Farjam Foundation, The Khazaei Foundation, Maryam and Edward Eisler, Navid Mirtorabi, Ziba Franks, Elie Khouri, Fatima and Essi Maleki, Nazee Moinian, Mahshid and Jamshid Ehsani, and Narmina and Javad Marandi.
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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Alisha Wormsley
A COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS IN HOMEWOOD CLOSING EVENT OCTOBER 15, 2017
The People Are The Light
Pittsburgh-based artist Alisha B. Wormsley has organized a series of public art installations and workshops in the city's Homewood neighborhood. Centered on healing and cleansing, these events invite you to reflect on Homewood’s past and present and share your vision for its future. Celebrate the closing of the project on Sunday, October 15, at noon with a procession led by the Westinghouse Drum Line and STAYCEE PEARL dance project. The procession begins at the Fruit Stand (617 N. Homewood Avenue) and ends at the House of Manna (7240 Frankstown Avenue) with a closing barbecue and the unveiling of a public mural by Ayanah Moor. For a complete schedule visit cmoa.org/homewood.
Harry Belafonte on Civil Rights and Black Leadership Friday, October 20 8 p.m., Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland Tickets: $25–50 VIP dinner package available
He was one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s closest friends and played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement. Join us for a one-of-a-kind evening as the legendary artist shares stories about his career and activism.
BUY TICKETS
cmoa.org one of the four carnegie museums of pittsburgh
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10.11/10.18.2017 VOLUME 27 + ISSUE 41
[EDITORIAL] Editor CHARLIE DEITCH News Editor REBECCA ADDISON Arts & Entertainment Editor BILL O’DRISCOLL Associate Editor AL HOFF Digital Editor ALEX GORDON Staff Writers RYAN DETO, CELINE ROBERTS Music Writer MEG FAIR Interns HALEY FREDERICK, HANNAH LYNN, JAKE MYSLIWCZYK, AMANDA REED
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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.
The Pittsburgh AIDS Center for Treatment (PACT) provides continuous primary medical care and education for those who are infected with HIV or have AIDS. PACT also offers specialty services including women’s health care, Hepatitis-C care, and mental health care. To make an appointment at the PACT clinic, or for information about HIV/AIDS, call 412-647-PACT (7228) or visit UPMC.com/PACT.
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THIS WEEK
“RAISING WAGES IS GOING TO PROVIDE A BOOST IN THE LOCAL ECONOMY AND THAT IS IMPORTANT.”
ONLINE
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Last week, CP reported on racist graffiti in Pittsburgh as part of ProPublica’s Documenting Hate project aimed at collecting reports of hate crimes and bias incidents. If you’ve been a victim or a witness, tell us your story at www.pghcitypaper.com.
Speaking of hate, members of Westboro Baptist Church visited Pittsburgh last week to demonstrate on university campuses, where they were greatly outnumbered by counterprotesters. Read our story at www.pghcitypaper.com.
{CP PHOTO BY JAKE MYSLIWCZYK}
The Lynn Cullen Show is back in full swing at www.pghcitypaper.com. She’s got a permanent location, phones that work, and she’s ready to talk to you live at 10 a.m. Mon.-Fri. at 412-200-5686.
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Our featured photo from last week is by @inmyheadimdancing. Use #CPReaderArt to share your local photos with us for your chance to be featured next!
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Bar Marco co-owner Justin Steel
ITH PITTSBURGH’S economic rebirth fully underway, new nicknames have been emerging to replace its “Steel City” moniker. One of the most popular is “Roboburgh,” a nod to the city’s growth as a tech, robotics and artificial-intelligence hub. But a more accurate nickname might actually be Restaurant-burgh. Restaurants and bars are now providing the most jobs of any industry in the Pittsburgh region, according to Idaho-based labor-market analytics firm Emsi. (Emsi broke down the region’s job numbers according to the North American Industry Classification System, used by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.) From 20102016, the restaurant-and-bar industry added more than 7,300 jobs and surpassed local government as Pittsburgh’s
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top job-provider. In 2016, the Pittsburgh region had 87,300 restaurant jobs. Other industries providing large amount of jobs fall into Pittsburgh’s oftcited “eds-and-meds” and tech sectors, namely educational services, hospitals,
The restaurant industry is now the region’s biggest employer. Can anything be done to ensure its workers’ wages respond to the growth? {BY RYAN DETO} and scientific and technical services. But these large industries, which have also seen significant growth, have one major difference with the restaurant industry:
earnings. Jobs at hospitals, schools, and tech and science firms all pay well over the Pittsburgh region’s 2016 average income of $32,582, with tech jobs doling out a 2016 average of more than $96,000 per job. On average, by contrast, restaurantindustry jobs pay $19,330 (not including tips), the lowest of any industry in Pittsburgh. This discrepancy has led labor unions and workers’-rights groups to demand higher wages and additional benefits for employees of the area’s restaurants and bars. Some restaurants have even taken it upon themselves to provide better wages. Pittsburgh City Council has attempted to assist these workers too, but has run into legal opposition backed by restaurant-industry lobbying groups. All the while, statisticians
hint that Pittsburgh could be due for even greater restaurant growth in the near future. But broad-based benefits for the workers of this industry have yet to materialize. Even with the restaurant industry now offering the largest number of jobs here, says Emsi economic-development director Josh Wright, Pittsburgh’s restaurant growth is actually quite low compared to other metro areas. The added 7,300 jobs accounted for only a 9 percent increase from 2010-2016, while most metro areas saw at least a 20 percent increase in restaurant jobs over this same time period, according to Wright. But Wright says that the relatively low growth of Pittsburgh restaurant jobs might not remain so in the future. He says that other industries here are growing faster, and that that growth could lead to more growth in the restaurant industry. For example, tech and science firms added 12,200 jobs from 2010-2016, and now provide some 78,000 jobs in the region. Wright says workers in those tech jobs, with their higher-than-average salaries, could feed more demand for eating and drinking establishments. “Pittsburgh could be due for more,” says Wright. “The theory suggests as you bring in more outside income to the region, the more discretionary income people will have. And the more they will spend at restaurants.” Wright says that Pittsburgh’s restaurant growth, despite its slow pace, is encouraging because most of the growth consists of full-service restaurants jobs, as opposed to jobs at fast-food establishments or take-out joints. The Pittsburgh region added about 4,200 full-service restaurant jobs from 2010-2016, compared to about 1,800 jobs at limited-service establishments (as well as a handful of other jobs at food trucks and shacks) over the same time period. Wright says that full-service restaurants tend to compensate their employees better, and statistics back him up. In 2016, full-service workers earned $21,000 a year, before tips, compared to $15,700 a year for limited-service workers. Bar Marco was one of those fullservice restaurants that has opened since 2010 and it is one that’s unusually focused on providing good wages to its employees. The Strip District restaurant made national headlines in 2015 when it decided to adopt a no-tipping model, with all restaurant employees making at least $35,000 a year, with paid time off and health insurance. Bar Marco co-owner Justin Steel says he doesn’t regret converting to a no-tipping CONTINUES ON PG. 08
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model, and he believes it has actually helped his restaurant succeed. “Why have we been successful? It came down to our employees,” says Steel. “This is what they want to do as a career. It has enabled us to be a lot more efficient and do our jobs better.” Noteworthy, too, is the success of Dinette, in East Liberty, where chefowner Sonja Finn has been paying her employees a living wage for years, while racking up restaurant awards. Steel says that since he opened up Bar Marco in 2011, he has seen Pittsburgh’s restaurant industry continue to grow, especially the past couple of years. That growth, he adds, means it’s not always easy to find the best employees, and he’s glad his restaurant offers an incentive to attract the workers that not many other restaurants match. In October 2016, Finn told the Pittsburgh news website The Incline that her wages have helped retain staff, when other restaurants have had trouble filling vacancies. Since Bar Marco started its no-tipping policy, Caselulla, on the North Side, and Dinette have adopted similar policies. Steel says it’s important that his employees feel working at Bar Marco is a career and not a job, and that his restaurant has avoided higher turnover rates because of this. But working at restaurants like Bar Marco isn’t the only way for restaurant-and-bar employees to make good wages. Even though tipped servers typically earn only the minimum wage of $2.83 an hour, some restaurant jobs can be quite lucrative. In 2016, for instance, Jared Lordon, manager of Social at Bakery Square, in Larimer, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that because of tips, most of his servers “make on average $20 to $25 an hour.” However, there are still plenty of restaurants in the area where good earnings are hard to come by. Bobbi Linskens, a server at Eat’n Park in Belle Vernon, says that some nights she can make $60 in tips, but on slower nights, she might only take home $20 in tips. She works part time now, but even when she was full time, it wasn’t uncommon for her to make $500600 every two weeks, after taxes were taken out and tips were included. Linskens, who has been working at Eat’n Park for about six years, says she hasn’t seen many benefits from the growth in Pittsburgh’s restaurant industry. “I have not seen any better pay or better working conditions since I started working here,” she says. “It really hasn’t
changed much, feels like I am just working harder if anything.” Linskens is a member of the laborrights group Restaurant Opportunities Center in Pittsburgh. She notes that while servers at some restaurants can make decent wages when tips are included, many restaurant workers, like cooks and dishwashers, don’t share in tip income. “Ultimately what I would want is to see a living wage for everyone,” says Linskens, “and see a fair wage of $15 an hour.” But organizations like the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association believe that increasing restaurant employees’ wages will hurt restaurants, and could cost jobs. Requests to the PR&LA for comment on this story were not returned, but a 2014 PR&LA study says the state could lose 31,000 jobs if Pennsylvania increased its minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. “Raising wages is an admirable goal, but the evidence suggests that accomplishing this goal with a blunt wage mandate could do more harm than good,” reads the PR&LA study. But Steel, of Bar Marco, says such statements tend to serve the interests of chain restaurants and hotels (which make up most of PR&LA’s membership), more than small businesses like his. Before owning Bar Marco, Steel worked as a bond trader. He says that financially, offering his employees higher salaries has “not been bad for business or our bottom line.” Pittsburgh City Councilor Corey O’Connor (D-Squirrel Hill) also recognizes the powerful economic force that restaurants have become. In 2015, city council approved legislation championed by O’Connor to provide paid sick days to part-time workers. PR&LA and some area restaurants challenged the ordinance, and it was blocked in state courts. (The case could potentially be appealed up to the state Supreme Court.) Regardless of whether city council can get paid sick days for restaurant workers, O’Connor says the city must continue to ensure that employees in this industry get better working conditions. “We pushed the envelope and we rightfully should,” says O’Connor. “I grew up in the industry; I know what they went through on a day-to-day basis.” O’Connor says raising restaurant workers’ wages is important not just for the employees, but also for owners and the region’s economy overall. “When you
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Next time you’re painting the town, take the bus or T. Next time you’re headed to PPG Paints Arena, consider transit. Steel Plaza T Station is a short walk and 61 and 71 routes have stops nearby. Hop on board, we’ll get you there.
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get the right employees and you get less turnover, owners save money in the long haul. Raising wages is going to provide a boost in the local economy, and that is important,” says O’Connor, noting that workers are likely to spend their extra income at other businesses in the area. But raising wages isn’t up to city leaders. State laws restrict how much the city of Pittsburgh can do with local-wage laws, and the Republican-controlled state legislature has little interest and, given the current budget stalemate, ability to increase the minimum wage. O’Connor says this is frustrating given that city leaders believe they know what’s best for the local economy. Wright, of labor-market analytics firm Emsi, agrees. He says Emsi has studied more than 370 metro-area economies in the U.S. and each one is unique and nuanced. “The U.S. economy is so huge that you can’t make broad assumptions about it,” says Wright. “When you dive into each [Metropolitan Statistical Area], even they break down by each town and neighborhood.” Wright says that each region’s economy tends to be “pretty self-sufficient,”
and that giving more control to municipal officials could bring economic benefits, because federal and some state governments are proving ineffective at passing laws that adapt to changes in the economy. “There has been an upsurge in giving more control to mayors, especially with gridlock at the national level,” says Wright. “A lot of what has been done happens at the local level.” In the meantime, O’Connor says the city can increase efforts to appeal to restaurants, bars and other businesses like Bar Marco that are dedicated to providing their employees good wages. He cites his ordinance that provided free advertising for businesses that provide all their workers at least a $10.10-an-hour minimum wage. Local craft distillery Wigle Whiskey took advantage of this program in 2016. “Maybe it is free promotions, maybe it is tax shelters,” says O’Connor on how the city can convince service businesses to offer good wages. “The money we offer is going to come back to us. Why not offer those businesses incentives? We can be a leader to show that Harrisburg can do this too.” RYA N D E TO@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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least the third session where our legislators have tried to do something like this. It does have a base of support, and I know it’s a priority of the gun lobby.” At the federal level, the gun lobby, spearheaded by the National Rifle Association, has also made easier access to firearm silencers and suppressors a priority over the past year. In fact, a measure easing regulations was even set for a vote this month; but since the massacre, the vote has been postponed. “Silencers and flash suppressors are really hard to get, but just imagine if we didn’t have those regulations,” says Conroy. “The fact that silencers are regulated could’ve saved lives [in Las Vegas].” Another regulation that experts say could’ve saved lives in Las Vegas is a ban on a device called a bump stock. Automatic weapons have been illegal for more than 30 years, but attachments like bump stocks, which were used by the Vegas shooter, can modify guns to fire at the same rate as automatic weapons. Last week, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and others proposed legislation that would ban the sale, transfer, importation, manufacture or possession of bump stocks and others accessories that accelerate a semi-automatic rifle’s rate of fire. “This is an important proposal that could decrease the risk of another Newtown, another Orlando or another Las Vegas,” Casey said in a statement. “Congress has an obligation to implement laws that make people safer. This legislation would close a dangerous loophole that makes it all too easy to create DIY automatic weapons.” Now CeaseFirePA says it’s time to move forward on the conversation about an overall ban on assault weapons like those used by the gunman in the Vegas massacre. “We’re not saying this is something that will happen next week,” says Conroy. “But it’s a dialogue that needs to be opened.”
Gun reform gets attention in the wake of mass shootings, but advocates say citizens should always keep an eye on local and federal firearm legislation {BY REBECCA ADDISON} MORE THAN ONE week ago, more than 2,000 miles from Pittsburgh, 58 people were killed and another 500 were injured in a mass shooting in Las Vegas. The massacre was the deadliest in modern U.S. history, topping the shooting which took place just last year in Orlando. Almost always after a tragedy like this, the call for gun control flashes around the country like a collective lightbulb, but in recent years — including after the 2012 Newtown, Conn., massacre, where 20 children between the ages of 6 and 7 were shot and killed — little is actually done to tighten the country’s gun laws. But while the issue gets the most attention in the days and weeks following each massacre, legislators at the state and federal level work year-round to pass laws to reduce gun violence. In places like Pennsylvania, those bills gain little traction. And most terrifyingly, say gun-reform advocates, others are actually working to weaken the country’s current firearm laws. CeaseFirePA, a Pennsylvania gun-reform advocacy group, monitors legislative efforts at both the federal and local level. City Paper checked in with the organization to see which efforts the group thinks local residents should keep an eye on after the national spotlight has drifted from the issue. “While it is difficult to sit back and watch so many horrific tragedies unfold with such regularity,” says Rob Conroy,
{CP PHOTO BY JAKE MYSLIWCZYK}
A mural painted over the weekend in Homewood in response to the Las Vegas massacre
director of organizing for CeaseFirePA, “and while it is incredibly difficult to sit back and watch as our government, both state and federal, refuses to take any action, let alone meaningful action, to rectify this problem, we cannot give in and sit back complacently, or else nothing will be done.” In 2015, white supremacist Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people in a church in Charleston, S.C. Roof was able to obtain the gun used in the attack because of a flaw in the federal background-check system. Right now, Pennsylvania legislators are considering a bill that could make the same scenario possible in this state. Currently, a Pennsylvania citizen who attempts to buy a firearm goes through a background check in both the PA Instant Check System (PICS) and the National Instant Check System (NICS).
Legislation introduced in the House by state Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Allegheny County) would eliminate PICS, leaving checks to be processed through only NICS. “The PICS system duplicates the background check which is already completed when a NICS check is conducted and as a result, has wasted well over 100 million dollars,” Ortitay said in a statement. But according to CeaseFirePA, PICS is necessary because unlike NICS, it allows a gun dealer to refuse to sell a firearm to someone who does not clear a background check within 72 hours. “It’s important to keep both systems in place because there are additional records in PICS especially regarding mental health and juvenile records that are not readily transferable or easily transferable to the national system,” adds Conroy. “This is at
“WE CANNOT GIVE IN AND SIT BACK COMPLACENTLY, OR ELSE NOTHING WILL BE DONE.”
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PEDESTRIAN FILM
Studio. For Here After, Tolliver is an associate producer. After hearing that his friend sold his wheels, Tolliver knew that the production was serious. “When I found out, I knew that this was it — sink or swim, and we are definitely going to swim,” Tolliver writes in an email to City Paper. “I know [Ferraro], I trust him; he makes bold moves and believes in them.” Ferraro has also benefited in a small way from Harrisburg’s dysfunction. As the Pennsylvania state budget sits in limbo, it has also placed $140 million in film tax credits in jeopardy. While fall is usually a busy shooting season for big-budget pictures, the legislative logjam instead has left many of Ferraro’s friends and fellow movie-makers needing work — the perfect opportunity to develop his project. The sale of his Honda Accord, complete with “Bluetooth and the fancy stuff” for $13,000, along with his life savings, means Ferraro has enough money to keep his crew fed. Meanwhile, he’s also explored partnering with the city for studio space, and is still looking for investors to help fund the project. But overall, Ferraro is confident that the project will succeed. Since selling his car, he’s been getting around by bike, and location-scouting with a car-owning friend. Meanwhile, he’s already looking into selling the film to theaters rather than just posting the feature-length finished product for free on YouTube. And with the vast resources of Pittsburgh’s burgeoning entertainment industry at his fingertips, Ferraro says anything seems possible. But with a hard November deadline to start shooting in an effort to miss filming in winter, the clock is ticking. Ferraro is just trying to look at what the project will mean to him when complete. “I’ll be happy I made something I believed in and dreamed about,” he says.
Local filmmaker sells his car and cashes in his savings to fund his dream project {BY STEPHEN CARUSO} WITH AN IDEA burning a hole in his head for the past decade, Brian Ferraro was faced with a difficult decision. Should he invest in something that could kickstart his career, or invest in his car, essentially “a rotting away piece of metal.” He chose his career. He sold his Honda, cashed out his life savings and, with the help of the local arts community, the 31-year-old Pittsburgh resident hopes that the next few months will finally find him accomplishing his dream of directing a feature film. “It’s cool to see the reality of this and not just be a vision in my head,” Ferraro says. The Erie native says he hopes to begin shooting Here After, a psychological horror movie — about a young man risking everything in his life to understand the death of a friend — in November. But the path from idea to production has been winding. Ferraro first came up with the idea for the film a decade ago, when he was a senior at Penn State University, majoring in architecture and film. He was talking to a friend who wasn’t scared of anything: As Ferraro recalled, “she cried when Freddie Kruger didn’t come” to her birthday party one year. Her lack of fear of the fantastic inspired Ferraro, who has done some work on locally shot Hollywood pictures like Unstoppable
{PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN FERRARO}
Brian Ferraro with the car that is helping to finance his film
and The Dark Knight Rises, to take a different approach to a horror movie. Ferraro notes that most movies make the viewer assume that the murderous clown, ravenous demon or angry poltergeist is real. But in real life, anyone who thought they saw dead people would be stigmatized. “The truth is, that 6-year-old in The Sixth Sense ... would have been brought to a psychiatrist and put on antipsychotics,” Ferraro says. “Imagine him 20 years later.” In Here After, Ferraro is trying to capture the uncertainty of dealing with the unknown, while telling the story of John Henning, a young man who feels directionless until the death of his best friend. The movie
will follow John as he tries to figure out what exactly happened the night of his friend’s death. This isn’t the first time Ferraro tried to shoot the film. About six years ago, his first effort didn’t work out because he was trying to wear too many hats and didn’t have enough money. But given his cinematic ambitions, he also knew that this idea deserved another try, regardless of his lack of resources.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FERRARO’S FILM, www.nuvustudios.com
“If you want to direct, if you want to produce, go start directing, go start producing,” he says. Two years ago, Ferraro met Will Tolliver, and they have worked together on projects at Ferraro’s company, Nuvu
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MUSIC INTERN
The music intern will have a working knowledge of the local music scene and experience writing reviews, previewing shows and interviewing artists. Apply to editor Charlie Deitch, cdeitch@pghcitypaper.com.
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The news intern will pitch and write stories for both the print and online editions, as well as assist news reporters with research and fact-checking. Basic writing and reporting experience required. Please send résumé, cover letter and samples to news editor Rebecca Addison, raddison@pghcitypaper.com.
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News of the Weird
S E N D YO UR WE I R D N E WS I T E M S TO W E I RD N E W S T I P S @ AM UN I V E R S AL . C O M .
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Ebony Woody, 34, of Columbus, Ohio, was nothing if not thorough on the morning of Sept. 18 when, following an argument with her daughter, she purposely drove her car onto the sidewalk and struck the 17-year-old, who was walking to school, according to Columbus police. After knocking the girl down and running over her leg, Woody stopped and backed up, driving over the leg a second time. QFM96 reported Woody generously gave the girl a ride to her father’s house, where she dropped her off without reporting the incident. Woody later turned herself in at police headquarters and faces charges of felonious assault, aggravated vehicular assault and endangering children. The daughter was treated for two fractures to her left leg.
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Just north of Benton, Kan., a rancher posted signs promising a reward to anyone who could help him find his missing longhorn cow, Mercedes. The Wichita Eagle reported the 3-year-old black-and-white bovine went missing on Sept. 11 during Cross Trails, a weekly cowboy church service at Greg Johnson’s Prairie Rose Ranch. Friends, neighbors and family have searched high and low for Mercedes, recognizable by her 5-foot-wide horns, but the only sighting of her has been near the El Dorado, Kan., Walmart, about 10 miles away. Johnson says this isn’t the first time she’s run off: “She is more of a loner.”
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A family in Coventry, England, are “quite mortified” after calling the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in September to rescue a lizard peeking from underneath a bed in their home. But when officer Vic Hurr arrived at the home, she discovered the “lizard” was not a “lizard at all, it was a pink stripy sock.” The dirty imposter sock, about 7 inches long and 2 inches wide, wasn’t moving, Hurr noted. “I think the family eventually saw the funny side,” an RSPCA spokeswoman told the Independent. “The sock had obviously been there quite a while. It was a typical teenager’s bedroom, I suppose.”
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The Caving Club at Indiana University explored Sullivan Cave in southern Indiana on Sept. 17, but when they headed back to campus, they forgot one thing: a 19-year-old freshman physics major who had become separated from the group and was trapped behind a locked gate. When the club president realized two days later that a caver had been left behind, members rushed back to save him. “You could tell they were pretty shaken up,” the caver told the Indiana Daily Student. “They did near kill me.” The student reported he licked moisture off the cave walls during the ordeal and wrote goodbye letters to his family on his iPhone until the battery died. (BONUS: The rescued caver’s name is Lukas Cavar.)
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Kevin Michael Cook, 24, of New Castle, Pa., was too drunk to drive on Sept. 3, so he enlisted the help of an 8-year-old girl. WPXI News reports the girl told Darlington Township police that Cook, a family friend, ordered her into a car at
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her grandmother’s house and forced her to drive him toward East Palestine, Ohio. The car stopped after nearly wrecking twice, as bystanders called 911. Police tried to give Cook a sobriety test, but he was too impaired to finish it. He was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, driving under the influence and driving without a license.
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Prosecutors in Geneva, Switzerland, are looking for the culprits who flushed about $100,000 in 500-euro notes down four toilets in the city in May — one in the vault area of the UBS Bank, and the other three in nearby bistros. While neither throwing money away nor blocking a toilet is a crime, Vincent Derouand of the Geneva Prosecutor’s Office told the Tribune de Geneve, “we want to be sure of the origin of the money.” The cash was confiscated during the investigation, but Derouand said there was no immediate reason to think it was dirty money.
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Texas state Rep. Dawnna Dukes’ corruption trial is scheduled for Oct. 16, when she will face charges of giving a taxpayer-funded
raise to a legislative aide as compensation for ferrying Dukes’ daughter between school and home. The Austin American-Statesman reports that prosecutors in Travis County also plan to present evidence of 19 additional “extraneous acts,” including accusations that Dukes spent $51,000 in taxpayer money on an online psychic, was absent for roll call 65 percent of the time, and appeared impaired at a House committee meeting when she showed up late, explaining: “I know I’m talking a lot. I’m full of morphine and will be headed out of here soon.”
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The Greene County (Tenn.) Sheriff’s Department alerted drivers along Chuckey Pike on Sept. 20 not to be alarmed by a body that appeared to have been crushed by a house’s garage door. “THIS IS A HALLOWEEN DECORATION!” the department’s Facebook page warns. “Do NOT call 911 reporting a dead body.” Officers had rushed to the scene with sirens blaring after a caller reported the body, but then discovered the clever (but really early) holiday tableau.
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Beacon Hotel
Fright Farm/Rich Farms
15+ ACRE Haunted Corn Maze and House for only $15.00 per person. The Haunting begins Fridays and Saturdays at Dusk. The last wagon leaves @ 10pm or until all victims have ridden! Sunday’s “No Scare” Family Days: 1:00-4:00pm $8.00 per person. This includes Hay rides, Corn Maze, Scavenger Hunt, Pony Rides, and a Petting Zoo. TEXT 91944 for Spooky specials. Open Every Weekend thru October 31!
This year Rich Farms presents “CREATURES”. Entering its 28th season, Fright Farm is Pennsylvania’s premier professional haunt with four distinct attractions; Haunted Hayride, Frightmare Manson, Hallow Grounds and Terror Maze. State of the art special effects, custom digital sound tracts and talented actors make Fright Farm a truly scary experience. www.frightfarm.com
Cheeseman Fright Farm
Gemini Theater
Plan an evening with a bonfi re with familyand friends. Start a new family tradition, take a hay ride to our pumpkin patch and pick out this year’s holiday decoration. Cheeseman Fright Farm is open for our 18th year of fear new this year 3D Apocalypse, HUGE corn maze, CLOWN ASYLM and BUTCHER ROOM.
Guests will enjoy a fun, interactive, musical performance of “Ghouldilocks and the Three Scares” followed with games, crafts, character meet and greet, food, refreshments and ending with a Halloween Dance Party. Saturday October 28th. 4pm to 6 pm.
$1 OFF ADMISSION Up to 6 people per coupon! Exp. 10/28/17
NO-SCARE SUNDAYS • 1-4PM WEEKENDS IN OCTOBER Candy Hunt • Petting Zoo • Pony Rides • Hay Rides to the Maze 231 Beacon Rd • Renfrew • 724-586-6233
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gotothebeacon.com
18th Annual!
Halloween Party!
Oct. a Special Event fundraiser! 28th a fun, interactive musical performance 4PM-6PM Enjoy of “Ghouldilocks and the Three Scares”
OCT 13,14,15,18,19,20,21, 22,25,26,27,28,29,30.
FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS THRU OCTOBER 28TH
followed with games, crafts, character meet and greet, food, refreshments and ending with a Halloween Dance Party. $20
OPEN 7PM TO 11PM ON FRI. & SAT.; 7PM TO 10PM ON SUN. & WEEKDAYS ADMISSION ONLY $15 EACH ATTRACTION OR $20 FOR BOTH - FREE PARKING
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420 Chartiers Avenue | McKees Rocks PA 15136 | (412) 243-6464 GEMINITHEATER.ORG NEWS
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HAUNTED HILLSIDE ONE COUPON PER PERSON. CANNOT COMBINE WITH ANY OTHER OFFER. VALID FOR 2017 SEASON ONLY.
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HalloweenTown Calling all party people! Come dance your way through HalloweenTown and experience our
multiple stage event featuring some of the spookiest and best Dj’s from across the region. Live graffiti, stacks of bass, plus unforgettable graphics and decor throughout the night to ensure a twist on reality! $100 costume contest prize! 1600 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Haunted Hillside
OCTOBER 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28,
Haunted Hillside is back for 2017. Entirely outdoors and over a mile long. Come visit our killbillies along with the rest of the enchanted creatures that roam our hills. Ranked 4th best haunted attraction in Pennsylvania and among the top 20 in the country for the past 2 years. www.hauntedhillside.com
Haunted Hills Hayride CLOSING NIGHT OCTOBER 29 Begins at dark and will be open to 10:00 p.m. or until the last ticketed guest has ridden. Activities are geared toward teens and adults (12 yrs and younger must be accompanied by an adult).
Amazing concessions, now featuring wood fired brick oven pizza!
Private bonFIres available! Off US Route 19 on Cheeseman Road, Portersville, PA For details, directions & reservations call 724/368-3233 or email jen@cheesemanfarm.com
www.cheesemanfarm.com
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Haunted Hills Hayride and the Valley of Darkness Haunted Walking Trail (17th Annual); N. Versailes, PA. Journey through the woods at our two haunted attractions by wagon or foot for a factor of fright and fear. Karaoke/DJ, live bands; Benefits the Autism Society of Pittsburgh. For more info visit: hauntedhillshayride.com/ 724-382-8296; Facebook: Haunted Hills Hayride.
Hundred Acres Manor Hundred Acres Manor has been named “Pittsburgh’s Best Haunted House” by HauntWorld Magazine and features SIX mind-bending attractions, spanning almost 1 mile long. Hundred Acres Manor is your go to Halloween destination this fall. Hundred Acres Manor features a brand new “London” attraction for 2017. Visit www.ScarePittsburgh.com
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Kennywood Phantom Fright Night
Fright Farm/Rich Farms
Discover a new level of terror at Kennywood’s Phantom Fright Nights. Fridays and Saturdays Sept. 29 – Oct.. 28, plus Sundays Oct. 8 & 29. Take your chances on the Black Widow and fierce Phantom’s Revenge, or venture through haunted graveyards, vampire crypts, and houses of the dead. Don’t come alone!
This year Rich Farms presents “CREATURES”. Entering its 28th season, Fright Farm is Pennsylvania’s premier professional haunt with four distinct attractions; Haunted Hayride, Frightmare Manson, Hallow Grounds and Terror Maze. State of the art special effects, custom digital sound tracts and talented actors make Fright Farm a truly scary experience. www.frightfarm.com
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
Terror Trolley
Over Halloween weekend, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre performs Dracula, a ballet based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic novel. A haunting score by Franz Liszt builds suspense while levitation, flying and pyrotechnics make the choreography even more climactic. The New York Times described it as a “spectacle of an order ballet audiences seldom see today.”
Come aboard the Terror Trolley and hear haunted tales of Pittsburgh’s darkest secrets. We will reveal the legends of those that still haunt the streets today, including the story of what was once “the most haunted house
in America.” Tours run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in October. Book online. www.MollysTrolleysPittsburghTours.com
: Presented by
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SIDNEY CROSBY KNOCKS THE PUCK PAST BUFFALO SABRES GOALIE CHAD JOHNSON DURING THE PENGUINS 5-4 PRESEASON VICTORY OVER THE SABRES ON WED., SEPT. 27, AT PPG PAINTS ARENA. {CP PHOTO BY VINCENT PUGLIESE}
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TO THREE OR NOT TO THREE The Pittsburgh Penguins have a shot to win a third straight Stanley Cup, but are they up for the challenge? {BY JOSH KING}
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SIDNEY CROSBY HOLDS THE STANLEY CUP UP TO FANS DURING THE 2017 PENS VICTORY PARADE
T GOES WITHOUT saying that the
start of the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins hockey season comes with high expectations. How could it not? When you’ve already won back-to-back Stanley Cups, fans expect you to win a third, even though the task may be nearly impossible. Nearly. But not impossible. In fact, if any team has a chance to do it, it’s the Pens. Las Vegas certainly thinks so. Pittsburgh was an 8-1 preseason favorite and was a 6-1 favorite at press time. There’s no question that this team could win a third championship. But let’s be honest: It’s a long shot for a team to win one; three in a row will take a lot of talent, and a little luck. Betting against Sidney Crosby is never a smart idea, but any Vegas oddsmaker will tell you if it’s one team vs. the field (the entire NHL), you take the field every time. Opposing teams will be gunning for the Penguins even more this year. They’ll use the regular-season games to find out what kind of team the Pens have; they’ll look for every weakness. Hockey is a different type of game. A bad bounce here or there can be the difference between winning and losing. Pittsburgh likely won’t dominate the Eastern Conference this year; in fact, it’s completely probable that heading into February, the club
then there’s Washington. Many people (this writer included) think Alexander Ovechkin is the best offensive player since Wayne Gretzky. Plus, one of these days he has to beat the Penguins, right? But that’s February; that’s regularseason hockey. The Penguins become a different beast in the playoffs. Once they hit the postseason, it’s hard to imagine any team defeating them. So, can the Penguins complete the first threepeat since the early ’80s? Yes. No. Probably. Maybe. It’s a crapshoot. In the spirit of indecisiveness, here are five reasons the Penguins will threepeat and five reasons they won’t. As it turns out, they’re the same five reasons, so let’s look at them in head-to-head matchups.
1. MATT MURRAY TO THREE It’s easy to sing the praises of a goaltender who won the Stanley Cup in each of his first two NHL seasons. It’s a feat that has never been done before. The Penguins haven’t been this excited about a goaltender since Patrick Lalime in the 1990s. The hype surrounding Lalime stemmed from a mere 16-game unbeaten streak. The buzz around Murray is 20 times stronger.
{CP PHOTO BY JORDAN MILLER}
is sitting somewhere between sixth and 10th place. The conference schedule is full of scenarios that could hurt the Pens. Toronto is a fast, talented team that matches up well against the Pens. Philadelphia
is a tough out for Pittsburgh because there’s always a chance of a sideshow breaking out, preventing the Pens from winning. Montreal has the best goalie in the league in Carey Price; there’s no doubt that he’ll win a Cup someday. And
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PENS PREVIEW, CONTINUED FROM PG. 19
This season, Murray gets to be the undisputed No. 1 guy, a luxury he didn’t have with Marc-Andre Fleury on the roster the past two seasons. But now Fleury (see our tribute on page 24) is in Las Vegas, and Murray can stop looking over his shoulder. Murray actually might be even better than he was the past two seasons.
EVGENI MALKIN FLIPS BUFFALO SABRES JACK EICHEL DURING THE PENGUINS 5-4 VICTORY OVER THE SABRES ON SEPT. 27
helps the Penguins generate neutral-zone turnovers. On 20 other NHL clubs, Letang would probably be the captain. He just happens to share a team with the two other most gifted players in the NHL.
NOT TO THREE
NOT TO THREE Being the undisputed starter could get into Murray’s head. In sports, psychology is a huge factor, especially for NHL goaltenders. Trouble is already brewing. In his first two regular season games, Murray has allowed 11 — yes, you’re reading that correctly — goals. And in the second game, he played in relief after backup Antti Niemi (more on him in a minute) allowed four. The fans and media love Fleury. Fans have already taken to Twitter praying for Fleury’s return. Another issue isn’t even one of Murray’s making. The hole at third-line center affects the goaltender more than anyone. A good third-line center takes a lot of defensive responsibility. When you have Malkin and Crosby, the opposing goalie is on high alert. When Jordan Staal departed in 2012, the Pens had playoff goaltending issues. It wasn’t until Nick Bonino came in that the goaltending improved in the postseason. That probably wasn’t a coincidence, and with Bonino now in Nashville, the problem could reappear.
2. THE BACKUP GOALIE SITUATION TO THREE Yes, Marc-Andre Fleury was a great backup goalie. That’s because he’s not a backup goalie, he’s a starter. The Penguins were in a unique situation the past two seasons with two first-string goalies on the bench. When you look at it calmly and rationally, the backup situation shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Look around the NHL — the Penguins might have one of the best backup-goaltender situations. Take a quick look at Antti Niemi’s career stats: In 423 games, he’s 227-125-51, with 35 shutouts. His goals-against average is 2.49, and his save percentage is .913. Those aren’t bad numbers, and Pens will put a pretty talented group of players in front of him. His butterfly style knocks pucks away at his feet. The Penguins’ speed prevents teams from getting low into the zone and setting up shop in front of the net to create high-angle shots. In
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{CP PHOTO BY VINCENT PUGLIESE}
fact, very few players are going to be able to break through the Penguins’ defense and get clear shots on goal.
NOT TO THREE
3. KRIS LETANG TO THREE
When Kris Letang is healthy, he’s one of Yes, Niemi’s career numbers aren’t horrible, the best players in the NHL. His speed but they’ve taken a turn for the worse over the is almost unmatched, and his ability to past two seasons in Dallas. In his only ap- move the puck is a skill that you simply pearance so far this sea season,, he allowed the cannot teach. He has blossomed into the Penguins’ No. 1 defenseman. LeChicago Blackhawks ks four goals in 13 shots tang is a key component of and was pulled halfway through third-straight Cup run. this third-str the first period of what would missed the playoffs He mis become a 10-1 massalast season due to la cre. (Murray allowed wed the a neck injury. A other six.) Maybe ybe the healthy Letang change of scenery y S NO might have been and the lingering THERE’ N THAT g O I enough to make T ghost of Fleury S E U Q quicker work of the qu M are getting HIS TEAA THIRD T Ottawa Senators. O into his head. WIN ONSHIP. Letang makes it Beyond Niemi, I easier on the offense e Tristan Jarry CHAMP well. He takes so much as we hasn’t gotten a lot space that wingers and spac of playing time ime centers have more open cente at the NHL level. evel. move the puck. His room to m Everybody loves oves the presence on the power play is also third goalie until he has bl If you give LLetang space, he’s goto come in and play meaningful games, notable. and then struggles. That’s not saying that ing to make you pay; he has a knack for Jarry will struggle, but there is a reason the scoring. He is simply a five-star defensePens signed Niemi. If Jarry was NHL-ready, man. He’s quick enough to take chances the Pens might not have even brought in the offensive zone and get back in poNiemi in for a tryout, let alone signed him sition defensively. In fact, sometimes he makes opposing players look open, which as a free agent.
10.11/10.18.2017
COULD
As skilled as Letang is, let’s not skip the fact that he can’t seem to stay healthy. He’s a hockey player, and hockey is an extremely physical sport. However, Letang has had some bad luck in his career when it comes to injuries. The Penguins were extremely lucky to get by the Capitals and Senators without their top defenseman. The defense rallied around Justin Schultz, and the rest of the defense played above their paygrade to secure last year’s Cup victory. Letang, at times, can also be a defensive liability. Every now and then, he takes chances and leaves the Pens facing odd-man breaks. The goaltending has also bailed him out in recent years, but if Murray isn’t as sharp this season — or worse, gets injured — the trickle-down effect could cost the Penguins. NHL games are so close these days. A few chances at the wrong time could be the difference between a win and a loss. Letang will help the Pens win more games than they lose, but his tendency toward the occasional mental lapse could cost them at crucial times. If Letang can’t stay healthy or doesn’t play his best hockey, this roster might not be deep enough to win a third consecutive Cup.
4. SIDNEY CROSBY & EVGENI MALKIN TO THREE When you have the best two players in the NHL, you are always going to be one of the favorites to win the Cup. No other roster other than the Chicago Blackhawks (with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews) has a 1-2 punch like Crosby and Malkin. Crosby has a skill set that nobody else in the NHL has. Not only is he extremely gifted offensively (that’s even an understatement of his abilities), Sid the Kid — or “the Man,” now that he just turned 30 — is just one hell of a grinder. Rarely do players with a god-like offensive pedigree play defense with equal relentlessness; Crosby does. The guy can backcheck and track down a loose puck in the corner like no one else. His ability to use his famous backhand is very rare. His work ethic is unmatched. This human being was born
KRIS LETANG AND MATT MURRAY DURING PRACTICE AT UPMC LEMIEUX SPORTS COMPLEX
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{CP PHOTO BY JAKE MYSLIWCZYK}
to play hockey, and he lives it. Not since Jaromir Jagr has any NHL player shown lower-body strength on the ice like Crosby has. As for Malkin, his long and lanky body combined with his speed makes him a freak show, but in a good way. Malkin has offensive star power, and that type of difference-maker is extremely rare in the NHL. Malkin is elite. To have a guy like that as your second-line center in the NHL is an unheard-of luxury. For the past decade, the Penguins have been more than lucky to have a star on a different line. Malkin would be the best player on 28 other NHL rosters.
NOT TO THREE If you keep going to the well, it will eventually run dry. The Penguins have played more hockey over the past two seasons than any other club. That will take its toll on some players. Crosby and Malkin have both missed significant time in their careers due to injury. Crosby’s concussion history is scary, because he gets low and exposes his head more than most players. The Penguins have shown in the past that if both of these players are out at the same time, the team really suffers. Their roster is not nearly as deep as last season, so the dependence on Crosby and Malkin will only be greater. If one of them gets in a funk, there might not be a player capable of bailing them out. The goaltending situation could also affect them if it isn’t as strong as last season. Malkin, at times, gets caught out of position defensively and, with the roster being weaker, a few injuries could really affect this team. If Crosby and Malkin don’t play at their
highest levels, winning the Cup may be out of reach.
5. THE REST OF THE NHL TO THREE Eight teams from each conference make the playoffs, so right out of the gate you have a 50 percent chance to make the postseason. That fact alone should help the Penguins get invited to the dance. Once they get there, they have the luxury of the seven-game series. It’s easy to upset a team a time or two, but beating the Penguins four times in seven games is extremely difficult. After all, it hasn’t been done in two years.
The 5th Judicial District of Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Pretrial Services urges you to enjoy your weekend
NOT TO THREE It’s a new era in the NHL. The Penguins might not even have the best player in the league anymore. Anybody who watched that Senators/Penguins series has to agree that Erik Karlsson is probably the top dog in the league. He was injured and still almost single-handedly beat the Penguins. The Senators came within one inch of eliminating the Penguins. Connor McDavid, of the Edmonton Oilers, might be even more gifted offensively than Malkin or Crosby, and Auston Matthews, of the Maple Leafs, could become the best goal-scorer. And if the Penguins make the finals, they could have Chicago’s Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to deal with. These teams are going to do anything to stop the Penguins from winning the Cup.
out in Pittsburgh but
make the right choice,
don’t drink & drive.
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FEAT OF STRENGTH A third straight Pittsburgh Penguins championship would be a major accomplishment in the world of sports {BY MIKE WYSOCKI}
T
HERE ARE 92 franchises in the NHL,
NFL and MLB. We won’t count the NBA, because in Pittsburgh it is slightly less popular than pee-wee football. Of those 92, 78 percent haven’t won more championships in the past 50 years than the Pens have won since June 2016. Only nine football teams, six hockey teams and five baseball teams have won more than two since the LBJ administration. The Penguins have won as many titles in the past 16 months as the New York Rangers have in 76 years. There isn’t a Philadelphia Flyers fan under age 50 who
MATT HUNWICK BATTLES WITH BUFFALO SABRES JOHAN LARSSON ON SEPT. 27 AT PPG PAINTS ARENA. {CP PHOTO BY VINCENT PUGLIESE
remembers them winning a Cup. The last time that happened, Saturday Night Live was wrapping up its inaugural season by lambasting President Gerald Ford. Washington Capitals fans have seen Lord Stanley only on television. Here in Pittsburgh,
though, we see him in bars, restaurants, at baseball games, and at your dad’s friend’s house because he knows a guy who knows a guy whose sister works for the Pens. Now, the only thing the Pens can do is try to accomplish a feat so difficult that it
hasn’t been done since the early 1980s. Back in those days, MTV was in its infancy and the New York Islanders were as hot as parachute pants, Trapper Keepers, the J. Geils Band and Eddie Murphy. Back then, the NHL got even less respect than it
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does now. The game was seen as a regional sport that was just a roller-derby on ice. The scarcity of protective helmets was outdone only by the scarcity of teeth. People had to tune into a UHF television station to catch helmetless, middle-aged bald guys named Guy skate around the ice with an assortment of toothless, bearded goons. It was more respectable to say you worked at a demolition derby or a disco than to be an NHL player. But the greatness of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux helped transform the game into a showcase of skills and speed rather than punches and eye-gouges. This new style of hockey, combined with cable television, pushed professional hockey to at least the fringes of the sports mainstream. Behind legends like Mike Bossy and Brian Trottier, the Islanders reeled off four consecutive Cups in 1980-83, right after the Montreal Canadiens won four straight. But since then, nobody has pulled off three in a row. The threepeat hasn’t been done in the NFL since the Super Bowl era began. The Packers, Dolphins, Steelers (twice), 49ers, Cowboys, Broncos and Patriots all went back-to-back, but nobody has a natural hat trick. In baseball, the Yankees did it from 1998-2000 and became the first baseball
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PRACTICE AT UPMC LEMIEUX SPORTS COMPLEX.
the Pens’ resident old guy, left for the Minnesota Wild. He can be forgiven, since that’s where he is from. Chris Kunitz took off to Tampa, but when you have four rings like him, you can do whatever you want. The other big loss was Nick Bonino, who registered as a Predator, the kind from Nashville. Bonino will probably never see another Cup, but his nightlife will be enjoyable. The Pens can always find another Cullen or Bonino, but Kunitz and Fleury will be much more difficult to replace. The quest for a historic threepeat is off to a stumbling start. In their first regularseason game this year, the Pens lost to the Blues, then got walloped 10-1 in the second. So, we kinda miss Fleury already. Fleury never allowed that many goals in one game, and he was here for 14 seasons. But no need to call for anyone to get fired or traded just yet. Almost any fan of any sport would gladly take a regular-season beat down in exchange for two parades in two years. If they can pull it off, the Penguins will elevate themselves to Steelers-like admiration in the city. A sculptor should be hired to start engraving the faces of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin into the rock of Mount Washington. The city can then take a collective nap together, exhausted from all the winning.
{CP PHOTO BY JAKE MYSLIWCZYK}
team to go back-to-back-to-back since the 1950s. The last team to do it before the Yankees was, well, the Yankees. When the Islanders last reigned over Canada’s National Sport, it was before the era of big-money free agency. Players might have had to pick up a shift at a Tim Hortons donut shop in the offseason to make ends meet. Now that teams spend money on free agents, success just breeds vultures. The role players on championship
teams are quickly scooped up in the offseason, as other teams desperately want to be associated with a winner. If the Pens are to pull off the elusive three-peat, they will have to do it without the help of Marc-Andre Fleury. For the first time since Rico Fata was a Pen, the roster will not have the name of the young twoniner on it. Fleury, who is an all-time top-20 goalie in wins, will now bring his skills and calm demeanor to Las Vegas. Matt Cullen,
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MARC-ANDRE FLEURY DURING THE 2017 PENS VICTORY PARADE
DEAR MR. FLEURY, First, let me apologize for the formal greeting. I would have used your first name, but I have an irrational fear of referring to people by three names. I know Marc-Andre is technically just one name, but it still brings up thoughts of horrible dudes like Lee Harvey Oswald, Mark David Chapman and John Wayne Gacy. It’s nothing personal, just one of my bugaboos. Anyway, I wanted to take a minute to thank you for all of the time you spent in Pittsburgh. You put together quite an impressive body of work over the course of 13 seasons. It should be 14 seasons, but Penguins management sent you to the minors in 2014, allegedly to avoid paying you a $3 million bonus. I’m not even that big of a hockey fan, but I really enjoyed watching you play. When I close my eyes, I can easily remember all of your best moments. Like Game 7 against Detroit in the 2008-09 finals. After blocking a rocket off the stick of Henrik Zetterberg, you did like 14 cartwheels, a backflip and an Our Father to block the last-ditch shot by Nicklas Lidstrom. I was also very impressed with your skills as an actor. In that UPMC commercial with your family, you used your big fat goalie glove to shoo away the stank that was coming from your daughter’s dirty diapers. You were so convincing that I believed her diaper smelled as bad as the pants of the guy that smuggled a catfish into the finals last year. Well, I guess this is where I sign off. We all know you’ll do great in Vegas; in fact, you already are. Take time to enjoy the city. A few quick pro tips: It’s not gambling if you don’t lose. If you’re playing 25-cent roulette at the casinos by Lake Mead, don’t reach for your chips early. I almost lost a hand to a sadistic dealer swinging an old coffee-table leg in my direction. Also, if you need time to chill by yourself, head on over to Slots-A-Fun Casino and play some video craps; there’s never anyone there to bother you. However, you might want to bring your big fat goalie glove, since it kind of smells in there. Farewell Flower, Charlie Deitch, CP editor
{CP PHOTO BY JORDAN MILLER}
SETTLING IN Former Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury adjusting to life in Las Vegas {BY JESSE GRANGER/LAS VEGAS WEEKLY}
S
INCE THE DAY he joined the Las Vegas Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury — the 32-year-old goalie who helped Pittsburgh
to three Stanley Cup championships, including back-to-back titles the past two seasons — has been the face of the franchise. We caught up with him for a quick preseason chat.
HAS BEING SUCH A FOCAL POINT OF A NEW FRANCHISE BEEN A BIG ADJUSTMENT FOR YOU? I just do what I’m asked to do. It’s been fine, and pretty easy so far. I am just looking forward to playing hockey again. HAVE YOU ENJOYED BEING A FAN FAVORITE AND PARTICIPATING IN EVENTS WITH YOUNG FANS? If I can share my passion for the game with the kids out there, that’s great. I know the team is putting a lot of effort into growing the game and getting hockey sticks in kids’ hands, and we will be a part of that, too. I like sharing my love for the game. YOU’VE WON THREE STANLEY CUPS, BUT ARE YOU NERVOUS AT ALL PLAYING IN THE FIRST GAME FOR A NEW CLUB? I still get those butterflies and still get nervous every once in a while. To be a part of a historic game like that will be pretty amazing. I’m looking forward to it. YOU’RE THE FACE OF THE TEAM IN THE PUBLIC EYE, BUT ARE YOU ALSO A LEADER IN THE LOCKER ROOM? I’m definitely one of the older ones, that’s for sure. I think we have a good group of guys. There are a lot of guys that have been around
for a while. There are young guys, too, and as olderr guy guys we have to show them the way on and off the ice and mak make sure we are doing things ngs the right way.
R IS “LAST YEA, AND R A E LAST Y EW THIS IS A NITH A W SEASON AM.” NEW TE
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS IONS HEADING INTO THE SEASON? I think, for me, it’s to improve as quickly as possible and come together as a team as quickly as possible. There are guys coming from all over the league, and staff-wise as well, so if we can get good chemistry going early on and keep building on the ice, it will make us a tough team to play against. YOU’VE PLAYED WITH A LOT OF TALENT DURING YOUR CAREER IN
PITTSBURGH. AFTER A TRAINING CAMP WITH THIS TEAM, HOW DO YOU COMPARE IT? I think we have a good mix of everything. We’ve got some speed, and we’ve got some good shots as well. I think we have a good balance of different stuff on the team, so we should be in good shape. ARE YOU STILL THE SAME MARC-ANDRE FLEURY WHO HELPED THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS WIN THREE STANLEY CUPS? I feel pretty good, but last year is last year, and this is a new season with a new team. I feel good and healthy, so I’m ready to go. HOW HAS THE TRANSITION BEEN TO LIVING IN LAS VEGAS AFTER LIVING BACK EAST FOR SO LONG? It’s been great. People have been so nice during the move. I have been getting the kids into schools, and everyone has been really helpful. The staff that we have on the team has been great getting us acclimated. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE PLACES AROUND TOWN TO EAT OR HANG OUT? I went to Nobu and I liked it a lot, but I want to try more before I name one as my favorite. Deryk [Engelland] told me about Honey Salt, and we went there and it was very good — casual with great food. I N F O@ P G H C I T Y P A P E R. C OM
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CRIMINAL DEFENSE & DUI
310 Grant St Pittsburgh (412) 471-1415
Keeping abreast of new case law, legislative developments and changes in administrative procedures in criminal law is indispensable to CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY JAMES E. DEPASQUALE. With more than 38 years of experience, Jim places a high-priority on keeping his clients fully informed on the relevant legal & factual issues pertaining to their case. His areas of concentration focus on constitutional law & criminal procedure, and his state & federal cases run the gamut of homicide cases, drug sale & possession, assaults, DUI, weapon’s charges and plaintiff’s personal injury cases. Jim emphasizes that when it comes to representation in a criminal case, few things are more important than a dedicated & compassionate litigator leading the way. Se Habla Espanol. Visit: www.jamesdepasquale.com
YOUR LEGAL SOLUTION With a criminal defense practice spanning more than 25 years, ATTORNEY JOSEPH A. PALETTA has tried more than 150 jury trials, and hundreds more non-jury trials. Recently, he is focused on defending clients charged with DUI and narcotics crimes. As a result of years representing many doctors and nurses charged with the aforesaid crimes, Joseph has developed expertise in representing medical professionals in medical license investigations and prosecutions by specific licensing boards. As a lawyer in the Trial Division of the Allegheny County Office of 437 Grant St Public Defender (25 years), Joseph has the privilege of offering #424, Pittsburgh experienced legal counsel to those who cannot afford to hire a private (412) 391-7999 attorney. This position permits him to practice before all Judges in Allegheny County Criminal Court, and most all prosecutors in the District Attorney’s Office. This experience is invaluable in counseling clients on their options and likely outcomes of each option. Call for a free consultation today! Visit: www.palettalaw.com
WORKERS’ COMP & SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY LAW Attorney Lawrence R. Chaban at ALPERNSCHUBERT, PC focuses his practice in the fields of workers’ compensation, social security disability and short & long-term disability claims. Having successfully represented thousands of workers’ compensation, social security disability and short & long-term disablity claimants, the firm’s attorneys are respected as caring and creative fighters for their client’s rights. They represent Social Security disability and Supplemental Security Income claimants at all levels of the application process, from the initial filing to the administrative 310 Grant St, #2727 hearing and appellate court proceedings. If you are planning to file Grant Bldg, Pittsburgh a claim for Social Security Disability benefits, or have been denied, (412) 765-1888 make sure someone who is experienced in this complex area of law represents you. Additionally, the attorneys at AlpernSchubert are the compassionate advocates you need after suffering a personal injury or work injury. Visit: www.alpernschubertlaw.com
CRIMINAL TRIAL & APPEALS LAWYER ATTORNEY RYAN H. JAMES is a criminal trial and appellate lawyer,
one experienced with successfully trying and appealing the most serious offenses a person can be charged with. He is mindful that being charged with any crime is a serious and frightening experience for any client, so he resolves to make himself always available to his clients to ensure they are well informed and a participant in the process. Ryan’s philosophy is to meaningfully engage clients in their representation by educating them on the law. Ryan lives his firm’s 1514 Lincoln Way motto: “People. Our Passion. Solutions. Our Business.” The firm #301-302, White Oak accepts all criminal cases, adult or juvenile, including homicide (412) 977-1827 and violent crimes, sex crimes, DUI and drug offenses, white-collar crimes, theft offenses, probation-and-parole violations, and traffic violations. The firm accepts cases filed in both state and federal courts. Visit: www.rhjameslaw.com
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YOUR VISION IS THEIR BUSINESS DAIN TECHNOLOGY GROUP helps businesses obtain technological
success & fulfillment. They specialize in a multitude of management, technical disciplines & methodologies, systems engineering, technology and process improvement to help transform organizations. As Solutions Architects Founder/CEO Keili Camille Murray and her team provide business & technology strategies, digital development, project and program management, data analytics and ITIL services. Dain develops the strategic plan and implements the systems nec409 E 10th Ave essary to support your business vision. From system replacement to Munhall a full IT transformation, their professionals bring deep knowledge (412) 631-8365 and experience to your most complex IT challenges. Dain provides a systematic approach to high quality IT service delivery while utilizing the ITIL service lifecycle documented best practices. Visit: www.daintechgroup.com NEWS
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4499 Mt. Royal Blvd Allison Park (412) 486-6624
With 40 years of experience, ATTORNEY CHRISTOPHER M. ABERNETHY is experienced in Elder Law & Special Needs Planning, He assists clients with Medicaid eligibility and long-term care planning, special needs & qualified income trusts, guardianships, estate planning, and probate administration. Chris emphasizes that special care must be given to estate planning when a beneficiary with a disability also receives government benefits, such as Medicaid or SSI. A “Special Needs Trust” may be necessary to prevent loss of benefits. He favors integrated solutions combining Medicaid, Veterans’ benefits, private long-term care insurance and sound estate planning. House, nursing home, hospital & office visits are available. Visit: www.abernethy.law
CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY With 24 years of experience, ATTORNEY WILLIAM F. CAYE, II has dedicated his legal career to representing individuals in their legal problems with state and federal governments. He is a former Senior State Prosecutor & former Allegheny County Prosecutor. Concentrating in criminal defense, he firmly believes that your constitutional right to counsel requires more than simply an attorney at your side, but rather a skilled advocate and counselor who is committed to providing you with the latest information and the most zealous and effective presentation of your case. Bill’s areas of concentration address federal and state felonies and misdemeanors 109 Crab Orchard Ct including juvenile matters, traffic offenses, DUI, drug cases, robbery, LL, Oakdale sex crimes, murder, assaults, domestic violence, DMV hearings and (412) 953-7022 while collar business crimes. It is important to note that Bill’s experience with trials and sentencing issues has enabled him to obtain the best possible result in hundreds of criminal cases in federal and state courts. Visit: www.williamcayelaw.com EVENTS
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LISTEN AS YOU READ: SCAN THE CODE FOR OUR NEW SPOTIFY PLAYLIST, A SOUNDTRACK TO THE STORIES IN THIS SECTION, OR VISIT WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM/BLOGS/FFW/
NEW LOCAL RELEASES Paddy the Wanderer FACTS FOR WHATEVER SELF-RELEASED PADDYTHEWANDERER.BANDCAMP.COM
Tension and release act as key elements on Paddy the Wanderer’s latest release. “On the Ropes” launches the album at a leisurely tempo, not unlike Pink Floyd. But with each run-through, the lonely guitar grows stronger, while the whirling keyboards and taut rhythm section build in suspense. Tim Kelly’s drums drive
{PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK GUTHRIE}
Paddy the Wanderer
these songs, but they add particular edginess to “Crowded Room,” pushing guitarist Joey Troupe’s high vocals to an impassioned level. Later, in “Feel Good Blues” the band’s fuzzed-out sound recalls Mudhoney, and Zach Dowdell overdrives his keyboard to PADDY THE fit right in. But WANDERER before they CD-RELEASE SHOW settle into a Pacific with DELICIOUS Northwest vibe, PASTRIES, HONEY. they double back 9 p.m. Sat., Oct. 14. to a ’70s aesthetic Brillobox, 4104 Penn in “By Design,” Ave., Bloomfield. $7. with a heavy 412-621-4900 riff, apocalyptic lyrics and some harmonized guitar leads to drive it home. The band knows how to build a song up to anthemic levels too. “Settle Down” gets its power from a driving chorus and a coda that features a strong, melodic guitar solo and manic keyboard fills. “The Vault” wraps things up with a rousing, sing-along finale by a chorus of voices. Paddy the Wanderer sounds heavy, but the band uses that intensity to make the songs count. BY MIKE SHANLEY
Have an album or EP you’d like to see reviewed in our pages? We review releases from Pittsburgh bands and artists living within an hour’s radius of the city, and all genres are welcome. Send a digital file of the album or EP to megfair@pghcitypaper.com, or a physical copy to Pittsburgh City Paper, 650 Smithfield St., Suite 2200, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
{PHOTO COURTESY OF ANITTA BOA VIDA}
Arto Lindsay
FOUND IN TRANSLATION {BY MIKE SHANLEY}
D
ON’T COUNT on Google to translate a foreign language accurately each time. When the search engine translated “Vão Queimar Ou Botando Pra Dançar,” a song on Arto Lindsay’s latest album, Ciudado Madame, from Portuguese to English, it arrived at “Are You Going to Burn or Start Dancing?” This great question could allude to a great lyrical metaphor wrapped around a Brazilian groove. “Thank you, Google. It’s not quite that! That’s pretty great though,” Lindsay says with a laugh. He takes a long pause. “It’s, ‘They’re going to dance, or setting things on fire.’ Botando vao queimar is ‘setting things on fire,’ but it sounds like an expression which means ‘going all out.’ Going for it. And then dance has a double meaning in Portuguese. In slang, when something goes wrong, we say, ‘It danced.’” “Actually, I have to work it around myself,” he says, finally. “It’s not such a simple thing to translate because both of the phrases are so idiomatic.” Arto Lindsay’s musical career also present challenges when attempting to ascribe
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an easy overview to it. His name became synonymous with the New York’s No Wave scene in the late ’70s, the noisy backlash to the budding “new wave” music. As onethird of the trio DNA, he skronked on a 12-string guitar that evoked a losing battle between guitar and a lawnmower, while he delivered lyrics which were often indecipherably slurred. His fretwork also added a sharp tension to the fake jazz of the Lounge Lizards and projects by John Zorn, Laurie Anderson and Tom Waits.
ARTO LINDSAY WITH BEAUTY PILL
8 p.m. Wed. Oct. 18. The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., North Side. $20. 412-237-8300 or www.warhol.org
But along the way, another side of Lindsay came to the surface. Growing up in Brazil as the son of missionary parents, he was familiar with that country’s sensual, melodic music. The voice that could bark and wail in DNA could also croon smoothly.
Albums released with the Ambitious Lovers and under his own name found him combining Portuguese vocals with styles like drum and bass, although his trademark guitar sound is always close at hand. Cuidado Madame, released last spring, reveals a sound where sensual and skronk work together. To Lindsay, all of his music, be it noisy or lush, is part of one bigger thing. “There are obviously different styles, music from different places, different time periods, but it’s all music,” he says, on the phone from his home in Rio. “If you make it yourself you tend to see the similarities as opposed to the differences. I’ve always particularly been disappointed [when people] don’t really seem to listen to music and then … they just kind of describe the elements that go into it.” He feels exasperated when people are surprised that the former member of DNA, which evoked the sound of New York subways, also has a lyrical, Brazilian side. “I know it helps people to place you, but I’ve always been frustrated with that aspect of discussing music and selling music too,” he
says. “In a way there’s more music available now than ever before, but it’s actually even more ghettoized.” For Cuidado Madame, Lindsay wanted to utilize candomble, spiritual rhythms used to get into a trance. “Even in DNA, we were kind of interested in that kind of effect that music can have on people,” he explains, thoughtfully. “At some point, I thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be interesting to combine that stuff with gospel, even though it’s really different.’ And it’s kind of difficult because those [candomble] rhythms are not simple 4/4, or 2/4 rhythms. They’re more complex time signatures. And gospel is pretty straight-ahead 4/4. But I was interested in trying to combine them.” He wasn’t able to bring his band to Brazil or bring the players of atabaques, the ritual drums, to America. Instead he took drum recordings to New York, where he and his band wrote songs around them. “We tried different approaches. We tried playing a different rhythm on top of those rhythms, chopping those up and making them fit with a more American vibe. Or just simply layering one on top of another and letting the chips fall where they may. That’s kind of the underlying structure of the record in a way. Structure is probably the wrong word, but that’s what’s under the record.” While the gospel influence didn’t stick, he and the band came up with an idiosyncratic mix of ideas. “Ilha Dos Prazeres” is framed by a 5/4 groove with polyrhythmic drums beneath it. After a sensual first verse, Lindsay’s guitar rears its head, adding a metallic skronk that acts percussively. The enigmatic “Vão Queimar Ou Botando Pra Dançar” contains a layer of atabaques along with a drum machine that has the strong punch of dub music. Anyone yearning for more of Lindsay’s DNA days will enjoy “Arto Vs. Arto,” where loops of his guitar and voice fly from out of both speakers. Regardless of the language, Lindsay’s lyrics are rich with metaphor, casting relationships in situations that come off with poetic insight. He fondly recalls reading The New York Times’ Tuesday science section, which fueled songs for him over the years. “Physics is a readymade metaphor,” he says. “They keep discovering things and then changing their minds. It’s pretty easy to get all excited about all this stuff.” While it takes him a moment to translate the title of “Vão Queimar Ou Botando Pra Dançar,” the lyrical explanation comes easier, inspired by an aspect of the Big Bang Theory, when matter was one uniform thing and spreading. “Then these pockets are formed like bubbles. Things could cool inside these bubbles. That was the beginning of matter as such. It’s just a place to start,” he says. INFO@ PGHC ITY PAP ER.CO M
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COLOUR SHOW {BY TROY MICHAEL}
{PHOTO COURTESY OF TRAVIS SHINN}
Living Colour
To a lot of people, the 1980s rock outfit Living Colour is a one-hit wonder. In a way, that may technically be a fair assessment. Its hit, “Cult of Personality,” from 1988’s Vivid, slammed headfirst into the music scene. But here’s the thing about that one-hit wonder band: Since then, Corey Glover (vocals), Vernon Reid (guitars), Doug Wimbish (bass) and Will Calhoun (drums) have been making solid and innovative rock ’n’roll records for nearly three decades. “It was a blessing, really,” says Glover, interviewed from his home in New York in August. “That song put us in some very interesting places as a young band. It got us a lot of exposure [that] not a lot of bands get with their first record.” He continues: “Think about it. It’s almost 30 years old now, and that song still resonates with people today. It is a blessing as it stands the test of time. But in a way, there is a bit of a curse to it, as well. The other material we wrote kind of fell by the wayside — [it gets] looked over in favor of ‘Cult of Personality.’ “We aren’t a band that wants to keep making the same record or song over and over. We want to move forward and keep exploring the vast influences in our lives.” Pittsburgh fans will get a chance to see Living Colour when the band headlines the Oct. 14 Le Crème Music and Arts Festival, in Allentown. The free, all-day event, presented by Supermonkey Recording Company, will take place in the neighborhood’s business district. While the band is sure to play songs like “Cult,” attendees will also hear new music. Earlier this summer, the band released its fifth studio record, Shade, which besides original material, also includes a bombastic cover of the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya?” “I am a big, big fan of Biggie,” Glover says. “The first idea was to do it in a spokenword form, but that didn’t go over so well. Then we fleshed it out Living Colour style.” INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
LE CRÈME MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL with Living Colour, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers and more. 11 a.m.-11p.m. Sat., Oct. 14. Supermonkey Recording Studios, 813 E. Warrington Ave., Allentown. Free. All ages. www.iloversupermonkey.com
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RECORD DAY {BY MEG FAIR}
Join Planned Parenthood of Western PA and Pittsburgh City Paper to celebrate what Parenthood Planned Parenthoo means to you! Crafts! S*ex o Je pardy
Purchase food from
Franktua Food Tru ry ck!
Thu., Oct Oct. 122
Oct. 18 is DJ Appreciation Day. And we’re not talking some made-up day like National Ice Cream Day or Wear Red Shoes Day; this was made official by members of Pittsburgh City Council. “Professional DJs have about 104 workable days of the year,” explains TJ Harris, a.k.a. DJ Get Nasty. “Multiply that by the number of venues and divide that by how many DJs we have in Pittsburgh, which is over 300; you can imagine how hard it is to survive on our art alone.” Harris has been a DJ for about 16 years. DJ Appreciation Day was his idea. “A lot of us make sacrifices choosing this career path; birthdays, holidays and weekends are pretty much non-existent,” he writes in an email to City Paper. And as much as this event is a reminder to non-DJs of the work those artists do, the event is also an opportunity for unity and friendship-building within the DJ community.
Glitter Box Theater 6:30 - 10 p.m. {PHOTO COURTESY OF ZACH ROSS}
DJ Get Nasty, a.k.a. TJ Harris
Empress
All Ages!
Tickets at the door,
“Bringing artists together that “ represent the diversity of Pittsburgh’s repre nightlife helps us to grow our community night demonstrate the true bonds that music and d creates,” says Harris. “It also gives us a creat night together to enjoy ourselves before it’s time to get back to work this weekend!” The T day will start with a proclamation from Pittsburgh City Councilor Corey O’Connor making DJ Appreciation Day O’Co bona fide. At 9 p.m., a cast of DJs past present will perform at Goldmark in and p Lawrenceville, a bar and gathering place that is DJ-owned and -operated. It sports a giant glowing “No fucking requests” sign located by the performers. Although there’s much competition within the world of DJing, Harris writes that Pittsburgh’s is an overtly friendly, supportive group. “I can’t tell you how many group chats I’m in with DJs who weekly throw each other gigs, lend each other equipment, work on music together and try to grow together.” Be a part of the celebration first with a DJ-themed flash tattoo giveaway at Low Card Tattoo at noon, then head to Goldmark at night for an all-star lineup of Pittsburgh’s finest DJs. MEGFAIR@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
suggested
$10 donation $5 with student ID 28
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
A PLACE TO GROW LOOMING’S Seed is a beautiful, intimate
Oakland
Two it h sw e e B r sion for s i m Ad sts 21+ gue
Looming
{BY MEG FAIR}
460 Melwood Ave.,
Musical perf rformances by Merilette and Childlik e
{PHOTO COURTESY OF VERONICA MULLEN}
DJ APPRECIATION DAY 9 p.m.-midnight, Wed., Oct. 18. The Goldmark, 4517 Butler St., Lawrenceville. www.thegoldmark.com 10.11/10.18.2017
rock voyage of longing and personal confrontation. Beautiful harmonies and catchy hooks draw you into the brooding, moody instrumentals. It’s pretty but dark, carefully produced to sound tight but raw. Vocalist and bassist Jessica Knight’s captivating, unique voice and timbre are so emotive. As she belts, “What is it like to feel good again?” on the record’s title track, goosebumps creep up my arms every time. Looming began in Springfield, Ill., in 2013, but the band is now split between Springfield (guitarists Nick DeMarco and Mitch Baker) and Pittsburgh (guitarist/ keys player Cassie Staub, drummer Brandon Carnes, vocalist/bassist Knight). As a result, Looming is no stranger to distance. Seed was recorded while Knight was living in Austin, Texas, and Brandon Carnes had just moved to Braddock. CP chatted with Knight on the phone, as the band hunkered down in Springfield to practice for its upcoming tour. “We wrote the record through Google Docs and demo recordings and videos,” explains Knight. “[Carnes would] send me songs, and I’d write lyrics to them, just listening to them over and over on the bus to the work and thinking about them all day.” “I had this shitty USB Rock Band video-game microphone that I would plug into my laptop to record all my vocal demos. To signify the parts that weren’t me, I’d just sing them and pitch-shift my voice to reflect who would be singing it,” laughs Knight. “It sounded absolutely
ridiculous, but I’d be like, ‘You get what I’m saying, right!?’” When the record began to come together, band members took turns recording in Carnes’ studio, since it was hard for all to get off work at the same time. “A lot of us didn’t get to see each other during the process,” says Knight. “As we practiced for the release show, and now for tour, it’s some of the first times we got to play the songs together in a room.” Seed, recorded and produced by Carnes, is catchy and artfully constructed, but the lyrical themes are heavy.
LOOMING
WITH EMPTY BEINGS AND HONEY 7 p.m. Tue., Oct. 17. Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $10. www.mrsmalls.com
“It was [written during] the first time I’d moved to a different part of the country,” says Knight. “Seed is that feeling where I know I’m moving forward, but the current part of the process is really hard. You love where you are, but you also miss home, but you also know that home will never be the same now that you left once. You have this idea that whenever you move, everything will be different, and you’ll be happy all the time. But once you settle in, you realize that some of those [unhappy] feelings are things you need to resolve that you’ve been avoiding.” But as Carnes and Knight sing in gentle harmony on album-closer “Lace,” “I never thought you’d say goodbye / Forevermore your heart beats through mine,” it makes you think that maybe resolution doesn’t have to mean erasure of the past. Maybe it’s about bringing those experiences with you on your next journey. M E G FA I R@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
CRITICS’ PICKS {PHOTO COURTESY OF MAURA JACOB}
GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER! THE ONLY ALL CAT BAND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! REAL RESCUED HOUSE CATS!
October
11-15
Action Camp Sponsored By
When there are so many big and terrible things going on, it can seem frivolous to go out and have fun. Thus, it’s nice when the going-out part supports a good cause. The aptly titled Shake Your Unlucky Off event at James Street Gastropub will benefit programs for women in the Skaramangas refugee camp in Greece. Singer-songwriter Molly Rae, who also organized the event, will perform along with Wreck Loose drummer Derek Krystek and local pop singer Nick Barilla. There will also be costumes and raffles prizes to take your mind off national catastrophes and Friday the 13th. Hannah Lynn 6:30 p.m. 422 Foreland St., North Whitney Side. $7-10. All ages. Rose 412-904-3335 or www.jamestreet gastropub.com
[HALLOWEEN FOREVER] + SAT., OCT. 14 Technically, Halloween is only one day a year, but for spooky souls, it lasts through all of October. Any day of the month is fit for a ghoul’s night out, like the Dark Wave Cabaret at Cattivo, which bills itself as “two floors of spooktacular entertainment.” (If Halloween lasts the whole month, so do its puns.) One floor features the goth sounds of DJs Derelict, Erica Scary, KellyA and Callisto. The other features local bands covering angsty favorites, like darkwave rockers Action Camp playing The Smiths and Thunder Vest taking on The Runaways. On top of it all, the event benefits Mike Devine, a 2018 candidate for Pennsylvania state representative, because the scariest thing of all is not caring
NEWS
+
about local elections. HL 9 p.m. 146 44th St., Lawrenceville. $9. 21 and older. 412-687-2157 or www.cattivopgh.com
TICKETS: $23-$38 ONLINE $26-$41 AT THE DOOR
[ROCK] + SAT., OCT. 14 Jessica Lea Mayfield’s voice is light and soft, creating the illusion that her music is too. But after she told fans on Instagram she was having surgery for an injury sustained in an abusive relationship, the songs on her latest album, Sorry Is Gone, have a quiet heaviness to them. “Gotta wash you off / Every single DNA strand / Gotta wash you offa my hands,” she laments on the deceptively bubbly “Offa My Hands.” She’ll play Club Café along with New York folk/punk-rock singer Mal Blum. HL 9 p.m. 58 S. 12th St., South Side. 21 and older. $15. 412431-4950 or www. clubcafelive.com {PHOTO COURTESY OF JEN SQUIRES}
[BENEFIT] + FRI., OCT. 13
[COUNTRY] + TUE., OCT. 17
+
MUSIC
+
ARTS
937 LIBERTY AVE. 1ST FLOOR
PART OF THE PROCEEDS BENEFITS
ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE
ADVANCED TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT WWW.CIRCUSCATS.COM
SUPERMONKEY RECORDING CO. PRESENTS
FREE MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL
OCTOBER 14TH 11AM TO 11PM * RAIN OR SHINE
Canada is an underrated exporter of country singers, and Whitney Rose is a perfect example. Her voice is smooth, but her songs have grit, like when she croons about one-night stands (“You Don’t Scare Me”) and mistreating an ex (“Better to My Baby”). The sound on her recently released Rule 62 (named after an Alcoholics Anonymous story in which the moral is “don’t take yourself too seriously”) ranges from traditional country to surf rock to jazz-pop standards. She’ll play Club Café tonight along with Minneapolis acoustic trio Northern Comfort. HL 8 p.m. 58 S. 12th St., South Side. 21 and older. $8-10. 412-431-4950 or www.clubcafelive.com
M A I N F E AT U R E
BRICOLAGE’S THEATER
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Allentown Business District
Pittsburgh, PA
LIVING COLOUR Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers, The Dirty Charms, Stone Wicked Souls, Midknight Rose, Neverweres, Milly, Venus In Furs, Chip DiMonick, The Shadow Event, + TBA
ilovesupermonkey.com/lecreme y eme SPONSORED BY
WARRINGTON BEER
tton·ic n·ic RECORDING ORDING STUD STUDIOS
PITTSBURGH, PA
EVENTS
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TO SUBMIT A LISTING: HTTP://PGHCITYPAPER.COM/HAPPENINGS {ALL LISTINGS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 9 A.M. FRIDAY PRIOR TO PUBLICATION}
8 p.m. Irwin. 724-367-4000. LIVEBURGHSTUDIO. Meeting of Important People & Bad Custer. 4 p.m. Glenshaw. 412-726-2563. BLOOMFIELD BRIDGE TAVERN. THE R BAR. The Bo Hog Brothers. As Ladders & Kayla Schureman. 9:30 p.m. Dormont. 412-942-0882. 9 p.m. Bloomfield. 412-862-8611. REX THEATER. Wolves in the CLUB CAFE. Wayne ‘The Train’ Throne Room & Pillorian. 7 p.m. Hancock. 7 p.m. South Side. South Side. 412-381-6811. 412-431-4950. SPEAL’S TAVERN. HOWLERS. The Cheats, King’s Ransom. 9 p.m. New The Festal Shout & Alexandra. 724-433-1322. Fight Before Surrender. ZANDERS SPORTS 9 p.m. Bloomfield. BAR & NIGHT CLUB. 412-682-0320. Van Waylon. ww. r w SALEM’S EVENT pe 9 p.m. Monroeville. ghcitypa p CENTER. Pandemic & .com 724-387-2444. Pittonkatonk present: Los Wemblers de Iquitos. 8 p.m. Strip District. 412-251-6058. HARD ROCK CAFE. Gene Stovall THE GLITTER BOX THEATER. Music Group. 7 p.m. Station #ISTANDWITHPP: A Glitter Box Square. 412-481-7625. Bash. Feat. The Childlike Empress MR. SMALLS THEATER. Timeflies. & Merilette. 6:30 p.m. Oakland. 7 p.m. Millvale. 412-821-4447. 724-699-2613. THE R BAR. Billy the Kid’s Steel Town All-Stars. 7 p.m. Dormont. 412-942-0882. DIESEL. Blameshift & The Nearly VINOSKI WINERY. Joe Deads, The Art of Burning Bridges. Materkowski. 1 p.m. Greensburg. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800. 724-872-3333. THE LAMP THEATRE. Artimus Pyle. 8 p.m. Irwin. 724-367-4000. MOONDOG’S. Muscle of Love, 13 Saints & MaxXouT. 9 p.m. Blawnox. 412-828-2040. THE MR. ROBOTO PROJECT. Brook Pridemore, Small Pollen, Old Game & Dinah Heart. 7 p.m. Bloomfield. 412-706-1643. PARK HOUSE. Elkhound. 9:30 p.m. North Side. 412-224-2273. SMILING MOOSE. Marah in the Mainsail, Ferdinand the Bull & The Lone Pines. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4668. SWEETWATER CENTER FOR THE ARTS. The Buckle Downs. MAVUNO Music Series 7 p.m. Sewickley. 412-741-4405.
ROCK/POP THU 12
FULL LIST ONLINE
SUN 15
FRI 13
MON 16 DIESEL. (hed)p.e. & Dope. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800.
TUE 17 DIESEL. Red, 10 Years & Otherwise. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800.
WED 18 ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM. Arto Lindsay & Beauty Pill. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-237-8300. ARSENAL BOWLING LANES. Murder for Girls. 9 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-683-5993. CLUB CAFE. Andrew Belle. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4950. MR. SMALLS THEATER. Julien Baker w/ Half Waif. 7 p.m. Millvale. 412-821-4447.
DJS THU 12 THE GOLDMARK. Buscrates w/ Selecta, Buscrates + Count Bass D. Buscrates 16-Bit Ensemble’s “Home Again” release party. 10 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-688-8820.
MP 3 MONDAY
SAT 14 BAJA BAR AND GRILL. No Bad JuJu Band. 9 p.m. Fox Chapel. 412-963-0640. BALTIMORE HOUSE. Jason C raig Band. 9 p.m. Pleasant Hills. 412-653-3800. BLOOMFIELD BRIDGE TAVERN. ATS, Rowdy Bovines, Raised By Wolves, Igor & The Melees. 8 p.m. Bloomfield. 412-682-8611. BRILLOBOX. Paddy the Wanderer w/Delicious Pastries and Honey. 9 p.m. Bloomfield. 412-621-4900. DOWNEY’S HOUSE. Mr. B & The Bad Boyz. 9:30 p.m. Robinson. 412-489-5631. THE HOB NOB LOUNGE. E Z Action. 9 p.m. West Mifflin. 412-461-8541. KNUCKLEHEAD’S BAR. Tobacco Road. 9 p.m. Ross. 412-366-7468. THE LAMP THEATRE. Jaggers.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
10.11/10.18.2017
{PHOTO COURTESY OF JON B. SNOW}
MURDER FOR GIRLS
Each week we post a song from a local artist online for free. This week, it’s “Jennifer Lynch,” by punk-rock stalwarts Murder For Girls. A groovy, eerie bass line threads through a catchy ’90s-style pop-rock number full of grit and crunch. Stream or download “Jennifer Lynch” for free on FFW>>>, the music blog at pghcitypaper.com.
HEAVY ROTATION
ANDORA RESTAURANT - FOX CHAPEL. Pianist Harry Cardillo & vocalist Charlie Sanders. 6:30 p.m. Fox Chapel. 412-967-1900. CITY OF ASYLUM @ ALPHABET CITY. Phat Man Dee. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-435-1110.
George Fetner, Zack Pentecost, and the world-premiere of Thomas Dempster’s ‘twine’. The program also includes Paulo Bellinati’s Jongo, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Fuga Elegiaca, and tunes from the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris. 4 p.m. Mt. Lebanon. 412-531-7153.
SAT 14
WED 18
FRI 13
Here are four tracks that CP music writer Meg Fair can’t stop listening to: Title Fight
JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. The Tony Campbell Jam Session. Speakeasy. 5 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335. THE MONROEVILLE RACQUET CLUB. Jazz Bean Live. 7 p.m. Monroeville. 412-728-4155. THE SPACE UPSTAIRS. Second Saturdays. Jazz-happening series feat. live music, multimedia experimentations, more. Hosted by The Pillow Project. 8 p.m. Point Breeze. 412-225-9269. TABLE 86 BY HINES WARD. RML Jazz. 7:30 p.m. Mars. 412-370-9621.
“27� Marcy Playground
“Sex and Candy�
Looming
“Smoke�
SUN 15 ROCKS LANDING BAR & GRILLE. Tony Campbell, John Hall, Howie Alexander & Dennis Garner. 7 p.m. McKees Rocks. 412-875-5809.
Mitski
FRI 13 ANDYS WINE BAR. DJ Malls Spins Vinyl. 5 p.m. Downtown. 412-773-8884. DEE’S CAFE. Punk Night w/ DJ Ian. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-431-1314. THE FLATS ON CARSON. Pete Butta. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-586-7644. JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. PLAY: an electronic chill out session. speakeasy. 10 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335. ONE 10 LOUNGE. DJ Goodnight, DJ Rojo. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-874-4582. RUGGER’S PUB. 80s Night w/ DJ Connor. 9 p.m. South Side. 412-381-1330.
SAT 14 DIESEL. DJ CK. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800. PERLE CHAMPAGNE BAR. DJ Tenova. ladies night. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-471-2058. REMEDY. Feeling Without Touching. 10 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-781-6771.
SUN 15 THE PARK HOUSE. SoulfulFella & The Bike Funx. 6 p.m. North Side. 412-224-2273.
NEWS
HAMBONE’S. Ian Kane, Ronnie Weiss & Tom Boyce. Jazz Standards, showtunes & blues. 6:30 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-681-4318.
THE GOLDMARK. Pete Butta. Reggae & dancehall. 10 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-688-8820. SEVICHE. Hot Salsa & Bachata Nights. 10 p.m. Downtown. 843-670-8465.
565 LIVE. The Flow Band feat. Finneydredlox, Joe Spliff, Deb Star, D.Lane, Sam Fingers. 8:30 p.m. Bellevue. 412-522-7556.
CARNEGIE LIBRARY, OAKLAND. Chet Vincent. 2 p.m. Oakland. 724-622-3151.
CLASSICAL FRI 13 BLACK VIOLIN. 7:30 p.m. Byham
ACOUSTIC
BLUES O’DONNA’S. The Bo’Hog Brothers. 8 p.m. Beaver. 878-313-3418.
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON HOTEL PITTSBURGH - CRANBERRY. The Eclectic Acoustics. 6 p.m. Cranberry. 724-766-6900. MR. SMALLS THEATER. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. 7 p.m. Millvale. 412-821-4447.
SAT 14
SAT 14
FRI 13
DOUBLE WIDE GRILL. Right TurnClyde. 9 p.m. Mars. 724-553-5212. THE HARDWOOD CAFE. The Eclectic Acoustics. 7 p.m. Butler. 724-586-5335. VINOSKI WINERY. Jennifer Drummey. 1 p.m. Greensburg. 724-872-3333.
JAZZ THU 12 JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Roger Humphries Jam Session. Ballroom. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-904-3335. RILEY’S POUR HOUSE. Jazz Happy Hour w/ Martin Rosenberg. 5:30 p.m. Lucarelli Jazz w/ Louis Lucarelli & Andy Yaulch. 8 p.m. Carnegie. 412-279-0770. VALLOZZI’S PITTSBURGH. Eric Johnson. 5:30 p.m. Downtown. 412-394-3400.
CALIFORNIA COFFEE BAR. Paz and Ukulele Eddie. 12 p.m. Brighton Heights. 412-766-0444. HAMBONE’S. Calliope Old Time Appalachian Jam. 5 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-681-4318. ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH. Duo Cortado. Featuring new works for two guitars by Kevin Cope,
MUSIC
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ARTS
CHATHAM BAROQUE: THE ITALIAN TRIO SONATA. Feat. the many permutations of the trio sonata, w/ works by Vivaldi & fellow Italian masters Corelli, Bertali & Castello. Guests: Leon Schelhase (harpsichord) & Paul Miller (violin). Synod Hall. 8 p.m. Oakland. 412-687-1788.
FRI 13 LINDEN GROVE. Nightlife. 9 p.m. Castle Shannon. 412-882-8687. RIVERS CASINO. Billy The Kid Trio. Levels. 9 p.m. Mike Tomaro Quartet. Drum Bar. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-231-7777.
CHATHAM BAROQUE: THE ITALIAN TRIO SONATA. Chatham Baroque sets the stage for our season of “threes,� featuring the many permutations of the trio sonata, with works by Vivaldi & fellow Italian masters Corelli, Bertali & Castello. Guests Leon Schelhase (harpsichord) & Paul Miller (violin). Campbell Memorial Chapel. 2:30 p.m. Squirrel Hill. 412-687-1788. PITTSBURGH SINGS! THE PITTSBURGH CONCERT CHORALE’S FESTIVAL OF CHOIRS. Choirs from City Charter High School, Shaler Area High
SAT 14 CARNEGIE LECTURE HALL. The Weight. 7:30 p.m. Oakland. 412-316-1915. CATTIVO. Dark Wave Cabaret. 8:30 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2157. RIVERS CASINO. Mark Ferrari. Levels. 9 p.m. Velveeta. Drum Bar. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-231-7777.
POPE
A TEEN TER CUS
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LOCALLY SOURCED
KARLITA-LEAD� “SPIR PAYNE
RRY E A R T ECONXTETMPLU O BAL ET FOOD TRUCKS d Spee ĹŞ O N 6C OĹŻM P E T I T IR T Y R & AFTE
SUN 15
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LINDEN GROVE. Karaoke. 8 p.m. Castle Shannon. 412-882-8687. RIVERS CASINO. Jeff Jimerson Duo. Levels. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-231-7777. STAGE AE. Milky Chance. 7 p.m. North Side. 412-229-5483.
THU 12
B I LNLO N
A M I RS MILE
SMILING MOOSE. Rock Star Karaoke w/ T-MONEY. 9:30 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4668.
MOONDOG’S. Anthony Gomes, Cash Box Kings w/ Jimmy Adler. 8:30 p.m. Blawnox. 412-828-2040.
SAT 14
OTHER MUSIC
S H A N BRIAN
WPCA ACADEMY. WPCA Academy Jazz Night presented by WPCA Academy and Reggie Watkins. 7 p.m. Verona. 724-816-8662.
THU 12
School, and South Fayette High School perform individually, then join the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale for an awe-inspiring finale! This show highlights the wonderful choral music being made in our beloved city! Carnegie Music Hall. 4 p.m. Oakland. 412-635-7654.
SUN 15
FRI 13
WED 18
WED 18
M A I N F E AT U R E
PIRATA. The Flow Band. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-323-3000.
RILEY’S POUR HOUSE. Jazz Happy Hour w/ Martin Rosenberg. 5:30 p.m. Carnegie. 412-279-0770.
TUE 17
+
THU 12
SUN 15
TUE 17 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.
REGGAE
COUNTRY
MON 16
“I Don’t Smoke�
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. WHEELFISH. Jason Born. 7 p.m. Ross. 412-487-8909.
Theater, Downtown. 412-456-6666. CHATHAM BAROQUE: THE ITALIAN TRIO SONATA. Feat. the many permutations of the trio sonata, w/ works by Vivaldi & fellow Italian masters Corelli, Bertali & Castello. Guests: Leon Schelhase (harpsichord) & Paul Miller (violin). Westminster Presbyterian Church. 7:30 p.m. Upper St. Clair. 412-687-1788.
PA
HOUR 8PM $25 VARIETY HOSTED BY WQED’S RICK SEBAK
9PM
$5 ADV. $10 DOOR
NO COVER ALL NIGHT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14
SPEED-PAINTING
AUGUST WILSON CENTER
COMPETITION & AFTER PARTY
BOX OFFICE AT THEATER SQUARE
FOOD TRUCKS
412-456-6666 • GROUPS 10+ 412-471-6930
TRUSTARTS.ORG /MULTIPLECHOICE
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What to do October 11- 17 WEDNESDAY 11
Persian Traditional Music: Rohab Ensamle w/ Sepideh Raissadat KRESGE THEATRE Carnegie Mellon University. 412-779-4011. For tickets and more info visit centerforiranianmusic.org. 8p.m.
The Amazing Acro-Cats BRICOLAGE THEATER Downtown. 412-471-0999. Tickets: circuscats.com. Through Oct. 15.
Issues MR. SMALLS THEATRE Millvale. 412-421-4447. With special guests Volumes, Too Close to Touch & Sylar. All ages event. Tickets: ticketweb.com/opusone. 7p.m.
THURSDAY 12 #IStandWithPP: A Glitter Box Bash GLITTER BOX THEATER
IN PITTSBURGH
Oakland. With special guests Marilette & The Childlike Empress. All ages event. Tickets available at the door. 6:30p.m.
monkey.com/lecreme. 11a.m.
Double Trouble TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL Washington. Tickets: 1-888-71-TICKETS or washsym.org. 8p.m.
Milky Chance STAGE AE North Side. With special guest Gene Evaro Jr. Tickets: ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Doors open at 7p.m.
Maker Faire Pittsburgh CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH North Side. All ages event. For more info visit makerfairepittsburgh. com. Through Oct. 15.
FRIDAY 13 135 21+: Mad Science
CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER North Side. Over 21 event. For tickets and more info visit carnegiesciencecenter.org. 6p.m.
LGBT Film Festival HARRIS THEATER Downtown. For tickets and more info visit reelq.org. Through Oct. 21.
Shostakovich Triumphant HEINZ HALL Downtown. 412-392-4900.
SUNDAY 15 Free Sundays at the Museums
ROBAH ENSAMBLE W/ SEPIDEH RAISSADAT KRESGE THEATRE OCTOBER 11 Tickets: pittsburghsymphony. org. Through Oct. 15.
DODO: the time has come. CARNEGIE MUSEUMS OF ART & NATURAL HISTORY Oakland. For tickets and more info visit cmoa.org.
CARNEGIE MUSEUMS OF ART & NATURAL HISTORY Oakland. Free admission. 10a.m.
Through Nov. 19.
SATURDAY 14 Le Crème Music & Arts Festival ALLENTOWN BUSINESS DISTRICT. Free event. For more info visit ilovesuper
MONDAY 16
Knockout Kid, Story Untold & Rivals SMILING MOOSE South Side. 412-431-4668. With special guest Tommy
Traina. All ages event. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 6p.m.
Pickwick CLUB CAFE South Side. 412-431-4950. With special guest The Elwins. Over 21 event. Tickets: ticketweb.com/ opusone. 8p.m.
TUESDAY 17 Motionless In White STAGE AE North Side. With special guests The Amity Affliction, Miss May I & William Control. Tickets: ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Doors open at 6p.m.
The Spill Canvas REX THEATER South Side. 412-381-1681. With special guests Chase Huglin, Two Birds & Atlantic Wasteland. All ages event. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 8p.m.
OPEN HOUSE INTERVIEWS IMMEDIATE ONSITE
10AM-6PM • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12
32
12450 Perry Highway, Wexford PA 15090
Applicants must be 18 years of age, have valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle.
• FT Block Shifts • FT Awake Overnight • PT Support Staff • PT Awake Overnight
Call 724-933-5142 for more information To apply go to: www.invisionhs.org/careers/
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
10.11/10.18.2017
EEO EMPLOYER
[COMEDY]
“THERE WERE PLACES I HAD NEVER BEEN.”
TRANSLATING {BY SAM LEONARD}
INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
GAD ELMALEH Thu., Oct. 12-Sat., Oct. 14. Pittsburgh Improv, 166 E. Bridge St., West Homestead. $22. 412-462-5233 or www.pittsburgh.improv.com NEWS
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[STAGE]
WHAT SURVIVES {BY BILL O’DRISCOLL}
“Wow, he’s talking to us directly?”: Gad Elmaleh
American audiences might recognize Gad Elmaleh as the private investigator in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. But most of his seven-million-plus Twitter followers know him for his work on stage as France’s most successful standup comic. Elmaleh, as part of an extensive North American tour, makes his Pittsburgh debut at the Improv with five shows Oct. 12-14. Before Elmaleh, there wasn’t much American-style standup comedy in Europe. He began by writing and performing what American audiences might call one-man shows, which can incorporate music, scenery, and dialogue between characters. Elmaleh, speaking by phone recently from France, recalls his friend Jerry Seinfeld poking fun at and exaggerating the style, saying the French also use “magic tricks, animals, the circus, miming, playing with a rope.” The joking seems to have affected Elmaleh, who cites Seinfeld as a major influence in his transition toward American-style joke-telling. “I’m in love with the way [Seinfeld] takes little details and makes them a big problem.” Elmaleh’s European roots still influence his act, but these days he enjoys having a conversation with the audience rather than simply performing for them. “My first standup show in France, people were like ‘Wow, he’s talking to us directly? We’ve never seen that before!’” Elmaleh credits much of his success in France to his ability to converse with the audience. Now he’s learning to connect with American audiences. Developing a standup act requires learning from the mistakes of hundreds of shows, and editing material. That’s different from creating a one-man show, which is typically written in entirety before it’s ever performed. For Elmaleh, failing and learning what material works is half the fun. In America, he says, “I have to earn every laugh. I have to win them over. If I bomb, eh, it’s OK, I just come back and try again.” I tell him that comedian Ari Shaffir once said, “You’ve done nothing until you bomb 1,000 times.” Gad replies, “Wow. I would agree until … no. One thousand is too much.” Elmaleh sold out (and killed at) Paris’ iconic Olympia Theater for seven consecutive weeks. Those who see him in Pittsburgh will be fortunate to experience the world-famous comic in a more intimate club setting.
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HE DODO IS extinction’s poster bird. Here’s this animal ideally adapted for life on its tropical island — Mauritius — when along comes a fellow flightless biped. Within a century, no more dodos. But of course, dodo extinction was merely a prologue. Since a small group of Dutch colonists unwittingly wiped out Raphus cucullatus in the 17th century, humans have gotten amazingly proficient at driving plants and animals into oblivion. What did dodos in, scientists say, was a pre-Industrial Revolution combination of hunting, habitat destruction and importing invasive species like pigs, which ate dodo eggs and competed with them for food. Today, with earth-movers, industrial logging and global warming, and the numbers of invasive species mounting, it’s estimated that worldwide we’re extirpating dozens of species each day — at least 1,000 times the natural “background rate” of a few species a year. It’s been called the sixth great extinction, one to rival the end of the dinosaurs. Only this one’s not by meteor; it’s completely hand-crafted. By some estimates, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, Earth could lose up to half of its species by the middle of this century. That’s a sobering premise for a work of immersive theater. But DODO, the latest from Bricolage Production Company, wants to redefine our relationship to nature (and to museums) somewhat like the troupe’s immersive breakthrough STRATA (2012) did for self-actualization, and OjO (2014) did for sensory experience. (There’s also Enter the Imaginarium, Bricolage’s theatrical escape-room collaboration with ScareHouse.) For the unprecedently ambitious DODO, Bricolage takes over the Carnegie
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{PHOTO COURTESY OF HANDERSON GOMES}
jomo ray in Bricolage Production Company’s DODO, at the Carnegie Museums
Museums of art and natural history, including not only familiar gallery spaces but also hidden chambers seldom if ever accessible to the public.
DODO Oct. 13-Nov. 19. Bricolage Production Co. at the Carnegie Museums, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $60 (18 and over). www.bricolagepgh.org
While Bricolage is sparing with preview details, ticket-buyers will receive emailed instructions from a mysterious society that
sets forth a mission. Visitors, in groups of six, will embark on dreamlike 90-minute journeys through the two massive buildings, along the way encountering members of a cast of 16 playing various roles. (One track is wheelchair-accessible.) But there is a choose-your-own-adventure element, and each visitor’s experience will be unique. The show runs mostly Wednesdays through Saturdays for six weeks starting Oct. 13. If past Bricolage immersives are any guide, expect a little bit of narrative, a lot of sensory stimulation, and some thoughtful mystery. Bricolage developed DODO in close CONTINUES ON PG. 34
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WHAT SURVIVES, CONTINUED FROM PG. 33
presents
an evening of musical pairings
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 8:00 PM
Tickets available at 1-888-71-TICKETS or www.washsym.org. Tickets start at just $17.
TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL 231 Park Avenue Washington, PA 15301
For more information call 724-223-9796 or visit www.washsym.org FREE PARKING! The WSO has received funding for its 2017-2018 season marketing project from the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency, Inc.
C O H E N
&
G R I G S B Y
T R U S T
P R E S E N T S
S E R I E S
2017 EDITION
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2017 7:30PM • BYHAM THEATER BOX OFFICE AT THE ATER SQUARE • 412-456-6666 GROUPS 10+ TICKETS 412-471-6930 TRUS TARTS. ORG
collaboration with the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Bricolage co-artistic director Jeffrey Carpenter says that inspirations ranged from word of a touring show of art reproductions that sparked discussions about the “authenticity” of artworks to the Carnegie’s own Nexus initiative, which forges links between art and science. Nexus’ inaugural series was this year’s Strange Times: Earth in the Age of the Human, which used talks, performances and exhibits to explore the idea that people have so profoundly altered the planet that we now inhabit a new geologic age: the Anthropocene. (DODO also handily ties in with the natural-history museum’s new exhibit We Are Nature: Living in the Anthropocene, opening Oct. 28.) As with STRATA and OjO, the core creative team for DODO includes Carpenter, Bricolage co-artistic director Tami Dixon, lead writer Gab Cody, and Sam Turich, who shares directing duties with the other three. The co-creators spent about a year doing research, largely by interviewing Carnegie Museum scientists, art conservators and other staff. Staffers were eager to share their expertise, says Maureen Rolla, Carnegie Museums’ director of strategic initiatives. “Everybody’s been so excited about the piece,” she says. “What I’ve seen is, people really wanted to go out of their way to accommodate Bricolage.” Bricolage was likewise motivated by Carnegie staffers’ love of their work. “We’re trying to bring some of that enthusiasm and that energy to the experience,” says Turich. Whether learning about the restored frames of paintings or the architecture of a bird’s preserved wing, the creative team was fascinated, and moved, throughout the process. “It’s been transporting and eye-opening,” says Cody. “Awe-inspiring. Enough to make you weep.” Whether you visit the Carnegie regularly or haven’t been there for years, DODO is also likely to transform your relationship with the physical space — and not just because of the production’s sound design, by District 5 Sound, or Rob Long’s lighting design. You’ll also be seeing mysterious parts of the building. “I’ve worked here for 17 years. There were places I had never been,” says Rolla. “It’s going to be very surprising for people.” DODO will also ask questions about museums themselves: What gets collected, and why? Who gets to do the collecting? Who gets access to what’s collected? But Cody emphasizes that to think about extinction is also to ponder the idea of value: What does our culture want, regardless of the expense? What would it give up to save something else? “Where do we place our value?” she says. “What do we protect?” DR ISC O L L @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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[DANCE]
RESISTING {BY STEVE SUCATO}
Ananya Dance Theatre {PHOTO COURTESY OF V. PAUL VIRTUCIO}
blogh.pghcitypaper.com
Every time you click “reload,” the saints cry.
Resistance and resilience in the face of social injustice form the basis of Minneapolis-based Ananya Dance Theatre’s new multimedia dance-theater work Shyamali: Sprouting Words, Oct. 13 and 14 at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater. The Indian contemporary dance company’s 90-minute, intermissionless dance-theater work, choreographed by artistic director/activist Ananya Chatterjea, gets its title from the Bengali word for “dark green.” Chatterjea says the color invokes the resilience of grass, springing back up when trodden upon. In the work, she relates that resilience to that of women who speak out against injustice. “Women are on the frontline of issues of [social] injustice,” says Chatterjea, speaking by phone from Providence, R.I., where she was attending a symposium. “What does it mean for women to stand at edge of resistance all the time?” The non-narrative multimedia work for eight women was commissioned by the Kelly-Strayhorn and other supporters. It premiered last month in St. Paul, Minn., and is in part a response to recent events including the 2016 police shooting of Philando Castile, in Minnesota, and protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline. Dissent, says Chatterjea, fuels life force and growth. The work celebrates women who speak up and the courage of those who refuse to be broken. In the work, the dancers employ “Yorchha,” Chatterjea’s signature movement language that blends classical Indian dance, yoga and an Indian martialarts form. For this piece, Chatterjea also invokes the aesthetic of the Dakini — a wrathful female spirit in Tantric Hinduism — that traditionally is embodied as destruction, chaos and transformation. “I want the dancers to show up in the work as women in a state of unraveling,” says Chatterjea. “As people in the world, not as perfect dancers.” Performed to an original score by Greg Schutte, along with an original video backdrop by Darren Johnson and set design by Joel Sass, the work is a theatrical experience. Exemplifying its subtitle, “Sprouting Words,” the work also incorporates original text and poetry from Chatterjea. “I am interested in seeing resistance as acts of love,” says Chatterjea. “This work is a journey the audiences can take with us as we become the very spirit of grass.” INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
ANANYA DANCE THEATRE performs SHYAMALI: SPROUTING WORDS 8 p.m. Fri., Oct. 13, and 8 p.m. Sat., Oct. 14. Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Pay what makes you happy. 412-363-3000 or www.kelly-strayhorn.org
[BOOKS]
Sherman Alexie {PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE TOWNDROW}
{BY ALEX GORDON}
READ L THE FUL W INTERVIE w.
at ww aper p pghcitym .co
Sherman Alexie was parked on the side of the road, listening to Tom Petty, when City Paper called last Tuesday. It was the day after the singer’s death and two days after the mass shooting in Las Vegas. Asked how he was, Alexie said “good,” then corrected it to “terrible.” “It’s a terrible time … for all of us.” It’s been a challenging year for the critically acclaimed author, 50. Earlier this year, he embarked on a book tour celebrating the release of his memoir, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, and the 10th anniversary of his breakout young-adult novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. But in July, citing struggles with mental health, he abruptly canceled a handful of dates in an open letter posted to Facebook. (His Oct. 15 and 16 Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures appearances were not among them.) The memoir focused in large part on the life and death of his mother and their complicated relationship; early in the tour, he began experiencing odd, semisupernatural occurrences that felt an awful lot like his mother was present. “As I write in the memoir, I don’t believe in ghosts, but I see them all the time,” he wrote. It was taking a toll. He was sobbing every night, struggling to keep it together at his appearances. So he took a break. “When I am strong enough, I will return to the road,” he wrote. It seems like it was a good call. On the phone, he was jocular and warm. The Petty soundtrack was helping, as did the time off. He seemed almost optimistic. “[At] the first [gig] since I went back on the road, I got a standing ovation coming out on stage. I sat down laughing and said, ‘Wow, you guys were really worried about me!’” says Alexie. “The thing is, for the first time in my life, I actually stopped myself before I was in trouble. So I think in this self-destructive and really awful time, I made a publicly healthy decision that I was publicly honest about and ended up feeling like a revelation to everybody. The honest public declaration to take care of myself ended up feeling like political resistance.” ALEXGORDON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
SHERMAN ALEXIE 2:30 p.m. Sun., Oct. 15 (kid-friendly; $11), and 7:30 p.m. Mon., Oct 16 (sold out). Carnegie Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. 412-621-8866 or www.pittsburghlectures.org NEWS
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She lived for art. She died for love.
PUCCINI’S TOSCA OCTOBER 13 AND 15 Photo: David Bachman ©
GHOST STORY
Benedum Center pittsburghopera.org/tosca Understand Every Word! English texts projected above the stage. Tickets start at $12 412-456-6666 Season Sponsor
Tuesday Night Sponsor: Ambridge Regional Distribution & Manufacturing Center Illustration by John Hinderliter. Campaign by Crème Fraiche Design.
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HIPPODRONE
[PLAY REVIEWS]
WHOSE TOWN?
{BY HARRY KLOMAN}
{BY TED HOOVER} I WONDER what director Ricardo Vila-Roger
would have done if I’d shown up at his rehearsals for Thornton Wilder’s Our Town at University of Pittsburgh Stages and changed his direction: putting the actors in period-appropriate clothing, perhaps reverting the random lines he translated into Spanish back into English, or maybe helping the cast understand that every character in the play was born in the 1800s and wouldn’t be striking poses and attitudes from 21st-century sitcoms. I imagine Vila-Roger would have tossed me out on my ear. And yet any such alteration of his work would pale in comparison to what’s he’s done with Wilder’s. Vila-Roger has had no compunction taking Our Town and deciding he’d … what? Make it better? More relevant? Speak to the iPhone generation? We should not demand that great works of art adapt themselves to our little lives. Great work insists that we inhabit its world as a way to examine our own. Our Town, a masterpiece, shows us the small comings and goings in a tiny New Hampshire town, and from its intense specificity, it illuminates the chaos of the universe and the infinitesimal nature of being. Our Town implores us to recognize that life doesn’t need meaning or purpose or bigness to be precious. Vila-Roger seems to have been so focused on making his voice heard he’s all but obliterated Wilder’s.
OUR TOWN continues through Sun., Oct. 15. University of Pittsburgh Stages at the Richard Rauh Studio Theatre, 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $12-25. 412-624-7529 or www.play.pitt.edu
I regret sounding so harsh: Vila-Roger is an actor with an impressive résumé of astonishing performances, and when it comes to bulldozing a playwright’s work, I’ve seen far worse and far more arrogant. But I felt cheated sitting at an Our Town having nothing to do with Thornton Wilder. It’s a large cast set adrift on stage, and while all of them work in a loud, nuancefree comedy style at odds with the unadorned melancholy of the script, Julia de Avilez Rocha brings a compelling, engaging presence as the Stage Manager, and Maya Boyd is sincere and deeply moving with Emily’s third-act catharsis. I appreciate that Vila-Roger is a highly skilled theater artist looking to make a statement. But to quote Edward Albee’s
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{PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIS STEIN}
Chantelle Guido and Will Brosnahan in The Matchmaker at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama
take on visionary directors: “Write your own damn play.” I NF O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
MATCH POINT {BY STUART SHEPPARD} AH, FARCE! What better cultural antidote
for the age we live in, which might be called the Age of Seriousness? Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama’s production of Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker (1955) will put you in a safe space of comedic absurdity and laughter, at least until, unfortunately, you have to re-enter the somber world. Dramaturg Krissy Bylancik’s program essay does an excellent job tracing the long and convoluted history of this archetypal play, which originated in the early 19th century, incorporates aspects of Roman comedy and Molière, and eventually became the Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! Chantelle Guido is scintillating as the iconic Dolly Levi, exhibiting a sense of comic timing that somehow delightfully synthesizes Rosalind Russell and Margaret Dumont. Guido exudes an overpowering rhythm of speech which envelopes everyone on stage, as if she is conducting their energy like James Brown conducted his band. Her character — always up to mischief — is bent on seducing the wealthy widower Horace Vandergelder, played by the talented William Brosnahan. When these
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two are together the action hurtles forward like a train that might — and probably will — jump the rails. Anthony McKay adroitly directs the mayhem of this show, producing classic sight and sound gags (the waiter with the precarious stack of plates, the clanging spittoon), and many hilarious scenes that rarely lose their stamina. Jasjit Williams-Singh as the vagabond Malachi Stack has several great lines, such as, “That’s no friend. That’s an employer I’m trying out for a while.” Also strong are Jada Mayo (Minnie Fay), Kevin William Paul (Cornelius Hackl), Damon Rosati (Joe the Barber/Cabman), and Scott Kennedy (Barnaby Tucker). Special mention should be made of violinist Alexander Woskob as the Gypsy Musician.
FORTY-FOUR YEARS after its sensational debut, Peter Shaffer’s Equus has become antiquated and turgid, an old war horse of theatrics with a once-provocative denouement that can’t redeem it any more. At least, not in the largely unmoving production at Pittsburgh Public Theater. The residual power of the play’s better moments never overcome the clichés of story and character, and Ted Pappas directs his actors to go big and loud when they can hope to absorb us only with an introspective whisper. Set in mid-1970s England, with the accents to remind us, Equus chronicles the efforts of an effete middle-aged psychiatrist (Daniel Krell) to help a 17-yearold boy (Spencer T. Hamp) who has a fascination with horses, but who blinded six of them one night with a metal spike. Why did he do it? What painful secret is he hiding? If therapy, hypnosis and a little white pill can’t figure it out, then the poor lad is doomed. (Spoiler alert: He is anyway).
EQUUS continues through Oct. 29. Pittsburgh Public Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown, $15.75-$75. 412-316-1600 or www.ppt.org
The authenticity of Alexis Chaney’s 1880s costumes flavors the silliness of the humor in a way that is unique to this era, while the abstract style of Selby Souza’s sets enables much of the fantastical to become achievable, and even believable. Here’s a perfect chance to put down the smartphone, get off Facebook, and enjoy a zany, well-written, well-acted farce. Like you couldn’t do with a little fun in your life right now. Seriously?
This may all have been startling to audiences in 1973, and it’s not hard to read homoeroticism into a play where a confused boy strokes the chest of his strapping costar (Ben Blazer) and then mounts his back. But today, Equus feels like Freudian recidivism — the magical ability of psychiatry to save ordinary people. The boy’s father is a working-class atheist, his mother an educated believer. No wonder he mixes up God and horses. And his doctor — in a sexless marriage to a dentist (why do people laugh at the mention of that profession?) — has an exceedingly low sperm count, which I think may be a metaphor for something (someone get back to me on that). The horses, of course, are legendarily portrayed by strutting actors outfitted with metal-frame heads and hooves, and even post-Lion King, that spectacle still provides some pleasure. But the play has no second act, except for its nudity-and-blinding scene: There’s nothing left to say as it thunders to a close, and yet, the doctor keeps talking until the blackout. Hamp, who’s beginning his career, shows promise when he’s allowed to go deep. He just needs to take on a more nuanced contemporary role that lets him be for real.
INF O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
I N F O@ P G HC I T Y P A P E R. C OM
THE MATCHMAKER continues through Sat., Oct. 14. CMU School of Drama at Philip Chosky Theatre, 5000 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $29.50-34. 412-268-2407 or www.drama.cmu.edu
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FOR THE WEEK OF
10.12-10.19.17 Full events listed online at www.pghcitypaper.com
{ART BY FARHAD MOSHIRI}
Farhad Moshiri was born in Iran, in 1963, and was quickly exposed to Western culture, partly through movies at his father’s cinemas. Before the revolution, Moshiri came to the U.S., where he studied and lived until returning to Iran, in 1991. Today, Moshiri’s art blending Western and Persian influences is collected and shown in galleries worldwide. But Farhad Moshiri: Go West, opening Oct. 13 at The Andy Warhol Museum, is his first solo museum exhibition. Warhol chief curator José Carlos Diaz says the mid-career survey includes 33 pieces, most from collections in Europe and the Middle East.
A Pop influence blended with materials and techniques rooted in traditional Persian crafts figures in works like “Yipeee,” whose cartoon cowboy rides a toy-like tractor partly rendered in hand-embroidered glass beads. “Once Upon A Time” employs kitschy cartoons from vintage postcards in a work decorated with acrylic paint applied with an antique pastry-decorating kit to suggest a sheet cake. Moshiri’s sly social commentary ironically counterpoints the new U.S. travel ban and isolationist political climate: Diaz says some of Moshiri’s works that the museum wanted to exhibit remain overseas. In Moshiri’s “Crash,” things are more straightforward: It’s a stack of Persian rugs cut clean through by the silhouette of Tom and Jerry’s cartoon cat. BY BILL O’DRISCOLL
10 a.m-5 p.m. Sat., Oct. 13. Exhibit continues through Jan. 14. 117 Sandusky St., North Side. $10-20 (free for kids under 2). 412-237-8300 or www.warhol.org
Get in the Halloween spirit with
UNHINGED: A haunted theatre experience. This brand-new mix of haunted house and immersive live theatrical performance, from Cup-A-Jo Productions and Pittsburgh Fringe, features scary stories both original and classic. There are three 90-minute shows nightly on seven dates from Oct. 13-31. Blue Hazel Studio, 13 Freeport St., Etna. $20-25. www.cupajoproductions.com
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{PHOTO COURTESY OF LARRY RIPPEL}
^ Sat., Oct. 14: Maker Faire Pittsburgh
thursday 10.12 TALK With a nod to the box-office dominance of films based on superhero comics, Mount Lebanon Library presents the inaugural Lebo Comics Festival. The five-week series of talks and events begins tonight with “Comics Now and Then,” a history of illustrative narrative by John Kelly, executive director of Pittsburgh’s very own ToonSeum museum of comic and cartoon art. It’s free. Bill O’Driscoll 7 p.m. 16 Castle Shannon Blvd., Mount Lebanon. Free. 412-531-1912 or www.mtlebanonlibrary.org
STAGE As an actor, practicing psychiatrist and trainer for the New York City police hostage-negotiation team and emergency-service unit, Anne Stockton is uniquely qualified to present her new one-woman show. In I Won’t Be in on Monday, Stockton portrays an employee in a financial firm whom a detective is interviewing about the recent disappearance of some valuable jewelry. The show, headed to New York next year, world-premieres with a four-performance run at off the WALL productions, where Stockton and director Austin Pendleton last collaborated on The Speed Queen. BO 8 p.m. Continues through
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Sun., Oct. 15. Carnegie Stages, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. $5-40. 724-873-3576 or www.insideoffthewall.com
friday 10.13 FESTIVAL The Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center brings North America’s best Bulgarian folk-dance ensembles to Pittsburgh for its third annual Bulgarian Folklore Festival, beginning today at West Mifflin Area Middle School. Highlights include New York-based Bosilek, and Florida-based Sharenitsa. After the shows, late-night, visit BMNECC, in West Homestead, for authentic, made-fromscratch Bulgarian food, dancing and live folk music from the Vlasimar Mollov Band. Amanda Reed 7 p.m. Also 6:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 14. 81 Commonwealth Ave., West Mifflin. $10 (dinner: $15-30). 412-461-6188 or www.bmnecc.org
MUSIC Chatham Baroque opens its season with The Italian Trio Sonata, featuring 100 years’ worth of chamber music for three instruments. Pieces range from obscure early-1600s works to 18th-century ^ Thu., Oct. 12: Lebo Comics Festival
PROUDLY TATTOOING PITTSBURGH SINCE 1994! The Artimus Pyle Band Oct 13 9-10 pm The Jaggerz Oct 14 8-11 pm
tattoo & piercing studio
The Tubes Oct 27 8-11pm
Open Daily, 1pm-8pm {PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE BATES}
^ Tue., Oct. 17: Flip Fabrique
masterpieces by Vivaldi and Corelli. Chatham Baroque’s core ensemble — Andrew Fouts on violin, Patricia Halverson on viola da gamba and Scott Pauley on theorbo — is joined by harpsichordist Leon Schelhase and baroque violinist Paul Miller. Tonight’s performance, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, is followed by tomorrow’s show, at Synod Hall, and Sunday’s at Campbell Memorial Chapel. AR 7:30 p.m. (2040 Washington Road, Upper St. Clair). Also 8 p.m. Sat., Oct. 14 (125 N. Craig St., Oakland), and 2:30 p.m. Sun., Oct. 15 (Chatham University campus, Shadyside). $20-35 (students: $10-15). 412-687-1788 or www.chathambaroque.org
walk-ins welcome, appointments recommended!
(412) 683-4320 5240 Butler St.
Pgh, PA • 15201 inkadinkadoo.net
Nirvanish Oct 28 8-11pm
OCTOBER 13 THROUGH 15
MAGIC
ABBEYFEST!
Mark Friday the 13th with the launch of 52 Up Close, nationally touring magician Lee Terbosic’s unique multi-week residency at Downtown’s Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh. Terbosic, a Pittsburgh native, offers an intimate evening of solo playing-card-based magic, mindreading and sleight of hand, with only 52 tickets available for each 90-minute show. There are two shows nightly tonight and every Friday and Saturday into December — plus, naturally, one on Halloween. BO 7:30 and 10 p.m. Continues through Dec. 2. 620 William Penn Place, Downtown. $52-66. www.52upclose.com
vaudeville variety shows
saturday 10.14 FESTIVAL From metalsmithing to 3-D printing, and textile arts to robotics, Maker Faire Pittsburgh returns for its third season. And for the first time, admission to this ^ Fri., Oct 13: 52 Up Close sprawling two-day showcase for tech enthusiasts, artists, engineers and more is free. Inside the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, and all throughout adjacent Buhl Community Park, visit more than 200 displays and exhibits in what’s billed as “part science fair, part show-and-tell, and part carnival.” Admission to the Children’s Museum itself is also free all weekend. BO 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Also 10 a.m.5 p.m. 10 Children’s Way, North Side. Free. www.makerfairepittsburgh.com
FEATURING
BEAUTY SLAP
Saturday, October 14th - 10PM, No Cover - Must Be 21 to Enter
STAGE
THE ABBEY ON BUTLER STREET 4635 Butler Street Lawrenceville
Join filmmaker Rick Sebak at the August Wilson Center tonight for Multiple Choice: Locally Sourced. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust evening begins with a variety hour, where local performers have 10 minutes each to show off their skills CONTINUES ON PG. 40
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SHORT LIST, CONTINUED FROM PG. 39
EVERYONE IS A CRITIC
{PHOTO COURTESY OF TRISTRAM KENTON}
^ Tue., Oct. 17: School of Rock
EVENT: Black Futures: Diggs, Gladman, Jeanty, and Keene, Frick Fine Arts
Building, Oakland
COMEDY
Oct. 4
So there were three performances. The first one was kind of like musical poetry with a visual-art thing going on in the back, and the two kind of went together. The second and third were prose readings. I heard about this event through my Intro to Poetry writing teacher, and it seemed like a really interesting event. To be honest, some of it went right over my head, but I liked that it — especially with the second piece — did a really good job of portraying intersections between race and sexuality, and I had never heard prose read that way. It felt like poetry, so I thought that was really cool. I maybe didn’t like the last piece. I felt like it would have been better to read it as a novel. It wasn’t something I didn’t like — I just thought it would have been better to read. BY AMANDA REED
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
Pittsburgh’s longest-running improv-comedy troupe celebrates the season as The Amish Monkeys (est. 1999) offer their Halloween-themed show at two locations. The first is tonight, at Oakland’s intimate Glitterbox; the second is Oct. 21 at the Monkeys’ usual hang, McKees Rocks’ Ryan Arts & Culture Center. Expect amusingly spooky (or spookily amusing) sketches and games based on audience suggestion, PG-13-style. BO 8 p.m. (460 Melwood Ave., Oakland). Also 8 p.m. Sat., Oct. 21 (420 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks). $9. www.amishmonkeys.com
tuesday 10.17 STAGE It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Flip Fabrique. See the French-Canadian acrobatic troupe tonight at the Byham Theater in Catch Me!, a dynamic display of fun, friendship and flexibility. Originally performed off-Broadway in 2015, Catch Me! features six graduates of Quebec City Circus School. Before forming their troupe in 2011, the acrobats performed with famous circus companies like Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Éloize. AR 7 p.m. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $17.25-45. 412-456-6666 or www.trustarts.org
STAGE Entertainment Weekly called Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 2015 musical School of Rock “an inspiring jolt of energy and mad skillz,” and the show was a New York Times Critics’ Pick. Starting tonight, a touring version of the Broadway and
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wednesday 10.18 SCREEN
> Sat., Oct. 14: The Amish Monkeys
CRITIC: Uma Balajai, 18, a student from Oakland WHEN: Wed.,
West End hit comes to the Benedum Center for an eightperformance run. The musical, based on the 2003 film of the same name, follows Dewey Finn, a “failed wannabe rock star” turned substitute teacher, who transforms a class of straight-A students into a rock band, and finds love along the way. AR 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sun., Oct. 22. 237 Seventh St., Downtown. $26-111. 412-471-6930 or www.trustarts.org
and creativity. Then, check out the speed-painting competition and after-party, where 12 local visual artists will have 30 minutes to create a masterpiece that will be judged by the audience. Attend one event or both — there’s no wrong choice here. AR 8 p.m. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $25 (Party only: $5-10). 412-471-6930 or www.trustarts.org
Pioneering experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage shot some of his masterworks here, including his “Pittsburgh Trilogy.” These silent, half-hour 1971 documents — unflinching if highly subjective looks at police work (“eyes”), an autopsy room (“The Act of Seeing With One’s Own Eyes”), and West Penn hospital (“Deus Ex”) — highlight the first of two free programs titled Pittsburgh’s Avant-Garde, honoring notable but rarely screened 16 mm films made with the support of Pittsburgh Filmmakers from the 1970s into the ’90s. Seeing With Experimental Eyes: Stan Brakhage’s Pittsburgh Trilogy, at Melwood Screening Room, includes a discussion with local film experts Bill Judson, Victor Grauer and Charles Glassmire. A second Pittsburgh’s Avante-Garde showcase screens Nov. 14. BO 6:30 p.m. 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. Free. www.pfpca.org
COMEDY The New Zealand Herald called Tape Face’s comedy “clever, alternative and genuinely entertaining,” and notable curmudgeon Simon Cowell gave it a standing ovation on America’s Got Talent. Tonight, Tape Face — a.k.a. New Zealand’s Sam Wills — brings his silent humor to Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. Since advancing to the TV talent competition’s finals, he has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Royal Albert Hall. Prepare for a family-friendly, prop-filled night that will leave you speechless. AR 8 p.m. 510 East 10th Ave., Munhall. $33. 412-462-344 or www.librarymusichall.com
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THE TURKEY SAUSAGE WAS SATISFYINGLY JUICY AND SAVORY
FAST AND FRESH {BY MEG FAIR} A visitor to Honeygrow, the recently opened fast-casual spot in East Liberty, is apt to be greeted by a chorus of “Welcome to Honeygrow!” from the staff members working in the bright, open kitchen. Honeygrow is a relatively small chain that combines the fresh-ingredients spirit of Chipotle with the convenience of a Sheetz MTO kiosk. The ordering interface plays soft-focused drone footage of Pittsburgh neighborhoods while it waits for customers to put it to use. On the wall is an old-school number board, like one might see in a train station, displaying all the order numbers currently in the process. Vibrantly colored chalkboards hang on shiny white-tile walls, showing off menu items as well as a complete list of the locally sourced ingredients and where they come from. Local purveyors include: cucumbers and kale from Wexford Farms (Wexford), two different honeys from Draper’s Super Bee Apiary (Millerton), cheese from Sommer Maid (Pipersville), and lettuce from Yarnicks Farm (Indiana). At these kiosks you can order freshly made juices, stir fry, salad or honeybar (fruit, honey and other toppings like yogurt and granola). I indulged in a stir fry, made with red coconut curry sauce. I added chicken as my protein, atop egg-white noodles, plus vegetables (sprouts, edamame and mushrooms) and pickled cucumber as garnish. My honeybar contained yogurt, blueberries, strawberries and bananas with wildflower honey and granola. Honeygrow is a convenient, relatively quick spot to pick up a tasty, healthier fast-food choice for lunch or dinner. MEGFAIR@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. 105 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty. 412-450-8524 or www.honeygrow.com
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It’s hard to feel autumnal when it’s so balmy out, butt soon the chilly nights will be upon us. For a classy warm-up, eschew the fake “pumpkin spice” flavors, and indulge in the goodness of fresh apple cider. Heat itt up, and add a pinch off cinnamon, clove or nutmeg (a.k.a. actual pumpkin-pie spices); a splash of any cheap whiskey makes this a cocktail.
{CP PHOTO BY VANESSA SONG}
Al’s Special: Pancakes, bacon, home-fries and cheese eggs
A WELCOME SPOT {BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}
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RANDMA B’S storefront on Wylie
Avenue is one of just a handful of restaurants in the Hill District. With little more than a counter, a row of stools and a couple of tiny tables, it’s too small to be a diner, but too griddle-oriented to properly be called a café. Open only from morning till afternoon, Grandma B’s is really a throwback to that classic concept, the lunch counter — or, in the parlance of its heyday, “luncheonette.” Despite the name, it’s Dorian Moorefield, one of a trio of short-order cooks, who is the face and voice of Grandma B’s. Actually, he is her grandson, and Grandma B’s is a tribute to her, and what a warm, wonderful tribute. Dorian and his crew welcome regulars and newcomers alike, conversing comfortably even as they plate dishes,
The fare here is not exactly Southern home cooking, but not exactly not. For breakfast, there were pancakes, eggs and French toast; for lunch, burgers, hoagies, salads topped with grilled meat, and plates of fried chicken and fish. The only overt signs of Muslim dietary practices were the turkey sausage patties, choice of beef or turkey bacon, and beefbased kielbasa. We can vouch for all of the breakfast meats. The sausage was satisfyingly juicy and savory, something that lean, mild turkey can’t always deliver. We got to try both forms of bacon thanks to the staff’s generous hospitality: When we couldn’t decide which to choose, not only did they bring us both, they also threw in extra so we could all get a taste. Both varieties were thin and
package takeout orders, update the Steelers score, and make sure everything is done just right. Grandma B’s is not quite a hangout — there aren’t enough seats for all-day lingering — but it seemed nobody, including us, was in a rush to get in and out.
GRANDMA B’S 2537 Wylie Ave., Hill District. 412-681-4087 HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. PRICES: $4-12 LIQUOR: None
CP APPROVED The menu is halal, and doors are closed for an hour on Friday afternoons for prayers.
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NFL Sunday Ticket! WE Show all Games!
ARCHIsEo’Sn
On CarWING
NIGH Mon-Th T! urs 50 ¢ wings 23 flavors!
2328 32 28 EAST 28 E EA Carson C STREET 412.481.0852 • archiesoncarson.com
1910 New Texas Road • 724-519-7304
www.eightyacreskitchen.com
The Downtown lunch café you’ve been waiting for…
PHONE IN YOUR LUNCH ORDER OF $30 OR MORE BY 11:30AM AND
SAVE 10% *Does not apply to catering, grubhub, postmates, or Eat24 orders.
SANDWICHES WRAPS SALADS SOUPS CATERING COFFEE HOURS 808 PPenn A Avenue - IIn Th The C Cultural lt l District Di t i t HOURS: 412-745-2233 WWW.CAFE808PGH.COM 7 AM to 2 PM Mon. - Fri. 42
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
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A WELCOME SPOT, CONTINUED FROM PG. 41
crispy, with the turkey tasting more of smoke, and the beef more of meat. French toast was made with thick, fluffy Texas toast, lightly coated with a sweet, cinnamony batter and dusted with powdered sugar so that we almost — almost — decided to skip the syrup. Hotcakes were straightforward and good, ranging nicely from airy in the middle to almost cookie-crisp at the edges, thanks presumably to the well-seasoned griddle. Most of Grandma B’s offerings are quick-cooking, diner-style classics, so we were pleasantly surprised when our burger was not the typical thin griddled patty. Instead, it was big, beefy and expertly cooked to temperature, with a good balance of juiciness and char. The Big Al burger came with — what else — Big Al’s sauce, a hard-to-pin-down love-child of barbecue and honey mustard that was a reddish in color and not too sweet; on a burger loaded with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, its tempered sharpness was a good fit.
THE FRIES HAD ROUGH, CRISPY SURFACES AND FLUFFY INTERIORS. A chicken “cheesesteak” sandwich with the works — lettuce, tomato, onion, sautéed sweet and banana peppers — was savory, satisfying, and rendered extra-luscious by the heady combination of cheese and mayonnaise: the creamy factor was off the charts. The sandwich is also available with steak (of course), on a bun or as a wrap. Alongside this and the burger were fries made fresh to order. They had rough, crispy surfaces and fluffy interiors. We loved them as a side, and bet they are great as the base for a plate of “loaded” fries, topped with more or less every delicious thing on the cheesesteak. Both fish filets and wings were tossed in seasoned flour before being dropped into the fryer. What came out was goldenbrown and perfectly seasoned with a great balance of salt, pepper and cayenne. We had every intention of dousing our wings in hot sauce, but they were so good on their own that we didn’t bother. They were full size and well cooked, a great reminder that, while Buffalo may have created the wing craze as we know it, unsauced, simply fried wings are wonderful in their own right. Grandma B’s may be tiny, but its reputation is growing mightily. It has already received a mention in a New York Times story about August Wilson, and it’s about to rep Pittsburgh in a cable-TV food show. So hurry up and get in while there’s still an open stool. INF O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
[PERSONAL CHEF]
ONIONS AND VEGETABLES {BY DAVID BERNABO} I found cooking through filmmaking — filming chefs in restaurants for documentaries and short cooking shows — which is to say that I’ve had four years of informal cooking lessons. Previously, I washed dishes at The Primadonna, in McKees Rocks, but my creations at the time were limited to “Sesame Oil Noodles” and the terrible “Sugar Pasta.” After years of cheap restaurant food and reaping the benefits of outdated (unfair/oppressive) gender roles, I slowly began cooking. Through filming chefs making very specific dishes with very specific ingredients, I found that I could steal small ideas and bits of technique, synthesizing them into my own creative culinary practice. I have an approach to cooking that avoids recipes and is improvisational. The list of ingredients below represents the contents of a Penn’s Corner CSA box and whatever else is in the kitchen — not necessarily a fixed plan. INGREDIENTS • Whole-wheat sourdough bread • ¾ red onion, sliced • ½ banana pepper, preferably pickled • ¼ eggplant • ¼ green cabbage, shredded • 4 Roma tomatoes • an inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped • goat cheese • a bit of Japanese BBQ sauce • a half-handful of black sesame seeds • two splashes of red wine • salt, to taste INSTRUCTIONS Slice bread thinly and fry in olive oil, adding salt on each side. When both sides are browned, spread on goat cheese and set aside. Slice a red onion, combine with pickled banana pepper, and partially sauté in olive oil until onions are lightly browned. Split mixture into two bowls. Take one bowl, combine with raw cabbage, and sauté on high heat until crispy, adding barbeque sauce, salt, ginger and black sesame seeds. Once mixture has caramelized, plate on top of the bread. I saw chef Hoa Le (of Banhmilicious) place onions directly on the fire, and ever since all my vegetables go directly into the flame. Fire up a burner and set the eggplant directly on the flame, rotating until skin is gently blackened. Repeat with tomatoes. Once blackened, dice both and combine with remaining onion/pepper mix in a pan. Sauté until slightly browned. Splash red wine into the pan and cook until it reduces. Scoop vegetables onto the plate. Add goat cheese to taste. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
David Bernabo is a filmmaker from Bloomfield. WE WANT YOUR PERSONAL RECIPES AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM. EMAIL THEM TO CELINE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM.
MEXICAN RESTAURANT & BAR OAXACAN CUISINE
TAJ MAHAL INDIAN RESTAURANT
s COMING OCT 26
Serving North Indian, South Indian and other authentic regional Indian Cuisine
TEQUILA TASTING EVENT!
{PHOTO COURTESY OF CNN}
Anthony Bourdain
FOOD FOR THOUGHT {BY HANNAH LYNN} IT WAS INEVITABLE that Pittsburgh would
end up on Anthony Bourdain’s CNN travel show, Parts Unknown. The city has all the elements that make for a compelling stateside episode: complicated history, economic rise and decline, racial tension, regional food. Pittsburgh has long adopted the slogan “Most Livable City.” But more recently, residents have been asking: Who does livability include? Does it include people who make $7.25 an hour and ride a $2.75 bus? Does it include residents who are displaced by new development? In the episode’s intro, which cites the city’s changing landscape, Bourdain asks, “Are new ideas saving the city or cannibalizing it? Who will live in the Pittsburgh of the future?”
ANTHONY BOURDAIN PARTS UNKNOWN Pittsburgh episode airs at 9 p.m. Sun., Oct. 22, on CNN
Bourdain’s first stop is to hang with lifelong Italian-American Bloomfield residents. Bourdain gets beat at bocce by a 103-yearold man. A storm rolls in and tragically overturns trays of meats. Next, Bourdain talks with local novelist Stewart O’Nan, who explains that what went wrong with the city is also what went right. “It became attractive to people outside because it’s super affordable,” O’Nan says. The way O’Nan sees it, when these new people move in from the outside, they come in “at the top of the food chain,” spurring new housing, which upsets some residents. No coverage of changing Pittsburgh
would be complete without discussion of its food scene. And no one has ever discussed this scene without mentioning Justin Severino, chef and owner of Lawrenceville restaurants Cure and Morcilla, and Kevin Sousa, chef of Braddock’s Superior Motors. Severino explains to Bourdain that although his Lawrenceville neighbors weren’t happy about the gentrification partly embodied by Cure, changing the neighborhood was never his goal. “Cure was all about satisfying me. One hundred percent,” he says. While Sousa’s restaurant works directly with the struggling community of Braddock, the high-priced, fine-dining restaurant again raises the question “who is this for?” Bourdain then moves on to the Hill District, a critical component of Pittsburgh history, as well as an example of its current and future pitfalls. He meets Hill District native Sala Udin. As Bourdain lays down stats about racial disparity in the city, they drive around the Hill, eventually going past PPG Paints Arena. As Pens fans crowd the sidewalk (it was filmed during Stanley Cup week), Udin points out that the arena sits on a piece of land that was once part of the Lower Hill District before the city’s 1950s revitalization displaced 8,000 people, including Udin. The image is a stark reminder of what “revitalization” really means, and who it intends to help. To close out the episode, Bourdain travels outside the city to New Alexandria, in Westmoreland County, for a demolition derby. Bourdain calls it “good heartland fun,” seemingly unironically, as the camera pans over a crowd featuring a couple of Confederate flags. He suggests that the people of de-industrialized Western Pennsylvania can come together and forget their troubles with some nice, destructive fun. But if anything, it just serves as a reminder that there are parts of new and old Pittsburgh that are not welcoming for all.
5 courses pared with tequila. Complementary glass of margarita. Lecture on how tequila is processed. Reservations only. For tickets go to casareynapgh.com.
• 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. TAJ MAHAL IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY CHEF/OWNER USHA SETHI SINCE 1996.
2031 PENN AVE (@ 21ST) 4 1 2 . 9 0 4 . 1 2 4 2 CASAREYNAPGH.COM
7795 McKnight Rd • 412-364-1760 • tajmahalinc.com
WE CATER!
I NF O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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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:
MOSCOW MULES
Liquor Control Board. Grelli and head cidermaker Brian Bolzan wanted to emphasize the origin and flavor notes of the apples in their product. Bolzan, formerly of Jack’s Hard Cider, brings experience and a commitment to originality. The cidery is currently sourcing from four farms in the Western Pennsylvania region — Kistaco Farm, Soergel’s Orchard, Trax Farms and Godfrey Run Farm — and hope to be able to work in some unique varieties of apples in the future. Three core ciders — the dry cider, the dry-hopped cider and the farmhouse cider — will launch, and a variety of cider cocktails developed by Audra Kelly, general manager and director of the beverage programs for both Wigle Whiskey and Threadbare, will be available for those who want an extra kick. Each cider is around 7 or 8 {CP PHOTO BY JOHN COLOMBO} percent. The cider will be force-carbonatThe Good News! cocktail: Threadbare dry cider, Wigle Absent Minded Absinthe, rosemary lavender bitter and orange twist ed with CO2, with the exception of the dry cider, which will be bottle-conditioned [ON THE ROCKS] (which allows the yeast to naturally carbonate the cider after fermentation on the shelf). But the team looks forward to exploring still ciders down the line. {BY CELINE ROBERTS} Chef Jay Wess, formerly of Dinette, has been doing some exploration of his own, AFTER A FEW years in the works, Threadbare building is the former offices of a defunct developing a fermented-dough pizza crust Ciderhouse and Meadery opens next week, tannery and offers plenty of space (and from the yeast available at the cidery. His just in time for the height of fall. A project the ever-elusive-in-Pittsburgh off-street pizzas will be on offer with seasonal topof the Grelli/Meyer clan that co-owns Wig- parking) for the business to expand. pings (try the Meyer lemon pizza, if le Whiskey, “threadbare” is a playful refer- Barrels from Wigle have a new you can) along with charcuterie MORE S ence to John Chapman (a.k.a. Johnny Apple- home in their storage space, plates, and a few small plates O T O PH seed), who wandered the Midwest from his while the rest of the ground floor with local sourcing when posONLINwE. at ww aper homestead in Pittsburgh spreading apple houses an enormous walk-in sible. A Weatherbury Farms pop pghcitym seeds and his religion, Swedenborgianism. and three fermenting tanks with lenta crust can fill in for those .co His jovial spirit and ragged appearance space for a total of 12 and a botwho desire a gluten-free pizza. appealed to the owners, and they named tling line. “We’ll be billing it much Cider enthusiasts won’t have to the cidery in his honor. wait long to get a taste. Catch the grand more like a wine,” says co-owner Meredith Threadbare found its home right down Grelli, referring to the 750-ml bottles they opening Fri., Oct. 20, to explore the new the street from the Wigle Barrelhouse & will sell it in. The cider house is classified as space, drink a cider, and listen to some live Whiskey Garden, in Spring Garden. The a “limited winery” under the Pennsylvania music. www.threadbarecider.com
GOOD APPLES
Threadbare Ciderhouse and Meadery to open on the North Side Union Standard 524 William Penn Place, Downtown DRINK: Union Mule INGREDIENTS: Boyd & Blair vodka, Canton ginger liqueur, lime, ginger beer OUR TAKE: This cocktail is a bright refresher, heavy on the lime and ginger. Punchy and tart, it’s a concoction that could create some internal heat on a brisk day.
VS.
C E L I N E @ P G HC I T Y P A P E R. C OM
This week on Five Minutes in Food History: We get the itch for tiki history — the Tropical Itch. www.pghcitypaper.com
One Bordeaux, One Scotch, One Beer Scratch Food & Beverage 1720 Lowrie St., Troy Hill
$12/10 oz.
DRINK: Autumn Mule INGREDIENTS: Stateside vodka, cider, lime OUR TAKE: The balanced cocktail delivers all the satisfaction of a mule, while adding light effervescence from the cider. Vodka provides a clean base for the citrus to shine without overwhelming the flavors of the cider.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
KBS Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout, Founders Brewing Co.
10.11/10.18.2017
“It’s barrel-aged, and it really tastes like bourbon chocolate coffee. Even the non-daytime drinkers from offices will have a glass if it’s on tap. At 11.8 percent, it’s like drinking a cocktail, and we only have half a keg left!” RECOMMENDED BY AUBREY HALLIBURTON, BARTENDER, PORK & BEANS
KBS Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout is (probably) available at Pork & Beans, Downtown.
DAYS AHEAD {BY AL HOFF}
ARMISTEAD MAUPIN CHEERFULLY DISHES ON HIMSELF AND OTHERS
Critics got a stern warning before and after the press screening of Blade Runner 2049 that amounted to: Don’t say anything about the plot, or the characters, or this or that. It seemed like overkill for a film that is both a sequel to a well-known and widely quoted work, and basically has the same plot: A cop tracks down androids and kills them, while pondering what it means to be human.
Signature Move
Chavela
Man of the future: Ryan Gosling
CP APPROVED
So let me say these things about Denis Villeneuve’s film. It has a great broody look, building a world that combines the urban dystopic clutter of the original Blade Runner with terrifying empty spaces, be they corporate offices or post-apocalyptic landscapes. The assorted depictions of light — from murk to patterned — are fantastic, and I reckon these would be even grander in IMAX format (ditto for some freaky soundscapes). The trailer suggests action, but the nearly three-hour-long film more often offers long stretches of silence, stilted conversations and time spent driving through the air. While it hews faithfully to the vibe of the original (in places, 2049 feels almost burdened by the weight of our accumulated knowledge of the 1982 film), it also seems a logical follow-up to Villeneuve’s moody, thoughtful sci-fi work Arrival. An approved précis: In 2049, an LAPD blade runner (Ryan Gosling) dutifully chases down old-school replicants, until a bizarre discovery sends him and others down a rabbit hole of the past, the future and what lies between. There is debate about memory, its reliability and malleability. The line between good guys and bad guys, between humans and replicants, is blurry — and yes, most of the moral ponderings of this future do fall to white guys. (Women matter as a plot device in 2049, but not so much as characters.) I enjoyed the movie, though much more for its gorgeous production than its thin plot (or is this all table-setting for Blade Runner 2050?) and predictable feints. I can’t explain more, but instead share these spoiler-free teasers: Bees, waves, a wooden horse, snow and “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.”
GAY LIVES
Tom of Finland
Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin
{BY AL HOFF}
T
HE 32ND annual Reel Q, Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ-themed film festival, runs Fri., Oct. 13, through Sat., Oct 21. It features 16 narrative and documentary films, four programs of shorts (men’s, women’s and trans programs), and opening- and closing-night parties. Opening night, on Fri., Oct. 13, is a double-header; attendees can see both films for $25, or one for $15. A reception will run 8-10 p.m. on site. First up is Signature Move (7 p.m.). Jennifer Reeder’s romantic comedy charts the bumpy progress of a relationship between two Chicago women, both from immigrant families. Attorney Zaynab (Fawzia Mirza) keeps her love life secret from her traditional Pakistani mom, but exuberantly open Alma (Sari Sanchez) is besties with her mom, who in her youth was a Mexican wrestler. (Coincidentally, Zaynab’s taking wrestling lessons for fitness reasons.) A sweet film that celebrates the multi-culti vibrancy of the city, as well as the universality of televised soap operas. The second feature is Tom of Finland
and colleagues contribute, but Maupin is his own engaging narrator, cheerfully dishing on himself and others. Perhaps lesserknown to American audiences is the harddrinking, pants-wearing Mexican ranchera singer Chavela Vargas, the fascinating subject of Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi’s bio-doc Chavela (5 p.m. Sun., Oct. 15). The film tracks the singer’s life, from her midcentury success through her decline and comeback, as well as her difficulties being a lesbian in a deeply traditional culture. Chavela offers lots of fantastic performances (pack a hanky for these heartbreaking songs), plus admiration for a life lived on one’s own terms, however hard-fought.
(9:30 p.m.), Dome Karukoski’s biographical drama about Finnish illustrator Touko Laaksonen (Pekka Strang), who created a series of well-known iconic, hyper-masculine, homo-erotic illustrations. The film spans several decades, beginning with Laaksonen’s experiences in World War II, and winding through the years when homosexuality had to be hidden. Laaksonen finds an outlet in drawing, translating his desires into pencil sketches of butch horny cops and unzipped motorcyclists, tenderly brought to life. The film is a window into closeted mid-century gay life, as well as an interesting account of how his secret drawings became ubiquitous gay icons in the 1970s and ’80s, liberating both fans of the art and Laaksonen himself. Two other films profile icons of gay life. Jennifer Kroot’s Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin (7:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 13) is just that — an account of the author’s life, from his conservative Republican upbringing in South Carolina, through his publication of the popular newspaper-serial-turnedseries-of-novels, Tales of the City. Friends
A H OF F @ P G HC I T Y P A P E R. C OM
All films screen at the Harris Theater, Downtown. Single tickets are $9. Opening night is $25 for both films, or $15 for one, and includes a party at the Pierce Studio (lower level of Harris). Closing night is $15. Passes and student discounts are also available. See www.reelQ.org for complete schedule and more information.
AHOFF@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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is its nihilism and sense of futility: No heroes, no easy resolutions — something terrible is just outside the door, and it’s gonna get us. Oct. 13-14, Oct.16-17 and Oct. 19. Row House Cinema (AH)
FILM CAPSULES CP
= CITY PAPER APPROVED
CREEPSHOW. Director George Romero and writer Stephen King teamed up in 1982 to deliver this compendium of vignettes based on old horror comics. There’s one good creepy gag with Ted Danson’s head, a beach and a VCR, but then there’s an interminable tale starring a badly mugging King. Oct. 13-19. Row House Cinema
NEW THE FOREIGNER. Jackie Chan stars in this dramatic thriller about a man whose buried past comes to light as he seeks to uncover why his daughter was the victim of a terrorist attack. Martin Campbell directs. Starts Fri., Oct. 13
DAY OF THE DEAD. Even in an underground bunker, you’re not safe from zombies. The undead run amok — again — in George Romero’s 1985 horror thriller, the third of his Dead trilogy. Oct. 13-18. Row House Cinema
HAPPY DEATH DAY. Christopher Landon directs this horror thriller in which a teenage girl lives the day of her death over and over, until she figures out who her killer is. Starts Fri., Oct. 13 INDIVISIBLE. Two beautiful teenage conjoined twin sisters (Angela and Marianna Fontana) make a living singing, but face a difficult decision when a doctor says he can surgically separate them. Edoardo De Angelis directs this 2016 drama. In Italian, with subtitles. Fri., Oct. 13, through Sun., Oct. 15. Melwood LOVING VINCENT. In 1853, after painting for only about 10 years, Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh killed himself. Or did he? Or if he did, why? This mystery sets up Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s biographical drama, which seeks to present the basics of van Gogh’s life while trying to understand what drove him. The story begins after van Gogh’s death as a postman’s son attempts to deliver a letter to the artist’s survivors; it’s a gambit that has him traveling between van Gogh’s art-world colleagues, family and the assorted residents of Auvers-sur-Oise, where van Gogh spent his last days. Individuals recount stories — many of which conflict — and there are flashbacks. (It is a narrative technique similar to, say, Citizen Kane.) Any tale of the famous artist and his nearlyas-well-known personal struggles (he infamously cut off his ear) would be of interest, but what makes Loving Vincent remarkable is its production. It is “animated,” in that it was shot from 65,000 oil paintings, created by 100 artists, each working in van Gogh’s distinctive style. (In a sort of analog rotoscoping, actors, such as Jerome Flynn, Saoirse Ronan and Douglas Booth, provide both voices and a source for the paintings’ actions.) Thus, there is the sensation of seeing van Gogh’s world, as if through his painter’s eyes, as thick brush strokes and vivid colors bring people and places to life. There is the additional thrill of “recognizing” moments, taken from well-known paintings, such as those depicting van Gogh’s room, landscapes and portraits. Even when the story starts to wane or betrays its occasional clunky set-up, the experiential effect of being absorbed into a living painting should keep viewers intrigued. Starts Fri., Oct. 13. Manor (Al Hoff)
KNIGHTRIDERS. A group of motorcycle jousters (led by Ed Harris) struggle to keep their traveling troupe together in George Romero’s 1981 film. Oct. 13-16 and Oct. 18-19. Row House Cinema
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MARSHALL. This bio-pic from Reginald Hudlin depicts the early legal career of Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman), who would later become the first African-American Supreme Court justice. Starts Fri., Oct. 13 KILL ME PLEASE. Brazilian director Anita Rocha da Silveira’s film is a moody horror thriller combined with a coming-of-age story that unfolds slowly, alternating between weird, arty, disturbing and even mordantly funny. In a featureless suburb of Rio de Janiero, four teenage girls while away their bored days gossiping and making up crime stories. They are understandably obsessed with sex, how they look and a series of unsolved murders, in which young women are found dead in the very same fields where they hang out. The girls, and their schoolmates, feign nonchalance, but the panic around
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SEASON OF THE WITCH. A bored housewife takes an interest in witchcraft, and finds her life spinning out of control, in George Romero’s 1972 film. Oct. 14-19. Row House Cinema GOYA: VISIONS OF FLESH AND BLOOD. David Bickerstaff’s new documentary profiles the Spanish artist Francisco Goya, known for his portraits, and arguably the father of modern art. 2 p.m. Sat., Oct. 14, and 4:30 p.m. Sun., Oct. 15. Hollywood WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? In Robert Aldrich’s dark, campy classic from 1962, two aging sisters are trapped in hell together, sharing a rundown Hollywood mansion and hatin’ on each other. Joan Crawford plays it pretty straight, but Bette Davis has a field day prancing about as decrepit former child star Baby Jane. 11 a.m. Sun., Oct. 15. Hollywood
Loving Vincent the killings seeps into their lives, causing anxiety, squabbles and even assorted injuries. And then there is the clique’s queen bee, Bia (Valentina Herszage), who seems exhilarated by the violence and its sexual nature. An interesting debut feature, for those who like their tales of teenage ennui laced with meditative violence, such as in Let the Right One In, or even The Virgin Suicides. In Portuguese, with subtitles. Starts Fri., Oct. 13. Hollywood (AH) PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN. It would be fair to say that Wonder Woman has a racier origin story than most. No, not what happened on the island of Themyscira, but the circumstances through which the comic-book fighter came to be created. Angela Robinson’s bio-pic fills us in, beginning in the 1920s with an offbeat couple at Harvard. Psychology professor William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans) and his assistant and wife, Elizabeth Marston (Rebecca Hall), are working on, among other things, a lie-detector machine. Also on the projects list is a student, Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote), whom the Marstons pursue romantically, separately and together. Ultimately, the three form a polyamorous household. Interwoven through this history is an ongoing explanation and defense, provided by Marston later in life to a disapproving panel, of the Wonder Woman character he created, in part to spread messages of female empowerment. Thus is the viewer able to ascertain how much about Wonder Woman was drawn from Marston’s unconventional life, whether it was her can-do spirit, propensity for getting tied up, or the “lasso of truth” (a.k.a. a lie detector). It’s an interesting story with a good cast that is marred by the awkward framing and a tendency to fall into the generic tropes
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of filmed biographies. Still, it’s another side of Wonder Woman worth pondering, though this R-rated film, with its ménage-a-trois scenes, isn’t one for the kiddies. Starts Fri., Oct. 13 (AH)
REPERTORY DRUID UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL. This traveling film festival, now in its 10th year, presents an evening of provocative underground film hosted by Billy Burgess. 7 p.m. Wed., Oct. 11. Melwood WORKING. Check out this filmed 1982 adaptation of the stage musical, which drew its material from Studs Terkel’s oral history of an assortment of American jobs. Continues a monthly series of films about labor and social justice. To be followed by a discussion. 7 p.m. Thu., Oct. 12. Pump House, Munhall. Free. www.battleofhomestead.org THIS OLD DARK HOUSE. Five travelers are trapped by a storm in a spooky house, run by a disturbing family. Needless to say, this 1932 spooker from James Whale (Frankenstein) has influenced many films since. The cast includes Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas and Charles Laughton. To be screened in a new 4K digital restoration. 7 p.m. Fri., Oct. 13; 4:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 14; and 2 p.m. Sun., Oct. 15. Hollywood NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Arguably, George Romero’s locally produced, low-budget 1968 nail-biter started American filmmakers’ late-20thcentury fascination with zombies. Romero’s depiction of flesh-munching was ground-breaking for its time, but what really makes this horror flick resonate still
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SOUTHWEST OF SALEM. Deborah Esquenazi’s recent documentary recounts how four Latina lesbians in Texas were convicted of a sexual assault on two young children, whom they were baby-sitting. Much of the 1994 case turned on the women’s “deviant” sexuality, as well as the still-smoldering “satanic panic” of the late 1980s. First-person interviews with the women, their families and their legal advocates make this an intimate and compelling account of a miscarriage of justice. To be followed by a panel discussion. 6:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 18. Eddy Theater, Chatham University campus, Shadyside. www.justfilmspgh.org. Free PITTSBURGH’S AVANT-GARDE. Part 1 of this twopart program is Seeing With Experimental Eyes: Stan Brakhage’s Pittsburgh Trilogy. It commemorates significant avant-garde films made locally, with the support of Pittsburgh Filmmakers in the 1970s. This program features silent works, composed of observational footage, made by renowned experimental filmmaker Brakhage during a visit to Pittsburgh in 1970. The rarely screened films, including “eyes” (about police), “Deus Ex” (West Penn Hospital) and “The Act of Seeing With One’s Own Eyes” (the county morgue) and two earlier works, will be shown in original 16 mm prints. To be will be followed by a roundtable discussion. 6:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 18. Melwood. Free DIE LAUGHING. A documentary filmmaker unwittingly becomes entangled in a murder spree by an angry, struggling standup comedian, in this low-budget, improvised indie film co-written and co-directed by comedian Bob Golub, along with co-director Mark Mannschreck. Golub, who also stars, will present the film, as well as do a standup routine and a Q&A. 8 p.m. Thu., Oct. 19. Pittsburgh Improv, The Waterfront, Homestead. www.pittsburgh.improv.com. $10 MARTIN. George Romero’s 1977 horror flick is set in Braddock, where a teen-ager named Martin may or may not be a vampire. 9:45 p.m. Thu., Oct. 19, and 5 p.m. Fri., Oct. 20. Row House Cinema
HISTORY LESSONS
“IT’S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY, BUT EACH WEEK WE MAKE PROGRESS AND ADVANCE.”
This week in Pittsburgh Sports History {BY CHARLIE DEITCH} OCT. 12, 1963 The final game is played at New York’s Polo Grounds. It was the Hispanic American All-Star game, and the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente and Manny Mota played in it. The exhibition drew very little media attention, and only about 14,000 fans in a stadium that held more than 52,000. But in a 2013 story about the game, Mota told the New York Daily News, “For us, it was a question of prestige and pride, because we were representing our countries.” Other legends in that game included Luis Aparicio, Juan Marichal and Orlando Cepeda. The National League won 6-0.
Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park in 1903
OCT. 13, 1899 On this day at Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park, the Pirates beat the Louisville Colonels by a score of 5-6. Well, not exactly — here’s what happened. Going into the ninth inning, the Pirates had a 5-2 lead. In the top of the ninth, though, Louisville scored four runs to pull ahead, 6-5. During that inning, though, according to Charlton’s Baseball Chronology, thick, black smoke from nearby steel mills covered the field, making it impossible to play. Pittsburgh players couldn’t bat because they couldn’t see, and umpires eliminated the half-inning that just occurred and awarded the Pirates the 5-2 win.
OCT. 13, 1960 Bill Mazeroski hits the first and only walk-off home run to occur in a World Series Game 7.
OCT. 15, 1892 By all accounts, the career of Cincinnati pitcher Bumpus Jones was what the experts refer to as unremarkable. But he did have one highlight, and it came at the expense of the Pirates. Jones became the first of only three major-league pitchers to throw a no-hitter in his pro debut. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Jones walked four batters, and a fielding error allowed a run to score, making the final 7-1. Jones wouldn’t start another game all season and, in fact, would see the field only eight more times in his brief two-season career.
{PHOTO COURTESY OF BRUNO SILVERIO}
Matt Tavin and The Kingdom
WAR READY {BY MEG FAIR}
R
ING OF HONOR is one of the most admired wrestling companies around the world. Its fans are passionate, and it’s an aspirational company to work for if you’re a green wrestler. As part of its annual Global Wars tour, a partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor takes over Stage AE on Friday for a night of dream matchups. Attendees will get to see big-name wrestlers like members of the Bullet Club (Kenny Omega, Marty Scurll, The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes), Deonna Purrazzo, Mandy Leon, The Kingdom, Motor City Machine Guns, Minoru Suzuki, Hiromu Takahashi, Mark Briscoe and so many more. City Paper had the opportunity to chat with several of ROH’s finest about the journey of the Women of Honor and the
machinations within the wrestling stable known as The Kingdom.
Women of Honor The Women of Honor will compete in a sixperson tag match this Friday.
RING OF HONOR GLOBAL WARS TOUR 7 p.m. Fri., Oct. 13. Stage AE, 400 North Shore Drive, North Side. $75-400. www.rohwrestling.com
While the men’s division is well established, the Women of Honor have been working hard to create a division from scratch. Originally, ROH featured the occasional one-off women’s match, but the fans
wanted more. The company decided to put the division’s creative control in the hands of the women who occupied its roster. One of these women is 23-year-old Deonna Purrazzo. She’s the first woman to achieve a wrestling hat trick; she worked for WWE, ROH and Stardom in Japan, all in one year. “It’s been really cool,” says Purrazzo. “I feel like not a lot of people get to capitalize on so many cool activities so fast. It’s been so very fulfilling.” Purrazzo comes from a competitivecheerleading background. Although some might find that surprising, she insists that women from cheerleading or dancing backgrounds are naturals in the ring. “Cheerleaders and dancers pick up so quickly on footwork and routines, which
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are essential parts of learning how to wrestle,” says Purrazzo. In addition to wrestling for Women of Honor, she’s also been instrumental in creating and developing the WOH division overall. “It’s never been done before, as it wasn’t intended to be a permanent facet of Ring of Honor,” explains Purrazzo. “But now we’re creating it to be permanent, and we get the opportunity to write our own histories and stories.” It all started about six months ago, when ROH owners asked the women who had been with the company for a while to take charge and turn the division into a fixture. “Everyone in the locker room has a clear idea of what they want personally, and we can all collaborate based on those desires,” says Purrazzo. “We all know who we all are as women and each have strong goals. Women’s wrestling has always had a reputation for being catty and selfish, but with WOH we’re here for each other, and we can’t get things done and accomplish our goals without mutual support.” That mutual support is evident when the CP mentions to Purrazzo one of the signed competitors for Friday’s show: Pittsburgh’s own Britt Baker. “[Baker and I] wrestled once at an International Wrestling Cartel show,” says Purrazzo. “She’s fantastic, and I’m happy to see her back wrestling with WOH! She got to do it a few times last year, and now that she’s wrapping up dental school, she’s back on track with wrestling full time. I’d love to see her become a full-time member of the WOH division!” Although each of the ladies has ideas
for characters and goals for their careers, the overarching goal is the same: “We want to make Women of Honor an incredible women’s division that competes with WWE’s Superstars and TNA’s Knockouts.” This kind of development takes time, however, and Purrazzo recognizes the crowd wants more, faster. It’s different for companies with longstanding histories of women competing in the sport. Purrazzo spent time with WWE through Smackdown, NXT and as a stand-in for the Mae Young Classic. Purrazzo explains that a company like WWE can put wrestlers like Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks into a steel cage to wrestle because it’s a momentous episode in history, created by years of storyline between the two women — but they couldn’t just start from that point. “I understand why the crowd wants that instant gratification, but with Women of Honor we are starting from scratch,” says Purrazzo. “It’s awesome that the fanbase pushed so hard for development so quickly. But characters need to be built, and storylines need to be developed, before even introducing a belt, and that takes time.” In spite of all the challenges, Purrazzo seems over the moon to have an opportunity like the creative endeavor WOH offers, in addition to her impressive year of wrestling around the world. “It’s been a long journey, but each week we make progress and advance. That’s awesome to be a part of,” says Purrazzo.
The Kingdom The Kingdom is a tag team/stable that has been around since 2014. The original stable consisted of Matt Hardy, Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis, Adam Cole and Matt Taven.
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“[Mike and I] were friends before we started The Kingdom. He took me under his wing when I started to train because I was a few years behind everyone else in training, but we were the same age,” explains Taven. “We were such good friends, so we knew it was going to work because it was real. It worked outside the ring, so the fans will enjoy it when it’s inside the ring.” As various members of the Kingdom moved to different companies, Taven ousted Adam Cole and decided to recreate the stable in his own image. It now consists of Taven, TK O’Ryan and Vinny “Horror King” Marseglia, all of whom were also great friends of Taven’s on the independent circuit. On Friday, The Kingdom’s O’Ryan and Marseglia will be competing against the Young Bucks and the Motor City Machine Guns for the ROH World Tag Team Championships. Taven will also be competing in a six-man match for the ROH World Television Championship, a belt Taven once held. The Kingdom is a villainous stable, always with tricks up their sleeves. The trio’s latest antics involve what they call a “Kingdom Conspiracy.” “In wrestling, it’s a time-honored tradition that the person who loses a belt gets a guaranteed rematch for that belt,”
says Marseglia. “But for some reason, that hasn’t happened with the tag-team belt or the Television Championship belt.” The group released a backstage video in which the guys tortured someone who they thought would have the answers about who was conspiring against them, and when he didn’t, they murdered him. Obviously, this is “kayfabe” (part of the narrative), otherwise the trio would be in jail. But these backstage videos add a depth to the storyline that TV tapings’ limited time frames and in-ring performances don’t allow. “We’re always coming up with stuff when we’re just sitting around and hanging out. Most of the time, the videos we put out are a result of us just pressing ‘record’ and seeing what happens,” says Taven. Although competition is dangerously fierce on screen, Taven insists that it’s the locker-room competition that keeps ROH growing and improving. “It drives us to be better and better. We come up with things like the Kingdom Conspiracy to make sure we’re getting noticed,” explains Taven. “There’s all these great guys in the locker room, and [you] gotta keep up. I think it’s something that makes all of us be better, work harder and elevate our games.” MEGFAIR @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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DOUBLE TROUBLE
{BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY / WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM}
ACROSS 1. “The Leftovers” channel 4. In an underhanded way 11. Crow field cry 14. One with the nanny 15. Reason for some sirens 16. “Did you say something?” 17. Where the neutral middle might be found 19. The D’Backs, in scoreboards 20. One answering a survey 21. 8 Minute ___ 22. “I’m Yours” singer Jason 23. ___’Pea (“Popeye” kid) 24. Metric that measures obesity: Abbr. 25. 1051, to the Romans 26. Francesco Rinaldi rival 29. Spanish boys 32. Time of hormonal fluctuation, for short 35. Function 37. Even, scorewise 39. Art, according to Ralph Waldo Emerson 42. Like Christmas lights and tennis rackets 43. Ancestry.com feature
44. Sandwich bread 45. Croatia’s capital 47. Wealth manager’s suggestions 49. Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge org. 50. Legal thing 52. “The Thin Man” woofer 56. R-rated 58. “I don’t have a ___ in this fight” 59. Team shooting for the #1 pick in the draft, say 61. Foul up 62. Make digital art? 64. Directing word 65. From soup to nuts 66. “The Matrix” hero 67. “Damn straight!” 68. Loses it 69. Miracle-___
18. Fisherman with pots 22. Celtics coach of the mid-90s whose name starts with two initials 24. Chums 25. Herbal brewed quaff 27. Egyptian sun god 28. Overcharge and then some 30. Angry cat, at times 31. Spacek of “The Help” 32. Duds in the sack 33. Capital of Lorraine 34. See-through cling 36. Medevac worker 38. “___ quam videri” 40. Raced in a certain Winter
Olympics event 41. Eye piece? 46. “Wuthering Heights” author 48. Yemen’s capital 51. Stack from a toaster 53. Cross-country activity 54. UK currency that has Jane Austen on it, in slang 55. “Star Wars” droid 56. Imposed tax 57. Lake that flows into the Niagara 58. Fred and Wilma’s pet 59. Green hazard 60. Watch company 62. Oft-dried fruit 63. H as a vowel {LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS}
DOWN 1. URL introduction for a “locked” page 2. Boxer’s grunt 3. Actor who went 0-8 at the Oscars 4. ___ -Coburg-Gotha 5. Sexologist Shere 6. Talk Like A Pirate Day exclamation 7. REM show? 8. Like some Shakespearean verse 9. Loads of B.S. 10. Golf hole meas. 11. “Ben Hur” racer 12. Distinctive glow 13. Real smarty
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FOR THE WEEK OF
Free Will Astrology
10.11-10.18
{BY ROB BREZSNY}
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “I am more interested in human beings than in writing,” said author Anais Nin, “more interested in lovemaking than in writing, more interested in living than in writing. More interested in becoming a work of art than in creating one.” I invite you to adopt that perspective as your own for the next 12 months, Libra. During this upcoming chapter of your story, you can generate long-lasting upgrades if you regard your life as a gorgeous masterpiece worthy of your highest craftsmanship.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio actress Tara Reid told the magazine Us Weekly about how her cosmetic surgeries had made her look worse than she had been in her natural state. “I’ll never be perfect again,” she mourned. I bring this up in the hope that it will inspire you. In my astrological opinion, you’re at a turning point when it’s crucial to appreciate and foster everything about yourself that’s natural and innate and soulfully authentic. Don’t fall sway to artificial notions about how you could be more perfect than you already are.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I didn’t go to work today. I woke up late, lingered over a leisurely breakfast, and enjoyed a long walk in the autumn woods. When I found a spot that filled me with a wild sense of peace, I asked my gut wisdom what I should advise you Sagittarians to attend to. And my gut wisdom told me that you should temporarily escape at least one of your duties for at least three days. (Escaping two duties for four days would be even better.) My gut
wisdom also suggested that you get extra sleep, enjoy leisurely meals, and go on long walks to spots that fill you with a wild sense of peace. There you should consult your gut wisdom about your top dilemmas.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A snail climbed to the top of a big turtle’s shell as it was sleeping under a bush. When the turtle awoke and began to lumber away in search of food, the snail was at first alarmed but eventually thrilled by how fast they were going and how far they were able to travel. “Wheeee!” the snail thought to itself. I suspect, Capricorn, that this little tale is a useful metaphor for what you can look forward to in the coming weeks.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “If these years have taught me anything, it is this,” wrote novelist Junot Díaz. “You can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in.” That’s your plucky wisdom for the coming weeks, Aquarius. You have arrived at a pivotal phase in your life
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cycle when you can’t achieve liberation by fleeing, avoiding, or ignoring. To commune with the only kind of freedom that matters, you must head directly into the heart of the commotion. You’ve got to feel all the feelings stirred up by the truths that rile you up.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): J. Allan Hobson is a scientist of sleep who does research at Harvard. He says we dream all the time, not just at night. Our subconscious minds never stop churning out streams of images. During the waking hours, though, our conscious minds operate at such intensity that the lower-level flow mostly stays subliminal. At least that’s the normal state of affairs. But I suspect your dream-generator is running so hot right now that its stories may leak into your waking awareness. This could be disconcerting. Without the tips I’m giving you here, you might worry you were going daft. Now that you know, I hope you’ll tap into the undercurrent to glean some useful intuitions. A word to the wise: The information that pops up won’t be logical or rational. It will be lyrical and symbolic, like dreams.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In his book The Logic of Failure, Dietrich Dorner discusses the visionaries who built the Aswan Dam in Egypt. Their efforts brought an abundance of cheap electricity to millions of people. But the planners didn’t take into account some of the important effects of their innovation. For example, the Nile River below the dam no longer flooded its banks or fertilized the surrounding land every year. As a result, farmers had to resort to chemical fertilizers at great expense. Water pollution increased. Marine life suffered because of the river’s diminished nutrients. I hope this thought will motivate you to carefully think through the possible consequences of decisions you’re contemplating. I guarantee that you can avoid the logic of failure and instead implement the logic of success. But to do so, you’ll have to temporarily resist the momentum that has been carrying you along. You’ll have to override the impatient longing for resolution.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Are you primed to seek out new colleagues and strengthen your existing alliances? Are you curious about what it would take to infuse your best partnerships with maximum emotional intelligence? From an astrological perspective, the next nine weeks will be a favorable time to do these things. You will have opportunities to deepen your engagement with collaborators who cultivate integrity and communicate effectively. It’s possible you may feel shy about pursuing at least one of the potential new connections. But I urge you to press ahead anyway. Though you may be less ripe than they are, their influence will have a catalytic effect on you, sparking you to develop at an accelerated rate.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “I was satisfied with haiku until I met you,” Dean Young tells a new lover in his poem “Changing Genres.” But Young goes on to say that he’s no longer content with that terse genre. “Now I want a Russian novel,” he proclaims, “a 50-page description of you sleeping, another 75 of what you think staring out a window.” He yearns for a story line about “a fallen nest, speckled eggs somehow uncrushed, the sled outracing the wolves on the steppes, the huge glittering ball where all that matters is a kiss at the end of a dark hall.” I bring Young’s meditations to your attention, Gemini, because I suspect that you, too, are primed to move into a more expansive genre with a more sumptuous plot.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Statistical evidence suggests that Fridays falling on the 13th of the month are safer than other Fridays. The numbers of fires and traffic accidents are lower then, for example. I find this interesting in light of your current situation. According to my analysis, this October’s Friday the 13th marks a turning point in your ongoing efforts to cultivate stability and security. On this day, as well as the seven days before and seven days after, you should receive especially helpful clues about the future work you can do to feel even safer and more protected than you already do.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Too much propaganda and not enough real information are circulating through your personal sphere. You’re tempted to traffic in stories that are rooted more in fear than insight. Gossip and hype and delusion are crowding out useful facts. No wonder it’s a challenge for you to sort out the truths from the half-truths! But I predict that you will thrive anyway. You’ll discover helpful clues lodged in the barrage of bunkum. You’ll pluck pithy revelations from amidst the distracting ramblings. Somehow you will manage to be both extra sensitive and super-discriminating.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A journalist named Jenkin Lloyd Jones coined the term “Afghanistanism,” which he defined as “concentrating on problems in distant parts of the world while ignoring controversial local issues.” I want to urge you Virgos to avoid engaging in a personal version of Afghanistanism. In other words, focus on issues that are close at hand, even if they seem sticky or prickly. Don’t you dare let your attention get consumed by the dreamy distractions of faraway places and times. For the foreseeable future, the best use of your energy is HERE and NOW. How could you change yourself in order to get more of the love you want? Testify by going to RealAstrology.com and clicking 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 25-year-old woman currently in a poly relationship with a married man roughly 20 years my senior. This has by far been the best relationship I’ve ever had. However, something has me a bit on edge. We went on a trip with friends to a brewery with a great restaurant. It was an amazing place, and I’m sure his wife would enjoy it. He mentioned the place to her, and her response was NO, she didn’t want to go there because she didn’t want to have “sloppy seconds.” It made me feel dirty. Additionally, the way he brushed this off means this isn’t the first time. I go out of my way to show him places I think they would like to go together. I don’t know if my feelings are just hurt — if it’s as childish as I think it is — or if it’s a reminder of my very low place in their hierarchy. I hesitate to bring this up, because when I have needs or concerns, they label me as difficult or needy. Is this part of a bigger trend I’m missing? Should I do anything to address this, or just continue to stay out of their business and go where I wish with my partner? TREATED WITH OUTRAGE
I’m having a hard time reconciling these two statements, TWO: “This has by far been the best relationship I’ve ever had” and “when I have needs or concerns, they label me as difficult or needy.” I suppose it’s possible all your past relationships have been so bad that your bestrelationship-ever bar is set tragically low. But taking a partner’s needs and concerns seriously is one of the hallmarks of a good relationship, to say nothing of a “best relationship ever.” That said … I don’t know you or how you are. It’s entirely possible that you share your needs and concerns in a way that comes across as — or actually is — needy and difficult. Our experience of interpersonal relationships, like our experience of anything and everything else, is subjective. One person’s reasonable expression of needs/concerns is another person’s emotionally manipulative drama. I would need to depose your boyfriend and his wife, TWO, to make a determination and issue a ruling. That said … It’s a really bad sign that your boyfriend’s wife compared eating in a restaurant you visited with him to fucking a hole that someone else just fucked, i.e., “sloppy seconds.” It has me wondering whether your boyfriend’s wife is really into the poly thing. Some people are poly under duress (PUD), i.e., they agreed to open up a marriage or relationship not because it’s what they want, but because they were given an ultimatum: We’re open/poly, or we’re over. In a PUD best-case scenario, the PUD partner sees that their fears were overblown, discovers that poly/open works for them, embraces openness/polyamory, and is no longer a PUD. But PUDs who don’t come around will engage in small acts of sabotage to signal their unhappiness — their perfectly understandable unhappiness. They didn’t want to be open/poly in the first place and are determined to prove that open/poly was a mistake and/ or punish their ultimatum-issuing partner. The most common form of PUD sabotage? Making their primary partner’s secondary partner(s) feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. That said … As you (probably) know, poly relationships have all kinds of rules. If one of their rules is “My wife doesn’t want to hear from or about my girlfriend,” TWO, then your restaurant recommendations are going to fall flat. Being poly means navigating rules and juggling mul-
tiple people’s feelings, needs and concerns. You have to show respect for their rules, TWO, as they are each other’s primary partners. But your boyfriend and his wife have to show respect for you, too. Secondary though you may be, your needs, concerns, feelings, etc., have to be taken into consideration. And if their rules make you feel disrespected, unvalued, or too low on the hierarchical poly totem pole, you should dump them. My wife said she didn’t care who I slept with soon after we met. At the time, I didn’t want to sleep with anyone else. But we eventually became monogamish — it started as me texting her a fantasy while I was at work, and that fantasy was waiting for me when I got home — it was fun, but it wasn’t something I needed. After a couple years of playing together with others in private and in clubs, she said she wanted to open our relationship. I got a girlfriend, had fun until the new relationship energy (NRE) wore off, and ended things. Then my wife got a great job on the other side of the state, and I stayed behind to get our house into a sellable state. Right now, we see each other only on weekends. I also got a new girlfriend. The NRE wore off, but we still really like each other, and we’ve discussed being long-distance secondaries once the move is complete. Here’s the problem: Last night, my wife confessed to me that being in an open relationship was making her miserable. Not just my current girlfriend, whose monopoly over my time during the week could be a legitimate cause for concern, but going back to the previous girlfriend I saw only one night a week. I told my wife that I would break up with my girlfriend immediately. My wife is the most important person in my life, and I don’t want to do anything to hurt her. But my wife told me not to break up with my girlfriend. I don’t want to string my girlfriend along and tell her everything is fine — but my wife, who doesn’t want to be poly anymore, is telling me not to break up with my girlfriend. What do I do? DUDE ISN’T CONTENT KNOWING PRIORITY IS CRUSHINGLY SAD
Your wife may want you to dump your girlfriend without having to feel responsible for your girlfriend’s broken heart, DICKPICS, so she tells you she’s miserable and doesn’t want to be poly anymore, and then tells you not to end things. Or maybe this is a test: Dumping a girlfriend you didn’t have to dump would signal to your wife that she is, indeed, the most important person in your life and that you will prioritize her happiness even when she won’t. Or maybe she’s watched you acquire two girlfriends without landing a boyfriend of her own. But there’s a middle ground between dumped and not dumped, DICKPICS: Tell your girlfriend what’s going on — she has a right to know — and put the relationship on hold. Get the house sold, get your ass to your wife, and keep talking until you figure out what is going to work for your wife going forward: completely closed; open but only to sexual adventures you two go on together, i.e., “playing together with others in private and in clubs”; or open with GFs (and BFs) allowed. Good luck. On the Lovecast, polyamory, Dom/sub relationships, and Wonder Woman: 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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