WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM | 11.22/11.29.2017 X PGHCITYPAPER XX XX PITTSBURGHCITYPAPER XX PGHCITYPAPER XX PGHCITYPAPER
THROUGH JANUARY 14, 2018 ONLY AT THE WARHOL TW TWO T W CU CULTU LTU L TURES TURES ES.. ONE ARTIST ST.. HOW ST W WILL WIL LL YOU O INT N ERP RPRET ET T IT T? TWO W CU WO CULTU LTU TU URES R . ON RE NE E ART ART TIST ST. HOW W WIL WI L YOU O INT N ERP E RET ER R T IT? IT T? Farhad Moshiri, Yipeeee, 2009, Private Collection, London, photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
EVENTS 11.25 – 3pm DANDY ANDY: WARHOL’S QUEER HISTORY Join artist educators for Dandy Andy, a monthly tour that focuses on Warhol’s queer history. Free with museum admission
12.1 – 7pm DAY WITH(OUT) ART: ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS The Warhol theater Co-presented with Visual AIDS Curated by Erin Christovale and Vivian Crockett for Visual AIDS, the video program prioritizes Black narratives within the ongoing AIDS epidemic. Free; Registration suggested
12.2 – 10am-12pm HALF-PINT PRINTS The Factory Families work with The Warhol’s artist educators to create silkscreen prints during this drop-in silkscreen printing activity for children ages 1 to 4 years old. Free with museum admission
12.8 – 8pm A JOHN WATERS’ CHRISTMAS: HOLIER & DIRTIER Carnegie Lecture Hall (Oakland) Co-presented with Carnegie Museum of Art Tickets $30/$25 members & students, VIP $125* (*general admission seating and post-show meet & greet)
12.30 – 3pm DANDY ANDY: WARHOL’S QUEER HISTORY Join artist educators for Dandy Andy, a monthly tour that focuses on Warhol’s queer history. Free with museum admission
Celebrate Museum Store Sunday by shopping with us on Nov 26! Visit us without paying museum admission. 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.
Open during museum hours. Call 412.237.8303.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
11.22/11.29.2017 VOLUME 27 + ISSUE 47
[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
[ART] Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD Production Director JULIE SKIDMORE Art Director LISA CUNNINGHAM Graphic Designers JEFF SCHRECKENGOST, JENNIFER TRIVELLI
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“There is only one party that is making the ACA implode — Republicans.” PAGE 06
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Steel City Grammers take a photo tour of Duquesne. PAGE 46
News 06 Views 14 Weird 16 Music 18 Arts 27 Events 30 Taste 33
Screen 37 Sports 39 Classifieds 42 Crossword 43 Astrology 44 Savage Love 45 The Last Word 46 NEWS
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GENERAL POLICIES: Contents copyrighted 2017 by Eagle Media Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Pittsburgh City Paper are those of the author and not necessarily of Eagle Media Corp. LETTER POLICY: Letters, faxes or e-mails must be signed and include town and daytime phone number for confirmation. We may edit for length and clarity. DISTRIBUTION: Pittsburgh City Paper is published weekly by Eagle Media Corp. and is available free of charge at select distribution locations. One copy per reader; copies of past issues may be purchased for $3.00 each, payable in advance to Pittsburgh City Paper. FIRST CLASS MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Available for $175 per year, $95 per half year. No refunds.
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THIS WEEK
“HE NEEDED ALL OF US TO PULL TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE GOT INSURED.”
ONLINE
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Last week marked the start of the holiday season in Pittsburgh. Check out our photos from Light Up Night at www.pghcitypaper.com.
Struggling to stay afloat in the constantly swirling sea of political news? Check out City Paper’s Politicrap blog to read about the most important races and issues in our region.
CP recently reported on a racist video as part of our work with 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.
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{PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSHUA FRANZOS}
Karen Feinstein of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation
KEEP ROLLING W
HEN THE Affordable Care Act
became law and implementation was set to begin in 2013, Southwestern Pennsylvania was basically on its own. Federal assistance was virtually nonexistent, says Karen Feinstein, head of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation of Pittsburgh. Federal officials sent neither canvassers to teach people how to sign up for health insurance through the ACA nor health-care experts to solve problems with the ACA marketplace; other assistance was also not provided to the Pittsburgh area. And Feinstein says that while President Barack Obama’s administration sent “a very nice woman” to Pittsburgh, “she didn’t know McKeesport from McKees Rocks.” So Pittsburgh and the region had to do what they do best: bring together institu-
tions, nonprofits, religious organizations, businesses and public servants to work on a common goal. Feinstein says nonprofits like JHF, churches, Allegheny County’s Health Department, libraries, hospitals and
The Pittsburgh region has been great at getting people enrolled under the Affordable Care Act. But will that success continue? {BY RYAN DETO} businesses like Giant Eagle came together to create and implement a comprehensive strategy to get people covered through the ACA marketplace, which offers insurance to individuals under 65 years old.
It worked. Allegheny County and the surrounding counties have some of the lowest rates of uninsured individuals in the entire country. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis, Pennsylvania as a whole is the most insured state in the U.S., despite relatively high uninsured rates in Philadelphia and some other rural counties. Even with the lack of federal assistance that the Pittsburgh region had during the ACA rollout, the region quickly lowered its non-elderly uninsured rate. According to U.S. Census figures, the Pittsburgh metro area’s 2016 non-elderly uninsured rate is 4.5 percent. In 2012, before the ACA, the rate was 9.5 percent. By comparison, Philadelphia metro area’s 2016 non-elderly uninsured rate is 6.6 percent; it was 10.8 percent in 2012. Unfortunately, the job of getting people CONTINUES ON PG. 08
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
HOME We know being home matters. Does someone you love need help to stay at home? UPMC Community HealthChoices can make life easier. We’ll make sure your loved one has continued access to in-home services and supports. We’ll help them get the health care they need from doctors and hospitals they know and trust. That includes the doctors and hospitals of UPMC. So, when it’s time to choose a new Community HealthChoices plan for someone you love, you know what to do.
Call 1-844-833-0523 today to learn how UPMC Community HealthChoices can work for you. TTY users call toll free: 1-866-407-8762. UPMC Community HealthChoices complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, creed, religious affiliation, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. ATTENTION: If you speak English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call: 1-844-833-0523 (TTY: 1-866-407-8762). ATENCIĂ“N: Si habla espaĂąol, tiene a su disposiciĂłn servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingĂźĂstica. Llame al 1-844-833-0523 (TTY: 1-866-407-8762).
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ƛƌƥƼƙƌƥƞ ĆžÇŠÇ„Ç ĆťÇ” ĆźÇ‡ĆťÇ‡Ç‰Ç Ç‹Ćž džƚ ljnjNJNJǃLJDž Ç˜Ç€Ç”ÇƒĆž NjLJ ƝƚDž Ć˝Ç‡ÇŠÇ‹ÇŒÇˆÇ†Ç” ĆşĆžÇŠÇˆÇ„ĆšÇ‹Ç†Ç”Ćž ÇŒÇŠÇ„ÇŒĆźÇ ÇˆĆžÇ‰ĆžĆťÇ‡Ć˝Ćš Ć ĆťÇ‡Ç†Ç Ç‹Ćž Ç‹ĆžÇ„ĆžÇ‹ĆšÇ‚Çˆ
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KEEP ROLLING, CONTINUED FROM PG. 06
health coverage is not over. President Donald Trump’s administration and many in the Republican-led U.S. Congress are trying to undermine the ACA, by stripping ACAsign-up advertising funds or attempting to remove the ACA mandate that requires adults to get health insurance (because having more insured individuals reduces the cost of insurance plans). Democratic politicians are worried the whole system could be taken down, even as the program is working. But health-care experts believe Pittsburgh can be used as a model of a region that navigated rough waters on its own and succeeded despite the lack of help from the federal government.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
AFTER THE ACA was signed into law, Fein-
stein and other leaders from the Pittsburgh region were invited to have a meeting with Obama and his staff in Washington, D.C. She says Obama met with her group for two hours and that he was straight with them. Pittsburgh would not be receiving much help from the feds, since those resources would be allocated to the Philadelphia area and its significantly higher population. Regardless, Feinstein says she left inspired. “[Obama] made it sound like he really believed in us, and that he needed us,” says Feinstein. “He needed all of us to pull together to make sure people got insured. We left, and we couldn’t have been more fired up.” From there, organizations stepped up. Local libraries expanded their computerlog-in times so people could enroll easier. Giant Eagle set up tables at its grocery stores where questions about the ACA could be answered. Pastors, rabbis and others at various churches and temples helped their congregations learn how to get enrolled. Even Steelers owner Dan Rooney held an enrollment event at Heinz Field to help people get health insurance. It was a coordinated effort, says Nancy Zionts, JHF’s chief operating officer. And all the organizations came together, despite their differences. “It was Pittsburgh; it was collaborative,” says Zionts. “The faith-based groups weren’t afraid to be in same room as Planned Parenthood. They felt this was so close to what their collective missions were, they institutionalized it.” Local foundations, like the Pittsburgh Foundation, put their own money in to fund these efforts, says Zionts. Feinstein adds that regional health-care giant Highmark even offered high-quality insurance plans at good rates so that more Pittsburghers could have access to affordable plans. “We really exceeded expectations. We looked so good,” says Feinstein.
Zionts says she was almost happy the federal government didn’t come in and provide a whole army of navigators to show people how to get health insurance, since Pittsburghers are more likely to listen to their neighbors than to outsiders. And because the Pittsburgh enrollment effort was done by locals helping locals, Zionts is confident the region will continue to see better and better enrollment figures. She says that in the first two weeks of 2017’s open-enrollment period, Pennsylvania had 2.9 million people submit applications for health-insurance coverage, and that 10 percent of those are new applicants who had no prior ACA coverage. (People receiving health insurance through the ACA can be automatically re-enrolled, but the federal government suggests people shop around each year.) “We are keeping our enrollment numbers high.” says Zionts. “It has just continued. And because it wasn’t someone from out of town doing it for us, it was more successful.”
SIGN UP FOR ACA INSURANCE AT WWW.HEALTHCARE.GOV. Enrollment ends Dec. 15. But in spite of the region’s success in implementing the ACA, the program is still under attack by Republicans. Locally, U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-Sewickley) and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelley (R-Butler) both voted to repeal the ACA in a bill that cleared the House, but failed in the U.S. Senate. “Obamacare [ACA] is making insurance unaffordable for those in the individual and small group market, both with and without pre-existing conditions, and the Democrats have no solutions to the problem,” Rothfus said in a May 4 statement. In August, Trump slashed the ACA’s advertising budget from $100 million to $10 million. And currently, Senate Republicans, as part of their tax bill, are even considering ending the ACA’s requirement that people have health insurance. This means that 13 million individuals could leave the marketplace, which would increase premiums for those who remain. Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (DScranton) says that could be devastating for Pennsylvanians. “I don’t understand why a political party thinks the country is better off with people losing their coverage,” said Casey in a Nov. 15 conference call with reporters. “That is literally the Republican position in the health-care debate. It is entirely possible that a huge number of Americans will get a tax CONTINUES ON PG. 10
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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at the same pace. “We’ll see. We are in new territory. [Republicans] continue to try and repeal it,” says Fitzgerald. “We’ve just got to continue to be vigilant. We need more people enrolled, not less.” Fitzgerald wishes Congress and Trump would just stay out of the way and let Pittsburgh maintain the positive work it has already accomplished. “I think this is one of the things we do well, and not just on health care; we partner a lot,” says Fitzgerald. “We tend to work together. We know how to do things locally. I think we learned the lesson back in the ’80s when the mills shut down. The feds were not coming in with any bailouts then.” Regardless of Republicans’ intentions, JHF’s Feinstein says the tasks originally given to her by Obama are still priorities for her group and Pittsburgh as a whole. She says she could have used JHF resources differently, such as writing a healthcare policy study, but Feinstein believes that “would be a lot less important than getting people covered, so they actually have access to health care.” “It’s not only a good role for us to have,” says Feinstein, “I think it is an obligation.” RYA N D E TO@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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increase and lose their health care in the same year.” Critics say ACA marketplace premiums are rising at an uncontrollable rate. In most parts of the country, however, rates actually went down between 2014 and 2016. In Pennsylvania, 2017 rates are 30 percent higher than in 2016, and are likely to be higher still in 2018. But Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Human Services Teresa Miller believes this is mostly because of the uncertainty caused by Republican attempts to repeal the ACA. “I am here to set the record straight: There is only one party that is making the ACA implode — Republicans — and this provision in the tax bill is just another attempt at that,” Miller said on that Nov. 15 conference call. “The original ACA rate increases were projected at 7 percent, now they are at 30 percent. It is because of uncertainty and sabotage by Republicans and the Trump administration.” And this behavior by Trump and Republicans is making Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald a bit nervous. He’s glad to see the region getting a high number of people covered, but can’t say with confidence that things will continue
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
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CYBER ASSAULT After falling victim to revenge porn, former Pittsburgh anchor Darieth Chisolm speaks up {BY REBECCA ADDISON} THE START OF another year is often filled with hope and promise. But instead of turning over a new leaf, former television-news anchor Darieth Chisolm began 2017 living in a nightmare. Chisolm, who was a familiar presence on Pittsburgh-area televisions for more than a decade, had recently broken up with a boyfriend whom she had been living with in Jamaica. But the man was unwilling to let her go. “I got threatening messages that he would kill me if I didn’t come back to the relationship,” Chisolm says. “He started threatening me, threatening my life.” And when that didn’t work, the man began sending Chisolm a different kind of threatening messages. These messages contained nude photos and videos of her that the man had taken without her knowledge. “He started sending me messages with photos and videos he had taken of me, and then he started creating memes with a bunch of lies and distortions and threatened to put that out on social media,” Chisolm says. “Obviously that left me very confused and angry and upset and alarmed.” By March, the man had created a website where he posted the photos and videos. As a result, Chisolm shut down. She didn’t know where to turn. “So, this is out there on the internet, and I’m somewhat of a celebrity and have spent 20-some years building a very successful career, and you can just imagine how embarrassing and ashamed and humiliated I felt by all of this,” Chisolm says. “I’ve been through probably one of the most embar-
Darieth Chisolm
rassing and extremely painful experiences anyone can ever experience.” But Chisolm refused to remain silent. She decided to use her experience to help others and recently launched the 50 Shades of Silence campaign to bring attention to cyber bullying, revenge porn and sexual harassment. And she’s in the process of seeking both civil and criminal charges against her abuser. “What I decided to do, after I picked myself up, is to not only share my story, but use my voice and my platform to really bring attention to this, because I am not alone,” Chisolm says. “I have heard, sadly, from so many people who are experiencing this. Many of them are still locked away in silence and shame, afraid to even tell others, let alone know what to do next.”
A 2014 report by the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative found that 1 in 10 intimate partners threaten an ex with non-consensual sharing of sexual images. According to the report, 60 percent of those who threaten to share non-consensual pornography carry out their threats, and 90 percent of reported “revenge porn” targets are women. “My fight is long and hard. There is very little legislation on the books around these types of cyber, revenge-related crimes,” Chisolm says. “We’re calling for stricter enforcement for perpetrators and better protection for victims.” In 2014, Pennsylvania passed legislation criminalizing revenge porn, but many states don’t have laws addressing the issue. And Chisolm says that many of the laws
“MY FIGHT IS LONG AND HARD.”
currently on the books don’t go far enough. “Not all states carry some form of statute in their case law that can be used to support someone who is seeking some civil or criminal remedy, and even the ones that are on the books aren’t very strong — they lack teeth,” Chisolm says. “For the victim, this ruins their lives. It leaves you with no way to fight this. We’ve got to strengthen the laws. We’ve got to broaden the laws.” The 50 Shades of Silence website provides information on resources victims can use to get help, including how to get illicit content removed, find an attorney familiar with these kinds of cases and access emotional support. A lot of those resources are based on Chisolm’s experience. She sought a protectionfrom-stalking-and-cyber-stalking order, but had to get help outside of the court system to shut down the website where nude photos and videos of her were published. “Often times, internet companies like GoDaddy and Google will say you need a court order, and people find themselves spending a lot of time and money in court seeking that. I have yet to get a court order, and I’ve been in court for six months,” says Chisolm. “It’s unfortunate because children and adults have committed suicide over this.” Chisolm is in the process of filming a feature-length documentary to raise awareness about the issue. The documentary will include stories from other victims, as well as spotlight lawmakers working to address this issue and tech companies creating solutions to help victims. But it will also send a message to Chisolm’s abuser. “One of the things he said to me was, ‘I will silence and destroy you,’” Chisolm says. “I felt just like anyone else who has naked photos taken against their will published online. It took me several months to even get to a place emotionally to even tell my mother. Now, I’ve made it my mission to use my story and my voice to support others.” RA D D I S ON @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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says Rick Schweikert, a Pittsburgh-based real-estate agent with Keller Williams. “That’s where the economy, the consumer and the product are all moving,” confirms John Petrack, a spokesman for the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (RAMP). Having green listings is “somewhat beneficial to a Realtor,” says RAMP president Charlene Haislip. “It’s most beneficial to the homeowner. … It’s going to make finding the right home easier for a buyer.” Haislip adds that green fields would also allow appraisers to estimate home values more accurately, and concludes, “I don’t see a downside at all.” So why no green listings here? Most MLSs are run by local associations of real-estate agents, who can implement such changes themselves; by contrast, the West Penn MLS is owned by a handful of large brokers, including Howard Hanna and Northwood Realty. And all ReEnergize Pittsburgh’s appeals to the MLS have been politely rebuffed, says CCI’s Zappa. “We can’t get them even to have a conversation with us,” she says. Even Haislip, of RAMP — the organization representing the professionals West Penn serves — professes uncertainty about why the MLS (homepage motto: “Innovative & Economical”) is balking. “Probably it has to do with money,” Haislip says. Reached by phone, West Penn MLS chief operating officer Barbara Kohl says the answer is technological. Adding green fields “would require extensive changes to our database,” she says. West Penn, she adds, just completed a major software overhaul and is not ready for another. “I’m not saying we’re not going to do it,” she says. “We’re just not going to do it right at this moment.” It’s too late for de Barbaro and Freitas, though. They did sell their passive-house duplex, but de Barbaro says the buyer was more interested in the building’s look than its sustainability. “We need to start valuing these things more,” she says.
“I DON’T SEE A DOWNSIDE AT ALL.”
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EARLY THIS YEAR, Lucyna de Barbaro and Ayres Freitas completed the first newly constructed passive-house duplex within city limits. A passive house is so tightly sealed and well insulated that its heating and cooling system has the same electricalpower needs as a hairdryer. They moved into half of the Squirrel Hill duplex and listed the other half for sale. Problem: The West Penn Multi-List, the region’s realestate listing service, didn’t provide a searchable online way to tell potential buyers why the house was special. “There is a segment of the buyers who would be interested in this,” says de Barbaro. However, she says, “West Penn MLS is keeping people in the dark.” As MLSs around the nation increasingly include space for so-called “green fields” in their databases, critics are concerned that Western Pennsylvania is falling behind. For two years, an informal group called the ReEnergize Pittsburgh Coalition has worked to persuade West Penn MLS to make room for information about things like solar panels, highperformance windows and energy-efficient furnaces, saying it would benefit buyers, sellers and real-estate agents. Jeaneen Zappa, who heads Coalition member Conservation Consultants Inc., says the move could even benefit the environment by incentivizing conservation-minded home improvements. The Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO), which provides technical support for the industry, has created standardized ways to list green info; CEO Jeremy Crawford says half of the nation’s 700 MLSs utilize green fields, a cohort that encompasses “90 percent of the market.” One available green field indicates whether a home has earned third-party certification for efficiency standards like the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Star rating; the DOE cites research indicating that certified homes (and even homes that simply utilize green fields in listings) sell faster, and for more money. Amanda Stinton, sustainability director for the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors, says studies have found that, when properly marketed, existing certified homes sell for 5 percent more, and certified new homes get premiums of 9 percent to 14 percent. The demand for green listings is driven by homebuyers — millennials, says Stinton, and baby boomers concerned about quality of life and the environment. “Our clients are increasingly environmentally conscious,”
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
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A presumably humiliated opossum “ran off” in late October after three Pennsylvania men posted photos on social media of themselves giving it beer and kissing it. The Pennsylvania State Game Commission was unamused by the antics of Michael Robert Tice, 18, of Newport; David Mason Snook, 19, of Reedsville; and Morgan Scot Ehrenzeller, 20, of McAlisterville, and charged them on Nov. 2 with unlawful possession of wildlife and disturbing wildlife. According to TribLive, Tice kissed and held the animal while Snook poured beer on its head and into its mouth. The men couldn’t be reached for comment.
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A family of three were taken from their home and forced into a car on Nov. 7 in Leduc County, Alberta, Canada, by five naked people. The man, who was placed in the trunk, quickly escaped, and his wife and baby also managed to get away, according to The Canadian Press. A passing truck driver picked up the three victims, but then the naked kidnappers’ car rammed his truck from behind, sending it into a ditch. Royal Canadian Mounted Police caught up with the criminals; of the five, two were minors and were not charged. The adults faced charges of kidnapping and resisting arrest. The RCMP gave no explanation for why the five kidnappers were naked, but posited that drugs or alcohol may have been involved.
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Tempers flared in Minot, N.D., before 33-year-old Cornelius Marcel Young was charged with terrorizing after attacking his fiancée’s brother at a trailer park on Nov. 3. The Minot Daily News reported that Young yelled at the brother, punched him in the face and knocked him into a wall after he had turned up the thermostat in the trailer, according to a Minot Municipal Court affidavit. When the brother threatened to call police, Young brandished a knife, as his fiancée jumped on his back and bit his ear “to distract him.” Two children were in the trailer during the fight but were uninjured.
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A Chicago wiener stand was the scene of a crime gone south on Oct. 31 when Terrion Pouncy, 19, accidentally discharged his gun, which he was trying to conceal in his pants, and shot himself in a most sensitive location. The Chicago Tribune reported police were called to the Original Maxwell Street Polish at about 6 a.m., after a hooded man threatened employees with a small-caliber pistol. One of the employees gave him money from the cash register, according to the complaint against Pouncy, after which the robber stole the man’s cellphone and wallet, and ran outside, stuffing the gun in his pants, but it went off twice, striking his “groin” and thigh. Pouncy kept running
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
and eventually called 911 to report that he’d been shot. He was charged with two counts of armed robbery with a firearm, but couldn’t appear for his bond hearing, as he was recovering at a local hospital.
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The Stardust Ranch in Rainbow Valley, Ariz., has a lot to offer potential buyers: Just an hour west of Phoenix, the property boasts a 3,500-square-foot home with a pool, 10 acres, barns, a gated entry ... and two portals to another dimension: one at the back of the property, and one in the fireplace. Owner John Edmonds and his wife bought the property, now listed at $5 million, 20 years ago to run a horse rescue, but he says he’s killed more than a dozen extraterrestrials on the property (using a samurai sword) and has suffered many injuries in his encounters with them. Edmonds told KPNX TV in October that aliens tried to abduct his wife: “They actually levitated her out of
the bed in the master chamber and carried her into the parking lot and tried to draw her up into the craft.” (She won’t enter the room anymore.) Listing agent Kimberly Gero notes: “This isn’t the type of property that you can just place in the MLS and wait for a buyer to come along.”
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Poland has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe, so the Polish Health Ministry is using the example of rabbits to encourage its citizens to multiply. The ministry produced a short video with a rabbit “narrator” who explains that members of the Leporidae family enjoy exercise, a healthy diet and little stress. “If you ever want to be a parent, follow the example of rabbits,” the video suggests. The ministry said in a statement to the Associated Press in early November that it was looking for a way to increase public awareness about the low birth rate that “did not offend anyone and was not vulgar.”
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NEW LOCAL RELEASES A Very Misra Christmas VARIOUS ARTISTS MISRA RECORDS WWW.MISRARECORDS.COM
At a certain point while listening to Misra Records’ new holiday compilation record, A Very Misra Christmas, I realized I had no idea which songs were originals and which were covers. To be fair, I have little-to-no knowledge of Christmas music outside of the Top 40 choice nugs and John Williams’ Home Alone score. But the ambiguity created here owes more to the performers’ skills than to my ignorance of Christmas music; these people can sell a tune. Brett Staggs & The Daylight Moon kick things off with the bright and upbeat “Dancin’ on Christmas Eve.” Off the bat, the production highlights part of the album’s whole appeal. I think part of what turns people off Christmas music, in general, is that it’s so polished, sugary and clean (aside from the occasional grandmother/reindeer hit-and-run or “Baby It’s Cold Outside”). Staggs’ “Dancin’,” on the other hand, feels appealingly unpolished and sincere. It’s not lo-fi, but the production value that runs through this song (and the whole album) maintains some edge, with a little hiss here and there; it makes the performances feel lively, rather than showy or propped up. “The Only Thing Missing Is You,” from Shannon and The Merger, provides another highlight in a slow, bittersweet ballad that sounds an awful lot like it might be a cover, but isn’t. Action Camp offers one of the album’s starkest tonal changes with “Wintry,” a sullen but warmly produced guitar track that would sound at home on any Beach House record. Another worthy outlier is Linen Closet’s eerie vocal cover of Benjamin Britten’s “That Yonge Child.” The most fun entry goes to Tai Chirovsky’s cover of The Killers’ “Don’t Shoot Me Santa.” Despite the title, none of these artists are signed to Misra at the moment. The label put out a call for submissions, and this is the result, which I think is actually way cooler than rounding up a label’s own artists. And you can hear the difference: These folks want to play these songs, and they seem to be having a blast doing so.
{PHOTO COURTESY OF LACEPHOTOGRAPHY}
Robert “Big Sandy” Williams
FLYING RIGHT {BY CHARLIE DEITCH}
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who spent their early lives involved in crime but were able to clean up their acts thanks to music. For Robert “Big Sandy” Williams, it was the other way around. “When I was young, I’d listen to my parents’ records — a lot of rockabilly, doo-wop and Western swing,” Williams tells City Paper via phone from his home in California. “I’d lay on the floor of my bedroom with a speaker on each side of my head, absorbing it, daydreaming about being a performer on stage myself one day singing to all the girls. I was lost in my own little world. “We also had a next-door neighbor who would play guitar, and I really wanted to play. So, when she would leave, I would break into her house and
BY ALEX GORDON
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HERE IS NO shortage of musicians
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
play my own songs and make up my own chords on her guitar.” Luckily for Williams, he never got caught. The only thing he took from the house was a deeper love, appreciation and fire for music. He’s been playing in
BIG SANDY AT REV. HORTON HEAT’S HOLIDAY HAYRIDE 8 p.m. Tue., Dec. 5. Jergel’s, 285 Northgate Drive, Warrendale. $33-49. 724 799-8333 or www.jergels.com
bands since he was a teenager growing up in Anaheim, Calif., and in the late ’80s he formed the band he still leads today, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. Starting out as a straight rockabilly outfit during
the genre’s ’80s revival thanks to bands like the Stray Cats, the band has become one of those magnificent original acts that takes an old sound and makes it fresh, new and relevant. The band’s style mixes old Sun Records rockabilly with doo-wop, ’50s R&B, Western swing and country be-bop. The result is a transformative group whose contributions are so significant that the band has been enshrined in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. But at the base of it still is the kid who was willing to commit misdemeanor breaking and entering just to play music. Big Sandy (without his Fly-Rite Boys) hits town Dec. 5 as part of the Rev. Horton Heat’s Holiday Hayride at Jergel’s in Warrendale. This annual show often features guest artists joining the headCONTINUES ON PG. 20
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FLYING RIGHT, CONTINUED FROM PG. 18
liner on stage for what’s traditionally a very memorable collaboration. “I’m really excited to be part of this tour,” Williams says. “I’ve known [Rev. Horton Heat] for years, and I’m looking forward to finally doing something like this with him. The Fly-Rite Boys is my main thing, but I like going out and trying new and different things. I think this will really be a gas.” Williams has come a long way from the kid laying on his bedroom floor listening to Gene Vincent and Bob Wills records. He began writing his own songs at an early age and started taking legal guitar lessons as a teen. “My mother saw an ad for a music shop that would give you a free guitar if you paid in advance for three months of lessons,” Williams says with a laugh. “I loved that thing. Other kids were out playing sports and doing what kids do, and I worked on music and listened to records.” Williams credits an early love of vinyl for shaping him as an artist. He still rummages through the stacks at record stores while on the road, looking for something he’s never heard before. “It happens all the time,” he says, even today. “My only passion or hobby outside of playing music is collecting music. It really is my life.” A journey through the Big Sandy catalog, especially a chronological one, allows you to hear and experience the artist’s evolution. It’s not like you’re hearing an artist doing something dramatically different on each record. You experience an artist doing something just a little different. “We started out just trying to recreate that classic rockabilly sound,” Williams says. “Those early records are me trying to sound and be traditional. But then as you write your own music, that changes the way you play. We started messing with some different things, adding a steel guitar and playing more of the hillbilly stuff. But eventually we moved back toward our own version of stripped-down rockabilly.” A top-notch performer on stage, Williams’ songs and performances display a recognizable sense of playfulness. His songs are fun and memorable and there’s literally something for everyone. Williams’ music is easy to like because it’s genuine, and it’s obvious that he likes it too. “We just try to go out and do our own thing,” Williams says. “We try not to overanalyze it too much, that’s for others to do. I just try to keep my mind open and not be too confined by styles. I realize that things I didn’t like in my 20s may be something I’m into now. I’m just a fan of music and I want that to come through in what I’m doing on stage.” C DE IT C H @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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UNCOMFORTABLE TALENT {BY MEGAN FAIR}
{PHOTO COURTESY OF MARC RIMMER}
Chad VanGaalen
Chad VanGaalen is a musician, animator and illustrator in addition to being a father and husband. During the days, he heads to the work space on his property in Calgary, Alberta, while his kids are at school and creates enchanting surreal art with sci-fi roots across his mediums. At his core, he’s a storyteller. VanGaalen’s also a transparently uncomfortable person. On his Bandcamp page for his latest release, Light Information, he expresses that this record is about “not feeling comfortable with really anything.” This includes touring. “[Touring] feels a little weird. I’m not a huge fan of touring,” says VanGaalen. “If I could pick, I wouldn’t tour for this long. The perfect amount of time to be gone is a week, but it’s hard to get things going because it takes about a week to feel comfortable performing in front of people.” VanGaalen is enjoying himself on this tour a little, especially with the company of his band of friends. He points to his own vulnerabilities as the reasons for his discomfort. “I’m fairly weak as far as organisms go,” he jokes dryly. Though he may feel discomfort, this release is cohesive and confident. It’s a successful bout of storytelling with catchy melodies and folksy whispers. One of the highlights of Light Information isn’t like the other tracks — it’s an instrumental number called “Prep Piano and 770.” “Lately I’m drawn to more experimental, instrumental pieces,” he says. “It’s easier to pair with an image in my head. Sometimes the lyrics can sort of hinder the story you’re trying to tell.” M E G FA I R@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
CHAD VANGAALEN 7 p.m. Tue., Dec. 5. Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side. $12. clubcafelive.com
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BUSINESS BRAIN {BY MEG FAIR} BYRON NASH IS an incredibly busy man who has had a big year. Among his many accomplishments is having his band, Plan B, open for Wiz Khalifa at Pittsburgh’s Thrival Music Festival. In addition to being a gifted guitarist making music with Plan B, he’s a solo artist who writes music for commercial placement. He also spends several hours a week attending classes through Pittsburgh Technology Council. You could say he’s a good multi-tasker. Nash is the only musician who is a part of Pittsburgh Tech Council’s 2018 Co-CREATE Business Ignition Program Cohort. It’s a long and ambiguous title, so City Paper met up with Nash to chat about the endeavor. “It’s a ten-month accelerated program where they thrust you into business in all the realms you couldn’t get into on your own or couldn’t get into as quickly on your own, by taking classes and going to events and networking,” says Nash. “They select six entrepreneurs and at the end of our program we show up and
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{CP PHOTO BY JOHN COLOMBO}
Byron Nash
perform at CREATE festival, which kicks off the Three Rivers Arts Fest.” He takes the opportunity very seriously. “A lot of times artists are all about their art and creating, and they’re not really focused on the business side of things,” says Nash. Nash has been taking classes on everything from Instagram branding to Google optimization. “It feels like school, but not in the ‘Aw, man, I have to go to school’ way. I’m super amped about it,” he says with a bright smile. “I’m nerdy excited about it.” “[Business knowledge] is what will propel you the most. You can be really talented, but you can only make it so far if you don’t know what you’re signing or what to look for. Is your business set up the right way? People often aren’t thinking about that.” Nash is charismatic, with an ambitious spirit. His energy and enthusiasm are infectious as he talks about his work. Nash is a bartender by night, but his work day starts far earlier. “Like, I’ll put in 10 hours of music-related work before I go to work [bartending] and most people are like, ‘Whoa, why would you ever do that?!’” Nash says with a laugh. “But I’m always interested in how far I can push myself and how much I can
handle along with still being an artist who is in the studio, writing songs and playing shows,” he says. Following Nash for the past year has been videographer Darin DiNapoli. The documentary-style footage that DiNapoli shoots is compiled into short clips that Nash uses to push shows and keep people intrigued between albums and gigs. “I want to create all this short content. It’s hard because you get all this momentum from playing out, and then you have nothing to follow it up with and it’s tough,” Nash says. “But little videos like this keep people interested.” Nash is learning by watching social-media “influencers,” the people who build strong identities and use them to make partnerships and gain sponsorships, essentially monetizing their personal brands. “You have to find what your personal thing is, and you build on it. It’s really genuine then, because it’s you,” explains Nash. This desire to learn and grow and try new tactics to take his art to the next level is a part of his mantra, and will continue to be into 2018. “In the last year I’ve been really in the mindset of: ‘What do I want, and what do I need to do to get there?’” says Nash. “I’ve always been motivated, but I’m really leaning into it now.”
“IN THE LAST YEAR I’VE BEEN REALLY IN THE MINDSET OF: ‘WHAT DO I WANT, AND WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GET THERE.’”
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CRITICS’ PICKS
classical
Sean Jones
PINE
and friends
[ALT BLACK FRIDAY] + FRI., NOV. 23 Nothing is more emblematic of America’s love of capitalism than Black Friday, the postThanksgiving tradition of buying pounds of clothes and electronics at a mild discount. People have started fighting the trend, partly because it encourages stampede-on-theSerengeti levels of chaos. If you wanna stay away from the mall but still wanna have a good time, Mr. Roboto Project is hosting a free y Nothing g Day, y, featuring g show in honor of Buy usic including the anti-corporate local music nk of Johnny Hates 45’s, garage rock pop-punk une Teller, r surf rock by Water Trash, by Fortune and the indie psychedelic sound of erm. Hannah Lynn 7 p.m. Pachyderm. nn Ave., Bloomfield. All 5106 Penn erobotoproject.com ages. therobotoproject.com
cooler than me or you could ever aspire to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth basking in his glow. He wears regal tunics, carries an even more regal cane, and commands the saxophone like an extra limb. His 2017 album Harmony of Difference, which was featured at the Whitney Museum Biennial, consists of five tracks that weave together fast-paced strings, horns and percussion and are as intriguing as they are complex. g g his band to Mr. Smalls Washington will bring tonight along with neo-soul trio Moonchild. HL 8 p.m. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $30. All ag ges. 412-821-4447 or mrsmalls.com ages.
Philly indie punk rockers Beach Slang make music for your glittery and chaotic teenage heart. The group’s most recent full album, A Loud Bash of s is exactly Teenage Feelings, what it claims to be. The band followed that up with We Were Babies and We Were Dirtbags, s a piano-driven LP leaning on the side of inspirational with covers of The Replacements’ “Androgynous� and Big Star’s Beac “Thirteen.� Beach join Slang will be joined o by at Cattivo punk veteran Dave Hause & The Mermaid, also hailing tha from that cit other city in PA, and the inclusive jams of the Homele ’Burgh’s Homeless Gospel Choir. HL. 8 p.m. 146 44th St., Lawrenceville. 412-687 412-687cattivopgh.co 2157 or cattivopgh.com
Kamasi Washington
[JAZZ]] + MON.,, NOV. 27 Jazz genius nius Kamasi gton is definitely Washington
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Wynton Kelly Stone Guess L'Histoire du Soldat by Igor Stravinsky
[PUNK] [P PUN U K] + MON., NOV. 27
[EMO]] + SAT., NOV. 25 I saw a tweet recently about how w should have more than no show cts, but hey, the more the three acts, merrier!! Or in this case, the more o-ier. Tonight at Black Forge the emo-ier. Coffee House, PINE brings its nk tunes all the way emo punk rom Ottawa. PINE down from d by a whole slew is joined sylvania bands, of Pennsylvania rdcore from with hardcore ard, acoustic Shin Guard, om Foxwell, emo from alt-rock from Tears of d pop-punk Joy, and ood Grief. from Good ng that Try saying es fast. HL five times m. 1206 6:30 p.m. on Ave., Arlington wn. Allentown. $10-12. All ages. -8994 412-291-8994 kforge or blackforge com coffee.com
oorld-premiere oork by
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ROCK/POP
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CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF HOMESTEAD MUSIC HALL. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. 8 p.m.-midnight. Homestead. 412-381-6811. DIESEL. Bobaflex. 7-10 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800. EXCUSES BAR & GRILL. Aris Paul & The Block Bruisers. 9:30 p.m.1 a.m. South Side. 412-431-4090. HARD ROCK CAFE. Sawyer Rush Tribute. 9-11:45 p.m. Station Square. 412-481-7625. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE. Totally 80s. 9 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Warrendale. 724-799-8333. MOONDOG’S. Norman Nardini. 9 p.m.-midnight. Blawnox. 412-828-2040. REX THEATER. Mike Dillon Band. 8 p.m.-midnight. South Side. 412-381-6811.
BELVEDERE’S. 80s dj zombo benefit. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. 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.
DECEMBER 6
BAJA BAR AND GRILL. Dancing Queen. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Fox Chapel. 412-963-0640. CRAFTHOUSE STAGE & GRILL. The Eagles Tribute. 9 p.m. Whitehall. 412-653-2695. HOWLERS. Hepcat Dilemma, Father Flamethrower, Get To The Chopper. 9 p.m.-midnight. Bloomfield. 412-682-0320. KNUCKLEHEAD’S BAR. Tobacco Road. 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Ross. 412-366-7468. THE LAMP THEATRE. 10,000 Maniacs. 8 p.m. Irwin. 724-367-4000. MOONDOG’S. TheCAUSE. 9 p.m.midnight. Blawnox. 412-828-2040. PARK HOUSE. Sunhound. 9:30 p.m.-midnight. North Side. 412-224-2273. SMILING MOOSE. Pop Punk Night. Last Sat. of every month, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. South Side. 412-439-5706. STAGE AE. The Clarks, Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, Donnie Iris, Kelsey Friday and Rick Witkowski, Jim Donovan & The Sun King Warriors & The Hawkeyes. 2nd Annual DVE Charity Jam. 6 p.m. North Side. 412-229-5483. TUGBOAT’S. Terrance Vaughn & Shaggy Marcello. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. East Pittsburgh. 412-829-1992.
SUN 26 THE R BAR. Billy the Kid’s Steel Town All-Stars. 7-10 p.m. Dormont. 412-942-0882.
TUE 28 DIESEL. Suicide Silence w/ Upon a Burning Body, Slaughter to Prevail & Prison. 7 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
ANDYS WINE BAR. DJ Malls Spins Vinyl. 5 p.m. Downtown. 412-773-8884. BELVEDERE’S. Down N Derby. 9 p.m. disco skate. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. 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. ONE 10 LOUNGE. DJ Goodnight, DJ Rojo. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-874-4582.
SAT 25 BELVEDERE’S. Left over twerky get weird reunion. 10 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. DIESEL. DJ CK. 10 p.m. South Side. 412-431-8800. MIXTAPE. DJ Antithesis. ‘The 1990s (& a bag of chips)’ dance party. 9 p.m. Garfield. 412-661-1727. PERLE CHAMPAGNE BAR. DJ Tenova. ladies night. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-471-2058.
TUE 28 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.
MP 3 MONDAY ARLO ALDO {PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID MANCHESTER}
SAT 25
FRI 24
RUGGER’S PUB. 80s Night w/ DJ Connor. 9 p.m. South Side. 412-381-1330. THE GLITTER BOX THEATER. NO REQUESTS feat. DJ QRX, JAYBEE, DJ FEMI, SLIM DA DJ. 10 p.m. Oakland. 412-877-1371.
Each week we post a song from a local artist online for free. This week, it’s new, unreleased music from the alt-folk ensemble Arlo Aldo. “Stay” has all the heartsick harmonies and smart guitar work you’d expect from this crew, but they take a more intimate and restrained approach here. Look out for this album, Two-Piece Promenade, on Future Oak Records in early 2018. Stream or download “Stay” for free at FFW>>, the music blog at pghcitypaper.com.
HEAVY ROTATION
SUN 26
CLASSICAL
CITY OF ASYLUM @ ALPHABET CITY. Dwayne Dolphin. 5:30 p.m. North Side. 412-435-1110. ROCKS LANDING BAR & GRILLE. Tony Campbell, John Hall, Howie Alexander & Dennis Garner. 7 p.m. McKees Rocks. 412- 875- 5809. VINOSKI WINERY. Sam Brooks & Jazz Trip. 1 p.m. Belle Vernon. 724-872-3333.
Here are four songs music writer Meg Fair can’t stop listening to: The Killers
“Shadowplay”
SUN 26 KAMRATON PRESENTS: SHE SCORES I. Launching She Scores, a two-part series celebrating women composers. The first installment, She Scores I, features the work of Kaija Saariaho, Rebecca Saunders, Ann Cleare, and two commissioned premieres by Lu-Han Li and Christine Burke. She Scores is made possible by The Opportunity Fund and The Heinz Endowments. 7 p.m. Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, Garfield. 412-465-0654.
MON 27 HAMBONE’S. Ian Kane, Ronnie Weiss & Tom Boyce. Jazz Standards, showtunes & blues. 6:30 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-681-4318. SAVOY RESTAURANT. Fred Pugh & Friends. 6 p.m. Strip District. 412.-281-0660.
The Smiths
“Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”
MON 27 CLASSICAL SEAN JONES & FRIENDS. 7:30 p.m. Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland. 412-624-4129. PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. Acclaimed opera and theater Director Sam Helfrich joins the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for the third in a series of innovative collaborations bringing to life great musical masterpieces through a provocative and modern-day lens. 8 p.m. City of Asylum @ Alphabet City, North Side. 412-435-1110.
TUE 28 RILEY’S POUR HOUSE. Martin Rosenberg. 5:30 p.m. Carnegie. 412-279-0770.
No Doubt
“Sunday Morning”
WED 29 RIVERS CLUB. Jessica Lee & Friends. Last Wed. of every month, 5:30 p.m. Downtown. 412-391-5227.
Motion City Soundtrack
ACOUSTIC FRI 24
“Feels Like Rain”
THE SUMMIT. Dig Now Sounds w/ Hot Honey. 9 p.m. Mt. Washington. 412-918-1647.
WED 29 SMILING MOOSE. Rock Star Karaoke w/ T-MONEY. 9:30 p.m. South Side. 412-431-4668.
SAT 25 NIED’S HOTEL. Shot O’ Soul. 8 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-781-9853.
JAZZ
HIP HOP/R&B FRI 24
FRI 24
SAVOY RESTAURANT. The Bill Henry Band. 10 p.m. Strip District. 412-281-0660.
WED 29 ROCKS LANDING BAR & GRILLE. Tony Campbell feat. Teresa Hawthorne. 7:30 p.m. McKees Rocks. 412-875-5809.
BLUES THU 23 O’DONNA’S. The Bo’Hog Brothers. 8 p.m. Beaver. 878-313-3418.
FRI 24 CLARION RIVER BREWERY. Strange Brew. 7 p.m. Oakmont. 814-297-8399. ELWOOD’S PUB. Jack of Diamonds. 8:30 p.m. Rural Ridge. 724-265-1181. KEYSTONE BAR. The Bo’Hog Brothers. CD Release Party #2. 9 p.m. Sewickley. 724-758-4217. VINOSKI WINERY. The Hitchhikeers 6 p.m. Belle Vernon. 724-872-3333.
NEWS
MARKET SQUARE. Right TurnClyde. 7 p.m. Downtown. 412-471-1511. VINOSKI WINERY. Joe Materkowski. 1 p.m. Belle Vernon. 724-872-3333.
ANDORA RESTAURANT - FOX CHAPEL. Pianist Harry Cardillo & vocalist Charlie Sanders. 6:30 p.m. Fox Chapel. 412-967-1900. FIFTH AVENUE PLACE. Roger Barbour Band. 12 p.m. Downtown.
SAT 25 KELLY-STRAYHORN THEATER. Suite Life: Billy Strayhorn Birthday Bash. Reared in Homewood, the legendary pianist, arranger and composer made an indelible mark on the world of jazz. Musical director Poogie Bell will gather a lineup of all-stars to rearrange and remix his classics. Performing with Poogie will be Anqwenique Wingfield, Kenny Peagler, Lorenze M. Jefferson, Joe Williams, Jim Metzger, Shanyse Strickland, Lora Hertrick, Joseph Badaczewski, George Jones, Howie Alexander, Tony DePaolis and the Funky Fly Project. 8 p.m. East Liberty. 412-363-3000. THE MONROEVILLE RACQUET CLUB. Jazz Bean Live. 7 p.m. Monroeville. 412-728-4155.
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THU 23 LINDEN GROVE. Karaoke. 8 p.m. Castle Shannon. 412-882-8687.
FRI 24 CATTIVO. Ripe. 8 p.m. Lawrenceville. 412-821-4447. LINDEN GROVE. Artistree. 9 p.m. Castle Shannon. 412-882-8687. RIVERS CASINO. Antoinette Trio. Levels. 9 p.m. Bon Journey. Drum Bar. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-231-7777.
SAT 25
THU 23 RILEY’S POUR HOUSE. Martin Rosenberg. 5:30 p.m. Carnegie. 412-279-0770.
OTHER MUSIC
BAR 3 MILLVALE. Todd and Dale. 8:30 p.m. Millvale. 412-408-3870. BLACK FORGE COFFEE HOUSE. Cyndi Washburn. 7:30 p.m. Knoxville. 717-839-1663. THE BULLPEN. The Eclectic Acoustics. 9 p.m. Avella. 724-356-3000. PARK HOUSE. Herb and Hanson. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-224-2273.
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WED 29
FULL LIST E N O LwIN w.
SAT 25 RIVERS CASINO. On The Level. Levels. 9 p.m. Tres Lads. Drum Bar. 9 p.m. North Side. 412-231-7777.
w ALLEGHENY ELKS paper pghcitym LODGE #339. Pittsburgh .co Banjo Club. 8 p.m. North Side. 412-321-1834. CATTIVO. Beach Slang, Dave PARK HOUSE. Shelf Life Hause & The Mermaid, The String Band. 9 p.m. North Side. Homeless Gospel Choir. 7 p.m. 412-224-2273. Lawrenceville. 412-821-4447. WHEELFISH. Jason Born. 7 p.m. Ross. 412-487-8909.
MON 27
TUE 28
REGGAE
STAGE AE. I Prevail w/ We Came As Romans, The Word Alive & Escape The Fate. 6 p.m. North Side. 412-229-5483.
THU 23 PIRATA. The Flow Band. 9 p.m. Downtown. 412-323-3000.
HOLIDAY MUSIC
FRI 24 THE SPOT, ETC. The Flow Band feat. Finneydredlox, Joe Spliff, Deb Star, Sam Fingers, D. Lane. 7 p.m. Penn Hills. 412-727-2141.
SAT 25 BYHAM THEATER. Mark Milovats. 20th Annual Holiday Spectacular “Forever Christmas” 7 p.m. 412-454-6666. STRAND THEATER. The Annual Latshaw Pops Christmas Tour. Feat. Chelsea Davis Dancers. 8 p.m. Zelienople. 724-742-0400.
COUNTRY SAT 25 PALACE THEATRE. Branson On The Road Christmas Style. 2 p.m. Greensburg. 724-836-8000.
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What to do November 22-28 WEDNESDAY 22 Michael Glabicki & Dirk Miller of Rusted Root
REX THEATER South Side. 412-381-1681. Over 21 event. Free event. 8p.m.
Devin Moses & The Saved, Evan Isaac & Star Power w/ Jacob Klein CLUB CAFE South Side. 412-431-4950. Over 21 event. Tickets: ticketweb.com/opus one. 8p.m.
THURSDAY 23 Zombo 80’s Thanksgiving Fundraiser
BELVEDERE’S ULTRA-DIVE Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555. Over 21 event. For more info visit belvederesultradive.com. 9p.m.
FRIDAY 24 245 Tyler Farr
JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE
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IN PITTSBURGH
Warrendale. 724-799-8333. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 8p.m.
SHEPPARD REX THEATER NOVEMBER 25
Vienna & Violin Virtuosity HEINZ HALL Downtown. 412-392-4900. Tickets: pittsburghsymphony. org. Through Nov. 26.
CITY OF ASYLUM North Side. 412-435-1110. With special guests Sam Helfrich & Manfred Honeck. Free event. For more info visit trustarts. org. 8p.m.
REX THEATER South Side. 412-381-1681. With special guest Spish. Over 21 event. Free event. 9p.m.
THE WATERFRONT Munhall. Free event. For more info visit imadeitmarket.com. Through Nov. 26.
SATURDAY 25 DVE Charity Jam w/ The Clarks
STAGE AE North Side. With special guests Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers, Donnie Iris, Kelsey Friday & Rick Witkowski.
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
MR. SMALLS THEATRE Millvale. 412-421-4447. With special guest Moonchild. All ages event. Tickets: ticketweb.com/opusone. 8p.m.
PSO @ City of Asylum: Reimagining Creation
Mike Dillon Band
I Made It! Handmade Market
Kamasi Washington
Tickets: ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Doors open at 6p.m.
412-431-4950. Over 21 event. Tickets: ticketweb.com/opus one. 10:30p.m.
Over 21 event. For more info visit belvederesultradive.com. 9p.m.
A Drag Queen Christmas
Sheppard
SUNDAY 26
CARNEGIE OF HOMESTEAD MUSIC HALL Munhall. 412-462-3444. All ages event. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 8p.m.
The Monday Blues Revue CLUB CAFE South Side.
REX THEATER South Side. 412-381-1681. With special guests ROMES & ALBVS. All ages event. Tickets: ticketfly. com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 8p.m.
Leftover Twerky: Twerk Competition BELVEDERE’S ULTRA-DRIVE Lawrenceville. 412-687-2555.
Share the Spotlight: Shadow Puppet Workshop CITY THEATRE COMPANY South Side. 412-431-CITY. Tickets: citytheatrecompany. org. 12p.m.
MONDAY 27
TUESDAY 28 I Prevail
STAGE AE North Side. With special guests We Came As Romans, The Word Alive & Escape the Fate. Tickets: ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. Doors open at 6p.m.
Cliff Barnes BACKSTAGE BAR AT THEATER SQUARE Downtown. 412-456-6666. Free event. 5p.m.
[ART REVIEW]
THE DEVELOPERS LOOKED AT A HEALTHY MIXTURE OF PAST AND FUTURE
WITH INTEREST may you live in interesting times, exhibited on the second-floor gallery of 937 Liberty Avenue, gathers a handful of new works by three locally based artists to “investigate visual thinking in the new world order.” The exhibit is curated by Vicky Clark with Casey Droege Cultural Productions, which recently began programming the space. Apart from broadly responding to the show’s directive, these works aren’t particularly connected in intention or aesthetic. Brenda Roger’s “The Resonance of Defiance” dominates one entire gallery wall with focus on pattern and dimension. The latter shows up in triplicate, aided by the standard set of red and blue cels in a frame of cardboard glasses, with a photograph of the headstone of Sister Catherine Cesnik, S.S.N.D., occupying the lower right-hand corner. The pattern is constructed of repeated images of the paraphernalia of mourning and tribute — flowers, candles, prayer cards. It’s nice to look at, and the 3D part is fun, but a bit more biographical context about Cesnik may be needed to let the viewer in. The memorial pillars and novena instructions surrounding her grave are innocuous as hell and give no clue to the brutality that put her there. While audiences don’t want to be pandered to, in this case a bit of prompting would help. Thomas Waters’ large digital prints examine the strangeness of dolls, imitations of man that can seem alien. Rendered in clear bright hues, mannequins are peered at in close-up, distorted by the aggressive intimacy of the lens, the invasion of the viewer making their manufactured attempts at beauty freakish and threatening. Baby dolls show up, horrifically shrouded in the plastic that protects them between the factory and the store, or head swiveled and short a limb. The highlight is Sarika Goulatia’s installation work. It’s a visual composed of words, with the pages of books, ravaged by age or war, propped up and open on plain white pedestals, giving way to wall-mounted flat white panels bearing quotes from Gandhi, Stephen Hawking, Milton. Cookbooks have been scorched, attacked, perforated, opened to recipes from Sudan, or pinned down by vise grips grasping roughly at their pages. Images of beauty and peril, guns, shopping carts, hands, omens of doom, flowers, baby carriages, cling to the walls behind the ravaged books. Our sympathies are with them. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES continues through Dec. 2. Casey Droege Cultural Productions at 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. 512-552-3600 or www.trustarts.org NEWS
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Art by Sarika Goulatia {PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHANNA LASNER}
{BY LISSA BRENNAN}
{IMAGE COURTESY OF DESMONE ARCHITECTS}
Architect’s rendering of an aerial view of Core Real Estates’s Kaufmann’s Grand on Fifth project
[ARCHITECTURE]
WHAT’S IN STORE {BY CHARLES ROSENBLUM}
W
HEN I WAS a kid, my grand-
history could hardly be more divergent. Yet they put each other in perspective precisely because of these differences. The book Kaufmann’s Department Store, by Melanie Linn Gutowski and the Senator John Heinz History Center, collects and annotates images from the now-defunct store’s 135-year history — a straightforward framing of the past. Gutowski’s book is part of Arcadia Publishing’s series of regional-history photobooks, of which there are dozens locally and literally thousands nationally. You could probably do all your holiday shopping within the range of available titles. Gutowski’s previous volume in the series, on Pittsburgh’s mansions, demonstrates her research skills and alacrity with the publication format, which is appealing in its profusion of images and yet
mother performed a minor feat of time travel, appropriately enough at the Tic Toc restaurant in the venerable Kaufmann’s Department Store, during a busy holiday-shopping day. Faced with a long line, she transported us 45 minutes into the future, to a moment when our table was available. Actually, she was pals with the hostess, who let us jump the queue, not really the space-time continuum. But recollections and reconstitutions of the old department store are conjured so powerfully by both nostalgia and prognostication that they seem to bounce through time itself. As holiday season begins, two prominent enterprises aim to reconstitute Kaufmann’s. Their methods, scales, and approaches to
challenging for the concise text required by the publishers. The Kaufmann’s volume, complete with its foreword by Rick Sebak, is a welcome entry on a beloved subject. Among its themes is a reminder that Kaufmann’s was really a purveyor of contemporaneity and change in its heyday, not simply the focus of nostalgia that it has become. Twentieth-century store magnate Edgar Kaufmann earned fame for bringing merchandising trends and spectacles from overseas, whether from the Frenchinspired International Exposition of Industrial Arts of 1926 or the longer-lasting trend toward Modern design in ensuing decades. The Vendôme, the boutique within the store that his wife, Liliane, operated, earned its lasting caché from her keen CONTINUES ON PG. 28
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WHAT’S IN STORE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 27
In De of Gr Decemb be er 1–3 An unabashed look at life’s heavy moments and the constant quest to defy gravity
Media Sponsors:
www.attacktheatre.com/gravity NOV. 11– DEC. 3, 2017 A New Musical Folktale
PIGPEN THEATRE CO. DIRECTED BY STUART CARDEN AND PIGPEN THEATRE CO. BY
USE CODE CITYCITY TO SAVE $5 ON SINGLE TICKETS
TICKETS ON SALE NOW 412.431.CITY (2489) / CityTheatreCompany.org / South Side
sense of French fashion and couture. Likewise, though Kaufmann’s is and must be a carefully cherished landmark, it is really a complex of changing buildings, not just one. The store unceremoniously tore down its first Smithfield Street building, the Grand Depot of 1885, to build the current corner wing to designs by Janssen and Abbott very rapidly in 1913 in order to stave off competing (and soon bankrupt) family members Kaufmann and Baer. Kaufmann’s also tore down Alden and Harlow’s landmark Carnegie Building to build its windowless Annex in 1954. The voracious destruction of landmark Downtown buildings is a part of the past that we don’t miss. But it is this sense of change, not a fruitless desire for history trapped in amber, that should inform consideration of Core Real Estate’s Kaufmann’s Grand on Fifth project, now underway but not complete, which aims to renovate the department-store complex with a high-tech, multi-use program of residential, retail, hotel, parking and recreational functions. The model residential units, unveiled in late October, look a lot like the future. Touted in press materials as “the first fully automated, integrated command lifestyle technology in Pittsburgh.” Their Amazon Alexa command system allows residents to simply speak to actuate changes in heating, lighting, window shades, and other conveniences in the 311 apartments. The building will be full of hightech and currently fashionable amenities — an infinity pool, track and tennis court to accompany the rooftop restaurant. A fitness center, bike storage and repair, a virtual-reality game room. A number of observers have already commented that the gadget-laden apartments are like a toy store, perhaps from a millennial generation’s view of the future. An aging GenXer might yearn for the old days of Kaufmann’s ninth floor, but that is clearly a memory, not a marketing plan. To their credit, the developers looked at a healthy mixture of past and future, uncovering historic windows that had been concealed and preserving one of the memorable old wooden escalators. Says Core president Michael Samschick, “I love the historic fabric of the building. It’s exciting to weave the new features back into it.” That approach was sorely necessary. After years of slow decline, reduced use, deferred maintenance and an absurd name change, the old building is named Kaufmann’s again, and the promise of new and up-to-date components is an appealing one. If history is any guide, they are not surprising, but rather expected on this site. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
[BOOKS]
{BY BILL O’DRISCOLL}
Reviews of the first 50 pages of works by local authors.
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STREET ANGEL: SUPERHERO FOR A DAY. Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca’s Street Angel — a homeless, 4’11” skateboarding inner-city ninja named Jesse Sanchez — has come a long way since debuting more than a decade ago. An indie hit at first, she’s gotten big enough to be featured alongside Wonder Woman and Ms. Marvel in The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen, Hope Nicholson’s new book celebrating female protagonists in comics history. But she’s also probably the only one to ever be depicted sleeping on a sidewalk next to a cardboard sign reading, “Will Hero 4 Food.” The latest all-new entry in the Street Angel series is a full-color comic (Image Comics, 29 pp., $19.99) that’s a shaggy-dog story involving inveterate dumpster-diver Jesse’s search for lunch — but also happens to involve a ring that confers superpowers, and a visitor from outer space. Rugg and Maruca (co-credited with the story) give Jesse an engagingly misfit band of school friends, even as they wryly poke fun at, upend and celebrate the conventions of superhero comics. The artwork, by Rugg (The PLAIN Janes, Afrodisiac) ranges from gritty to a graphic simplicity, sometimes in the same panel. This is fun stuff, delivered with enough punch to match a roundhouse by Street Angel herself.
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THE OTHER EINSTEIN. Lately, little focuses our attention more than the relationship between men and women in the workplace. That makes the paperback release of Marie Benedict’s novel (Sourcebooks Landmark, 310 pp., $16.99) especially timely. Benedict (a literary alter ego of local author Heather Benedict Terrell) offers a first-person fictionalization of the story of Mileva Maric, the young Serbian woman who was Albert Einstein’s first wife, and whom some experts believe contributed to his early physics breakthroughs. Mileva and Albert meet as students in 1896, in Zurich, where their burgeoning attraction — intellectual as well as romantic — takes place against a backdrop of Victorian sexism and even ethnic prejudice. With a fine eye for detail — Zurich’s electric streetlights are a marvel to the provincially born Mileva — Benedict provides a thoughtfully empathetic portrait of a woman determined to make it in a man’s world, even as readers are aware she’ll ultimately be overshadowed by her world-famous husband. DRISCOLL@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
few takeaway aphorisms: “Jewels are the currency of love” sounds suspiciously Lorelei Lee, and the text of the armistice is more Seussean than Shakespearean. His script, bulging with double entendres, is equally rife with metaphor and rhyming couplets. There’s also a woman-disguised-as-a-man trope wherein it’s simply impossible to believe that her friends and lover wouldn’t recognize her 100 or so pounds of flesh. Early on, the actors try so hard to perform Kaiser’s words that he doesn’t allow them the chance to just say them. But as the quasi-complicated plot unfurls, and the characters emerge, the performances become less mannered and more enjoyably relaxed, with particular props to Kyle Decker as a condemned man, and Jordan Plutzer as a lovesick fool. Best of all is a songstress played by Rayquila Durham, whose three bluesy numbers are much too distractingly good, as if she’s in another play altogether. And so: To see, or not to see? If you like Shakespeare, get thee to Love’s Labor’s Won, even if it’s more of a tulip than a rose. And if you don’t, nothing here will catch your conscience. The rest is — well, you know.
[PLAY REVIEWS]
FULL MOON {BY STUART SHEPPARD} CERTAIN EXPERIENCES should be viscer-
al, like eating steak, listening to blues, or watching plays. I can’t offer advice regarding the first two, but if you like deeply impassioned work, then PigPen Theatre Company is for you. The Old Man and the Old Moon (2012), at City Theatre, is called a musical folk tale, but the performance comes off like a funky amalgam of The Band, Monty Python and what might be coined “steampunk puppetry.” One can’t really describe the result, but if you appreciate these genres, you’ll love this show. The New York City-based PigPen troupe was formed by seven Carnegie Mellon School of Drama grads a decade ago. They write, act, sing, and all play instruments — including guitar, banjo, violin, accordion and drums — as well as a lot of crazy stuff like bottle xylophones. They also co-directed this unique show with fellow CMU alum Stuart Carden. The production resembles group therapy for a bunch of 19th-century hippie longshoremen who really can’t decide if they’re staging a musical or a drama. It’s truly both things, but the musical parts come off as stronger, and deliver more energy. The fantastical story — about an old man in charge of lighting the moon — is derived from Irish folk tales, the Odyssey, the Jonah myth and other classical sources. It’s occasionally belabored with flat dialogue. But the compositional elements are so alive you feel the players might just break into blossom, like a James Wright epiphany. The shadow-puppet scenes — mini plays within the play — are mesmerizing, as are the sound effects, which are executed with a kind of raw, Foley magic. You see both being done, but you don’t know how.
{PHOTO COURTESY OF JOAN MARCUS}
PigPen Theatre Company performs The Old Man and the Old Moon at City Theatre
of the thrill of watching Shakespeare is knowing it’s Shakespeare, so one obstacle here is knowing it isn’t. Kaiser writes
mystical thrill, which is sadly so often missing from conventional theater these days? By the way, this is billed as a familyfriendly show, so by all means bring the kids. And take the grandparents, too, who will enjoy it just as much. The two who sat behind me certainly did. As did everyone in the audience.
LOVE’S LABOR’S WON continues through Dec. 2. CMU School of Drama at Philip Chosky Theater, 5000 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $10-34. 412-268-2407 or www.drama.cmu.edu.
PLAYING ON
Work yourself into a lather.
{BY HARRY KLOMAN} LONG STORY SHORT: At the end of Shake-
speare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, four men learn that they must wait a year to join their beloveds. Turns out they waited a lot longer. Fastforward to 1918ish: It’s Paris, a traumatic European war is ending, and the couples reunite. But can they rekindle love among the ruins? That’s what playwright/ director Scott Kaiser works out in (spoiler alert) Love’s Labor’s Won, his “u”-less sequel to Wm.’s early romcom, on stage at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. Scholars believe Shakespeare quilled a play by this name but no copies exist, so Kaiser was free to invent at (I regret this already) Will. And while his language is audaciously imitation bardian, his sensibility is 21st-century — foursquare in favor of love, peace, forgiveness, charity, feminism and (so Lysistrata!) disarmament. It takes a while to settle into Kaiser’s project, and one’s thoughts go meta: Part
blogh.pghcitypaper.com
THE SHADOW-PUPPET SCENES ARE MESMERIZING, AS ARE THE SOUND EFFECTS.
THE OLD MAN AND THE OLD MOON continues through Dec. 3. City Theatre, 1300 Bingham St., South Side. $15-61. 412-431-2489 or www.citytheatrecompany.org
If this sounds a bit like children’s theater, it unabashedly is, and darn it, what better way to experience a little
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OF BRO BROA BROADWAY B OA O AD A DWAY Gift G Gi ifftt Certificates Ce errttiiffiicate ca ate tes es for for Two Tw You buy the card, they choose the show.
$60 or $100
412-281-2822 • pittsburghCLO.org
SUMMER 2018 • Benedum Center
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FOR THE WEEK OF
FreeEvent
11.23-11.30.17 Full events listed online at www.pghcitypaper.com
{ART (DETAIL) BY ROBIN HAMMOND/WITNESS CHANGE}
According to a new report from the Human Rights Campaign, 102 transgender people have been killed in the U.S. over the past five years. And “almost half of transgender people have experienced some form of sexual violence,” says Grace Coleman, executive director of Pittsburgh’s Crisis Center North, which serves victims of domestic violence, their children, and teens in violent dating relationships. One-third of transgender people, adds Coleman, have experienced intimate-partner violence. On Mon., Nov. 27, at a free program called Stories Coming Together, CCN will focus on violence affecting the LGBTQ community.
6-9 p.m. Mon., Nov. 27. 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. Free. www.stories comingtogether.eventbrite.com
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friday 11.24 EXHIBIT Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens brings festive flora to Oakland with its Holiday Magic! Winter Flower Show and Light Garden, starting tonight. Artful lights, festive props, decorated fir trees, amaryllis, orchids and more than 2,000 poinsettias enliven its 23 distinct gardens. The best part? With Phipps’ extended hours, visitors can enjoy the holiday display until 11 p.m. nearly every night of the season. Amanda Reed 9:30 a.m.11 p.m. Exhibit continues through Jan. 7. 1 Schenley Drive, Oakland. $11.9517.95 (timed ticketing). 412-622-6914 or www.phipps.conservatory.org
activities. Bill O’Driscoll 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Also 10 a.m.4 p.m. Sat., Nov. 25. Kids Day: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun., Nov. 26. West Homestead. www.imadeitmarket.com
COMEDY Speaking of Black Friday, Ron Placone might have something to say about people trampling each other over discounted flat-screens. The politically minded comic, a Pittsburgh native now living in Los Angeles, is a writer, producer and on-air talent for The Jimmy Dore Show, and a TYT regular. Current events and media analysis are his forte, and tonight, he brings his standup act to The Unplanned Comedy Warehouse, with comedic support from Johnny Lee Dam, Alex Stypula and CP contributor Mike Wysocki. BO 9:30 p.m. 5601 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $10. www.ronplacone.com
SHOPPING Fri., Nov. 24: Ron Placone
BY BILL O’DRISCOLL
{PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL G. WIEGMAN}
^ Fri., Nov. 24: Holiday Magic! Winter Flower Show and Light Garden
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The evening at the New Hazlett Theater includes a talk by Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s acting secretary of health and physician general, and the state’s highest-ranking transgender official. Levine was recently named one of NBC’s Pride 30, a national roster of LGBTQ people making a difference in that community. Coleman says the Nov. 27 event is part of a larger discussion about LGBTQ rights that includes marriage equality, housing, employment and more. Also expanding the conversation will be 17 large-scale photos from Where Love Is Illegal, a series of portraits of LGBTQ people facing oppression around the world by award-winning photographer Robin Hammond. The portraits, to be displayed in the New Hazlett’s lobby, include stories handwritten by their subjects, who include Buje, a gay man from Nigeria, a country where homosexuality is criminalized and arrests of gay people have risen. Buje himself was arrested, imprisoned, and lashed with a horse whip, and suffers from social isolation. “Any time I remember my family and my mother, the hate they have for me, I will just be crying, I want to die,” he writes. “I became homeless, had no family, nothing. It became difficult for me. There is no end to this suffering, until God wills it.”
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
If you’re shopping on Black Friday, don’t forget I Made It! For the Holidays. The 11th annual I Made It! Market’s venue for hand-crafted goods features 100 local artisans offering photography, paper goods, bath and body, ceramics, fiber, food and drink, kids stuff and homewares. Today and tomorrow, the former Office Depot at the Waterfront hosts the marketplace; on Sunday comes I Made It’s first Kids Day, which is the market plus a Kids Shop staffed by accredited child-care professionals and including hands-on craft
saturday 11.25 ART The Westmoreland Museum of American Art hosts Family Day today, with free fun for visitors of all ages. Museum-goers can check out current exhibitions including A Timeless Perfection,
LET S GET ’
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^ Fri., Nov. 24: I Made It! For the Holidays
LAWRENCEVILLE
featuring early-20th-century figurative sculptures; participate in a scavenger hunt; and flex their creative side with art projects. AR 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 221 North Main St., Greensburg. Free. 724-837-1500 or www.thewestmoreland.org
DEC. 1, 2, & 3
ART Join BoxHeart Gallery tonight for a reception celebrating the opening of not one, but two exhibits. Pittsburgh 10 (+2) celebrates the work of the Pittsburgh 10, a group of regional artists brought together by longtime local artist Lila HirschBrody, plus two additional contributors. Distortion, meanwhile, features artwork by Kyle Ethan Fischer, Carolyn Pierotti and Caleb Thimell that explores the perception of time. Chat with the artists tonight while enjoying some light refreshments. AR Reception: 5-8 p.m. Exhibits continue through Jan. 12. 4532 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. Free. 412-687-8858 or www. boxheartgallery.com
This is a free and family-friendly event! SAMPLE SHOPKEEPERS’ FAVORITE COOKIES AT 40 STOPS
2017
MUSIC
Celebrate the season with cookies and pick up unique holiday gifts along the way. Hours for Cookie Stops vary by location.
Billy Strayhorn composed his first music while still a student at Westinghouse High School; by the late 1930s, the hyper-talented 23-year-old was playing piano, writing songs and ^ Sat., Nov. 25: Drag Queen Christmas more for a guy named Duke Ellington. Each year, Kelly-Strayhorn Theater celebrates the legacy of one its namesakes with Suite Life, a birthday tribute to the composer of “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Lush Life.” This year’s show features a horn-fueled all-star band led by drummer Charles “Poogie” Bell and including vocalist Anqwenique Wingfield. A pre-concert fundraiser, Suite Life Soirée ($100, or $150 per couple), takes place at Wallace’s Whiskey Room at 6 p.m. Proceeds from Suite Life benefit the Strayhorn Legacy Fund, supporting the theater’s youth and family programming. BO 8 p.m. 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Pay-what-makesyou-happy. 412-363-3000 or www.kelly-strayhorn.org
Get all the info about this year’s tour including the map at www.lvpgh.com/cookietour or call 412.621.1616, ext.102. LAWRENCEVILLE
CORPORATION
DRAG Santa’s bag exploded and what have we here? It’s a Drag Queen Christmas, with more kitschy props than you can count, and a passel of queens strutting their stuff. Tonight, just one month short of the holiday proper, join Shea, Kim, Latrice,
The Smart Home Builders
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EVERYONE IS A CRITIC
^ Sat., Nov. 25: Family Day at Westmoreland Museum of American Art
Farrah and more as this six-week national tour hits the Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead. Roxxxy Andrews hosts. BO 8 p.m. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $22-152. 877-987-6487 or www.librarymusichall.com
EVENT: Pittsburgh
Architecture Movie Festival at Springboard Design, South Side CRITIC: Dennis Childers, 59, a media-arts teacher from Highland Park WHEN: Fri.,
sunday 11.26 FESTIVAL Local reptile collector Amber Jordan is staging Hooked on Reptiles, her inaugural reptile expo, at Spirit, with some twists. One, expect not just more than 20 booths of live reptiles, but also glassblowers, tarot readings, and live flesh suspensions. Two, the event is immediately followed by a concert of local heavy-music acts Only Flesh, Leprosy, Wretched Hive, and Reign of Z. Finally, some proceeds benefit the Testicular Cancer Awareness Fund, so the fundraising fun includes — we couldn’t make this up — a “teabagging booth” staffed by two women wearing artificial hoo-has. BO Expo: 3-7 p.m. Concert: 7-11 p.m. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $13. www.facebook.com (“hooked on reptiles”)
Nov. 17
It’s not just art. There are video projections of short movies, and also some archived movies. I came out to support my friend’s work and see some of the musicians performing tonight. It’s a nice place to be and a good space to hang out in and meet people, and there’s all this art stuff going on. I do think there could be better alcohol. I did go out and buy a small bottle of scotch and brought it over. The operatic piece at the beginning really blew me away, and it just kind of blended with the next performance. And I like the looping projections that are all over the room. There are a lot of people here, and that surprised me. There are people here who I didn’t think would come out to these things. I saw an old friend here that I hadn’t seen in years.
monday 11.27
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WORKSHOP
tuesday 11.28 EXHIBIT Learn what happens inside the minds of birds at the National Aviary with its new free-flight bird show Bird Brains. Featuring vultures, macaws, crows, penguins, owls and more, the show explores bird intelligence. Watch a macaw use its smarts and climbing skills to complete an obstacle course, and catch a crow employ its problem-solving skills to get food. The twice-daily show ends with a visit from the Aviary’s endangered African penguins. AR 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Show continues through Jan. 31. 700 Arch St., North Side. $14-15. 412-323-7235 or www.aviary.org
thursday 11.30 TALK Drop by the Society for Contemporary Craft tonight for a discussion about fiber art, or art that employs plant, animal or synthetic fibers. Inspired by the recent publication of Artistry in Fiber, a three-volume series, Pittsburgh artists and educators will talk about the evolution of fiber traditions, education and technique. The event is moderated by University of Pittsburgh urban-studies professor and Pittsburgh Fiber Arts Guild president Carolyn Carson. A book-signing features co-author Anne Lee; a reception follows the discussion. AR 6-8 p.m. 2100 Smallman St., Strip District. Free. 412-261-7003 or www.contemporarycraft.org.
Ever wonder how sound travels in a cave? For three days {ART BY SYL DAMIAMOS} starting today, The Children’s ^ Sat., Nov. 25: Pittsburgh 10 (+2) Museum of Pittsburgh answers that question with MAKESHOP: WORDS Sound Exploration. Continuing MAKESHOP’s monthly themed Tonight, the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective’s Steel City Slam programming, Sound Exploration asks kids to name sounds hosts its edition of the Women of the World Poetry Slam. found in caves and other underground spaces — from drips In three fast-paced rounds, 13 performance poets will to echoes and bat calls — and recreates them in the museum compete at City of Asylum’s Alphabet City venue. The winner using contact microphones and looping apps. Then, staff gets a cash prize and the chance to represent Pittsburgh help children learn some cave science. AR 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the 2018 Women of the World Poetry Slam, next March Workshop continues through Wed., Nov. 29. 10 Children’s Way, in Dallas. BO 8 p.m. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. $10. North Side. $13-16 (free for children under 2). 412-322-5058 or www.alphabetcity.org www.pittsburghkids.org
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LOCAL LUNCH Open the door to Bitter Ends Luncheonette, in the location of the former Bloomfield Sandwich Shop, and inside you’ll find a cozy little room with mint-green tiling and kitschy decor. To the left is the kitchen, the register and a host of tempting pastries and desserts under glass, anchored by a counter and stools. The other side of the restaurant — truly, a luncheonette — offers just two tables and a bench. Needlepoints of various veggies hang on the walls, flowers in vases perch on the tables, and a collection of delightfully mismatched mugs lines the area under the register. It’s a snug space, but the warm decor and careful placement of seating prevents the eatery from feeling cramped. The smell of coffee and freshly cooked eggs, greens and sausage fills the air, blending companionably with the chatter of both diners and folks waiting for take-out. Bitter Ends Luncheonette has a playful vibe, but the food is seriously good. The smashed griddled potatoes, with red onions and parsley, are filling and comforting, especially when paired with an egg sandwich. The sunny-side-up egg will likely be cooked to perfection before your very eyes by James Beardnominated chef Becca Hegarty while she chats with patrons sitting at the counter. Hegarty, who previously worked at Café Carnegie and Dinette, recently opened Bitter Ends with Jason Oddo. The pair operates a small organic farm in Verona (which helps supply the diner), and previous sold salads and sandwiches at farmers’ markets and popups around town. In addition to savory food like sandwiches, salads and soups, the breakfast-and-lunch joint serves coffee (from Commonplace) and delicious pastries, such as doughnuts, scones and cakes. (The sugared doughnut holes strike the perfect balance of sweet and savory.) The menu at Luncheonette changes seasonally. (Now is the time to get that slice of pumpkin pie.) Hearty fall vegetables currently occupy much of the menu, so expect a lot of food that feels like a nice, warm hug for your stomach. MEGFAIR@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
7 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 4613 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. www.tillthebitterends.com NEWS
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Smashed griddle potatoes and an egg sandwich with sautéed greens {CP PHOTO BY MEG FAIR}
{BY MEG FAIR}
{CP PHOTO BY JOHN COLOMBO}
The 10 oz. Big “E” burger with Cajun seasoning, peppers and hot pepper cheese, with a side of mac-and-cheese
FAMILY DINING {BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}
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RIDAY NIGHTS fall into two categories: “Bring on the weekend!” or “Wind down the week.” At some point, most of us slip gradually from one to the other. And for those for whom it matters, we can tell you that Dad’s Pub & Grub in Monroeville is comfortably on the chill end of the spectrum. We’re not saying that such folks don’t want to have a good time on Friday nights (we certainly do). And we’re not saying, or even implying, that Dad’s isn’t a fun and laid-back kind of place (it is). Just that, while the combination of expansive beer selection and pub grub could signify that it’s time to party, the vibe — as you might expect from Dad — is most definitely about relaxing with friends or family and letting stress succumb to its mortal enemies, beer
and melted cheese. Speaking of which, the discerning eye will immediately recognize the former Pizza Hut that is now Dad’s. The venue is owned and operated by former
DAD’S PUB & GRUB 4320 Northern Pike, Monroeville. 412-856-5666 HOURS: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun. noon-10 p.m. PRICES: $5-18 LIQUOR: Full bar
CP APPROVED managers of other popular casual eateries at its helm, and their experience stretches Dad’s offerings to include greater variety than most suburban taverns. There is a detailed hot-dog
selection, fries that come fresh-cut or beer-battered, and an array of grilledcheese sandwiches. Honestly, it was all a lot to take in, and even ordering for four, we felt we’d barely scraped the surface. Jason still regrets that he didn’t try Dad’s original “Greuben,” which was available with corned beef or lamb. But we sure were glad we didn’t pass over the pub chips with wing dust. In the fresh-chip department, it’s really hard for restaurants to match the quality control of commercial brands, but Dad’s pulled it off, and the consistently crunchy result was utterly addictive, either straight or dipped in ranch. “Dog fish bites” had a lovely, light, almost fluffy Dogfish Head-beer batter, but the cod morsels lacked seasoning. CONTINUES ON PG. 34
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NFL Sunday Ticket! WE Show all Games!
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SANDWICHES WRAPS SALADS SOUPS CATERING COFFEE 808 Penn P Avenue A - IIn Th The C Cultural lt l Di District ti t HOURS: HOURS 412-745-2233 WWW.CAFE808PGH.COM 7 AM to 2 PM Mon. - Fri.
Spicy chili was Texas-style — beanfree — presumably better for topping hot dogs. As a solo dish, Angelique missed the pintos, but Jason thought the undiluted flavor of beef and spices was just right, although it was on the mild side for something proclaimed “spicy.” It still would have enlivened the mac-and-cheese — available with chili or Buffalo chicken, though we ordered plain based on its billing as “Best.Mac. And.Cheese.Ever.” Its texture was impeccable, creamy and rich, but the flavor offered neither aged-cheese sharpness nor textural contrast from a bread-crumb or broiler-browned crust. By contrast, wings with hot sauce were plenty fiery. Curiously available as either whole wings or halves, the pieces were a bit small and, perhaps as a consequence, less than succulent, but not at all bad. Next time we might try Kelvo style, which combines wing dust and mild sauce for extra flavor. The extensive weenie menu contained some fresh ideas, like one with pepperoni, bacon, marinara, and Italian cheeses. A simpler bacon-cheese dog hit a lot of high points: The wiener itself was plump, juicy and unabashedly salty. The poppy-seed bun was fresh, the bacon was crisp with a bit of chew, and the cheddar sauce, while still not sharp enough for us, was creamy and just the right thickness to cling to the dog. The same cheddar sauce pulled double duty on a menu special of turkey Devonshire, a throwback to a dish invented in Pittsburgh in 1934. Substantial Texas toast was an appreciated upgrade from plain white bread, and Dad’s excellent bacon amped up the mild flavor of the turkey (and cheese). That other all-American meal-ona-bun, the burger, was decidedly not stadium-style. At a half-pound, the patty was juicy and tender, but with less charred flavor than we’d prefer. The Italian roll was up to the task of containing it; whether it could have handled the Yinzer Burger, topped with bacon and mac-and-cheese, we can only speculate. The side of fresh-cut fries were very nicely seasoned with herb-flecked Pub Rub. If they were a stage past perfectly golden, we found this preferable to the soggy side on which fries more usually err. Even though our meal wasn’t perfect, we left satisfied. Whether framed as a bar to which we can take the kids, or as a family restaurant where adults can indulge in a couple of rounds, Dad’s was a great place for our family to relax into the weekend. INF O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
[PERSONAL CHEF]
VEGGIE TIKKA MASALA {BY LUKE CYPHER, OWNER OF BLUE SPARROW} I spent some time in India when I was a teenager. My food experience from that trip is one of several encounters that inspired my Blue Sparrow food truck. Our street-food menu pulls influences from around the world to create unique dishes, each with a story, that inspire customers to try the next thing on the list. Curry is a great example of a dish that has a story. So many people come to our truck thinking they don’t like curry. Unfortunately, they mostly think there is only one kind, but there are hundreds of curry styles, found from Africa to Thailand. Tikka masala originates in India, but became popular in Great Britain after it had established colonies in the region. These days, it’s considered a national dish in England. Tikka masala is usually made with cream and chicken, but I’ve swapped some ingredients to make this recipe vegan-friendly. We use this sauce in our tacos and rice bowls all summer, utilizing fresh tomatoes and other produce from our farm partners. But I also love it later in the year with good canned tomatoes. The fresh ginger and curry powder offer a warm spice that is super nice on a crisp day. INGREDIENTS • 2 tbsp. olive oil • 5 cloves garlic, sliced thin • 3 1-inch knobs ginger, minced • 1 white onion, sliced thin • 2 tbsp. yellow curry powder • 2 tsp. coriander • 2 oz. rice vinegar • 8 ripe tomatoes, diced (or two 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes) • 1 15-oz. can coconut milk • 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, medium dice • 1 eggplant, medium dice • Salt, pepper and sugar, to taste • 3 cups basmati rice, cooked INSTRUCTIONS Heat oil in a large pot. Add garlic and stir until golden brown. Add ginger and onion. Sauté until onions begin to caramelize, then stir in spices. Continue stirring until spices toast and become fragrant. Deglaze with vinegar. Add tomatoes and coconut milk, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, then add potatoes and eggplant. Continue simmering until potatoes become tender, about 15-20 minutes. Season to taste. Serve over basmati rice. I N F O@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
More about Blue Sparrow at www.bluesparrowpgh.com. WE WANT YOUR PERSONAL RECIPES AND THE STORIES BEHIND THEM. EMAIL THEM TO CELINE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM.
MEXICAN RESTAURANT & BAR STRIP DISTRICT
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THE ULTIMATE HOLIDAY INDULGENCE Eggnog is dangerous, but grand {BY DREW CRANISKY} EGGNOG IS A decidedly dangerous drink.
It’s based on raw eggs, which makes most people (other than Rocky) a bit squeamish. Coming in at more than 400 calories a cup, it’s also a danger to your waistline. And the sneaky-strong alcohol content can get you into trouble: Each holiday season, Elmo & Patsy annoyingly remind us of the dangers of drinking too much eggnog and staggering out into the snow. But every year when the mercury drops, we still guzzle glass after glass of the stuff. Because despite the dangers, eggnog is a delightful holiday treat. Eggnog has a long history as an American winter warmer. The drink was popular among farmers in colonial America, who had access to their own supplies of fresh eggs and milk. George Washington mixed a potent version of the drink: His recipe calls for brandy, Jamaican rum, sherry and rye whiskey. And on Christmas Eve in 1826, West Point cadets had a few too many drams, leading to the Eggnog Riot. The destructive party resulted in the court-martialing and expulsion of numerous cadets, with future Confederate president Jefferson Davis narrowly escaping charges. Around this time each year, I mix up a batch of eggnog. I like to let it age for a month or so — aging seems to round out the flavors and mellow the sharp sting of alcohol. And though it feels counterintuitive, aging also makes eggnog safer. Researchers at Rockefeller University deliberately contaminated a
batch of strong eggnog with salmonella. After a week in the fridge, the bacteria was still alive and kicking. But after three weeks, the alcohol had killed off all of the salmonella, rendering it perfectly safe to drink. Below, you’ll find the basic eggnog recipe I use each year. In the spirit of holiday sharing, I adapted this recipe from food and travel site Salt & Wind. It calls for making and aging a base, then shaking that base with half-and-half to serve. This method, while not exactly traditional, is super easy, and it allows you to prepare one or two servings of nog at a time. Feel free to adjust the types of booze and amount of sugar to suit your taste.
WE CATER!
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Aged Eggnog FOR BASE: • 1 dozen fresh eggs • 1¾ cups sugar • 2 cups brandy • 2 cups dark rum • 2 cups bourbon • Large pinch of salt Combine eggs, sugar and salt in a bowl. Whisk until thickened. Slowly whisk in alcohol. Age in the fridge for at least three weeks. To serve: In a cocktail shaker, combine 2 ounces of eggnog base with 2 ounces of half and half (or more, if you prefer a less strong drink). Shake vigorously. Strain into a punch glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
)ROORZ XV WR ƓQG RXW ZKDWōV KDSSHQLQJ @PGHCITYPAPER Ř FACEBOOK.COM/PITTSBURGHCITYPAPER
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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: WHITE NEGRONI
VS.
fl.2, at the Fairmont Hotel
Smallman Galley
510 Market St., Downtown
54 21st St., Strip District
DRINK: Ode to Alexandria INGREDIENTS: Singani 63, Lillet Blanc, yellow Chartreuse, orange oil OUR TAKE: A lovely whisper of a drink, this cocktail is subtle, while still being spiritforward. The Lillet contributes a silky texture and a lemony finish. The Singani 63 brings botanical flavors and a little bit of bite.
DRINK: The Lady Is a Lush INGREDIENTS: Singani 63, Lillet Blanc, toasted-poppy-seed syrup, Fee Brothers molasses bitters OUR TAKE: The toasty flavor and oil from the poppy seeds lends smooth texture and depth to the delicate herbal notes of the Singani. Lemon notes float over the Lillet, but don’t be fooled — this drink packs a punch.
This week on Sound Bite: We visit Mill Creek Trout Farms to take a dive into spring-fed trout farming. www.pghcitypaper.com
One Bordeaux, One Scotch, One Beer Two Hearted Ale, Bell’s Brewery $37.99/case No matter the season or type of beer you prefer, I’d encourage you to try a draft of Bell’s Two Hearted. It’s light without being watery and delivers the bitterness of the hops without overdoing it. It’s a solid drinking beer in the right ABV range so that having more than one is a-OK. RECOMMENDED BY CELINE ROBERTS
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is available at Kelly’s Lounge, in East Liberty, and at bottle shops around the city.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
LEAGUE TIME {BY BILL O’DRISCOLL}
IT OFFERS PLENTY OF CRACKLING PROFANITY, MORDANT HUMOR AND SHOCKING VIOLENCE
Dramatically speaking, superheroes require supervillains. This is why, perhaps unfortunately, you don’t often see caped marvels thwarting homelessness, everyday bigotry or mortgage foreclosures. Yet those are three of the social ills that the opening scenes of Justice League blame on the death of Superman (as depicted in last year’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice). Well, those problems and also the return of a towering, bellicose alien named Steppenwolf and his thousands of demonic, winged minions, who are bent on remaking Earth in their unpleasant image.
WARNING SIGNS
Jason Momoa as Aquaman
The leadership void left by Superman must be filled by other heroes, so Bat v. Supe survivors Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) begin assembling a team to halt Steppenwolf (an axe-wielding CGI warrior voiced by Ciarán Hinds). The initially reluctant recruits include: Aquaman (Jason Momoa), not Super Friends’ pelagic Ken doll but a gruff, long-haired outlaw-biker type, with Atlantean superpowers; Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), a scrawny millennial geek with super speed, a.k.a. The Flash; and Victor Stone (Ray Fisher), a cyborg. In a way that ties in with the larger plot — which turns on mumbo jumbo about three mystical, pulsing energy cubes — Victor, a.k.a. Cyborg, was built by his own father after a near-fatal explosion. In fact, most of these heroes have mommy or daddy issues — Flash’s dad is in jail; Aquaman was abandoned as an infant — and even Steppenwolf calls the cubic objects of his obsession “Mother.” Director Zack Snyder weaves all this dysfunction into Justice League’s early funereal tone. But while its first half is entertaining enough, after a second-act moral dilemma, the film builds strongly to the requisite epic battle. With its screenplay by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, Justice League is a good balance of light and dark. Sequences depicting how Flash experiences the world — effectively in stopped time — are among the highlights, and Flash and Cyborg’s trials as superheroes-in-training are dependable audience-surrogate fun. The charismatic Miller stands out as comic relief, even as the fledgling League fights for the restoration of home, family and some level of global order. In 3-D, in select theaters
{BY AL HOFF}
Mildred (Frances McDormand) by her billboards
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ERHAPS unsurprisingly, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri opens on the three titular billboards, abandoned along a two-laner in the hills and shrouded in fog. But soon, a station wagon slams to a halt before them, and a woman fixes a steely gaze on the empty boards. She then marches into the advertising office — where the young proprietor is prophetically reading Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” — and books the three billboards to read: “Raped While Dying”; “And Still No Arrests?”; and “How Come, Chief Willoughby?”. Mildred (Frances McDormand) leases the signs to spur action in the unsolved case of her teenage daughter’s murder. The billboards put her in immediate conflict with small-town police chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), a man of some kindness, and his foolish bad-cop underling, Dixon (Sam Rockwell). At first, one reckons this is a film about Mildred, with the police, as represented by the yin and yang of Willoughby and Dixon, as her antagonist. But the story is broader,
and Billboards reveals itself to be an ensemble piece. Mildred’s defiance ripples throughout the town, becoming a catalyst for actions besides her quest for justice. The townfolk, as people are wont to do, have moved on from the horrific crime; it’s uncomfortable to deal with. But Mildred has not moved on: These billboards have simply manifested more clearly and explicitly Mildred’s immovable grief and anger.
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI DIRECTED BY: Martin McDonagh STARRING: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell
CP APPROVED Three Billboards is written and directed by Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), and offers plenty of his oft-cited crackling profanity, mordant humor and shocking violence. The tone shifts frequently, but the deft cast manages it well. Harrelson and Rockwell are both good. Also on board are two
young up-and-comers, Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out) and Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), as well as stalwarts John Hawkes, Clarke Peters and Peter Dinklage (sporting a particularly soulful moustache). But the film rightly belongs to McDormand, who is simply grand; this is perhaps her best role since Fargo, and it utilizes every bit of what makes the actress great — from her tautly coiled body (armored in shapeless coveralls) and her unadorned face lined with hard life, to her devastatingly delivered deadpan retorts. (McDonagh even gives her a soliloquy of sorts, in an epic takedown of a self-serving priest.) The film has a secondary thread depicting the casual, systemic racism of the town’s police, and the collective shrug with which it is acknowledged. It’s a timely starting point, but the movie, in a tone-deaf stumble, eventually smoothes this history over with a redemptive arc. It’s a bum note in an otherwise smartly constructed film that wants to explore some of the individual and collective sins of a “typical” American town with plenty of bite and brio.
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UGETSU. Set during the Japanese civil wars of the 16th century, Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1953 drama follows the story of two men hoping to get rich selling pottery, and the impact this plan has on their families. In Japanese, with subtitles. Nov. 24-28 and Nov. 30. Row House Cinema
FILM CAPSULES CP
= CITY PAPER APPROVED
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THE SOUND OF MUSIC. These hills are alive … with the sound of music. Julie Andrews stars in Robert Wise’s 1965 musical dramedy about the singing Von Trapp family. 10:30 a.m. Fri., Nov. 24 (sing-along version), and 10:30 a.m. Sat., Nov. 25. Tull Family Theater, Sewickley
COCO. We are in a period of reckoning like never before for Hollywood and its audience. Every day, there are new allegations of various degrees of heinousness against previously revered celebrities. Fortunately, this latest Disney-Pixar animated creation, directed by Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, is the perfect antidote. Miguel (voice of Anthony Gonzalez), a young Mexican boy in a large family of shoemakers, dreams of being a musician like his hero (and Mexico’s most beloved singer), Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). The only problem is that his family has completely banned music, going so far as to smash his guitar to smithereens. A little magic on Dia de los Muertos, and Miguel is transported to the land of the dead. There he meets his ancestors, along with de la Cruz, a man whose eccentric ego even spills into his afterlife stadium shows. But as Miguel soon learns, his idol is flawed in ways that cannot be forgiven. As befitting the genre, there are impressive musical numbers and digitally created colors so vibrant they make the real world look goth. Plus, Miguel has a floppy-dog sidekick. Coco is a heartwarming story, about not only the importance of family and following your dreams, but also whether a person’s mistakes are redeemable. In 3-D, in select theaters (Hannah Lynn)
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LAST FLAG FLYING. Since there have been wars, there have been old soldiers, gathering years later to kick around their shared glory days of combat as only they can. It’s a popular trope for narrative works, easily providing drama, pathos, nostalgia, comedy and, often, an historical critique. Richard Linklater’s new film inhabits this niche and takes stock of two wars: the ongoing Iraq war (the story is set in 2003) and the Vietnam war. (The film is offered as sort of a sequel/ re-work of Hal Ashby’s The Last Detail, from 1973.) Sal (Bryan Cranston) runs a bar in Norfolk, Va., and his old Vietnam buddy Doc (Steve Carell) surprises him there one night. They drive to Richmond, where they collect Mueller (Laurence Fishburne), the third musketeer and now a minister. But the reunion has a somber purpose: Doc’s son has been killed in Iraq, and he’d like his two old war pals to help with the burial. So, they set off for Delaware, and then on up the East Coast to Doc’s home in Portsmouth, N.H. (Some parts of the film were shot in Pittsburgh — you’ll recognize Bloomfield and the Amtrak station.) What unfolds is a buddy road movie, doled out in set pieces (Dover Air Force base, a night in New York City, a train ride). It mixes bawdy humor with gut-wrenching grief, guilt with shamelessness, and sentimentality with cynicism. The guys skirt the past, pondering their war, this war, all wars, as well as what it means to be a good soldier, hero or patriot. At times, this jumble works well; in other places, the seams show, or the emotional moments fail to land. There’s pleasure in watching these performers, even if they sometimes seem to be acting in different movies; Cranston is playing to the balcony, with non-stop motor-mouthing and broad gestures, while Fishburne does his patented quiet gravitas. Carell has wandered in from an indie film about some inscrutable fellow who barely talks, but this may be a choice designed to represent Doc’s trauma. (Fact: The military contains all sorts.) There are oblique references to things that went wrong for the trio in Vietnam — Doc spent time in the brig, and Mueller refers to it as “a dark period in my life.” It’s never explained, and, one guesses, is still unresolved. There is closure
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CLASS OF NUKE ’EM HIGH. In this Troma classic from 1986, some teens go weird after buying drugs from a worker at the nearby nuclear-power plant. Richard W. Haines directs. Midnight, Sat., Nov. 25. Row House Cinema HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE. Acclaimed Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki’s 2004 film is a magical mystery trip worth taking — and it’s back for two nights on the big screen. Featuring the vocal talents of Emily Mortimer, Lauren Bacall, Christian Bale, Jean Simons and Billy Crystal, the film tells of a young girl, Sophie, who is transformed into a 90-year-old woman and subsequently rescued by a rebellious wizard named Howl. Sophie must make her way through treachery, warfare and a deeply unpredictable cast of characters in order to restore herself and others to their rightful identities. Howl doesn’t have the sheer other-world weirdness of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, yet with its nonlinear narrative jumps, odd creatures, complicated storyline and dazzling animation, it is always captivating and rewarding. Miyazaki’s two-dimensional images pulse, enchanting and intriguing us with unlikely physicality and their vivid inner lives, so we are willingly spirited away to into his dreamscape. 12:55 p.m. Sun., Nov. 26, and 7 p.m. Mon., Nov. 27. Cinemark North Hills, Pittsburgh Mills and Monroeville Mall (AH)
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Au Hasard Balthazar
Coco
Last Flag Flying
here, but it’s from moving forward, with one’s baggage packed neatly, rather than backward. (Al Hoff)
various humans, and his demise; his story is woven with that of humans. Bresson’s films are often called “austere,” and superficially that’s true of Balthazar: It’s shot crisply in black-and-white, with actors who underplay almost as much as does the lead donkey, music limited to a beautiful Schubert piano sonata, and a story pared to a series of vivid, telling yet elliptical (and occasionally baffling) episodes. But while Bresson’s view of human (and animal) suffering is unsentimental, it’s hardly detached: His thematic concerns are grace and predestination, responsibility and culpability, all with a mere donkey as mute, bridled, innocent witness. Balthazar is gorgeous cinema, a brilliantly shot and edited dance of images and sounds. It reveals a narrative filmmaker working at the highest levels of the art — with light, with motion, beyond words. In French, with subtitles. Nov. 24-26, Nov. 28 and Nov. 30. Row House Cinema (Bill O’Driscoll)
THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS. Dan Stevens and Christopher Plummer star in this tale of how author Charles Dickens was inspired to create the memorable characters for his now-classic novella, A Christmas Carol. Bharat Nalluri directs. PORTO. Gab Klinger’s drama follows a man and a woman who share a brief connection in the Portuguese city of Porto, and later, through memories, examine the encounter for more meaning. Anton Yelchin and Lucie Lucas star. Starts Thu., Nov. 30. Melwood ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. Denzel Washington stars in this drama about a Los Angeles defense attorney who finds himself scrambling after the death of his boss and mentor, a civil-rights giant. Dan Gilroy (Nightcrawler) directs.
REPERTORY AU HASARD BALTHAZAR. Robert Bresson’s 1966 masterpiece is about a donkey. Of course, it’s not just about a donkey, nor is Balthazar just a donkey. The film follows Balthazar from his infancy through his acquisition by a family, his fated life of servitude and abuse — as well as a little love — from
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STALKER. In Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 sci-fi drama set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, two men and a guide search for a mysterious “room.” In Russian, with subtitles. Nov. 24-30. Row House Cinema COLOSSAL YOUTH. Pedro Costa’s 2006 drama follows an elderly Cape Verde immigrant as he wanders from place to place, after the Portuguese government destroys his slum home and relocates him to a housing project outside Lisbon. In Portuguese and Kabuverdianu, with subtitles. Nov. 24-30. Row House Cinema
CANALETTO AND THE ART OF VENICE. Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, is famous for his 18th-century artworks depicting Venice, including such well-known sites as the Rialto Bridge and the Piazza San Marco. This latest installment of Exhibition on Screen takes viewers on a documentary journey through Canaletto’s work and the city that inspired him. 2 p.m. Sat., Nov. 25, and 4:30 p.m. Sun., Nov. 26. Hollywood THE BEST OF 2017 EUROPEAN MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL. Randall Halle, director of University of Pittsburgh Film Studies Program, presents three films from this year’s forum of international media art, which showcase experimental films, performances, digital media and hybrid forms. Scheduled are: “Conversation With a Cactus,” from the Franco-German artist/filmmaker duo Elise Florenty and Marcel Türkowsky, and set in a Tokyo suburb; Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s “Rubber Coated Steel,” which employs many art forms (from photography to Islamic sermons) to explore the shooting of two teenagers in the occupied West Bank; and “Das Gestell,” Berlin-based Philip Widmann’s work examining how humans and the natural order co-exist. The films will be followed by a discussion. 6:30 p.m. Tue., Nov. 28. Melwood STRANGE BREW. Inasmuch as there is a sporadically funny movie about beer based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, this 1983 comedy from Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas would be it. The slacker brothers of SCTV’s “The Great White North” discover nefarious activities at the Elsinore Brewery, where the evil Max von Sydow is chewing scenery, mind-controlling hockey players and plotting to take over the world. It all mostly works because the film never takes itself too seriously: A prologue and epilogue both warn the viewer that the film isn’t worth the price of admission. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Nov. 29. AMC Loews Waterfront. $5 (AH)
HE WAS ONCE FINED FOR ONE TOO MANY PUMPS IN A TWERKING CELEBRATION.
HISTORY LESSONS This week in Pittsburgh Sports History {BY CHARLIE DEITCH} NOV. 23, 1968 The Pitt Panthers lose to thirdranked Penn State 65-9. Despite the lopsided score, Pitt’s Harry Orszulak sets the school record for catches in a game with 16.
NOV. 25. 1915 The Pitt Panthers beat Penn State, and coach Pop Warner wins his first national title.
NOV. 25, 1979 The Steelers chalk up 606 yards against the Cleveland Browns but the game is unexpectedly close. The good guys win in overtime, 33-30.
NOV. 26, 1925 The NHL’s Pittsburgh Pirates debut, beating the Boston Bruins, 2-1.
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter this Thanksgiving Day game against Detroit with a 7-4 record. During the overtime coin toss, Steelers running back Jerome Bettis is audibly heard calling tails. The coin is tails, but the referee says Bettis uttered the now-infamous phrase “heads-tails” and gives the ball to the Lions, who kick a field goal to win. The Steelers wouldn’t win another game that season, giving Bill Cowher his first losing season as head coach, at 7-9.
NOV. 27, 1926 Knute Rockne’s undefeated Notre Dame squad improbably loses its first game of the year to the Carnegie Mellon Tartans, 27-0.
NOV. 28, 1961 At a bar in Brentwood, star Steelers defensive tackle Ernie Stautner tells a Pittsburgh Press reporter that Pittsburgh is “a lousy sports town. And if Art Rooney had any sense, he’d get out of it. I’m not happy playing in Pittsburgh. I never have been happy here and I wouldn’t have been here in the first place if I had any choice about it.” Stautner was upset that Pittsburgh fans booed quarterback Bobby Layne, despite the Steelers’ win at home against St. Louis. CDEITCH@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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SHOWING OFF {BY CHARLIE DEITCH}
I
AM NOT a football purist.
I’d rather see an unnecessary one.handed catch for the sole purpose of showboating than a fundamentally sound catch that looks routine. I’d rather see a quarterback scramble for 45 minutes and risk a huge sack to make a spectacular play than throw the ball out of bounds. I’d rather see a player launch into an elaborate touchdown celebration than score and hand the ball to the referee. In short, I’d rather have a showboat who is both great at the game and a largerthan-life cartoon character. The NFL tried for years to knock unabashed bravado out of the game when, in response to a series of elaborate TD celebrations, it severely limited celebrations starting in 2006. This year, the rules have been relaxed and cel-
ebrations have become elaborate, probably too elaborate, but still it’s nice to see players being allowed to have fun while playing a game. This year’s celebrations have me thinking about my favorite showboat players, and I have thus compiled a list of my NFL All-Showboat Team — players who were brash, cocky and talented.
QUARTERBACK
McMahon was all personality. That seemed strange for a guy who started his college career as a punter for Mormon powerhouse, Brigham Young University. McMahon was an underrated quarterback and an overrated rapper for his Super Bowl Shuffle.
RUNNING BACK STARTER: WALTER PAYTON, CHICAGO BEARS
STARTER: JOE NAMATH, NEW YORK JETS The Beaver Falls native and Super Bowlwinning QB was unlike anything pro football had ever seen when he entered the AFL in 1964. He wore fur coats and white shoes, did panty-hose commercials, and made guarantees of victory and backed them up.
“Sweetness” was as classy a showboat as you’ll ever see. High-stepping into the end zone with the ball high in the air seems tame by today’s standards, but Payton loved to show you how good he was. Easily my favorite player on this list.
BACKUP: ICKY WOODS, CINCINNATI BENGALS BACKUP: JIM MCMAHON, CHICAGO BEARS The winning QB of the 1985 Super Bowl,
His Icky Shuffle touchdown celebration is the standard by which all celebrations CONTINUES ON PG. 40
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SHOWING OFF, CONTINUED FROM PG. 39
are judged. He was a dominant rookie in 1988, but injuries put him out of the league in 1991. Some might argue this pick is based on career brevity, but that dance is everything.
postgame locker room and recorded coach Mike Tomlin calling the Patriots assholes. Those are great showboat credentials especially when added to his prolific onfield play.
WIDE RECEIVER
WR4: HOMER JONES, NEW YORK GIANTS
WR1: TERRELL OWENS, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
In 1965, he scored a touchdown and invented the spike.
Owens played for several teams in his career and was a show-stopper on every one of them. He scored with ease, and his touchdown celebrations are what led to the 2006 crackdown. As a 49er, he twice celebrated a touchdown by standing on the Dallas Cowboy’s midfield star. The second time, he was leveled by Cowboy George Teague. His ability to raise that kind of a response makes him an easy pick.
WR2: RANDY MOSS, MINNESOTA VIKINGS/NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Once did a touchdown celebration where he fake-mooned fans in the end zone. Big mouth, huge talent.
WR3: ANTONIO BROWN, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
CHEERLEADERS PITTSBURGH 3100 LIBERTY AVENUE | PITTSBURGH, PA 15201 | 412-281-3110
He was once fined for one too many pumps in a twerking celebration; he once went live on Facebook from his team’s
TIGHT END STARTER: ROB GRONKOWSKI, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS I cannot tell a lie. I love this guy. He loves to party and he plays his ass off (whenever he’s not injured of course). Prior to the Pats’ Nov. 19 game in Mexico City against the Oakland Raiders, Gronkowski had a message for the people of Mexico: “Yo Soy Fiesta.” “I am Party.” Yes he is.
SPECIAL TEAMS KICKER: BILLY GRAMATICA, ARIZONA CARDINALS He once kicked a first-quarter field goal that gave his team a 3-0 lead. He celebrated so hard that he tore his ACL.
DEFENSE DEION SANDERS, DALLAS COWBOYS If you need an explanation, you probably shouldn’t have been reading this far down. Definition of a showboat.
SHAWNE MERRIMAN, BUFFALO BILLS An absolute monster who would basically obliterate you with a tackle and dance over your corpse.
JOHN RANDLE, MINNESOTA VIKINGS The Hall of Famer was a trash-talker’s trash-talker. Half the time it didn’t make sense. And if you were a quarterback, by the time you realized what he was saying, he was driving you into the turf. He acted like a maniac and that made him brilliant on the field.
LEON LETT, DALLAS COWBOYS
Look for #AbovePittsburgh, photo intern Jake Mysliwczyk’s drone photography, every Tuesday on Instagram.
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To be honest, I don’t even know whether Lett is anything more than an average-toOK NFLer. But the day he almost turned a fumble recovery into a 70-yard touchdown run in the Super Bowl made him a showboating legend. The big man started celebrating early and had the ball knocked out of his hands at the two-yard line.
WARREN SAPP, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS On a list of guys who act like assholes, Sapp may be the biggest. During pregame warmups he’d run through the opposing team’s side of the field, generally being a huge douche. But he was a sack master. C D E I T C H @ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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[THE CHEAP SEATS]
PREP TIME {BY MIKE WYSOCKI} THE WORST KIND of cold is a wet cold.
The kind of uncomfortable weather where you wish the temperature would just drop a few degrees so it would snow instead of rain. Everything is damp, the rain won’t stop, and once your socks are wet, the day is ruined. It’s rare to have fun in wet socks. That is, unless your team is playing for a WPIAL football championship at Heinz Field. Hardcore fans sat in the miserable weather, and half of them went home happy. It’s our local high school Super Bowl, with all the winners moving on to the state brackets. In the 6A game there were no surprises. The Pine-Richland Rams continued an unblemished season with a methodical beat-down of the Central Catholic Vikings, 42-7. Phil Jurkovec continued to look like a much older brother playing all-time QB against his younger brother’s friends and trying real hard to win. Jurkovec ran for 93 yards and passed for 263 as the Rams made a respected powerhouse school look average. Next up for the Rams are the State College Little Lions. Stan Belinda’s alma mater has never seen an offense that averages 49 points a game. In fact, credit Central Catholic for holding the Rams to 42. In the 5A game, the Penn-Trafford Warriors were hot and looking for the school’s first WPIAL title. The Gateway Gators were there to spoil the party. Gateway jumped out to an early 21-7 lead and then put up the prevent defense. Gateway was able to fend off Penn-Trafford, which fought and clawed its way to within five points but came up short. Gateway plays the Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers in the next round. Hollidaysburg is known only for its production of the Slinky — the old Christmas present that is fun for about three minutes, then you never play with it again. Those Slinky-loving Blair Countians are about to get Gatored. Thomas Jefferson scored the hat trick in the 4A finals. TJ shut down Montour, the school that produced Batman and Birdman, Michael Keaton. Shane Stump threw two touchdowns as Thomas Jefferson won its third consecutive WPIAL title with a 27-0 statement win. TJ will try to win its fourth state title since 2004, but standing in its way is arch nemesis Erie Cathedral Prep. ECP has knocked TJ out
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{PHOTO COURTESY OF TRENT SCHELLER}
The Pine-Richland Rams celebrate their WPIAL championship on Sat. Nov. 18.
of the playoffs the past two years. But the best story of the afternoon was written by the Quaker Valley Quakers. It’s a high school that started in 1955 and has had less success at football than Jim Belushi has had at acting. In 62 seasons, the Quakers have made the playoffs just six times. Nobody even wanted to coach this team at the beginning of the season. In August, the track coach took over the team, probably as a way to make a couple extra bucks. Reaching the championship was an astounding feat for the program. But things got more interesting when it became obvious who the Quakers would be playing. The Aliquippa Quips are the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Yankees and Boston Celtics of WPIAL high school football. The Quips have claimed 16 WPIAL titles; nobody has more. As expected, the Quips defense showed up and allowed QV only 55 yards. The Quakers offense couldn’t make it into the Aliquippa red zone all afternoon. Fortunately for the Quakers, they have a pretty good defense, too. The defense scored two points on a safety, forced five turnovers and held Aliquippa scoreless the rest of the game for a 2-0 victory. Quaker Valley awaits the winner of Sharon vs. Forest Hills as this improbable quest continues. An exciting day of football to be sure, but it’s not over yet. This weekend at Robert Morris, the last two division championships will be decided. In 2A, the Steel Valley Ironmen put their 26game winning streak on the line against
the Washington Prexies. The 1A game features Imani Christian, which sounds like a high-end clothing line, playing the Jeannette Jayhawks. The weather will probably be cold again, but the seats will be cheap. Let the Quakers be an inspiration to everybody. That sentence probably hasn’t been said since William Pitt.
The first hit is free. Actually, so are all the others.
INF O @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
IT’S RARE TO HAVE FUN IN WET SOCKS.
MI K E W YS OC KI IS A STA NDUP CO MED I AN. FO LLO W HI M O N TWI TTER: @IT SMIK E WYSO C K I
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HEALTH SERVICES MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY. Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get help! It is time to take your life back! Call Now: 855732-4139 (AAN CAN)
Smokers Wanted The University of Pittsburgh’s Alcohol and Smoking Research Laboratory is seeking participants for a three-part research project. To participate, you must: • Currently smoke cigarettes • Be 18-55 years old, in good health, and speak fluent English • Be willing to fill out questionnaires, and to not smoke before two sessions.
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OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Room 251, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on November 28, 2017, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for a Service Contract for the following:
Asbestos, Lead, Mold Abatement Services Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on October 30, 2017 at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual. We are an equal rights and opportunity school district. Parent Hotline: 412-622-7920 www.pps.k12.pa.us
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 11.22/11.29.2017
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BLUE’S CLUES
{BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY / WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM}
ACROSS 1. Ultimate matters 7. Spanish lake 11. Drop it! 14. It begins after the second intermission 15. “Checkmate, sucker!” 16. Unicorn’s coming-out day: Abbr. 17. Thief 18. Bread container in a deli 20. Wears around the edges 21. Really bother 22. Mortgages, e.g. 23. Weight watcher of children’s rhymes 24. “Rubyfruit Jungle” author Rita ___ Brown 25. Can-do 26. Easy-to-do 28. “Hurt” band, briefly 29. Crumbly white stuff 32. Camel dropping 33. Site of Mohammed’s tomb 36. Tar : ___ :: feather : pluma 37. Turner page-turner 39. Black stone 40. Publisher seen wearing a captain’s hat and a bathrobe 42. BDSM role
43. Shower affection (on) 44. “Noir Alley” channel 45. Capital of Zimbabwe 47. Ignoramus 48. Steely Dan album that comic Phil Hartman did the art for 49. Razzle dazzle 53. Drink in 54. AstroTurf alternative 55. Moth’s lure 56. Religious book split into surahs 58. Time off 59. Pump stuff 60. “Playwright of the Midwest” 61. Riotous state 62. Pump stuff 63. Country where you can spend kips 64. Some mowers
8. Comes to 9. Tour date 10. Like roads that are hard to pass on 11. Purposely defame a Cuban boy? 12. Chutzpah 13. Puts on 19. Madame Boothe Luce’s sex drive? 21. “Allow me” 27. Trade expo 29. “Actually,” initially 30. What may follow you 31. Tomorrow’s dinner ... and, cryptically, a hint to this puzzle’s theme 33. Baby ___
34. Dean Baquet’s paper: Abbr. 35. Big name in body wash 38. Defense agcy. that tracks Santa on 12/24 41. Bog down 45. Takes one’s turn 46. Process, as sugar 47. Brazilian state whose capital is Salvador 50. “We’ll deal with this tomorrow” 51. Entertain 52. They’re just what the doctor ordered 53. Male-only 57. Stranded stuff 58. Ben Carson’s agcy. {LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS}
DOWN 1. Blows chunks 2. Megaconglomerate of the “Mr. Robot” universe 3. Being tried, in law 4. Tripoli resident is a master chef? 5. Pulls a fast one on 6. Saluting word 7. Late September babies concealed one strong craving?
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FOR THE WEEK OF
Free Will Astrology
11.22-11.29
{BY ROB BREZSNY}
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Journalist James A. Fussell defined “thrashing” as “the act of tapping helter-skelter over a computer keyboard in an attempt to find ‘hidden’ keys that trigger previously undiscovered actions in a computer program.” I suggest we use this as a metaphor for your life in the next two weeks. Without becoming rude or irresponsible, thrash around to see what interesting surprises you can drum up. Play with various possibilities in a lighthearted effort to stimulate options you have not been able to discover through logic and reason.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Let’s observe a moment of silence for the illusion that is in the process of disintegrating. It has been a pretty illusion, hasn’t it? Filled with hope and gusto, it has fueled you with motivation. But then again -- on second thought -- its prettiness was more the result of clever packaging than inner beauty. The hope was somewhat misleading, the gusto contained more than a little bluster, and the fuel was an inefficient source of motivation. Still, let’s observe a moment of silence anyway. Even dysfunctional mirages deserve to be mourned. Besides, its demise will fertilize a truer and healthier and prettier dream that will contain a far smaller portion of illusion.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Judging from the astrological omens, I conclude that the upcoming weeks will be a favorable time for you to engage in experiments befitting a mad scientist. You can achieve interesting results as you commune with powerful forces that are usually beyond your ability to command.
You could have fun and maybe also attract good luck as you dream and scheme to override the rules. What pleasures have you considered to be beyond your capacity to enjoy? It wouldn’t be crazy for you to flirt with them. You have license to be saucy, sassy, and extra sly.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A snail can slowly crawl over the edge of a razor blade without hurting itself. A few highly trained experts, specialists in the art of mind over matter, are able to walk barefoot over beds of hot coals without getting burned. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Pisces, you now have the metaphorical equivalent of powers like these. To ensure they’ll operate at peak efficiency, you must believe in yourself more than you ever have before. Luckily, life is now conspiring to help you do just that.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In alignment with the current astrological omens, I have prepared your horoscope using five hand-
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plucked aphorisms by Aries poet Charles Bernstein. 1. “You never know what invention will look like or else it wouldn’t be invention.” 2. “So much depends on what you are expecting.” 3. “What’s missing from the bird’s eye view is plain to see on the ground.” 4. “The questioning of the beautiful is always at least as important as the establishment of the beautiful.” 5. “Show me a man with two feet planted firmly on the ground and I’ll show you a man who can’t get his pants on.”
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It may seem absurd for a dreamy oracle like me to give economic advice to Tauruses, who are renowned as being among the zodiac’s top cash attractors. Is there anything I can reveal to you that you don’t already know? Well, maybe you’re not aware that the next four weeks will be prime time to revise and refine your longterm financial plans. It’s possible you haven’t guessed the time is right to plant seeds that will produce lucrative yields by 2019. And maybe you don’t realize that you can now lay the foundation for bringing more wealth into your life by raising your generosity levels.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I used to have a girlfriend whose mother hated Christmas. The poor woman had been raised in a fanatical fundamentalist Christian sect, and she drew profound solace and pleasure from rebelling against that religion’s main holiday. One of her annual traditions was to buy a small Christmas tree and hang it upside-down from the ceiling. She decorated it with ornamental dildos she had made out of clay. While I understood her drive for revenge and appreciated the entertaining way she did it, I felt pity for the enduring ferocity of her rage. Rather than mocking the old ways, wouldn’t her energy have been much better spent inventing new ways? If there is any comparable situation in your own life, Gemini, now would be a perfect time to heed my tip. Give up your attachment to the negative emotions that arose in response to past frustrations and failures. Focus on the future.
accomplish this brave uprising is to sing beloved songs with maximum feeling.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your lucky numbers are 55 and 88. By tapping into the uncanny powers of 55 and 88, you can escape the temptation of a hexed fiction and break the spell of a mediocre addiction. These catalytic codes could wake you up to a useful secret you’ve been blind to. They might help you catch the attention of familiar strangers or shrink one of your dangerous angers. When you call on 55 or 88 for inspiration, you may be motivated to seek a more dynamic accomplishment beyond your comfortable success. You could reactivate an important desire that has been dormant.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): What exactly is the epic, overarching goal that you live for? What is the higher purpose that lies beneath every one of your daily activities? What is the heroic identity you were born to create but have not yet fully embodied? You may not be close to knowing the answers to those questions right now, Virgo. In fact, I’m guessing your fear of meaninglessness might be at a peak. Luckily, a big bolt of meaningfulness is right around the corner. Be alert for it. In a metaphorical sense, it will arrive from the depths. It will strengthen your center of gravity as it reveals lucid answers to the questions I posed in the beginning of this horoscope.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): We all need teachers. We all need guides and instructors and sources of inspiration from the day we’re born until the day we die. In a perfect world, each of us would always have a personal mentor who’d help us fill the gaps in our learning and keep us focused on the potentials that are crying out to be nurtured in us. But since most of us don’t have that personal mentor, we have to fend for ourselves. We’ve got to be proactive as we push on to the next educational frontier. The next four weeks will be an excellent time for you to do just that, Libra.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
So begins the “I Love To Worry” season for you Cancerians. Even now, bewildering self-doubts are working their way up toward your conscious awareness from your unconscious depths. You may already be overreacting in anticipation of the anxiety-provoking fantasies that are coalescing. But wait! It doesn’t have to be that way. I’m here to tell you that the bewildering self-doubts and anxiety-provoking fantasies are at most 10 percent accurate. They’re not even close to being half-true! Here’s my advice: Do NOT go with the flow, because the flow will drag you down into ignominious habit. Resist all tendencies towards superstition, moodiness, and melodramatic descents into hell. One thing you can do to help
What’s the most important question you’d like to find an answer for in the next five years? Tell all: Freewillastrology.com
This is your last warning! If you don’t stop fending off the happiness and freedom that are trying to worm their way into your life, I’m going to lose my cool. Damn it! Why can’t you just accept good luck and sweet strokes of fate at face value?! Why do you have to be so suspicious and mistrustful?! Listen to me: The abundance that’s lurking in your vicinity is not the set-up for a cruel cosmic joke. It’s not some wicked game designed to raise your expectations and then dash them to pieces. Please, Scorpio, give in and let the good times wash over you.
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Savage Love {BY DAN SAVAGE}
I’m a twentysomething straight woman. About a month ago, I had a really vivid dream in which I was at a party and engaging with a guy I had just met. We were seriously flirting. Then my fiancé showed up — my real, fleshand-blood, sleeping-next-to-me fiancé — who we’ll call G. In the dream, I proceeded to shower G with attention and PDA; I was all over him in a way we typically aren’t in public. I was clearly doing it to get a reaction from the guy I’d just spent the last dreamhour seducing. It was as if it had been my plan all along. Last night, I had a similar dream. This time, the guy was an old high-school boyfriend, but otherwise it was the same: flirty baiting, followed by the use of G to reject and humiliate the other guy. I was really turned on by these dreams. In real life, whenever another woman has flirted with G, I get aroused — conscious of some feelings of jealousy but drawing pleasure from them. And when other men have flirted with me, I get similarly aroused for G. There is definitely a component in that arousal that wants to tease and mock these other men with what they can’t have, even though the teasing is just in my head. I would NEVER use another person like I do in these dreams/fantasies, because it’s cruel. But could this become a healthy role-playing outlet for me and G? Are there ethical implications to hurting strangers (albeit imaginary ones) for sexual pleasure? From what little I know of degradation/humiliation kinks, it’s important that the person being degraded is experiencing pleasure and satisfaction. Is it healthy to make someone’s (again, an imaginary someone’s) unwilling pain a part of our pleasure? If G is into it, this would be our first foray into fantasy/role-playing/whatever. But I worry that I might be poisoning the well by pursuing something so mean-spirited.
nary people to entertain us, MEAN, it’s OK for you and your boyfriend (if he’s game) to do much less horrible things to an imaginary third person to entertain yourselves. But why limit this to fantasy? Why not fuck your fiancé’s brains out after flirting with and subsequently humiliating a living, breathing, willing third? But first, MEAN, give some thought to what exactly turns you on about this and then discuss it with your fiancé. It turns you on to see your partner through another’s eyes for obvious reasons — when someone else wants to fuck him, you see him with fresh eyes and want to fuck him that much more. As for the power-play aspects of your fantasy, does your turn-on evaporate if your victim is a willing participant? And how do you feel about threesomes? Threesomes don’t have to involve intercourse or outercourse or any other sort of ’course, of course. Bringing someone else in — someone who gets off on the idea of being humiliated — counts as a threesome, even if all your third “gets” to do is be ditched in a bar. You could even work up to letting your willing third watch and/or listen while your fiancé gets to do what he will never get to do — fuck your amazing brains out — which would allow for the humiliation games to continue all night long. Once G is on board, MEAN, you can start with a little role-playing about this scenario. Then, once you’ve established that this is as exciting for G as it is for you, advertise for your willing third. The internet is for porn, first and foremost, but it’s also pretty good at bringing like-minded kinksters together. As long as your third consents to the play and gets off on it, you aren’t poisoning the well or doing harm. And if you’re worried it won’t be as much fun if your victim is a willing participant, MEAN, remember there will be witnesses, i.e., other people in the bar who won’t know it was a setup, and in their eyes you will be cruelly humiliating this poor schmuck. Not into threesomes of any sort? Well, flirting is just flirting — it’s not a binding contract — and there’s no law that requires all flirtations to be strictly sincere and/or immediately actionable. A little casual flirtation with someone else before your fiancé rolls into a bar is permissible — but you’ll have to let the other person know right away that you have a fiancé and that this flirtation isn’t going anywhere, and then you can’t go too crazy with the PDA once your fiancé arrives.
WHY NOT FUCK YOUR FIANCÉ’S BRAINS OUT AFTER FLIRTING WITH AND SUBSEQUENTLY HUMILIATING A LIVING, BREATHING, WILLING THIRD?
MY EXTRA-AROUSING MEANNESS
We watch imaginary people being harmed — much more grievously harmed — in movies and on television, and read about imaginary people being harmed in novels. Think of poor Barb in Stranger Things or poor Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones or poor Christian in Fifty Shades of Grey. If it’s OK for the Duffer brothers and HBO and E.L. James to do horrible things to these imagi-
On the Lovecast, look out, monogamy, here comes Esther Perel: 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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