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MAY 9-16, 2018
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Jarrell Brackett, Pittsburgh’s first openly gay boxer, is ready to take on the world
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The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir EVENTS 5.17 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: FLEET FOXES WITH SPECIAL GUEST AMEN DUNES Benedum Center for the Performing Arts (Downtown) Co-presented with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Opus One Tickets $34.50 - $79.50
5.18 – 6pm COLORFUL HOROSCOPES AND COCKTAILS The Warhol entrance space This program is presented as part of Art Museum Day 2018. Free; Registration is suggested
5.23 – 10am HALF-PINT PRINTS The Factory Families work with artist educators to create silkscreen prints for children ages 1 to 4 years old. Free with museum admission
6.19 & 6.20 - 8pm Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland) Tickets $40/$35 members one night, $70/$60 members both nights; visit warhol.org
The Magnetic Fields join us on their three-city limited 50 Song Memoir tour, which chronicles the 50 years of songwriter Stephin Merritt’s life. The show is performed over two nights (songs 1–25 on night one, songs 26–50 on night two). Co-presented with
5.27 – 6-10pm LGBTQ+ YOUTH PROM: ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT The Warhol entrance space FREE; Registration suggested
6.1 - 6pm TEEN TOWN HALL The Warhol theater Free; Registration required
The Andy Warhol Museum receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency and The Heinz Endowments. Further support is provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District.
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EDITORIAL Editor CHARLIE DEITCH Arts and Entertainment Editor REBECCA ADDISON Associate Editor ALEX GORDON Food Writer CELINE ROBERTS Music Writer MEG FAIR News Writer RYAN DETO Interns SABRINA BODON, ANNIE BREWER, JAKE MYSLIWCZYK, LAUREN ORTEGO
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ON THE COVER: Jarrell Brackett, Pittsburgh’s first openly gay boxer C P C OV E R PH OTO B Y JAR E D WIC K E R H AM
Jen Sorensen 12 Crossword 45 Savage Love 46
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NEWS +VIEWS
CP PHOTOS BY JARED WICKERHAM
Jarrell Brackett, Pittsburgh’s first openly gay boxer, has a lot to smile about as he prepares for his May 25 professional debut.
.SPORTS.
ROUND ONE Jarrell Brackett, Pittsburgh’s first openly gay fighter, makes pro debut May 25 BY CHARLIE DEITCH // CDEITCH@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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HEN A PERSON is the first to do something,
that achievement tends to become part of their identity. For some people, that identity forces them into a box, one they can never get out of. When Jarrell Brackett steps into the ring on May 25 he will become the city’s first openly gay professional boxer. And when that moment comes, he has no intention of running from it. “Listen!” he says excitedly, rising out of his chair during an interview with City Paper. “I want that. I really want to be that guy that every other guy is compared to. Be the first openly gay boxer? Great. I’m in! I’m proud of that. I want my community to be proud of that. “I’d love nothing more than to walk to the ring and see members of my community, shit, I’d love to see the seats full of drag
queens! I’ve worked in this community since I was 14. I love this community. They are my family and to see them come out and support me on this night would be so amazing.” Take one look at Brackett and you’ll quickly realize that he’s entering the right profession. From Muhammed Ali to Sugar Ray Leonard, boxing has always been a showman’s paradise. The louder and more vibrant you are, the more likely you are to get fights that pay. And, if nothing else, Brackett is a showman. From his blue faux-hawk to the fu-man-chu mustache that he’s growing to go along with his nickname, “The Samurai,” Brackett is creating an image. But those are just his outward, visual traits. Brackett is a man who loves to fight and is not afraid or embarrassed to do anything it takes to make the dream a reality. He’s already faced some ups
and downs that would have forced a lessdriven soul to give it all up and get into the insurance business. But Brackett fought hard to get to this point in his life and he’s willing to fight even harder to make it last. “I am a black, gay, left-handed male who went to private schools and grew up to be happy,” Brackett says. “I was bred to make money and to do whatever it took to be a financially successful person and I resisted. God didn’t create us to make money, he made us to serve him and to enjoy our lives to the fullest. That’s what I’m doing. “Fighting makes me happy and I’ll do whatever I can to achieve that.” TO UNDERSTAND why boxing is impor-
tant to Brackett, you first have to look at the road he traveled to get to this point in his life. Growing up around the Penn Hills area, Brackett wouldn’t find out how important boxing was to him until he was in his 20s. He spent his adolescence in a two-parent home with two brothers, attending Christian schools. Brackett says he found it hard to form his own identity because he spent so much time around religious people and organizations, “being called faggot and told I was going to burn in hell.” “That caused me to have a real identity crisis,” Brackett says. “The resistance around me was trying to tell me that I couldn’t be who I felt I was and still have a relationship with God. Eventually, I realized that at the end of my life I’d rather be happy than accepted by a group that doesn’t really like me anyway.” Brackett’s faith in God is important to him, even though he readily agrees that it’s hard to be gay when most churches don’t accept him unconditionally. “That’s why I plan to preach,” he says. “There aren’t many gay ministers out there because most gay people are afraid to talk about Jesus and God because we’re taught that we don’t deserve the same relationships that our straight counterparts are getting from God.” While nurturing, his childhood home wasn’t the type of place he could learn about sexuality, so Brackett started looking for a place to learn. He heard about the youth empowerment project at Pittsburgh’s PERSAD Center. It was there that he met Lyndsey Sickler, who worked with PERSAD’s youth outreach programs. He learned not just about sexual identity, but sex in general. He learned about the importance of condoms to prevent spreading HIV and other STIs. “Lyndsey was so important to me in
so many ways,” Brackett says. “I mean, I knew nothing. Eventually, I got a job there, teaching people about condoms and STIs. I learned that more important than sex is proper sexual health and sex education. It took, because here I am at age 29 and I’m still HIV negative and I’ve never had an STI.” WHILE BOXING wasn’t a part of Brackett’s childhood, he was introduced to the sweet science occasionally at an early age. At 12, he was living in Ireland and remembers getting into a fight with a local boy. “They threw us in a makeshift ring and told us to fight. I lost the first two rounds but I won the third by knockout,” Brackett says with a laugh. “I guess that was my first fight.”
“I’D LOVE TO SEE THE SEATS FULL OF DRAG QUEENS!” At age 16, he started working out at Jimmy Cvetic’s Third Avenue Gym. After graduating from Penn Hills High School, Brackett went to West Chester University near Philadelphia in 2006. It was there that he got the urge to fight again. He heard about an underground fight club and went there with a few people to compete. “We found we liked hitting each other,” Brackett says. He started training and fighting as an amateur, winning some Golden Gloves events. In 2014, he was recruited to box at Olivet College in Michigan by Coach Loren Partlo. He arrived at the school on Aug. 26, 2014 at 4:20 a.m. after missing the first day of orientation because he stayed in Pittsburgh for one more fight. There, he had success both in the ring and outside of it. By his junior year, he was a team captain, and, in the spring of 2016, the team won the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association National Title held at Virginia Military Institute. The victory is an important one in Brackett’s life. On the day he met CP for an interview, he was wearing the title belt and had done so on his trip from Mt. Oliver to Downtown. In addition to his boxing success, Brackett also became the president of Olivet’s student government and took office last fall. That, unfortunately is when things started going south. He was ordered to move off campus last September after a
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CONTINUES ON PG. 8
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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ROUND ONE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 7
student worker at one of the university’s dining halls said Brackett pushed her and hit her as he attempted to get into the establishment as it was closing. A university hearing was held, which Brackett calls a farce. “I had six witnesses who were there who said it wasn’t me, but they weren’t allowed to testify because they were my friends. If allowed, one of them would have explained that the incident did happen but that I wasn’t the one involved. They wanted me out and they got me out,” Brackett says. He wonders if part of the reason was a report that he drafted as student govern-
ment president that detailed the stories of several women who said they were sexually assaulted. He says the university failed to act on those reports. Either way, he was hundreds of miles from Pittsburgh and homeless. He was allowed to attend classes but could not remain on campus. It was a dark time. “They wanted some reason to say that I was a bad kid and they got it,” Brackett says. “I tried to expose corruption and I paid for it. I wasn’t allowed on campus to train. For a month I lived in my car or I snuck into the basement of my frat and, yes, some nights I would proposition men online and slept at their homes.”
He moved into an apartment in November and tried to stick it out, but he was tired of Michigan and decided to come home to Pittsburgh earlier this year to kickstart his professional career. IT’S A THURSDAY night in April p a and d porter’s cold wind stings this reporter’s face as he stands in a dark alsburgh ley of a well-known Pittsburgh neighborhood waiting for a sign. The sign is the soft glow usly of light from a previously n, closed door. I’m waved in, climb a couple flights off steps and find myself
PRO BOXING JARRELL BRACKETT VS. BROCK WILLIS. Other fights feature Oleg Dovhun, Lyubomyr Pinchuk and Leemont Johnson. 6 p.m. Fri., May 25. The Priory Grand Hall, 614 Pressley St., North Side. $30-100. 412-728-3409 for tickets. Brock Willis >
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in the legendary Conn-Greb Boxing Club. The location is a secret unless you know somebody who knows somebody, but on this night, Brackett is sparring with well-known local fight veteran Rayco Saunders. Local fight trainer and promoter Mike McSorle is watching from a distance, McSorley keeping time and making sure things civi stay civilized. Saunders, who appeared in the Jake Gyllenhal boxing movie Southpaw paw, is there to give Brackett live ro rounds. And although no one is ttrying to hurt anyone, it’s still soliidly aggressive. Off in the corner iis Brackett’s laptop recording just a he has recorded all of his sesas s sions and fights. He puts them u up on YouTube for all to see, even hi his opponents. Brackett’s not a speedy fighter or CONTINUES ON PG. 10
MAY 17-27 Celebrating our seventh year as the Tastiest Event in Town, Northside Sandwich Week celebrates the best sandwiches at the best Northside restaurants and pubs! Presented by Highmark from May 17-27, sample signature sandwiches at participating restaurants all week long.
SANDWICH SAMPLER
COMPETITION MAY 17 6-9PM
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ROUND ONE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 8
LANDMARKS PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER - A program of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Foundation
JOIN US AT THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER FOR ONGOING WORKSHOPS AS WE CONTINUE PROGRAMMING ON ARCHITECTURE, HISTORY, DESIGN, URBAN PLANNING, AND OTHER TOPICS RELATED TO HOW CITIES FUNCTION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION AS A TOOL OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
THURSDAY, MAY 24 • 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM MINA CHOW: ARCHITECT & FILMMAKER The Story: Daughter of immigrants, an idealistic architect struggles to keep her dream alive as she journeys to discover why America abandoned World’s Fairs. For generations of Americans, World’s Fairs captured visions of hope for the future as part of their collective memory. Mina Chow became fascinated with World’s Fairs when she saw pictures of her parents at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Beginning with their stories, Mina shares this legacy and theAmerican values that inspired her to become an architect. ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Mina Chow is interdisciplinary faculty, a licensed architect and filmmaker who teaches 1st year building science studio and professional practice at USC. She has taught 1st and 2nd year design studio, architectural history and theory and served as Faculty Coordinator for Executive Education. She is principal of LA design/multi-media and production firm mc² SPACES, which has completed several international design and multi-media projects. Following the screening: stay for a short discussion with the filmmaker.
JOIN US AT THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER IN MAY. ALL EVENTS ARE FREE TO PHLF MEMBERS. NONMEMBERS: $10. RSVPS ARE APPRECIATED: MARYLU@PHLF.ORG OR CALL 412-471-5808 EXT. 527 744 REBECCA AVENUE
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a mauler, per se, but he has enough of both of those skills to be dangerous in the ring. “He’s not a one-punch knockout guy,” McSorley says. “He’s an extremely awkward fighter and I mean that in a good way. He switches stances in the middle of a fight, he comes at you from different angles. He stops guys by throwing a large volume of punches, some call them pesky punches. “He has the ability to absolutely frustrate his opponents. I can’t name you a fighter today who has this style. He’s unique.” When McSorley was scheduling his May 25 pro boxing card at the North Side’s Priory Grand Hall, he wanted to make Brackett’s debut part of the show. He’ll face another fighter making his pro debut, Brock Willis out of Clarksburg, W.Va. Brackett will be just the second openly gay boxer in the country along with championship contender Orlando Cruz. McSorley says he wasn’t sure what to expect from opponents or fight fans, but so far the sport has been welcoming. “The world is changing for the good,” McSorley says. “It might have been a different story a decade ago, but people’s opinions are evolving.” For his part, Willis says he was unsure why the promoters mentioned it to him in the first place. He wonders if it was to try and trick him into taking his opponent lightly. If that was the plan, they had the wrong Mountaineer. “He’s an experienced fighter,” Willis says. “It did throw me a bit when they said he was openly gay. I wasn’t sure if they were trying to bait me or just making sure I was alright with it. But to me it’s
not at all a relevant fact. “Although, I definitely know that there’s a stigma on folks from West Virginia that we’re all narrow-minded redneck hillbillies who’d be bothered by this sort of thing. But that’s not me. I think Jarrell and I will put on a good show.” AT THE END of the day, that’s what Brackett wants. He’s already proven himself to be a fighter and now he wants to show the world what kind of boxer he is. He loves the sport and will do anything to make sure he can afford to compete. When asked Brackett what he would do to make this dream happen, he spoke with raw, unashamed honesty, although he did laugh a little because he couldn’t believe he was ready to reveal something he’d kept secret, a second career as a legal sex worker. “I work as an adult entertainer,” Brackett says. “At a place like Club Pittsburgh [a local private men’s club], actually, they hire me as both security and a performer! Can you believe it!” Brackett laughs as he talks about his side work doing cam shows, live shows and hardcore adult scenes. In particular, he performs in a variety of videos for agonophilia fetishists — for those who get turned on by combat sports, more specifically combat sports that lead to sex. “I’m not ashamed by this work. I love my life,” Brackett says. “In order to pursue my boxing dreams, I need money to live on. At the end of the day, this will all be part of my story and my legacy. My goal is to enjoy every moment of this life.” And to just be happy.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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LOVE US? HATE US? + RANTS RAVES EMAIL US AT INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM .ANALYSIS.
INCOMING
“Racist mayor Peduto trying to rewrite History. What an arrogant ass. I’ll take the statue.” EMAIL IN RESPONSE TO CP STORY ABOUT THE REMOVAL OF STEPHEN FOSTER STATUE
“dallas is getting amazon, its in the bag!” COMMENT ON FACEBOOK IN RESPONSE TO STORY ABOUT AMAZON AND HOUSING IN PITTSBURGH
“That’s our favorite Outkast album.” TWEET IN RESPONSE TO GREEK FESTIVAL STORY (SPANAKOPITA VS. STANKONIA )
“in the state of New York a hotdog is taxed as a sandwhich” TWEET IN RESPONSE TO ONGOING “IS A HOT DOG A SAND WICH” CONVERSATION
Free Will Astrology BY ROB BREZSNY
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DON’T YOU CRY FOR STEPHEN BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
O
N APRIL 26, the Stephen Foster
statue was removed from its post in Oakland. The statue depicts an elegantly dressed Foster sitting above Uncle Ned, a black man sitting barefoot and holding a banjo at Foster’s feet. Calls to remove the statue have been around for years and the city’s art commission voted to remove it in October following two public hearings. Most in the city believed the depiction of Uncle Ned was offensive, racist and needed to be removed. However, some folks began yelling that removing the statue dishonored a native son and tarnished Foster’s image. In light of that, Pittsburgh City Paper compiled a list of some other places where you can celebrate Pittsburgh’s most famous songwriter without being complicit in racism.
Park, a copper statue of Foster stands in an open field, but the statue skips the degradation of a black man and is just of Foster, so no cropping necessary for photos. Also, a plaque honoring Foster and his songs sits at the edge of Downtown Cincinnati. KENTUCKY: My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Central Kentucky was named for Foster’s abolitionist-inspired song, “My Old Kentucky Home.” A historic plantation, the park has a complicated
history, since Foster’s song is inspired by the plantation, but it was also home to dozens of slaves. FLORIDA: Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs, Fla. is about an hour west of Jacksonville. The park straddling the Suwannee River honors the memory of Foster. A tower at the park was built to honor Foster and houses a statue of Foster sitting cross-legged. Even in the deep south they knew not to include “Uncle Ned.”
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JENSORENSEN
OAKLAND: The Stephen Foster Memorial theater on the University of Pittsburgh campus is literally right across the street from where the Foster statue was removed. There is a historical marker outside the building. Inside, there is a bronze bust of Foster and a shrine to Foster in the left wing of the building, complete with a portrait and other historical memorabilia. LAWRENCEVILLE: Foster’s homestead, where he was born, is still historically preserved at the corner of Penn Avenue and Denny Street (the house there was built after his death). There is a plaque on Penn Avenue that honors Foster’s contributions to music. Also, a Stephen Foster festival called Doo Dah Days is held in Lawrenceville every year. BRADFORD COUNTY, PA.: Three different historical markers stand in the Northeastern Pennsylvania county, where Foster lived and attended school. Stop by Athens, Towanda, or the village of Camptown, the inspiration for “Camptown Races.” CINCINNATI: In Cincinnati’s Alms
NOT YOUR SIGN? VISIT WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM FOR OUR FULL ASTROLOGICAL FORECAST
(April 20-May 20): TAURUS Born under the sign of Taurus, Edmund Wilson was a renowned twentieth-century author and critic who wrote more than 30 books. He also served as editor for Vanity Fair and The New Republic, and influenced the work of at least seven major American novelists. When he was growing up, he spent most of his free time reading books: 16 hours a day during summer vacations. His parents, worried about his obsessive passion, bought him a baseball uniform, hoping to encourage him to diversify his interests. His response was to wear the uniform while reading books 16 hours a day. I trust you will be equally dedicated to your own holy cause or noble pursuit in the coming weeks, Taurus. You have cosmic clearance to be single-minded about doing what you love
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Special offer for Port Authority ConnectCard customers only. • All Grandstand seats are just $10. (Wednesdays only) Simply show your ConnectCard at the Pirates box office the day of the game or purchase in advance by going online to Pirates.com/ConnectCard. Connect and Save with this special offer today.
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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Humane Animal Rescue
Cutest Pet Contest Here are our adorable winners!
.OPINION.
HELLO, IT’S ME BY TERENEH IDIA // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
I
Joji Girl
AM A BLACK WOMAN who was born in a South Side hospital and whose design studio sits across the street from said place of birth — the exact birthplace. It’s surreal/so real. I was born where I now birth creative thoughts. After graduating from Taylor Allderdice High School, I flew away from Pittsburgh to become another dragon in Philadelphia at Drexel University. From there I went to Washington D.C., Baltimore and New York City. It was Ft. Greene and Williamsburg to be exact — where the coffee shops just sold coffee and donuts, where you could go to a Dominican Chinese restaurant and probably not find a piece of kale anywhere. I continued on to Seattle and experienced white supremacy of the liberal persuasion. I was the token Black friend: “No I will not be the only naked Black woman in the pool and no I don’t like the Grateful Dead.” Chicago followed and I realized I was an East Coast-ish-bougie-arty-atheist-black-intellectual. I was not popular, but, I never really have been. I was an outlier, a floater between groups. If I was a character in Freaks and Geeks … oh wait no, that would have never happened, never mind. Graduate school and fashion dreams were made real in Africa — Kenya. I met the Maasai, Kikuyu, Samburu, IndianKenyans and white Kenyans. I learned about climate change in real time — not on our grandchildren’s, but the time of someone’s child living right now. There were European trips — Paris, Milan, Rome, Florence, Madrid, London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam. I soaked up the culture and wondered how much of it was built on the riches of the transatlantic slave trade. Did my great-great-great grandmother’s labor pay for that fine house on the canal? Did it help you buy that painting in the Louvre? I taught in Malaysia, Bali, Indonesia and Singapore. No, not English but fashion, as a senior lecturer and professor. There were trips to India met with stares and questions that began with “You must be from,” and end with anywhere but the United States. In Laos and Cambodia though, I “must be American,” because they know black Americans exist because they saw us thanks/no thanks to the American War/Vietnam War. Japan came next and only the children stare. I decided I would never leave Kyoto. But I had to return to the United States and begin the next chapter of my life — designer, artist, creative community builder. So, who am I? I design, read and I love to write. I think, travel, say a lot and take up space. In the coming weeks, in fact, I’ll be taking up this space with my thoughts and words.
I THINK, TRAVEL, SAY A LOT AND TAKE UP SPACE
Meelo
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Editor’s Note: Tereneh Idia’s column will appear twice monthly on the second and fourth Wednesdays.
FOOD+DRINK
CP PHOTOS BY VANESSA SONG
Angelo Galioto, the oyster aficianado at Merchant Oyster Co.
.FOOD.
PEARL TALK “I took off my carpenter apron and put on a kitchen apron and I’ve had one on ever since.” BY CELINE ROBERTS // CELINE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
I
N HIS 45-YEAR CAREER, Angelo Galioto estimates he’s
shucked about a million oysters. From his time in Florida as a vegetarian restaurant owner, to his current position as a friendly oyster aficionado at Merchant Oyster Co. in Lawrenceville, Galioto has learned a lot about life, friendship and food. City Paper spent a cozy afternoon with Galioto earlier this winter, figuring out what a lifetime of work and adventure means to him. I HEAR YOU’RE THE MAN WITH THE OYSTER STORIES. Yes. [Laughs] Which one would you like me to start with? I’ve been doing it for about 45 years, from Florida, a little in Cape Cod and a lot in Pittsburgh, mainly with my family. Every time there’s a tailgate party, [my family says] “Uncle Ang, you’re invited ... and can you bring some oysters?” So
that means about 100 at a time with my family. HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY? The reason I got into the restaurant business was a friend of mine said “Let’s open a restaurant.” At that time, I was a journeyman carpenter. This is 1974-ish. It was a hot summer in Florida ... sweating. I took off my carpenter apron and put on a kitchen apron and I’ve had one on ever since. I worked for Alive and Well [Galioto’s vegetarian restaurant] for 10 years. I opened a bar in South Miami and another little bar in West Palm Beach. And then I went and worked for a seafood purveyor and during that time, I learned all about how to cut fish. I mean, I’m Italian and I didn’t know how to filet a tuna or a snapper or shuck oysters very well. We CONTINUES ON PG. 16
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LET S GET ’
PEARL TALK, CONTINUED FROM PG. 15
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would do 500 [oysters] at a time for … country clubs. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT KIND OF WORK? I’m 71 years old and I have really strong hands. My hands are in great shape. No cuts because I’m really careful. I have my stainless-steel mesh glove which makes me confident I’m not going to hurt myself. Once I was in a cocktail bar — a jazz bar at 2 a.m. — and there was a beautiful blonde sitting in the bar and we were the only two. I was dressed really well. I think I had just taken my daughter home from the opera in Palm Beach. She came over to me and said, “Sir, I see you’re immaculate.” My hands were just perfect, and I was dressed nice. She said “I noticed your hands. Are you a doctor?” And I hit her with the line, “no but I’m good with a knife.” She got up and walked away. She didn’t give me a chance to say, “I’d love to make you breakfast or dinner.” Smart woman. I said [to myself], “not the line to use.” I learned a lesson. [Laughs] FROM YOUR MANY DECADES WORKING WITH OYSTERS, CAN YOU GIVE ANY POINTERS ABOUT SELECTING THEM OR WORKING WITH THEM? It’s almost like wine. There are so many different notes and tastes. I taste them all the time because even the time of year that you’re tasting the same oysters, [the flavor] can change depending on the algae, the seaweed, the salinity of the water in the current that’s coming
Expires 5-30-18
near the oyster beds. It changes. Some of the tastes are [from] the amount of salt. Boutique oysters that come from the west coast are a little creamier, a little buttery and exotic. Boutique oysters are smaller and not as well known as a standard oyster like a Delaware oyster. Some of them are delicate and aren’t around all year. They’re mostly petite. All oysters are a little different. You have to know how to handle them. You have to keep them on ice or refrigerated at all times because they’re alive. You don’t want to eat a dead oyster unless you’re opening and shucking them right there. It’s a delicate product.
I’M 71 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE REALLY STRONG HANDS. CAN YOU GIVE ME A SHUCKING LESSON? You’ll have to wear my glove. It’s a like a Michael Jackson glove because there’s only one [Laughs] ... You want to pop the hinge [of the oyster] like a bottle cap [with the tip of the knife]. You wipe your knife off and you want to get abductor muscle off from the top of the shell so you scrap the top of the oyster and the bottom and it comes loose. Then you eat them with lemon juice and olive oil. That’s how I grew up eating them. My dad and my mum were from Sicily. Since they grew olives and lemons, that was the choice for condiments.
•
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To hear an extended audio version of this interview, check out our Sound Bite episode featuring Galioto.
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DUAL STRANDS
.FOOD.
EAT ME
BY LISA CUNNINGHAM LCUNNING@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
SUNDAYS 5PM - MIDNIGHT
May 13 | Japanese whisky Nikka Pure Malt Japanese Psychedelic Rock
CP PHOTO BY LISA CUNNINGHAM
.ON THE ROCKS.
SUMMER SOURS BY DREW CRANISKY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
W
HAT DO YOU picture when you
hear the words, “summer beer”? Perhaps it’s a glistening Corona, garnished with the requisite lime wedge, nestled in the sand. Or maybe you imagine a cooler of ice-cold Miller Lite stationed beside a grill or a pool. But let me submit for your consideration a couple unlikely candidates for the perfect summer brew: sour wheat beers from Northern Germany that have made a surprising comeback in recent years. Originating in Goslar, Germany, and named for the river that runs through it, Gose (pronounced goh-zuh) is a decidedly unique style. First brewed more than a thousand years ago, Gose was originally a spontaneously fermented beer and was likely more sour than modern versions. Unlike most German beers, which use only barley, water, yeast and hops, Gose is subtly flavored with salt and coriander. The result is a tart and refreshing beer with an effervescence that often draws comparisons to champagne. Gose was once wildly popular in Leipzig and the surrounding region, with 80 gosenschenkes, or Gose houses, operating there in the 1800s. But war and changing tastes took their tolls, and the regional specialty effectively went extinct in the mid-20th century. Thankfully, brewers in Germany and beyond revived the style in recent years, and now Gose is everywhere. You can try a traditional Leipzig Gose from Germany’s Bayerischer Bahnhof, or sample American takes from breweries like Westbrook, Sierra Nevada, and Anderson Valley. Locally, Roundabout Brewery created the perfect brunch beer with their Mimosa Gose,
which mixes orange juice with a slightly sour wheat beer. Like Gose, Berliner Weisse is a regional German style that was nearly relegated to the dustbin of brewing history. Originating in (where else?) Berlin, Berliner Weisse is a wheat ale soured with Lactobacillus. Berliner Weisse is sharply sour, lightly bready, highly effervescent, and clocks in around 3 percent ABV. Berliners couldn’t get enough of the stuff and, at the height of its popularity in the 19th century, there were some 700 breweries in Germany cranking out Berliner Weisse. Often served with a splash of raspberry or woodruff syrup to balance the tartness, Berliner Weisse is the ideal choice for a hot summer day.
TWO SOUR WHEAT BEERS HAVE MADE A SURPRISING COMEBACK IN RECENT YEARS. These days, just a handful of German breweries continue to make the style. Look for Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse for a classic (and delicious) German version. If you can’t get your hands on rare imported beer, however, don’t fret. Plenty of American breweries, from Dogfish Head to New Belgium, make readily available versions, often using fruits to add another dimension. Locally, look for East End’s seasonal Moonstomp or Hitchhiker’s Cultured Creature, a Berliner Weisse series that features a rotating lineup of fruits.
•
LOCATION: Oakmont Bakery, 531 Allegheny Ave., Oakmont
AMBIANCE: I ate this at my desk beside a pile of paper, a dirty keyboard, a half-full Coke can and various highlighters.
Fukano Rice
VSJ Japanese Punk
May 20 | Chartreuse Chartreuse Yellow VEP
French Crooner
VS
Chartreuse Green VEP
Canadian Crooner
May 27 | mexican bitters Fernet-Vallet
Mexican Rock
VS
Amargo-Vallet
MexicanAmerican Rock
WHAT WE ATE: Cinnamon NY Stick
COST: $1.70
HOT TAKE: Packed solid with a cinnamon filling and topped with icing and sugar, this sucker is heavy! Seriously, you could use these pastries as hand weights. They’re each 7” long, flaky and absolutely delicious. I meant to save half for later, but failed. One day after eating, I’m still finding crumbs. PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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CP PHOTO BY JAKE MYSLIWCZYK
Pirata Caribbean Cuisine x Rum Bar bartender Lissa Brennan
.FOOD.
COMMUNITY CUPS BY CELINE ROBERTS // CELINE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
B
ARS HAVE ALWAYS been a place for people to gather. Labeled “third places,” bars are spaces that aren’t home or work where people congregate to be together and share experiences. Whether a bar is hosting trivia nights, workshops, special themed events, fundraisers, shows or meet-ups, it invites patrons to connect over something important to them. Lissa Brennan, a bartender at Pirata Caribbean Cuisine x Rum Bar, has recently started a weekly Artist Appreciation Night that invites those involved or interested in the city’s arts scene to share conversation, ideas and camaraderie. Brennan, a playwright, actor and writer, pursues her passions as much as she can while making the bulk of her income in the service industry. She knows many artists in Pittsburgh live similarly.
ARTIST APPRECIATION NIGHTS 4 p.m.-midnight every Thursday. Pirata, 274 Forbes Ave., Downtown
“Everyone who is a server knows someone who’s in the arts ... It would be great if you could get paid as much to be an actor in Pittsburgh as you can to be a bartender, but that’s not a possibility,” she says. With the pay gap in mind, Artist’s Appreciation Night offers discounts to anyone involved in Pittsburgh’s arts community. Brennan prepares a feature drink and a rum feature and offers 15 percent off regularly priced menu items (happy hour discounts are not included). Brennan works to bring her passion and creativity to her bartending. She often spends time reading about and researching cocktails and spirits and recently returned from a trip to Barbados that focused on its rum industry. “As somebody who has other pursuits, this allows me creativity and flexibility,” she says. It’s been about six weeks since Brennan started the program, and the response has been positive from both her employees and her patrons. “When I came to [management] with this there wasn’t a second a hesitation,” she says. Most of the advertising for the event so far has been word-of-mouth, but plans are in the works to ramp that up. “I have to admit, part of it is me wanting to create a specific vibe at the bar. I love to have people who I can talk to about the arts and who can talk to each other,” she says. “I want to do whatever I can do to contribute to the arts community.”
•
Editor’s note: Lissa Brennan is an occasional City Paper contributor.
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.BURGER WEEK.
THE BIG WINK
BY CHARLIE DEITCH // CDEITCH@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
F
ROM MAY 13-19, City Paper will be of East Liverpool, Ohio, late one night on hosting its second annual Pittsthe way back from my grandmother’s burgh Burger Week at participating house in New Castle. I remember getting restaurants (see page 23 for the complete a cheeseburger, fries and a “Winkyshake.” list of locations). It was literally the best food my 6-yearI’ll be honest, there are some goodold taste buds had ever experienced. My looking burgers being featured in this dad, I remember, had something called year’s event. Burgers, like a lot of the food a “Big Wink;” it was beautiful, almost and drink we enjoy today, have been elstatuesque. I knew, at that moment, that evated to miniature works of art. The I had to have it. burgers often contain several kinds of meat, most of it is grass-fed, free-range or raised in a pollutant-free meadow in Finland, guarded by angels. A burger revolution has been going on in this country and in this city for a decade or more. I was taunted by the Big Wink. My But, I have to admit, it made me mom said it was too big for a child to nostalgic for the region’s burgers of old. eat. Winky’s also ran these poorly done There were no designer burgers back commercials to help with the hype. Its then; starting in the late 1970s, the bigmascot was a pinkish, hairy, derelict gest innovation was adding bacon. puppet that looked like it had been Also, back in “them days” we ate recently fired from the cast of hamburgers, although to my WATCHIC Sesame Street. His name was knowledge they contained S S A L A C Y’S Winker and he was always no ham. In fact, a modern WINK CIAL R hawking that Big Wink. burger is the one more likely COMMgEhcity at p Finally, in 1981, at the age to contain ham or elk or m co r. e pap of 10, I got my chubby fingers buffalo or unicorn. on a Big Wink and it was everyI sat down and started thing I’d dreamed. making a list of the burger joints Within a year though, Winky’s locathat I remember as an adolescent of the tions were disappearing left and right, late ‘70s and early ‘80s. By the time I was and by 1982, Winky’s was nothing but a done, there was a clear winner, Winky’s. memory, a torturous lament. Oh, how I The first Winky’s opened in Sewickley, wish Winker was still around to see what Pa. in 1962. It then spread like wildfire the world of cheeseburgers has become. across the region. By the late ‘70s, there This week, as I check out the Burger Week were 40 stores in three states. selections, I might have to pour out a little My love affair began the night my of my beer in memory of the Big Wink. parents pulled into the Winky’s outside
I WAS TAUNTED BY THE BIG WINK.
•
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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DINING OUT
SPONSORED LISTINGS FROM CITY PAPER ’S FINE ADVERTISERS S
THIS WEEK’S FEATURED RESTAURANT TOTOPO MEXICAN KITCHEN AND BAR 660 WASHINGTON ROAD, MT. LEBANON 412-668-0773 TOTOPOMEX.COM Totopo is a vibrant celebration of the culture and cuisine of Mexico, with a focus on the diverse foods served in the country. From Oaxacan tamales enveloped in banana leaves to the savory fish tacos of Baja California, you will experience the authentic flavor and freshness in every bite. We also feature a cocktail menu of tequila-based drinks to pair the perfect margarita with your meal.
THE ALLEGHENY WINE MIXER 5326 BUTLER ST., LAWRENCEVILLE 412-252-2337 / ALLEGHENYWINEMIXER.COM Wine bar and tap room in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. Offering an eclectic list of wine by the glass or bottle, local beer, craft cocktails, cheese and cured meats, good times and bad art.
BROAD STREET BISTRO 1025 BROAD ST., NORTH VERSAILLES 412-829-2911 / BROADSTBISTRO.COM Broad Street Bistro is a neighborhood restaurant offering daily specials. ALL food is prepared fresh and made to order. It is family friendly with a special kids’ menu.
COLONY CAFE 1125 PENN AVE., STRIP DISTRICT 412-586-4850 / COLONYCAFEPGH.COM Whether stopping in for a weekday lunch, an afternoon latte or after-work drinks with friends, Colony Cafe offers delicious housemade bistro fare in a stylish Downtown space.
EIGHTY ACRES 1910 NEW TEXAS ROAD, MONROEVILLE/PLUM 724-519-7304 / EIGHTYACRESKITCHEN.COM Eighty Acres Kitchen & Bar offers a refined, modern approach to contemporary American cuisine with a strong emphasis on local, farm-to-table products.
FULL PINT WILD SIDE TAP ROOM 5310 BUTLER ST., LAWRENCEVILLE 412-408-3083 / FULLPINTBREWING.COM Full Pint Wild Side Taproom is Full Pint Brewing company’s Lawrenceville location and features a full service bar, huge sandwiches and half-priced happy hour. Open 4 p.m.-midnight, Mon.-Fri., and noon –midnight on Saturday. Check us out on Facebook for upcoming shows and events.
MERCURIO’S ARTISAN GELATO AND NEAPOLITAN PIZZA 5523 WALNUT ST., SHADYSIDE 412-621-6220 / MERCURIOSGELATOPIZZA.COM Authentic Neapolitan pizza, artisan gelato,
and an inviting atmosphere are just a small part of what helps create your experience at Mercurio’s Gelato and Pizza in Pittsburgh, PA. It’s not your standard pizza shop; in fact, this isn’t a “pizza shop” at all.
PIAZZA TALARICO 3832 PENN AVE., LAWRENCEVILLE 412-652-9426 / PIAZZATALARICO.COM Piazza Talarico and Papa Joe’s Wine Cellar is a small, family-owned restaurant and winery in Western Pennsylvania serving authentic Italian peasant food. Enjoy the fresh food on site or take out. Specializes in “Baked Maccheron”, an al forno dish of rigatoni, Grandma’s sauce, cheese, pepperoni and boiled eggs.
SAGA HIBACHI 201 SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE MALL, BETHEL PARK 412-835-8888 / SAGAHIBACHI.COM Saga in the South Hills is now under new management. Stop in for exciting table-side preparations and the famous shrimp sauce. Or sit in the sushi-bar area for the freshest sushi experience, with both traditional preparations and contemporary variations.
SENYAI THAI KITCHEN 5865 ELLSWORTH AVE., SHADYSIDE 412-441-4141 / SENYAIPGH.COM Immersed in authenticity, Senyai Thai Kitchen creates an intricate fusion of food and design, where every detail transports you to a faraway place. Traditional favorites and new creations like jumbo lump crab curry make Senyai a destination.
SUPERIOR MOTORS 1211 BRADDOCK AVE, BRADDOCK 412-271-1022 / SUPERIORMOTORS15104.COM Thoughtfully prepared food, drawing inspiration from Braddock, its people, its history and its perseverance. The cuisine best represents the eclectic style which has become a trademark of Chef Kevin Sousa. Fine dining in an old Chevy dealership with an eclectic, farm-to-table menu and a community focus.
Look for this symbol for Sustainable Pittsburgh Restaurants, committed to building vibrant communities and supporting environmentally responsible practices. Love Pittsburgh. Eat Sustainably. www.EatSustainably.org
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ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
CP PHOTO BY JOHN COLOMBO
Millvale Music Festival committee members Brian Crawford, Sarah Kremer, Paul Bossung and Andrea Pinigis
.MUSIC.
SECOND FEST “We also want to make sure that our guests coming in can see a different festival every year.” BY MEG FAIR // MEGFAIR@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
L
ANDMARKS LIKE Mr. Smalls and Attic Record Store have made Millvale a destination for music enthusiasts for years, but leaders in the borough and community members want to draw even more folks in. Last year was the first Millvale Music Festival, and this year the festival is returning to bring live music, libations and fanfare to the neighborhood. To find out what’s new with the festival this year, City Paper chatted with Brian Crawford, one of Millvale Music Festival’s organizers and a founder of The River’s Edge, a Millvale-based internet radio station that showcases local talent.
NOW IN THE SECOND YEAR OF THE FESTIVAL, HOW HAS FESTIVAL PLANNING CHANGED? This year’s planning was in some ways easier, but in some
ways not, because we decided to add on to the festival. We had a lot of connections from last year that we utilized for this year, and we were able to bring back a lot of the people and organizations we worked with, so we already had connections and they knew what we were getting into this year. WHAT’S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR? This year we decided to expand and add more stages, added an extra day, we’re doing an opening night at the food truck park. We also added an arts festival to this year’s event, which was a huge new addition, where we’re closing a street down and using visual artists on that street with a stage. We decided to take on a lot more. CONTINUES ON PG. 22
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
21
SECOND FEST, CONTINUED FROM PG. 21
WE BUY RECORDS & CDS
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Work yourself into a lather. Rinse. Repeat. SINCE 1980 MON-FRI 9AM-6PM SAT 10AM-5PM 513 GRANT AVENUE • MILLVALE Questions? Call Us 412-821-8484
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IT SEEMS LIKE MUSIC IS A CENTRAL PART OF MILLVALE DEVELOPING AS A BOROUGH AND BRINGING PEOPLE INTO THAT COMMUNITY. HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH MMF? The Millvale Development Corporation was interested in having a music festival last year. They’re really committed to the arts community in Millvale and bringing arts in. Me and a couple other people own an online radio station called The River’s Edge, a radio station that streams online that’s all local, original music, so local music is central to my business. So I thought, I really wanted to get involved in this festival in the early stages, and nobody had really jumped on board to start planning it. I thought it would make sense for me and my team to jump in and try and aid the community and get together, so we joined forces with community members under the Millvale Community Development Corp. to get the festival going. HOW DO YOU SEE MMF HELPING MILLVALE? It’ll help the community at large because music brings people in. I think after the first year of the festival, the business owners really saw the potential that music has on their [industries]. I saw the number of music performances in different establishments really increase drastically throughout the year following the festival. HOW DO THE ORGANIZERS CHOOSE THE LINEUP FOR THE EVENT? We have a committee that is headed up by Jonathan Kielback that deals with the booking of music, and we put out submissions and he will find a band for each stage. Once he finds a band for each stage, he’ll build off of that band, so every stage is cohesive. You can take the map and go from stage
.MUSIC.
MP 3 MONDAY Are you a local artist with a song that’s begging to be heard? Have a single or music video you’d like to debut? City Paper is looking forr submissions for our MP3 Monday series on our music blog, FFW>>. We are looking for all genres of music. Send an MP3 or link to the song you’d like us to consider to megfair@pghcitypaper.com.
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to stage, which is something I’d like to do because I like seeing all different types of music, but you can also sit at a stage from start to end and the stage will flow in a way that the music all complements one another. He puts a ton of time into trying to match the bands up and make sure each thing makes sense.
MILLVALE MUSIC FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT AT THE PITTSBURGH FOOD PARK 5 p.m. Fri., May 11. 1923 River Front Dr., Millvale. Free. millvalemusic.org 11 a.m. Sat., May 12. Various locations in Millvale. Free. millvalemusic.org
Another thing we really try to do is make it a different festival every year, so if you went to last year’s festival, you’ll notice very few of the bands that performed last year will be back this year, and it’s not because we were unhappy with them. It’s because we have over 400 bands that apply every year, and we want to make sure that not only does every band get an opportunity to perform, but we also want to make sure that our guests coming in can see a different festival every year and get to experience a different feel. There’s a lot of time and planning that goes into the selection of the bands. It’s important to know that we pay every artist that performs at the festival. The festival cares so much about the musicians, and we try to make it a great experience for the musicians. We do whatever we can to help support them on festival day. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? This year, more so than last year, there are a lot of bands that I’ve never seen live before. I’m really excited to check some of them out!
•
MAY 13-19 NEXT WEEK WE PUT THE BURG IN PITTSBURGH Burger photography by Kate Hagerty
PGHBURGERWEEK.COM | #PGHBURGERWEEK PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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AUGUST HENRY’S BURGER BAR –––––– DOWNTOWN ––––– THE CHIPOTLE BURGER
AUNT CHERYL’S CAFE ––– BRADDOCK ––– EMPIRE BURGER
BURGATORY ––– –– – VARIOUS L LO OCATIO ONS ––– – THE BURGATORY DOUBLE DOUBLE
8 oz 100% Angus reserve burger, pepper-jack cheese, bacon, fresh jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, onion straws, chipotle sauce & brioche bun
Beef patty, grilled mushrooms, cheese, bacon, fried green tomatoes & fried egg
Two angel-dusted hormone free beef patties, double American cheese, bacon, house burger sauce, B&B pickles, grilled onions, shredded iceberg, tomato & a potato bun (excludes PPG & Heinz stands)
INDUSTRY PUBLIC HOUSE
JAMISON’S ––––– SOUTH HILLS –––––
MURRAY AVENUE GRILL ––––– SQUIRREL HILL –––––
- LAWRENCEVILLE/NORTH FAYETTE -
THE SMOKEY HAWAIIAN
THE CREATION
THE MURRAY
Spicy ground pork burger, grilled, glazed pineapple, blood orange & lime aioli, pea shoots, smoke sea salt & brioche roll
Homemade buffalo chicken dip, lettuce, tomato & red onion, brined sweet heat chicken wings & brioche bun
Jalapeño cream cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, potato chips, pickled red onion, meat, tomato & onion
RUGGERS PUB ––––– SOUTH SIDE ––––– THE PITTSBURGHER 1/2 lb ground beef, kielbasa, ginger smashed potatoes, cheddar cheese, mandarin cole slaw, pickled radishes, tomato, Melting Pot Sauce & Cellone kaiser roll (vegan option available)
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BURGH’ERS BREWERY AND RESTAURANT
EASE: MODERN COMFORT CUISINE
––– –– ––– – LAWR WREN E CEV CEVILLE –– ––– ––
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HARD ROCK CAFE ––––– STATION SQUARE –––––
THE COMFORT BURGER
PITTSBURGH LOCAL LEGENDARY BURGER
Fried onion straws, Maggie’s Farm Rum aioli, pickled jalapeños, cheddar, bacon, slaw & local orange honey drizzle from Huckle Bee Farms
Seasoned ground beef patty, meatloaf, sautéed mushrooms, grilled onion, gravy, aged cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato & toasted brioche
MdL ł È -ÊÇ $ ÊÈ 5$É &Y$ È É in a chipotle barbeque sauce, creamy beer cheese sauce, vine-ripened tomato & fresh arugula
OVER THE BAR BICYCLE CAFE –-– SOUTH SIDE/NORTH PARK –-–
STOKE’S GRILL ––––– NORTH HILLS –––––
THE ROCHESTER INN HARDWOOD GRILLE ––––– NORTH HILLS –––––
THE SOUTHWESTERN PITTS-BURGH’ER
TRICKED-OUT DIRT RAG
FOR THE JAMMING TYPES
House seasoned burger topped with two fried pickles, applewood-smoked bacon, American cheese, Wholey’s honey roasted peanut butter & a Mancini brioche bun
1/2 lb all natural fresh Angus beef, homemade bacon jam and pimento cheese, lettuce, tomato & special secret sauce on a toasted bun
WILD BILL’S BLACKENED STUFFED PEPPER BURGER 8 oz blended burger with blackened Cajun seasoning, homemade stuffed banana peppers, marinara sauce & mozzarella cheese
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#PGHBURGERweek to fly away!
WAYS TO WIN Instagram
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Two round trip tickets to anywhere Spirit Airlines flies!
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.CD REVIEW.
LOCAL BEAT BY MIKE SHANLEY INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
WHEN AT LAST WE >> SAW THE SUNRISE BY JASON KENDALL SELF-RELEASED JASONKENDALLPRODUCTIONS.COM
IMAGE COURTESY OF BETH DAVID AND ESTEBAN BRAVO
In a Heartbeat
.FILM.
FRESH (QUEER) PERSPECTIVE BY CELINE ROBERTS // CELINE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
C
ALLING ALL QUEER babies and babes (straights, you can come too!). This week, the Luna Experimental Film Series presents two days of films that focus on queer experiences through folklore, shorts and cartoons. The program is split into two film sets, called OUT OF THE WOODS: Queer Folk and Fairy Tales for adults, and OVER THE RAINBOW: Queer and Experimental Shorts for Kids of All Ages. Both will be presented by Filmmakers at the Melwood Screening Room on May 11 and 12. Friday night will be dedicated to showing OUT OF THE WOODS, a set of 16 shorts from filmmakers around the world. Some explore mythology, while others retell traditional fairy tales from a queer perspective. One film is an interpretation of the story of the Little Mermaid, in which a merman awakens Prince Eric’s love by playing his violin by the shore. Another is a Samoan retelling of Cinderella, or “Sinalela,” presenting a variety of gender expressions through drag and other motifs.
The trajectory of a Pittsburgh band can take many roads: low-key gigs, big time concerts, CD releases, breakups, along with shots at “making it,” whatever that means. Jason Kendall — formerly of the band Déjà Vu and now a regular at AcoustiCafe — tackles the subject with this ambitious concept album. Fictional protagonist JC Pennypacker starts a band (the Rye) with high school friends, eventually finding local success, only to reinvent himself as an industrial rocker and eventually fake his death. Though it might all be a dream. Packaged like an overview of Pennypacker’s career, with an illustrated booklet, the disc covers a lot of ground. The Rye songs are the strongest, meeting at the corner of Guided By Voices-style indie rock and commercial alternative hope. It’s hard to tell if the NIN-type tracks by Phoebe Carousel (Pennypacker’s alter ego) are supposed to be parodies, and with titles like “Woman is the Deadliest Species,” one might hope. Though the album’s conclusion borrows a key phrase from a famous similar Green Day song, Kendall has nevertheless created a noble project. •
OUT OF THE WOODS: QUEER FOLK AND FAIRY TALES 8 p.m. Fri., May 11. Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. $7-8. cinema.pfpca.org
OVER THE RAINBOW: QUEER AND EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES 1 p.m. Sat., May 12. Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. $7-8. cinema.pfpca.org
Little Taiko Boy mixes eastern and western influences and traditions as well as Japanese gay culture. The film depicts several men meeting for intimate encounters. Soon the amorous couples are visited by a bejeweled condom-bearing Shinto goddess. A few of the films, like Little Taiko Boy, implicitly or explicitly allude to sexuality, so this showing is for adult audiences only. Children are welcomed into the theater for Saturday’s OVER THE RAINBOW and “Drag Queen Story Hour” hosted by Akasha L. Van-Chartier. OVER THE RAINBOW includes eight short films, both live-action and animated that address themes like bullying, belonging, coming out, friendship and parental love. Tomboy uses Spanish and English to tell the story of a young Latina girl who is bullied for being a tomboy and her journey to find acceptance. Some of the films are more whimsical, like the feminist retelling of Sleeping Beauty as Sleeping Betty or the animated film My Mom is an Airplane! about a boy’s love for his adventurous mother. In a Heartbeat tells of the scary feelings around first love when a boy tries to contain his runaway heart and captures so well that feeling we have when we let our heart go to someone else.
•
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
27
Let us Restore Your Home’s Beauty
The 5th Judicial District of Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Pretrial Services urges you to enjoy your weekend out in Pittsburgh but
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The Damaged Pies
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.MUSIC.
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I
N ITS 30-year tenure, The Damaged
Pies has accomplished an awful lot. The band, helmed by Steve Bodner, has traveled to perform at legendary venues like CBGB in New York City, The Cavern Club in Liverpool, Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles and even Wrigley Field. There’s a Damaged Pies movie on YouTube titled Same Circus, Different Town, and Bodner is a member of The Recording Academy, serving as a district advocate for The Grammys. It all started in a karaoke booth at Cedar Point, where Bodner and his friend got the performing bug. Their project went on to grow into a real band, one that has featured about 30 different members since its inception. The current lineup of Damaged Pies features three female vocalists alongside the core instrumentation, something that Bodner is extremely excited about. “I’m most excited to show off these four-part harmonies,” says Bodner. “With this lineup, the songs sound exactly as they should.” From the early days of the band, Bodner and his bandmates have used music as a way to give back to the community. The band founded Pittsburgh Musicians for Hunger Relief and have actively worked with WhyHunger as part of its Artists Against Hunger & Poverty project since its inception. “If we were just in it for the money, we would have quit 28 years ago,” says Bodner. “It’s certainly not for the money or the fame. It’s for the self-expression.”
And just as it has been since the beginning, The Damaged Pies will celebrate 30 years of being a band with a benefit for WhyHunger at which it will be selling hard copies of its single, “Same Circus Different Town.” The copy features artwork by Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s iconic longtime collaborator. The single intro was also written, produced and performed by David Hentschel, who engineered on Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. It’s a pretty impressive feat to get in contact with either of those legends, but Bodner is not shy about pitching ideas to anyone, given his passion for the music and the causes it benefits.
THE DAMAGED PIES 30TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW BENEFITTING WHYHUNGER 7 p.m. Fri., May 11. 56 S. 12th St., South Side. $10. clubcafelive.com
“I really believe in what I’m doing,” says Bodner. “Because everything we do is for WhyHunger, we’re doing it for something bigger, something better than ourselves.” After this event, Bodner will start to plot The Damaged Pies’ next move. “I’ll figure out the next ridiculous thing we can try doing, like calling up U2 and asking if we can open for them,” laughs Bodner. “You never know!”
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TOP 5
BEST-KNOWN PITTSBURGH MOTHERS (REAL OR FICTIONAL) BY CHARLIE DEITCH CDEITCH@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
Kick it with a
TASTY GROOVE
Djs are every Wed, Fri, & Sat. 10pm - 1am. Bands start between 8 - 9 pm on Thursday nights.
Shirley Jones in The Patridge Family
SHIRLEY JONES
(AKA SHIRLEY PARTRIDGE) The actress and Charleroi native was a real life mom/stepmom to four sons: Shaun, Patrick, Ryan and David Cassidy. Then, on the Partridge Family TV show, she played mother to a musical group consisting of three sons and two daughters. Now, prepare to have your mind blown: Her oldest son David Cassidy, also played her oldest TV son, Keith Partridge!
May 17th
Casual Hobos Blue Grass
May 24th Told Ya So
May 31st
Acoustic Open Mic with Jay Constable
SOPHIE MASLOFF The former Pittsburgh mayor had a daughter and two grandchildren, but, really, she was like the city’s mom during her time in office. She was a character and never afraid to speak her mind or make colorful comments in public.
THE DANCE MOMS Notice we didn’t say, “favorite Pittsburgh Moms.” The show featured dance teacher Abby Lee Miller, her students and the students’ mothers. They all fought incessantly. If there was a Mother’s Day equivalent to coal in the stocking, these moms would surely get that.
QUEEN SARA SATURDAY
DJs & LIVE MUSIC Outdoor seating now open
The matriarch of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood of Make Believe’s royal family, she was the wife of King Friday and mother to Prince Tuesday. Soft-spoken and majestic, she had her son’s ear, making sure he was a good neighbor.
RACHEL CARSON The conservationist and author of Silent Spring didn’t have children, but her groundbreaking environmental activism made her the real-life Mother Nature.
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5500 Walnut Street, Shadyside
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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Use code CITYCITY to save $5 on single tickets
A new play about growing up with nothing in the land of plenty PHOTO COURTESY OF ALISA INNOCENTI
Three nymphs and a goblin: Erin Schmura, Michael Scarcelle, Rebecca Shorstein, Zanna Fredland
.OPERA.
DEEPER DIVE
BY ALEX GORDON // ALEXGORDON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
T
HE TITLE CHARACTER in Antonín Dvořák’s opera Rusalka is a water-nymph
who wants to become human. She’s immortal, and lives a safe life in a lake with her family and a cast of other nymphs, sprites and goblins. But after falling in love with a human prince, she decides she’d rather be a mortal human than a lonely nymph. She goes to a witch and … you can probably figure out the rest. “[Rusalka] is basically the story of The Little Mermaid as most of us know it, without the Disneyfication,” says Resonance Works founder and artistic director Maria Sensi Sellner, who will conduct performances of the opera on May 11 and 13 at Charity Randall Theatre. “It actually is not derived from the Hans Christian Andersen story, but they both come from the same mythology.” As tends to happen with fairy tales unburdened by Disneyfication, Rusalka is a dark, layered and complex story that wrestles with some heavy philosophical concepts: how human and supernatural worlds help and harm each other; questions about how much a person should give up for love; and the cosmic illogic of immortality. The latter serves as a jumping off point for the plot. To Rusalka, immortality is nice and all, but humans like the prince get to have souls and die and go to heaven. It sounds like a way better deal, so off to the witch she goes.
RUSALKA 8 p.m., Fri., May 11 and 3 p.m., Sun., May 13. Charity Randall Theatre, 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $23-53. resonanceworks.org
by CARLA CHING directed by BART DELORENZO
MAY 12 – JUNE 3, 2018 TICKETS ON SALE NOW 412.431.CITY (2489) W E B CITYTHEATRECOMPANY.ORG 1300 BINGHAM STREET / SOUTH SIDE
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Sellner chose Rusalka to close out Resonance Works’ fifth season after learning that it had never been staged in Pittsburgh before. The opera is not all that obscure (Rusalka’s “Song to the Moon” aria is one of the opera’s more famous contributions to the canon), but Dvořák doesn’t necessarily rank in a genre dominated by Western European composers like Wagner, Mozart, Verdi and Puccini. The Czech-born Dvořák was deeply committed to honoring and evolving the traditional folk styles of his homeland (what was then the Austrian Empire). Sellner also points out that there’s a notable New World (Western) influence in his style due to a three-year stint as the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. The result is a compositional style balanced by idiosyncrasy and familiarity. As staged by Resonance Works next week, audiences can expect an uncommonly intimate performance, since Charity Randall has a capacity of only 400, which is pretty paltry by opera standards. Sellner and the orchestra will be situated on the same stage as the singers — no pit — so there will be nothing between the audience and the performers. “You don’t feel the vibrations in the same way [in a big theater],” says Sellner. “It’ll be an immediate and up-close experience.”
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re Fresh! Fre F Fres
— THIS WEEKEND! — FRIDAY, MAY 11 AT 8:00 P.M. SATURDAY, MAY 12 AT 8:00 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 13 AT 2:30 P.M. HEINZ HALL
Michael Krajewski, conductor • Storm Large, vocals From Cole Porter and Frank Sinatra to Elton John, The Pixies and Queen, join the sensational and sultry Storm Large for hits including “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Forbidden Fruit,” “Somebody to Love,” and much more!
CP PHOTO BY JAKE MYSLIWCZYK
James Scogletti a.k.a. Selecta
CITY PAPER READERS! USE PROMO CODE PSOCP FOR BUY-ONE-GET-ONE-FREE TICKETS! Valid for Love, Lust & Rock ‘n’ Roll performances, May 11, 12 & 13 only. Some restrictions apply.
.MUSIC.
NO SCHOOL RULES BY ALEX GORDON // ALEXGORDON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
A
SK JAMES SCOGLETTI, the DJ,
radio host and hip-hop head known as Selecta, about the state of music in Pittsburgh and he’s quick to clarify that he doesn’t have his finger to the pulse like he used to. He’s in his 40s and even in his earlier days, his career focused more on celebrating classic era hip-hop than premiering the newest of the new. Realistically though, he’s selling himself a bit short. Selecta has been an integral, supportive and nearly ubiquitous staple of Pittsburgh’s hiphop scene for years, whether as performer, in hosting his weekly Grand Groove radio show on WYEP, or as the owner of the influential record store 720 Records. If you’ve ever attended a hip-hop or hip-hop-adjacent show in Pittsburgh, chances are you’ve rubbed elbows with Selecta. Next week, that prolific career will get the celebration it deserves with Selecta’s 45th Birthday Roast & Dance Party at Spirit. Selecta will sit on the hot seat for a round of roasting at 8 p.m., hosted by Justin Strong, followed by sets from Blakk Steel, DJ Rocdaspot and Selecta. Headlining is the legendary rapper and producer, Large Professor, who, aside from boasting a 30-year career and big league credits with artists like Nas, Beastie Boys, and A Tribe Called Quest, has also been a regular guest at Selecta’s semi-annual birthday/dance parties throughout the years.
The first iteration of this party was an old-school hip-hop show called Classic Material in 2007, which Selecta ran with DJ SMI. “[Classic Material] was not only a way to celebrate my birthday, but also stay with the theme of old-school hip hop and bring in an oldschool hip-hop icon,” says Scogletti. Over the past decade, these Classic Material/birthday parties have transformed into an annual occasion for like-minded fans to re-live and celebrate an era of hip hop that doesn’t always get its fair due.
SELECTA’S 45TH BIRTHDAY ROAST & DANCE PARTY 8 p.m., Fri., May 11. Spirit, 242 51st Street, Lawrenceville. $10. spiritpgh.com
“[These parties] harken back to a time when hip hop was about dope beats and rhymes. The pure definition of hip hop,” says Scogletti. “Don’t expect to come and hear the cliche dancefloor favorites, come with an open mind and dance to something that’s maybe not recognizable but has a groove. That should possess you to get on the dancefloor.” And the roast? “I’m being super brave and hopefully my friends will be kind. But it’s a roast, it’s supposed to get a bit cruel,” says Scogletti. “I’m prepared for the worst.”
•
AUGUSTIN Hadelich R e t u r n s
— NEXT WEEKEND! — FRIDAY, MAY 18 AT 8:00 P.M. SUNDAY, MAY 20 AT 2:30 P.M. HEINZ HALL
Cristian Macelaru, conductor • Augustin Hadelich, violin ENESCU: Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 &81Į - Violin Concerto COPLAND: Symphony No. 3
IGOR LEVIT PERFORMS
BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO 4
Outdoor Overtures
NO.
THIS SATURDAY, MAY 12
DISCOVERY TIME ADVENTURES: 10 A.M., • CONCERT AT 11:15 A.M.
HEINZ HALL
Discover the music of the great outdoors with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra! Travel to the wild west with Copland’s Hoe Down and soar with RimskyKorsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee! The stars at night are big and bright in this fanciful outdoor adventure! PRESENTING PARTNERS
FRIDAY, JUNE 8 AT 8:00 P.M. SUNDAY, JUNE 10 AT 2:30 P.M. HEINZ HALL
Manfred Honeck, conductor • Igor Levit, piano MOZART: Symphony No. 33 BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 4 VALI: Isfahan (Calligraphy No. 16) LISZT: Les Préludes WAGNER: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Prelude to Act 1
TICKETS START AT $20! GET YOURS TODAY! *GKP\ *CNN $QZ 1HƂEG | 412.392.4900 | pittsburghsymphony.org BRING YOUR GROUP AND SAVE! 412.392.4819 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTLIKEUS
A scene from Bill Shannon’s “Touch Update”
.DANCE.
NEW MOVES
BY STEVE SUCATO // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
A
FTER TAKING a hiatus from performance programs in 2017, the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater’s annual newMoves Contemporary Dance Festival returns in full with two weekends of movement workshops, conversations and dance performances. Headlining this year’s festival on May 11 and 12 will be the world-premiere of KST Creative Artist-in-Residence Bill “Crutchmaster” Shannon’s “Touch Update,” a 70-minute interdisciplinary work mixing dance, theater performance art, wearable projection technology and cubist-inspired video installation. A 2018 United States Artists Fellowship awardee, Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and former Cirque du Soleil performer, Shannon is best known for his pioneering dancing using crutches.
Living with the effects of a childhood degenerative hip condition (Legg–Calvé– Perthes disease), Shannon developed his own way of moving on crutches that was influenced by urban dance and skateboarding culture. Eighteen months in the making, “Touch Update,” set to an original score by slowdanger, explores contemporary themes including political destabilization, activism and online/social media identities. “The choreography tries to talk about those themes in a way that is about the texture of those moments and not necessarily a direct delineation of sides,” says Shannon. The work was also inspired by Shannon’s own realizations that certain expectations he had for his life would not
BILL SHANNON’S “TOUCH UPDATE” 8 p.m., Fri., May. 11 and Sat., May. 12 (pre-show mixers nightly). Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Pay what makes you happy. kelly-strayhorn.org
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come to fruition. “The work is a lament of having to let go of ideals I realized are not real,” says Shannon. “Touch Update” will also be the first time Shannon will not be dancing in a work he has choreographed and directed. An all-star cast of Pittsburgh performers including Teena Marie Custer, Ron “Stealth” Chunn Jr. and slowdanger’s Anna Thompson and Taylor Knight will perform Shannon’s choreography, created using his unique movement style and translated (sans the crutches) for the able-bodied cast. While Shannon’s “Touch Update” (contains nudity) will usher in the first weekend of performances at the 9th annual festival, week two will follow newMoves’ familiar multi-artist showcase format. Here is a look at what’s on tap. In Program A, festival veteran Jil Stifel returns with her new 10-minute multimedia work-in-progress “Over and.” A duet for herself and dancer Maree ReMalia danced within a video
MC KEESPORT LITTLE THEATER PRESENTS...
The
N e rd
Larry Shue MAY 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 2018 A COMEDY BY
Thursday performances at 8:00p.m. Friday and Saturday performances at 8:00p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. TICKETS ARE $15, $10 ON THURSDAYS - GROUP RATES AVAILABLE. HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE.
1614 COURSIN STREET • McKEESPORT • (412) 673-1100 PHOTO COURTESY OF KITOKO CHARGOIS
FOR RESERVATIONS VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.MCKEESPORTLITTLETHEATER.COM
Staycee Pearl dance project
landscape created by David Cherry, “Over and” uses physical exhaustion as a metaphor for the state of hypervigilance many feel fueled by — a fear of “what’s next.” Performed to an original sound score by Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl, Sadie Powers, and Bonnie Jones, Staycee Pearl dance project and Soy Sos present a 15-minute excerpt of their new multimedia work “sym.” Pearl says the work is inspired by science fiction writer Octavia Butler’s novel Fledgling, that tells of vampires who create symbionts. Dancer/choreographer Nick Daniels will present “Within my heart my secret lies,” an excerpt from his new work “Sissy.” Set to music by Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, the 10-minute solo delves into Daniels’ thoughts on gender identification. Exhalations Dance Theatre makes its festival debut in choreographer Nicole Monville’s “Insta.Bond.” The work for five dancers, set to music by Chilean-American composer Nicolas Jaar, ponders questions of nature and technology. Rounding out Program A will be California-based dancer/choreographer Chris Babingui’s 2017 work “Iboga Odzanga” (Warrior Rite). The 20-minute work for three dancers including Babingui with music by Erik Truffaz and Murcof and others, was inspired by Congolese folk dances and cultural traditions. In Program B, Brooklyn-based dancer/ choreographer Jamal Jackson makes his newMoves debut in excerpts from his 2017 work “ROB DAY.” The work “explores our many connections to firearms,” says Jackson. Fellow New York-based dance artist Shamel Pitts, also making his festival
debut, will present a 20-minute excerpt from his new work “BLACK HOLE: Trilogy And Triathlon.” Danced to music by Brazilian composer Ed Côrtes, Pitts describes “BLACK HOLE” as a “kaleidoscopic performance-art experience using movement, light, and visual art.” A trio of local dance artists make up the rest of Program B, beginning with Ira Cambric who will present his new multimedia work-in-progress “How Do You Know Me?” The 11-minute piece for nine dancers was inspired by impactful events in Cambric’s life including the tragic death of his sister Brittany.
NEWMOVES CONTEMPORARY DANCE FESTIVAL 9 PROGRAM A: 8 p.m., Fri., May 18; PROGRAM B: 8 p.m., Sat., May. 19 (pre-show mixers nightly). Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Pay what makes you happy. Full Festival passes available (includes all performances, classes, workshops, conversations and parties). kelly-strayhorn.org
Non-violent protest is the central theme in Moriah Ella Mason’s “Soft Block.” Dancing to music by Colorado musician Miles Wilder, the work’s six performers explore the spontaneous choreography that occurs between protesters and authorities when one group tries to block the other. Finally, Joan Wagman’s multimedia “Ritmos Contrarios” will delve into Sephardic culture and what she describes as “the expressive and subversive qualities of Flamenco.”
•
The Art of Giving Selections from the Richard M. Scaife Bequest May 12–August 5, 2018 The Brandywine River Museum of Art and The Westmoreland come together to share fifty of their finest works from the Richard M. Scaife Bequest, which he collected and cherished over his lifetime. Selections include masterworks by such artists as Albert Bierstadt, William Merritt Chase, Jasper Francis Cropsey, Martin Johnson Heade, George Inness, John Frederick Kensett, John LaFarge and Guy Pène du Bois.
221 North Main Street, Greensburg, PA 15601 724.837.1500 | thewestmoreland.org images, left to right: Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904), New Jersey Salt Marsh, c. 1875–1885, Oil on canvas, 17 x 36.25 inches, Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, PA, Richard M. Scaife Bequest, 2015, 2016.11.11 (detail). George Inness (1825–1894), Moonrise, Alexandria Bay, 1891, Oil on canvas, 30.25 x 45.25 inches, Bequest of Richard M. Scaife, 2015.65 (detail).
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 9-16, 2018
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.BOOKS.
ON OUR SHELF BY REBECCA ADDISON RADDISON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
LAKE MICHIGAN >> BY DANIEL BORZUTZKY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH PRESS
In National Book Award winner Daniel Borzutzky’s latest release, Lake Michigan, the author takes an unflinching look at law enforcement. The Pittsburgh native’s poetry collection focuses in particular on one story ripped from the headlines: From 2004 to 2015, Chicago police ran a secret facility called Homan Square. There, 7000 people, including 6,000 African Americans were detained, interrogated and denied access to an attorney. Borzutzky relates the story of Homan Square and other instances of police brutality in Chicago. But the themes here are universal. In “Scene 10” of Act 2, Borzutzky writes, “The police shooting boys are like police shooting boys / And the nazis burning Jews are like nazis burning Jews / And the police protecting nazis are like police protecting nazis.” Here, as in many of the poems, the stanzas are repetitive and cyclical, reflecting that the atrocities are similarly repetitive and cyclical. Borzutzky’s depictions of violence are difficult to get through, but maybe that’s the only way to break the cycle. •
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Andy Warhol’s “Men’s and Women’s Legs and Shoes”
.EXHIBIT.
ARTIST’S HEART BY FRED BLAUTH // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
T
HE LOOPING layout of the second
floor of The Andy Warhol Museum can sometimes feel disorienting. But in Adman: Warhol Before Pop, it works in the exhibition’s favor by presenting multiple narratives simultaneously. The exhibition, which opened April 27, layers Warhol’s commercial work with his personal life during the 1950s while living in New York City and ends up revealing a more intimate portrait of the artist than expected. In the outermost walls, snakes mingle with pointy shoes, jazz records, and horoscope illustrations that showcase Warhol’s fanciful line work as an awardwinning commercial illustrator. It is here that we see the lesser known processes he implemented, like ink blotting, stamping and marbleizing, which point to the urgency and efficiency he sought, and eventually found through silk-screening later on in his career. In the innermost chamber, two mockup storefront window displays are on view, adorned with blushing cupids, Valentine’s Day notes and doodle hearts. It’s cute, and impressive the scale Warhol is working at while staying true to his sensibility. That said, this inner chamber presents a false heart. The real tenderness of Adman lies in the second ring of the exhibition. Here we find sketchbooks of delicately drawn boys, reminiscent of Jean Cocteau in their simplicity. Stamps of stars, butterflies and flowers once used for commissions, now rest on and around these beaux faces. Did Warhol originally craft these stamps for the boys he depicted or for his commercial illustrations?
Also along these walls are handmade books made with his mother and friends, snapshots of his college days and a packed vitrine full of souvenirs from a world trip to Europe and Southeast Asia (with an unrequited lover). It all adds up to create a more sensitive portrait of the artist we all thought we knew.
ADMAN: WARHOL BEFORE POP Continues through Sun., Sept. 2. The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., North Side. warhol.org/exhibition/adman-warhol-pop
It is this ring, between ad spaces and storefront windows, where we see just how Warhol successfully breached the harsh, masculine, advertising world of the 1950s. With the commercialization of photography, and bold, graphic design layouts, Warhol’s delicate lines and soft color palettes subverted the printed page. At a time when other artists like Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg went by aliases for their commercial work, Warhol queered these spaces by signing his name and often employed his first studio assistant, his mother, Julia Warhola to write copy. By fusing craft-based processes with his arguably feminine sensitivity, Warhol brought capital A, Art into the advertising world. Funny how years later, he would smuggle commercial techniques and imagery back into galleries and museums. For every skeptic who’s looked at a soup can or Brillo Box and asked “Why did he make this?” Adman offers an answer.
•
.STAGE.
DIVINE COMEDY
BY REBECCA ADDISON RADDISON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
A
VENUE Q debuted on Broadway
in 2003, four years before the great recession hit and left many struggling to find work. But its prescient plot tells a story that has become all too familiar in the last decade — maybe it always was. The musical centers on bright-eyed college grad Princeton who arrives in “the big city” with big dreams to match. But just like many college grads, Princeton finds that his degree and ambition aren’t enough to pay the rent. Before the first day at his new job, he gets laid off. This month, Pittsburgh Musical Theater brings this Tony Award-winning musical to the Gargaro Theater stage as part of its Rockin’ West End Series. Directed by Stephen Santa, the production is a fitting close to PMT’s 2017-2018 season, with a cast that rakes in laugh after laugh with impeccable timing. The show satirizes children’s televi-
PHOTO COURTESY OF MELISSA WALLACE
On stage with Avenue Q
AVENUE Q Continues through Sun., May 13. Gargaro Theater, 327 S. Main St., West End. $40. pittsburghmusicals.com
sion programs. Princeton and many of his fellow characters are actually puppets voiced and engineered by actors. Think Sesame Street, but with much more adult themes. One of the show’s best numbers, though perhaps a bit dated, is the uproarious “The Internet is for Porn.”
Matthew Augustyniak shines as Princeton, who, while low on funds, quickly finds himself high on friends. Soon after moving into his new apartment and getting the bad news about his job, he meets the motley crew of tenants in the building: Kate Monster, a kindergarten teaching assistant; Brian, an aspiring comedian; Christmas Eve, Brian’s Japanese fiancée; Rod, a closeted Republican banker; Nicky, Rod’s slacker roommate; and Gary Coleman, (yes that Gary
Coleman) the building’s superintendent. There’s also Trekkie Monster, a recluse playing the role of grumpy monster next door. And though Trekkie’s nature means he’s often relegated to interacting with his neighbors from an upstairs window, actor Joe York’s temerity makes him hard to miss. With an ensemble cast of this size, it’s important that each character carry their weight and PMT’s players certainly do. There’s rarely a missed note throughout, a challenging feat for actors tasked with singing in such cartoonish voices. Despite the humorous nature of the show, the characters take on many important subjects: sexual preference in the number “If You Were Gay” and racism in, well, “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist.” There’s plenty to find offensive — Christmas Eve’s Japanese accent is often played for laughs — but with jokes in spades, Avenue Q encourages viewers not to take life too seriously. Like many musicals, Avenue Q ends on an upbeat note. Lessons are learned, dreams come true, but not everything is wrapped up in a neat bow. The show’s final number “For Now” emphasizes that both struggle and joy are temporary. It’s up to the each of us to make the best of them.
•
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Saturday May 19, 10 am-4 pm Hartwood Acres Stables Complex
WED., MAY 23 LIVE ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
Celebrate the “Outlander” book and TV series with talks, exhibitions, buffet lunch and whiskey tasting!
1:30 P.M. CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY OAKLAND. $2. 412-622-3131 or cmoa.org.
WED., MAY 23 BLACK BEAR EDUCATION
$55 for county residents & $69 for non-residents
6 P.M. NORTH PARK ROSE BARN NORTH PARK. Free event (registration required). 724-935-1766 or alleghenycounty.us/ parkprograms.
SAT., MAY 26 LIONFIREMUSIC FESTIVAL 2018
WED., MAY 23 SHAMAN’S HARVEST 7 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE WARRENDALE. $16-30. 724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com. With special guests Otherwise & Alter The Design.
WED., MAY 23 TRIXIE MATTEL 8 P.M. CARNEGIE OF HOMESTEAD MUSIC HALL MUNHALL. All-ages event. $22-101. 412-462-3444 or ticketfly.com.
THU., MAY 24 OVER THE LOG NATURE CRAFTS: FUNGUS AMONG US 4:30 P.M. NORTH PARK ROSE BARN NORTH PARK. Ages 5 and older. $3-4. 724-935-1766 or alleghenycounty.us/parkprograms.
THU., MAY 24 JOHNNY A 8 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $20. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone.
THU., MAY 24 TOLD YA SO
COOPER’S LAKE CAMPGROUND
$25-60. 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org
FRI., MAY 25 CAITLIN CANTY
5 P.M. COOPER’S LAKE CAMPGROUND SLIPPERY ROCK. All-ages event. $35-150. Lionfirefestival.com.
6 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $15. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone. With special guest Maya De Vitry.
SAT., MAY 26 MOONWALKER: THE REFLECTION OF MICHAEL JACKSON
FRI., MAY 25 BILLY PRICE BAND
7:30 P.M. PALACE THEATRE GREENSBURG. $25-60. 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org
8 P.M. REX THEATER SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $15-20. 412-381-1681 or greyareaprod.com.
FRI., MAY 25 FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL 9 A.M. MEADOWS CASINO WASHINGTON. All-ages event. Free event. 724-503-1200.
FRI., MAY 25 DANIELLE NICOLE
8 P.M. SHADY GROVE RESTAURANT & BAR SHADYSIDE. Free event 412-697-0909 or eatshady.com.
10 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $12. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone. With special guest Natalie Auell.
FRI., MAY 25 MIKE MARINO
SAT., MAY 26 LIONFIRE MUSIC FESTIVAL 2018
7:30 P.M. PALACE THEATRE GREENSBURG.
Purchase tickets at alleghenycounty.us/parkprograms
ON SALE
SUN., MAY 27 GARDENS OF SOUND & MOTION 9:30 A.M. PHIPPS CONSERVATORY OAKLAND. $11.95-17.95. For more info visit phipps.conservatory.org.
MON., MAY 28 FLAG CEREMONY 12 P.M. HEINZ HISTORY CENTER DOWNTOWN. All-ages event. $6.50-16. 412-454-6000 or heinzhistorycenter.org.
TUE., MAY 29 JEVON RUSHTON GROUP 5 P.M. BACKSTAGE BAR AT THEATER SQUARE DOWNTOWN. Free event. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.
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CALENDAR MAY 10-16
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYAN CONLEY
^ Thu., May 10: In-gallery music with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
THURSDAY MAY 10 ART What could make the experience of visiting an art gallery with works created in the 18th-19th century more immersive? An orchestra playing music from that time period. Join the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at the ongoing Visions of Order and Chaos: The Enlightened Eye exhibit to experience centuries-old culture in person. Katy Williams, a soprano with the PSO, will sing works by Chopin, a renowned Polish
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composer from the 19th century, and Anne Williams, principal cellist, will play a few pieces by Robert Schumann, a German composer from the same time. Lauren Ortego 5:30 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free with admission ($19.95). cmoa.org
MUSIC The Women Who Rock Benefit Concert brings together great local talent performing for a local cause at the Hard Rock Cafe. The event raises funds for women’s and infants’ health research at Magee-Womens Research Institute & Foundation, which happens to be the nation’s largest independently owned
research institute dedicated solely to women’s health research. The show features Alissa Logsdon, winner of the Point Park Artist Challenge, as well as Karya String Duo (rock strings), Molly Alphabet (country songstress extraordinaire) and Lyndsey Smith (rock ‘n’ soul). In addition to < Thu., May 10: Molly Alphabet PHOTO COURTESY OF LONG HONG
witnessing local musicians, VIP guests will get to meet legendary artist Sheila E. Meg Fair 6:30 p.m. 230 W. Station Square Drive, South Side. $40-600. womenwhorockpgh.com
FILM Tonight, Alphabet City is continuing its Sembène Film Festival by screening Mother of George, directed by Andrew Dosumnu. The film stars Black Panther actress Danai Gurira and veteran actor Isaach De Bankolé as a Nigerian couple who make the move to present-day Brooklyn after a joyous marriage. The couple finds themselves struggling with fertility and a plan is made that rattles
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^ Thu., May 10: Mother of George at Sembène Film Festival
the entire family. Dosumnu, originally a Nigerian photographer, brings the film to life with incredibly colorful scenes, a deep look into what it’s like to live in two opposing cultures and a seemingly intimate problem that holds universality. LO 7 p.m. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. alphabetcity.org
MUSIC When’s the last time you heard a Theremin in person? It’s probably been a while (despite what I thought, Neutral Milk Hotel and “Good Vibrations” don’t actually use one). Luckily, you’ll get your chance when one of the preeminent Thereminists, Pamelia Stickney, performs this Thursday and Friday at Glitterbox Theater. Quick reminder: a Theremin is that electronic instrument in which the performer moves their hands in the air between two antennae and it sounds like UFOs in ‘80s movies. The event page invites you to “bring a pillow.” Come relaxed! Alex Gordon 10 p.m. 460 Melwood Ave., Oakland. theglitterboxtheater.com ^ Fri., May 11: Riverhounds SC Night Out
Register today for an
FRIDAY
OPEN HOUSE
MAY 11
Select Tuesdays, Noon or 5:30 p.m.
SPORTS Now in its third year, Night Out with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is a celebration of LGBTQ pride and soccer all in one night. Attendees get the soiree started early with a happy hour at the stadium pub p before facing off against the Indy Eleven. The event is hosted by Stonewall Sports, a social sports s organization in Pittsburgh, and is run in partnership with the Delta Foundation and the t Riverhounds fan club, the Steel Army. Riverhounds midfielder Thomas Vancaeyezeele is the player ambassador for Night O this year. The special Out Night Out ticket includes a seat behind the goal, two drink vouchers and a $5 donation to benefit the Stonewall Alliance. Tickets must be purchased by May 7. Ryan Deto 5:30 p.m. happy hour, 7 p.m. kickoff. Highmark Stadium, 510 W. Station Square Drive, South Side; $25. riverhounds.com
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ART Come one come all, step right up and see for yourselves. Tonight the Carnegie Museum of Art turns into a 21 and over carnival. CMOA Midway will feature two
@honeymoonisrael pittsburgh@honeymoonisrael.org
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^ Sun., May 13: Neighborhood Flea
performances from Lee Terbosic, named “Magician of the Year” by The Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities; along with a high-flying performance from Bombyx Collective aerialists. Enjoy all the traditional carnival favorites like games, a dunk tank and balloon animals. And don’t forget to grab a carnival treat like cotton candy. Rebecca Addison 6 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $30-35. cmoa.org
MUSIC Zeta, based out of Venezuela, is one of those bands with a sound that challenges and pushes the limits of the sonic universe, its experimental avant punk enveloping the audience in melodic passages. Intense, passionate vocals and driving grooves make it impossible to not give yourself over entirely to the waves of sound. Tonight at Gooski’s, you can experience it for yourself, with two sets from killer locals to warm you up: riff wizards and general sound experts Edhochuli and grooving, intense hardcore ensemble Killer of Sheep. Eat some pierogies in the pit, probably. MF 9 p.m. 3117 Brereton St., Polish Hill. $6. 412-681-1658
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SATURDAY MAY 12 FAIR Acclimating to a new country is never easy. There are cultural barriers, language issues and, sometimes, outright discrimination. But local translation-service company Global Wordsmiths is looking to help. Today, the third annual Refugee & Immigrant Health and Wellness Fair will take place at the Kingsley Association. Local refugees and immigrants will have the chance meet more than 30 organizations that can help them navigate Pittsburgh’s vast array of resources available to foreign-born residents. Native-born Pittsburghers are also encouraged to attend and interact with immigrants and refugees in hopes of breaking down some of those barriers that typically exist between natives and international residents. Free food will be served and fun games will be played. RD 11 a.m.-
2 p.m. 6435 35 Frankstown wn mer. Ave., Larimer. Free. Facebook ebook search “Global Global Wordsmiths” ths”
KIDS The 1985 Sesame Street movie ovie Follow That hat Bird had all the ingredients dients for a children’s dren’s classic: conflict, nflict, delightfull characterss and a cross-country ountry e. This adventure. week, a new generation on of Pittsburgh h children > Sat., May 12: RISE Champion Delilah Doom PHOTO COURTESY OF RISE
can discover the film. The Carnegie Science Centerr is host hosting two screenings of the film,, al long wit along with An Afternoon with hC Caroll aro aroll r Spinn Spinney, the puppeteer beh behind ehind eh in the characters cha Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. There will be a Q&A Q&A, autographs and photo opp opportunities. The movie beg begins at 1 p.m. RA 12:30 p p.m. 1 Allegheny Ave., No North Side. carnegi carnegiesciencecenter.org/ rango rangos-giant-cinema/ caro caroll-spinney
WRESTLING W Today RISE wrestling Tod will tape the first six ep episodes of RISE-AS RISE-ASCENT, a weekly episodic sh show that features some of the finest talent in wrestling. The Th women-centric promotion w will feature local favorites like IWC Women’s Champion B Britt Baker (“Brittsburgh”!), (“Brittsburgh who will be
facing off against Tessa Blanchard, one of the toughest, coolest women in the game. Other performers include Sienna on color commentary, RISE Champion Delilah Doom, SHIMMER Champion Nicole Savoy and stars from Impact and ROH like Deonna Purrazzo and Rosemary. Also performing will be my personal favorite, the unbelievably badass Mercedes Martinez who you may recognize from WWE’s Mae Young Classic. MF 1 p.m. 1798 Lower Heckman Road, White Oak. $20-40. pipeline.ecwid.com
7 DAYS
OF PERFORMANCES BY REBECCA ADDISON RADDISON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
KIDS Yas Queen! What better way to enjoy a story hour with your little one than with a drag queen leading the show. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Drag Queen Story Hour gives kids the opportunity to sing, dance and play in an environment that celebrates diversity, promotes selfacceptance and gender expression and helps develop a child’s love for reading. The queen will certainly be the bestdressed there, but children and parents are invited to dress up in their most fabulous attire. Recommended for children grade 5 and under. RA 3 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. carnegielibrary.org
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARCHIE CARPENTER
Perfect Wedding
THURSDAY Perfect Wedding 7:30 p.m. CLO Cabaret, Downtown. pittsburghclo.org/shows/ perfect-wedding
FRIDAY Dogfight 8 p.m. Stage 62, Carnegie. stage62.org
SATURDAY Hir 8 p.m. Barebones Black Box, Braddock. barebonesproductions.com/hir
SUNDAY Fancy Nancy 2 p.m. Rauh Theatre at Pittsburgh Playhouse, Oakland. pittsburghplayhouse.com ^ Sat., May 12: Bodiography Contemporary Ballet Company at Highlights
DANCE At the Byham Theater tonight, catch Highlights from some of Maria Caruso’s most successful pieces from the 2017-2018 ballet season. Caruso is the founder of Bodiography, a ballet company located in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Separated into two acts, the show will consist of several works that were originally staged on the Bodiography 2018 Southern Tour and the second act will have pieces of Caruso’s Doors and Windows, a set that was well-received by audiences in February. Caruso is known to mix contemporary ballet with various hints of jazz and modern dance — elements that will be evident on stage. LO 8 p.m. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $10.75-25.75. trustarts.org
MONDAY Dream of a Common Language: A Benefit for Girls Write Pittsburgh 6 p.m. Black Forge Coffee House, Allentown. girlswritepittsburgh.com
TUESDAY Hamlet 7 p.m. O’Reilly Theater, Downtown. ppt.org
WEDNESDAY Nomad Motel 7 p.m. City Theatre Main Stage, South Side. citytheatre.culturaldistrict.org
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SUNDAY MAY 13 MARKET This open air, curated flea market is the perfect place to take your mom for a casual stroll on Mother’s Day. Head down to the Neighborhood Flea and pick up a trinket and dance to some music from DJ EZ Lou, all while you drink your morning coffee. Is every restaurant completely booked? Grab some on-the-go gourmet foods from the fleet of food trucks on site, like Pie Bird and Good Chroma. Let Rebecca Bloom read her tarot cards for you for some extra insight. Celine Roberts 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 26th St. and Smallman St., Strip District. Free. neighborhoodflea.com
MONDAY MAY 14 MUSIC Dig through your pockets and couch cushions for those ear plugs — it’s gonna be a doozy tonight at the Mr. Roboto Project. Atlanta’s Malevich is setting up proverbial shop to deliver a wicked set of blistering, noisy grind-driven hardcore with serious black metal undertones. Just try listening to the latest track “Trial of Metaphor” without feeling the desire to throw your body against other people’s bodies. Also featured are black metal violinist Joey Molinaro, new industrial synth punk eightninethree and louder-thanyou-thought-possible atmospheric sludgy black metal band Unfurl. MF 7:30 p.m. 5106 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. $5-10. All ages. therobotoproject.com
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^ Tue., May 15: Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds
WORD In Richard Powers’ latest novel, several strangers from various time periods are brought together by their shared connection to trees — ranging from a scientist to a Vietnam soldier to an undergrad in the ‘80s who parties too much. Tonight, Powers will be at Alphabet City for a reading of his twelfth book
The Overstory, a story propelled by its activism and nature-bound devices. The plot focuses on the relationship between humans and the world that lives around us and seeks to teach the reader how communication can go far beyond words and sounds, but deep into our roots. LO 8 p.m. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. alphabetcity.org
TUESDAY MAY 15 MUSIC Tonight, The Smiling Moose will open its upstairs doors to an all ages crowd for a showcase of conscious, collaboration-
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^ Wed., May 16: Paul Guggenheimer
fueled, good vibe-centric tuneage. The centerpiece is touring act Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, a band founded in Hermosa Beach, Calif. The band fuses genres like rock, reggae, pop and soul to create danceable music to bring folks together. Also performing will be Sundried Vibes, a band that features spirited horns, groovy rhythms and expressive vocals. Reggaerock band Thicker Than Thieves and local jam rock, acid jazz, reggae collective The Moat Rats. MF 5:30 p.m. 1306 E. Carson St., South Side. $13-15. All ages. smilingmoose.com
LECTURE Pittsburgh native Scott Stern is coming to the Carnegie Library tonight to talk about the horrors of the American Plan, a piece of history rarely learned but hard to forget. Stern’s book The Trials of Nina McCall follows a girl in 1918, who is unexpectedly told to get an STI check. After being told she has gonorrhea, she is put in a hospital for three months filled with tests, pain and humiliation. The American Plan involved imprisoning women suspected of prostitution or of simply being viewed as promiscuous by their peers. After the lecture there will be a book signing. LO 6 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. pittsburghlectures.org
FILM Tonight, Row House Cinema will be offering a special screening of Here to be Heard: The Story of the Slits, a documentary that tells the story of one ^ Tue., May 15: Here to be Heard
of the first all-female punk acts. The Slits’ 1979 debut Cut is one of the most defining releases of the post-punk era and would go on to influence an incredibly large swath of current artists. The night will start off with a performance from local punks Brazilian Wax, followed by an intro to the film from director William Badgley. Do-good bonus: $3 from every ticket goes directly to Ladyfest Pittsburgh, the city’s badass annual showcase of non-dude talent. MF 6:30 p.m. 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $11-13. All ages. rowhousecinema.com
WEDNESDAY MAY 16 LECTURE Refugees and immigrants alike have built America. Many of our ancestors were refugees, and for some of us, even our parents. Local actor and radio personality Paul Guggenheimer will appear at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh as part of their Generations Speaker Series alongside his father, Dr. James Guggenheimer. Dr. Guggenheimer, now a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, will talk about his experience of being a child refugee, and the horrors, heartbreak and eventual success that came with it. The Generations Speaker Series seeks to connect the public with Holocaust survivors and will be live-streamed and available for viewing online. LO 6:30 p.m. 826 Hazelwood Ave., Greenfield. Free. hcofpgh.org/events •
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER
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ACROSS 1. Include in the email secretively 4. Soup scooper 9. Pool ball type 14. Rita who sang on Iggy Azalea’s hit “Black Widow” 15. To no ___ 16. Fancy mushroom 17. Soccer player’s attempt at drawing a foul fails big time? 19. More recent 20. Bigger than big 21. Like farmfresh food 23. Turn stale 25. Snake’s poisons 28. Safe places 29. With 45-Across, advice for those soccer players attempting to draw fouls? 32. “Grrrrr!” 34. Flying prefix 35. Popeyes rival 38. Kinky sex toy 40. Put in stitches? 41. Hand moisturizer ingredient 43. Harmonizes 45. See 29-Across 47. New Zealand fowl 51. Impeachment group 52. Evening time, for short
53. Evening time? 57. Irish tongue 58. Spondulicks 60. Exertion a soccer player needs to successfully draw a foul? 62. Highpitched flutes 63. One making a cat call, likely 64. “I can’t believe you went there” 65. Actress Woodard 66. Money boxes 67. “The Raven” writer
DOWN 1. Spanish corner store 2. “Blimey!” 3. Hole in the head? 4. Chocolate ___ (dog) 5. Steer clear of 6. Album that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music 7. Left-wingers 8. “Or ___ what?” 9. Karate instructor 10. SUNY city 11. Bass singer’s parts 12. Comic actor Barinholtz 13. Corp. board member
18. Contaminated meat problem 22. Fashion photographer Richard 24. Escape plans 26. Wet land 27. ___ and steady 29. Strong point 30. Violin that could cost you around half a million 31. No longer working 33. Tent holders 35. Jays followers? 36. Ice sheet 37. Set the tempo, say 39. Singer Case
42. Spam distributor 44. Strength 46. “Relax a little” 48. Connect, like a cable box 49. “Let’s do this” 50. Fume 52. Indian’s home 54. Corp. board members 55. Bra company with a Polish name 56. Deep massage 58. Design deg. 59. Pipeline flow 61. Grp. of students that check out after acceptance letters arrive LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS
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Savage Love {BY DAN SAVAGE}
First let me say that I think you give excellent advice, even if it is a bit pedestrian at times. I have a small problem: Last fall, my penis bent up and to the left at an almost 90-degree angle. I know from Google that this is not an unusual problem. And at 59, I am thankful that things are working as well as they are. But I fly gliders, and the relief system is a “Texas catheter” with a drain line to outside the glider. I believe that the bending on my penis may be the result of trauma caused by removing the catheter. In your many years of dealing with penis problems — I know you are not a urologist, but still — have you run across problems of a similar nature? Is there a way to remove adhesive from the penis that will not cause trauma? Gliding season will be starting soon, and I dread using the same system if it will cause more damage. My partner is an amazing woman — 70, by the way, and by far the best partner I have ever had (oh, my brethren, do not look only to youth!) — but I dread further damaging my member. HANGING UNDER NICE GLIDER
First let me say thank you for the qualified compliment — you sure know how to flatter a girl — and I’ll try to keep my trademark excellent-if-pedestrian advice coming, HUNG. Also, you’re right, I’m not a urologist. But Dr. Keith Newman is. He’s also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and my go-to guy for dick-related medical questions. “It is not likely that HUNG’s drainage system caused the problem,” said Dr. Newman. “His condition sounds like Peyronie’s disease, a possibly autoimmune disease thought to be related to microtrauma, though some penile fractures may result in similar deformity.” Men with Peyronie’s disease come down with, well, bent dicks. Sometimes the bend is slight and doesn’t interfere with reasonable penile functions. Sometimes the bend is
severe enough to make erections painful and intercourse impossible. “Most sufferers will return to within 10 to 20 percent of their baseline curvature within two years without intervention,” said Dr. Newman. “Thus, it is considered best to defer therapy until such time has elapsed. Ninety degrees is quite a big bend, however, and less likely to resolve spontaneously, but it’s still worth waiting.” If your big bend doesn’t resolve spontaneously, HUNG, there are treatment options. “The only real therapies are Xiaflex injections and surgical repair,” said Dr. Newman. “The former is not approved for patients less than two years from diagnosis or with less than 35 degrees of curvature. The latter is fraught with increased complication rates due to scarring so near the tip. Both can straighten the penis, but at a cost of length in many cases. As for drainage alternatives while gliding, I suggest the following product: freedom. mensliberty.com.”
I’m a whole lot older than you. I came out in the summer of 1981 — and two years later, healthy, young gay men started to sicken and die. During the 1980s and most of the 1990s, learning you were HIV-positive meant you had a year or two to live. Today, a person with HIV is expected to live a normal life span — so long as they have access to treatment and they’re taking their meds. And once you’re on meds, DADAC, your viral load will fall to undetectable levels and you won’t be able to pass HIV on to anyone else (undetectable = uninfectious). Arguably, your boyfriend and your other sex partners are safer now that you know than they were before you were diagnosed. Because it’s not HIV-positive men on meds who are infecting people, it’s men who aren’t on meds because they don’t know they’re HIV-positive. I don’t mean to minimize your distress, DADAC. The news you just received is distressing and life changing. But it’s not as distressing as it was three decades ago, and it doesn’t mean your life is over. I remember holding a boyfriend on the day he was diagnosed as HIV-positive more than 25 years ago, both of us weeping uncontrollably. His diagnosis meant he was going to die soon. Yours doesn’t. You have a lot of time left, and if you get into treatment and take your meds, DADAC, you will live a long and healthy life, a life filled with love, connection, and intimacy. Spend some time feeling sorry for yourself, and then go live your life — live it for all the guys who didn’t get to celebrate their 33rd birthdays. P.S. Don’t wait until your boyfriend returns to tell him. He needs to get tested right away.
TODAY, A PERSON WITH HIV IS EXPECTED TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE SPAN.
I’m a 32-year-old English guy, and this morning I was diagnosed as HIVpositive. I’m in a bit of a state. I haven’t told anyone, and I needed to get it out. I’m in a long-term, mostly monogamous relationship, but my boyfriend is overseas for work at the moment, so I can’t really talk to him about it. So I’m talking to you. DIAGNOSED AND DAZED AND CONFUSED
I’m so sorry, DADAC. I hope you have a friend you can confide in, because you need a shoulder to cry on and I can’t provide that for you here. What I can provide is some perspec- On the Lovecast, Dr. Lori Brotto on asexuals: tive. I’m just a little older than you — okay, 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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