April 17, 2019 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

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APRIL 17-24, 2019 VOLUME 28 + ISSUE 16

FIRSTSHOT BY ABBIE ADAMS

Graffiti in downtown Pittsburgh

Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Associate Publisher JUSTIN MATASE Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD Managing Editor ALEX GORDON Senior Writers RYAN DETO, AMANDA WALTZ Staff Writers HANNAH LYNN, JORDAN SNOWDEN Photographer/Videographer JARED WICKERHAM Digital Media Manager JOSH OSWALD Editorial Designer ABBIE ADAMS Graphic Designers JOSIE NORTON, JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Marketing and Promotions Coordinator CONNOR MARSHMAN Events and Sponsorship Manager BLAKE LEWIS Sales Representatives JILL DOVERSPIKE, KAITLIN OLIVER, NICK PAGANO Office Coordinator MAGGIE WEAVER Advertising Sales Assistant TAYLOR PASQUARELLI Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, GAB BONESSO, LISSA BRENNAN, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA, CHARLES ROSENBLUM, JESSIE SAGE, STEVE SUCATO Interns JANINE FAUST, XIOLA JENSEN, JARED MURPHY Office Administrator RODNEY REGAN National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529 Publisher EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

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COVER ILLUSTRATION: ELLISSA NICHOLLE SCHATZ

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

TTHE BIG STORY

SLOW ROW

Expansion of conditions that qualify for medical marijuana in Pennsylvania could be far off BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

OR YEARS, Jennifer Kelly’s left arm was in such constant pain, she couldn’t even wear longsleeve shirts. A lesion on her arm kept her from sleeping through the night and participating in any rigorous activity. “If it was bumped into, it felt like I got stabbed,” says Kelly. “People didn’t believe me, but it was so painful.” Kelly was taking nine different medications to manage the pain, including three medications for high bloodpressure stemming from chronic-paininduced anxiety. Three years ago, she had surgery to implant a stimulator in her neck that would help with the pain, but it didn’t work, and it eventually started

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causing neck pain. Then last August, she started taking medical marijuana as a way to manage her chronic pain. She takes one pill before going to sleep each night and timely doses of a tincture when she has flare-ups. She says the medication has transformed her quality of life. “I am wearing long sleeves again, and I just joined Planet Fitness,” says Kelly. “I have not worked out in 20 years because of the pain.” Kelly didn’t realize it, but she is a beneficiary of Pennsylvania expanding the qualifying conditions of its medicalmarijuana program. When the law was first passed and medical cannabis became available in February 2018, patients

suffering from chronic pain could only qualify for medical marijuana if the pain had neuropathic origins or for instances where therapy and opiate treatment had proven ineffective. Initially, 17 conditions qualiﬁed patients to receive a medical marijuana card. But in April of 2018, the commonwealth’s medical-cannabis advisory board recommended changing the deﬁnition to include “chronic p the he door for pain,” opening up patientss like Kelly. Secretary th Dr. Rachel Levine of Health signed off on the change dded opioid-use and added rs, terminal illness, disorders, tic movement and spastic

disorders, as well as Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases to the qualifying conditions. Kelly feels blessed the commonwealth accommodated patients like her who suffer from broadly defined chronic pain. “I had the surgery three years ago and had this been available four years ago, I would not have had that surgery,” says Kelly of medical cannabis. “I am so thankful for those people who pushed for medical marijuana and its expansion. ... I would definitely not had tried it if it had not been legalized.” Unfortunately, the relief Kelly saw from expanding the conditions might not come to other Pennsylvanians hoping to become medical marijuana patients. The advisory board was given a temporary lifespan and has recently lost some of its power. Two other qualifying conditions, anxiety and Tourette syndrome, are waiting for Levine’s final approval. But all other changes to the law likely have to be legislated, meaning expanding the list of qualifying conditions has to pass through a Republican-controlled legislature that was reluctant to support the medical-marijuana law the first time around. So, while there are likely thousands of potential new patients eager to gain access to the state’s medical cannabis, it

looks like they might have to wait years or longer for that legal relief. In February, the medical-marijuana advisory board recommended adding anxiety and Tourette syndrome to the list of 21 qualifying conditions for access to medical marijuana in Pennsylvania. This could grow the program signiﬁcantly, as about 20 percent of Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to Anxiety and Depression Association of America. “I’m currently reviewing the literature and talking to other experts from around the country in order to help inform my decision,” Levine said to WESA earlier this month. “We want to have medical marijuana available to patients with serious conditions for which there’s medical evidence that would support its use.” Patrick Nightingale of the marijuanaadvocacy group Pittsburgh NORML supports adding anxiety and Tourette syndrome to the list of qualifying conditions, which he believes are not only necessary to treat people in need, but also to support the program’s viability moving forward. “Anxiety is like the other side to the coin of PTSD. I think it is common sense approach to add anxiety,” says Nightingale. “We should be allowing more people to participate in the program. We need our license holders to be viable.” After the medical-marijuana law was signed in 2017, the advisory board was created as a way to ﬁx any quirks in the law. The board is made up of 15 members like Levine, the state Physician General, the state police commissioner,

and others. The governor and state legislative leaders appoint citizen members to serve on the board. It was meant to be temporary, and the advisory board still has three scheduled meetings that will run through November, according to the health department’s website. But Nightingale isn’t hopeful the board will take up many more recommendations to add more qualifying conditions. In February, the board rejected insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and Addison’s disease, a disorder in which adrenal glands don’t produce adequate hormones. The board can look at those conditions again if resubmitted. Applications must include opinions of qualiﬁed physicians and documentation to support those opinions. Medical-marijuana programs in other states have included conditions like depression, severe nausea, migraines, and cachexia, also known as wasting disease. Nightingale says adding conditions like these could be important in maintaining Pennsylvania’s medicalmarijuana program and lowering the prices for medication by increasing the supply of patients. “The prices are too high. $100 a gram for Moxie is too high,” says Nightingale of the popular brand of medical cannabis. “Some people are leaving the program because it is too expensive, and they are going back to opioids because they are covered by insurance.” Nightingale says one of the reasons it hasn’t been easier to add qualifying conditions to the state’s program is because the bill was watered down prior CONTINUES ON PG. 8

CP ILLUSTRATIONS: XIOLA JENSEN

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

SLOW ROW, CONTINUED FROM PG. 7

RESOURCE GUIDE Western Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Dispensiaries

PEOPLE ENROLLED IN PENNSYLVANIA’S MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM *PA’s first dispensary opened in Feb 2018

FOR PATIENTS WITH A PA MEDICAL MARIJUANA CARD

CY+ cydispensary.com LOCATIONS:

2116 Penn Ave., Strip District; 4 Kensington Square, New Kensington; 201 Pillow St., Butler

The Healing Center thehealingcenterusa.com

Compiled from news reports and data from the Department of Health

LOCATIONS:

130 Mall Circle Drive, Monroeville; 799 West Chestnut St., Washington

Maitri Medicinals maitrimedicinals.com LOCATIONS:

5845 Centre Ave., East Liberty; 27 West Main St., Uniontown

Solevo Wellness solevowellness.com LOCATIONS:

5600 Forward Ave., Squirrel Hill; 22095 Perry Highway, Zelienople; 305 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg

to its passage in 2016. Both the state House and Senate were controlled by Republicans in 2016, and many of the party’s members were reluctant to embrace the medical-marijuana bill. Republican state Sen. Mike Folmer of Lebanon County was and still is a champion of the medical-marijuana bill. Nightingale worked with Folmer, who urged some compromise as a way to ensure the bill would pass, so patients could get relief. “Practically speaking, Folmer said we have to get something passed initially, get something moving forward, and then ﬁx it later,” says Nightingale. “Folmer was right. We passed a bill, but there are issues that need to play out.” Nightingale says more qualifying conditions would most likely come from new legislation and/or amending current legislation, and Folmer would likely be the driving force of such changes. Folmer’s chief of staff Fred Sembach says Folmer initially proposed including 50 conditions eligible for medical marijuana treatment, and he was worried the advisory was not given enough teeth when ﬁrst created.

“We are operating under the temporary regulations,” says Sembach. “This is why we wanted a more robust statute the ﬁrst time, but we came up short in our process.” Sembach says adding more qualifying conditions will take reopening the bill, and Folmer is reluctant to do that before other changes are complete. Sembach says Folmer wants to update the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle code to include provisions about driving while under the inﬂuence of marijuana, as well as seeing dispensaries and growers expand before tackling additional qualifying conditions. Folmer also wants the research portion of the law to be ironed out, which has hit a few snags because it was challenged in court. Sembach says all of that could “take some time.” While there might be hope for patients suffering from anxiety and Tourette syndrome, since those conditions have already been recommended by the advisory board, Sembach says other changes to the medical marijuana statutes will likely need to go through the legislative process, which is currently run by

Republicans. House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Marshall) is still opposed to medical marijuana in Pennsylvania. But Sembach says Folmer is mindful of the patients that are not qualified to use medical cannabis. “We need to continue to mindful of the ones that didn’t make it, the job is not done,” says Sembach. “We are staying focused on Folmer’s original purpose, a strong medical program.” Kelly says she hopes something can be accomplished more quickly for patients waiting for medical cannabis but are not currently qualified. She said she suffered from anxiety as a result of her chronic pain, since she was always anxious something might brush against her arm and aggravate her lesions. In a way, Kelly sees her new medical-cannabis treatment as healing her anxiety, and she wants to see more Pennsylvanian’s benefit from a similar process. “That is crazy to me, because it helped so much,” says Kelly of the potentially slow pace of adding more qualified conditions. “It has definitely been life-changing for me. I feel like everyone deserves that.”

Follow senior writer Ryan Deto on Twitter @RyanDeto

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

RESOURCE GUIDE

CBD Retailers In Pennsylvania, marijuana is only legal with a medical card, but CBD is legal and plentiful. Marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD) both come from the cannabis plant, but CBD won’t get you high. Here are some local shops selling marijuana’s legal little cousin.

Compassionate Certification Center compassionate certificationcenters.com 355 Fifth Ave., Downtown Product highlight: Exogen CBD Sleep Capsules

East End Food Co-op eastendfood.coop 7516 Meade St., Larimer Product highlight: Veggimins CBD Chocolate Bar

Hippie & French hippieandfrench.com 5122 Butler St., Lawrenceville Product highlight: The Hippie & French Roast, CBD-infused coffee beans CONTINUES ON PG. 14

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PHOTO: OFFICIAL GOV. TOM WOLF PRESS PHOTO

John Fetterman

.MARIJUANA ISSUE.

OP-ED: JOHN FETTERMAN DISCUSSES HIS LISTENING TOUR ON RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA BY JOHN FETTERMAN // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D-Braddock) is in the midst of a statewide tour, where he is speaking about the possibilities of recreational marijuana becoming legal in Pennsylvania and listening to the concerns of residents in every county. Pittsburgh City Paper wanted to know what his impressions of the tour were so far.

Y MANDATE for this recreational marijuana listening tour is to conduct a transparent and unbiased tour that goes to all 67 counties and listens to the concerns of each and every Pennsylvanian. Having wrapped up the ﬁrst half of the tour, we’ve heard from Pennsylvanians who support, those who oppose, and those who are undecided. Everyone has a chance to share their views about the legalization of adult-use retail cannabis. They can speak when the tour stops in their county, ﬁll out the comment cards present at each stop, or comment via our online submission form, where we have acquired nearly 30,000 submissions. Not surprisingly, most people have an opinion and most of them are strong. At the end of each session, I ask residents to raise their hands whether they’re in favor, opposed, or

undecided. While the reaction has been in keeping with polls that show favor statewide for legalization, a few people raise their hands to say they just don’t know. You can’t tell how people feel about marijuana — or maybe even anything else — by how they look, talk, or dress. But with this tour, we’re seeing what everyday people believe about recreational marijuana.

What we’ve seen so far is: >> Near-unanimous support

for decriminalization >> A combined average of 70 percent support for legalization from counties visited to date >> Virtually unanimous support for the established medical marijuana program in our state

So far across the state, the top concerns are: >> Whether marijuana is a gateway drug that’ll lead people into addictions with other potentially deadly drugs >> Whether it causes psychological changes that can lead to mental illness >> How to prevent intoxicated driving among those who do decide to indulge if it’s legalized

On the other side, those in favor point out: >> The disproportionate incarceration of people of color for marijuanarelated offenses >> That we can “ﬁx potholes” with “pot money,” using cash generated through legalization >> That people who smoke marijuana should not be viewed as criminals, because “everyone is doing it anyway.”

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Spectrum Family is owned and run by Dr. Elizabeth Spaar, D.O., a family medicine physician and a mom.

WE PROVIDE INTEGRATIVE MEDICAL CARE.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I’m Dr Elizabeth Spaar and at my practice, Spectrum Family, I’ve seen medical marijuana doing amazing things for patients, including my own kids. If you’re suffering with medical problems, marijuana may be the answer. Call or email us at Spectrum so we can answer your questions, let you know if you’d qualify, and walk you through the process. I also do evaluations Dr. Elizabeth Spaar D.O Board certified in Family Medicine Board certified in Osteopathic Manipulation Board certified in Integrative Pediatrics Published in American Family Physician Presented on the treatment of Autism at multiple CME events Presented on Intimate Partner Violence

for PTSD for patients lacking documentation of their PTSD diagnosis. Don’t put off feeling better. We can help. At Spectrum you’re not just a patient, you’re family.

Read what our patients are saying about Dr. Spaar and the staff at Spectrum

• Comforting environment that puts you immediately at ease when you walk through the door. Appreciate the convenient location with easy parking. Staff + doctor are professional, friendly and competent. Highly recommended.

• I had a great experience with Dr. Spaar. She really listens to her patients and their needs. I would deﬁantly recommend to friends and family.

• I was a little nervous at ﬁrst, but the doctor and staff made me feel at ease. • Dr. Spaar is very knowledgeable about medical marijuana. She is compassionate and is amazing at helping people. Thank You Doc!

227 S. Broad Street, Grove City, PA 16127 • 168 Allegheny River Blvd., Verona, PA 15147 • 412-354-8791 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

RESOURCE GUIDE, continued

Murray Avenue Apothecary maapgh.com 4227 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill Product highlight: Lab Naturals CBD Chewing Gum

Nature’s Best CBD panaturesbestcbd.com 700 Hancock Ave., Vandergrift Product highlight: Organic CBD Skin Lotion

RadRitual .MARIJUANA ISSUE.

radritual.com 5823 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside Product highlight: CBD-infused lip gloss

Sage Farmacy sagefarmacy.com 409 Freeport Road, Aspinwall Product highlight: Healing Hemp Soap Bar

Mail-order Pittsburgh companies Med Free Living medfreeliving.com Product highlight: MedFree Hemp CBD Oil

Simply CBD Pittsburgh simplycbdpittsburgh.com Product highlight: CBD Pet Spray 14

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CANNABIS BUDDY

Meet the bot helping to make medical marijuana information more accessible BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

IRI, ALEXA, and other artificial intelligence bots have a variety of functions. They can play your favorite song, remind you it’s trash day, or settle an argument over the capital of Austria (it’s Vienna). But mass-marketed AI probably can’t remember the best time to take your medical marijuana prescription or offer you the proper way to apply a tincture. That’s where AI for medical marijuana comes in, tailor-made to accommodate the needs of patients. It’s called Cannabot, and the company that runs it is based in Chester County, a region between Lancaster and Philadelphia, Pa. Christina DiArcangelo Puller is the CEO of AI Health Outcomes, which developed and operates Cannabot. Puller became interested in bots and their potential in health care when her father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. “I realized I need to help people make connections that my dad didn’t have,” she says. Puller started her nonproﬁt after her father passed away. With the growth of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program and other medical cannabis programs across the United States and internationally, Puller sees an opportunity to help new patients who might have hard-to-answer questions related to their marijuana prescription. She wants to make it easier for

them to get answers without having to speak to their physician or take a trip to the dispensary. “People should be able to ask questions about medical cannabis and the CBD,” says Puller. “We have patients that are coming to us, [and] I am hearing from these people who have a lot of questions. Basically [Cannabot] becomes their buddy. It is always there for them to answer questions.” Puller says Cannabot is purchased through subscriptions and works with Google, Amazon Alexa, and Skype for those who need to type their questions. Doctors, medical-marijuana dispensaries, nonproﬁts, and pharmaceutical companies can purchase subscriptions to Cannabot and offer it to patients free of charge. Currently, Cannabot has access to specialized information like clinical studies and papers not freely available to regular internet users. Puller says marijuana and medical experts helped the company on the back end of the AI, which means Cannabot can answer cannabis-speciﬁc questions better than general search engines can. Cannabot can also help with clinical studies, says Puller. Currently, it’s assisting in a study looking at the potential effectiveness CBD, or cannabidiol, has in combating symptoms of irritable

bowel syndrome, or IBS. “Cannabot can help with studies because they can remember to ask the questions and get data from the people participating in the study,” says Puller. She says data gathered from participating medical marijuana patients can also potentially help lead to getting marijuana declassified as a Schedule 1 drug. The federal government currently classifies cannabis under Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, which is the most restrictive category and states that those drugs have “no currently accepted medical use.” This classification prohibits the federal government from funding or participating in medical studies of marijuana. Puller says Cannabot can assist in gathering data on how many times people have made medical insurance claims since becoming medical marijuana patients. If there is a significant drop in insurance claims linked to medical marijuana use, Puller says that can be a powerful data point for lobbying for the removal of marijuana’s Schedule 1 classification. In the end, Puller says Cannabot is about connecting to patients and making their life using medical marijuana easier. “We can do better, because we can and we should be doing better with these patients,” says Puller.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

CP PHOTOS: JARED MURPHY

Janel and Lisa Gregory with The Vape Van

.MARIJUANA ISSUE.

MOBILE CBD

Vape Van wants to bring CBD and vape products to your neighborhood this summer BY JANINE FAUST // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

OOD TRUCKS ARE A summertime

staple for hungry Pittsburghers. This June, a new store on wheels will hit the same streets — but it won’t be selling pierogies or tacos. The Vape Van, a mobile offshoot of City Vape & CBD in Leechburg, will be ofﬁcially unveiled at Pittsburgh Pride in June. The colorful converted ambulance, owned by partners Janel and Lisa Gregory, will sell various CBD and vape products.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a naturally occurring compound found in the cannabis plant. The compound can be extracted and diluted with coconut or hemp seed oil to be incorporated into vapors, creams, lotions, sublinguals, edibles, and other products. CBD products have been gaining popularity as natural remedies, with some scientiﬁc studies indicating they can be used to treat some ailments and conditions, like epilepsy. CBD’s legality varies

from state to state, though unlike other products derived from cannabis, it’s not psychoactive, so it won’t get you high. Lisa says she and her wife were inspired to create the Vape Van in order to make vaping and CBD products more accessible to the Pittsburgh community. Considering the stigma surrounding cannabis-derived products, the two thought it might be easier to bring the products to people rather than the other way around.

“There’s a lot of beneﬁts that come with CBD, but there is a barrier of access. Some people don’t feel comfortable walking into certain stores and asking about it,” Lisa says. The Gregorys got into the CBD and vape business following the passing of a close elderly friend from lung cancer, who had used CBD to ease his pain. The two founded City Vape in order to provide a health-and-safety-oriented, comfortable experience to people of all backgrounds. CONTINUES ON PG. 18

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Dine & Donate Thursday April 25th 11AM-9PM

1500 Washington Road Pittsburgh, PA 15228

15% OF YOUR BILL WILL BE DONATED TO OUR ANIMALS!

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

MOBILE CBD, CONTINUED FROM PG. 16

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Russell L. Adams D.O. Owner, Elite Alternative Medicine 993 Brodhead Road, Suite 201 Moon Twp, PA 15108 • 412-506-3033 www.elitealternativemedicine.com 18

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The Vape Van

Lisa says with the Vape Van, the couple plans to sell CBD-infused waters, gummies, and other products intended to be consumed on the spot or socially, rather than some of the more serious products “meant for the medicine cabinet.”

“THERE’S A LOT OF BENEFITS THAT COME WITH CBD, BUT THERE IS A BARRIER OF ACCESS. “We’d want people to come to the store to buy the oils and creams, that allows them to come in and have a conversation about what delivery method is best for them,” she says. Lisa describes herself and her wife as “fans of regulation” when it comes to selling CBD. “We could mix our own soap and sell it, rather than sell one with a label that shows people what’s in it, but we think the safety of the consumer is important,” she says. “CBD isn’t Pepsi or Coke, you can’t just put [it] on shelves and expect people know how or when to use it.” The Gregorys have been testing out the Vape Van prior to its upcoming unveiling at Pride, parking it on street corners and handing out promotional materials and giveaways. Right now, they’re still trying to ﬁgure out exactly

how a van selling vape and CBD products ought to operate. “We’re trying to work out a lot of bugs no one else has worked out,” Lisa says. “We haven’t gone into the city yet because we’re still working on permitting. We look like a food truck, but act like a vendor. We’re still working out the classiﬁcation.” Local artist and City Vape customer Samantha Hoover is responsible for the bright design of the van. She says she and the owners aimed to give the vehicle a “throwback, hippie kind of feel” in order to make it stand out. “We wanted it to pop, we wanted people to look at it and be like, ‘What is that? A vape van?’” she says. “We wanted it to be out of the ordinary.” So far, the Vape Van has been met with more confusion than interest. Lisa hopes that will change.

THE VAPE VAN pittsburghvapevan.com

“People are like ‘What the heck is that?’” Lisa says. “They’re used to food trucks, not truck vendors. We do hope in a year from now the questions and answers are totally different.” Lisa says a main goal of the Vape Van is to help people have more conversations about the beneﬁts of vaping and CBD and help people understand how the products actually work. “I hope that the Vape Van allows a bit of fun and whimsy in a world right now that just feels it has lost its place,” she says.

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World-Class Medical Marijuana Dispensary

.VOICES.

NEW WAR, SAME PRIVILEGE BY TERENEH IDIA // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HO’S GETTING the grass? Who’s

getting the cabbage? Brothas, especially with locs, raise your hand if this has ever happened to you: You were most likely minding your own damn business. Maybe you were one of — or the only — Black person at a party. Perhaps you were just walking down the street, chilling in a park, on your way to school, or maybe it happened at work. Someone, often a white person, catches your eye and, never dropping their gaze as they move closer, a little too close, they lean in and ask, “Do you know where I can buy some weed?” Actually, I should be asking how many times this has happened to you. Let’s also talk to the so-called “crack babies” born during the “War on Drugs” of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Ask the children born to stimulant-addicted parents how they feel about the current “opioid epidemic.” Speciﬁcally, ask them about the vastly different response by law enforcement, healthcare, sociocultural politics, and media representation. How it felt to have their parents get prison sentences instead of social sentiment. Even as infants, they did not get compassion but endured inhumane treatment in hospitals where the caregivers were told that, as babies, they “should not be touched.” Just imagine these innocent children, not touched. We know that the United States’ drug policy and procedure depends on who is holding the psychoactive drugﬁlled pipe. It’s obvious, as marijuana takes a meandering state-by-state path to legalization, as the internet provides everything from solid gold pearlencrusted vape holders to cannabis

vagina lube, to hemp-infused water or herbal blends you can add to your tea, incense, or blunt. White privilege comes into play in this new context because, again, this is America. We have to ask, “Who is getting the grass and who is getting the cabbage?” Pennsylvania State Rep. Jake Wheatley is gathering support for a future bill, House Bill 2600, which will legalize adult recreational use of marijuana in Pennsylvania. In a refreshing move, Rep. Wheatley and his state senate colleagues Daylin Leach and Sharif Street, who have introduced Senate Bill 350, are putting justice and equity in the forefront of their legislation. The Democratic House website states that “continued prohibition perpetuates a deeply unfair racial impact: Although African-American adults and white adults use cannabis at a similar rate ... a 2017 analysis of Pennsylvania arrest data found that African-American adults were 8.2 times more likely than white adults to be arrested for possession.” When asked how we can move toward equitable and just legalization in Pennsylvania, Rep. Wheatley responded via text: “One of the primary ways we can make sure that we have equity and justice in any legalization of adult-use cannabis would be to automatically expunge the records of any prior convictions. ... We could set aside a portion of those [proposed business licenses] for marginalized communities and entrepreneurs. This was done in other states with varying levels of success but would be a way to make the opportunities more equitable and just.” Here, here.

thehealingcenterusa.com

MONROEVILLE • WASHINGTON • CRANBERRY

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Follow featured contributor Tereneh Idia on Twitter @Tereneh152XX PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

PHOTO: DALE RIETHER

planetHEMP’s hemp/silk bandana

.MARIJUANA ISSUE.

HOMEMADE HEMP BY LISA CUNNINGHAM // LCUNNING@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

AMUEL GRAEB says the idea for planetHEMP came from above. “It has its own heartbeat,” the 22-year-old from Scott Township says about his business, a fashion line of activewear and athleisure clothing and accessories made from hemp ﬁber. Industrial hemp is a strain of the cannabis plant, but unlike marijuana, it contains less than .3 percent THC. (So no, you can’t smoke the clothes to get high.) Graeb started planetHEMP about four years ago while living in Montana

before moving back to Pittsburgh. It’s a family-run operation, with Graeb, his mother, and grandmother at the helm. The two women do most of the sewing in small batches. planetHEMP’s line ranges from hoodies and leggings to blankets and underwear. While the product photos online do contain some marijuana references — a blunt tucked into an armband; smoke coming out from behind a bandana, only one of the products for sale online actually includes a weed reference. (It’s a T-shirt with a

drawing of an alien smoking a joint if anyone needs to buy a gift for their favorite stoner friend.) The rest of the collection is trendy and stylish with minimal, clean designs throughout. The company also recently teamed up with Pittsburgh musician Charles $lum (aka Cameron Bell) for a collaborative collection called #MICRON, kicking off with merchandise to promote his upcoming album. “I wanted fabric for my products that didn’t have as strong of a connation for the enslavement of my people,” Bell wrote on Facebook.

PLANETHEMP AT CANNABIS EDUCATION DAY

11 a.m.-5 p.m. (planetHEMP at 2 p.m.) Sat., April 20. 213 Millvale Community Library, Grant Avenue, Millvale. planethemp.cool

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

“Hemp should be the powerhouse ingredient of the fashion industry.” CP asked Graeb a few questions about planetHEMP before he celebrates 4/20 with Cannabis Education Day at the Millvale Community Library. WHY HEMP? It’s sturdy, good for the soil, naturally pest-resistant (requires no pesticides), and because it can be made into thousands of eco-friendly products. WHO DESIGNS AND MAKES THE CLOTHES? We design the clothes and make sample runs and small batches in-house. If we need a production run that is larger than

Cel

ic!

an American g n Cla ti a r ss eb Save the Date :

BURGER BASH* JUNE 30

PHOTO: O: PAUL UL NOVELLI

planetHEMP’s cap-sleeve sleeve hoo ho hoodie die

our capacity, we send the samples and patterns to our manufacturer in Brooklyn to be produced. DID YOU GROW UP WEARING HOMEMADE CLOTHES BY YOUR MOM AND GRANDMA? Yes, my grandma made us clothes until she thought we were too old for the clothes she was making us. But there were always little ones around, so she would make kids PJs, and pillows, and bags, and other little things. My mom used to sell shorts to her classmates back in high school, but took a break from sewing until planetHEMP got started. DO YOU THINK THERE’S A CROSSOVER MARKET BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO WEAR HEMP CLOTHING AND FOLKS WHO SMOKE POT? I do think there’s a crossover market between weedheads and non-weedheads, mainly because the plant and lifestyle are becoming less taboo. IN OTHER WORDS, ARE YOU ALL JUST BIG POTHEADS? We are definitely not all potheads.

dma. Especially my momma and grandma. HOW DID YOU HOOK UP WITH MUSICIAN CHARLES $LUM? I’m not really sure how I met Charles, but it was a blessing. He’s a real cool dude and he makes great music, so I’m pumped that we can promote each other’s movements. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? Family and my responsibilities to them: protect and provide. That’s what inspires me. I have a bunch of little cousins and a younger sister that mean the world to me, and I want to show them something positive. WHO’S YOUR FASHION ICON? My fashion icon has always been Wiz [Khalifa]. Lol. CONGRESS LEGALIZED THE CULTIVATION OF HEMP LATE LAST YEAR. HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY GROWTH? Yes, now that hemp can be grown here legally, we are starting to see our supply chain open up. Supply is something we’ve struggled with from the beginning, but it keeps getting easier.

•

Follow editor in chief Lisa Cunningham on Twitter @trashyleesuh

Burger Month JULY 2019

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A MONTH LONG CELEBRATION OF UNIQUE CUSTOM BURGERS BY PITTSBURGH’S BEST RESTAURANTS * B U R G E R B A S H W I L L B E J U N E 3 0 T H A LO N G S I D E O P E N S T R E E T S I N L AW R E N C E V I L L E . FO R M O R E I N FO V I S I T P G H B U R G E R M O N T H .C O M PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

.MARIJUANA ISSUE.

PHOTO: TAKIA MITCHELL

CBD truffles

EDIBLE ARRANGEMENT BY MAGGIE WEAVER MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

N PENNSYLVANIA, medical marijuana

patients can’t purchase edibles in dispensaries. If patients want to medicate by eating cookies, brownies, or chocolate, they are going to have to cook, bake, or construct those goodies at home themselves. It is legal, however, for medical marijuana patients to make edibles with ﬂower bought from a dispensary. And that is where Takia Mictchell comes in. Three years ago, she was relying on antidepressants and other medications to manage her PTSD, brought on by seven years of service in the military. The antidepressants left her with unpleasant side effects, to the point where she stopped taking them. At the suggestion of a friend, she turned to cannabidiol, aka CBD. Today, CBD is Mitchell’s only medication. But Mitchell isn’t a smoker and she doesn’t like to vape. She is a self-taught CBD cook, incorporating the treatment into all of her meals, including snacks. In the coming weeks, Mitchell, now a patient care specialist with Cresco Yeltrah (CY+) and owner of Tokey’s Edibles, will pass on her knowledge through seminars at the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Education Center (PAMMEC). She will host a series of classes exploring ways the therapeutic effects of both CBD and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be consumed. To grow this knowledge, Mitchell has become a mentor to new cannabinoid chefs. Cooking with CBD and THC, together or separately, is not easy, though the technique is identical. There are three basic concepts: the process of decarboxylation, temperature, and the difference between fat soluble and water soluble. Decarboxylation, or “decarbing” is the process of releasing water and carbon dioxide, turning THCA and CBDA into THC and CBD. In simpler terms, it activates the cannabinoids’ therapeutic qualities. Both THC and CBD are fat soluble, meaning they will not dissolve in water. For the extracted CBD and THC to stay active in a cooked item, they have to latch on to a fat like butter or oil. Calculations are required to discern

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

correct dosage. It’s a matter of figuring out the gram to milligram ratio, determining the percentage of CBD or THC in the flower, and converting that into milligram per teaspoon. An easy way to begin is combining the flower with salt and pepper. A dosage can then be determined by the teaspoon of spice. Emmett Nelson, PAMMEC’s general manager, notes that these seminars are useful, if not necessary, for patients who can’t inhale with a vaporizer or pen. One of Mitchell’s favorite meals is baked chicken using CBD oil, a CBD spice mix (with basil, salt, pepper, and parsley), and roasted red peppers with CBD butter. She’s an accomplished cook who learned her way around a kitchen at a young age, but stresses that cooking with CBD or THC doesn’t have to be complicated. “You should be able to go home and if you want a sandwich, your mayo has CBD in it,” she says. “You want a piece of toast and your butter has CBD in it.” Adding CBD or THC does affect flavor. Terpenes, the part of a flower made to attract pollinators, are incredibly aromatic, with some being stronger than others. Mitchell looks at the makeup of her flower, taking into account the bouquet, and balances flavor. The terpene linalool, for example, emits lavender. If she’s baking with a strain strong in linalool, she adds a bit of lavender extract to match.

MAKING EDIBLES WITH CONCENTRATES

7 p.m. Fri., April 19. Pennsylvania MMJ Education Center. 2112 Penn Ave., Strip District. Free. pammec.org

In Mitchell’s seminars, she acts as a guide for patients interested in personalizing their medication through home cooking, taking treatment beyond capsules and vaping. Her goal is for attendees to be able to go home and “make their favorite dish” with a therapeutic boost. “If I have to teach 1,000 people about this over and over again, I will do that. That’s the most important thing, educating the community about the beneﬁts of CBD and THC,” she says. Mitchell’s next class is April 19, focusing on infusing concentrates. Seminars continue at PAMMEC through May 18, covering baking and cannabis spices, and are free to attend.

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

author

Zinzi Clemmons Monday April 29, 7p.m.

Free and Open to the Public

Items available at spencersonline.com

McConomy Auditorium Cohon University Center Carnegie Mellon University

.JUST JAGGIN’.

WEEDING OUT ‘THE BEST’ GIFTS AT SPENCER’S

A discussion about leadership, literature, and empathy

tepper.cmu.edu/tepperreads

BY JOSH OSWALD // JOSWALD@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

F YOU WERE a one-of-a-kind, 15year-old, suburban badass of the ’90s who needed to get your parents off your back, you headed to Spencer’s for the holy grail of teenage rebellion, the double middle ﬁnger to the establishment: the marijuana leaf, glow-inthe-dark, blacklight poster, preferably in felt. For those of you who don’t know, “Spencer Gifts LLC, doing business as Spencer’s, is a North American mall retailer with over 600 stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Their stores specialize in novelty and gag gifts, and also sell clothing, band merchandise, sex toys, room decor, collectible ﬁgures, fashion and body jewelry, fantasy and horror items,” according to its Wikipedia entry. Spencer’s dealt in every teenage vice imaginable. Need to see as much boob as legally allowed outside of an actual porno (very hard to come by in the ’90s)? Spencer’s rolodex of posters featuring bikini babes draped all over Countachs and Testarossas was your go-to. Sunday mass lacking in the scatological humor you require? Sneak into Spencer’s raunchy greeting card selection rife with ageist, sexist, and poop-riddled jokes. Looking to impress your upper-crust pals? Get yourself a lava lamp. Spencer’s had them in spades. Every color.

So, while weed culture has changed significantly since the ’90s, has Spencer’s — the Willy Loman of weed tchotchkes — representation of it? That’s a hard no. If anything, Spencer’s went even harder on the “slackers getting stoned on weed” trope. And God bless them for it. When you search “marijuana” on their site you get 103 results. When you search “weed” you get 253 results. Granted, there is some product overlap, but that is a lot of marijuana novelty shirts, shorts, swimsuits, hats, storage glasses, ash trays, and lube. Spencer’s has “hemp flavored” lube for everyone who loves the taste/smell of hemp. Outside of the weed offerings, Spencer’s has got everything you need to be the most annoying person at any party. Their gag gifts category offers fart spray, a squeaking rubber chicken, a hundred items shaped like penises, a do-it-yourself prostate exam, and an inflatable walker. Spencer’s is like a museum of the future you’d see in movies like Demolition Man, showcasing the stupidity of the people of our time. So if you’d like to visit the comedy hellscapes of the ’80s, ’90s, and, unfortunately, today, drop by your local mall, and there’s sure to be a location festering next to an Auntie Anne’s. Just follow its sweet, sweet glow.

•

Follow digital media manager Josh Oswald on Twitter @gentlemenRich

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

.RESTAURANT REVIEW.

SPIRITS & TALES BY MAGGIE WEAVER MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ESSICA LEWIS is not a new face

in Pittsburgh’s food scene. The chef made her way through Heinz Field catering, launched Carota Cafe in Smallman Galley, helped open both The Commoner and or, The Whale, and made a mark in Lawrenceville with Merchant Oyster Co. Now, she’s reigning over Oakland. Spirits & Tales, Lewis’ latest venture, sits ten stories above the University of Pittsburgh campus inside The Oaklander, Pittsburgh’s newest destination hotel. But the spectacular view of Oakland is just part of the restaurant’s appeal. It’s Lewis’ diverse menu of fresh, wellcomposed American classics that truly sets Spirit & Tales apart.

SPIRITS & TALES

5130 Bigelow Blvd., Oakland. 412-297-4080 or spiritsandtales.com

Lewis designed her menu to focus on small plates modeled after French brasseries. Historically, these French breweries were known for being open all day and churning out an endless stream of food — a trick, as my server pointed out, that kept all-day drinkers on stools and off the floor. In terms of decor, Spirits & Tales avoids some traditional brasserie characteristics, like white tablecloths and suited waiters, and trades them in for their modern counterparts. The dining room is dim, lit primarily with natural light from a span of windows flaunting the Oakland skyline. As part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, the restaurant decoration alludes to Pittsburgh’s industrial history. Deep blues and muted grays fill

CP PHOTO: JARED MURPHY

Horseradish Gnocchi Parisienne at Spirits & Tales

the room, studded with gold accents and glowing metal chandeliers. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch on Sundays. I decided to “keep the food coming,” as my server suggested, jumping around the small plates with twice-baked ricotta, pork rillette, socca (chickpea ﬂatbread), and a potato-apple fritter. The socca arrived ﬁrst, served with

three sauces covering sweet, acidic, and savory. Then came the pork rillette, a pâté-like version of chilled, shredded pork paired with pickled vegetables, and the twice-baked ricotta, a ﬂuffy, housemade cheese dripping with honey and lemon. Finally, our table was graced with the potato and apple cake (like a latke), dressed with a mash of salted cod and a sweet apricot and butternut

FAVORITE FEATURES:

Aprons

Bar Program

Terrace

Typically server aprons are a standard black, mid-thigh length picture of form before beauty, but the servers at Spirits & Tales are stylish, sporting three-tone, chic aprons.

Spirits & Tales’ bar program is fantastic, offering a long-list of cocktails, wine, and beer — something to satisfy everyone’s palate. (Pro tip: try the Butterfly Effect.)

To the side of the dining room, a glasswalled terrace is open for seating. As the weather gets warmer, this balcony is bound to be a coveted place for happy hour drinks over Oakland.

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

squash jam-like spread. Not a single word of the menu description did the plates justice. The ﬂatbread was not bread at all, but a pull-apart crepe perfect for dipping. Both the pork and potato-cake were cleverly rounded, forming wonderful harmony between sweet, salt, and fat. Cloud-like ricotta had me ﬂoating away in bliss. Dessert was an almond cake topped with thick honey caramel, shielded by shaved almonds, dripping with Grand Marnier, and dusted with orange zest. It was exquisite, enriched by the sweet nuttiness of the almonds. With Spirit & Tales, Lewis succeeds once again by delivering polished, smartly composed dishes in an unforgettable setting.

•

Follow staff writer Maggie Weaver on Twitter @magweav

Pad Thai

Noodle Thai & Burmese Specialties! 4770 Liberty Av Ave • BLOOMFIEld padthainoodlepittsburgh.com

CP PHOTO: HANNAH LYNN

A mildly successful wine slushie

.ON THE ROCKS.

AUTHENTIC & FRESH

AGAIN WITH THE WINE?

Franchise Opportunities Available. Visit our website for more details.

BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Family Owned and Operated

T’S PASSOVER season which also

means it’s Manischewitz season. The brand, which makes all kinds of Jewish food products from boxes of matzo to jars of gefilte fish, is probably best known for its wine. If you have never had the dis/pleasure of tasting Manischewitz wine, just picture yourself as a child, getting handed a cup of grape juice while the adults drank the real thing. According to the bottle, the beverage contains alcohol, and it’s sold at liquor stores, but it is definitely just grape juice. On its own, Manischewitz wine is blindingly sweet, almost syrup-like in taste and consistency. There are a variety of flavors, like blackberry and elderberry, but concord grape is traditional. All Manischewitz wine is kosher, but only some bottles are marked as kosher for Passover. Even if you’re not someone who cares about keeping kosher, the kosher for Passover wine is better because it uses cane sugar instead of corn syrup. No one likes Manischewitz but it’s a fact of life, like cold medicine. If, after the seder, you’re looking to repurpose the leftover wine, or just want to mix it up, try making it into wine slushies, or as my friend called them, Manislushitz. I based mine off a recipe from the blog What Jew Wanna Eat, which has the slogan “this ain’t yo Bubbe’s blog.” However, if I knew a Bubbe with a blog, I

would read it every day. The recipe is simple and flexible, requiring only wine, frozen fruit, and fresh herbs. I went with the aforementioned concord Passover wine, frozen raspberries and blackberries, and fresh mint. My biggest tip is to read cooking instructions all the way through first, so you don’t find out at 8 p.m. that the mixture is supposed to go in the freezer for at least an hour. Using a heavier portion of raspberries (or only raspberries) makes the drink tangy and cuts the sweetness. The mint adds a refreshing twist. The result is a sweet, tart, and refreshing drink much easier to drink than main ingredient.

5523 Walnut Street • Shadyside • 412-621-6220

mercuriosgelatopizza.com

•

MANISLUSHITZ RECIPE INGREDIENTS: 1 bottle of Manischewitz 2ish cups of frozen berries Fresh mint

RECIPE: Blend wine and berries in blender or food processor until smooth (unless you like seeds in your teeth). Add a few sprigs of mint and blend again. Pour into freezable container (the shallower the better) and put in freezer for at least an hour until it’s slushie-like. Serve in a glass with mint sprigs and fruit chunks, if you’d like.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

OPEN 11AM-4PM

DINING OUT

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

SPONSORED LISTINGS FROM CITY PAPER ’S FINE ADVERTISERS

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED RESTAURANT

THE CAFÉ CARNEGIE 4400 FORBES AVE., OAKLAND 412-622-3225 THECAFECARNEGIE.COM

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BAJA BAR & GRILL

1366 OLD FREEPORT ROAD, FOX CHAPEL 412-963-0640, WWW.BAJABARGRILL.COM The Baja Bar & Grill is the perfect destination any time of the year for dancing to live bands and taking in great entertainment every weekend. In addition, there’s good food along with amazing views of the Allegheny River and the Fox Chapel Marina.

BEA’S TACO TOWN

633 SMITHFIELD STREET, DOWNTOWN 412-471-8361, WWW.BEATAQUERIA.COM Authentic Mexican cuisine in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh! Bea Taco Town offers tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and much more all with traditional recipes. Slow cooked meats and fresh vegetables prepared daily will have you coming back to try it all.

CARMELLA’S PLATES & PINTS

1908 EAST CARSON STREET, SOUTHSIDE 412-918-1215, CARMELLASPLATESANDPINTS.COM Featuring an upscale ambiance, Carmella’s is located in the heart of South Side, serving a variety of refined comfort cuisine for dinner and brunch. The décor features a lodge-like feel with a wood beamed cathedral ceiling, stained glass and open fireplace. A local purveyor delivers fresh ingredients daily, which are crafted into unique and inventive meals, served alongside a curated cocktail list and comprehensive wine selection.

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 house-made bistro fare in a stylish Downtown space.

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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-totable products.

ELIZA HOT METAL BISTRO

331 TECHNOLOGY DRIVE, PITTSBURGH 412-621-1551, ELIZAHOTELINDIGO.COM Set on the site of former iconic iron works, Eliza Furnace, Eliza is an American Bistro exploring classic Pittsburgh flavors, beloved by those that worked the furnaces, combined with the fresh perspective and seasonal sourcing that define what we eat in our region today. Relax with great food, cocktails, and enjoy live entertainment on the rooftop bar.

LEON’S CARIBBEAN

823 E WARRINGTON AVE., ALLENTOWN 412-431-5366 / LEONSCARIBBEAN.COM Family owned and operated since December 2014. Here at Leon’s, we take pride in our recipes and quality of dishes. Simple menu with all the traditional dishes! Leon Sr. has been a chef for 30+ years, mastering the taste everyone has grown to love and can only get at Leon’s.

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. It’s not your standard pizza shop; in fact, this isn’t a “pizza shop” at all.

PAD THAI NOODLE

4770 LIBERTY AVE, BLOOMFIELD 412-904-1640 PADTHAINOODLEPITTSBURGH.COM This new café in Bloomfield features Thai and Burmese specialties. Standards like Pad Thai and Coconut Curry Noodle are sure to please. But don’t miss out on the Ono Kyowsway featuring egg noodle sautéed with coconut chicken, cilantro and curry sauce.

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.

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. They also feature a cocktail menu of tequila-based drinks to pair the perfect margarita with your meal.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Brittney Chantele

.MUSIC.

ON FIRE

BY ALEX GORDON // ALEXGORDON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HE NIGHT BEFORE Pittsburgh City Paper spoke with artist Brittney Chantele, she was on stage, live-painting, during a benefit show honoring Antwon Rose II. It was organized by 1Hood, the community-driven activist and artist group of which Chantele is a member. The goal was to raise money for Rose’s family and provide his community a respite from the weeks of pain, protest, and anger with a night of solidarity, music, and art. Her new album, A Fire on Venus, comes out April 19 with a release show the same day at Cattivo, featuring a performance by Chantele, as well as NVSV, RHYME, Treble NLS, My Favorite Color, and DJ QRX. There will be an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter for the duration of Chantele’s performance. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

You played the Antwon Rose benefit show at the Ace Hotel last week. What was it like to be there? It was really warming, and I think that’s a cliché word to say after an event like that, that it like warmed your heart but it really did. We were able to raise $4,000 for the family of Antwon Rose, so it was a really successful event overall. And to see that many people come together and really show their support, it’s really like walking the walk and talking the talk.

BRITTNEY CHANTELE’S A FIRE ON VENUS ALBUM RELEASE SHOW 7 p.m. Fri., April 19. Cattivo, 146 44th St., Lawrenceville. cattivopgh.com

Venus planet rules your relationships, and love, and sensitivity, and emotion, and so on and so forth.

I can imagine that there hasn’t really been time since the shooting just to focus on the people and the art and the family. Is it kind of a relief to focus on that?

At this point we’re about eight days out from the album release show. I’m just curious over the next week, what do you do to prepare for the show?

It really is. It feels like people are coming together. Everyone’s in the right mindset, I would like to think. [We] know that the work isn’t done, we still have to seek justice, and we have to ﬁgure out the means to do so. And we still have to be there for the family and support the family, because out of everyone, they’re the ones that are hurting the most.

I’m meeting with my dancers and choreographers to hopefully get some choreography paired with the songs. The idea for it is that once I go on tour, I have a full dance team with me and there [are] dances for every song. That’s like the main thing, but also just rehearsing in general. For a show this big, I’m gonna be rehearsing pretty much every day.

Let’s talk about your album, A Fire on Venus. Where does the name come from?

Your song “Labels” from your 2017 album is about serving in the military. What was it like to put that out there? Did you get any responses?

In my natal chart, my Venus is an Aries, and Aries is a ﬁre sign, so I came up with the name of A Fire on Venus because the entire album is about love, and it’s said that your

I’m pretty open about how much I dislike the military and how much I dislike war. A lot of veterans were able to tap into the

song and listen and they did have a lot to say. A lot of times I ﬁnd when I’m critical of our armed forces or I’m critical of our involvement in war, veterans take it as a personal stab to their time in the military. And it’s not that. I deﬁnitely wasn’t mentally prepared for how many veterans were gonna reach out and be offended. I think it’s only gonna continue, though. I received a grant last year — Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh — and I received that grant to put out a 12-track album about my experience in the military.

Your music was featured in a production of Pipeline at City Theatre last fall. What was it like to hear it in that context? That was unreal. I didn’t think I was gonna be that excited, but I was really excited. It’s a lot for a theater production to trust you to make this music for their play. But that was the ﬁrst time that I heard my song in the actual presentation of the theater production. I really don’t have words.

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

SEVEN DAYS OF CONCERTS NOW, NOW

TUESDAY, APRIL 23

Since Now, Now’s last full-length release in 2012, the band has gone through some notable changes. After intermittent periods of touring and social media silence, plus a few canceled appearances, the group announced the departure of vocalist/guitarist Jess Abbott in 2017 (it was an amicable break, and Abbott now releases solo music as Tancred). It was around this time that the founding members Cacie Dalager and Bradley Hale (who also performs as Sombear) released their first new music in years with “SGL.” While the warm production, melancholic lyrics, and smart songwriting of their previous records remained intact, Dalager and Hale’s newer output showed a growth toward something a little more pop-friendly. In particular, “SGL” is a damn near perfect pop song, building big heartfelt choruses on a simple foundation of guitars and synths. The new album it opens, Saved, is packed with similarly sad, catchy songs that demand being played on repeat. Catch the new stuff from Now, Now live at Mr. Smalls, with Foxing and Daddy Issues. 8 p.m. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $18-20. mrsmalls.com PHOTO: NOW, NOW

Now, Now

FULL LIST ONLINE pghcitypaper.com

THURSDAY APRIL 18 DJS BOBBY D BACHATA. Perle Champagne Bar. 10 p.m. Downtown.

BLUES THE BO’HOG BROTHERS. O’Donna’s. 8-11 p.m. Beaver.

JAZZ PITT JAZZ ENSEMBLE WITH CHAD LEFKOWITZ-BROWN. Bellefield Hall at University of Pittsburgh. 8 p.m. Oakland. YOKO SUZUKI TRIO. City of Asylum. 7 p.m. North Side. BIG BAND DANCE! Allegheny Elks Lodge. 7:15 p.m. North Side.

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ACOUSTIC

FOLK

THE SHAMELESS HEX. Hop Farm Brewing. 8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

MERCE LEMON, HELENE AUGUSTINE, BITTER WHISKERS. Club Cafe. 8 p.m. South Side.

ROCK/POP

FRIDAY APRIL 19

BINDLEY HARDWARE CO. WYEP Community Broadcast Center. 6:30 p.m. South Side. THE WEAK DAYS, CHURCH GIRLS, PORTRAIT PEOPLE. Mr. Roboto Project. 7 p.m. Bloomfield. JASON KENDALL DUO. Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar. 7 p.m. Strip District. CHER. PPG Paints Arena. 7:30 p.m. Downtown.

HIP HOP TRACK MEET @ THE ILL ROYALE. Young Brothers Bar. 7 p.m. Brighton Heights.

DJS DJ GROVER. Baja Bar and Grill. 7 p.m. Fox Chapel.

ROCK/POP THANK YOU SCIENTIST. Spirit. 7 p.m. Lawrenceville. ARTE TEDESCO BAND WITH MATT BARRANTI. Moondog’s. 8:30 p.m. Blawnox.

Cigar Bar. 7 p.m. Strip District.

FUNK HERE COMES THE MUMMIES. Rex Theater. 8 p.m. South Side.

JAZZ RICH ZABINKSI TRIO. Wolfie’s Pub. 8 p.m. Downtown. JAZZMEIA HORN. August Wilson African American Cultural Center. 8 p.m. Downtown.

PUNK 1919, PAWNS, SILENCE, THE IRE. Cattivo. 8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

METAL ZAO. Black Forge Coffee House. 6:30 p.m. Allentown.

BLUES

HIP HOP

THE CONTENDERS. Cioppino Restaurant &

MOEMAW NAEDON. Bierport. 8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

SATURDAY APRIL 20 HARD ROCK/METAL SYLAR, CANE HILL, VARIALS, BLOODLINE. The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls. 6 p.m. Millvale.

ROCK MERZ, MILLER AND THE WOLVES, WOODLAND CREATURES, TANOR & GAIL. Howlers. 8 p.m. Bloomfield. 13 SAINTS, ROYAL HONEY, THE WIRE RIOTS. Excuses Bar & Grill. 9 p.m. South Side.

CELEBRATION. Rocks Landing. 8 p.m. McKees Rocks.

FUNK/SOUL STARSHIP MANTIS, BENJI., AND DJ FEMI. Cattivo. 8 p.m. Lawrenceville. KISS THE SKY - A TRIBUTE TO JIMI HENDRIX. Hard Rock Cafe. 9:30 p.m. Station Square.

FOLK

COVERS

PAUL LUC, ANDRE COSTELLO, LIZ BERLIN, JENN WERTZ, NATHAN ZOOB, RANDALL BAUMANN. Club Cafe. 10 p.m. South Side.

THE GRATEFUL DANCE. Full Pint Wild Side. 7 p.m. Lawrenceville.

PUNK

REGGAE THE FLOW BAND 4/20

KEEP FLYING, SUNDRESSED. Mr. Roboto Project. 7 p.m. Bloomfield

PHOTO: JOE SINGH

Deerhoof

DEERHOOF

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24

Deerhoof has been putting on amazing live shows since it was founded in San Francisco in the early ‘90s. The shows involve a lot of dancing (mostly bassist/singer Satomi Matsuzaki), audience interaction (“Come See The Duck”), the occasional cover (Velvet Underground, Ramones, The Shining soundtrack), one of the most entertaining drummers around in Greg Saunier (and his 20” hi hats), and last but not least, an on-stage chemistry between the foursome that balances perfectly between chaotic improvisation and tight instrumentation. Though there have been a few lineup changes and the sound has evolved from its noise-punk roots toward more experimental rock that’s a little easier to digest (check out 2016’s Mountain Man if the latter sounds better to you), the essential playfulness and intelligence of the music hasn’t wavered. The Andy Warhol Museum welcomes Deerhoof, with Palm, for its Sound Series program. Even if you’ve seen the group live before, no two shows are alike, and you should jump at any chance you get. 8 p.m. 117 Sandusky St., North Side. $18. warhol.org

SUNDAY APRIL 21

TUESDAY APRIL 23

PUNK

ROCK/POP

RAVE AMI, QWAM, SWITHER. Gooski’s. 9 p.m. Polish Hill.

DANCE GAVIN DANCE. Stage AE. 6 p.m. North Side. QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT, DIVINO NINO, THE VAN ALLEN BELT. Spirit. 10 p.m. Lawrenceville.

METAL LECTULARIUS, TARTARUS HORDE, NERVOUS AGGRESSION, E.F.6. The Rock Room. 9 p.m. Polish Hill.

MONDAY APRIL 22 METAL

METAL WHITECHAPEL, DYING FETUS, REVOCATION, FALLUJAH, SPITE, UNCURED, BURIED ABOVE GROUND. Rex Theater. 5 p.m. South Side. CASTLE, SMOKE WIZZZARD. Howlers. 9 p.m. Bloomfield.

VEIL OF MAYA, INTERVALS. Mr. Smalls Theatre. 6:30 p.m. Millvale.

PUNK

ROCK/POP

COUNTRY

WISHBONE ASH. Club Cafe. 8 p.m. South Side.

ROCKY ALLEN. Jergel’s Rhythm Grille. 7:30 p.m. Warrendale.

CRUDE SS, CONDOR, MOWER, EEL, KOLLISSION. Babyland. 8 p.m. Oakland.

FOLK/ROCK ALAN GETTO, SWIMMING BELL, MONTEAGLE. The Park House. 5:45 p.m. South Side.

JAZZ TANIA GRUBBS. City of Asylum. 7 p.m. North Side.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 24 ROCK/POP TYLER RAMSEY. Club Cafe. 7 p.m. South Side.

FOLK FOLK INSPIRATIONS CONCERT. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. 8 p.m. East Liberty. JUPITER VINYL. Arsenal Bowl. 9 p.m. Lawrenceville.

JAZZ FUNKY FLY PROJECT. Carnegie Library Homewood. 5:30 p.m. Homewood.

These listings are curated by Pittsburgh City Paper’s staff and include events from our free online listings. Submit yours today at www.pghcitypaper.com/submitevent PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

.ART . .

ART TO ROOT FOR BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

UTH ROOT has shown at museums throughout the U.S. and abroad, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the MoMA PS1 in New York, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Kunstmuseum Bonn in Germany. Now, the New York-based painter will see her ﬁrst solo exhibit at a major American museum as part of the 81st installment of the Forum series at the Carnegie Museum of Art. The show will feature new works created especially for the museum, all showcasing what CMOA acting co-director Eric Crosby calls “Root’s startling command of color, pattern, and shape, as well as her thought-provoking inquiry into what a painting can be.”

PHOTO: NINA CHOI

Ruth Root

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: CMOA

Ruth Root, Untitled, 2019

“So much of [Root’s] process as a painter, as an artist, is taking all of these things that catch her eye out in the world and allowing them to come into the studio,” says Crosby, who organized the exhibit with Hannah Turpin, curatorial assistant for Modern & Contemporary Art and Photography. “Her work is really about a process of looking at the world, seeing the world with fresh eyes, and discovering new relationships between things that may seem independent or unrelated, and to bring that dynamic of looking into the ﬁeld of abstract painting.” The exhibition opens Thu., April 18 with a preview and gallery talk featuring the artist, followed by a celebration at the museum’s monthly late-night Third Thursday event. Root combines abstraction and digital printing, using panels painted with acrylic and spray paint, all of which are suspended from ﬂexible sewn forms covered in her own printed fabric designs. She has a tendency to use found imagery, drawing from the news media, art

history, and online search engines. In this new body of work, Root also incorporated artworks and design objects from CMOA’s collections. “There’s so much visual information in [Root’s paintings], and she often talks about how, from many images, you zero in on one, and that’s an interesting way to think about how these paintings, which have this immediate attraction and impact as large paintings that kind of pull you in and focus your attention on a handful of images and encourages to look at the surface of painting differently than you have before,” says Crosby. Crosby says while the Forum series usually serves to highlight emerging or mid-career artists, it’s also a showcase for today’s most inventive contemporary artists, a mission that, in his view, certainly applies to Root. “There’s a kind of immediate delight or pleasure that you experience when you see her work because the patterns vibrate, the colors are very saturated, and the shapes of her work seem very play-

ful,” says Crosby. “But she’s also a painter’s painter. She’s very interested in the history of painting and making her own mark and contribution. Painters often think in terms of history, like what’s come before may shape what comes next.”

FORUM 81: RUTH ROOT

Continues through Aug. 25. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Available with museum admission. cmoa.org

Unlike conventional approaches to art, he adds that she considers both the painting and its support system by creating “elaborate hanging devices” and making them part of the work as opposed to hiding them from the viewer. Visitors of all ages are also invited to experience the museum in a new way during Looking and Drawing with Ruth Root, a scavenger hunt inspired by Root’s research visits to CMOA. Armed with free guides and specially designed pencils available in the Forum gallery, Root provides an interactive exploration

of the museum’s permanent collection of paintings. “She gives you all these wonderful, imaginative little drawing prompts to draw what you see in the collection, so you begin to look at the collection through her eyes in a way,” says Crosby. In addition to the scavenger hunt, visitors will have the opportunity to discover the art of pattern-making during Painting! Pattern! Politics! A Creative Workshop with Ruth Root, a free event hosted by and organized in partnership with AIR (Artists Image Resource). But even as Root captivates with bright colors and fun patterns, Crosby believes her style belies a more serious conversation, one that he believes audiences should engage with. “She’s incredibly innovative in terms of how she approaches painting, but she’s also creating something that everybody can ﬁnd a way into,” he says. “Everybody has a way to identify with what this artist is drawing from and what she’s creating.”

•

Follow senior writer Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

.LITERATURE.

LOOK ALIVE BY REGE BEHE CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

OST PEOPLE who encounter odd or unusual situations .either dismiss or forget about them. Sloane Crosley does not forget. She documents her peculiar interactions in a new collection of essays, Look Alive Out There (Picador/MCD). A few examples: • While writing at a friend’s remote cabin in California, she was shot at while trying to sneak into a hot tub with a neighboring pot farmer. • An exchange of gifts with an older neighbor in New York City led to Crosley leaving a present of a yoga mat — with a package of Hostess cupcakes attached. • And what seemed to be a perfect apartment in Manhattan became a nightmare when the teenagers next door began to party most nights at deafening decibels. Crosley’s solution? Deploying 600-watt halogen lights that lit up the yard “as if a helicopter were preparing to land on it.” These experiences might fall flat in the hands of a lesser writer, but Crosley manages to find humor and grace in most situations, even when a reporter’s tape recorder crashes and she agrees to answer the same questions via e-mail. Crosley comes across as naturally funny, but the bar for humor writers is high. They not only have to be engaging in print, but are expected to be entertaining in public appearances. But Crosley thinks anyone who is perceived as having a talent faces similar expectations. “This is not specific to humorists or writers in general. Haven’t you ever been introduced with superlatives in

PHOTO: UNGANO + AGRIODIMAS

Sloane Crosley

SLOANE CROSLEY

AT PITTSBURGH ARTS & LECTURES NEW & NOTED 7 p.m., Tue., April 23. Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, Oakland. $22, which includes a paperback copy of Look Alive Out There. 412-622-8866 or pittsburghlectures.org

advance?” says Crosley. “‘This is Rege, he can recite the Rime of The Ancient Mariner! Go to it, Rege.’ And you just feel like

this cymbal-bashing monkey when all you wanted to do is drink bad wine and go. It’s that same feeling, only very

Follow featured contributor Rege Behe on Twitter @RegeBehe_exPTR

Pittsburgh’s lone liberal talkshow host for 30+ years Listen live every weekday at 10 a.m. at lynncullen.pghcitypaper.com 38

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

public. That feeling of knowing you have something to offer, maybe even something that’s worth the superlatives, but of simultaneously not wanting to get people’s hopes up.” Crosley is one of the more versatile writers working today. She’s published essay collections, interviewed stars including Keanu Reeves, Bill Hader, and Amy Poehler, penned book reviews, and written two novels, Read Bottom Up and The Clasp. But Crosley doesn’t let the successful multi-tasking get to her head. “I’m better at some things than I am at others,” she says. “This is not false modesty — though perhaps my versatility extends to that as well — it’s that I am not primarily considered to be a journalist or screenwriter or book critic, though I am those things. So, for example, if I stumble upon a story about a love affair between two longdead painters, or if I have a funny story about my ﬁrst job, I have multiple genres in which to put these ideas. But I have to choose carefully.” As someone who has been on both sides of the table, Crosley is eminently qualified to discuss the art of the interview. She’s been subjected to a fair amount of questions that are barely worthy of a high school newspaper Q&A. But step back, she says, and consider the circumstances. “You’re really in the soup, as a writer in 2019, if you forget how fortunate you are that anyone in our scatterbrained, catastrophist, celebrity-obsessed culture wants to talk to you,” Crosley says. “I have empathy for talk show hosts, morning and night. Because they are interested and maybe they did just read your book the night before and maybe that does mean ‘essays’ get called ‘stories’ or they just giggle and rehash the plot of your novel to your face. So what? If they were James Wood, they’d be James Wood. They’re just trying to do their jobs.”

•

TOP 5

SONGS ABOUT SMOKING WEED BY JORDAN SNOWDEN JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

“HABITS

(STAY HIGH)” BY TOVE LO

I gotta stay high all the time To keep you off my mind

“HOW TO ROLL A BLUNT” BY REDMAN

The second paragraph might makes you laugh When a brotha’ rolls a blunt and his breath smells like gr-ass

“MARIJUANA” BY KID CUDI

Pre, pre, pretty green bud All in my blood Oh I need it

“BOWL FOR TWO”

BY THE EXPENDABLES So stay with me tonight Gonna kick back relax Make sure the ganja’s packed

“SUBSTANCE ABUSE” BY SMOKE DZA

Purple showers granddaddy punch Magic dragon, cause all I do is puff

Follow staff writer Jordan Snowden on Twitter @snowden_jordan PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

.ART . .

BACKSTAGE BY LISSA BRENNAN CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

NAME: Matt Gray, Regent Square WORK: Project Cataloguer, Archives Collection at The Andy Warhol Museum

WHAT DO YOU DO? It’s never one thing by definition. Every single item that is included in an exhibition or a published work, no matter how big or small, has to be catalogued. A lot made it into Time Capsules, more logically arranged and easier to search. But that’s only one part of the collection — a small percentage that’s the most researched and exhibited part. Everything else from [Warhol’s] life was not as organized. AND THERE’S A LOT. It’s huge. We say 500,000 objects, which is rounding it down. Andy was the definition of a pack rat. He loved to hold onto things. It’s hard to say the amount of value he put on them, but it’s safe to say that he kept almost everything, so he must’ve valued their materiality. There are photographs of the droppingoff of a literal tractor trailer full of his life. IS IT A START, WORK, FINISH PROCESS FOR EACH ITEM OR GROUP? There are typically multiple things at once, some like specific exhibitions or publications within the confines of deadlines. Our focus is always changing because we have so many different things happening. I’ve worked on projects that I’ve gone back to after a year to make updates on. We’re constantly revising previously made records because there’s always something else to learn. AND PARTS OF THE PAST CAN ADDITIONALLY BE IMPACTED BY WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE AND NOW? There was a series of Warhol’s Ladies and Gentlemen that our curator Jessica Beck tied into Devan Shimoyama’s recent exhibition of paintings here. Even though they were created separately at two different times by two very different artists, we were able to contribute archival material to provide historical context to support the entire exhibition.

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CP PHOTO: JARED MURPHY

Matt Gray

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S IMPORTANT? You see something like a letter and think that’s just a regular letter. But if you understand how it ﬁts into his life, you create context in his art-making process. There’s so much material, it’s hard to say what’s “valuable” and not. If everything is being viewed as important in its own right as we work to understand how it ﬁts, it gets tricky, so we rely on research. WHAT’S YOUR BACKGROUND? Undergraduate degree in photography, master of library and information science at Pitt. WHAT DO YOUR STUDIES PAIRED WITH YOUR ARTISTIC WORK BRING INTO PLAY HERE? A combination of the practical side

of art-making and the archive side of organizing that knowledge. I still shoot a lot of photography; I understand how it’s created. I can apply that knowledge to Andy’s practice so I can add that level of knowledge of the art-making process, which creates a more ﬂeshed-out record. HOW’D YOU START HERE? I was a gallery attendant as a part-time job. That’s how I learned about Warhol and fell in love with being here all the time. HOW DOES PROFESSIONAL WORK HERE INFORM YOUR PERSONAL WORK? My photography is very organized at home. WERE YOU NOT LIKE THAT BEFORE? Not so much. Being so heavily involved

here has definitely impacted my personal practices, that’s for sure. I’m not as much of a hoarder as Andy was, but I definitely have been contributing some kind of value to objects I might just throw away. Artistically, Andy was able to look at mundane and everyday objects and bring the level of high art. Not that I’m trying to do that with my photography, but I keep finding myself taking pictures of mundane, everyday, boring scenes. I don’t know if that’s the practice that he’s forming or just a way of staying present in the moment and being appreciative of what surrounds me. That’s kind of what pop was. DO YOU DESTROY THE THINGS YOU DON’T WANT ANYBODY TO SEE AFTER YOU’RE DEAD NOW? I should really start.

•

Films + Live Piano Accompaniment by Tom Roberts and Mary Beth Malik, clarinet

Tickets & Info: 412-624-4129 chambermusicpittsburgh.org

April 23, 2019 at 7pm Pay-What-You-Wish! ($15 Suggested)

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

BEST THINGS TO WATCH STONED BY HANNAH LYNN HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT OF YOUTUBE

Clean vines only

It can’t be limited to just shows or movies. There is no telling what strange places the zooted mind will take you.

1. VINE COMPILATIONS It’s been said many times, but RIP Vine, forever in our hearts. Luckily, there are beautiful souls who upload Vine compilations to YouTube. Tip: look for the compilations with titles like “clean vines you can show your grandma” otherwise you risk stumbling upon sexist or racist vines.

2. SMILEY FACE Movies about weed aren’t automatically good to watch stoned, but this is an exception. The 2007 comedy stars a young Anna Faris, who just wants to get to the beach but accidentally ate a plate of weed cupcakes. She dreams about lasagna, laughs at Carrot Top, and steals an original copy of the Communist Manifesto.

3. PLANET EARTH II The original Planet Earth is good, but the 2016 update will truly reconfigure your brain. Watch out for the very scary snakes.

4. DOG SHOWS Generally, dog shows are unsettling demonstrations of creepy breeding and arbitrary standards of dog physique. However, they are also a great way to see a lot of really, really cool dogs.

5. THE BOSS BABY The plot of this movie is that a corporate baby goes undercover as a regular baby to stop puppies engineered to be so cute they overtake the baby industry. What more can I say? It was nominated for an Oscar. •

PHOTO: NEON

Aretha Franklin singing with the Southern California Community Choir

.FILM.

HOW SWEET THE SOUND BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

F THERE was any doubt about Aretha Franklin’s impact on American . culture (and there wasn’t), it was underlined during her funeral last August, which lasted for nearly nine hours. Former presidents, other musical icons, church leaders, directors, producers, and more filled the room, gave speeches, and sang to honor Franklin. Everyone knew she had a gift, and lucky for us, she’s still giving. In her last years, Franklin fought against the release of Amazing Grace, the film version of the 1972 live album of the same name. Now, it’s been released for the first time 47 years after it was originally filmed. After Franklin died, her niece gave permission to release the film. It was not released when it was first filmed, because director Sydney Pollack didn’t use a clapperboard or any other sound marker to help sync the sound, so the editors were unable to match the audio to the video. They even hired professional lip readers before giving up. Producer Alan Elliott acquired the footage in 2008 and updated technology made it easier to sync the sound. The concert was filmed over the course of two nights — not the same concert twice, just one half followed by the other half the next day. It makes sense, because each song seems to take everything out of Franklin. The program

begins with gospel singer Rev. James Cleveland as he first introduces the Southern California Community Choir, adorned in shimmering silver vests, and then Franklin in a glittering mint sheath dress. In his introduction, Cleveland says, “This is a church and we’re here for a religious service.”

AMAZING GRACE

Opens Fri., April 19 at the Manor Theatre

Franklin opens with a rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Wholy Holy.” As a viewer, you think, for the ﬁrst few songs, “This sounds incredible and I can’t imagine it getting better,” but the choir and the audience are still seated, so you know it will. She performs a total of seven songs that night, including a medley of “Precious Lord Take My Hand” and Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” From the ﬁrst song, some combination of sweat and tears are rolling down Franklin’s face, but sometimes they look like glitter. It’s when she comes to her nearly 11-minute rendition of “Amazing Grace” that the night reaches a fever pitch; the choir jumps to their feet, raising their hands in the air. Cleveland is so overcome he leaves his post at the piano to sob into his handkerchief. Everyone in the room is rapturous in their belief in

God, or in Franklin, or both. It’s clear that not everyone originally understood how big of a deal this recording would become, because by the second night, the crowd had grown to include more familiar faces, including Aretha’s father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, and gospel singer Clara Ward. A young Mick Jagger can be seen sitting in the back, though he inches his way to the front by the end. During “Never Grow Old,” the final song of the recording, C.L. Franklin periodically yelps and claps his hands together. Ward jumps out of her seat and lifts her hands to the sky. Audience members dance in the aisles and one woman has to be restrained because her exuberance is too strong. In his introduction at the beginning of the recording, Cleveland says, “If I seem a little misty, it’s just because I’m happy. I’m happy for the Southern California Choir. For us, this is a dream come true.” It was a big deal for them to back someone so legendary that, although only 29 years old at the time of the recording, she was labeled “the first lady of music.” The album is still Franklin’s best-selling record of all time. She didn’t like the film and didn’t want it released, but we should be grateful that it was anyway. Watching Amazing Grace, it’s clear how that moment was so much bigger than just her.

Follow staff writer Hannah Lynn on Twitter @hanfranny

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

•

PROUDLY TATTOOING PITTSBURGH SINCE ‘94!

.COMEDY.

Q&A WITH JEN KIRKMAN BY GAB BONESSO CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

tattoo & piercing studio

EN KIRKMAN is a national and internationally touring stand-up comedian who is visiting Pittsburgh on April 24 at Rex Theater. Pittsburgh City Paper contributor Gab Bonesso will be her opening act. Gab asked Jen a few questions before the big show.

THE LAST TIME YOU VISITED PITTSBURGH, YOU ALSO HEADLINED THE REX THEATER AS OPPOSED TO A MORE TRADITIONAL COMEDY VENUE LIKE THE IMPROV. WHAT DO YOU PREFER ABOUT A THEATER VIBE AS OPPOSED TO A CLUB VIBE? I love both vibes but with a theater — it’s usually a guarantee that everyone there is already a fan of my work and so I don’t have to win them over. We can get right into it. I don’t have to say my funniest stuff in the ﬁrst ﬁve minutes in order to relax anyone who doesn’t know me. BETWEEN TELEVISION WRITING, BOOK WRITING, PODCASTING, TOURING … DO YOU EVER GET A BREAK? IF SO, WHAT IS YOUR DREAM VACATION? I don’t get a break. And I have to say, the more successful you are, the less you have to work. Right now, I’m in the haveto-work phase. My dream vacation is always exploring parts of Europe. I will be back in London this year for shows, so I may explore some new cities that I’ll perform in and vacation in and maybe swing over to Paris — that’s one of my favorite places on Earth. Highly original, I know. I AM CONTINUALLY IMPRESSED WITH YOUR ABILITY TO BOTH IGNORE AND ELOQUENTLY ADDRESS TROLLS. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR OTHER FEMALE OR NON-BINARY COMICS WHO ARE HARASSED SPECIFICALLY DUE TO GENDER? I have no experience with being anything other than a woman, so for my non-binary friends or people of color, I can’t tell you from experience what to

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do, but it’s easy to ignore once you just get numb to it. And for me, I just have a ton of ﬁlters on my Twitter. I block and ignore and I have a lot of super impressive people who follow me and I don’t want them to think I’m a psycho who spends her day reacting to comments. I know women are hated so I’m not like, “What!?” anymore when it’s conﬁrmed online.

JEN KIRKMAN

8 p.m. Wed., April 24. Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side. $30. rextheater.net

WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR COMICS WHO CHOOSE UNCONVENTIONAL MATERIAL EVEN THOUGH IT’S DEEMED “ALTERNATIVE” OR “EDGY” AND CAN RESULT IN NOT GETTING BOOKED IN TRADITIONAL SETTINGS? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO BE TRUE TO YOUR VOICE WHILE STILL BEING A SUCCESSFUL, INTERNATIONALLY TOURING COMEDIAN? I’ve always been true to my voice because I don’t know how to do anything else. I don’t know if what I talk about is important. Right now I’m doing a bit on matches and how awesome smoking

cigarettes used to be. I guess that is important. Anyway, my only advice is if people are being edgy, to just play to people who already get it. What would it look like to expand a little bit and try to bring people in? Is the goal to teach people who don’t know about said edgy or important topic? Find the funny in introducing the topic to the audience. Have love for them. We are here to entertain them, which is an honor. And if they like us, we can say anything. I think once anyone starts being able to make money for a venue, that rule about “too edgy” quickly falls away. As for audiences, they can smell fake shock and they can tell someone is trying to push them away with edgy comedy and so they’ll respond in kind and not respond. And I’m always confused when comics get confused by that. We can be edgy without seeming like we hate the audience. We can’t hate them. We can hate them once we leave the building, but in that moment of the show, we are all brothers and sisters and everything in between.

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Work yourself into a lather. Rinse. Repeat.

•

The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Follow featured contributor Gab Bonesso on Twitter @gabbonesso PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

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Catherine LeFrere and Ben Rosenblatt in The Burdens

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N THE OLDEN DAYS, people had to wait

weeks or months to get a letter from a loved one on the other side of the country. It’s so much easier to maintain relationships now that there’s texting – isn’t it? This is the question posed by playwright (and CMU grad) Matt Schatz in The Burdens, a play at City Theatre about two siblings living opposite lives on opposite sides of the country with a shared goal of killing their grandpa. The show is directed by City Theatre’s artistic director Marc Masterson and runs through May 12.

THE BURDENS

Runs through May 12. City Theatre, 1300 Bingham St., South Side. citytheatrecompany.org

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Jane is juggling a lot, between her three kids with a fourth on the way, her husband, her job as a lawyer, and her affair; all unfolding in New Jersey. On top of it, she’s worried about her mother, who has no money because she pours it all into her 100-year-old father’s nursing home. Jane helps out where she can, but she’s tired of seeing her mother suffer and most of all is tired of her grandpa, whom they call Zad-zad. He is mean enough to call his daughter a cunt who should die. She vents her frustrations via text to her brother, Mordy, a bad

musician/acceptable pharmacist trying to make it in Los Angeles. He feels bad he doesn’t see his family much and can’t contribute ﬁnancially, so he does so in other ways. When Jane jokingly suggests killing Zad-zad by feeding him a large amount of kale (just go with it), Mordy offers to help. Shenanigans and several casual murder plots ensue. Jane and Mordy text each other exclusively because they’re millennials, but also because they’re not super close and texting can create the illusion of closeness without the intimacy of phone calls or talking in person. Almost all the dialogue in the play happens over text, and to convey this, actors Catherine LeFrere and Ben Rosenblatt speak all their texts out loud, typos and all. It becomes a running gag every time autocorrect makes them say “ducking” or “mazel gov.” It’s a format that almost works, but can feel tired at times, especially with the continuous running gags. If they really wanted to treat texting as a casual part of millennial lives, there wouldn’t be such a focus on the medium. Most texters don’t even blink at autocorrect mishaps. LeFrere is the standout as Jane, who goes through repeated emotional rollercoasters about her family, her marriage, her sexuality, and her pregnancy. She plays the crises with strong and sharp

delivery, making Jane seem both scary and warm. Rosenblatt does a ﬁne job too, although Mordy’s character is harder to warm up to, as the struggling artist, man-child character is a little worn out. In addition to being a story about millennial siblings who text, The Burdens is also a very Jewish play about a very Jewish family. The siblings talk, joke, argue, and make-up with the passion and quick-wit instantly recognizable to those raised in a Jewish home. In an interview in the play’s program, Schatz notes that by portraying a Jewish family similar to his own, he also wanted to explore “the idea that not all Jews are rich or good with money.” In any work where modern Jews are depicted, they are rarely shown to be poor or even just struggling ﬁnancially, but The Burdens gives a different angle: Mordy can’t even afford a blender, their mother lives in a sketchy apartment that “smells scary,” and the eventual inheritance from their grandpa is a stack of old notebooks. The play is a comedy, so, spoiler alert: the grandpa-murder plots don’t actually come to fruition. Instead, the family learns that people, even family, often suck, but we love them anyway. Life is long, people say and do things they regret (or don’t), but they’re still family.

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

.FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 18.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Beat Generation of American poets arose in the late 1940s as a rebellion against materialistic mainstream culture and academic poetry. It embraced sexual liberation, Eastern spirituality, ecological awareness, political activism, and psychedelic drugs. One of its members, Jack Kerouac, tweaked and ennobled the word “beat” to serve as the code name for their movement. In its old colloquial usage, “beat” meant tired or exhausted. But Kerouac re-consecrated it to mean “upbeat” and “beatific,” borrowing from the Italian word beato, translated as “beatific.” I bring this to your attention, Taurus, because you’re on the verge of a similar transition: from the old meaning of “beat” to the new.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

French writer Simone de Beauvoir sent a letter to her lover, Aries author Nelson Algren. She wrote, “I like so much the way you are so greedy about life and yet so quiet, your eager greediness and your patience, and your way of not asking much of life and yet taking much because you are so human and alive that you find much in everything.” I’d love to see you embody that state in the coming weeks, Aries. In my astrological opinion, you have a mandate to be both utterly relaxed and totally thrilled; both satisfied with what life brings you and skillfully avid to extract the most out of it; both at peace with what you already have and primed to grab for much more.

“Scattered through the ordinary world, there are books and artifacts and perhaps people who are like doorways into impossible realms, of impossible and contradictory truth.” Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges said that, and now I’m passing it on to you — just in time for your entrance into a phase when such doorways will be far more available than usual. I hope you will use Borges’ counsel as a reminder to be alert for everyday situations and normal people that could lead you to intriguing experiences and extraordinary revelations and life-changing blessings.

Because he has suffered from scoliosis, his left leg is a half-inch longer than his right. With each stride, his left leg stays on the track longer than his right, and his right hits the track with more force. Some scientists speculate that this unevenness not only doesn’t slow him down but may in fact enhance his speed. In accordance with current astrological variables, I suspect you will be able to thrive on your asymmetry in the coming weeks, just as your fellow Leo Usain Bolt does.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

The Free Will Astrology Committee To Boldly Promote Cancerian’s Success is glad to see that you’re not politely waiting for opportunities to come to you. Rather, you’re tracking them down and proactively wrangling them into a form that’s workable for your needs. You seem to have realized that what you had assumed was your fair share isn’t actually fair; that you want and deserve more. Although you’re not being mean and manipulative, neither are you being overly nice and amenable; you’re pushing harder to do things your way. I approve! And I endorse your efforts to take it even further.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Many experts who have studied the art and science of running fast believe that it’s best if a runner’s legs are symmetrical and identical in their mechanics. But that theory is not supported by the success of champion sprinter Usain Bolt.

Virgo adventurer Jason Lewis traveled around the world using transportation powered solely by his own body. He walked, bicycled, skated, rowed, pedaled, and swam more than 46,000 miles. I propose that we make him your role model for the next four weeks. You’re primed to accomplish gradual breakthroughs through the use of simple, persistent, incremental actions. Harnessing the power of your physical vitality will be an important factor in your success.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Curcumin is a chemical found in the plant turmeric. When ingested by humans, it may diminish inflammation, lower the risk of diabetes, support cardiovascular health, and treat digestive disorders. But there’s a problem. The body is inefficient in absorbing and using curcumin unless it’s ingested along with piperine — a chemical in black pepper — then it’s far more

available. What would be the metaphorical equivalent to curcumin in your life? An influence that could be good for you, but that would be even better if you synergized it with a certain additional influence? And what would be the metaphorical equivalent of that additional influence? Now is a good time to investigate these questions.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I have the usual capacity for wanting what may not even exist,” wrote poet Galway Kinnell. How about you, Scorpio? Do you, too, have an uncanny ability to long for hypothetical, invisible, mythical, and illusory things? If so, I will ask you to downplay that amazing power of yours for a while. It’s crucial for your future development that you focus on yearning for actual experiences, real people, and substantive possibilities. Please understand I’m not suggesting you’re bad or wrong for having those seemingly impossible desires. I’m simply saying that for now you will thrive on being attracted to things that are genuinely available.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Sometimes I have kept my feelings to myself, because I could find no language to describe them in,” wrote Sagittarian novelist Jane Austen. I’m guessing you’ve had that experience — maybe more than usual, of late. But I suspect you’ll soon be finding ways to express those embryonic feelings. Congrats in advance!

You’ll discover secrets you’ve been concealing from yourself. You’ll receive missing information whose absence has made it hard to understand the whole story. Your unconscious mind will reveal the rest of what it has thus far merely been hinting at.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): All over the world, rivers and lakes are drying up. Sources of water are shrinking. Droughts are becoming more common and prolonged. Why? Mostly because of climate change. The good news is that lots of people are responding to the crisis with alacrity. Among them is an engineer in India named Ramveer Tanwar. Since 2014, he has organized efforts leading to the rejuvenation of twelve dead lakes and ponds. I propose we make him your role model for the coming weeks. I hope he will inspire you to engage in idealistic pursuits that benefit other people. And I hope you’ll be motivated to foster fluidity and flow and wetness everywhere you go. The astrological time is ripe for such activities.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A blogger named Caramelizee offered her definition of elegance: “being proud of both your feminine and masculine qualities; seeing life as a non-ending university and learning everything you can; caring for yourself with tender precision; respecting and taking advantage of silences; tuning in to your emotions without being oversensitive; owning your personal space and being generous enough to allow other people to own their personal space.” This definition of elegance will be especially apropos and useful for you Aquarians in the coming weeks.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You Pisceans have been summoning heroic levels of creative intensity. You’ve been working extra hard and extra smart. But it seems that you haven’t been fully recognized or appreciated for your efforts. I’m sorry about that. Please don’t let it discourage you from continuing to express great integrity and authenticity. Keep pushing for your noble cause and offering your best gifts. I’m proud of you! And although you may not yet have reaped all the benefits you will ultimately sow, three months from now I bet you’ll be pleased you pushed so hard to be such a righteous servant of the greater good.

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

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She Kills Monsters

I N C L U D I N G

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SHE KILLS MONSTERS BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

N APRIL 18, D&D enthusiasts and fantasy-loving theatergoers will get to see the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Theatre Arts production She Kills Monsters at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, a play that was originally staged at Pitt last October. It’s presented as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Multiple Choice Events series, launched to engage more diverse audiences with “innovative, edgy” programming. She Kills Monsters will be followed by an after-party with the Special Knights of the Arcade at Arcade Comedy Theater. Written by playwright and fight director Qui Nguyen, She Kills Monsters follows Agnes, a woman who leaves her small hometown in Ohio after the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. But when she finds Tilly’s D&D notebook, she enlists the help of a “dungeon master” and embarks on a journey into the imaginary world that served as her late sister’s refuge. Pitt teaching artist-in-residence Ricardo Vila-Roger co-directed the production with Kelly Trumbull and says he was attracted to the script for its balance of humor, action, and more dramatic themes that deal with queer identity. “It’s so funny but it has this heart underneath it all,” says Vila-Roger, adding, “There’s an undercurrent of seriousness and there’s a bit of a gut-punch at the end.” The play features eight fight scenes, pitting the protagonists against all kinds of monsters along with the fantasyinspired costumes and set design that come with it. Because Vila-Roger and Trumbull had never directed fight scenes, they enlisted the help of a choreographer to train the

student performers, most of whom had never done stage combat before. They also worked with designers to creatively depict how the game impacts Agnes. “The real world doesn’t have much color,” he says. “It’s very boring, it’s very monotone. Every time they go into the fantasy realm, it has saturated colors and it’s bright, and as the play progresses and our character becomes more and more immersed, those colors bleed into her [real] life.” But while the play revels in the fun, escapist aspects of role-playing games, it also explores some of the more toxic elements familiar to the culture.

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8 p.m. Thu., April 18. August Wilson Cultural Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Tickets start at $10. trustarts.org

•

pittsburghCLO.org • 412-456-6666 At the Benedum Center

SHE KILLS MONSTERS

“The module they end up playing is written by this young woman who identiﬁes as gay, but the [dungeon master] is a young man, so he ﬁlters that module through his lens and is called out on it,” says Vila-Roger. “So they’re talking about a female demon, and it’s like, ‘Really, she’s scantily clad? Really, she says inappropriate and sexist things? I don’t think that’s true.’” Despite being written by a D&D fan, Vila-Roger believes it should still appeal to those without a “working knowledge” of the hugely popular role-playing game. “I think the people who are purists and really love it, we really try to stay true to the world, but for those who don’t know anything about it, they are getting information because of our lead character,” says Vila-Roger.

July 30 - August 4

THE BURDENS A dark comedy for the digital age, The Burdens explores pop culture, connection, and the value of actual face time.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

Live movie review!

THIS WEEK ONLINE AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM

What’s it really like working at an alt-weekly? Join Pittsburgh City Paper staffers for a premiere viewing of Jeff Goldblum’s newlyrestored 1977 flick Between the Lines, then stay for a live panel discussion after the film! CP PHOTO: LISA CUNNINGHAM

Sat., April 27 • The Harris Theater 7 P.M. AT 809 LIBERTY AVE., DOWNTOWN

Listen as managing editor Alex Gordon and students from Urban Pathways talk to CP staffers Josh Oswald and Maggie Weaver on how they started writing for the paper.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

CP PHOTO: JARED MURPHY

ShurSave grocery store in Bloomfield

.ARCHITECTURE.

DEVELOPING BLOOMFIELD BY CHARLES ROSENBLUM // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T THE multi-street intersection where the Bloomﬁeld bridge intersects with Main St. .and Liberty Ave. sits the ShurSave grocery store site, which was purchased by a new developer, meaning it is almost certain to be torn down and redeveloped — but as what? Under the direction of the Bloomﬁeld Development Corporation (BDC), Action Housing, and the Studio for Spatial Practice, a series of design planning meetings have taken place to solicit community opinions about what should happen to the site. A

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presentation on April 9 unveiled three possible design schemes for further development, while documenting statements of values and design principles that were cultivated along the way. The process has been both typical and remarkable. On one hand, the city requires that developers present plans for large projects to registered groups for feedback. On the other hand, the developers don’t have to listen. In this case, Action Housing is not even the owner of the site. And though this particular community

process has been widely observed and reported on, it has an unusual capacity to gather very freeform community input and turn that into realistic, real-world proposals. This method should cause similar community meeting organizers to take note. Previously, Milhaus had rights to develop the site, but their proposal for 237 market-rate apartments, introduced before soliciting any community feedback, was “met with a multi-hundred person angry mob” recalls Studio for Spatial Practice principal Jonathan Kline. Residents expressed “fear that the

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A model of the ShurSave location from a recent presentation

kind of gentrification that you see in Lawrenceville … has now landed in force” in Bloomfield. Milhaus dropped the proposal and their option to redevelop the site. Kline believes the current owners are remaining anonymous out of wariness. Meanwhile, Action Housing, seeking to develop some kind of mixed-use, affordable housing project, had submitted a letter of intent for the property, but they were rejected. Linda Metropulos, acting deputy director, says her company took note of “the response the community had to Milhaus … which was so counterproductive.” Even without an option on the property, Action Housing decided “to pay for a consultant to work with the community to capture what the vision could be,” whether or not they ended up developing the property. The cost, she says, is “modest.” BDC and Action Housing hired Studio for Spatial Practice. The firm has conducted more than 100 community design planning meetings, but Kline says this series has been novel. The first step engaged the “Place It” method of freely associative design planning developed by planner/activist/ artist James Rojas, in which attendees use small token-like objects — curlers, plastic flowers, a horse — as prompts to talk about memory, identity, and place, to discuss what they want from a neighborhood in very personal terms. BDC executive director Christina Howell was amazed that this stage elicited plenty of hugging among emotionally stirred participants. “I’ve never seen

anything like it,” she says. The next step challenged the design team to take the freeform sentiments of the first phase and transform them into possibilities for actual use on the site. Kline says they offered “a specific palette of uses … for people to play with,” including senior housing, mixedincome housing, retail, open space, supermarket, and community space. Community members engaged with the task of contemplating what functions would go on a real site. “It was much harder because people really had to choose,” says Howell. For the most recent presentation, Kline’s team incorporated the sentiments and choices of the first two meetings into three separate real-world design schemes. “We have tried very hard to integrate kind of the generic development and architectural realities … Everything represents a real building size of a bulk that’s realistic,” says Kline. He adds that each scheme includes “urban design best practices like no blank walls. Don’t put the garage entrance next to the corner. Use nice materials. Do active frontages on Liberty.” The bad news is that the current developer could still do whatever they want. The good news is that Action Housing and BDC view the process as a success for the community. Metropulos observes that, after this process, Bloomfield residents are even more “committed to getting some of what they want and what they need with future developers coming in.”

•

Follow contributing writer Charles Rosenblum on Twitter @CharlzR

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.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23 • 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM LECTURE: CHANGING PITTSBURGH PRESENTER: CHRIS BRIEM

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH CENTER FOR SOCIAL & URBAN RESEARCH In this lecture, Chris Briem contemplates the recent population changes taking place in the City of Pittsburgh, in particular, Pittsburgh’s East End Neighborhoods and the impact of the ongoing redevelopment of East Liberty. He will show how the city is changing in the context of employment and economic changes across the Pittsburgh region. ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Chris Briem is a regional economist at the University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR). His work at the center’s Program in Urban and Regional Analysis focuses on economic and demographic forecasting, industry analysis and competitiveness of the Pittsburgh region. Ongoing projects include economic forecasts for Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh region, analysis of migration trends in the Pittsburgh region, analysis of local government ﬁnances and fragmentation and the impact of demographic changes on the regional economy.

THIS LECTURE IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPS ARE APPRECIATED: MARYLU@PHLF.ORG OR 412-471-5808 EXT. 527. 744 REBECCA AVENUE

WILKINSBURG, PA 15221

412-471-5808

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 17-24, 2019

PHOTO: BRIAN COHEN

Earth Day Celebration at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

.CULTURE.

EARTH DAY EVENTS BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Wondering how to spend Earth Day? Whether you’re looking for family-friendly activities, outdoor events, or something more educational, Pittsburgh City Paper has compiled a list with a little something for everyone. PITTSBURGH EARTH DAY: FROM STEEL TO SUSTAINABLE April 17-20, pittsburghearthday.org This multi-day, citywide event features a wide array of programming celebrating advancements made in sustainability, technology, and innovation. Organized

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by Acrobatique Creative and the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Earth Day festivities kick off with a Sustainability Business Breakfast panel moderated by Grant Ervin, the chief resilience ofﬁcer for Mayor Bill Peduto. See recycled or reused style by local designers at the

Ecolution Fashion Show, enjoy live music and eco-friendly vendors at Paint the Square Green in Market Square, or eat and drink your way through the Pittsburgh Earth Day Food Truck Festival and the Great Lakes Brewing Sustainable Sips Pub Crawl.

EARTH DAY 5K TOUR: PITTSBURGH AND THE ENVIRONMENT WITH PITTSBURGH RUNNING TOURS April 20-21, pittsburghrunningtours.com Learn about the city’s history and sustainable revitalization efforts, including green buildings and environmental pioneers,

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Earth Day with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

during a series of events hosted by Pittsburgh Running Tours. Lace up your sneakers and go on one-hour long, 5k runs through various neighborhoods, where guides will stop along the way to highlight sites important to major historical events and the Pittsburgh environmentalist movement. Each run costs $25. Registration required.

MAKESHOP: EARTH WEEK AT THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH April 20-25, pittsburghkids.org The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh hosts a variety of green-focused experiments during Earth Week. Presented as part of the museum’s MAKESHOP laboratory program, the event invites kids and their caregivers to participate in a number of fun, informative activities, including making seed bombs out of clay, soil, and seeds, which they can then throw in their yards or gardens. You can also learn how solar energy works or make a ﬁeld notes book for outdoor discoveries.

visitors to explore the vital connections to nature and their important role in keeping the planet – and themselves – healthy at Phipps.” Bring the whole family to learn about bees, gardening, and butterﬂies, or see nature-inspired works by kaleidoscopic collage artist Gemma Fletcher or by middle and high school students in Shaped by Nature: A Youth Art Exhibition. On April 27, enjoy a full day of familyfriendly games, crafts, healthy lifestyle tips, and more during the UPMC Health Plan Family Fun Fest. You can also take in the natural beauty and culture of the Tropical Forest Cuba exhibit, check out the spring ﬂower show used bulb sale, or make a commitment to using 100percent renewable energy during the ongoing Make the Switch at Phipps! Green Power Drive. All activities are included with Phipps admission.

EARTH DAY WITH PITTSBURGH PARKS CONSERVANCY April 26-27, pittsburghparks.org/earth-day

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION AT PHIPPS CONSERVATORY AND BOTANICAL GARDENS April 22-28, phipps.conservatory.org Every day is Earth Day at Phipps, but this week should prove especially eventful. “Phipps Conservatory is dedicated to showing that sustainable practices are good for people, good for the planet and make the world a better, more beautiful place every day,” says Phipps president and CEO, Richard Piacentini. “We encourage

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than during a free, two-day community event in Frick Park? Enjoy cooking hot dogs and s’mores under the stars during an all-ages campﬁre meet-up in the Falls Ravine Shelter. Go for a hike and learn how to identify ﬂora, mushrooms, and wildlife, or enjoy some fun activities at the Frick Environmental Center, including supervised tree climbing, giant games, a pop-up Imagination Playground, and bubbles.

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