Pittsburgh City Paper

MP3, er, Tuesday: B. White

John Lavanga — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:16:00 -0400

Hey all! We got it together a little late yesterday, so MP3 Monday is MP3 Tuesday this week.…

New Package Deal Provides Staycation Alternative

Bill O'Driscoll — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:40:00 -0400

Miranda Bauer likes Sandcastle and all. She just found that when she bought a membership there for herself, her husband and her young daughter, she wasn’t getting her money’s worth.…

Power pop at the Smiling Moose tonight: Cheap Girls

Andy Mulkerin — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:24:19 -0400

Here's one of those that we couldn't fit into the paper this week, but that's worth a listen: Tonight at the Smiling Moose, Cheap Girls — formerly of Rise Records, now independent — play, along with Diamond Youth and I Am a Sea Creature. Cheap Girls' 2012 release Giant Orange was produced by Against Me's Laura Jean Grace.…

Election Day thoughts

Chris Potter — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:27:00 -0400

Today is, obviously, a potentially historic day, pivotal for the future of our region. It's the day that Pittsburgh's men and women, workers and retirees, students and citizens of all kinds, go to the polls and ask themselves the question at the heart of our republic:

"Who the fuck are these judicial candidates?"

But there's a mayoral race too, as you may have heard.…

Former city cop acquitted in insurance fraud/road rage case

Lauren Daley — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:55:00 -0400

A former city traffic officer accused of insurance fraud, reckless endangerment and related charges in a 2010 road rage case was acquitted this afternoon in a non-jury trial.

Common Pleas Judge Jill E. Rangos granted Garrett John Brown's motion for insufficient evidence in the case that stemmed from an encounter — first recounted in this City Paper story — with donut deliverymen Matt Mazzie and Blaine Johnston in the early morning of Nov. 18, 2010.…

Performance Passes Someone’s Life Before Your Eyes

Bill O'Driscoll — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:20:00 -0400

An ad hoc group of performers is staging a curious sort of multimedia show tomorrow.

Starting at noon, in a nondescript building on Bigelow Boulevard, in Polish Hill, they’ll enact the stages of a single human life.…

Arts Funding Protest Draws Mayoral Candidate

Bill O'Driscoll — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:38:00 -0400

Bill Peduto was the lone mayoral candidate at today’s Downtown event demanding enforcement of the city and county’s percent-for-art laws.

The protest was highlighted by a couple dozen CAPA high school students mimicking the classic “eyeballs in tophats” costumes of cult band The Residents.…

Tonight: Bridgette Perdue at the August Wilson Center

Andy Mulkerin — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:27:00 -0400

About a year ago, Bridgette Perdue put out her first album of piano-pop tunes, Enjoy This Moment. Tonight, the irrepressively positive Perdue presents a special live event at the August Wilson Center, combining a concert with dance and other art forms.…

Johnny Angel off the air for now

Andy Mulkerin — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:03:00 -0400

Despite its storied rock-DJ history, even Pittsburgh has fewer and fewer regular old-fashioned oldies radio shows — and as of a few weeks ago, it's down to one less. The Johnny Angel Heavenly Soul Show, which had been on the air at 1320-AM WJAS since 2011, went off the air at the end of March, because DJ Johnny Angel — a longtime local performer and DJ — was unable to find the sponsorships needed to keep it afloat.…

Venture Outdoors Festival in Point State Park on Saturday

Bill O'Driscoll — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:38 -0400

The free annual hands-on expo for all things rugged or just plain recreational is set for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If you ever wanted to try a climbing wall, in other words, now’s the time. Plus things as low-impact as horseshoes.…

Calliope announces 2013-14 concert series, with Vieux Farka Toure, Bruce Cockburn

Andy Mulkerin — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:19:24 -0400

Calliope, the folk society, has announced its 2013-14 concert series, running from October through April. The shows will all take place at Carnegie Lecture Hall in Oakland.…

War of words escalating in final days of mayoral campaign

Chris Potter — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:32:00 -0400

We're now in the final days of the city's mayoral campaign, which means all the campaign rhetoric you've been hearing for the past several weeks is about to get dialed to 11. And based on a pair of dueling press conferences this morning, the race's two frontrunners -- City Councilor Bill Peduto and former Auditor General Jack Wagner -- are going to be attacking each other over ... the fact that they've been attacking each other.…

The Composure covers "Closing Time," plays Altar tonight

Andy Mulkerin — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:29:00 -0400

Know what's BIG right now? '90s nostalgia!…

New Aviary Show Highlights Misunderstood Birds of Prey

Bill O'Driscoll — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:56 -0400

You’ll see some spectacular stuff in Talons!, the new indoor free-flight show at the National Aviary. If you’re lucky, you might even get buzzed by a Eurasian Eagle-Owl, a cat-sized bird with deep orange eyes.…

Demonstration for Arts Funding Set for Friday

Bill O'Driscoll — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:05:10 -0400

A movement to get Pittsburgh to enforce a 36-year-old city law requiring that public construction projects set aside “1 percent for art” holds its first big press conference and rally Downtown, on Friday afternoon.

The Pittsburgh Percent 4 Art Campaign assembles artists, students and others at 1 p.m. at Katz Plaza — home of artist Louise Bourgeois’ landmark “eyeball” sculptures.…

Jordan Miles gets high-powered legal team for second trial

Charlie Deitch — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:43:00 -0400

Civil-=rights attorney Joel Sansone, who in 2008 secured a $28 million jury award against two state troopers who shot an unarmed 12-year-old in the back, will be leading Jordan Miles' second civil trial against the three police officers Miles in January 2010.

Sansone, who filed his notice of appearance on May 2, told City Paper today that Miles' new trial team will be led by himself and Detroit-based civil rights lawyer Bob Giroux and also consist of Miles' lead attorneys in the first civil trial, J. Kerrington Lewis and Tim O'Brien.…

In mayor's race, intriguing footprints on the money trail

Chris Potter — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:25:44 -0400

With one week to go before the May 21 mayoral primary, the money trail is becoming increasingly convoluted — as reflected by financial activity involving the campaigns of the race's two frontrunners.

For starters, a contractor whose work on Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's home has become the subject of stories in the Post-Gazette appears to be a financial supporter of Jack Wagner.…

Event reminder: Ride of Silence tonight

Lauren Daley — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:16:00 -0400

Tonight, cyclists will gather to remember those injured in crashes around the city, during the annual Ride of Silence.

Cyclists can meet between 6:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. at Dippy the Dinosaur at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Schenley Drive by the Carnegie museum in Oakland tonight.…

Summer Music

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

VENUES 31st Street Pub.…

Now

Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Loose grey hairs tickle as the air moves untamable tipsy yellow jackets raid the apple's core honing in repeatedly…

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper's Aly Spaltro brings her first album to Pittsburgh

Ian Thomas — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The songs were written over the course of about three years in Brunswick, Maine, and then recorded over ten months in Brooklyn. by Ian Thomas Fresh off a spate of European tour dates and about to embark on a U.S. tour, Aly Spaltro, better known as the mastermind of Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, is remarkably calm. She is back in Brooklyn, where she resides and where she recorded her debut album, Ripely Pine.…

At Silver Eye, a new series finds comparable but distinct work by teacher and student hanging side by side.

Robert Raczka — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

This is not the realm of staged art photography, but rather modestly tweaked photographic realism. by Robert Raczka Continuum: Doug DuBois and Aaron Blum is the first in a projected series of contemporary photography exhibits exploring mentorship and influence — generally between teacher and student. Blum received an MFA in photography in 2010 from Syracuse University, where he studied with DuBois, and each is represented by selections from a recent long-term project focusing on a social group in a defined location.…

Aaronel deRoy Gruber's work gets an engaging survey at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art

Robert Raczka — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The timing could hardly be better for re-recognizing her sculptural work that straddles art and industrial design by Robert Raczka Making the road trip to the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, in closer-than-I-remembered Greensburg, I expected small sculptures on widely spaced pedestals. Instead, I entered a veritable funhouse, an arcade-like gallery packed with colored Plexiglas and chrome constructions — some kinetic, some illuminated — that were originally futuristic and are now retro, as well.…

Impossible Choice: Despite onerous restrictions already in place, women's health options are coming under fire again

Lauren Daley — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

"The increased burdens ... have the potential to drive women out of state or underground." by Lauren Daley It's not like getting an abortion in Pennsylvania was easy before. Just ask Janet, who more than a decade ago found out she was pregnant, at age 17. State law requires parental consent if a minor wants an abortion, unless a judge bypasses the requirement.…

Pittsburgh Ballet school offers its annual pre-professional showcase

Steve Sucato — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Swan Lake excerpts, contemporary works highlight the weekend-long program by Steve Sucato While Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is one of the nation's top ballet companies, its school also has a reputation for turning out top talent. The school draws dancers from around the world to hone their skills in preparation for a professional career.…