Pittsburgh Grooveline: April 11-17
This week has square dancing, 90’s music, emo heavy-hitters, and more.
Duolingo opens submissions for public art project on the outside of its East Liberty HQ
East Liberty is about to get another piece of public art, this time sponsored by language-learning app Duolingo. The company put out a call looking for artists to create works to decorate the outside of the company’s East Liberty office on South Beatty Street. “We believe learning a new language is about building bridges into…
Local anti-socialist political group under fire for allegedly failing to file financial reports
Americans Against Socialism is a group that has remained mysterious since the 2018 general election, when it first caused a stir in the local race for a state House seat between Sara Innamorato (D-Lawrenceville) and Dom Costa (D-Stanton Heights). Now, a campaign-finance complaint has been filed against the enigmatic organization for failing to register with…
Local hip-hop community remembers Antwon Rose II at Ace Hotel
The recent acquittal of former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld for the fatal shooting of Antwon Rose Jr. led to days of protests in neighborhoods throughout the city. Now, just weeks after the verdict, the local hip-hop community comes together to remember Rose with a show at Ace Hotel in East Liberty. On Wed., April…
Go ahead. Pick up that robocall!
In 2018, a record 48 billion robocalls were placed in the U.S., according to YouMail, a company that blocks and tracks robocalls. We all get them, and there isn’t much you can do to stop them — at least in my experience. I’ve blocked the number, only to get a call 30 minutes later from…
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s quixotic new quest to impeach Bill Peduto
After passing Pittsburgh City Council by a vote of 6-3, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto today signed into law a suite of bills that would restrict firearm use within city limits. “If Washington and Harrisburg refuse to recognize this is a public health emergency, and refuse to stand up to gun manufacturers, then we must take…
sym: When science fiction meets modern choreography
As part of Pittsburgh Dance Week, STAYCEE PEARL dance project & Soy Sos premiere their latest dance work sym, commissioned by and presented at East Liberty’s Kelly Strayhorn Theater, April 12 and 13. Choreographed by company co-executive director Staycee Pearl, sym is a dance work by her and husband Herman Pearl (Soy Sos) inspired by…
The best way to understand Brassero Grill’s ‘gourmexican’ fare is to experience it
Fernando Espejel’s Brassero Grill started in a tiny black trailer pulled by a pickup truck in 2012. He was inspired by his grandfather’s restaurant, which started in Mexico City with even more modest origins, on a tricycle. Like his grandfather, Espejel eventually moved to a brick-and-mortar location and has now been treating the city to…
Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren endorses Pitt grad students’ efforts to unionize
Graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh have been fighting for years to form a union, and have garnered support from local and state politicians. But they just nabbed their biggest yet. Today, presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tweeted out her support for Pitt grad students’ effort to unionize. In a video,…
A deep dive into the pocket-problem of womenswear
It was a 1940s oatmeal tweed jacket that I “borrowed” from my dad, which means he never saw it again (unless I was wearing it). This tweed jacket had pockets where my then-teenaged girl self had no idea pockets could exist. Not two, but three slash pockets: two on the right and one on the…
Toni Braxton, Walk The Moon to perform at Pittsburgh Pride 2019
“We are excited to be the first Pride in the world to be held on a bridge, and believe that Andy Warhol, Pittsburgh’s gay icon, would be thrilled that it will take place on his namesake bridge.”
Lynn Cullen Live – 4/9/19
Video Archive Memory loss is the topic Lynn and Susan are looking at first today. A new study has shown that noninvasive brain stimulation can help reduce memory loss. After treatment people in the study between age 60 to 76 were found to perform memory related tasks at the same rate as a group of…
Pittsburgh City Councilor Deb Gross kicks of re-election campaign
When hospital giant UPMC needed permission from Pittsburgh City Council for its large expansion plans in Uptown, an effort from community groups, activists, hospital workers, and labor representatives called on city councilors to reject the plans. They said the city should have demanded more requirements from UPMC, like a commitment to allow its workers to…
Lynn Cullen Live – 4/8/19
Video Archive A lot has happened over the weekend. Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned as Department of Homeland Security Secretary. Also, Trump has said he no longer wants Ron Vitiello as the permanent ICE Director. He has stated that he wants to go in an even tougher direction. Then there is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s…
Prantl’s famous burnt almond torte is being made into a new beer
Pittsburgh-based Prantl’s Bakery has earned a national reputation among cake lovers for its burnt almond torte — now they’re bringing the famous flavor to beer cans. Prantl’s announced Thursday that it’s teamed up with brewing company Platform Beer Co. to create “Torte,” a blonde ale inspired by the iconic dessert. Platform is based in Cleveland,…
Historic ice cream parlor comes to the South Hills, and everyone’s favorite Detroit-style pizza finalizes new locale in the Strip
Graeter’s Ice Cream This ice cream season, a new scoop shop is joining the ranks of city greats. Today, Graeter’s Ice Cream has officially opened a location in Castle Shannon. Graeter’s (also known as Oprah’s favorite ice cream), has been scooping in the U.S. since 1868. For over 145 years, the company has used the…
Concert Announcements: Khalid, MGK, and more
Stay up-to-date with your favorite artists and musicians coming to Pittsburgh. Each week, Pittsburgh City Paper will bring you the most recent concert announcements so you never miss a show. Hop Along. Tue., July 9. The Rex Theater, South Side. On sale NOW: @HopAlongtheband at @RexTheater on July 9th! Grab your tickets here 🎟️ https://t.co/W5MampFkgj…
Lynn Cullen Live – 4/5/19
Video Archive Lynn is kicking things off on a lighter note today. She is expressing her fear that she will never see a Broadway show again due to the prices, and availability of tickets. There is show running that she would love to see however. Glenda Jackson at the age of 82 is currently playing…
Pittsburgh City Podcast, April 3: Bigfoot is news, too
This week on the Pittsburgh City Podcast, host Alex Gordon and CP staffers Amanda Waltz and Abbie Adams tackle the serious business of covering local paranormal conferences. They’re joined by students from East Allegheny High School. The Pittsburgh City Podcast is brought to you by Pittsburgh City Paper and the Point Park University Center for…
Lynn Cullen Live – 4/4/19
Video Archive Two separate House committees are seeking Trump’s financial records. Those who want to see his tax records shouldn’t get too excited however, it’s going to be a long drawn out process. The House Ways and Means Committee has asked for six years of personal and business tax returns, while the House Oversight and…
Lynn Cullen Live – 4/3/19
Video Archive Self care, and the Sanjay Gupta documentary ‘One Nation Under Stress’ are the main topics of discussion today. The documentary features Pittsburgh’s own Cyril Wecht in it, and focuses on why the American life expectancy is falling. Lynn found it extremely informational, and it helped her to understand why she has felt so…
Stewart O’Nan revisits the Maxwell family from Wish You Were Here and Emily, Alone – this time focusing on Henry’s struggles
Readers were first introduced to the Pittsburgh-based Maxwell family in Stewart O’Nan’s 2002 novel Wish You Were Here. He checked back in with the widowed Emily Maxwell in 2011’s Emily Alone. And now O’Nan revisits the family once more with his new novel, Henry, Himself. “I was just thinking, ‘What’s the next project?’” says…
To Dust is a clunky but heartfelt exploration of Hasidic grief and the science of death
Nobody actually knows what happens to us when we die, spiritually. And aside from morticians, most people don’t know what happens to our bodies, physically, when we die either. The science of decomposition is especially a mystery to Shmuel, a Hasidic Jewish man mourning the death of his wife in To Dust, a drama about…
NVSV releases new album that he doesn’t want to promote
One of NVSV’s biggest pet peeves lately is Instagram polls. More specifically, when musicians use the social media feature to ask whether a new song should be dropped. Tap “Yes” or “No.” “I think they’re giving too much control to other people,” says NVSV (pronounced “NASA”). “I feel like that’s how [artists] make things now,…
The 412: Nightmarathons releases their debut album
The 412 is CP’s new music section where you can get local band/musician updates and fun, random tidbits of information all in one. Nightmarathons’ debut full-length album, Missing Parts, may be fresh to the music circuit, but it stirs feelings of punk nostalgia. Tracks like “Closer,” about the cycle of damaging addictions, resembles the punk…
Venue Guide: Spirit
Heading to a venue for the first time can be anxiety-inducing or at the very least cause inconveniences. Where’s will call? Is there parking? Will you have to hide your expensive bag behind a tree because it’s too big to pass security? Pittsburgh City Paper wants to help make attending shows as comfortable as possible.…
Well Known Strangers put on a live read of the 1985 comedy Clue
Local improv comedian Dave Forman has always looked on as other people put on live reads of their favorite TV shows and movies at Arcade Comedy Theater. But now, Forman, along with members of his improv group, Well Known Strangers, will present their own live read of the mystery-comedy film, Clue. “Clue is absolutely one…
Khūrākī serves up food and performances that showcase an Afganistan Americans have never seen
Afghanistan is a country roughly the size of Texas, a state with a variety of landscapes, cities, people, food, and music. Afghanistan has all those things too, but most Americans think only of the country as it is on a Google Image search, a seemingly infinite scroll of war, guns, soldiers, and violence. Molly Rice,…
Local architecture and design firm Point Line Projects pens a “love letter to Pittsburgh” with new publication, En Pointe
In April 2016, Pittsburgh native Sarah Rafson opened Point Line Projects. Architects connect points to make lines, while authors write lines to make points. How better to convey the intersection of architecture and associated arts? Those parallel passions run deep in Rafson’s work and are now converging with Point Line Projects’ new publication, En Pointe…
How children protesters change the world
In March of 1955, Claudette Colvin was sitting with three friends on a bus in Montgomery, Ala. As the bus drove closer into town and more white passengers boarded the bus, the bus driver asked — no — he told her and her friends to move. Her friends did; Colvin did not. She is quoted…
Happy Birthday, Spirit!
This Friday, April 5, Spirit celebrates its fourth birthday with national and local musical performances, along with free pizza and tattoos. Yes, free tattoos. Provided on a first come first served basis by Torch and Dagger Tattoo, the tattoo options are all quirky little things about Spirit; a pizza slice, Angry Dan’s hand (who MCs…
Q&A with Bricolage Production Company’s Jackie Baker
What does a Managing Director do? I mobilize an army of people around an artistic concept so it can become a reality. There’s an idea that barely makes up a paragraph living inside our artistic director [Jeffrey Carptenter]’s head. I take that out, slowly, over time; carefully, so as not to stifle creativity. I help…
Vietnamese sisters claim their East Liberty restaurant is ‘pho realz’
About a year ago, rumors of a new Vietnamese restaurant in the East End began circulating. This proved true when sisters Trinh Phan and Trang Somphomphakdy posted a sign reading “we pho realz” on the storefront of what would become Two Sisters Vietnamese Restaurant, Pittsburgh’s newest spot for first-rate pho and traditional Vietnamese cuisine. After…
Young candidates in Pittsburgh are sick of ‘waiting their turn’
There is a common criticism of young politicians like U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Ilhan Omar: “wait your turn.” It implies candidates must gather a certain level of experience and the go-ahead from older authority figures before seeking office. More and more, that sentiment is being rejected across the county, and in Pittsburgh. Ashley Priore…
April is the puberty of months
I think my favorite poem of all time is T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.” It’s the only poem that ever grabbed me within its first five words: “April is the cruelest month.” DAMN RIGHT, it is! The first time I heard that poem, Katharine Hepburn was reciting it in the film Without Love. I…
