Pittsburgh veterans encourage bettering relationships with immigrants
Veterans and immigrant groups encourage improving communication and contacting elected officials.
A new Pittsburgh tape label Crafted Sounds highlights local bands for a cause
In the weeks following the inauguration of President Donald Trump, many of Pittsburgh’s cultural and charitable institutions fought to raise money to combat the president’s expected wave of new policies. Shows donated proceeds to causes affected by the new administration; musicians gave their time and music to rallies and protests. On Feb. 3, the online…
The Space Between Us
An interesting premise can’t pick a lane in Peter Chelsom’s coming-of-age, sci-fi, mystery rom com. Gardner (Asa Butterfield), born and raised in secret in a Martian research facility, comes to Earth as a teenager. He meets his internet pen pal, a street-smart teenage girl named Tulsa (Britt Robertson), and the two of them steal a…
Listen Up! Feb. 8
Every Wednesday, we make a Spotify playlist containing tracks from artists mentioned in the current music section. Listen in the bathtub while reading the stories in this week’s paper for a fully immersive experience.
Review: Ms. Lauryn Hill at Heinz Hall
A recap of Ms. Lauryn Hill’s performance at Heinz Hall on Jan. 31
Attorney says Pittsburgh activist/undocumented immigrant Martín Esquivel-Hernandez has been deported
After amassing significant support from residents, politicians and religions leaders, Esquivel-Hernandez was still sent back to Mexico.
Lynn Cullen Live 02/07/17
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Suz and Lynn talk politics. Millions of Americans are put in financial danger as fiduciary rule is halted by Trump. Obama on vacation. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Pittsburgh Public-transit advocates and union groups protest Uber
Public-transit advocacy groups and unions are upset with Uber’s policies concerning immigrant- and worker-rights.
More than 100 people protest over impending deportation of Martín Esquivel-Hernandez and recent ICE raids
Immigrant-rights activists say feds have increased immigration enforcement in Pittsburgh area.
MP3 Monday: Marissa Hapeman
Going to church with chiptune artist Marissa Hapeman.
Lynn Cullen Live 02/06/17
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Lynn chats with Chris Potter. Super Bowl win. McCarthy as Spicer. Bannon as functioning president. Kleptocracy in action. Reliance on demography not democracy. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
What I learned from writing a fake sex blog nobody read
Lessons from writing a satirical sex blog no one read.
Immigrant-rights activists and constituents protest at Pittsburgh state Rep. Dom Costa’s office
Some claim the Democratic state Rep. and former Pittsburgh police chief has little understanding of immigration issues.
Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition releases recommendations
Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coaltion releases public safety, affordable housing, family outcomes, businesses and organizations, education and employment recommendations.
Tickets still left for tonight’s ‘Chad Deity’ performance at Pittsburgh’s barebones productions
Wrestling-themed comedic drama is staged at the Ace Hotel
Lynn Cullen Live 02/02/17
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Black History month speech. Public vs. private education funding. Tweeting out war. Water quality in PGH. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Through music, education and business, indie-rock legend Karl Hendricks left his mark on Pittsburgh’s music scene
Karl Hendricks was only 46 years old when he passed away on Jan. 21, after a three-year battle with oral cancer. But during his lifetime, he touched many people within the city and beyond, as a musician, record-store employee, author, teacher and family man. The Karl Hendricks Trio became one of the most talked-about bands…
How does Pittsburgh’s amusement tax impact small local music venues?
A few weeks ago, the tax man came to Howlers, a bar and small music venue in Bloomfield, asking for three years in back taxes. Those back taxes were the result of Pittsburgh’s amusement tax, which charges performers 5 percent on what is collected at the door. Mary Jo Coll is the booker at Howlers…
A dangerous intersection in Pittsburgh’s Regent Square neighborhood has residents calling for action
At 6:33 p.m. on Jan. 17, Davor Wagner was struck by two vehicles at the intersection of South Braddock Avenue and Sanders Street, in Regent Square. The man was hit by one vehicle, and the force propelled him into the path of another vehicle, where he became pinned under a tire. “It was pretty traumatic.…
What do Trump’s executive orders mean for Pittsburgh’s immigrants and refugees?
President Donald Trump issued three sweeping executive orders between Jan. 25 and 27 to overhaul the country’s immigration and refugee policies. Most of these target larger cities with significant immigrant populations like Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia. But some affect every corner of the country, including Pittsburgh. According to data compiled by the Pennsylvania Immigration…
Savage Love
I am a 26-year-old heterosexual European man. I have been for four years in a monogamous relationship with my girlfriend. Recently she cheated on me. When she told me what she did, I felt a very strong pain, even stronger than I expected. After a few days of pain, however, I found that the sexual…
The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Pittsburgh Musical Theater
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME continues through Sun., Feb. 5. Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $17.75-54.75. 412-456-6666 or pittsburghmusicals.com These days, virtually every Disney animated feature is getting its due on the stage. This time around, it’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, making its regional premiere at Pittsburgh Musical Theater. The production aims to…
Pittsburgh Left: Steve Bannon has his hand up Donald Trump’s ass working him like Elmo
When I was a kid, I once knew a guy who might or might not have been a relative who spent some time in the U.S. military, and he was always quick to offer his suggestions on how to deal with foreign aggressors. In Vietnam, for example, he felt the U.S. erred in not using…
Former Flyleaf front woman Lacey Sturm proves that hard rock is not dead with Life Screams
Lacey Sturm with Palisades, Letters From the Fire and Stitched Up Heart 7 p.m. Tue., Feb. 14. Diesel Club Lounge, 1601 E. Carson St., South Side. All ages. $18. 412-431-8800 or dieselpgh.com Success in the music business is nothing new for Lacey Sturm. In the early 2000s, she was the frontwoman of Flyleaf, an alt-rock…
Video game Night in the Woods tells a mysterious tale of Western Pennsylvania
Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry were waiting in the checkout line at a Sheetz gas station in Moon Township some time ago and noticed a young woman standing in front of them. Though they hadn’t met her before, she was familiar to Benson and Hockenberry because, as they put it, she was the human version…
Pittsburgh’s Secret House Sessions breathe new life into a forgotten home
In an abandoned house in Braddock, there is a room with incredible natural reverb. The sunlight drifts into the upstairs room that most likely once served as a bedroom, but now the paint on the doors is cracked and peeling. It feels familiar and full of life for being an empty house on a quiet…
Postcards of Hope
Pittsburgh residents concerned about the current administration wrote postcards to their senators and representatives at East End Brewing on Fri., Jan. 27. The event was part of the 10 Actions/100 Days campaign spurred by the Women’s Marches of Jan. 21. Mary Brunner-Ferrese wrote to Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Pat Toomey and Rep. Mike Doyle about…
Critics’ Picks, Feb. 2-8
[FOLK] + FRI., FEB. 3 In the late 1960s, Leo Kottke released 6- and 12- String Guitar on John Fahey’s Tacoma Records, and has spent the following decades securing his place as one of the most innovative and distinctive finger-picking-style guitarists outside of the legendary Fahey himself. Kottke’s idiosyncratic tunes radiate humor and intimacy. Over the…
Hop Culture, a Pittsburgh-based online magazine about craft beer, launches for a national audience
The popularity of craft beer is rising more swiftly than ever, with about 5,000 breweries across the United States. Pittsburgh, the original home of the boilermaker, has embraced the trend wholeheartedly, with new breweries opening seemingly every week. Kenny Gould, editor-in-chief of newly launched Pittsburgh-based online magazine Hop Culture, saw a need for broader and…
Most Wanted Fine Art to leave Penn Avenue
When Jason Sauer says he’s looking for the next big thing, he means it literally. After all, his art projects have included transporting a gaudily painted car to Queens, N.Y., only to drop a two-ton safe on it. Twice. So it’s no surprise that, even after a decade on Penn Avenue, Sauer and his wife,…
Goodfellas, in Swissvale, offers plenty of traditional pub grub and Italian-American food
Goodfellas 1915 McCague St., Swissvale. 412-351-6551 Hours: Daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Prices: Appetizers, soups, and salads $4-12; sandwiches, burgers and entrees $9-15 Liquor: Full bar Goodfellas, a restaurant and tavern in Swissvale, is a modern throwback. Though it opened only last year, its nondescript, single-story building, spacious suburban parking lot and sprawling interior, with bar,…
The Comedian
There is an entire generation of people who now must associate Robert De Niro only with broad comedic performances, large and small, in a steady procession of middling movies. I’ve given up waiting for this “greatest actor” to return to meaty dramatic roles, and now just grade these funnyman roles on a sliding scale. No…
Hunter Gatherer
After getting out of prison, Ashley (Andre Royo, Bubbles from The Wire) scrambles to get his life — and maybe his old girlfriend — back. He befriends a young man named Jeremy (George Sample III), and the two trade help on their not-very-well-conceived schemes. Ashley is a perpetual optimistic loser despite his frequent setbacks, whereas…
Neruda
After a recent foray into American history (Jackie), Chilean director Pablo Larrain returns to his wheelhouse — the messy politics and culture of his homeland. His latest work is a fictionalized biopic depicting the travails of Pablo Neruda (Luis Gnecco) when, in 1948, the Communist politician and revered poet went on the run from the…
Things To Come
In Mia Hansen Love’s drama, Nathalie Chazeaux (Isabelle Huppert) is well situated. She has longtime job teaching philosophy at a Paris university; a steady academic publishing gig; a husband (also an academic); a charming house in town, another in Brittany; and two children. The only shadow is her depressive and demanding elderly mother (Edith Scob).…
Spicy Mexican Soup
This is my favorite soup to make. It’s so easy, spicy, filling and delicious! It started as a chicken tortilla soup, but turned into a spicy, thick vegetable soup that I make year round. The golden hominy really makes it. Golden hominy is like a starchy ball made from whole corn kernels. This small addition…
Why should we fight back against current travel restrictions? Two words: Bruno Sammartino.
When things start going haywire in this world, I start thinking that I’m the crazy one. When our president unleashes an executive order, restricting travelers from certain countries with majority-Muslim populations from entering the United States, I wonder if I’m the one who’s nuts for thinking it’s xenophobic fear-mongering to placate the xenophobic, fear-mongering voters…
Tincup American Whiskey
“We’ve been getting a really good response with Tincup. I’m not a big whiskey drinker, but this is smooth for sipping and good for mixing, too.” — Recommended by Kelly Cavanagh, bartender at Matteo’s Tincup American Whiskey is available at Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores.
A longtime local English professor publishes his first novel
ALL THAT’S LEFT TO TELL BOOK-LAUNCH with Daniel Lowe 7 p.m. Fri., Feb. 17. White Whale Bookstore, 4754 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. Free. 412-224-4847 or whitewhalebookstore.com In 1981, Daniel Lowe came to the University of Pittsburgh to study creative writing as a grad student; he went on to teach. But while his poetry and short stories…
Pittsburgh City Paper Booze Battles: Apteka vs. Cure
Each week, we order the same cocktail at two different bars for a friendly head-to-head battle. Go to the bars, taste both drinks and tell us what you like about each by tagging @pghcitypaper on Twitter or Instagram and using #CPBoozeBattles. If you want to be a part of Booze Battles, send an email to…
The Royale at City Theatre
THE ROYALE continues through Feb. 12. City Theatre, 1300 Bingham St., South Side. $15-64. 412-431-2489 or citytheatrecompany.org Though he’s largely forgotten now, in the early 1900s, boxer Jack Johnson was (according to Ken Burns) “the most notorious African-American on Earth.” With The Royale, City Theatre and playwright Marco Ramirez show why. Johnson wasn’t just a…
A new juice bar and grab and go comes to Lawrenceville
Pittsburgh food is not known for being particularly healthy. A “Pittsburgh” version of a dish usually means adding French fries, meat or lots of shredded cheese. Reed & Co., the bright blue juice bar which recently opened in Lawrenceville, is aiming to change that. At least a little. Its New Pittsburgh Salad — the “classic”…
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at barebones productions
THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY continues through Sun., Feb. 4. Ace Hotel, 120 S. Whitfield St., East Liberty. $35-40. 888-718-4253 or barebonesproductions.com The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, presented by barebones productions, is a play that desperately wants to be a movie. Not merely because of the live and recorded video projections thrown onto…
They Call Us Monsters
They Call Us Monsters Directed by Ben Lear In English, and some Spanish, with subtitles 9 p.m. Fri., Feb. 3; 7 p.m. Sat., Feb. 4; 7 p.m. Tue., Feb. 7; and 7 p.m. Thu., Feb. 9. Hollywood Among the issues that are currently having a moment are two seemingly incompatible ones: cracking down hard on…
Mike Wysocki causes the University of Pittsburgh Panthers to suffer their worst loss in 111 years
My first visit to the Petersen Events Center, on Jan. 24, was one for the history books. Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals rolled into Oakland on a bus filled with the nation’s 12th-ranked team. The Pete was rocking and ready for a rematch with the team Pitt almost upset a couple of weeks earlier in Louisville.…
A Dog’s Purpose
There is no need to re-litigate the controversy that sprang up around the alleged mistreatment of a dog actor in this film. A Dog’s Purpose is lame enough that you should stay away regardless. The movie, directed by Lasse Hallström, adapts W. Bruce Cameron’s best-selling novel, which tracks the spirit of a dog across several…
Short List: Feb 1-9
SPOTLIGHT: Sat., Feb. 4 – Exhibit Iris Van Herpen’s fashion makes me think of The Hunger Games, and Rachel Delphia agrees. “It’s very futuristic; there’s a sinister undertone, absolutely,” says the Carnegie Museum of Art’s curator of decorative arts and design on the eve of the new exhibition Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion. “These garments…
Lynn Cullen Live 02/01/17
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Bannon and immigration. Supreme court appointment. Pittsburgh’s water. Senatorial voting records. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Lynn Cullen Live 01/27/17
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. The mad king Trump. Appointments and moving forward. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
