MP3 Monday: John Vento
This week’s track comes from singer-songwriter John Vento who, in addition to making solo records, fronts Nied’s Hotel Band. His new song, “Just Don’t Care,” features backup vocals by Mia Z, who appeared on NBC’s the Voice. Stream or download the song for free below. To download, right-click here and choose “save link as”
Pittsburgh City Council postpones paid sick days vote again, public hearing scheduled tomorrow
Pittsburgh City Council postpones paid sick days vote agai
Listen Up! July 29
Every Wednesday, we make a Spotify playlist of tracks from artists covered in the current music section. This week, we’ve also included a few extra artists who are featured in our concert listings. Check it aht!
Review: Iron & Wine with Ben Bridwell, July 27
There’s that point every summer when it just feels like summer: insects chirp, barbecues smoke, the air is a little hazy and sleepy. Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam and Band of Horses’ Ben Bridwell imbue their music – year round – with a touch of these languid days. However, at the Carnegie of Homestead Music…
Concert announcements:Anderson Ponty Band, Hopsin, Josh Ritter, more
Ready for some fresh concert announcements? Here’s a tiny batch for ya … Anderson Ponty Band (that’s Jon Anderson & Jean-Luc Ponty) comes to the Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall on November 1 ($50-90, on sale Saturday). Hopsin, Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton and DJ Hoppa bring the FV2015 Tour to the Altar Bar on October 12 ($30, on…
MP3 Monday: Six Speed Kill
This week’s MP3 comes from Six Speed Kill; stream and/ or download “Hell in a Handbasket,” from the band’s new self-titled record below. If you dig it, check out the band live when they release the record on Friday, July 31 at the 31st Street Pub. This download link has expired. Sorry!
‘TransView’ discussion explores real-life stories of local trans people of color
Pittsburgh Black Pride and TransPide Pittsburgh co-host event discussing real-life stories of trans people of color.
Paid sick days vote postponed
Council postpones vote on paid sick days ordinance.
Two bikers harassed by driver on Butler Street, biking advocates seek improvements
Two cyclists verbally and physically harrassed while biking on Butler Street. Cycling advocates ask for improvements to the popular Lawrenceville main drag.
Music video: Chevy Woods ft. DeJ Loaf, “All Said and Done”
Despite having not yet released an “official” project, Taylor Gang rapper Chevy Woods has made a name for himself over the last few years, releasing multiple nationally acclaimed mixtapes and touring extensively alongside Wiz Khalifa. August 7, the Hazelwood native drops his first EP, The 48 Hunnid Project . Check out the video for “All Said…
Reading Tomorrow by Departing Authors
Fiction writers Jeffrey Condran, Aubrey Hirsch prepare to leave for teaching posts
Pittsburgh’s second annual Uber Ice Cream Day coming Friday
If you are stuck in the office on what promises to be a glorious Friday in the ‘Burgh, and want to feel as if you are outside enjoying soaking up the rays in the park or on the beach, Uber has you covered. For the second year in a row, ride-booking company Uber will be…
CP Weekend Podcast – July 24 – 26, 2015
This week: Ukrainian food, the cell block tango and singing the blues
Lynn Cullen 7/23/15
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Min. wage raised in NY state. More on the Penn Ave. building. Starting a conversation about Sandra Bland. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
A New Kind of Fallout at Opera Theater
A NEW KIND OF FALLOUT continues 7:30 p.m. Fri., July 24, and 2 p.m. Sun., July 26. Twentieth Century Club, 4201 Bigelow Blvd., Oakland. $25-75. 412-326-9687 or otsummerfest.org A New Kind of Fallout grew from an Opera Theater of Pittsburgh commission to celebrate the life and work of Rachel Carson. Because Carson’s estate is protective…
Short List: July 22 – 30
SPOTLIGHT: Thu., July 30 — Music Randy Newman’s career has ranged (at the least) from the scorchingly ironic “Rednecks” (from his 1974 album Good Old Boys) to the jauntily reassuring “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” off the Toy Story soundtrack. But that’s Newman: Both risk-taker and master craftsman, he’s a singer, songwriter and showman…
Southpaw
Southpaw Directed by Antoine Fuqua Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams Starts Fri., July 24 “All I need is six weeks. I’ll give fighting everything. This is about family.” So said every comeback kid in every male melodrama disguised as a boxing film, including this one. Southpaw, directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and…
Stuff We Like
Breakfast Window at The Porch. For a mere $1, you can get a coffee made from a Coffee Tree Roasters blend specifically made for The Porch. For a couple of bucks more: made-to-order doughnuts and breakfast sandwiches. Open 7-11 a.m. Schenley Plaza, Oakland. www.theporchatschenley.com Rivertowne Pourhouse Hala Kahiki Pineapple Beer. While this locally made beer…
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
As even its obtuse title suggests, Swedish writer-director Roy Andersson’s A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence is not for everyone. It is indeed a reflection on existence — and does feature a pigeon on a branch — but it’s a slow, dreamlike tour through a series of loosely connected set pieces. There’s…
Tako
Tako 214 Sixth St., Downtown 412-471-8256 Hours: Tue.-Sat. 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Prices: $6-14 Liquor: Full bar Every time we think a local restaurant has hit the peak of buzz, another comes along and tops it. It took us weeks to reserve a table at white-hot Tako, even at the early-bird hour of 5 p.m. Its…
Aloft
Damaged people form the heart of this offbeat drama, written and directed by Claudia Llosa, and set in the frozen far north of Canada. Primarily focused on a mother-son relationship, the narrative jumps between two time periods set 20 years apart. In the earlier scenes, we meet a single mother (Jennifer Connelly) struggling to raise…
How much would privatizing liquor sales really help?
The Pennsylvania House and Senate recently passed a bill to privatize the state’s liquor system, rekindling the flames of a debate that has smoldered for decades. As expected, Gov. Wolf silenced this round of bickering with a veto. Nevertheless, the bill marks Pennsylvania’s closest brush with privatization since state control was established more than 80…
Ant-Man
If it’s Monday, there must be another Marvel movie in the theaters. The latest, directed by Peyton Reed, covers the adventures of Ant-Man, a relatively — ahem — small character, who nonetheless is needed both to fight villains and expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A good-guy hacker named Scott (Paul Rudd) is recruited by retired…
The Pop Stop cart sells a variety of frozen treats on sticks
Todd Saulle was an English teacher … until he became a professional ice-pop-maker. “I just love the creative aspect of branding and coming up with new ideas,” says Saulle, who majored in English literature and history at the University of Pittsburgh before teaching at Central Catholic High School for six years. Saulle brings his popsicle…
Trainwreck
Well, Amy Schumer was having a moment, but now she’s gonna have a summer with this fresh and funny big-screen break-out. This year’s much-buzzed-about comedian headlines a rom-com she wrote that is notable for: inverting the typical gender stereotypes; starring actors who look like real people; and revealing the heretofore unknown comedic talents of Cleveland…
What to do when chatting up alt-country provocateur Lydia Loveless
LYDIA LOVELESS with IRON & WINE, BEN BRIDWELL. 8 p.m. Mon., July 27. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, 510 E. 10th Ave, Munhall. $35-50. All ages. 412-462-3444 or library musichall.com The Internet has created a culture where we can all enjoy our vices, shame-free. Where we’re self-proclaimed nerds for the stuff of Lydia Loveless songs:…
Alt-music festival, X-Fest, returns after a nine-year hiatus
X-Fest I (Rise Against with Chevelle, Killswitch Engage, Letlive and Meg Myers): 4:30 p.m. Sat., July 25. $39.50-$60. X-Fest II (Social Distortion with Anti-Flag, Reel Big Fish, X Ambassadors, Nikki Lane and Drag the River): 4:30 p.m. Fri., Aug. 21. Both shows: Stage AE, 400 North Shore Drive, North Side. stageae.com The last time X-Fest happened, Staind,…
Pittsburgh Blues Festival keeps it rolling for the Food Bank
Most of Charlie Wheeler’s guitar heroes are dead. “All my idols are gone — almost. B.B. just died, Stevie died, Jerry died, Jimi died … they all died. But Buddy’s still around,” Wheeler says. This weekend, he’ll get to perform with his band, the Charlie Wheeler Trio, just hours before one of his last living…
Critics’ Picks, July 23-28
[EXPERIMENTAL ROCK] + THUR., JULY 23 Imagine a band solely dedicated to Imagine Dragons’ tiresome gimmick to get the blood pumping (drums, drums and more drums) — but with an interesting, classical approach. The Kraken Quartet consists of four men playing a pair of drum kits, an arsenal of xylophones and keyboards, with zero attempts…
New Releases
Billy Price and Otis Clay This Time for Real (Bonedog/Vizztone) www.billyprice.com Shivering in my air-conditioned office on a gloomy, rainy July day, I wondered, “What can I listen to that will make me feel warmer?” Turns out, This Time for Real is what I needed. A collaborative effort between longtime friends, celebrated locally based blues…
Mattress Factory installations explore sustainable design, detritus and more
FACTORY INSTALLED PART I continues through March 27. 1414 Monterey St., North Side. 412-231-3169 or mattress.org The Mattress Factory’s 1414 Monterey Street venue now features four room-sized artworks, part one of the two-part Factory Installed series. According to the museum, the artists or teams in Factory Installed “demonstrate a uniquely different approach to the creative…
Recent Penn Plaza evictions highlight East Liberty’s severe lack of affordable housing
Video by Aaron Warnick On a hot and sticky Saturday morning, the East Liberty Lutheran Church was jam-packed with soon-to-be-evicted residents of the Penn Plaza Apartments. Everyone was sweating and many were fanning themselves with pamphlets with the words “Black Homes Matter” written across the front in bold letters. Residents of the East Liberty apartment…
Monster’s Ink
In a post for the blog Luna Luna, Pittsburgh’s Margaret Bashaar writes that her poetry was once compared to French horror films. She also describes creatively using the nightmares that once afflicted her as “appealing — cathartic — about confronting the darkest parts of myself through poetry.” In her recent debut full-length collection, Stationed Near…
In the midst of a film-production boom, proposed Pittsburgh City Council measure would require film permit fees.
Everyone knows the big ones: The Dark Knight Rises, She’s Out of My League, Jack Reacher, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and the soon-to-be-released Southpaw. But according to the Pittsburgh Film Office, there’s much more: Since 1995, 135 films have been shot in Pittsburgh, and many more have recently wrapped or are in…
Sharon’s Grave at PICT Classic
SHARON’S GRAVE ontinues through Aug. 1. Henry Heymann Theatre, Stephen Foster Memorial, 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $13-48. 412-561-6000 or PICTTheatre.org It is fashionable to compare John B. Keane’s Sharon’s Grave (1960) and the work of fellow Irishman Samuel Beckett. But PICT Classic Theatre’s production has more in common with ancient Greek tragedy than with any…
International investigation of worldwide hackers’ marketplace is rife with Pittsburgh ties
It was a password-protected international forum for cybercriminals in more than 20 countries. Its users have been responsible for some of the most dangerous threats to cyber security across the globe. But last week, after a two-year investigation, the network known as Darkode was dismantled right here in Pittsburgh. “Darkode represented one of the gravest…
The Drowsy Chaperone at Stage 62
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE continues through Sun., July 26. Andrew Carnegie Free Library Music Hall. Carnegie. $15-18. 412-429-6262 or stage62.com The origins and plot of the 2006 Broadway musical The Drowsy Chaperone are, even for a musical, unusual. When Canadian actor/writer Bob Martin married actress Janet van de Graaf, in 1997, their friends — as a…
For some neighborhoods, jitney is the only way to travel
Henderson Hill steers his tan ’06 Chevy Equinox around a chuckhole the size of Venango County. “Pittsburgh streets,” he says, shaking his head. Passenger Terri Baltimore sighs audibly. “Miss Terri,” he asks amiably, “you all right?” “Fine,” she smiles. “I’m just fine.” Hill, a Hill District jitney driver, jumped in the life more than 50…
Medea at Throughline
MEDEA continues through Sat., July 25. Throughline Theatre Co. at the Grey Box Theatre, 3595 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $15-20. 888-718-4253 or throughline theatre.org Modern feminists (i.e. since the 19th century) often posit the premise: What if women ran the world? But the ladies in the Throughline Theatre Co. production of Medea ask: “What if women…
Savage Love
My wife and I have been together for more than 10 years, practicing some kind of nonmonogamy for more than seven. We tried different things — open, dating others, FWBs — but after a bi threesome with another guy a year ago, we knew that was our thing. For a while, everything was great, but…
Lynn Cullen Live 7/22/15
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Theodore Bikel, star of the Sound of Music, died yesterday. Journalists flounder on what to do with Trump. Hacktivists make a lesson out of computerized cars. Planned Parenthood video. Puppy parties. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and…
Residents speak out about Penn Plaza Apartments
Video by Aaron Warnick
