Fifteen years in and Snarky Puppy is better than ever
Any relationship — whether it’s a friendship, a marriage, or a band — can become strained after spending over 15 years together. But for Snarky Puppy, an unclassifiable jazz, rock, funk fusion band, their 19-plus member group is stronger now than it’s ever been. This may be because of the wide range of Snarky Puppy’s music.…
Talkin’ Snack: Pita Chips for Women
Talkin’ Snack is a new Pittsburgh City Paper column all about the delicious world of snacks, from salty to sweet, from crunchy to gummy, from weird Oreo flavor to another weird Oreo flavor. A few months ago, I saw an ad on Instagram from Stacy’s pita chips. This was back in March, Women’s History Month, so…
Best-selling author Celeste Ng comes to Shadyside with bestseller Little Fires Everywhere
Celeste Ng certainly could appear at larger spaces than the independent bookstores and smallish venues she’s visiting on tour for the paperback release of her bestselling novel, Little Fires Everywhere (Penguin). But Ng has a great affection for all booksellers. “A bookstore is a more than just a place where you physically get books,” says Ng,…
You wouldn’t know Pride and Prejudice is Amy Dick’s directorial debut and neither does her cast
Cross-Stitch Theater Company has been rehearsing Pride and Prejudice for three weeks, and Amy Dick hasn’t yet confided to the cast that this is her directorial debut. “She has a really strong face,” says Marsha Mayhak, who cofounded the theater company with Dick, and portrays Elizabeth Bennet in their production of the Jane Austen classic.…
Some Uber and Lyft drivers plan to strike in Pittsburgh on May 8
Chris Johnston is an Uber driver in the Pittsburgh area and says he enjoys the work, but on Wed., May 8, he is taking action against the company, joining thousands of other workers in an international strike against Uber and Lyft. “I have a love hate relationship with this company,” says Johnston. “They deserve it. They…
Jessica Pratt talks film and fantasy ahead of show at The Warhol
Jessica Pratt has become an emerging talent in the indie music scene, garnering critical praise for her hauntingly ethereal sound that, with its sparse acoustic guitar and Pratt’s otherworldly voice, recalls the moody singer-songwriters, jazz, and folk rock of the 1970s. She made her debut with a self-titled album in 2011, followed by On Your…
French artist Alexis Peskine uses nails like brush strokes to illustrate the global Black experience
If your knowledge of Alexis Peskine was based solely on a glance, it would still tell you quite an accurate bit. He’s extremely tall at 6’5” — to assume he’s played competitive basketball would be correct. His eclectic style is laden with clues about his global influences: the patterns on his clothes and his colorful,…
Meet the staff: Senior writer Amanda Waltz gets spooky (and sexy) on Ghoul on Ghoul podcast
Several months after Amanda Waltz came on board as our senior A&E writer at Pittsburgh City Paper, and just a few days after I was named editor, she came to my desk and confided a secret, whispering the words Generation X bosses overseeing millennial staffs are most fearful of: “I have a podcast.” I soon…
More City Paper fan mail telling it like it is
Oh, what a lovely selection of stamps from our fan FHM. American teapot, Navajo jewelry, a nonthreatening barn, and an “American Clock”? We must be in for some high praise. Let me pour myself a nice chardonnay and slice up a rich Shropshire Blue, so I can really enjoy this. All righty. So, this person does…
Pa. Democrats back bill protecting Dreamers that would grant them path to citizenship
In 2017, President Donald Trump tried to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), meaning millions of immigrants who have been in America for decades became at risk of being deported. Since then, Congress has failed to pass immigration reform that would protect Dreamers, those who were brought into the…
John Robinson Block publications detail the riches and coolness of John Robinson Block
“Trifecta!” the article begins without any relevance to what the word trifecta actually means. But relevance is obviously not the focus of the delirious purple prose of “Pittsburgh group celebrates weekend at the Kentucky Derby,” which is featured in both The Toledo Blade and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette online. This article is veritable bingo card of…
Conor Lamb says we must maintain nuclear power in Western Pennsylvania
Nuclear power in America is not doing so great. Nuclear’s share of electricity generation has been steadily declining throughout the country over the years. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects it will only get worse, dropping to 11 percent in 2050, from 20 percent in 2016. Unsurprisingly, Pennsylvania’s nuclear sector is also struggling. A FirstEnergy…
When Churches Burn, Who Mourns?
Americans tend to idealize Paris. The style, the food, the culture. In popular Western imagination, it’s a city that’s urbane and historic, the gold standard. So when images of the roof and spires of Notre Dame in flames overwhelmed the media a couple weeks ago, it was understandable. An icon is in flames. St. Mary Baptist…
A Wholey’s “shellabration,” blended burgers, a Hello Kitty food truck, and more food news from this week
Wholey’s Oysterfest Celebrate shellfish with Wholey’s Market at Oysterfest, the oyster extravaganza dubbed a “shellabration” by the Strip District shop. From May 17-19, all Pittsburghers are invited to the market for all things oyster. Taste different varieties, attend a seafood class, or take some to-go and shuck them yourself. Make sure to test out one…
Lynn Cullen Live – 5/3/19
Video Archive This is the last show for a week. Lynn will be on vacation next week. Words that are being used all the time, and are driving Lynn crazy are what she is discussing to kick things off. Both predicate and curate have been all over the place recently. The main story she is…
Can the proposed Mon-Oakland Connector adequately serve Hazelwood, Oakland, and Greenfield?
On April 22, Pittsburgh residents and transit advocates held a rally in front of the City-County building, protesting the proposed Mon-Oakland Connector. The transit proposal would utilize small on-demand, autonomous shuttles to carry passengers around the Hazelwood/Greenfield/Oakland corridor. “We suffer from bad pedestrian access now,” said Hazelwood resident Conor Sites-Bowen at the rally. “Why build…
Roxian Theatre is giving away a pair of tickets to Animals As Leaders
Sometimes, a band’s music registers just as seismically on an emotional wavelength as it does on a sonic spectrum. Animals As leaders — Tosin Abasi (guitar), Javier Reyes (guitar), and Matt Garstka (drums) — reimagine, reinterpret, and refresh instrumental prog, experimental metal, modern jazz, alternative, and even world music to a point where the reaction…
Lynn Cullen Live – 5/2/19
Video Archive Lynn was able to watch Attorney General Barr’s testimony from yesterday, and that is what she is discussing first this morning. Kamala Harris’s questioning is one of the highlights of the testimony. If you haven’t seen it you should really look it up. Lynn believes it shows her ability to be a true…
Lynn Cullen Live – 5/1/19
Video Archive Attorney General Barr is to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee as the show airs today. Lynn is talking about that, and the letter Robert Mueller wrote to Barr telling him that the four page memo did not fully capture the report. In a follow up to a story Lynn spoke about yesterday,…
Local DJs and pie gurus join forces for weekly all-vinyl pizza parties
Wednesday Night Pizza Party Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Location: Pizza Taglio, 126 S. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh There’s a new party for those whose hearts beat for pizza and funky tunes, kicking off Wed., May 1 at Pizza Taglio. DJ Paul Seif, who books parties under the moniker The Vinyl Dept., local DJs Anthony Susan, Deesus, and…
Playing the ponies Western Pennsylvania style
Saturday, May 4 is the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby, which has hosted historic dignitaries like the 17th Earl of Derby in 1930, Harry S. Truman in the 1950s, and Lauren Conrad in 2013. Since I couldn’t make it to “The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports,” I traded the mint juleps and seersuckers for…
Artist’s paintings and poetry converge to expose the lingering horrors of the Holocaust
Reckoning with the massacre at Tree of Life is not a quick or easy process. It manifests differently for everyone. For artist Judy Robinson, it meant channeling her grief into both painting and poetry for The Numbers Keep Changing, an exhibit at the Holocaust Center on display through June 24 honoring Jewish identity, and the…
Pittsburgh author’s grain-centric cookbook emphasizes ‘nature’s genius’ over ‘man’s chemicals’
The Gluten-Free Grains Cookbook is built on the author’s cooking blog, With The Grains, where she shares recipes and their backstories. While Kogel is not strictly gluten-free, her cooking style relies heavily on alternative grains that can work with all diets. After nearly a decade of collecting recipes, her cooking style has culminated with this…
Can drug testing bill targeting horse racing gain support from Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation?
With the Kentucky Derby coming up this weekend, horse racing is making its annual pilgrimage to the front page, as millions of people place bets and make plans for the big day. The excitement, the grandeur, and the tradition of one of America’s oldest sports captivate many into watching the buildup to what is essentially…
Shedding light on one of the most technical jobs in theater
Name: Andrew David Ostrowski, Lawrenceville Work: Lighting Designer Recent Work: Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Point Park University, City Theatre Company, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Front Porch Theatricals, barebones productions, Grove City College Upcoming Work: We Are Among Us at City Theatre; Bright Star at Front Porch Theatricals; Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble; Edinburgh Fringe…
Bizarre sex toy feature has foot fetishists walking in the other direction
Last week, luxury sex-doll company Silicon Wives launched a new toy aimed at foot fetishists. Made of medical-grade silicone, these $199 sex toys are supposed to be a realistic representation of human feet; that is, if an amputated human foot included a built-in vagina that could be accessed through the top of the severed calf.…
Determining the right mint julep for the Kentucky Derby
It’s Kentucky Derby season, and you know what that means: an obligatory article about the mint julep, the drink famously associated with the race. Consisting of bourbon or rye (preferably from Kentucky, of course), simple syrup, mint, and crushed ice, and traditionally served in a chilled silver cup, the mint julep pairs well with fat…
Free Will Astrology
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I invite you to explore the frontiers of what’s possible for you to experience and accomplish. One exercise that might help: visualize specific future adventures that excite you. Examples? Picture yourself parasailing over the Mediterranean Sea near Barcelona, or working to help endangered sea turtles in Costa Rica, or giving a…
A day at the track: a photo essay from two Western Pennsylvania horse racing venues
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino 210 Racetrack Road, Washington meadowsgaming.com The Meadows Racetrack & Casino The Meadows Harmar OTB (Off-track betting) 1 Anchor Drive, Harmar Township The Meadows Harmar OTB
Will East Liberty resident feedback save Saints Peter and Paul Church?
The majestic Gothic edifice sits visibly damaged, but not completely destroyed. It’s shocking to those who see its architecture as a unifying cultural asset transcending any specific religion, and also to those who experience it as a unifying space for revitalizing a sense of community. But do you mean the Cathedral of Notre Dame in…
Race and Revolution: Still Separate – Still Unequal examines educational discrimination in Pittsburgh to address a national problem
Race and Revolution: Still Separate – Still Unequal, the latest group exhibition at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, opens with two pieces by artist JC Lenochan. On one wall hangs an old-school analog clock with the word “Race” replacing several numbers. A pile of textbooks leads to a chalkboard asking viewers to answer…
Three women-led dance companies join forces for Elevate, a show that addresses the challenges of female dance makers
Elevate 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sat., May 4. Point Park University’s George Rowland White Performance Studio, 201 Wood St., Downtown. $18-25. shanasimmonsdance.ticketleap.com/Elevate While strides have been made in recent years to address the lack of leadership roles and choreographic opportunities for women in dance, much still needs to be done. To that end, choreographers…
Which Derby fashion will finish first?
I am a sucker for all things Derby: Derby pie, Derby hats, and naturally, the Kentucky Derby. It’s kind of odd that I have a fascination with the Derby because I have a deep fear and hatred of horses. Even as a child, my favorite part in The Godfather was when the movie producer found…
Rogen and Theron’s odds at romance are far better than Long Shot wants you to believe
The slogan for the Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron vehicle Long Shot reads “unlikely but not impossible.” This refers to the odds of a journalist and politician falling in love, a woman successfully running for president, but first and foremost, the optics of someone who looks like that dating someone who looks like that. The…
Pittsburgh techno/house veterans Machine Age remain under the radar, and that’s intentional
Head over to www.inthemachineage.com and you will find a white background with a logo, address, and contact information for record label Machine Age. No hyperlinks. No tabs. No social media icons. “For the first couple years, it was in the plans,” says Preslav Lefterov, owner and founder of the Polish Hill-based house/techno recording studio and…
Experimental show BLANK’s improvisation is impossible to discuss in any detail prior to its staging
Just about 48 hours before they arrive on set for the first time, the actors in 12 Peers Theater’s newest production will get an email from its artistic director Vince Ventura. The email will contain the script and a list of 14 instructions for performing it. This will be the first time the actors see…
