Review: Old Accusers CD release show w/ Code Orange Kids, Colony, Ancient Shores, Breach 5/25/12
Review of the Old Accusers CD release show at 222 Ormsby on Friday May 25th, 2012.
Lynn Cullen Live 05/29/12
Video Archive Phone guest: Susan; Pirates at 500!; assessed value vs. asking price for local houses; 6 year old girl to be in national spelling bee; naked man shot dead while chewing the face off of another man; local boy charged with killing his mother has been exonerated, officials may have lied to prevent resort…
Lynn Cullen Live 05/25/12
Video Archive An “old” conservative laments on the “new” right-wingers; nothing conservatve about Breitbart – no respect for order, civility, reality; 5 million Google results for Obama & Anti-Christ; conservatives have no platform, they are just against things; Richard Nixon was more liberal than some of the Democrats today; PA schools will barely be able…
Warhol, Pittsburgh and POP! at City Theatre
One reason this new musical was big news in Pittsburgh, of course, is that everyone knows that Andy Warhola was born and grew up here. (Everyone in Pittsburgh, that is — no doubt most of the world still wonders why the museum named after him is located at the confluence of the three rivers.) This…
Lynn Cullen Live 05/24/12
Video Archive Guest: Robin Sowards, adjunct professor at Duquesne; starting a union for the adjunct faculty; students under the burden of debt don’t have a chance to do what they want to do; The People Speak taping at WQED; Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan!; man jumps out of parachute wearing nothing but a wingsuit; a mother…
Daryl Metcalfe at it again with anti-Planned Parenthood bill
Conservative state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Mordor) today again introduced legislation to defund Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania and other organizations that provide abortions. Flanked by fellow Republican lawmakers and representatives from pro-life organizations, Metcalfe touted what he calls the “Whole Woman’s Health Funding Priority Act” which would “prohibit Planned Parenthood and all other abortion-on-demand providers…
Primus, Gogol Bordello, the Dead Kenny G’s live at Stage AE 5/22/12
A review of the Primus, Gogol Bordello, and the Dead Kenny G’s show at Stage AE on Tuesday May 23rd, 2012.
Kids
ONGOING Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Branches of the library offer storytelling hours and more all summer. www.clpgh.org Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. A wide array of interactive, hands-on exhibits and art, plus children’s art classes. The Attic tests your sense of balance with the Gravity Room and 3-D sounds. On May 26, the museum will unveil…
Getting the Shaft: Despite PNC’s promise to cut support for mountaintop mining, activists say it’s business as usual
Two years ago, in response to sharp criticism from environmentalists, PNC Bank announced a policy to tamp down complaints that it was financing a controversial mining practice. Today, environmentalists are still trying to figure out what that policy actually means. On May 16, about 75 members of the Earth Quaker Action Team appeared outside the…
Outdoors
CITY POOLS Citipark pools open June 14, through Labor Day. Programs include swimming lessons and swim teams. Purchase pool tags for the season or pay a daily entrance fee. 412-323-7928 or www.citiparks.net TENNIS Regional tennis courts are open in Frick, Highland, McKinley, Mellon, Schenley and West parks. Summer programs include camps and lessons. 412-244-4188 LAWN…
Charging Document: DA declines cop prosecution in Miles case, but inclined to release expert report
Probably few Pittsburghers expected District Attorney Stephen Zappala to prosecute the three police officers accused of beating Homewood teen Jordan Miles in 2010. Yet there was at least one surprise in last week’s announcement that he wouldn’t press charges: Zappala took the unusual step of publicly releasing a key document that guided his decision. And…
Stage
Current First Voice Festival. A showcase for local and visiting African-American artists, performers and writers, through May 26 (August Wilson Center). POP! A new musical about Andy Warhol and his Factory scene, starring Anthony Rapp as Warhol, through May 27 (City Theatre). Silent Heroes. Linda Escalera Baggs’ drama about military wives in 1975 awaiting word…
Deep Blue Double-Barrel Justice
Not too many people would remember But sure as there’s reasons not to spit in the wind I can remember because Tell you true, some things you can’t forget. And sometimes you’re lucky And sometimes you should never cut the cards. I was working afternoon Doing a follow-up on a burglary. It was out there…
Fairs, Festivals+Special Events
May 28 Memorial Day Celebration. Soldiers & Sailors Hall, Oakland. 412-621-4253. Free June 1-10 Three Rivers Arts Festival. Downtown. Visual art exhibitions, public art installations, music and dance performances, and arts and crafts market. 412-471-3191 or www.3riversartsfest.org June 3 Animal Friends Mutt Strut. South Park. Games, activities and pooches. 412-847-7000 or www.thinkingoutsidethecage.org June 9 Harmony…
Savage Love
I’m a 17-year-old girl and, in most aspects, I’m confident with myself, my identity and my body. Earlier this year, I met a girl. She had some serious drama at home and needed to get out of her house, so I let her stay at mine. Things went a LOT further than I was ready…
Girls ‘N’ Guns aims to please
GIRLS ‘N’ GUNS continues through June 10. 709 Penn Gallery 709 Penn Ave. Downtown. 412-325-7017 Girls ‘N’ Guns is catchy, as any good title should be. Yet while a majority of the 14 color photographs in Rachel Nieborg and Ine Mulder’s exhibit do involve gunplay within a broader theme of referencing and shattering the 17th-century…
Off Key
If the Pittsburgh Opera’s controversial decision to honor Gov. Tom Corbett with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" on May 12 showed nothing else, it proved how vital funding arts education is. Because apparently, we’re suffering from an epidemic of tone-deafness. I’ll confess: I’m not outraged, or surprised, by the Opera’s move. I abhor Corbett’s policies, but…
Downtown, Seward Johnson’s sculptures turn heads without changing minds
SCULPTURES BY SEWARD JOHNSON continues through Aug. 5. Outdoors at One, Two, Three and Four Gateway Center Downtown. laurelfdn.org/SewardJohnson On May 4, the Frieze Art Fair opened in New York City. While tony art fairs are not generally geared toward the general public (as their sole purpose is to sell big-ticket art), this fair had…
Aseoma
Aseoma 2018 Murray Ave. Squirrel Hill. 412-421-1920 Hours: Tue.-Thu. 5-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. noon-10 p.m.; Sun. 1-9 P.M. Prices: Soups, starters and tacos $2-11; entrees $8-15 Liquor BYOB What distinguishes Korean cuisine from that of its East Asian neighbors, we think, is its rustic boldness. Whether it’s fiery, fermented kimchi, beefy bulgogi or the conglomeration of…
We Have a Pope
As ridiculous as this whole pope thing is, I must confess that Nanni Moretti’s We Have a Pope is a charming dramatic fantasy, with touches of comedy. It’s about a newly elected pontiff (the great French actor Michel Piccoli) who panics just before he’s expected to greet the throngs of the faithful in St. Peter’s…
Dreadnought Wines evangelizes for good taste
When it comes to promoting the consumption of wine, Mike Gonze and Deb Mortillaro, owners of the Strip District’s Dreadnought Wines, do it all: distribution, retail sales and special events. However, it’s this duo’s passion for wine education that really stands out. "To us it’s all about trying different things, and trying to find opportunities…
Lynn Cullen Live 05/23/12
Video Archive Guest: Chris Potter; SEIU education budget cut protest this morning; PA judiciaries, legislators & religious leaders going to jail; the Orie sisters don’t smile; anti-supremacists; DePasquale vs. Elash; Pittsburgh in the top 10 traffic jams; transit is civilized; detachment parenting; Paterno family getting JoePa’s $13.5 million pension; Obit of the day: Eugene Polley,…
Biddle’s Escape
As its name implies, Biddle’s Escape, a new coffee shop in Regent Square, is as much about getting away as getting a latte. Occupying a purple and yellow building at the corner of Biddle and South Trenton avenues, its front porch is nestled among lush trees. Inside, the vibrantly painted walls are festooned with décor…
Bernie
The quirks of human nature and appeal of simply being nice are examined in Richard Linklater’s gentle comedy, based on real-life events in the small East Texas town of Carthage. In a documentary style, the townsfolk introduce us to Bernie (Jack Black), a helpful and kind assistant funeral director. He’s especially beloved by the town’s…
Short List: May 23 – May 30
Kelli Stevens Kane grew up in Pittsburgh’s eastern neighborhoods, but she learned about community in the Hill District, in the company of her grandmother, Georgetta Holmes Stevens. "Big George" was an outspoken, larger-than-life woman who habitually visited Hill District funeral homes whether or not she knew the deceased. The practice baffled young Kane; after Big…
Silent Heroes
SILENT HEROES continues through June 2. South Park Theatre Corrigan Drive and Brownsville Road, South Park. 412-831-8552 or southparktheatre.com Playwriting’s a son-of-a-bitch. There’s so much to do: keep the story moving but let the drama breathe; stay ahead of the audience but only so far; develop characters unique and organic; write with insight and wit…
God Bless America
This dark and occasionally broody comedy written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait is not for the easily offended. It’s uneven, as downbeat as it is occasionally funny, and a baby gets shot in the first five minutes. A depressed, angry everyman named Frank (Joel Murray) can’t bear it that everybody is a boor or an…
Indie fashion designers go pop-up in Lawrenceville
TWO WEEK STREET BOUTIQUE continues 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily through June 1. Fe Gallery 4102 Butler St. Lawrenceville. WLClothing.com Just as Pittsburgh’s reputation for the arts is growing, so is its fashion scene, especially in Lawrenceville. Take Matt Gondek, co-founder and designer of clothing line The Wonderful Life. A few years ago, his fiancée convinced…
The Sound of My Voice
In Zal Batmanglij’s psychological thriller, a Los Angeles man and his girlfriend join a cult in order to expose its leader, an ethereal beauty named Maggie who claims to be from the year 2054. But the pair — Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole Vicius), who attempt to secretly film the cult’s rituals — have…
Battleship
Battleship Directed by: Peter Berg Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Rihanna, Liam Neeson I don’t expect genius from a film adapted from a board game in which players simply call out grid coordinates, but Peter Berg’s Battleship barely tries. This is simply an over-long assemblage of stock characters, plot holes, crappy rock songs and cheesy special effects…
Akrasia picks up the slack after a decade of on-and-off music-making
AKRASIA CD RELEASE with EMAY, PAUL TABACHNECK. 10 p.m. Sat., May 26. Club Café 56 S. 12th St. South Side. $10. 412-431-4950 or clubcafelive.com "Songs are weird," Bill Danylo declares, perched on his bar stool at Sidelines in Millvale. "You meet a girl and you hang out and you write a lot of songs about…
2012 Summer Guide
The eyes of the world will be turned toward London for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but there’s plenty of action taking place close to home, too. And if Pittsburgh’s concerts, culture and outdoor activities aren’t enough to cure your Olympics fever, make sure you pick up this week’s print edition for our local variants on…
Classically crass
STEPHANIE NILLES with ZACK BROCK & MAGIC NUMBERS, TWILITE BROADCASTERS. 9 p.m. Thu., May 24. Thunderbird Café 4023 Butler St. Lawrenceville. $8. 412-682-0177 or thunderbirdcafe.net Peering out from beneath a pile of wild hair, Stephanie Nilles works the crowd with demented stage banter, barbed lyrics and stride piano topped with cascades of mad, clanking notes.…
Arts+Exhibits
Current Gay & Lesbian Community Center. Expanding Dreams: Experimental Photography & Visual Stories by Anna Bender & The Queer Collective, through May 24. Gallerie Chiz. Human Behavior (paintings by Brian Fencl, mixed-media sculptures by Daria Pigg and paintings by Valetta), through May 26. Garfield Artworks. YOU = LOVE (installation related to T. Klinkhamer’s children’s book),…
Monalloh Foundry helps musicians cross the rivers
Monalloh Foundry Inaugural Showcase. Art at 5 p.m., music at 7 p.m. Sat., June 2. Garfield Artworks 4931 Penn Ave. Garfield. $3 from 5-7 p.m., $5 after 7 p.m. 412-361-2262 or monallohfoundry.tumblr.com When they needed a name, the members of the music-and-arts collective Monalloh Foundry created a portmanteau of Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio — a…
Music
May 24 Uzuhi, Awful Waffles, Low Man. Howlers Undesirable People, Me Equals You. Mr. Roboto Project Stephanie Nilles. Thunderbird Café May 25 Powerglove. Altar Bar The Slow Reel, Chet Vincent & the Big Bend, Nik & the Central Plains. Brillobox Simone Felice. Club Café (early) TheMeToos, Coronado, Hatchet Jack. Club Café (late) Are You…
CD Reviews
Emily Pinkerton Ends of the Earth (Green Jeans Records) Pinkerton, now a longtime Pittsburgher, is known for her tendency to mix North American and South American folk traditions. Here, she pulls from Americana as well as Chilean and Venezualan folk to make a beautiful, subdued full-length. She alternates English- and Spanish-language tunes to keep it…
Film
Bam! Summer at the megaplex always means action, but there is truly an abundance of it this year. Strap in, it could get bumpy. Searching for the origin of life only leads to trouble in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi thriller Prometheus (June 8). As if our 16th president didn’t have enough to do — Abraham Lincoln:…
Critics’ Picks: May 24 – 29
[HIP HOP] + THU., MAY 24 With throwbacks to traditional hip hop through old-style beats, Action Bronson puts his own spin on the rap game. The chef-turned-rapper, of Albanian descent, cites Kool G Rap and Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killa as influences on his rhymes, and he illustrates it on the mic. His 2011 album Dr.…
