New zine aims to share the voices of the LGBT community living beyond Pittsburgh’s borders
Pittsburgh LGBT blogger and advocate Sue Kerr has started printing a zine to promote her online project that tells the stories of the region’s LGBT residents.
Marketing for new Pittsburgh-area haunted attraction has an unmentionable give away
New haunted attraction near Pittsburgh announces its arrival in fall 2016 with a different kind of marketing campaign.
Listen Up! June 1
Listen to a Spotify playlist of musicians mentioned in our current issue.
Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory begins new hours in anticipation of popular, smelly flower
Big crowds expected as “corpse flower” expected to bloom any day at Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory.
Fundraising concert tomorrow for Pittsburgh music promoter, victim of house fire
Kivowitz-Blackstock Fire Recovery Benefit and Thank You Concert features numerous top Pittsburgh acts.
A conversation with this week’s Pittsburgh City Paper cover artist Frank Harris
Local Pittsburgh artist Frank Harris talks about his process, past “American Gothic” parodies, and his prediction for the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals.
Beyonce’s Formation Tour celebrates womanhood and power
Beyonce slays at Heinz Field, Tue., May 31
Kickstarter deadline approaching for Pittsburgh’s Squonk Opera
Ten days remain in effort to fund Squonk Opera’s “Cycle Sonic”
Pittsburgh’s bike-share Healthy Ride looking to expand after a successful first year
The year-old bike-share is looking to expand beyond its 50 stations and maybe even pop up outside of Pittsburgh limits.
City Paper Podcast – Episode 020
This week on the City Paper Podcast, host Alex Gordon talks with Emmy-award-winning comedian Kyle Dunnigan.
Underwear Bike Ride returns to Pittsburgh
Yinzers drop their shorts and ride through the city in their skivvies.
Pittsburgh’s Open Streets festival celebrating its third year of taking over the streets
The healthy-living, civic-mindedness and environmentally friendly festival is back to fill up Penn Avenue and Butler Street.
Pittsburgh celebrates the Penguins advancing to the Stanley Cup finals
The Pittsburgh Penguins now advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they’ll play the San Jose Sharks in the best-of-seven NHL championship series, starting Monday in Pittsburgh.
Is Uber’s search for driverless-car testers just a wild-goose chase for Pittsburgh job-hunters?
Some Uber job applicants worry that the company is picking their brains without actually hiring them.
Lynn Cullen Live 05/27/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Trump clinches Republican nomination and puts forward his energy plan. A talking elephant. John Oliver asks that you keep an eye out for a dictator’s cat and gets a response. Black Lives Matter is not about killing cops. Super bugs. Audio Only Archive Listen to…
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner presents new online transparency program
Two new online programs makes Allegheny County’s government a lot more transparent.
A conversation with comics journalist Em DeMarco on her first-year anniversary at Pittsburgh City Paper
Comics journalist Em Demarco talks about her past careers, latest ventures and her favorite ride at Kennywood.
Lynn Cullen Live 05/26/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Erin Ninehouser on programming in rightwing media and what her organization, Hear Yourself Think” is doing about it. Friday June 3 at the Union Project for a screening of “The Brainwashing of My Dad.” Ken Starr accused of covering up sexual assault with Baylor’s football…
The Lion at City Theatre
THE LION continues through June 5. City Theatre, 1300 Bingham St., South Side. $15-66. 412-431-2489 or citytheatrecompany.org It was Freud who suggested that no boy becomes a man until his father dies. As with a lot of Freud, it’s hooey. But singer/songwriter Benjamin Scheuer is making Freud’s case as writer/performer of the award-winning, autobiographical one-man…
Pay-what-you-want tickets gaining traction in Pittsburgh
When an arts group makes its tickets “pay what makes you happy,” the policy itself, unsurprisingly, puts audiences in a good mood. Or so it seems at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, which in September announced that every ticket price in its current season would be up to buyers. “I think it’s great,” said Therese Libert, prior…
After a long hiatus, and high-profile coming-out, Christian-music veteran Jennifer Knapp moves forward
JENNIFER KNAPP 7 p.m. Sat., May 28. Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side. $15-18. 412-431-4950 or www.clubcafelive.com When Jennifer Knapp released her debut record, Kansas, in 1998, she was exactly the artist the Christian-music business needed. Contemporary Christian music has long existed as a bizarro parallel universe to the mainstream music world, churning…
Vanessa German shows off powerful print-based work at AIR
DONTSAYTHATSHITOUTLOUD continues through Sun., May 29. Artists Image Resources, 512 Foreland St., North Side. 412-321-8664 or artistsimageresource.org Vanessa German’s artist statement for dontsaythatshitoutloud, in the front window of Artists Image Resource, is powerful: It tells how German was affected by finding two men, four months apart, shot to death outside her house, in Homewood, and…
In Miike Snow, hit-making songwriters Andrew Wyatt, Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg step out from behind the scenes
MIIKE SNOW, MUNA 9 p.m. Fri., May 27. Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $22-25. All ages. 412-821-4447 or mrsmalls.com Miike Snow’s latest album is called iii, probably because it’s the group’s third release, though it might be a play on that extra “i” in the band name. Or, who knows, maybe it’s something…
The Fort McMurray wildfire was yet another climate-change wakeup call few noted as such
This is the normal we’ve been waiting for: After a week as front-page, top-story-tonight news, the monstrous wildfire that erupted May 3 in Fort McMurray, Alberta, was relegated to the newsbriefs in your daily paper, then not even that. It won’t be so easy to move on, of course, for the 88,000 Canadians who fled…
Critics’ Picks, May 26-June 1
[ALTERNATIVE] + FRI., MAY 27 Superheaven, formerly Daylight, has become a staple of the neo-grunge scene. Both its albums, Jar and 2015’s Ours Is Chrome, oozed with loud, distorted guitar work and brooding lyricism. Vocalist/guitarist Taylor Madison’s confessional lyrics have drawn in many devoted followers. Much to the dismay of its fanbase, the band has…
Savage Love
I am a 40-year-old woman; I came out when I was 16. When I was 17, I met M and we dated for eight years. M was a horrible human being — emotionally and occasionally physically abusive. M still sends me the occasional (creepy) email, wishing me a happy birthday or giving me updates on…
Pittsburgh’s Pet Clinic used a home studio and Kickstarter to launch a long-awaited full-length
PET CLINIC, DAZZLETINE, STRANGEWAYS, CHOIR 8:30 p.m. Fri., May 27. Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. 412-586-4441 or spiritpgh.com For many artists, Kickstarter is used to gauge potential interest in a project before taking those first tentative steps toward realizing it. For Pittsburgh-based five-piece Pet Clinic, the crowdfunding platform was the means to an end that…
Short List: May 25 – June 1
SPOTLIGHT: Thu., June 2 — Art Pittsburgh is getting not only its first two exhibitions by one of the world’s best-known living contemporary artists, but also the man himself. Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei visits June 2 for a sure-to-sell-out discussion with Eric Shiner, executive director of The Andy Warhol Museum, at the Carnegie Music Hall.…
Undercroft Opera reimagines Don Giovanni via Count Dracula
DON GIOVANNI Thu., May 26-Sun., May 29. Undercroft Opera at Antonian Theater, 3333 Fifth Ave., Oakland. $25-35. 412-422-7919 or undercroftopera.org Lust. Power. Vengeance. Is it Count Dracula or Don Giovanni? Undercroft Opera presents Don Giovanni with an all-new libretto, in English, that emphasizes the supernatural similarities between Mozart’s classic and Bram Stoker’s touchstone 1897 novel.…
This Week in City Paper History
Our featured item in this week’s history column hasn’t actually happened yet. Well, it hasn’t happened as this column was being written. It happened the moment this issue came out on May 25, 2016. But it won’t be history until at least May 26. Luckily the subject of this week’s column writes a lot better…
A Bigger Splash
A former rock star named Marianne (Tilda Swinton) and her lover, filmmaker Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), are enjoying a sojourn on an Italian island; Marianne is recovering from throat surgery, and quiet time in a secluded villa is a grand prescription. But the unexpected arrival of Marianne’s former lover, louche music producer Harry (Ralph Fiennes), and…
Wysocki on Pittsburgh’s best, worst and handsiest sports mascots
It’s almost impossible not to love mascots. They’re fun, furry, gregarious and have an incurable optimism. People who don’t like them probably don’t like America either. Mascots serve as team cheerleaders and temporary babysitters for kids and even add enjoyment to the game. Our city has plenty of sports mascots ranging from the beloved to…
The Damned: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead
The Damned were straight-up Class of ’76 punk: The band had the first punk single (“New Rose”) and was the first punk act to baffle (or delight) America with a chaotic tour. And yet, The Damned is often left off the roster of critical ancestors (Sex Pistols, The Clash). This documentary from Wes Orshoski (Lemmy)…
While they might not be on a grand scale, important changes are on the horizon for public transportation in the Pittsburgh region
In 2013, City Paper wrote about a public-transit map that includes seven proposed light-rail lines, extending 233 miles throughout Allegheny County and beyond. The map went viral and found its way on to T-shirts, posters and iPhone cases. Recently, the map resurfaced in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette column and reignited enthusiasm. And while the map has…
Francofonia
In his new essay, director Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark) ruminates on the Louvre Museum, its long-standing relationship to France’s cultural identity and, more specifically, the fate of the museum and its contents during the Nazi occupation. Sokurov uses archival material (there are a fascinating number of paintings of the Louvre) and some dramatic recreations. One…
The Nice Guys
The Nice Guys Directed by Shane Black Starring Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice If we stipulate that the summer movie season has already started, then Shane Black’s The Nice Guys shifts up a notch or two. It’s not the best thing out there, but compared to the coming onslaught of mindless sequels, third-generation-photocopied comedies…
Love & Friendship
After making his mark with contemporary comedies of manners — many featuring well-off young folks delivering droll observations — director Whit Stillman goes to the source, adapting Jane Austen’s novella Lady Susan. The widowed Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale), the subject of whispers for her forthright and devious ways, sets herself up at her sniffy in-laws’…
X-Men: Apocalypse
X-MEN: APOCALYPSE In 3-D, in select theaters. Starts Fri., May 27. It’s been a year of consequences for peace, justice and international diplomacy. First Batman and Superman boringly battle each other and learn lessons in humility. Then nearly a dozen Avengers thrill us as friendships fray and shatter. Now, in X-Men: Apocalypse, our contentious mutant…
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
In a rarity for summer sequels, Nicholas Stoller’s Neighbors 2 not only eclipses its precursor, it’s the movie the original should have been. Both have a good mix of raunch, physical comedy and smart jokes, but Neighbors 2 combines all that with an outright rejection of sexism and homophobia that are, sadly, too often present…
A Conversation with Carey Harris: The outgoing head of A+ Schools looks back on 12 years of education advocacy
This month, education watchdog A+ Schools announced that Executive Director Carey Harris would be leaving the organization to lead the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, an early-childhood-education advocacy group. In an interview with Pittsburgh City Paper, Harris reflected on her time with A+ Schools, the state of Pittsburgh Public Schools and what the district should…
The Other Side
Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini turns his lens on the struggling folks of a backwater Louisiana town, and it’s two parts ugly (drugs, violence, racism, hopelessness) to one part positive (kinship, patriotism, perseverance). Using real people — primarily thirtysomething Mark and his girlfriend Lisa — Minervini crafts a hybrid documentary-drama portrait, with a clear design on…
Umami offers classic cocktails with Japanese flair
izakaya. 202 38th St. (above Round Corner Cantina), Lawrenceville. 412-224-2354 or umamipgh.com If you haven’t had charcoal or wasabi in a cocktail lately, then you clearly haven’t stopped into Umami. In addition to sake and beer, the new Lawrenceville izakaya (the Japanese term for a casual pub-style eatery) boasts a drink menu brimming with unexpected…
Serpentine at Uncumber Theatrics
SERPENTINE continues through June 11. Uncumber Theatrics in Bloomfield. $35 (21 and over). uncumbertheatrics.com In immersive, interactive theater, patrons don’t just watch a show through a fourth wall: They are both subsumed in a fictional environment and part of the action, literally becoming actors themselves. Pittsburgh’s latest interactive production, Uncumber Theatrics’ fiendishly clever Serpentine, is…
Lili Café and Onion Maiden join forces for Liliput Coffee and Cafe
Liliput Coffee and Café. 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. 412-681-5449 In April, Liliput Coffee and Café — a new collaboration between vegan pop-up restaurant Onion Maiden and Polish Hill’s Lili Café — opened inside Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ Oakland building. The name suggests something miniature, but Liliput is actually a larger project, both in scope and physical size.…
The Legend of the Puke
Read the full version here
Stuff We Like
Activist Print. “What They Say, What They Said,” by local artist DS Kinsel, is currently on display on the Rosa Villa building, across the street from The Andy Warhol Museum. Kinsel is a partner and project leader in Activist Print, a year-long collaboration between The Warhol, Boom Concepts and Artists Image Resource, providing a space for…
Station is a hip little restaurant and bar in Bloomfield
Station 4744 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. 412-251-0540 Hours: Tue.-Thu. 5-9:45 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5-10:45 p.m.; Sun. brunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m., dinner 5-8:45 p.m. Prices: Small plates $8-12; large plates $16-28 Liquor: Full bar This is Pittsburgh, after all, so we see a lot black and gold. On clothes. On cars. On towels. Face paint, even. But there’s…
Weird Pittsburgh
Trump University is one in a string of what some would call sleazy dealings in the career of Donald J. Trump (the most recent of which has been convincing Republican primary voters he can and will implement their agenda). Battered by multiple lawsuits, the defunct company allegedly enticed people to learn Trump’s supposed investment secrets…
Lynn Cullen Live 05/25/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. The failure of child abuse hotlines. Banning the circus.Honey bees and cephalopods and swimmers. Impeachment of the IRS commissioner. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
City Paper Podcast – Episode 019
This week on the podcast, we sit down with arts editor Bill O’Driscoll to talk about his milestone of 1,000 issues at City Paper.
City Paper Weekend Calendar – May 27 – 29
Here are the top five things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Lynn Cullen Live 05/24/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Candidates spouses and fair game. Do people like their leaders to have hobbies and personality. Killer of Freddy Gray found not guilty. Quotas on Asian students at universities. Trans bathroom laws. A fear of fans in South Korea. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio…
