New fried-chicken restaurant planned for Pittsburgh’s East Liberty draws backlash, owner apologizes to those offended
The new restaurant has been called everything on the spectrum, from racist to tone-deaf, but many say it’s an example of cultural appropriation.
Listen Up! May 10 Issue
Music from tomorrow’s issue.
MP3 Monday: Good Dude Lojack
The premiere of “Slowbreaker” from Good Dude Lojack. Full album out on May 19. Cool.
Rain couldn’t dampen spirits at Pittonkatonk 2017
Music writer Meg Fair recounts a drizzly and cold and magical Pittonkatonk.
Lynn Cullen Live 05/09/17
Video Archive Susan is going to Hamilton but ain’t so happy about it. Sally Yates shuts down Senate Republicans. RIP Bonnie Brenneman Lynch. NOLA moves to take down Confederate statues. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Revive and Thrive Through Chili
Jordan Robarge is a young man with a love for chili, a previous charge for underage drinking and a desire to help his community. Robarge’s food-truck business Revival Chili employs previously incarcerated citizens to help them gain the work experience and skills to pursue their own business ideas. Find out more at http://revivalchili.com/.
Lynn Cullen Live 05/08/17
Video Archive Macron gets a win in France. Ivanka’s book. Man beaten in South Side. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Final Weekend for World-Premiere Run of Josh Gibson Opera
Two performances remain for show honoring the Negro Leagues slugger
How Southwestern Pennsylvanian reps voted for AHCA, the GOP health-care plan
Three Republican U.S. Reps. from the region voted for the GOP health-care bill; without their support, the bill would have failed.
Allegheny County Judge Lester Nauhaus initially fines defendant ‘$1 a touch’ for contact with 15-year-old girl
An Allegheny County Common Pleas Court judge with a history of making controversial comments is coming under fire once again; this time for levying a $6 fine — $1 for each time the defendant inappropriately touched his 15-year-old victim. Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Senior Judge Lester Nauhaus passed the sentence April 26 during a…
A local bartender is ‘Tipping the Scales’ for social justice
Bartender Lissa Brennan is organizing TIPS for Justice to help service workers funnel tips to social-justice groups
Fans cheer on the Pens as they beat the Washington Capitals in Round 2, Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Pittsburgh Penguins fans watch the team beat the Washington Capitals on the “Big Screen” outside PPG Paints Arena on Wed., May 3.
Uber expands Pittsburgh offerings to include new UberEATS delivery service
UberEats brings food delivery service to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Public School District board candidates participate in education forum
There are three contested races for the Pittsburgh Public School Board in the upcoming May primary.
Lynn Cullen Live 05/05/17
Video Archive Healthcare bill and one woman’s journey to get treatment. France’s race. Bruce Hampton collaspes during a concert. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
A Quiet Passion
It’s fun to imagine how the great American poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) would have processed a film about her largely solitary life, and her portrayal by one of the stars of cheerfully raunchy Sex in the City. But we can see for ourselves, in Terence Davies’ (House of Mirth) handsome bio-pic, in which Cynthia Nixon…
The fine-dining Union Standard opens in Downtown Pittsburgh’s landmark Union Trust building
Union Standard 524 William Penn Place, Downtown. 412-281-0738 Hours: Lunch Mon-Fri. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner Mon.-Thu. 5-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m. Prices: Appetizers $6-14, entrees $18-42 Liquor: Full bar Chef Derek Stevens made his name at the helm of Eleven, a well-respected fine-dining destination. Thus, there was much anticipation around the opening of Stevens’ own…
Russian Circles: Making music in a post-rock world
RUSSIAN CIRCLES WITH MASTODON, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL 6:30 p.m. Fri., May 12. Stage AE, 400 North Shore Drive, North Side. $37.50. 412-229-5483 or promowestlive.com In a valiant attempt to provide helpful points of reference for music listeners, journalists have concocted all manner of genre labels. Some — folk rock, for example — are useful…
Critics’ Picks, May 3-10
[FUN PUNK] + THU., MAY 4 Pkew Pkew Pkew is a Canadian band that met through a Craigslist ad. They’re all dudes from little towns in Ontario who make big-sounding punk rock about trying to stay young, combating nostalgia and getting too hecked up on alcohol. The members call themselves “the Lance Armstrongs of music”…
All-female showcase Promoting My Sisters shows off Pittsburgh’s hip hop, spoken word and burlesque
Promoting My Sisters Lineup: Djladibuggdaplugg I Medina Lady TBadd Sarah Rose Pookie Pseu Y-Check Cait DiCicco Lady Zel Julie Juice Cosentino Pretty Krissy Latrice Envy Siren Daisyinthebackseat Skye Light Eboogie Key Da Phenom Kyna James Abigail Jerri Luscious D Yoko Haze Promoting My Sisters began five years ago, born out of rapper Dr. HollyHood’s frustration…
This week in Pittsburgh Sports History
A look back at events that you’ve either forgotten about or never heard of in the first place. May 4, 2000, and May 4, 2009 Two noteworthy events happened on this date in the world of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. In 2000, the Philadelphia Flyers tied their playoff series with the Pens at 2-2 after a…
With their band Nancy And Beth, comedic actresses Megan Mullally and Stephanie Hunt take their shows seriously
An Evening With Nancy And Beth 7 p.m. Sat., May 6. Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $30. 412-821-4447 or mrsmalls.com George Jones’ classic 1980 hit “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” is quite possibly the most depressing song in the history of music — well, at least in country music. It’s not just the…
My resume looks like a collage of random shit
As a library assistant, I stuck the first three letters of an author’s last name on the spine while stuffing a ham and cheese sandwich in my mouth in a room filled with National Geographic’s from the 1990s. I spackled a Wilkinsburg woman’s bathroom ceiling, sorted piles of used bridesmaid’s shoes in a non-profit consignment…
Mike Wysocki’s search for the best Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder begins in the first of three installments
We’re in the home stretch of naming the best Pirates players of the past 50 years. This is the first of three installments ranking the club’s strongest collection of players — outfielders. Obviously, Roberto Clemente is the best. With all due deference to Paul “Big Poison” Waner and Ralph Kiner, The Great One is one…
Brussel sprouts and asparagus
I’m a farmers’ market freak! I live for the season, and my spring and summer menus consist heavily of products I buy from the several markets that I visit. This recipe is healthy and delicious, and the balsamic from Olive & Marlowe sends it into the stratosphere. It’s also vegan, but for my meat-lovers, crumbled…
Short List: May 4-11
FREE EVENT: Sat., May 6 – Art Artist Carolyn Pierotti went to college at age 40; graduating into the workforce in middle age was “scary,” she says. Among other things, the mother of three was told that her kids were a career hindrance, and she was subject both to sexual harassment and to gender-based deficits…
Photographs look back on a Pittsburgh that never seems to change
REMEMBERING PITTSBURGH continues through May 21. Lantern Gallery, 600 Liberty Ave., Downtown. trustarts.org In 1980, an amateur film called Downtown 81 was shot in New York’s Lower East Side. Lost for years, it was found, restored and released in 2000, but it’s much better ethnography than it is cinema. Everything from the film is now…
No label, no problem: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah returns with first album in three years
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah with Laura Gibson 9 p.m. Fri., May 5. Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side. $18. 412-431-4950 or clubcafelive.com Alec Ounsworth is traveling through Mississippi when City Paper reaches him by phone. The high-pitched drone on the line goes away each time he speaks, but nevertheless, it’s uncertain whether…
Allegheny County Council District 12
Longtime Democratic incumbent Jim Ellenbogen is facing Democratic challenger Bob Palmosina for the part-time Allegheny County Council seat representing Pittsburgh’s South Hills and West End. Each candidate has decades of experience in area public-works departments, and both embrace new residents of all backgrounds moving to the district. Their differences are subtle and lie in the…
Mayor of Pittsburgh
There has been a bit of a circus-like atmosphere surrounding this year’s mayoral primary election, which pits long-time rivals Mayor Bill Peduto and Pittsburgh City Councilor Darlene Harris against each other, along with local activist Rev. John Welch. But beyond the smoke and mirrors, there are major issues at the center of this race, and…
Pittsburgh City Paper Booze Battles: Piper’s Pub vs. Grapperia
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 part of Booze Battles, send an email to food-and-beverage…
Pittsburgh City Council District 4
The candidates seeking to replace Pittsburgh City Councilor Natalia Rudiak offer somewhat similar visions, but hold different allegiances. Ashleigh Deemer has the backing of progressive groups and younger politicians, while Anthony Coghill gets support from long-time Democratic Party leaders, like state Sen. Wayne Fontana and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Anthony Coghill Bio Beechview native…
A new book chronicles storied Schenley High School
THE SCHENLEY EXPERIMENT PANEL DISCUSSIO 6 p.m. Mon., May 8. Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. 412-622-8866 or pittsburghlectures.org Jake Oresick’s new book, The Schenley Experiment (Pennsylvania State University Press, $19.95), comes out months before the storied high school it chronicles is set to reopen — as 180 luxury apartments. The coincidental…
Jacob Bacharach’s second novel builds on the promise of his first
The Doorposts of Your House and On Your Gates By Jacob Bacharach Liveright, 384 pp., $15.95 If you want to set a novel up for failure, one way is to frame it as an “update” on a classic story. Often, the new work will be found lacking because it’s either too like the narrative that…
Monthly Steel City Roll events help cyclists get comfortable riding on Pittsburgh streets
On April 21, City Paper reported about a video showing Pittsburgh City Councilor and mayoral candidate Darlene Harris getting into a verbal altercation with a cyclist. In a city where such encounters are part of cycling culture, it might be hard to convince anyone to ride a bike on Pittsburgh streets, but Scott Kowalski is…
Death of a Salesman at Pittsburgh Public Theater
DEATH OF A SALESMAN continues through May 21. Pittsburgh Public Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $15.75-66. 412-316-1600 or ppt.org We’re never really told what Willy Loman sells, but like any salesman, he’s really selling himself. Portraying such an archetypal character in one of the American theater’s canonical works is itself a tough sales job, yet…
The Summer King at Pittsburgh Opera
THE SUMMER KING continues through Sun., May 7. Pittsburgh Opera at the Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St., Downtown. $12-155. 412-281-0912 or pittsburghopera.org Some 70 years after his largely unheralded death, Josh Gibson gains even more of a deservedly heroic stature with Pittsburgh Opera’s world premiere of The Summer King: The Josh Gibson Story. The subject…
The Ascendants at Bricolage Productions
THE ASCENDANTS continues through May 14. Bricolage Production Company, Downtown. $15. bricolagepgh.org Ever since 2012’s STRATA — an epic undertaking that occupied most of a Downtown building and employed a cast, crew and creative team of dozens — Bricolage Production Company has made a cottage industry of immersive theater. These shows putting audience members “into…
Savage Love
Nancy, the tech-savvy at-risk youth, two gimps, Christ on the cross, the Easter Bunny, two weeping women, and the Easter Bunny’s smoking-hot leather master took to the stage at Revolution Hall in Portland, Ore., for a live taping of the Savage Lovecast on Easter weekend. Audience members submitted their questions on cards (I take my…
Anchor and Anvil coffee shop opens in Coraopolis
Downtown Coraopolis is compact and walkable, with plenty of potential charm. The problem is, like many other small river towns, it hasn’t seen much commercial development for decades. In terms of drawing large numbers of patrons to local establishments, there was “no there there.” But things are starting to change in the Ohio River borough,…
Can John Welch rise above the circus surrounding the Pittsburgh mayoral election to be a viable challenger to Bill Peduto?
Last week, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto got some new neighbors after tents were erected next to his home in Point Breeze. While no one has taken credit for the demonstration, the stunt is believed to be in response to complaints from North Side residents over a homeless tent community in their neighborhood. Some believe the…
Pittsburgh’s Couch Brewery invites you to drink comfortably
Craft-beer drinkers have never had more options for enjoying their favorite beverage. You can head out and hit any of the dozens of craft breweries Pittsburgh now has to offer. On the other hand, sometimes all you want to do is curl up on the couch, crack open a cold one, and relax. At Larimer’s…
Elena Walch Pinot Grigio 2015
“Everything [Elena Walch] does is basically completely natural. I tell customers, ‘This is the best pinot grigio you’re ever going to have. If it isn’t then I’ll buy your glass of wine.’ To this day, I’ve never had to buy a glass.” Recommended by Allan Uchrinscko, sommelier and assistant general manager of Vallozzi’s Elena Walch…
Pittsburgh Left: Whether deliberate or just dumb, Donald Trump’s understanding of the world is dangerous
I have to admit it. There have been times in the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency when I have felt a tiny bit of compassion for him. Most of the time he’s that arrogant, self-absorbed, egomaniacal Donald Trump who makes us want to riot in the streets; the Donald Trump who seems gleeful…
The Circle
The Circle Directed by James Ponsoldt Starring Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Karen Gillan Mae (Emma Watson) has a shitty job, a shitty car and lives in a forlorn corner of California, with her parents (Glenne Headly, Bill Paxton). It seems like a straight line to nowhere, until her buddy Annie (Karen Gillan) gets her a…
The Dinner
The gathering of dysfunctional family members at an event, during which some terrible secret is revealed and everything goes to shit, is a narrative set-up that tops my list of guilty-pleasure novels and films. So I couldn’t help but enjoy Oren Moverman’s drama, though a more cold-eyed assessor might quibble about soapiness or its rather…
Pittsburgh hosts the 19th annual Russian Film Symposium
Another sure sign of spring is the annual Russian Film Symposium, now in its 19th year. This year’s theme is Kino-Ivory, referring to the White Elephant awards. For the last quarter-century, these awards have been conferred on worthy Russian films by the Guild of Film Scholars and Film Critics of the Russian Union of Filmmakers.…
Lynn Cullen Live 05/03/17
Video Archive Our food is growing and we aren’t. Domesticating foxes. German man saves Rosa Parks house and rebuilds it in his own yard. Merkel goes to Russia to speak with Putin. Gays rights in PA are not safe. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Lynn Cullen Live 05/02/17
Video Archive Trump wants his old life back. Duerte turns down invitation. Republicans during transitions. Ballet teacher detained at the border while trying to visit Ann Arbor for a ballet class. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
