Pittsburgh Grooveline: May 16-May 22
Each week, the Pittsburgh City Paper compiles a list of Pittsburgh dance parties for you and your crew to bust loose to the best bangers, EDM, pop hits, and more. (All events are 21+ unless otherwise stated.) Thu., May 16 MGMT Afterparty with Taste at Belvederes Ultra-Dive. 11:30 p.m.-2 a.m. 4016 Butler St., Lawrenceville. Free.…
St. Lucia strips down with an acoustic EP and tour
With their April release, Acoustic Vol. 1, shimmery synth-driven band St. Lucia is showing a different side of itself. The seven track EP, entirely acoustic, features hits like “Elevate,” “All Eyes on You,” two versions of “Love Somebody,” and a cover of The 1975’s “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME.” For most of the songs, what you hear sounds exactly…
Win a pair of tickets to see Thundercat in Pittsburgh
Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner spent the last part of the new millennium’s first decade as the go-to bassist for practically every artist in Black vanguard music. His nimble, syncopated, groove-heavy basslines were heard on albums by Erykah Badu, Sa-Ra, Flying Lotus, and others. Born in Los Angeles, Bruner had the good fortune to be raised in…
Election Guide: Pittsburgh City Council District 7
Pittsburgh City Council District covers the Strip District, Polish Hill, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Friendship, Morningside, and Highland Park. Deb Gross Bio: Serving as District 7 city councilor since 2013, Gross lives in Highland Park and has a master’s degree from Duke University. Says campaign isn’t “afraid to challenge growing corporate power” and supports keeping Pittsburgh Water…
Election Guide: Allegheny County Council District At-Large
This is a countywide election for a Democratic spot on the 15-member Allegheny County Council. This body handles county legislation concerning civil rights, infrastructure, environmental health, taxes, and more. John DeFazio Bio: President of Allegheny County Council. Has served on council as a Democrat since 2000. A retired pro wrestler known as Jumping Johnny, also…
Pittsburgh Primary Election Guide 2019
Voters in Allegheny County might not recognize many of the names on the ballot for the May 21 primary election, but they’re worth knowing. While not as well covered as the 2018 primaries or the upcoming 2020 presidential election, off-year primaries in many ways have an even more significant impact on daily life. This year,…
Kim Gordon’s Warhol show morphed from a Sound Series to a reflection on her artistic roots
Before her legendary tenure on bass and vocals for Sonic Youth, or later with bands like Free Kitten and Body/Head, Kim Gordon was primarily a visual artist. This week, her creative disciplines come together at The Andy Warhol Museum with her first solo museum outing, Lo-Fi Glamour. The exhibit will unite drawings and sculpture, along…
Pittsburghese is one of the unsexiest accents in America
The Pittsburgh accent, aka Pittsburghese, is a lot of things: unique, humorous, interesting, and uniting. But it is not sexy. And now there’s a survey that proves just how unsexy Pittsburghese is. Big 7 Travel company surveyed 1.5 million people through social media asking them to rank the 50 sexiest American accents. They ranked Pittsburgh…
Meet the 24-year-old president of Pittsburgh’s chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild
At 24 years old, Spork beverage manager Olivia Lindstrom has already made a name for herself in her field. She is the youngest president of Pittsburgh’s chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, a certified sommelier, a 2018 nominee for Pittsburgh’s Women and Whiskey Woman of the Year award, and was recently named one of…
With experience as a dance captain and choreographer, LaTrea Derome Rembert hopes to someday ‘run it all’
Name: LaTrea Derome Rembert, East Liberty Recent work: Dance captain, The Scottsboro Boys, The REP at Point Park University; choreographer, The Legend of Georgia McBride, barebones productions; assistant director, Coram Boy, Conservatory Theatre at Point Park University Have you always been involved in dance? I didn’t start training [at Point Park] until junior year. So…
Lynn Cullen Live – 5/14/19
Video Archive Lynn and Susan are starting off today discussing President Jimmy Carter. He fell and broke a hip while preparing to go turkey hunting. He is “recovering comfortably” and has said his main concern is missing out on the end of turkey season which is this week. They are also talking about the possibility…
Quantum Theatre’s King Lear takes full advantage of its magnificent setting at Carrie Furnaces
Inside a giant blast furnace, a colossal monument to Pittsburgh’s heyday of steel and iron production, it’s impossible to ignore thoughts of workers toiling away, smelting metals for hours on end. Even if an audience is being whisked away to Great Britain circa 8th century B.C., the sight of Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark…
Local clothing brand hosts week-long pop-up exhibit
Patrick Bruener, owner and creator of Bankrupt Bodega, is bringing together community, charity, and artistry through fashion. On Thu., May 16, Bankrupt Bodega kicks off The Bloomfield Corner Store, a week-long fashion and art pop-up, at Gallery One Collective Works with music from Charlie Scott and complimentary cheese and cocktails. Each night, a different creative scene…
#MusicMonday Wrap-up: May 13
Every Monday, Pittsburgh City Paper staff writer Jordan Snowden wraps up the weekend in local music news with #MusicMonday. Here’s what went down the past few days. Junction, a monthly dance party at Brillobox which premiered in January, had its first guest performers on Saturday – Driving While Black Records artists Jordan Montgomery, Livefromthecity, Lucas…
Lynn Cullen Live – 5/13/19
Video Archive Lynn is back from vacation. While away she avoided the news as much as possible, so to kick things off she is talking about a wondrous part of nature she saw while away. The breaking news of the day is that Doris Day has died at the age of 97. In addition to…
Sheetz beer, vegan fast food from crumb., and more food news
crumb. In December, Smallman Galley was home to an all-vegan concept, crumb. The stall, only open for a month, was a popular spot for both plant and meat eaters with a menu of vegan comfort food On Friday, May 17, the pop-up is making a comeback. Run by Abigail Hansel, who also founded vegan pop-up…
Original Ritter’s Diner building reopens at its new home in Irwin
When Michael Pochan and John Qualley discovered the original, and vacant, 1951 stainless steel Ritter’s Diner in Station Square, it was not a question of how they would transport the diner across the city. It was a question of when. Pochan and Qualley were the driving forces behind the diner’s recent relocation to Irwin, a…
Pittsburgh nurses visit Harrisburg and call for safer staffing ratios
The issue of patient overload facing hospitals in Pennsylvania is not just a matter of overwhelming nurses, it’s bad for patients too. Joanna Haneman, a nurse from Homestead, lays out this hypothetical: A nurse has multiple very needy patients, but can’t treat all of them at once. This forces the nurse to triage the situation.…
City seeking nominations for 2019 Mayor’s Award for Public Art
Are you a local artist or organization producing public artwork with a purpose? The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC) and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto are seeking candidates for the Mayor’s Award for Public Art. Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 Mayor’s Award for Public Art. In terms of criteria, nominees must have implemented…
Roxian Theatre is giving away a pair of tickets to The Wailers!
The legendary Wailers continue their quest to bring reggae to the forefront of the world’s stage. Led by renowned bassist and founder Aston “Familyman” Barrett, and joined by original Wailers guitarist Donald Kinsey, The Wailers give audiences around the globe the opportunity to experience their unique and innovative sound. From 1972 to 1980, Bob Marley…
Pittsburgh Grooveline: May 9-May 15
Each week, Pittsburgh City Paper compiles a list of Pittsburgh dance parties for you and your crew to bust loose to the best bangers, EDM, pop hits, and more. (All events are 21 and over unless otherwise stated.) Sat., May 11 Sugar Premiere Party at Cake Pittsburgh. 9 p.m. 1900 Smallman St. Strip District. $10.…
Bilal Abbey’s seven-track Gremlins is a culmination of lust, guilt, arrogance, greed, and 10,000 hours
Like Oprah Winfrey, hip-hop artist Bilal Abbey is a firm believer in the 10,000 hour theory. Since childhood, music has been an interest of Abbey’s — he started recording himself in ninth grade — yet his most recent release, Gremlins, is the first project he’s taken seriously as a musician. “I just got to a…
New Bloomfield wine bar SPiLL helps visitors explore flavor preferences without pretension.
SPiLL The Wine Bar on Liberty Avenue is easy to miss. New to Bloomfield, the retail wine shop and tasting room sits on the corner next to Lombardozzi’s, marked only by a homemade sandwich board perched outside and the word “wine” illuminated in the front window. But SPiLL should not be overlooked. Still in its…
‘Congratulations! You are a cat.’
The description for the interactive theater show The Stray is minimal but specific. “Congratulations! You are a cat,” it begins. “Bask in the sun. Fulfill the tenets of your divine covenant with humans. Knock things off shelves.” Technically, this functions as both a description and instructions for the audience. The play, also described as an…
Free Will Astrology
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): According to science writer Sarah Zielinski in Smithsonian magazine, fireflies produce the most efficient light on planet Earth. Nearly 100 percent of the energy produced by the chemical reaction inside the insect’s body is emitted as a brilliant glow. With that in mind, I propose that you regard the firefly as…
Riding the T is great if you can figure out how to pay for it
Paying for a ride on the T is more confusing than the fact that a lot of people really like Avatar and have seen it more than once. For regular riders — and CP’s Ryan “Busways” Deto, payment changes have come incrementally enough to make them reasonably easy to grasp. But for someone new to…
Interactive exhibit Invisible Man skews reality into personalized art
The title of the new exhibit at Wood Street Galleries, Invisible Man, is a bit of a misnomer. It’s full of interactive, moving pieces that don’t exactly make viewers invisible, but visible in different and more dynamic ways. The first work you see when entering is the exhibit’s key piece, appearing on its pamphlets and…
Pittsburgh Public Theater sound engineer talks 22 years in the business
Name: Zach Moore, Mount Washington Work: Sound engineer for Pittsburgh Public Theater; freelance sound designer What do you do? The sound designer is responsible for creating the audible experience for the audience, from sound effects to music to highlighting mood. The sound engineer’s job is to implement that design into practical terms — put loudspeakers…
newMoves Contemporary Dance Festival gives platform and precedence to dancers of color
Expect daring, cutting-edge performances by people of color and emerging talent in this year’s newMoves Contemporary Dance Festival. For its 10th anniversary season — running May 9-12 — the festival will feature a variety of live shows, workshops, and other events focused on using dance to foster connectivity and address social issues. Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s…
Being clear about your needs is the key to a satisfying sex worker experience
Dear Jessie, Do you have any advice for a 29-year-old virgin with Asperger’s syndrome and not a lot of money? I have never had a romantic relationship with a woman, and it is a little hard. I have thought about saving up and seeing a sex worker, though I am worried that it might be…
Thanks to my therapist I can now add abandonment issues to my psychiatric cornucopia
I was recently dumped. I want to go on record to say that it is way worse to be rejected by your therapist than your significant other. I can understand someone wanting to dump me because I give bad smooches or because I’m a lazy lay. I just can’t wrap my brain around someone rejecting…
Wild Nights with Emily portrays the truth about Emily Dickinson, finally
The labels assigned to historically prominent women have often been euphemisms for whatever reality the writers of history wanted to keep hidden. Recluse, hysterical, mad, and other terms served more as vague diagnoses than anything accurate. Such is the case with Emily Dickinson, the poet famously labeled as a spinster recluse, living a sad, isolated…
Pittsburgh’s latest pizza craze came from Motor City mother-in-law
There’s one key feature that marks a Detroit-style pizza: the greasy, deep, cheesy crust. It’s the pan — a square, cast iron or steel dish, deep and made for cakes — that gives the pizza its signature thick, slightly caramelized base. There’s no room for the dough to spread, so it rises with the edges…
Millvale Music Festival debuts new app to streamline overall experience
Millvale Music Festival returns this weekend with another day packed with music, art, and food. Though this year, it’s equipped with a new tool to help the day run more smoothly: the Millvale Music Festival App. “I love the schedule in your back pocket all day, folded up,” says Paul Bossung, one of the festival’s…
Local advocacy group creates ‘support zones’ to educate undocumented immigrants on their rights
According to the Pew Research Center, the Pittsburgh region is home to about 15,000 undocumented immigrants. They make up about 0.7 percent of the area population, which is among the lowest percentages of any large metro area in the country. But this isn’t stopping U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from detaining proportionally large numbers…
High heels elevate me literally and figuratively
Stand up slowly and be careful. Take one small step — if your ankles buckle, stop walking.” My ballet teacher employed the same tone of voice used when instructing me on a new ballet position. Hopeful but cautious. She held my hand as if moving me from the barre to the floor. I was 13…
‘Un-still lifes’ are the centerpiece of Cara Livorio’s newest show
When thinking about contemporary, boundary-pushing art, still life paintings rarely come to mind. But Artists Image Resource (AIR) will try to change that with B(L)OOM, a pop-up exhibition working to reinvent an all-too-familiar genre. Set up by local independent art curator and dealer Jeffrey Jarzynka, B(L)OOM includes 47 new paintings by Pittsburgh artist Cara Livorio.…
Good start leads to forgettable film in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Based off its trailer and mouthful of a title, Netflix’s Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile seemed destined to revel in its own wicked, evil, vileness in a misguided attempt at edginess. The teaser made Bundy look cool and sexy, threatening to romanticize the violence under the guise of anti-hero mythology. Thankfully,…
Abandoned Western Pennsylvania’s photographs capture beauty that has withered into nothing
The photographs in Cindy Vasko’s Abandoned Western Pennsylvania: Separation from a Proud Heritage are provocative, but the emotion they provoke depends on the viewer. The images — dilapidated staircases, walls choked by climbing vines, classrooms with writing still visible on the blackboard — tell stories that reflect our relationships to buildings and objects. Some viewers…
