Fri., July 9 -- Dance
Local choreographer and artist Staycee Pearl premieres works from her new company Staycee Pearl dance project. Pearl co-founded the troupe with husband and sound designer Herman "Soy Sos" Pearl to combine contemporary dance with experimental sound and video. Today, at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, the six-member company gives two performances of its first full-length performance, pupa: new... again. As part of its Next Stage Residency Program, SPdp also presents a peek into some of its works in progress, and offers audiences the opportunity to join in with creative feedback. Jenelle Pifer 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. $5-10. 412-363-3000 or www.kelly-strayhorn.org
Fri., July 9 -- Art
Real objects from the past combine with objects that might have existed, say, a century ago, in Tar Baby Jane and Doo-Wop: Everything Useful for Your Modern Household Mercantile, a new exhibit by Vanessa German at 709 Penn Gallery. German's familiar, elaborately adorned "tar baby" sculptures highlight her vision of an "imaginary storefront" of antique objects whose material existence tells us about their owners' spiritual life. Tar Baby Jane opens tonight with a reception; also look for German's exhibit (alongside works by Jack Weiss) at Shadyside's Mendelson Gallery -- and for her improvisational spoken-word performances at 709 at the July 16 Downtown gallery crawl. Bill O'Driscoll 6-8 p.m. Show continues through Aug. 30. 709 Penn Ave., Downtown. Free. 412-456-6666
Fri., July 9 -- Rock
Ted Leo has seen punk go from The Clash to Cartel. But though the genre has been diluted by pop, commercial record labels and lame T-shirts, he still pounds on with punk's original fervor, angry energy and social commentary. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists play tonight at Diesel, touring off his newest album, The Brutalist Bricks, which he released in March. Kelsey Shea 7 p.m. 1601 E. Carson St., South Side. $13 ($15 day of show). All ages. 412-431-8800 or www.dieselpgh.com
Fri., July 9 -- Music
Tonight kicks off the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble's 35th season, with concerts on Fridays and Saturdays tonight through July 31. This year, the ensemble performs pieces from modern orchestral composers like John Psathas and David Lang, as well as world-premiere commissions and a version of "Like Spinning Plates," by Radiohead. The Ensemble is really looking to fill its home in the South Side's City Theatre, with pay-what-you-can tickets for students and seniors, and post-show receptions July 9, 10, 23 and 24. KS 8 p.m. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. $20 (pay what you can for students and seniors). All ages. 412-431-2489 or www.pnme.org
Fri., July 9 -- Comedy
Comedian Gab Bonesso's Gab Bonesso Comedy Party series was inspired by Andy Warhol's multimedia mashups in the '60s. So it's only apt that tonight's installment of the variety show features a comic sketch whose premise is "What if Andy Warhol never left Pittsburgh?" starring the talented Lisa Ann Goldsmith. Also scheduled at Downtown's Bricolage theater space: Cartoonist (and Toonseum proprietor) Joe Wos live-draws what Bonesso's thinking during the show; rock band Whisky, Tango, Foxtrot performs; and John McIntire hosts. BO 8 p.m. (music); 9 p.m. (comedy). 937 Penn Ave., Downtown. $10. 412-381-6999 or www.webbricolage.org
Sat., July 10 -- Benefit
If last summer's Accordion Pool Party was a fittingly whimsical way to begin imagining new uses for the long-unused Leslie Park Pool, today's Spillapalooza is a socially conscious one. Grassroots efforts today fill the drained Lawrenceville pool and its grounds with Zumba -- a Zumbathon, actually -- plus music (by Joy Ike, DJ Soy Sos, the Guinea West African Drum & Dance Ensemble, Mother Sun and Boca Chica), kiddie crafts and more. The day-long party benefits Gulf oil-spill victims via the New Orleans-based Gulf Restoration Network (www.healthygulf.org). BO 12:30-7 p.m. (raindate: Sun., July 11). 4700 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $10 ($20 for participants in Zumbathon and festival; free for kids under 12 and seniors). 724-709-4439
Sat., July 10 -- Art
If you don't think anyone uses phone books anymore, talk to David Grim. The artist's new exhibit Book of Life centers on more than 400 ink drawings he's made on phone-book pages. The show ("inspired by a childhood escape from religious conversion") opens tonight at Millvale's Panza Gallery. It runs alongside "Merge Divide," featuring photographs from Grim's photo blog of images from Pittsburgh's geographic neighborhood, called Crown of Appalachia. The opening reception is tonight. BO 6-9 p.m. Show runs through July 31. 115 Sedgwick St., Millvale. Free. 412-821-0959 or www.panzagallery.com
Sat., July 10 -- Art
For the newest exhibition at Sweetwater Center of the Arts, the artists trade skin and needles for paint and canvas. Juried by Don McDonald, of Penn Hills' Bodyworks Tattoo Studio, Pittsburgh Tattoo Works showcases sketches, paintings, pen and ink drawings, and sculpture by more than 30 of Pittsburgh's most prominent professional tattoo artists. Opening with a reception tonight, the show features artists from studios including Flesh Mechanics, Human Production Gallery, Artform Gallery & Tattoo and Unique Ink. JP 8 p.m. Show continues through Aug. 20. 200 Broad St., Sewickley. Free. 412-741-4405 or www.sweetwaterartcenter.org
Sun., July 11 -- Exhibit
Going behind the scenes at the USS Requin involves more than going underwater. The Requin, a Cold War-era submarine, has a lot of secrets -- including missions that remain classified to this day. But with the Carnegie Science Center's summertime Requin Tech Tours, intimate groups discover sections of the sub rarely open to the public. Explore un-restored compartments, climb the conning tower to the periscope and learn how a crew of 80 navigated life below the surface. JP 9-11 a.m. Also Aug. 8. Carnegie Science Center, 1 Allegheny Ave., North Shore. $12-15. 412-237-3400 or www.carnegiesciencecenter.org
Mon., July 12 -- Words
Just published by Gorsky Press, poet James Jay and fiction writer Mike Faloon join forces for The Journeymen and Split Rock Tour. In Jay's The Journeymen, poems search for meaning in our increasingly fragmented lives. In the short-story collection The Hanging Gardens of Split Rock, Faloon creates characters with dreams perhaps not worth chasing (i.e. to write the world's first country-rock opera about the life of a Canadian Mountie). Tonight, the duo stops at the studio of local zine Cyperpunk Apocalyse for a reading and signing with resident writer ArtNoose. JP 7 p.m. 5431 Carnegie St., Lawrenceville. Donations accepted. [email protected] or www.cyberpunkapocalypse.com
Mon., July 12 -- Music
William Hooker is a free-jazz player with cred: The drummer and composer has been involved with music, popular and otherwise, since the 1960s, when he drummed for the Isley Brothers and other pop acts. Later in the decade, he began to concern himself more with the avant-garde, and from the mid-'70s on he resided in New York, releasing his own records as a composer and collaborating with artists including Thurston Moore. He appears tonight at Thunderbird Café in a show presented by frequent CP jazz guy Manny Theiner, along with Matta Gawa, a drum-and-guitar duo featuring Acid Mothers Temple's Samuel T. Lohman. Andy Mulkerin 8 p.m. 4023 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $10-12. 412-682-0177
Mon., July 12 -- Words
When California-based travel writer Brad Herzog was invited to a college reunion at Cornell, he began the cross-country road trip fit for a king. In his new memoir, Turn Left at the Trojan Horse, Herzog echoes the journey of Odysseus after the Trojan War by traveling from Mount Olympus to Ithaca. Making stops in classically named locales -- from Troy, Ore., to Apollo, Pa. -- Herzog chronicles the lives of off-beat characters in small-town America and ruminates about the modern-day hero. Tonight, Herzog appears at Joseph-Beth Booksellers for a reading and signing. JP 7 p.m. 2705 E. Carson St., South Side. Free. 412-381-3600 or www.josephbeth.com
Tue., July 13 -- Rock
Under-21s rejoice: While much-buzzed-about Philly songwriter Kurt Vile slayed Pittsburgh not long ago, it was a rowdy drinking-age affair at Howlers Coyote Café. Tonight, Vile returns, playing Garfield Artworks with Real Estate and local heroes the Karl Hendricks Trio, supporting Square Shells, a stopgap vinyl EP just released on Matador Records. The show is presented by CP contributor Manny Theiner. Aaron Jentzen 8 p.m. Garfield Artworks, 4931 Penn Ave., Garfield. $8 ($10 at the door). All ages. 412-361-2262 or www.garfieldartworks.com
Wed., July 14 -- Sports
Don't let the post-Wimbledon blues get you down: Today marks the start of the Paul G. Sullivan Clay Court Championships, the annual tennis tournament at Frick Park. If you play (and are 16 or over), try your hand in the competition. If you're more of an armchair Rafa, show up to sit for free in the bleachers and cheer on the city's best clay specialists at Frick, the area's only public clay courts. Strawberries and cream optional. AM Registration: $10 singles, $15 doubles. Braddock Avenue at Biddle, Regent Square. www.ClayFrickTennis.org
Thu., July 15 -- Rock
After catching Jon Spencer's recent boogie-down at the helm of Heavy Trash at the Thunderbird Café, I'm expecting a scorched-earth show tonight when Spencer returns to Pittsburgh with his celebrated '90s alternative trio, Blues Explosion. (Blues fans please note: This has less than nothing to do with Stevie Ray Vaughn.) AJ 7 p.m. (doors at 6 p.m.). Diesel 1601 E. Carson St., South Side. $15 ($18 day of show). 21 and over. 412-431-8800 or www.dieselpgh.com
