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DEAFHEAVEN IS READY FOR CREATIVE LIBERTIES 20
LEONARDO DICAPRIO TAKES ON MAN, BEAR AND NATURE IN THE REVENANT 28
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
EVENTS EVERY FRIDAY IN JANUARY 5-10pm FREE GOOD FRIDAYS PRESENTED BY UPMC HEALTH PLAN FREE admission
1.15 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: GABI, WITH SPECIAL GUEST SLEEP EXPERIMENTS The Warhol theater Tickets $15/$12 Members & students
1.28 – 11am POP GENERATION For the generation that inspired Warhol, a new program exclusively for older adults, age 65 and over. Tickets $10/Free Members
1.30 – 8PM SOUND SERIES: EKMELES THE WARHOL ENTRANCE SPACE Co-presented with the Music on the Edge series of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Music FREE parking in The Warhol lot Advance Tickets: $15/$10 students; visit www.music.pitt.edu/tickets or call 412.624.7529
2.6 – 8pm SOUND SERIES: THE RED WESTERN THE WARHOL ENTRANCE SPACE FREE parking in The Warhol lot Tickets $10/$8 Members & students
NOW – 1.10 THE WARHOL: BOOK HUNT Find hidden books throughout the city for free admission passes and discounts. Visit warholbookhunt.com for details.
Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait (detail), 1986, ©The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.
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This exhibition is supported in part by Affirmation Arts Fund.
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The Andy Warhol Museum receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency and The Heinz Endowments. Further support is provided by the Allegheny Regional Asset District.
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Customer service any time, day or night 24/7. Port Authority’s new automated phone system enables you to use both touchtone dialing and voice recognition technology to instantly access information about your next scheduled bus, T or Incline and even check your ConnectCard balance – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Best of all, the system allows you to bypass others waiting to speak with the next available phone representative. Call 412.442.2000 and follow the prompts.
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
{EDITORIAL}
01.06/01.13.2016
Editor CHARLIE DEITCH Arts & Entertainment Editor BILL O’DRISCOLL Music Editor MARGARET WELSH Associate Editor AL HOFF Multimedia Editor ASHLEY MURRAY Listings Editor CELINE ROBERTS Assistant Listings Editor ALEX GORDON Staff Writers RYAN DETO, REBECCA NUTTALL Staff Photographer HEATHER MULL Interns AARON WARNICK, ANDREW WOEHREL
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Bernie Sanders and 06 President other predictions for 2016 from three Pittsburgh psychics.
NEW MEMBER
STARTING JANUARY 1ST
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conductor, but one who isn’t afraid to come within inches of listeners’ faces.” — Shawn Cooke on Deafheaven frontman George Clarke
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— Al Hoff reviews The Revenant
GENERAL POLICIES: Contents copyrighted 2016 by Steel City Media. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Pittsburgh City Paper are those of the author and not necessarily of Steel City Media. LETTER POLICY: Letters, faxes or e-mails must be signed and include town and daytime phone number for confirmation. We may edit for length and clarity. DISTRIBUTION: Pittsburgh City Paper is published weekly by Steel City Media and is available free of charge at select distribution locations. One copy per reader; copies of past issues may be purchased for $3.00 each, payable in advance to Pittsburgh City Paper. FIRST CLASS MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Available for $175 per year, $95 per half year. No refunds.
[ARTS] “Industrial plants are often framed to communicate not just their combustive power but the vulnerability of what surrounds it.” — Bill O’Driscoll on photographs in In the Air
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don’t let strangers just touch 47 “Dogs them all over the place.” — Dog massager Raylene Hoover on getting to know her clients
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Check out our FFW> music blog for concert announcements, Q&As and our weekly Spotify playlist. www.pghcitypaper.com
Follow @PghCityPaper on Twitter for news and updates. While you’re there, follow our editor @CharlieDee71 and our staff @alhoff2000, @trashyleesuh, @margaretcwelsh, @PghReporter, @butterandbrine, @Ashley__Murray and @RyanDeto.
THREE PITTSBURGH PSYCHICS MAKE PREDICTIONS FOR 2016
This week: Check out Title Town’s new digs, or rock out for a good cause.
BY REBECCA NUTTALL
The podcast goes live every Wednesday at www.pghcitypaper.com.
CITY PAPER
INTERACTIVE
Instagrammer @photolisticlife snapped this shot of Polish Hill. Tag your Instagram images as #CPReaderArt, and we just may re-gram you. Download our free app for a chance to win tickets to see Ron White on Jan. 23 at the Benedum Center. Contest ends Jan. 14.
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ITH A presidential election looming, local and national movements for workers’ rights, and continuing threats of terrorism domestically and abroad, 2016 is poised to be a volatile year. Not knowing what’s on the horizon can cause a lot of angst, so City Paper consulted with three “fortune tellers” to gain some insight into what the year has in store. Tamar George is a psychic coach with more than 30 years of experience. She’s also the organizer of Peaceburgh.com, “a growing, diverse community of Pittsburghers who are working to create a healthy, conscious and sustainable city.” We also spoke with Suzanne Bishop, a psychic medium and founder of Intuit Now, Pittsburgh’s Psychic Salon. And CP got prognostication for Pittsburgh from Ronda Snow, an author and wellness tutor who provides contemporary
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
tarot-card readings. But before you throw our newspaper in your suitcase and head to Las Vegas, we’re not suggesting anyone use our predictions to make a wager. As tarot-card reader Snow puts it, “These predictions have a 50 percent chance of being totally wrong, a 75 percent chance of mild sarcasm and a 90 percent chance of mild entertainment.” Some of the predictions were specific. Snow predicts: “The Steelers are not going to have a good postseason, and the Pens won’t win the Stanley Cup.” Snow also says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won’t win the election. And two of the other psychics we talked to say Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders will be our next president. Other predictions were broad, with all three of the intuitives we spoke to pre-
dicting that Pittsburgh and the nation will be undergoing a cultural shift. And with predictions like growing public concern for the environment and support for marijuana legalization, it looks like that shift will be to the left.
Tamar George writes: Predictions are probabilities and based on what the consciousness of the majority is. I predict in politics that the masses want less corporate influence in politics CONTINUES ON PG. 08
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ON SECOND SIGHT, CONTINUED FROM PG. 06
The
presents
Segâh Festival
Bernie Sanders ... our next president?
OF PERSIAN & TURKISH MUSIC
January 14-16
PET of the
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS Carnegie Mellon University JANUARY 14, 8 P.M. ALUMNI CONCERT HALL
WEEK
Piano Music of Iranian and Turkish Composers
JANUARY 15, 8 P.M. CARNEGIE MUSIC HALL
Traditional and Contemporary Persian and Turkish Music
JANUARY 16, 5:30 P.M. ALUMNI CONCERT HALL
Showcase Concert of Persian and Turkish Instruments with the festival soloists For ticket reservation & festival information:
724-799-2067 . 919-348-7744
www.segahfestival.com Email: segahfestival@gmail.com The Segah Festival page Photo Credit: Linda Mitzel
Melzie Although shy upon introduction, this little sweetheart warms up quickly and in no time will become your best friend! Melzie can be quite the cuddler. She doesn’t seem to be aware of her size so don’t be surprised to find her trying to climb into your lap! On a recent trip to the photo studio, Melzie enjoyed the car ride so much that she lavishly rewarded her handler with wet, sloppy kisses. What a lover! Because of her initial shyness, Melzie would be best suited for an adult-only home. She cannot live with cats.
and will elect Bernie Sanders. As far as education, there will be more of a desire for better trade schools, especially those having to deal with anything that would help distribute goods and services to the masses. The economy will see a downward spiral with banking and investments. No more bailing out the too-big-to-fail big banks and Wall Street. Silicon Valley and the younger generations will come up with innovative bartering, loaning and new cash-trading systems. The environment will also be more important, as more and more humans are raising their consciousness and acting as stewards of the planet. Peaceburgh.com is an example of like-minded people clumping together to make positive changes. The world is changing as we know it, and that’s a really hopeful thing.
#PiecesOfPittsburgh #Lawrenceville #Pittsburgh
Call Animal Friends today!
412-847-7000
Suzanne Bishop writes:
www.dayauto.com 8
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
pghcitypaper
The overall sense that I get intuitively is that there is a mass awakening of people. What that means is that people, for the first time, are letting go of the ties that bind them to base realities of life and are freeing themselves to the nuances of spirit. There is a big surge of collective energies that are opening up for people, as the walls of
what they think is real (right) melt into the intuitive voice. Intuitive voice being that collective stream of consciousness that can sometimes permeate the dream state. Things are going to get real with increased conflict in the Middle East and other places (boots on the ground), an increase of dangerous weather patterns and events, and populations of refugees at our doors. There is an air of underhandedness coming from governments and major powers like Russia. Because everything is put on the table in front for all eyes to see — a Plutonian astrological event — corporations and [political] candidates are feeling the backlash of their wrongdoing. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump will continue to surge in popularity, as they do not represent [the] established status quo and are relatively authentic. Sanders will win the nomination and will become our next president. Gun violence will continue to plague us, mostly with domestic terrorism. There will even be a few scuffles during political gatherings in the upcoming months as we get closer to elections. There will also be gun-reform happening under Obama. More and more whistleblowers come out of the closet, some to do with alien disclosure. [Bishop also later explained that alien disclosure could come from astronauts involved in the moon landings.] Medical marijuana becomes legal in more states and people begin to protest for its use in cancer treatments. No major earthquakes in 2016, but the year 2017 has lots of activity. More deadly storms and tornadoes are predicted for 2016.
Ronda Snow writes: Hello, Pittsburgh. Before we start, let me tell you a little about what to expect from your reading. I do things a little differently than other readers. I call my website Modern Oracle because I believe “fate” and predicting the future are outdated, obsolete, useless ideas. Cause and effect is a real thing. What happens in the future is directly related to the things you choose, do, avoid or omit today. The point of tarot readings is to help you understand the situation, make better choices, be a better person and create the future you want — and not just make an old-fashioned prediction and leave you hanging with the consequences. Also, I take privacy very seriously. I don’t read anyone without their permission, so if this reading fits an individual, great. If not, it may just be a citywide-average energy kind of thing. General Pattern: The year card is from the major arcana part of the deck that generally symbolizes energy, change, growth
{PHOTO BY HEATHER MULL}
As more and more people are seeing the reality of life as it really is — again, the Plutonian influence — and people and events that were once in the “hiding of wrongdoing” come to light, people will either let fear or love take them over. People’s basic identity of who they thought they were is challenged by a softening of ego that is part of human evolution happening at this time. As we continue to travel into the Aquarian Age, we let go of the deep-seated belief that we are just not good enough, [for] an even deeper belief that we are not only good enough, but divine in nature. In summary, things are going to get scary and violent, while at the same time, there will be a lot of love and brotherly support from people to people, mostly shown on social media. Many people are going to band together to protest harmful corporations damaging the earth, and the war in the Middle East. These protests are a reaction to once-hidden activities coming to light. Bottom line is: Don’t let the “reality” of what you see around you cause you to fall into fear. Adjust your natural spiritual antenna to the basic belief that you are deserving of love; serve others and the world, trust your intuition and you will thrive.
“The Steelers are not going to have a good postseason.”
and learning. However, the rest of the cards are all from minor arcana, which symbolizes more balanced energy and low-key dayto-day kind of advice. When most cards are minor arcana, I read that as a hint that the year will be balanced and not too stressful in the long run. Winter: Four of Swords. This is a card of adaptability and flexibility. Not only adapting to changing situations in what you do … but also when you do it. Timing is important. Watch and wait to time things just right. Adapt your expectations from “I want it now,” to “it will come when the time is right.” Pushing your agenda may not help. Waiting, watching and going with the flow will help things succeed more easily. Stay chill with traffic and little annoyances. Things will get better eventually. Spring: King of Wands. The energy shifts from just watching to internal action, but still not external pushing. The King of Wands represents leadership, but in this case, it is about individual leadership more than civil governance or outer group leadership. This is a time of taking personal responsibility. There is a LOT in this world we can’t control, but the one thing we have total control over is ourselves. There is a feeling of impatience. The winter may have been mild, but it can still seem long. As spring arrives, the city may notice a restless energy, chomping at the bit to spring into action, tired of all the waiting and watching energy that has been around. This is a time for mental and emotional preparation. The spring is a good time for learning new things, taking a class, and putting our mental house in order for all the summer fun to come. CONTINUES ON PG. 10
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ON SECOND SIGHT, CONTINUED FROM PG. 09
ON SALE FRIDAY AT NOON!
Summer: Now things spring into action. The energy around the Six of Coins reminds me of all the things I love about Pittsburgh. The richness here isn’t so much physical money, but a richness of culture, personality and generosity. This energy feels like block parties and street fairs, the Three Rivers Arts Festival and homegame days when the Clemente Bridge is open to pedestrians. There is a feeling of self-esteem and tolerance … pride in your neighborhood, but working together as a city. This has a feeling of extending to the nation. After a winter of partisanship and contentiousness, even bigoted, partisan political-rhetorical energies have a chance of becoming more tolerant, even egalitarian, in the summer. Fall: The Six of Wands classically means “peace.” The good vibes and activity continue. Just like the harvest season, plans start to happen and come to fruit. All the things everyone was chomping at the bit to do in the spring can get rolling now. Teamwork, flexibility, adaptability, cooperation remain key. Things you want to accomplish get farther now if they are done with that sense of teamwork and with pooled resources, than they would
have if you’d plowed through back in the winter. Year as a Whole: The Moon. The Moon card represents intuition, life’s natural cycles, spiritual journeys. The mental image here is a pendulum shift, a swing in the opposite direction ... it feels reactive. It feels like there is potential for a stampede of good that is a direct reaction and result of 2015’s challenges. It’s not all peace, love and flowers, but is more practical and proactive. It reminds me of The Carter Center’s motto of “Wage Peace.” If we choose it, Pittsburgh could have a year of cooperative action for practical benefit. For individual clients, I usually give any purely intuitive impressions at this point, but for a city as a whole, there isn’t enough focus for this part to be helpful. The only mental image that remains is the one of the pendulum swinging. The word “momentum” comes to mind: success through well-timed, cooperative, widely beneficial effort. This year feels as if the energy will be on the side of cooperation, tolerance and improvement, more [so] than narrow world-views or individual selfish gain. For success, remember that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” RN U T TA L L @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
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Thursday, day, March March 10, 10 2016 6-10 pm (doors open at 5:30 pm) Drag Competition Crowning Miss B*tchburgh 2016
VIP Tickets – $50 (includes stage side seating and one drink ticket) General Tickets – $35 ($45 at the door) s Drink Specials s Souvenir Glass* s Light Refreshments s Rafes and Giveaways s Celebrity Judges s Cat Walk s Crowning of Miss B*tchburgh 2016 (9pm) * While supplies last. s Dancing (9-10pm)
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Order tickets online at animalrescue.org/b-ball-tickets Proceeds beneďŹ t:
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UNREALIZED POTENTIAL
Hunt Armory deal might be bad for the affordable-housing fund {BY RYAN DETO} ON DEC. 16, Mayor Bill Peduto was part of
an hour-long, nationally live-streamed discussion on the topic of affordable housing with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. During the talk, Peduto detailed the Penn Plaza crisis in East Liberty and the resulting agreement, a deal that included a new special affordable-housing fund. The agreement created a district surrounding the East Liberty Transit Center, inside of which publicly owned or financed properties must contribute a portion of any tax abatements they receive to a fund for affordable-housing projects within the district. However, what wasn’t shared with the country, or even with advocates within the city, was how city officials recently left on the table $1 million that could have gone into that fund. One week before the mayor’s D.C. discussion, the Urban Redevelopment Au-
{PHOTO BY AL HOFF}
The Hunt Armory, in Shadyside
thority awarded the Hunt Armory site, in Shadyside, to Kratsa Properties, a developer that plans to turn the historic military facility into an indoor ice-rink complex. And while this project has broad community support, especially in Shadyside, selling to the ice-rink developer meant a significant loss to the special affordable-housing fund
Do you know what your Pittsburgh city councilor has been up to? Follow the latest updates on our blog at www.pghcitypaper.com
— a fact that was barely, if ever, debated throughout the public process. Three different proposals for the armory were considered by the URA. If built, the ice rink would generate $600,000 for the fund, while an office space/business incubator would have generated $1.4 million, and a high-end apartment complex would have created $1.7 million, according to a URA presentation. But other than a single slide detailing these varying amounts, not one person of the dozens present at the Dec. 10 URA meeting discussed the potential loss to the affordablehousing fund. Furthermore, it appears that affordable housing wasn’t discussed during the community meeting process either. Alethea Sims, president of the Coalition of Organized Residents of East Liberty, attended one of the community meetings at Calvary Church, in Shadyside. She says affordable housing wasn’t discussed during that meeting, nor was the effect the project selection would have on the fund. “We can say we are doing things toward affordable housing, but talk is cheap. I want to see some actions,” says Sims. Pittsburgh City Councilor Daniel Lavelle, who sits on the URA board and the city’s Affordable Housing Task Force, says he voted in favor of the ice rink because of strong community support. He added that the difference in the amount generated for the affordable-housing fund is just “a drop in a bucket” in relation to the large
amount of permanently affordable units the city needs. Kevin Acklin, the URA board chair and Peduto’s chief of staff, said in an email to CP that the ice-rink proposal was picked due to “overwhelming neighborhood support for the proposal, combined with the fact that the ice rink would keep the development open as a public space.” He also echoed Lavelle’s assertion that the difference in funding for affordable housing was “miniscule and would only have funded a few additional units.” But $1 million might go further than many think. According to Linda Metropulos of Action Housing, a nonprofit developer specializing in affordable housing projects, the URA typically uses funds, not to fully fund construction of low-income units, but to incentivize outside developers to construct them. For example, this summer, 40 permanently affordable units were completed in Larimer costing $13 million. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the URA procured $1 million in federal money to help fill a gap in funding for that project. And Metropulos says funds that size could be used even more efficiently to address the affordable-housing problem. “What if [the city] gave $1 million to renovate Penn Plaza?” she says. “It would be much better to invest in a renovation than to tear it down. A really good use of that money would be to preserve or put back online units that are affordable.” Penn Plaza resident Randall Taylor, who was part of negotiations regarding the fate of the apartments, says he wasn’t surprised to learn that the potential for lost funding wasn’t more fully discussed in public — or that the building wasn’t considered for affordable housing. “I think there is a real gap between what the mayor’s office is saying and actually doing,” says Taylor. “When you have open space like [the armory], there needs to be a serious discussion of whether it can become affordable housing.” Acklin says no armory proposal included affordable housing plans (however the armory’s proposal request doesn’t mention affordable housing as a suggestion). Also, had the high-end apartments been chosen, the developer might have been required by the Penn Plaza agreement to use “reasonable efforts” to include a portion of affordable housing. Acklin says the URA opted to support the ice rink because it still contributes to the affordable housing fund and addresses the public space vision of the area.
TWO OTHER PROPOSALS FOR THE SHADYSIDE SITE COULD HAVE MEANT AN ADDITIONAL $1 MILLION FOR THE FUND.
RYA N D E TO@ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
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Anton Plakseychuk, MD, PhD, Associate Director of The Bone and Joint Center at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, now provides orthopaedic services at UPMC Downtown.
Anton Y. Plakseychuk, MD, PhD Orthopaedic Surgery Dr. Plakseychuk received his medical degree from the Kazan State Medical University, Russia. He completed orthopaedic surgery residencies and fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Kazan branch of Illizaov Center in Russia. Dr. Plakseychuk is board-certified and an expert in hip arthroscopy (labral repairs), hip resurfacing, hip replacements (minimally invasive direct anterior approach), partial and full replacements of knee, shoulder, and ankle, and revision surgeries in difficult cases.
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THERE ARE A multitude of reasons to get down to the A.J. Palumbo Center and see the 2015-16 Duquesne men’s basketball team. The first of those being, they’re good. Coach Jim Ferry has his team off to its best start (10-2) in 36 years. The last time the Dukes were this good, Americans were driving their 4,000-pound, simulated-woodpaneled station wagons to go see Kramer vs. Kramer in theaters. Back then you could order Quaaludes from your friend from a phone booth. Also a reason to go: Game tickets are cheap and parking is relatively easy compared to other sporting events in town. If that is not enough, Duquesne has the second best three-point shooter in NCAA history. Go ahead, read that sentence again; let it sink in. Micah Mason once hit 73 consecutive threes in practice as a high school student at Natrona Heights. At a tryout for Ferry, he knocked down 50 of 51 from the same distance. You can probably find pro-level players who can’t connect on layups with that kind of accuracy. It’s the stuff that playground legends are made of, except in this case Mason is doing it for a Division I college basketball program. Including a stop at Drake University and his time with the Dukes, Mason has hit more than 49 percent of his three-point attempts. He has already broken T.J. McConnell’s record of 346 treys and still has the rest of the season to go. And in case you’re wondering if that’s good, McConnell, a local kid who began his career at Duquesne before transferring to Arizona, currently resides in the NBA. Well, sort of, he plays for the Philadelphia 76ers who have a 3-33 record, but it still technically counts. If seeing Micah Mason drill shots from Uptown is not enough reason to see a game, he is not even the best player on the team. For now, that title goes to Derrick Colter. Senior D.C. is only the third player in school history to lead the team in points and assists in multiple years. It hasn’t been easy either. In the last few years, Colter has dealt with the death of his brother, J.J., and has battled cancer himself (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma). Colter has responded to adversity by starting every single game of his career. He even dropped 16 against Robert Morris the day his brother passed away. His
{PHOTO BY HEATHER MULL}
Mike Wysocki
life is already an inspirational movie, and he’s only 21 years old. Colter and Mason form one of the best backcourts that Duke’s die-hard fans have ever seen. But it hasn’t all been puppy dogs and cotton candy for the Dukes this year. Senior captain Jeremiah Jones injured his ACL and is lost for the season. It happened in a recent victory over RMU. Jones had started 84 consecutive games before the injury. Stepping in will be 6’5” sophomore Eric James. James put up 21 points in the city game against Pitt, one of only two losses so far this year. James will play next to 6’11” center Darius Lewis, a junior from Lexington, Ky., who specializes in blocking shots and cleaning the boards. L.G. Gill, a junior forward, rounds out the starting five. Gill is 6’8” and can shoot threes as well; 60 percent of his field-goal attempts come from beyond the arc. C’mon a 6’8”guy who shoots threepointers — how many reasons do you need to see a game? The Dukes get very little recognition in a city where basketball is slightly less popular than pro wrestling or corn hole. And people who do like basketball usually go see the more glamorous Pitt Panthers. But finally the loyalty of all the old men who show up for games in their redand-blue team jackets is finally paying off. On Jan. 13, the Dukes welcome the St. Louis Billikens, followed by St. Bonaventure on Jan. 16. The LaSalle Explorers come to the Palumbo on Jan. 26. So get on the bandwagon — it’s quality college basketball with no frills. Duquesne was picked to finish 11th in the Atlantic 10 this year … stupid experts. I mean, there are 14 teams in that division, so what do they know about numbers anyway?
THERE ARE 14 TEAMS IN THAT DIVISION, SO WHAT DO THEY KNOW ABOUT NUMBERS ANYWAY?
MIK E WYSO C K I IS A STANDU P C O ME DIAN AND M E M B E R OF J I M K RE N N ’ S Q M ORN I N G S H OW E AC H WE E K DAY MO R NING O N Q 9 2 . 9 F M. F O L L OW H I M ON T W I T T E R: @ I T S M I K E W YS OC K I
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What does your child buy at convenience stores? The RAND Corporation, in Pittsburgh, is conducting a research study to learn about what children, ages 11-17, purchase at convenience stores. Participation requires completion of a 20 minute phone or web survey and one 90 minute visit to the RAND study center. Children who complete the study will be compensated for their time and effort with $50 in gift certificates. Parking and travel compensation is provided. If you are interested and want to find out more, please call 412-545-3005 or c-storestudy@rand.org or http://www.rand.org/storestudy. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis.
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THE CUISINE FEATURES MORE LAMB AND SPICES, LIKE CUMIN, THAT LOOK WESTWARD
PITTSBURGH FOOD: A WISH LIST {BY AL HOFF}
In recent years, Pittsburgh has rightly received numerous accolades for its lively dining scene, and we’re all grateful to have moved on past boring burgers, pizza and wings. But there are some holes in the casual-fare landscape that I’d like to see filled. Some might seem kooky or weird, but I ate at (or walked past) similar restaurants in other North American towns this year.
Make-Your-Own Vietnamese Grab-and-Go. It’s like a Chipolte for
banh mi sandwiches, spring rolls and rice bowls. Pick one, then work your way down a line choosing protein, condiments, seasonings and so on. Cheap and fast.
All-Pie Meals. Pie is a great dessert, but it’s a good savory option, too. Meat pies, seasonal vegetable pies, hand pies (like empanadas or Cornish pasties), followed by a piece of cherry pie. Or custard tart. Eat in, or pie to go. Pies. Eat in the Pitch-Black Dark. A bit of a one-time gimmick, but a fascinating exercise in how we process the experience of eating when we can’t see our food. Can you guess what you’re eating? Can you enjoy it without photographing it first?
{PHOTO BY HEATHER MULL}
Spicy homemade noodles with chicken
A TASTE OF XI’AN
Asian Hot Pot Buffet. The table is set with several seasoned boiling broths. Then you order as much as you want from dozens of raw meat, seafood, vegetable and condiment options. You cook the food in the pots. Great fun for a group.
Mexican Bakery. There is a whole world of flakey sugary baked goods unavailable here.
Hawker Joint. These spots serve Thai street food, rather than sit-down meals. The fare is often served in sharable small plates and geared toward the late-night crowd.
Artisanal Innards. Americans generally eschew the organ meats and other “exotic” cuts, but a good chef can work magic on tongues, hearts, stomachs and so on. Plus, diners should stop being so fussy.
Ridiculously Fancy Donuts and Ridiculously Fancy Ice Cream. Such places admittedly come with ridiculously high prices for time-honored inexpensive treats. But what if I need an over-sized bubble-gum donut or spicy strawberry ice cream?
{BY ANGELIQUE BAMBERG + JASON ROTH}
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IGHT YEARS AGO, we dined at Sakura Teppanyaki & Sushi, a Japanese restaurant with more home-style offerings than was typical at the time. The name remains the same, but Sakura’s appeal has significantly shifted. As the market for authentic Chinese — as opposed to Chinese-American — food has grown, Sakura’s Chinese owners have greatly extended the menu, focusing on dishes from Xi’an, the ancient capital that formed the terminus of the Silk Road. Underrepresented historically in the States and still locally, Xi’an cooking is distinct from more familiar Sichuan and Cantonese styles. It features more lamb, less pork (due to Xi’an’s significant Muslim population), and spices, like cumin, that look westward. The cuisine is unique among Chinese and other East Asian styles.
AHOFF@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
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Sakura’s Xi’an dishes are a bit heartier, with more root vegetables and robust sauces, resembling but quite distinct from familiar Chinese stir-fries. Indeed, when hand-shaved noodles with pork arrived,
SAKURA 5882 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. 412-422-7188 HOURS: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sat. 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. PRICES: Appetizers, soups and salads $2-12; entrees $6-23 LIQUOR: Wine and beer
CP APPROVED Angelique feared that this was yet another tired stir-fry with miniature corn and glossy brown sauce, but she could hardly have been more wrong. The sauce was nutty and
creamy, faintly evocative of satay, while the rustic noodles, about the same size and shape as the strips of pork, were thick and chewy, and reminiscent of spätzle. Dumplings — an extraordinary value at $5.95 for a dozen — also looked familiar, but the beef filling was meat-forward with appropriate spices, making these dumplings definitively different from the usual pork potstickers. We only wished the dipping sauce stood out more. Scallion pancakes were beautifully browned and flaky on the outside, but the interior was a bit gummy and lacking in enough scallions to brighten the flavor of simple fried dough. Sakura also offers street-food-style snacks, such as a BBQ-pork sandwich on a steamed bun and the “Eight Treasure” spicy sandwich. The former was satisfactory, but the latter was amazing. The “bread” was
described as a pancake, but seemed actually to be noodles packed together to form a cohesive mass and then griddled in oil. The surface browned deeply, with threads of noodle crisping up like hash browns. The cake was then split and filled with spiced meat, root vegetables and mushrooms, all diced and delicious. We have had nothing else like it in the city and will be thinking of it all winter. On the noodle side of the menu, Angelique experienced some frustration. Her perennial complaint about Chinese restaurants is the paucity of their menu descriptions: From dishes named after two ingredients, how are we to predict their flavor and preparation? In the current instance, was there a meaningful difference between “Lamb Ribs Thin Noodles (Spicy)” and “Thin Lamb Noodles (Spicy)”, other that the former was made with lamb rib? She decided to take a chance on the ribs, but when they were out, defaulted to the latter dish. A cursory note on the menu characterized it as a stir-fry, but what arrived was a steaming bowl of soup, paprika-red in color, with a slick of red-chili oil on top. It was filled with small diced bits of lamb, carrot and rustic strips of noodle. We quickly diagnosed this as the wrong dish. This must surely be “Minced Lamb Soup (Spicy): homemade noodle, lamb, carrots and radish in spicy broth,” a little farther down the menu. But no. The owner said we weren’t the first to be confused, but added that Chinese customers would not identify this dish as “soup.” Graciously, she asked us for advice on how to reword the menu. This “soup” was no stir-fry as we understand the term, but it was pretty good. Once the oil was stirred into the broth, its spice suffused the liquid without overpowering heat, and the fillings took on another dimension, with a rich mouthfeel from the fatty oil. Pork belly with woodear mushroom held no such drama. The pork looked like short slices of bacon, but it was chewy, not crispy, while large, thin slices of potato were only just cooked, remaining a bit crisp. Silky mushroom and firm, smoky tofu rounded out the primary elements. The ingredients were stir-fried with hardly any sauce, just spices and enough oil to hold things together. We love this new era of authentic (and new to us) Chinese cuisine, even if it comes with some of the old pitfalls, including an epic menu with descriptions so incomplete as to reveal nothing. In addition to Xi’an and Japanese, Sakura offers an array of ChineseAmerican dishes as well as some Sichuan specialties. But it’s the Xi’an that will keep us coming back for more, even if we have to guess at the gap between menu and plate.
On the RoCKs
{BY DREW CRANISKY}
A GOOD TIME TO DRINK IN PITTSBURGH In 2015, new establishments opened at a breakneck pace
A new year offers a clean slate. We decide what to leave in the past and what to strive for going forward. 2015 brimmed with things we would all like to leave behind, all far more important than beer and cocktails. But since no one wants me to attempt to sort out Syria or make sense of Trump, I will instead offer a glance at the state of drinking in Pittsburgh. This was the year that everyone realized that Pittsburgh has a food scene. Though some national notices took the “Wow, this place isn’t so crummy after all” approach, everyone from Eater to The New York Times ate and drank their way around the city. The year was a flurry of activity. New bars, restaurants and breweries opened at a breakneck pace, and established ones continued to innovate and experiment with abandon.
I DOUBT THE WAVE WILL SUBSIDE ANYTIME SOON. The most successful openings addressed a specific need. Lawrenceville was lacking a late-night lounge until the Goldmark debuted in November, offering a clever beer-and-shot program and lots of killer DJs. Troy Hill’s Scratch Food & Beverage brought new life to the North Side scene with craft cocktails at neighborhood prices. Hotel bars leapt forward with sophisticated programs at Hotel Monaco, Hotel Indigo and the brand-new Ace Hotel. I doubt the wave will subside anytime soon. Recently I was lamenting the city’s lack of a proper tiki bar. Days later, Hidden Harbor announced it would be bringing craft mai tais and zombies to Squirrel Hill this month. Pittsburghers can be a touch defensive when anything threatens the authenticity of our city. I suggest we leave that attitude in 2015 and embrace the changes. The new needn’t replace the old — Pittsburgh can be a city of “ands” rather than “ors.” You can get a world-class cocktail at a stylish Downtown destination and a pitcher of Iron City at your neighborhood dive. Cheers to a year filled with opportunity, innovation and some damn fine drinks.
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THE FOLLOWING DINING LISTINGS ARE RESTAURANTS RECOMMENDED BY CITY PAPER FOOD CRITICS
DINING LISTINGS KEY
J = Cheap K = Night Out L = Splurge E = Alcohol Served F = BYOB
AVENUE B. 5501 Centre Ave., Shadyside. 412-683-3663. This intimate corner restaurant has only a brief, seasonal menu, but its offerings are all tantalizing, each combining several pedigreed ingredients. Such selections have included piquillo-pepper lasagna with a different filling in each layer; green-bean and sweet-potato tempura; and fresh pasta topped with beef short ribs, chard and crisped cipollini onions. LF AZUL BAR Y CANTINA. 122 Broad St., Leetsdale. 724-266-6362. Colorful and convivial, Azul dishes up Southern California-style Mexican cooking in a festive atmosphere. The menu offers the familiar fajitas, tacos and burritos — to be washed down with margaritas — as well as quirkier fare such as crunchy sticks of jicama and fried ice cream. JE BLUE LINE GRILLE. 1014 Fifth Ave., Uptown. 412-281-2583. This hockey-themed venue rises above standard sports-bar fare, despite dishes named “Hat Trick” and “Pen Wings.” The menu shows variety; the apps range from Montreal poutine and chorizo quesadillas to blistered asparagus and pretzel buns with dipping cheese. More substantial fare includes pizzas, sandwiches, hamburgers and pasta. KE BUTCHER AND THE RYE. 212 Sixth St., Downtown. 412-391-2752. Amid the twee décor, diners can find outstanding food (and houserecipe cocktails). Starters might be a remade Caesar salad with baby kale, roasted Brussels sprouts or rich mac-and-cheese. Game dishes, such as quail and rabbit, are available as entrees, as are popular standbys such as burgers, with fries and pickles. KE THE CARLTON. 500 Grant St., Downtown. 412-391-4152. A mainstay of Downtown dining for two decades, The Carlton delivers the hallmarks of fine dining in an atmosphere refreshingly free of attitude or affectation. The menu is neither stodgy nor cutting-edge; while dishes may verge on the decadent — risotto with lobster and brie? — the flavor and ingredient combinations offer a classic Continental cuisine with contemporary inflections. LE CENACOLO. Banco Business Park, 1061 N. Main St., North
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Sushi Tomo {PHOTO BY HEATHER MULL} Huntingdon. 724-515-5983. Local pasta-maker Fede runs this Italian restaurant highlighting its fresh noodles: Aside from platters featuring some cold meats and cheeses, there are half-a-dozen starters and a dozen pastas. Don’t expect classic sauces, but rather ingredients are chosen to complement the pasta shapes. Don’t miss the fresh mozzarella, pulled to order. LF
Cenacolo {PHOTO BY HEATHER MULL} FAT HEADS. 1805 E. Carson St., South Side. 412-431-7433. This place seems to expand every few years, with reason: terrific beer selection, chicken wings and industrial-sized sandwiches. There’s outdoor eating on the “fatio,” but timing is everything: No matter how many tables they add, you may end up waiting for one. JE JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. 422 Foreland St., North Side. 412-904-3335. This venue offers a nicely up-to-date selection of refined pub grub, including inventively dressed burgers (corn chips, salsa and ranch dressing), meatloaf and fried chicken. A relaxed gastro-
pub, with fun appetizers, such as steak “pipe bombs,” live music on one floor and menus housed in old LP covers. KE JIMMY WAN’S. 1337 Old Freeport Road, Fox Chapel (412-968-0848) and 1686 Route 228, Cranberry (724-778-8978). This upscale eatery delivers what Americans expect from a Chinese restaurant, plus fare with a modern, pan-Asian approach, complete with Japanese and French influences. Wan’s offers inventive appetizers such as sashimi ceviche, traditional and creative sushi, dim sum and ChineseAmerican entrees both familiar (Peking duck) and less so (dan dan noodles). KE KASAI PGH JAPANESE RESTAURANT. 146 E. Main St., Carnegie. 412-279-5500. Here, the menu is fairly sushi-centric, with a handful of cooked appetizers and entrees. Kasia offers a wide variety of sushi, from slender, one-filling hosomaki and traditional rolls, to more elaborate multi-ingredient offerings — all with impressive attention to detail. Non-sushi items include crisp, flavorful gyoza dumplings and a craband-cucumber salad. KF KAYA. 2000 Smallman St., Strip District. 412-261-6565. Kaya is a local culinary mainstay, offering inventive Caribbeaninspired contemporary cuisine. The menu, much of which is vegetarian, changes frequently. But it remains divided into tropas — tropical tapas — and entrees. KE MENDOZA EXPRESS. 812 Mansfield Road, Green Tree. 412-429-8780. The décor is pure kitsch — sombreros on the walls, etc. — and the location is a bit
Slice…Nice James Street Gastropub & Speakeasy {PHOTO BY HEATHER MULL} obscure. But the menu is ample, and the food is as authentic as you’ll find in Pittsburgh. (Try the rebozo, a scramble of chorizo, peppers and cheese.) JF OLIVES AND PEPPERS. 6052 William Flynn Highway (Route 8), Bakerstown. 724-444-7499. This casual Italian spot that offers pizza, pasta and sandwiches as well as more refined entrees. The meat-and-cheese sandwiches are a forte, with ciabatta “panini” and hoagies options. The lasagna is enormous, its homemade noodles laden with a creamy five-cheese mix and a savory Bolognese sauce with meatballlike chunks of beef. KE
offers a full range of Japanese cuisine beyond sushi that is more representative of everyday fare, including various appetizers, noodle soups, hot pots and rice bowls. But, as the name suggests, there is also plenty of well-prepared sushi, including specialty maki. KE TEN PENNY. 960 Penn Ave., Downtown. 412-318-8000. This restaurant offers an appealing old-school “industrial” atmosphere — old wood beams and Edison light bulbs — with a contemporary American menu. Expect to find new standards like roasted Brussels sprouts (with bacon), beet salad, goat cheese and flatbreads, as well as favorites like hamburgers (with fried egg), pasta, chops and stews. KE
OVER THE BAR BICYCLE CAFÉ. 2518 E. Carson St., South Side. 412-381-3698. This two-wheelthemed café and bar offers a TESSARO’S. 4601 Liberty Ave., creative pub-grub menu (with Bloomfield. 412-682-6809. many offerings named for This immensely popular bicycle parts). The salads Bloomfield institution, are more impressive set in an old than those you’ll find neighborhood corner at most bars, and . www per bar, has built its the menu features a p ty pghci m reputation on vegetarian and vegan .co enormous wood-fired options. Try the battered hamburgers: choice zucchini planks wrapped meat, ground in-house; fresh around melty cheeses. JE rolls; and a variety of toppings. Regulars sit at the bar, and, on SEVICHE. 930 Penn Ave., busy weekends, diners line up Downtown. 412-697-3120. This to get in. KE upscale Latin American-style tapas restaurant specializes THAI CUISINE. 4625 Liberty in citrus-cured fish, while also Ave., Bloomfield. 412-688-9661. offering a small selection of This Thai restaurant in the heart Latin-inspired tapas and finger of Pittsburgh’s Little Italy serves sandwiches. And what better up authentic dishes with warm, to wash down an empanada friendly service. The restaurant or mini taco than a refreshing also offers an updated vegetarian capirinha cocktail? KE menu that features mock duck, vegetarian pork and other meat SIX PENN. 146 Sixth Ave., substitutes, as well as the more Downtown. 412-566-7366. Open familiar non-meat offerings of late for the Downtown theater tofu and vegetables. KF crowd, this cheery restaurant satisfies theater buffs, families VIETNAM’S PHO. 1627 Penn and young professionals alike. Ave., Strip District. 412-281-8881. The seasonal menu offers lively The menu features a manageable updates on comfort food from selection of noodle and rice dishes lobster mac-n-cheese to braised and the eponymous pho soups. short ribs. Gourmet burgers and There’s also a tempting assortpizzas make for quick meals. ment of simple vegetable dishes Linger for homemade desserts, and appetizers that go beyond or stop by after the show. KE mere spring rolls, such as whole quail with lemon leaves and SUSHI TOMO. 4812 McKnight herbs, and ground-shrimp patties Road, North Hills. 412-630-8666. on sugar-cane skewers. JF This North Hills restaurant
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LOCAL
BEAT
HE RETREATS FURTHER TO REFLECT ON THE LIFESTYLE CHANGES SUNBATHER HATH WROUGHT
{BY MIKE SHANLEY}
STEPPING IT UP A typical City Steps performance usually features some tried-and-true elements: Who-ish backbeats with guitar melodies that evoke Belle & Sebastian, as well as Scottish post-punk forebears like Aztec Camera or Orange Juice. On top of that, guitarist Michael Lawton sings with choirboy sincerity, tinged with a bit of melancholia. That crisp sound was all over the 2014 digital EP New Fiction. But jangle is not the first thing to pop up on the new EP, Change Your Mind. The title track sounds more like Destroyer, with banks of synths accompanying Lawton’s voice. Jesse Ley (who doubles as drummer for Delicious Pastries) joined City Steps on keyboards just over a year ago, and he brings a new dimension to the music. While this track might touch on synth pop (thanks in part to synthetic handclaps), the keys on “Procrastination Game” and “Golden Lights (Are Gonna Make You Cry)” move in the direction of the more sophisticated pop from the ’60s British Invasion. “Change Your Mind” sounds like a departure for the band, but it actually fulfills the singer’s dream. “I’ve always pictured my songs that way, when I wrote them,” Lawton says. “Not necessarily with all the electronic elements of production, but I always hear them as these big soundscapes with a lot of complex arrangements. That’s always how I’ve wanted our recordings to sound.” Lawton says the songwriting process doesn’t come any easier to him. “I’m more of a tinkerer. I’ll come up with a germ of an idea and just keep working it over and over again until it turns into something,” he says, adding that Ley, drummer Joe Tarowsky and bassist Ross Reilly (who was recently replaced by Stephen Gallo) played an important role in the arrangements. City Steps released Change Your Mind in December, not realizing that the holidays aren’t necessarily the best time to drum up attention for a new disc. But if you missed them that first time around, the band — and the EP — can be found at Club Café this weekend. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
CITY STEPS with AUTOMAGICK, BLITHEHOUND. 10 p.m. Sat., Jan. 9. Club Café. 56 S. 12th St., South Side. 412-431-4950 or www.clubcafelive.com
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{PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN COFFER}
Deafheaven (George Clarke, second from right)
EYES UPWARD {BY SHAWN COOKE}
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FTER THE FIRST time I saw Deafheaven, my thighs came away from the show with a horizontal indent running across them. That’s as high as the stage went at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. The battle scars weren’t caused by the reckless abandon of your average mosh pit, but from the entire crowd pushing against me from behind — they were trying to be near George Clarke, the band’s lead dynamo. On stage, he’s a magnetic presence, with the sharp gesticulations of a conductor, but one who isn’t afraid to come within inches of listeners’ faces. Clarke’s ferocious charisma is the only thing up there that matches the sheer hell coming from the speakers — his other bandmates seem largely unperturbed by it all. It takes a full room of frenzied Deafheads (jury’s still out on an official fan name) to produce the bruises that I endured, but there wasn’t anything
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
unpleasant about it. A Deafheaven show trades in group catharsis the same way a punk or emo gig might, although strangely, there’s a more powerful bond of cohesion with a group of people who scream along to inscrutable lyrics if you haven’t checked
DEAFHEAVEN
WITH LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX, POWERTRIP 6 p.m. Fri., Jan. 15. Stage AE, 400 North Shore Drive, North Side. $35-39. 412-229-5483 or www.stageae.com
out the liner notes. I avoided the indent when Deafheaven came to the Rex Theater two falls ago, but the band’s unconventional metal bowled me over all the same. That break from convention has caused a passionate and not insignificant sect of the metal community to turn on Deaf-
heaven and tag it as not metal enough or, more commonly, “hipster metal.” On this spring’s tour opening for Lamb of God and Anthrax, Clarke and the gang stand to earn a considerable badge of honor in the metal world — while also playing before large crowds of both purists and potential deriders. But in order to open for two of the more successful metal acts of all time, the band must have won over a few skeptics along the way. 2013’s pink-covered, glimmering Sunbather rocketed Deafheaven into the tastemaking consciousness and atop many a year-end list. Notable for its lush and unrelenting blur of shoegaze and black metal, the record found Clarke cautiously clamoring for a more affluent life. After the band achieved a comfortable level of success with that record, last fall’s New Bermuda upended any expectations with a charred, hulking beast of an album. It’s the group’s
most quintessentially metal release yet, even while Clarke retreats further into his own mind to reflect on the lifestyle changes Sunbather hath wrought. Earlier this decade, before Deafheaven had released its debut LP, Roads to Judah, Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy slept on the floor in a too-modest-for-comfort San Francisco apartment. In between Sunbather and New Bermuda, Clarke moved to an upgraded place in Los Angeles with his girlfriend. His unease with the new location best manifests itself on “Luna,” when Clarke screams of his new home, “I’ve boarded myself inside. I refuse to exit / There is no ocean for me / There is no glamour.” He assures me via email that things have gotten better since writing that song, and that it was largely born from adjusting. “‘Luna’ dealt with not only the transitional period I was going through, but also the boredom I was facing on a day-to-day basis, which led me to feeling depressed,” Clarke writes. Aside from the financial gains postSunbather, Clarke and the band have also attained some lineup stability after touring behind that record. Dan Tracy, who drummed the hell out of Sunbather, has joined Clarke and McCoy as a full-time member. Shiv Mehra and Stephen Clark, who also toured after the sophomore record, have since joined on as regulars. Now a steady five-piece, Deafheaven seems to have really locked in a groove with New Bermuda. Choosing a favorite between the two albums seems impossible at this juncture, but it’s hard to dispute that New Bermuda sure feels like a more accomplished effort. Although it finds the band exploring a significantly bleaker palette than Sunbather, Deafheaven’s penchant for sweeping, push-pull dynamics remains intact — but now the lulls explode at more natural points, and the climaxes hit with twice the force. It’s a heavier album for sure, but that could be expected of an expanded roster. The finesse is what makes it such a thrilling follow-up. No track on New Bermuda represents Deafheaven’s malleability better than its closer, “Gifts for the Earth.” As an unabashed homage to Oasis, complete with tambourines and acoustic guitars, “Gifts” forges a new path forward — not necessarily to an entire album of black metal and Brit-pop, but to uncharted territory for forthcoming albums. Given how easily Deafheaven eschewed shoegaze for this outing, we should take it seriously when Clarke suggests that more exploration could be on the way. “Now that this record is done and we’ve found a stride, we can be more comfortable with taking creative liberties — which is only positive.” INFO@ PGHC ITY PAP ER.CO M
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NEW RELEASES
LISTEN UP!
{BY ANDREW WOEHREL}
You read City Paper’s music coverage every week, but why not listen to it too? Each Wednesday, music editor Margaret Welsh crafts a Spotify playlist with tracks from artists featured in the music section, and other artists playing around town in the coming days.
Find it on our music blog, FFW>>, at pghcitypaper.com
{PHOTO COURTESY OF NATHALIE LE PENNEC}
Eddie Manion
SAX MAN {BY MARGARET WELSH} NAME A SONG from the Bruce Springsteen catalog and saxophonist Eddie Manion can probably play it off the top of his head. From 2012 to 2014, he joined Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on tours promoting Springsteen’s records Wrecking Ball and High Hopes, and at every show, audience members held signs requesting their favorite songs. “Standing in front of 60,000 people … you think, ‘Oh my God, what if he picks that one?” Manion recalls. “The fear of him picking that song made me learn every song he ever wrote.” The late Clarence Clemons may be the saxophonist people think of when they think of the Boss, but Manion has been in the picture for decades. Raised in New Jersey (he now lives in Seven Fields, in Butler County), Manion got his start playing with Springsteen-associated groups like Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, in the ’70s, and Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, in the ’80s. Since then, Manion says, “whenever Bruce Springsteen has needed a horn section, he’s always called me.” This weekend, Manion celebrates the release of his second solo record, Nightlife, at the Strand Theatre in Zelienople. He’ll be joined by another Springsteen friend, Joe Grushecky, who plays on the record, and has helped welcome Manion into the Pittsburgh music scene. The record is a collection of standards (“Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” “Stardust”) and classic R&B and pop songs (“It’s Gonna Take a Miracle,” “Town Without Pity”). “All my life I’ve been listening to great horn players,” Manion says. And in listening, he often focused on comparison. “What does Stanley Turrentine sound
like playing ‘Stardust’? …What does Charlie Parker sound like playing ‘Stardust’? I thought, ‘I don’t have a record that shows the way I sound on some of these standards.’” Arranging such well-known songs was a challenge: When covering a classic like “A Change is Gonna Come,” Manion says, you have to make it “as good as if not better than the original, and that is an extremely difficult thing to do.” The record also includes versions of the Springsteen song “City of Night” (Bruce digs it) and “Amazing Grace,” which Manion included as a tribute to those killed in last year’s Charleston church shootings.
EDDIE MANION
ALBUM-RELEASE SHOW 7 p.m. Sat., Jan. 9. The Strand Theater, 119 N. Main St., Zelienople. Sold out. 724-742-0400 or www.thestrandtheater.org
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
(SELF-RELEASED) WOOLYWOMAN.BANDCAMP.COM
Brought to you by former pro BMX biker Gregory Smee, this set of upbeat and summery psych-pop has a strong retro-’60s vibe. It also brings to mind the work of similarly minded ’90s Welsh bands like Super Furry Animals or Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci. (The record is also fittingly titled: Smee is an advocate of the freemusic movement and isn’t charging for either digital or physical copies of Free.) Wooly Woman has a niche in Pittsburgh’s burgeoning scene of slickly produced retro rock, but has less of a hard-/bluesrock feel than contemporaries like Carousel or Shaky Shrines. “Strange Eyes,” the record’s penultimate track and possible lead single (if we lived in a world where rock still received radio play), underwent several permutations in previous releases before emerging, fully formed and butterfly-like, on this full-length.
THE FULL COUNTS FIRST OUT
The CD booklet includes a sampling of Manion’s tour photography, an art he’s been passionate about since discovering it in the ’70s. In addition to Springsteen, Manion has toured with Willy DeVille, Robert Cray and Diana Ross. During Ross’ tour, he “lived in casinos for two years,” and recalls, “I even had Sammy Davis Jr. come up to me and say, ‘You play a mean sax!’” But Manion’s photographic eye is drawn to nature and architecture rather than celebrity, which may support how Manion has managed to avoid the pitfalls of actually living on the road. Photography keeps him out of trouble, he says, but he’s also kept good company over the years. “I’ve been fortunate to work with people who have strong beliefs,” he explains. “They’re … serious about their music and their lives, and are basically good role models.” MWE L SH @PGH C IT YPAPE R . C O M
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WOOLY WOMAN FREE
(SELF-RELEASED) WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ ERICVERMILLIONANDTHEFULLCOUNTS
This collection of rough-and-dirty garage rock from Pittsburgh music vets Eric Vermillion and Mike Quinlan (released in 2015, and shortly followed by an additional acoustic version) is simple, rude and effective. The title is both an obvious play on the fact that it’s the band’s first release, and a baseball double entendre. And The Full Counts are as unpretentious as they are straightforward. With song titles the experienced listener has heard before, like “In My Head,” “The One,” “Don’t Let Me Down” and the crassly Ramones-y (or perhaps more accurately, Cramps-y) “I Wanna Go Down On You,” it’s clear that The Full Counts are indebted to their predecessors. Not every garage-punk band has to kill its idols, necessarily. INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
The Palace Theatre Coming Attractions! TRAVIS TRITT SUN • JAN 10 • 7PM
THREE DOG NIGHT FRI • MAR 11 • 8PM
GET THE LED THE AMERICAN LED ZEPPELIN OUT FRI/SAT • JAN 22/23 • 8PM
GAELIC STORM TUE • MAR 15 • 7:30PM
$62, $54, $46, $35
$55, $48, $42, $35
$31, $28, $25
$26, $22, $18
POSTSECRET THE SHOW • WED MAR 16 • 7:30PM
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY
TAMBURITZANS SUN • JAN 31 • 2PM $24, $20, $16
$32, $24, $16
AIR SUPPLY FRI • MAR 18 • 8PM
STOMP SAT • FEB 6 • 5PM & 9PM $49, $39, $33
$85, $75, $65, $55
THE SPINNERS WITH GUEST EDDIE HOLMAN W
BARRAGE 8 • • WED APR 27 7:30PM
• FEB 14 • 3PM SUN S
$32, $22 (ON SALE JANUARY15TH)
$68, $ $58, $48, $45, $35
MASTERS OF ILLUSION
JACK HANNA’S
FRI • FEB 19 • 8PM
FRI • MAY 13 • 7:30PM
“BELIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE”
INTO THE WILD LIVE PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE
$60, $48, $43, $38, $28, $23
Adults $36, $30, $24, Youth $26, $20, $14
The Palace Theatre, Greensburg 724-836-8000 • www.thepalacetheatre.org
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CRITICS’ PICKS DON’T MISS AWARD WINNING MUSICIAN, WRITER AND PRODUCER FOR JILL SCOTT, MUSIQ SOULCHILD AND CARL THOMAS.
{PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WERKMEISTER/MISER PHOTOGRAPHY}
Serpent Lord
ON SALE NOW! JANUARY 30, 2016 • AUGUST WILSON CENTER TRUSTARTS.ORG • BOX OFFICE AT THEATER SQUARE 412-456-6666 • GROUPS 10+ TICKETS 412-471-6930
[ROCK] + FRI., JAN. 08 Four stylistically disparate bands come together for a great cause at Altar Bar tonight as part of They Can Cover Their Ears But We Won’t Stop Screaming, an event to raise awareness of sexual assault. The all-ages concert, benefiting Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, features talks from victims and performances from The Thinker and The Prover, The YJJ’s, Serpent Lord and From The Feet Up. The four Southwestern PA bands’ styles range from jam-funk to heavy, so there’s something for everybody, assuming you like rock music. And even if you don’t, you can feel good about spending $15 where it’ll make a real difference. Alex Gordon 6 p.m. Leggy 1620 Penn Ave., Strip District. $15. 412-263-2877 or www.thealtarbar.com
[ACOUSTIC] + SUN., JAN. 10 The sample size may be small — a song or two, a couple live videos — but the early output from the Pittsburgh-bred Some Kind of Animal is promising. You might recognize singersongwriters Anthony Jardine and Tim Mulhern from previous acoustic performances at Pittsburgh Winery, but tonight’s show at Spirit marks the debut of the full band, with Rich Condon and Dave Rocco. Last month saw the first offering from the group’s forthcoming debut album, produced by Tyler Watkins (Margot and The Nuclear So & Sos). The song is “Hold On,” a harmonyheavy downbeat ballad that fans of bands like Wake Owl or Milk Carton Kids will probably dig. Philadelphia’s The End of America and Pittsburgh’s own Morgan Erina join them tonight at Spirit, so if acoustic guitars and superb vocals are two things you enjoy hearing
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combined, this show is a no-brainer. AG 9 p.m. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $5. 412-586-4441 or www.spiritpgh.com
[PUNK] + TUE., JAN. 12 Fans of punk rock can be surprisingly harsh toward bands who try to break from the mold of hardcore orthodoxy. This is ironic, considering punk rock shouldn’t really have rules to speak of. Branching out into other genres can be rewarding for music listeners. Perth, Australia’s Helta Skelta sounds — at first listen — {PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH HANSELMAN} like any other lo-fi, fuzzed-out punk group, complete with garbled, incomprehensible vocals. The group is a little too weird to truly be called a hardcore band, though. Shades of ’70s English post-punk emerge through the muck, reminiscent of Wire and The Fall. Helta Skelta is playing tonight at the Rock Room, with support from S.L.I.P., Psychobaits and Bad Trip. Andrew Woehrel 8 p.m. 1054 Herron Ave., Polish Hill. $6. 412-683-4418
[INDIE ROCK] + TUE., JAN. 12 There is something to be said about bands that deftly combine pop and punk without being pop punk. The oft-maligned genre sort of deserves all the hate. After all, everywhere you look, pop-punk bands are embarrassingly commercial (Green Day), sexist (The Descendents) or just plain annoying (too many to mention). Cincinnati trio Leggy thankfully avoids the masculine clichés of pop-punk, combining pop melodies and punk riffs into something a lot less obnoxious. See them tonight at Gooski’s with Derider and Yes, Yes, A Thousand Times Yes. AW 6 p.m. 3117 Brereton St., Polish Hill. $5. 412-681-1658
FIND LABATT BLUE & BLUE LIGHT SPECIALS NEAR YOU DURING ALL PENS GAMES ON THE CP HAPPS APP! TO SUBMIT A LISTING: HTTP://PGHCITYPAPER.COM/HAPPENINGS
LETS GO
412.316.3388 (FAX) + 412.316.3342 X165 (PHONE)
{ALL LISTINGS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 9 A.M. FRIDAY PRIOR TO PUBLICATION}
ROCK/POP THU 07 HARD ROCK CAFE. Nameless In August, The Armadillos, The Braddock Brothers. Benefit concert for the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. Station Square. 412-481-7625.
FRI 08 BLOOMFIELD BRIDGE TAVERN. Red Room Effect, Croatoans, The Live Oaks. Bloomfield. 412-682-8611. GOOSKI’S. Old Dream, Horehound, Del Rios, T-Tops. Polish Hill. 412-552-9840. MEADOWS CASINO. Walt Sanders & The Cadillac Band. Washington. 724-503-1200.
SAT 09 BLOOMFIELD BRIDGE TAVERN. Letdown, Porno Tongue, Douglas & The Iron
WHISPERING WOODS INN. Lung, Aurora. Bloomfield. The Dave Iglar Band. Bulger. 412-682-8611. 724-796-0133. CLUB CAFE. Cold Roses w/ Joel Lindsey. (Early) Performing the music of THE R BAR. Midnite Horns. Ryan Adams & the Cardinals. Dormont. 412-942-0882. Automagik, Blithehound, City Steps. (Late) South Side. 412-431-4950. ALTAR BAR. Brian Fallon MEADOWS CASINO. & the Crowes, Cory Bon Journey. Washington. Branan. Strip District. 724-503-1200. 412-263-2877. MR. SMALLS THEATER. The Clock www. per Reads w/ Stationary pa pghcitym Pebbles, Flavor, Wink. .co Millvale. 412-821-4447. ACE HOTEL NIED’S HOTEL. The Beagle PITTSBURGH. Title Town Brothers, Slim Soul & Funk Dance Party. Forsythe & the New Payday Loners, East Liberty. 412-361-3300. Slim’s Irish Band. Slim Forsythe’s ANDYS WINE BAR. 60th Birthday Bash. Lawrenceville. DJ Malls Spins Vinyl. 412-781-9853. Downtown. 412-773-8884. SIDEBAR. Submachine, ONE 10 LOUNGE. T-Tops, Weapons Of Choice, DJ Goodnight, DJ Rojo. Dead Batteries. Braddock. Downtown. 412-874-4582. 724-919-8276. ROWDY BUCK. Top 40 Dance.
PENS!
SUN 10 TUE 12
FULL LIST ONLINE
DJS
FRI 08
South Side. 412-431-2825. RUGGER’S PUB. 80s Night w/ DJ Connor. South Side. 412-381-1330.
MP 3 MONDAY
DOWNLOAD THE FREE APP FOR A CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO A GAME!
SAT 09
WOOLY WOMAN
{PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS SPROWLS}
BRILLOBOX. TITLE TOWN Soul & Funk Party. Rare Soul, Funk & wild R&B 45s feat. DJ Gordy G. & J.Malls. Bloomfield. 412-621-4900. DIESEL. DJ CK. South Side. 412-431-8800. LAVA LOUNGE. Top 40 Dance Party. South Side. 412-431-5282. REMEDY. Touching Without Feeling. Lawrenceville. 412-781-6771. ROWDY BUCK. Top 40 Dance. South Side. 412-431-2825.
WED 13 SMILING MOOSE. Rock Star Karaoke w/ T-MONEY. South Side. 412-431-4668. SPOON. Spoon Fed. East Liberty. 412-362-6001.
HIP HOP/R&B SAT 09 THE NIGHT GALLERY. Demo Demon, Skippy Ickum, Highway Fizzy, Keena Lamarr, Streetbrand, Sick Maed Ent, & Fantacy. Lawrenceville. 412-915-9254.
Each week we bring you a new song by a local artist. This week’s track comes from indie psych project Wooly Woman; stream or download “Makes His Money” from the record Free for (fittingly) free at FFW>>, the music blog at www.pghcitypaper.com.
BLUES THU 07 MOONDOG’S. Jeff Jensen. Blawnox. 412-828-2040. CONTINUES ON PG. 26
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CONCERTS, CONTINUED FROM PG. 25
HEAVY ROTATION
FRI 08
Here are the songs Microwaves bassist Johnny Arlett can’t stop listening to:
MOONDOG’S. Charlie Wheeler Trio. Blawnox. 412-828-2040. NOLA ON THE SQUARE. Jimmy Adler w/ John Gresh’s Gris Gris. Downtown. 412-471-9100.
SAT 09 MOONDOG’S. Monday Blues Review. Blawnox. 412-828-2040. THE R BAR. Jimmy Adler. Dormont. 412-942-0882.
Zappa/Mothers
“Cheepnis”
TUE 12 BLUSH SPORTS BAR. Shari Richards. Jam session. Downtown. 412-281-7703.
Swans
JAZZ THU 07
On Ensemble is at the forefront of the American taiko world. Led by childhood friends Shoji Kameda and Masato Baba, the group has made a name for itself by combining the powerful rhythms of taiko and traditional singing with jazzy melodies. Their fearless musical explorations have taken the ancient instruments of taiko into new realms and have established a distinctly modern expression for the genre. Get tickets here
JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Roger Humphries Jam Session. Ballroom. North Side. 412-904-3335.
ANDYS WINE BAR. Denise Shefly-Powell. Downtown. 412-773-8800. GRILLE ON SEVENTH. Tony Campbell & Howie Alexander. Downtown. 412-391-1004.
JANUARY 14, 7-9PM
Dog
ANDYS WINE BAR. Clare Ascani. Downtown. 412-773-8800. THE CLUB BAR & GRILL. Tubby Daniels. Monroeville. 412-728-4155. JAMES STREET GASTROPUB & SPEAKEASY. Jessica Lee. North Side. 412-304-2480. LEMONT. Dave Crisci. Mt. Washington. 412-431-3100. NOLA ON THE SQUARE. Lindsey Smith. Downtown. 412-471-9100. THE SPACE UPSTAIRS. Second Saturdays. Jazz-happening series feat. live music, multimedia experimentations, more. Hosted by The Pillow Project. Point Breeze. 412-225-9269.
1825 CENTRE AVE. DOOR OPENS @ 6:30PM
THURSDAY, JAN 7 / 10 PM HOT METAL BRIDGE FRIDAYS 10PM ALT 80S NIGHT SATURDAYS 10PM DANCE PARTY $2.75 PBR POUNDERS OR PBR DRAFTS
ALL DAY, EVERY DAY 2204 E. CARSON ST. (412) 431-5282 lavaloungepgh.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
“Collecting Past Debts”
SAT 09
SUN 10
26
Athletic Automaton vs. AIDS Wolf
FRI 08
ELSIE H. HILLMAN AUDITORIUM jasp.bpt.me
“Like A Drug (Sha La La La)”
EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH. Jazz at Emmanuel: Who Are The People? Dr. James Johnson, Pamela Johnson, Tony DePaolis, Lou Schreiber & James Johnson III. North Side. 412-231-0454.
“Ninth Gate to Deep Reservoir”
FRI 08 CLADDAGH IRISH PUB. Weekend at Blarneys. South Side. 412-381-4800. CLUB CAFE. Rachel Whitcomb & the Therapists w/ Ferdinand The Bull. South Side. 412-431-4950. FRIDAY FAITH CAFE. Emily Summers. Washington. 724-222-1563.
SAT 09 BIDDLE’S ESCAPE. Brad Yoder. Regent Square. 412-999-9009.
FULL LIST E ONLwIN w.
WED 13
ALLEGHENY ELKS LODGE #339. Pittsburgh Banjo Club. Wednesdays. North w Side. 412-321-1834. paper pghcitym .co PARK HOUSE. Shelf Life String Band. North Side. 412-224-2273. ANDYS WINE BAR. Zero Ted Presents: Midnight Rooster. Downtown. 412-773-8800. NOLA ON THE SQUARE. RML Jazz. Downtown. 412-471-9100. CAPRI PIZZA AND BAR. Bombo Claat w/ VYBZ Machine Intl Sound System. East Liberty. 412-362-1250. DOWNEY’S HOUSE. Mike & Frank from The Lava Game. Robinson. 412-489-5631. ELWOOD’S PUB. West Deer PALACE THEATRE. Travis Tritt. Bluegrass Review. Rural Ridge. 724-265-1181. Greensburg. 724-836-8000.
WED 13
REGGAE FRI 08
ACOUSTIC THU 07
COUNTRY SUN 10
CLASSICAL SUN 10 SCHUBERT ON THE BLUFF PRESENTS CONCERT III: WORLD PREMIERE. Dedicated to Season One guest composer, the late David Stock, whose Second Chamber Concerto will make its world premiere. PNC Recital Hall, Duquesne Univ., Uptown. 412-396-6083.
OTHER MUSIC FRI 08 ATLAS BOTTLE WORKS. Haygood Paisleys, Casual Hobos, Lone Pine String Band. Lawrenceville. 412-904-4248.
SAT 09 OAKS THEATER. Dueling Pianos w/ Hermie & Harry. Oakmont. 412-828-6322.
SAT 09 - SUN 10 CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH. Soundwaves. Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s youth steel band, w/ students from several schools under the direction of KST resident artist Mat Docktor. North Side. 412-322-5058.
What to do January 6 -12
IN PITTSBURGH
WEDNESDAY 6
Greensburg. 724-836-8000. Tickets: thepalacetheatre.org. 7p.m.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
The Wizard of Oz
HEINZ HALL THROUGH JANUARY 11
HEINZ HALL Downtown. 412-392-4900. Tickets: trustarts.org. Through Jan. 11.
MONDAY 11 Carnegie Trees: Holidays in the Highlands
The Merging Art Series JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE Warrendale. 724-799-8333. No cover. 7p.m.
CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART Oakland. 412-622-3131. Free with museum admission. For more info visit cmoa.org/visit/holidays.
THURSDAY 7 Hooking Up With The Second City
Photo: © Luk Monsaert
O’REILLY THEATER Downtown. 412-316-1600. Tickets: ppt.org. Through Jan. 9.
Whitney Peyton SMILING MOOSE South Side. 412-431-4668. All ages show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1–87-4-FLY-TIX. 6:30p.m.
FRIDAY 8
They Can Cover Their Ears But We Won’t Stop Screaming
N E W S
ALTAR BAR Strip District. 412-263-2877. All ages show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 6p.m.
Tickets: ticketweb.com/opusone. 7p.m.
Rachel Whitcomb and The Therapists
Strutter (KISS Tribute Band)
CLUB CAFE South Side. 412-431-4950. Over 21 show.
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Over 21 show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 8:30p.m.
Cold Roses CLUB CAFE South Side. 412-431-4950. Over 21 show. Tickets: ticketweb.com/opusone. 7p.m.
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Velveeta JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE Warrendale. 724-799-8333. $5 cover charge. 9p.m.
Travis Tritt
THE PALACE THEATRE
E V E N T S
Brian Fallon & the Crowes
ALTAR BAR Strip District. 412-263-2877. All ages show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1-877-4-FLY-TIX. 8p.m.
Chrome Pony SMILING MOOSE South Side. 412-431-4668. All ages show. Tickets: ticketfly.com or 1–877-4-FLY-TIX. 6:30p.m.
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TAKE A LOOK
{BY AL HOFF}
IF THERE IS A DOMINANT CHARACTER, IT IS THE BARELY SURVIVABLE NATURAL WORLD
This year, lots of popular movies made year-end best-of lists: You don’t need me to tell you to see Mad Max: Fury Road or Inside Out. Instead, here are some smaller, worthwhile films to catch up with during the dark winter months. It’s not easy being a girl: These films tackled female identity, and the unique challenges of being a strong or outspoken female in a male-dominated culture, from the troubled teen years (Girlhood, Diary of Teenage Girl, Metalhead) through mid- and late-life woes (Clouds of Sils Maria, Ricki and the Flash, Grandma). Also notable: the oddball Welcome to Me, the Israeli courtroom drama The Gett, the doc Amy (Winehouse) and the big-hearted, fierce and funny Tangerine.
Not dead yet: Leonardo DiCaprio portrays frontiersman Hugh Glass Two of 2015’s worthwhile films: Amy and What We Do in the Shadows
These films made something fresh from formula, whether it was vampires (the hilarious What We Do in the Shadows), sex-horror (It Follows), male stripping (the weirdly female-positive Magic Mike XXL), cartel actioner (Sicario) and twisty psychological thriller (The Gift). Those who dig real life should seek out these documentaries: Red Army (Soviet hockey system), Dior and I (art and commerce in high fashion), Bronx Obama (an Obama impersonator), She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (the women’s-rights movement), Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten (1960s Cambodian pop music), Best of Enemies (Gore Vidal vs. William F. Buckley), Meet the Patels (getting married, Indian-American style), (T)ERROR (a post-9/11 legal mess in Pittsburgh) and Finders Keepers (two men fight over a leg). For you tech-culturalists, a double feature to ponder: Alex Gibney’s wartsand-all bio-doc Steve Jobs: Man in the Machine and Steve Jobs, Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin’s stylized take on the same material. And after you see The Big Short, check out 99 Homes, for an equally dark, but smaller-focus riff on the 2008 mortgage mess. Finally, there are bad films never to speak of again (ahem, Hot Tub Time Machine 2), and then there are the deliciously so-bad-so-good ones, suitable for the discerning snarky viewer: Jupiter Ascending, Roar, 50 Shades of Grey and Jem and the Holograms.
MAN ALIVE {BY AL HOFF}
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LEJANDRO IÑÁRRITU’S drama The Revenant, set in the wilds of the early 19th-century American frontier, pits man against man and man against nature. Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a trapper who, after being attacked by a bear, is left in the care of his colleague, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Fed up with Glass’ slow death, Fitzgerald kills him and takes off. Except Glass doesn’t die, instead rousing himself from the grave to track Fitzgerald across the savage terrain and kill him. The journey is grueling and immersive; in Iñárritu’s 156-minute film, you’ll feel all the cold, grime and exhaustion. And the sensitive should note the R rating for “frontier violence”: There are gruesome injuries, icky self-surgery, an in-your-face bear attack and some viscerally unpleasant meals. The overall narrative is less successful. One aspect of the work is a pulpy adventure, as Glass crawls his way back from death to seek vengeance. But action fans will be maddened by the film’s
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slow pace, its painterly qualities marking more reflective time than bloody action. Iñárritu clearly has an eye toward making this epic about something, whether it’s the savagery of nature (wholly and patently evident); or the savagery of man, ranging from the macro, such as the ravaging of natural
THE REVENANT DIRECTED BY: Alejandro Iñárritu STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, nature Starts Fri., Jan. 8
resources and the slaughter of native people, to the micro (Glass and Fitzgerald solving everything with murder). Yet, these themes range from contradictory to elusive to amateurishly presented. (There is a sign at one camp that reads “We are all savages.”) Glass is meant to be our toggle between wild animal and thoughtful human who is stretched to extremes by
circumstances. But Iñárritu gives us a hero, if only by generic default. In brief flashbacks, we learn Glass is a righteous victim, and the crimes Fitzgerald perpetrates are grotesque enough to justify Glass’ extreme retribution. That said, DiCaprio does a fine job suffering — if there was an Academy Award for wild eyes, painful grunting and shivering, he’d be a lock. If there is a dominant character, it is truly the barely survivable natural world, and to forefront that is Emmanuel Lubezki’s gorgeous cinematography. Lubezki, who nabbed Oscars for Gravity and Birdman, captures both frantic action, such as the first reel’s chaotic battle, and the achingly beautiful and slightly scary vastness of the unspoiled mountain West. (The movie was filmed in Alberta and Argentina.) Many of the scenes are shot early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the pale, northern winter light is almost visible. No cheery sunshine — or easy solutions — in this brutal land. A H OF F @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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dricks Trio and Thee Speaking Canaries before being reborn, in 2010, as a Polish Hill record store. (Seamans, who owns the store, is interviewed, along with label founder Mike LaVella.) Film Kitchen is curated by Matthew Day; the Jan. 12 screening also features two of Sean Farris’ music videos for the group Glo Phase. 8 p.m. Tue., Jan. 12 (7 p.m. reception). Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. $5. 412-682-4111 (Bill O’Driscoll)
= CITY PAPER APPROVED
NEW THIS WEEK THE FOREST. A young woman (Natalie Dormer) searches for her sister in a spooky Japanese forest. Jason Zada directs this horror thriller. Starts Fri., Jan. 8.
DEATH BECOMES HER. Robert Zemeckis directs this 1992 comedy about a pair of rival women who break up for good over a man. But revenge is in the cards, as is a mysterious “rejuvenating” potion. Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis star. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 13. AMC Loews. $5
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JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE. This new documentary from Amy Berg looks at the life and career of rock star Janis Joplin, who died in 1970, just weeks before the release of her solo LP Pearl. It’s an intimate and moving portrait, told through interviews with family, bandmates and friends (including Dick Cavett); archival footage; and Joplin’s own words (as read by singer Cat Power from her many letters sent home to family). The film shows a remarkable talent who came up through the Austin folk scene before finding her niche in San Francisco’s bluesy, psychedelic-rock free-for-all. But there was trouble with men, trouble with drugs and, most poignantly, trouble with herself: Joplin, infamously bullied and harassed in her hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, remained needy and insecure despite the fame and fortune. Whatever outlet the stage provided for her unhappiness, there was no analog in the real world. There is some remarkable TV-news footage of every teenage loser’s dream — once-mocked Joplin attends her 10-year high school reunion as a rich, famous person — but the unfulfilled promise of this redemption is glaringly obvious, even behind Joplin’s feathered headdress and brave smile. Mon., Jan. 11-Thu., Jan. 14. Regent Square (Al Hoff)
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The Forest tation film has been reviled (or revered, depending on one’s tastes) over the years for its violent and distasteful content. It screens tonight as part of the Hollywood’s monthly horror and grindhouse series, Deuce Comes to Dormont. 7:30 p.m. Sat., Jan. 9. Hollywood
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NOTORIOUS. This top-notch A-list 1943 thriller-romance finds Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant sparring as lovers and secret agents, while discreetly infiltrating Nazi collaborators in South America. The romance fairly sizzles, particularly given the era’s strict codes of onscreen behavior, though by today’s standards, the anachronistic manipulation of the “notorious” woman (Ingrid Bergman) would have her lover and boss (Cary Grant) sent directly to Dr. Phil’s couch. Regardless, this is one of Hitchcock’s visual masterpieces, with gorgeous, fluid cinematography, and a final reel marked by the director’s characteristic nail-biting suspense sequences. 8 p.m. Sun., Jan. 10. Regent Square (AH)
REPERTORY THE JERK. “The new phone books are here!” That’s just one of the many keeper lines from Carl Reiner’s off-kilter 1979 comedy about a simple-minded man (Steve Martin) who gets rich from a lucky invention. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 6. AMC Loews. $5 LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS. Look, getting this ring back to where it belongs is getting complicated. And violent. Peter Jackson directs this 2002 adventure, the second part of the epic saga adapted from the J.R.R. Tolkien books. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 6. Hollywood
THE BELLS OF ST. MARY’S. Leo McCarey directed this heartwarming 1946 film about the friendly rivalry between a Catholic priest (Bing Crosby) and a nun (Ingrid Bergman), who unite to save a run-down parochial school. Double feature with Going My Way. 6 p.m. Mon., Jan. 11 and 8:15 p.m. Tue., Jan. 12. Hollywood. $5 single tickets; $10 family
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING. Finally, Mount Doom is in sight, and the ring can be returned. But first, more trouble. Peter Jackson directs this 2003 conclusion of the epic saga adapted from the J.R.R. Tolkien books. 7:30 p.m. Thu., Jan. 7. Hollywood
BLOODSUCKING FREAKS. Turns out the shocking acts of torture and dismemberment onstage at the Theater of the Macabre are real, and just the start of the gruesome horrors. Joel M. Reed’s low-budget 1976 exploi-
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ELVIS COSTELLO: DETOUR LIVE AT LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL. Costello, flying mostly solo, is in fine voice for these 20 songs performed live in 2013. Occupying a set done up like a tatty mid-century parlor — albeit with a mockup of a giant console TV, a dozen guitars and a grand piano — a genial, behatted Costello ranges throughout his impressive catalogue, from “Alison” to “Church Underground.” For several songs, he’s backed instrumentally and vocally by Megan Lovell and Rebeca Lovell, of Larkin Poe; other highlights include solo piano takes of “45,” an impassioned “Shipbuilding” and a gospel-tinged “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down.” The 105-minute film is unobtrusively directed by Joss Crowley; fans will also enjoy the occasional curiosity — the chestnut “Walking My Baby Back Home” — and Costello’s charming between-songs patter about growing up, his mum (who’s in the audience), his late father (a dance-band singer) and the stories behind a few numbers. 8 p.m. Thu., Jan. 14. Hollywood (BO)
GOING MY WAY. Bing Crosby stars as a young singing priest in Leo McCarey’s 1944 film. He’s assigned to a poor parish where he butts heads with a more old-fashioned older priest (Barry Fitzgerald). Double feature with The Bells of St. Mary’s. 8:15 p.m. Mon., Jan. 11 and 6 p.m. Tue., Jan. 12. Hollywood. $5 single tickets; $10 family
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NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Actor Charles Laughton directed only one film: this 1955 psychological thriller, noted for its expressionistic cinematography and one of Robert Mitchum’s most memorable roles. Mitchum plays Harry Powell, a con-man preacher who’ll stop at nothing — not even the murder of a child — to secure a cache of money. 7 p.m. Sat., Jan. 9, and 7 p.m. Sun., Jan. 10. Hollywood (AH)
incentive, these films are part of a Laugh Challenge sponsored by the theater. If you can make it through all three without laughing, you get a ticket refund and free popcorn. 3 p.m. Sun., Jan. 10. Hollywood
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. Tennis pro Farley Granger meets a rich, obsessed man-boy (Robert Walker) aboard a train. While sharing a smoke, Granger whines about his stifling wife and Walker offers a your-wife-for-my-dad murder trade. Granger detrains, bemused. He stops laughing when his wife turns up dead, and scary Walker starts hounding him for his half of the murder bargain. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel and co-penned by Raymond Chandler, this 1951 drama is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s finer films — a sharp script with few superfluous scenes, the good-evil duality motifs and the marvelous Suspense 101 tennis-match-to-carnival end. 7 p.m. Thu., Jan. 14. Melwood (AH)
Janis: Little Girl Blue LAUREL AND HARDY SHORTS. Join the popular comic duo for three of their silent short comedies. In “Liberty” (1929), the two portray escaped convicts who can’t get past a clothing mix-up. Things don’t go well for the couple when they try their hands at being street musicians in 1928’s “You’re Darn Tootin’.” In “Big Business” (1929), the selling of Christmas trees turns chaotic. The films will be introduced by comedy expert Dan Kamin; after the screening, Kamin will be joined by David “Mr. McFeely” Newell for a Q&A. Jay Spencer will provide music on the organ. As a further
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FILM KITCHEN. The monthly series for independent artists offers a music-themed program. Work by Chris Mason includes an 8-minute preview version of “Guaracha Latin Dance Band,” a documentary about the local musical institution founded by Cuban-born Miguel Sagué Jr. and continued by his son, Miguel Sagué III, showcasing the band’s blend of salsa, jazz and Afro-Cuban traditions. Also featured is “The Mind Cure Records Story,” three shorts by Mikey Seamans and Christopher Smalley about the seminal Pittsburgh-based label, which started in the 1980s focused on hardcore punk (and bands like Half Life and The Battered Citizens) and later released music by Karl Hen-
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Elvis Presley’s Birthday Party - 1/8 @ 7:30pm Join us for grilled PB & banana sandwiches, cake,
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photo ops with Elvis, and a special screening!
Night of the Hunter (1955) - 1/9 @ 7pm, 1/10 @ 7pm The only film directed by actor Charles Laughton.
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Starring Robert Mitchum. An American masterwork of suspense.
Bloodsucking Freaks (1976) - 1/9 @ 9:30pm One of the most popular and notorious grindhouse clas-
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sics in film history.
Rocky Horror Picture Show - 1/9 @ Midnight With live shadowcast by the JCCP!
Silents, Please! Featuring Laurel and Hardy - 1/10 @ 3pm The classic comedy duo on the big screen with live
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organ music by Jay Spencer.
The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) & Going My Way (1944) 1/11 @ 6pm, 1/12 @ 6pm - A double feature of classic family entertainment sponsored by St.Thomas More Parish.
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[BOOK REVIEWS]
FACING FACTS
IT’S BEEN FAR FROM ENOUGH
{BY FRED SHAW}
With these unseasonable winter temperatures, the title of Robert Walicki’s chapbook The Almost Sound of Snow Falling (NightBallet Press), seems an anomaly. And while weather has a physical presence in poems like “A Certain Stillness,” “The Skaters” and “First Snow,” what’s most effective is how details accumulate. Walicki, who curates local reading series Versify, allows keen description to do the heavy lifting in sometimes-raw emotional moments. The strategy plays well. In “Cowboy,” he writes, “My father wanted to be a cowboy, never was. / He kept Cadillacs instead of Arabians, changed brake pads / instead of saddles.” Later, he describes his father’s bedroom as, “wafts of Marlboro smoke / lingering like low-hung Texas clouds. / Tomorrow I’ll stand in a hospital doorway and watch them force a breathing tube down / his throat.” In the face of hardships, his speakers often employ a hard-won stoicism. This tone carries over into a series of poems about being a newcomer on construction sites. “Rain Leader” explains, “First day, men will want to break you, / like they’ve been broken, their riverbed faces, / grizzled beards twisted like dry rotted wire, / last night’s whiskey sweating from dirty skin.” Throughout the collection, Walicki never shies from the reality his subjects inhabit. Stefan Lovasik’s Persona and Shadow (Flutter Press) is another chapbook making its mark. A Vietnam vet, musician and chaplain, Lovasik brings a lyrical sensitivity to narrative poems that often meditate on the roles the speaker occupies as son, husband, bandmate and “brother from another mother.” The poems that echo most focus on coming to terms with his speaker’s war-time experiences, often utilizing “a voice of sharp sticks,” as he calls it in “Confession and shadow.” In “Returning to the world,” Lovasik writes of being stateside, “trying to forget the distance / our long stare — / we just wanted the clams and much more beer / but the smell of the clams / brought the bloating bodies in the red paddies / into a clear focus / … we fell into the sand as if we were praying / for the waves the tide to bring us something good and / just / it never did / only the smell remains.” The poem’s effectiveness relies on emotional cues initiated by smell, the sense most closely tied with memory. It’s a haunting portrait that makes Persona and Shadow resonate as timeless in seeking hard truths.
[ART REVIEW]
BREATHING ROOM
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HE FIRST photograph you’ll see in
the Pittsburgh Filmmakers Galleries exhibit In the Air is an aerial shot by Scott Goldsmith of Shenango Coke Works, on Neville Island. The plant, long one of the region’s biggest sources of air pollution, is a fitting icon for a documentary project about air quality; it’s also, as announced just weeks ago, set to close this month, for lack of business. But as this powerful show makes clear, air pollution in Pittsburgh isn’t just about a few heavily polluting plants. It’s more a way of life. In the Air is a project of The Documentary Works, a new initiative founded by photographer Brian Cohen to explore social and environmental issues from multiple points of view. The exhibit, curated by Cohen and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Director Laura Domencic, includes work shot over the course of a year by Cohen and three other accomplished Pittsburgh-based photographers: Goldsmith, Lynn Johnson and Annie O’Neill. The show’s subtitle, “Visualizing what we breathe,” has layers of meaning in Pittsburgh, a town once
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Brian Cohen’s photo of the Conemaugh Generating Station Power Plant
{BY BILL O’DRISCOLL}
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
infamous for its perpetual miasma of black soot. But while these days you can’t literally see what you’re breathing, the very air is still doing damage. In more than 80 images, these photographers strive to make that impact visible.
IN THE AIR continues through Feb. 26. Filmmakers Galleries, 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland. 412-682-4111 or www.pfpca.org. More at www.air.thedocumentaryworks.org
Goldsmith, for instance, doesn’t limit himself to panoramic images of industrial facilities. Because the school district that neighbors Shenango has the county’s highest asthma rates, for instance, Goldsmith also offers shots of people being treated for breathing ailments, including a woman, tubes up her nose, looking worried in a hospital bed after a respiratory attack. His large-scale black-and-white images also include shots of tanker cars derailed on a Uniontown street, disgorging their cargo
of fine, lung-damaging sand bound for natural-gas fracking sites. Some of Cohen’s color images, by contrast, are almost anomalously picturesque. The coal-fired power plant in Homer City, in Indiana County, is depicted at a distance, its smokestacks — one of the nation’s biggest single sources of sulfurdioxide emissions — foregrounded by a wooded, fog-shrouded valley. Another notorious polluter is shot from the vantage of the Monongahela River: U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. The nation’s largest coke works stretches along the riverbank, belching shadowy smoke, its steely-gray bulk sprawling under a tarnished-silver sky, while from within the plant a single orange light glows and is reflected in the water, dead center in the frame. Johnson focuses hard on two communities, Cheswick and Springdale, both within seemingly inevitable eyeshot of the smokestacks of another huge emitter of sulfur dioxide, NRG’s coal-fired Cheswick Power Plant. Johnson’s 45 images, though technically color, have been processed for
dinginess, with only reds and greens dimly legible, as though through a literal pall. Thirty of them are snapshot-sized photos emphasizing the ubiquitous sight of those stacks, whether over the roof of a Pizza Hut or looming behind a smiling young couple showing off their towheaded toddler. Such views might even seem darkly humorous, if not for images like fingertips that have just swept power-plant soot from a porch deck, or a close-up of a woman’s thyroid-surgery scar. As in most of the country, those most affected by pollution here are usually poor. The idea that air pollutants harm, and kill, is well-established. But such damage is usually a slow, cumulative process. A glaring exception was 1948’s Donora smog, the result of a temperature inversion that trapped industrial pollutants at ground level for four days. O’Neill’s contribution is nine frank, large-scale, black-and-white studio portraits of Donora-smog survivors, who give their accounts in accompanying text. Alice Uhriniak recalls arriving for her shift as a switchboard operator and being told, “Hurry up and get your headset on, everybody is dying.”
An image from Lynn Johnson’s series “Ever Present Stacks,” depicting soot from a power plant
The Donora smog killed 17 people, a toll that led seven years later to the nation’s first federal clean-air law. Over the decades that followed, a combination of pollution laws and de-industrialization did clean the air in many towns and cities nationally. But it’s been far from enough: Pittsburgh, for instance, remains in federal nonattainment for levels of both ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter. The latter involves pollutants so tiny — invisible to the human eye — that they end up in our bloodstreams, where they can cause cardiovascular disease. In the Air references a 2010 study that estimated that air pollution from Shippingport, Pa.’s Bruce Mansfield Power Plant alone was responsible for 69 local deaths a year. Big stationary polluters, however, aren’t the whole story. For instance, a major CONTINUES ON PG. 32
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BREATHING ROOM, CONTINUED FROM PG. 31
Join us for an exciting evening to view the blockbuster movie
CONCUSSION STARRING STAR ST ARRI R NG W RING WIIL WILL I L SM ILL SMITH SMIT ITH TTH H
FRIDAY, FRIDAY FRID FR RIDAY DAY JANUARY JANU JA NUAR ARY Y 8 - 6 6:30PM 30PM 30PM AMC LOEWS WATERFRONT THEATER
300 WEST WATERFRONT DRIVE, WEST HOMESTEAD, PA 15120 General Gene Ge nera ne rall Ad ra Admi Admission: miss mi ssio ss ion: io n:: $ $25 25 ALLL PR AL PROC PROCEEDS OCEE EEDS DS W WILL ILLL GO TTO IL O TH THEE PA PATR PATRICK TRIC ICKK RI RISH RISHA SHAA CT CTEE AW AWAR AWARENESS AREN ENES ESSS FO FOUN FOUNDATION’S UNDA DATI TION ON’S ’S EFFORTS TO SAVE LIVES AND FAMILIES WHOM SUFFER FROM CTE.
source of fine particulates is diesel exhaust from vehicles, generators and construction equipment. (The exhibit is puzzlingly short of depictions of this pollution source, though it does note such perhaps unexpected culprits as fireworks and outdoor grills.) The In the Air Project was funded by the Heinz Endowments, whose missions include improving regional air quality. The project also has produced a handsome softcover book featuring cogent essays by journalist Reid Frazier of radio’s The Allegheny Front, excerpts of which are used as wall text for the exhibit. The In the Air photographers are a distinguished quartet; Goldsmith and Johnson, for instance, have shot for National Geographic. Ultimately, their takes here emphasize just how tightly polluters are woven into this region’s landscape, and pollution into our lives. Goldsmith and Cohen often frame industrial plants with a vast foreground, communicating not just their combustive power but the vulnerability of what surrounds it. Cohen captures lines of rail cars, each car containing 30,000 gallons of the crude oil that has so frequently
spilled or exploded, through both suburban Kilbucks Run and urban Shadyside. His shot of a lone “anthrocloud” — a man-made weather feature — floating over the Homer City plant recalls the current momentum among scientists to rename our era the Anthrocene to reflect just how much humans have remade the earth. In the Air includes a few images of people seemingly unconcerned by air pollution, including union miners protesting federal efforts to limit greenhouse-gas emissions; one of O’Neill’s Donora survivors recalls the event that killed 17 as “like most days.” But the exhibit concludes with seven images by Johnson involving Marti Blake, who lives right by the NRG plant. With help from North Carolina-based researchers, Blake has begun collecting pollution data in her neighborhood. The researchers’ air-sampling gear suggests lunar modules that have somehow landed in leafy yards. It’s an earnest depiction of an earnest effort to fight for cleaner air, and one that reflects the seemingly endless challenge of saving ourselves from a world we were once so proud to have built.
THESE IMAGES EMPHASIZE JUST HOW TIGHTLY POLLUTERS ARE WOVEN INTO THIS REGION’S LANDSCAPE.
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PITTSBURGH DANCE COUNCIL
D RI S C OL L @ P G HC I T Y PA P E R. C OM
PRESENTS
Dada Masilo’s Swan Lake SAT JAN 30 2016
8 PM • BYHAM THEATER
The Ballad of Emmett Till Written by Ifa Bayeza
Directed by Dr. Lundeana M. Thomas
February 4th
(preview) •
Feb 5th - 14th
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday at 7:30 PM Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3:00 PM
Masilo’s Swan Lake is like no other I’ve seen. The Star
412-456-6666
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Tickets: $15, $20 (Group rates available for 10 or more) Email newhorizontheater@yahoo.com, call (412) 431-0773 or visit Dorsey’s Records on Frankstown Ave. For more info visit newhorizontheater.org
The Falk School/University of Pittsburgh 4060 Allequippa Street Pittsburgh, PA 15261
trustarts.org/DANCE WATCH
Chicago author Ifa Bayeza captures the powerful truths at the heart of the story, creating a soaring work of music, brilliant poetry and theatricality.
A division of
This production is funded in part by grants from Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh Program, a Partnership of The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments, Allegheny Regional Asset District, Chris Moore Communications, Inc., The Heinz Endowments, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
REGISTER TODAY for the NEW SEMESTER
Sing · Dance · Act
Madeline Dick | Photo by Archie Carpenter
Perform! pittsburghCLO.org 412-281-2234
{IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM}
Andy Warhol illustrations for In the Bottom of My Garden, ca. 1956
ALL-NEW SKETCH COMEDY AND IMPROV!
[ART REVIEW]
SHELF LIFE {BY LISSA BRENNAN}
ONE OF THE LAST truly notable works
connected to Andy Warhol was a book: the edited, posthumously released diaries covering just over a decade of his life, beginning in 1976 and concluding just five days before his death, in 1987. It was an appropriate denouement, as many of Warhol’s earliest illustrations were seen on the covers and insides of books.
WARHOL BY THE BOOK continues through Jan. 10. The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., North Side. 412-237-8300 or www.warhol.org
Warhol by the Book, curated by the Warhol’s chief archivist, Matt Wrbican, documents Warhol’s connection to the printed volume from the beginning of his career to the end of his life. The majority of the works by Warhol are from the 1940s and 1950s. It’s a body of creative drawing in a style that was simple, whimsical, frequently childlike and disingenuous. Often, it gave seemingly no indication of the work that was to come, and by which Warhol would become not only known but defined. The illustrations of fat pink cherubs, naked and saucy, squatting amid flower petals, and cats, shoes, more cats, poodles and still more cats, are all rendered in simple black ink and washes of solid color.
There are several covers of what appear to be mystery books (not by particularly wellknown authors); tons of children’s volumes decorated inside and out; and books of languages and cooking for which the eventual tycoon of pop art served as artist for hire. (One of Warhol’s contributions is labeled “Cuts of Pork.”) A few tomes were designed and crafted by Warhol along with family members or artistic collaborators, produced in tiny quantities as labors of love. Pistols emblazoning murder mysteries offer a bit of biographical foreshadowing. More fun are Warhol’s treatment of the well-known “The Little Red Hen” and the more obscure “Sophocles the Hyena,” both charming and delightful. Traveling through the exhibition, one does the same through time, and in the 1960s Warhol’s artistic efforts become autonomous and take a different, and recognizable direction. This later work focused not on books, but on celebrities like James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, with the signature Warhol treatment: silkscreened images in duplicate, identical in the black lines separating space, disparate in the color that fills them. The literary world wasn’t far away, with the same treatment extended to Gertrude Stein, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Hans Christian Andersen. And this is where we see how one thing led to another — the same elementary lines, the same saturation of color visible on those early fat cherubs continues. The techniques and media have changed, the footstep is different, but the path the same.
hooking JAN 7–9
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THE GREAT AMERICAN MUSICAL JAN 28–FEB 28
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FOR THE WEEK OF
01.0701.14.16
FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO SUBMIT LISTINGS AND PRESS RELEASES, CALL 412.316.3342 X161.
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Art by Bill Brunken
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
JAN. 09
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+ THU., JAN. 07 {COMEDY} “The later you’re up, the more every advertiser thinks you have a problem,” notes comedian Todd Glass. “They come in with ads at like 4 in the morning: ‘Do you have genital herpes?’ ‘No, I’m just — I’m not tired!’” If you missed the nationally known, Philadelphia-based Glass when he headlined at last August’s Pittsburgh Comedy Festival — or even if you just really like him — you’re in luck. The guy Patton Oswalt calls “one of the best comedians alive” is back this weekend for five shows at the intimate Arcade Comedy Theater, starting tonight. Bill O’Driscoll 8 p.m. Continues through Sat., Jan. 9. 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $20. 412-339-0608 or www. arcadecomedytheater.com
(though we suspect that most of that’s intended for the characters, not the audience). Art Deconciliis directs an accomplished cast including Don DiGiulio, Parag S. Gohel, Everett Lowe, Joanna Lowe and Gayle Pazerski Stephenson. The first performance is tonight. BO 8 pm. Continues through Jan. 16. 300 Beechwood Ave., Carnegie. $15. cupajoprod@ gmail.com
Every Friday night, The Andy Warhol Museum holds Good Fridays, a happy hour featuring discounted admission. Starting tonight, Good Fridays in January are happier still, with free admission (courtesy of UPMC Health Plan). Enjoy a cash bar, sounds by DJ Huck Finn and a chance to see exhibits like Warhol by the Book (which closes on Jan. 10) and the museum’s fab permanent exhibits on the world-famous Pittsburgh native’s life and work. BO 5-10 p.m. Also on Jan. 15, 22 and 29. 117 Sandusky St., North Side. 412-237-8300 or www.warhol.org
{COMEDY} The Harvey Wallbangers, who call themselves “Pittsburgh’s drinking troupe with a sketchcomedy problem,” are back. We’re Inside You Now is an evening of fully produced original sketches, complete with “musical numbers, celebrity guest appearances, {PHOTO COURTESY OF CAROL ROSEGG}
{STAGE} Four adult siblings ensconced in a college building on the Upper East Side work out their fraught and twisted relationships in Richard Alfieri’s The Sisters. The 1995 play, inspired by Chekhov’s Three Sisters, comes to the Andrew Carnegie Free Library, in Carnegie, thanks to Cup-A-Jo Productions. The troupe’s first main-stage production in three years promises “live music, wine and naked aggression”
JAN. 10
Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School
sp otlight
If Hooking Up With The Second City sounds saucier than the storied comedy troupe usually gets when visiting Pittsburgh, well, it is. “Perhaps a bit more taboo and risque” is how touring-company member Kelsey Kinney describes this new mix of sketches, songs and improv about relationships, which hits Pittsburgh Public Theater for four performances this week. The Cleveland native is joined by fellow performers Ali Barthwell, Martin Morrow, Charles Pettitt, Jasbir Singh and Casey Whitaker, with live accompaniment by musical director Vinnie Pillarella. (Anneliese Toft directs.) Songs include the spoofy “Firefighter Orgy,” which starts out boastful and “takes a very quick turn into them being very amorous with themselves and each other,” says Kinney (pictured third from left), speaking by phone from Chicago. The company will also reprise classic scenes from Second City’s half-century of antics, including one about a woman’s new boyfriend getting harrassed by her siblings (while they’re all in line for Cubs tickets). As for improv, Kinney says that one scene finds performers recreating the romance of a couple from the audience based on a short interview during the show. And if you’re afraid of being recruited for improv, don’t hide: “The truth is, it doesn’t matter where you sit,” quips Kinney. “We’ll find you anywhere in the audience.” Bill O’Driscoll Thu., Jan. 7-Sat., Jan. 9. 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $15.75-50. 412-316-1600 or ww.ppt.org
and more costume changes than you can imagine.” Nathan Bell, Matt Butoryak, Heidi Nagle, Tyson Schrader and Monica Stephenson — who previously brought you sketches including “Fart Zombies,” “Zumba Flashbacks” and “Dirty Dancing Postal Workers” — are joined by special guests for three shows at Carnegie Stage, starting tonight. BO 8 p.m. Also 8 p.m. Sat., Jan. 9, and 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 10. 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. $10-15. 724-873-3576 or www.carnegie stage.com
5801 Hampton St., Highland Park. Donation requested. www.facebook.com (search “Ka’Sandra Wade”)
{ART} Spinning Plate Gallery hosts an unusual collaborative exhibition. Transactions features work by eight artists, and verse by eight poets
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Artists’ Showcase includes recent works from the Collective, as organized by Redfishbowl founder Christopher Boles. Artists including Jökull Sigurðsson, Christopher Colton, Durty-1 and Ziggy Sawdust offer images in styles ranging from science fiction and cartooning to surrealism, pop and street art. Tonight’s opening reception, naturally, includes both live music and live painting. BO 7-11 p.m. (free). Exhibit continues through Feb. 27. 206 S. Highland Ave., Shadyside. 412-363-5050 or www.thegallery4.us
Art by Jökull Sigurðsson
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The Redfishbowl Collective Artists’ Showcase
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{BENEFIT} Three years ago this month, Ka’Sandra Wade, a 33-year-old resident of Lemington, was found shot to death, the victim of domestic violence; her murder prompted a Pittsburgh Police investigation into whether officers had responded properly to a 911 call Wade had made the day before the shooting. Wade’s son, Zaire Brown, is now 13 and being raised by his grandmother on a fixed income. Tonight, join local talents including Deryck Tines and the Lemington Gospel Chorale for Ka’Sandra Wade, Never Forget! The event will raise awareness about domestic violence, and proceeds from a free-will donation will benefit Zaire’s upbringing. Guests at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church include vocalist Travis Malloy; dance artist Ira Cambric; internationally touring, New York-based pianist Kenny Peagler; and domestic-violence survivors who’ll give a spokenword performance. BO 5 p.m.
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Todd Glass responding directly to those artworks. The art, curated by Gary Jurysta, includes pieces by Bill Brunken, Susan Constance, Charles Andresen and Barbara Westman. The poets, coordinated by MaryAnn Miller, include Alan Beyersdorf, Sarah B. Boyle, Elizabeth Hoover and Thomas Jay Rush. Tonight’s opening reception features the poets reading their work. BO 7 p.m. (free). Exhibit continues through Jan. 30. 5821 Baum Blvd., Friendship. www.facebook.com/ spinningplategallery
It might sound counterintuitive, but Unplanned Comedy Pittsburgh is hosting a comedy benefit for Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania. Tonight, at its home base, Cattivo, the improv group is staging A Gift for Laughs: It’s 10-minute standup sets by the likes of Molly Sharrow, Holly Price and Sean Collier, followed by improv groups doing scenes inspired by those sets. The improv talent includes Woody Drennan, Tessa Karell and
Sarah Turocy, and musicalimprov duo Baby Grand (Missy Moreno and Connor McCanlus). Shannon Norman hosts. BO 8 p.m. 146 44th St., Lawrenceville. $15-20 (21 and over). 412-212-7061 or www.unplannedcomedy.com
and musician brings her jazz background, and claims inspirations from Ella Fitzgerald to Radiohead. Aside from live music from Diamond, expect improvised performances including dance, and live multimedia experiments, all in a loungestyle BYOB atmosphere. BO 8 p.m.-midnight. 214 N. Lexington St., Point Breeze. $10 suggested donation. www.facebook.com (search “Second Saturday”)
{MUSIC} Tonight, the monthly Second Saturday series at the Space Upstairs features Avi Diamond. The Pittsburgh-based singer
+ SUN., JAN. 10 {STAGE} Here comes that little kid in the glasses again. Mischievous first-grader Junie B. Jones, star of Barbara Park’s long-running chapter-book series, is the hero of a new onstage musical adventure. Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School finds Junie herself writing the book on coping with the school day. The hour-long show, produced by touring troupe Theatreworks USA, is recommended for ages 3-11. This week, courtesy of the
{ART} Pittsburgh-based Redfishbowl Collective, which blends art and music, brings its act to The Gallery 4. The Redfishbowl Collective
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Citizens Bank Children’s Theatre Series, the show makes the rounds of local schools, but today’s kickoff is at the Byham Theater. BO 2 p.m. (101 Sixth St., Downtown). Continues through Jan. 17 (various local schools). $10.50-12. 412-4566666 or www.trustarts.org
{SCREEN} Free movie and popcorn! That is, if you can make it through three Laurel and Hardy shorts without laughing. This afternoon, the Hollywood Theater holds a Laugh Challenge, hosted by comedy expert Dan Kamin, who picked the pairs’ silent classics “Liberty,” “You’re Darn Tootin’” and “Big Business.” Jay Spencer will provide music on the organ, and Laurel and Hardy fan David “Mr. McFeely” Newell will do a post-film Q&A with Kamin. There will be laughs, and there’s a good bet yours will be among them. Al Hoff 3 p.m. Hollywood Theater, 1449 Potomac Ave., Dormont. $6-8. 412-563-0368 or www. thehollywooddormont.org
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THEATER SESAME STREET LIVE. Dance w/ all your favorite Sesame Street characters. Fri., Jan. 8, 10:30 a.m., Sat., Jan. 9, 10:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. and Sun., Jan. 10, 1 & 4:30 p.m. Benedum Center, Downtown. 412-456-6666. THE SISTERS. Presented by Cup-A-Jo Productions w/ Pittsburgh Fringe. A modern retelling of Chekhov’s classic w/ live music, wine, & naked aggression. Thu-Sun 8 p.m., thru Jan. 16. Thu-Sat, 8 p.m. Thru Jan. 18. Andrew Carnegie Free Library Music Hall, Carnegie. 412-334-3126. THE SKIN I’M IN. Based on a novel set in Pittsburgh written by Sharon G.Flake Sat., Jan. 9, 2-4 p.m. Carnegie Library, Homewood, Homewood. 412-731-3080.
THE WIZARD OF OZ. An enchanting adaptation of the all-time classic, totally re-conceived for the stage. Thu., Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m., Fri., Jan. 8, 8 p.m., Sat., Jan. 9, 2 & 8 p.m., Sun., Jan. 10, 1 & 6:30 p.m. and Mon., Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m. Heinz Hall, Downtown. 412-392-4900.
COMEDY THU 07 - SAT 09 HOOKING UP WITH THE SECOND CITY. Chicago’s renowned comedy troupe in a new show about relationships w/ sketches, songs & improv. Jan. 7-8, 8 p.m. and Sat., Jan. 9, 5:30 & 9 p.m. Pittsburgh Public Theater, Downtown. 412-316-1600. TODD GLASS. Jan. 7, 8 p.m. Jan. 8-9, 8 & 10 p.m. Arcade Comedy Theater, Downtown. 412-339-0608.
Check out Title Town’s new digs, or rock out for a good cause. Podcast goes live every Thursday at www.pghcitypaper.com
THU 07 MARCUS COX, LINDA DUTY, CECE BROWN & STEFON BRAXTON. The Pittsburgh Comedy Slam Finale. Hosted by Ty Mac. 8:30 p.m. The Club Bar & Grill, Monroeville. 412-969-1114. PITTSBURGH COMEDY SLAM. 10 comics w/ 5 minutes each. 8:30 p.m. The Club Bar & Grill, Monroeville. 412-728-4155. THE WIDE OPEN STAGE. A stand-up open mic. 8 p.m. Cattivo, Lawrenceville. 412-212-7061.
FRI 08 COMEDY KICKOFF 2K16 FT. ONE EYE W/ DAVON MAGWOOD, ANDY PICARRO. Hosted by Tony ‘T-Robe’ Roberson. 10 p.m. Club Cafe, South Side. 412-431-4950.
HAROLD FRIDAY NIGHT. An improvised play based on one audience suggestion. 8 p.m. Cattivo, Lawrenceville. 412-212-7061. THE HARVEY WALLBANGERS. Jan. 8-9, 8 p.m. & Sun., Jan. 10, 2 p.m. Carnegie Stage, Carnegie.
SAT 09 THE AMISH MONKEYS. The Hilda Willis Room. 8 p.m. Winchester Thurston, Upper School, Shadyside. 412-243-6464. A GIFT FOR LAUGHS. Improv, standup & musical improv from local comedians. Presented by Unplanned Comedy. All proceeds will go to benefit Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania. 8 p.m. Cattivo, Lawrenceville. 412-687-2157. THE HARVEY WALLBANGERS. Jan. 8-9, 8 p.m. & Sun., Jan. 10, 2 p.m. Carnegie Stage, Carnegie.
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THE HARVEY WALLBANGERS. Jan. 8-9, 8 p.m. & Sun., Jan. 10, 2 p.m. Carnegie Stage, Carnegie.
MON 11 COMEDY SAUCE SHOWCASE. Local & out-of-town comedians. Mon, 9 p.m. Pleasure Bar, Bloomfield. 412-682-9603. OPEN MIC COMEDY NIGHT. Mon, 10 p.m. Lava Lounge, South Side. 412-431-5282.
WED 13 BROOKLINE COMMUNITY OPEN MIC. A community run open mic. Wed, 7-10 p.m. Brookline Pub, Brookline. 412-531-0899.
EXHIBITS ALLEGHENY CITY HISTORIC
{PHOTO BY HEATHER MULL}
A Slim Forsythe show at Nied’s Hotel isn’t exactly a rare bird, but this week’s is one not to miss. On Saturday, the local country icon celebrates his 60th birthday with an open-door party, featuring appearances by his band The New Payday Loners, The Beagle Brothers and Slim’s Irish Band. Celebrate a Pittsburgh staple with a free get-together as laid-back and inviting as the man himself. 2 p.m. Sat., Jan. 9. 5438 Butler St., Lawrenceville. Free. 412-781-9853
GALLERY. Historical images & items forcusing on the North Side of Pittsburgh. North Side. 412-321-3940. ALLEGHENY-KISKI VALLEY HERITAGE MUSEUM. Military artifacts & exhibits on the Allegheny Valley’s industrial heritage. Tarentum. 724-224-7666. ANDREW CARNEGIE FREE LIBRARY MUSIC HALL. Capt. Thomas Espy Room Tour. The Capt. Thomas Espy Post 153 of the Grand Army of the Republic served local Civil War veterans for over 54 years & is the best preserved & most intact CONTINUES ON PG. 37
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
“Manny Kolski, Living Legacy Participant” (2015), by Ryan Michael White. From the exhibition In Celebration of Life: Living Legacy Project, at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill.
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NEW THIS WEEK GALLERIE CHIZ. Not Enough Time...Inside The Artists’ Studios. Artist/Owner Ellen Chisdes Neuberg moves her studio into the gallery for six weeks & paints live during regular business hours. Shadyside. 412-441-6005. THE GALLERY 4. Redfishbowl Collective Artists’ Showcase. Opening reception Jan. 9, 7 p.m. Recent Works from the Redfishbowl Collective. Shadyside. 412-363-5050. PERCOLATE. The Futuristic Art Works of Ryder Henry. Opening reception Sat., Jan. 9, at 6 p.m. Runs through Jan. 31. Open Saturdays 12-4 p.m. or by appointment. If the future looks like Ryder Henry envisions it, we’ll all be happy there. Henry’s organic, cybernetic urban landscapes portray a lush & stylish new world that the Jetsons would be proud of. Wilkinsburg. 412-606-1220. SPINNING PLATE GALLERY. Transactions: Art & Poetry Exchange. Opening reception Jan. 9, 6 p.m. A discourse between visual & literary artists.The visual artists will be on hand, & the poets will be reading their responses. Friendship. 412-559-4804.
ONGOING 707 PENN GALLERY. Poison. A look at the enduring relationship between drugs & the urban
community. Downtown. 412-325-7017. 709 PENN GALLERY. Post Erotica: The Anthropology of Motherhood. A visual diary of being a mom w/ works by Fran Flaherty. Downtown. 412-471-6070. 937 LIBERTY AVE. Humanae/I AM AUGUST. A series of photographs of everyday Pittsburghers by Angelica Dass. Downtown. 412-338-8742. ACE HOTEL PITTSBURGH. East Liberty In Focus: The Photographs of Teenie Harris. An exhibit of a few curated photographs from CMOA collection. East Liberty. 412-361-3300. ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM. Permanent collection. Artwork & artifacts by the famed Pop Artist. Warhol By The Book. An exhibition on Warhol’s book work, from early student-work illustrations to his commercial work in the 50s. North Side. 412-237-8300. ARTDFACT. Artdfact Gallery. The works of Timothy Kelley & other regional & US artists on display. Sculpture, oil & acrylic paintings, mixed media, found objects, more. North Side. 724-797-3302. ARTISTS IMAGE RESOURCE. Printwork 2015. Feat. prints created by 22 artists from around the country, the exhibition features innovative techniques combined w/ solid
conceptual thinking. North Side. 412-321-8664. BANTHA TEA BAR. Benevolent Creatures. An exhibition of 18 Stormtrooper helmets reimagined by artists across The Walt Disney Company, including Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, Marvel & Pixar. The iconic Star Wars helmets began as 6 inch white vinyl derived from the original CG animation file & have been redesigned into new benevolent creatures. Penn Hills. 412-404-8359. BOCK-TOTT GALLERY. 5 Artists: A Collection of Works. Works in various mediums by Brandy Bock-Tott, Jeffrey Phelps, Linda Breen, Joyce Werwie Perry & Cindy Engler. Sewickley. 412-519-3377. CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART. HACLab Pittsburgh: Imagining the Modern. An exhibition of over, under architecture highlighting successive histories of pioneering architectural successes, disrupted neighborhoods & the utopian aspirations & ideals of public officials & business leaders. Silver to Steel: The Modern Designs of Peter Muller-Munk. Displaying the work of 60s German emigre & Pittsburgh industrial design Peter Muller-Munk, who started as a silversmith at Tiffany’s. Oakland. 412-622-3131. CHROMOS EYEWEAR. Steel Mills Past & Present: Lithography by Keith Clouse. Black & white imagery of both working & decaying mills and the people who worked in them translated through lithography printing. Presented in conjunction w/ Carolyn Pierotti of Purple Room Fine Arts. Lawrenceville. 412-477-4540. ECLECTIC ART & OBJECTS GALLERY. 19th century American & European paintings combined w/ contemporary artists & their artwork. The Hidden Collection. Watercolors by Robert N. Blair (1912- 2003). Hiromi Traditional Japanese Oil Paintings The Lost Artists of the 1893 Chicago Exhibition. Collectors Showcase. Emsworth. 412-734-2099. FRAMEHOUSE. Except For The Sound of my Voice: Photogravures by Leslie A. Golomb. Feat. selections from Wielding the Knife, woodcuts by Master CONTINUES ON PG. 38
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GAR post in the United States. DEPRECIATION LANDS Carnegie. 412-276-3456. MUSEUM. Small living ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM. history museum celebrating Yevgeniy Fiks: Andy Warhol the settlement & history & The Pittsburgh Labor of the Depreciation Lands. Files. A collection of Allison Park. 412-486-0563. documents that afford various FALLINGWATER. Tour impressions of the left-wing the famed Frank Lloyd political, economic & artistic Wright house. Mill Run. life in Pittsburgh, from 724-329-8501. the communist movements FIRST PRESBYTERIAN of the 1920s, to the union CHURCH. Tours of 13 Tiffany rallies of the 1930s, to the stained-glass windows. Red Scare of the 1950s. Downtown. 412-471-3436. North Side. 412-237-8300. FORT PITT MUSEUM. BAYERNHOF Captured by Indians: MUSEUM. Large Warfare & Assimilation collection of on the 18th automatic roll-played Century Frontier. . w musical instruments ww per During the mida p ty ci h & music boxes in a pg 18th century, om .c mansion setting. Call thousands of settlers for appointment. O’Hara. of European & African 412-782-4231. descent were captured by BOST BUILDING. Collectors. Native Americans. Using Preserved materials documentary evidence from 18th reflecting the industrial & early 19th century sources, heritage of Southwestern PA. period imagery, & artifacts from Homestead. 412-464-4020. public & private collections in CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF the U.S. and Canada, the exhibit ART. The Propeller Group: examines the practice of captivity The Living Need Light, the from its prehistoric roots to its Dead Need Music. A video reverberations in modern based exhibition that looks Native-, African- & Euro-American at colorful, spirited funeral communities. Reconstructed fort traditions in Vietnam & houses museum of Pittsburgh New Orleans. Oakland. history circa French & Indian 412-622-3131. War & American Revolution. CARNEGIE MUSEUM Downtown. 412-281-9285. OF NATURAL HISTORY. Animal Secrets. Learn about the hidden lives of ants, bats, chipmunks, raccoons & more. Dinosaurs in Their Time. Displaying immersive environments spanning the Mesozoic Era & original fossil specimens. Hall of Minerals & Gems. Crystal, gems & precious stones from all over the world. Population Impact. How humans are affecting the environment. Oakland. 412-622-3131. CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER. H2Oh!. Experience kinetic water-driven motion & discover the relations between water, land & habitat. How do everyday decisions impact water supply & the environment? Buhl Digital Dome (planetarium), Miniature Railroad & Village, USS Requin submarine & more. North Side. 412-237-3400. CENTER FOR POSTNATURAL HISTORY. Explore the complex interplay between culture, nature & biotechnology. Sundays 12-4 p.m. Garfield. 412-223-7698. CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH. Voyage to Vietnam. An immersive exhibit celebrating the Vietnamese Tet Festival. North Side. 412-322-5058. COMPASS INN. Demos & tours w/ costumed guides feat. this restored stagecoach stop. North Versailles. 724-238-4983.
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FRICK ART & HISTORICAL CENTER. Tours of Clayton, the Frick estate, w/ classes & programs for all ages. Point Breeze. 412-371-0600. HARTWOOD ACRES. Tour this Tudor mansion & stable complex. Enjoy hikes & outdoor activities in the surrounding park. Allison Park. 412-767-9200. KENTUCK KNOB. Tour the other Frank Lloyd Wright house. Dunbar. 724-329-8501. KERR MEMORIAL MUSEUM. Tours of a restored 19th-century, middle-class home. Oakmont. 412-826-9295. MARIDON MUSEUM. Collection includes jade & ivory statues from China & Japan, as well as Meissen porcelain. Butler. 724-282-0123. MCGINLEY HOUSE & MCCULLY LOG HOUSE. Historic homes open for tours, lectures & more. Monroeville. 412-373-7794. MOUNT PLEASANT GLASS MUSEUM. Bells, Bells, Bells: A Lenox Holiday. A collection of Lennox Christmas bells. Mt Pleasant. 724-547-5929. NATIONAL AVIARY. Masters of the Sky. Explore the power & grace of the birds who rule the sky. Majestic eagles, impressive CONTINUES ON PG. 38
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{PHOTO BY CELINE ROBERTS}
*Stuff We Like
Fire Cider from Lili Café Here lies an herbal concoction that drops you into a deep inferno … but will clear up those stuffy sinuses post haste. 3138 Dobson St., Polish Hill
Carnation
{PHOTO BY RYAN DETO}
On his newest record, Daughn Gibson’s sound evolves from the country-western noir of his earlier efforts to spooky lounge music.
Graeter’s Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Ice Cream It won’t get you drunk, but it sure does taste like it would: lots of bourbon flavor, and even the chocolate chunks have a liquorish edge to them.
Last Train to Memphis Celebrate the King’s birthday (Jan. 8) by picking up the first installment of Peter Guralnick’s lauded twovolume Elvis Presley bio. Last Train chronicles an enigmatic mama’s boy’s improbable rise from obscurity to stardom, concluding as he ships out to Germany with the Army.
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condors, stealthy falcons & their friends take center stage! Home to more than 600 birds from over 200 species. W/ classes, lectures, demos & more. North Side. 412-323-7235. NATIONALITY ROOMS. 29 rooms helping to tell the story of Pittsburgh’s immigrant past. Cathedral of Learning. Oakland. 412-624-6000. OLD ST. LUKE’S. Pioneer church features 1823 pipe organ, Revolutionary War graves. Scott. 412-851-9212. OLIVER MILLER HOMESTEAD. This pioneer/Whiskey Rebellion site features log house, blacksmith shop & gardens. South Park. 412-835-1554. PENNSYLVANIA TROLLEY MUSEUM. Trolley rides & exhibits. Includes displays, walking tours, gift shop, picnic area & Trolley Theatre. Washington. 724-228-9256. PHIPPS CONSERVATORY & BOTANICAL GARDEN. 14 indoor rooms & 3 outdoor gardens feature exotic plants & floral displays from around the world. Winter Flower Show & Light Garden. Each of the changing exhibit rooms will embody the spirit of the oft-sung holiday tune w/ arrangements of LED lights, props & seasonal favorites such as poinsettias, amaryllis & a massive evergreen situated in the pond of the Victoria Room. Garden Railroad. Model trains chug through miniature landscapes populated w/ living plants, whimsical props & fun interactive buttons. Runs through Feb. 28. Tropical Forest Congo. An exhibit highlighting some of Africa’s lushest landscapes. Oakland. 412-622-6914. PHOTO ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY. Displaying 660 different movie cameras, showing pictures on glass, many hand-painted. The largest display of 19th Century photographs in America. North Side. 412-231-7881. PINBALL PERFECTION. Pinball museum & players club. West View. 412-931-4425. PITTSBURGH ZOO & PPG AQUARIUM. Home to 4,000 animals, including many endangered species. Highland Park. 412-665-3639. RACHEL CARSON HOMESTEAD. A Reverence for Life. Photos & artifacts of her life & work. Springdale. 724-274-5459. RIVERS OF STEEL NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA. Exhibits on the Homestead Mill. Steel industry & community artifacts from 1881-1986. Homestead. 412-464-4020. SENATOR JOHN HEINZ HISTORY CENTER. We Can Do It!: WWII. Discover how Pittsburgh affected World War II & the war affected our region. Explore the development of the Jeep, produced in Butler, PA
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Chinese Printmaker, Li Kang. Lawrenceville. 412-586-4559. FRICK ART & HISTORICAL CENTER. Permanent collection of European Art. Forbidden Fruit. Porcelain figurines in the 18th century style by Chris Antemann. Point Breeze. 412-371-0600. GALLERIE CHIZ. Trip the Light Fantastic! Holiday Show. Work by Doreen Baskin, Peter Calaboyias, Manuela Holban, Thomas Kelly, Bill Miller, Ellen Chisdes Neuberg, Cory Rockwood, Bruce Senchesen & Marike Vuga. Shadyside. 412-441-6005. GLENN GREENE STAINED GLASS STUDIO INC. Original Glass Art by Glenn Greene. Exhibition of new work, recent work & older work. Regent Square. 412-243-2772. HOLOCAUST CENTER OF PITTSBURGH. In Celebration of Life: Living Legacy Project. A photographic/multimedia exhibit honoring & commemorating local Holocaust survivors. North Side. 412-421-1500. JAMES GALLERY. James Gallery Select. An eclectic mix of style. West End. 412-922-9800. JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER. Jane Haskell: Drawing in Light. An exhibition of 30 sculptures, paintings & drawings by the artist. Squirrel Hill. 412-521-8010. MALL AT ROBINSON. Digital Designs: Showcase of Student Design Work. Robinson. 412-788-0816. MATTRESS FACTORY. Ongoing Installations. Works by Turrell, Lutz, Shiota, Kusama, Anastasi, Highstein, Wexler & Woodrow. Factory Installed. Artists Anne Lindberg, John Morris,
Julie Schenkelberg, Jacob Douenias, Ethan Frier, Rob Voerman, Bill Smith, Lisa Sigal & Marnie Weber created new room-sized installations that demonstrate a uniquely different approach to the creative process. North Side. 412-231-3169. MORGAN CONTEMPORARY GLASS GALLERY. parallelgenres. Christine Barney, John Burton, Granite Calimpong, Bernie D’Onofrio, Jen Elek, Saman Kalantari, David Lewin, David Royce, Margaret Spacapan & Cheryl Wilson Smith exploring an interconnected set of parameters through different genres. Shadyside. 412-441-5200. NEU KIRCHE CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER. Like a Body Without Skin. Work by Fiona Amundsen addressing the relationships between steel manufacturing industries & their mobilization into a united national front that produced everything from planes to bombs during WWII. North Side. 412-322-2224. PITTSBURGH CENTER FOR THE ARTS. 50th Anniversary Annual Exhibition. A non-themed juried exhibition showcasing the best work of the Pittsburgh Society of Artists in all mediums. Guild Exhibitions from the Pittsburgh Society of Artists, Society of Sculptors & Group A. Work from guild members. Shadyside. 412-361-0873. PITTSBURGH FILMMAKERS. In the Air: Visualizing what we breath. Photographs that show the effects of western PA’s air quality. Oakland. 412-681-5449. PITTSBURGH GLASS CENTER. Indagare. Work by Therman Statom. Friendship. 412-365-2145.
& the stories behind real-life “Rosie the Riveters” & local Tuskegee Airmen whose contributions made an unquestionable impact on the war effort. From Slavery to Freedom. Highlight’s Pittsburgh’s role in the anti-slavery movement. Western PA Sports Museum, Clash of Empires, & exhibits on local history, more. Strip District. 412-454-6000. SEWICKLEY HEIGHTS HISTORY CENTER. Museum commemorates Pittsburgh industrialists, local history. Sewickley. 412-741-4487. SOLDIERS & SAILORS MEMORIAL HALL. War in the Pacific 1941-1945. Feat. a collection of military artifacts
showcasing photographs, uniforms, shells & other related items. Military museum dedicated to honoring military service members since the Civil War through artifacts & personal mementos. Oakland. 412-621-4253. ST. ANTHONY’S CHAPEL. Features 5,000 relics of Catholic saints. North Side. 412-323-9504. ST. NICHOLAS CROATIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. Maxo Vanka Murals. Mid-20th century murals depicting war, social justice & the immigrant experience in America. Millvale. 412-407-2570. WEST OVERTON MUSEUMS. Learn about distilling &
SILVER EYE CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY. Golden Hour: Thoughts on the Contemporary Photo Book. An exhibition of images from recent or upcoming publications, experimental installations & thoughtful & evocative sequences that add a new perspective to existing book-based projects. South Side. 412-431-1810. SOCIETY FOR CONTEMPORARY CRAFT SATELLITE GALLERY. A Very Long Engagement. The works collected in this exhibition emerge from lengthy encounters with string – whether knotted, netted, interlaced, woven or percussed. Created by six fiber artists, the works form a kind of network of linked ideas, processes, physical properties & material qualities. Downtown. 412-261-7003 x15. THE SOCIETY FOR CONTEMPORARY CRAFT. Mindful: Exploring Mental Health Through Art. More than 30 works created by 14 contemporary artists explore the impact that mental illness is having on society & the role the arts can play in helping to address these issues. Strip District. 412-261-7003. SPACE. The Mountain & the Bumblebee. An multi-artist, multimedia exhibition exploring our ideas about landscapes. Downtown. 412-325-7723. THE TOONSEUM. Darth Vader & Friends. Work by Jeffrey Brown. Downtown. 412-232-0199. TUGBOAT PRINT SHOP. Tugboat Printshop Showroom. Open showroom w/ the artists. Fridays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. & by appt. only. Lawrenceville. 412-980-0884.
coke-making in this pre-Civil War industrial village. Scottdale. 724-887-7910.
FUNDRAISERS FRI 08 THEY CAN COVER THEIR EARS BUT WE WON’T STOP SCREAMING. A benefit concert to raise awareness of the severity of sexual assault. The evening will be full of music & victim speakers. All proceeds will be donated to Pittsburgh Action Against Rape. W/ The Thinker & The Prover, The YJJ’s, Serpent Lord, From The Feet Up. 5 p.m. Altar Bar, Strip District. 412-206-9719.
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MON 11
BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ZAIRE BROWN, SON OF KA’SANDRA WADE. Music, singing, dancers & artists come together to remember Ka’Sandra Wade. 5 p.m. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Highland Park. 412-661-1245. RAISING FUNDS WHILE RAISING SPIRITS. Psychic Medium Rev. Debbie Pakler, PhD, will give 20 minutes readings & donate 20% of her tips to help the library achieve its annual fundraising goal. 10 a.m. Bethel Park Public Library, Bethel Park. 412-835-2207.
MAKER STORY TIME. Explore tools, materials & processes inspired by books. Listen to stories read by librarian-turned-Teaching Artist Molly. Mon, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side. 412-322-5058.
LITERARY THU 07 ENGLISH LEARNERS’ BOOK CLUB. For advanced ESL students. Presented in cooperation w/ the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council. Thu, 1 p.m. Mount Lebanon Public Library, Mt. Lebanon. 412-531-1912. THE HOUR AFTER HAPPY HOUR WRITER’S WORKSHOP. Young writers & recent graduates looking for additional feedback on their work. thehourafterhappyhour. wordpress.com Thu, 7-9 p.m. Lot 17, Bloomfield. 412-687-8117.
SAT 09 PITTSBURGH WRITERS PROJECT ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS. Second Sat of every month, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Green Tree Public Library, Green Tree. 412-921-9292.
TUE 12
CRAFTERNOON!. Fun & stories for kids ages 4 to 8. 4 p.m. Mount Lebanon Public Library, Mt. Lebanon. 412-531-1912. SENSORY FRIENDLY AFTERNOON. Individuals w/ Autism Spectrum Disorders & Sensory Processing Disorders can enjoy a friendly experience in a comfortable & accepting environment. Announcement & exhibit sound volume will be reduced & sound reducing headphones will be available. Second Tue of every month, 1-5 p.m. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side. 412-322-5058.
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FRI 08
SAT 09 WALKING (OR SNOWSHOEING) IN A WINTER WONDERLAND. An hour long walk or snowshoe. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Deer Lakes Park, Tarentum. 724-265-3520.
SUN 10 FULL HERE & GONE T IS L AGAIN: STUDYING E IN MIGRATING ONwLww. paper pghcitym .co
TUE 12 STEEL CITY SLAM. Open mic poets & slam poets. 3 rounds of 3 minute poems. Tue, 7:45 p.m. Capri Pizza & Bar, East Liberty. 412-362-1250.
WED 13 POETRY & PROSE READING. Poetry, prose or original songs. All ages & stages welcome. Second Wed of every month, 7-9 p.m. Te Cafe, Squirrel Hill. 412-422-8888.
KIDSTUFF SAT 09
HOLA NINOS!. Preschoolers age 3 to 6 & their parents will have fun in Spanish & English w/ Marissa Lipinski when they join her for songs & stories. 10 a.m. Mount Lebanon Public Library, Mt. Lebanon. 412-531-1912. PENNY ARCADE. Kids comedy show. Second Sat of every month, 1 p.m. Arcade Comedy Theater, Downtown. 412-339-0608.
of every month, 5:30 p.m. Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Garden, Oakland. 412-622-6914. INDIAN COOKING CLASS. Ann Manchella will demonstrate the preparation of a popular vegetarian breakfast dish, Aloo Paratha. Please register. 7 p.m. Northland Public Library, McCandless. 412-366-8100. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF PITTSBURGH. Social, cultural club of American/ international women. Thu First Baptist Church, Oakland. 412-802-6028. RADICAL TRIVIA. Thu, 9 p.m. Smiling Moose, South Side. 412-431-4668. WINE 101: WINE BASICS SERIES. This introductory level course is great for both hospitality professionals & avid consumers alike & is a great foundation for further study. 6 p.m. Dreadnought Wines, Lawrenceville. 412-391-1709.
LANDBIRDS. 1 p.m. Powdermill Nature Reserve, Rector. 724-593-4070. NATURE EXPLORERS! BIRD SAVERS. 1 p.m. Powdermill Nature Reserve, Rector. 724-593-4070.
TUE 12 YOUNG NATURE EXPLORERS CLASS. Getting kids outside, exploring nature. Pre-registration required. Latodami Nature Center. Second Tue of every month, 9:30-11 a.m. & 1-2:30 p.m. North Park, Allison Park. 724-935-1766.
AFRICAN DANCE CLASS. Second and Third Fri of every month and Fourth and Last Fri of every month Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, Garfield. 412-924-0634. THE BIG LEBOWSKI. 8 p.m. Oaks Theater, Oakmont. 412-828-6322. FRIDAY NIGHT CONTRA DANCE. A social, traditional American dance. No partner needed, beginners welcome, lesson at 7:30. Fri, 8 p.m. Swisshelm Park Community Center, Swissvale. 412-945-0554. WOMEN BUSINESS LEADERS BREAKFAST SERIES. James Laughlin Music Hall. Topic: “Building a Business & Making The Billion Dollar Sale.” W/ Dawne S. Hickton Former Vice Chair, President & CEO , RTI International Metals, Inc. 8 a.m. Chatham University, Shadyside. 412-365-1253.
SAT 09
WED 13 WEDNESDAY MORNING WALK. Naturalist-led, rain or shine. Wed Beechwood Farms, Fox Chapel. 412-963-6100.
OTHER STUFF THU 07 A SOTO ZEN BUDDHIST SITTING GROUP. Tue, Thu Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill. 412-965-9903. BIOPHILIA: PITTSBURGH. A meet-up group dedicated to strengthening the bond between people & the natural world. Come discuss an enviromental topic & share ideas. First Thu
BEGINNER TAI CHI CLASSES. Sat, 9 a.m. Friends Meeting House, Oakland. 412-683-2669. FIFA TOURNAMENT. Video game tournament, w/ 50/50 raffle to benefit the Humane Society. 12 p.m. Looking For Group, Brookline. 774-482-1264. MEET, LEARN, PLAY: A GAMING MEET UP. All-ages board gaming session, playing & learning about new games w/ an instructor. Quiet Reading Room. Second and Fourth Sat of every month, 11 a.m.5 p.m. Carnegie Library, Oakland, Oakland. 412-622-3151. CONTINUES ON PG. 40
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BIG LIST, CONTINUED FROM PG. 39
PITTSBURGH RV SHOW. See new RV models & receive expert advice from the industries top representatives. Jan. 9-17 David Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. 412-310-7781. SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING. Lessons 7-8 p.m., social dancing follows. No partner needed. Mon, 7 p.m. & Sat, 7 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, Mt. Washington. 412-683-5670. SECOND SATURDAY ART WORKSHOPS. Classes in jewelry making, painting, cartooning, puppet making, quilting, more. Second Sat of every month Trust Arts Education Center, Downtown. 412-471-6079. SECOND SATURDAY AT THE SPINNING PLATE. Art exhibits w/ various musical, literary & artistic performances. Second Sat of every month Spinning Plate Gallery, Friendship. 612-465-0238. SOUTH HILLS SCRABBLE CLUB. Free Scrabble games, all levels. Sat, 1-3 p.m. Mount Lebanon Public Library, Mt. Lebanon. 412-531-1912. SWING CITY. Learn & practice swing dancing skills w/ the Jim Adler Band. Sat, 8 p.m. Wightman School, Squirrel Hill. 412-759-1569.
VOICECATCH WORKSHOP W/ KATHY AYRES. A community writing workshop & writing space provided by Chatham’s Words Without Walls program. Sat, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Carnegie Library, East Liberty, East Liberty. 412-363-8232. WIGLE WHISKEY BARRELHOUSE TOURS. Sat, 12:30 & 2 p.m. Wigle Whiskey Barrel House, North Side. 412-224-2827.
SUN 10 THE BRIDAL EXPERIENCE. Wedding info & expertise from professionals. Benefits Make-A-Wish of Greater PA & West Virginia. 11 a.m. The Fez, Aliquippa. 724-378-1810. FAMILY/FRIENDS OF SUBSTANCE USERS/ ABUSERS SUPPORT GROUP. Non 12-step support group exchanging experiences & ideas as a means to provide resources & suggestions that can help those struggling to support the recovery journey of a close relative or friend. Second and Fourth Sun of every month, 4:30 p.m. Bethany Lutheran Church, Bethel Park. 412-853-3189. PFLAG PITTSBURGH. Support, education & advocacy for the LGBTQ community, family & friends. http://pflagpgh. weebly.com/. Second Sun of
every month, 2-4:30 p.m. Third Presbyterian Church, Oakland. 412-661-4710. PITTSBURGH RV SHOW. See new RV models & receive expert advice from the industries top representatives. Jan. 9-17 David Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. 412-310-7781.
BIG BROTHER/ BIG SISTER
A little quality time and friendship could broaden the horizons of a child. Start your year off by becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister. Volunteers must be able to commit to a year of service and fun. Each volunteer will be matched with a child and will be responsible for planning activities and keeping connected for at least one hour a week. For more information, visit www.bbbspgh.org. RADICAL TRIVIA. Trivia game hosted by DJ Jared Evans. Come alone or bring a team. Sun, 7 p.m. Oaks Theater, Oakmont. 412-828-6322. SUNDAY MARKET. A gathering of local crafters & dealers selling unique items, from home made foodstuffs to art. Sun, 6-10 p.m. The Night Gallery, Lawrenceville. 724-417-0223.
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BY POPULAR DEMAND, NOW OPEN ON WEDNESDAYS! PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 01.06/01.13.2016
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PITTSBURGH MEETING. Monthly meeting. Second Mon of every month, 7 p.m. First Unitarian Church, Shadyside. 412-621-8008. CREATORS MAKERS TEACHERS SALON. Tour the MAKESHOP, drink a glass of
[VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY]
PITTSBURGH’S TSBURGH’S PRE PREMIER EM GENTLEMEN’S CLUB
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MON 11
wine & hang out w/ your fellow teaching artists & arts-education allies. 6 p.m. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side. 412-322-5058. DINING WITH DIABETES. Helping people w/ type 2 diabetes identify & understand important information about managing & preventing this disease. Mon, 5:30 p.m. Thru Feb. 2 Energy Innovation Center, Hill District. 412-263-1000. ITSY BITSY YOGA. Begin a healthy new year, share yoga practice w/ your child & connect w/ a community of parents & caregivers. Mon, 10:30 a.m. Thru March 1 Baldwin Borough Public Library, Baldwin. 412-885-2255. PITTSBURGH RV SHOW. See new RV models & receive expert advice from the industries top representatives. Jan. 9-17 David Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. 412-310-7781. SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING. Lessons 7-8 p.m., social dancing follows. No partner needed. Mon, 7 p.m. & Sat, 7 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, Mt. Washington. 412-683-5670. USING MINDFULNESS TO CREATE A MORE ORGANIZED FLOW. Joyce Wilde, M.S., local author, shares methods & tips from her book The Wilde Woman’s Guide to Organizing in Five Simple Steps: Using Mindfulness to Change Your Habits. 7 p.m. Mount Lebanon Public Library, Mt. Lebanon. 412-531-1912.
TUE 12 A SOTO ZEN BUDDHIST SITTING GROUP. http:// citydharma.wordpress.com/ schedule/ Tue, Thu Church
of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill. 412-965-9903. BLACK OPS III FFA TOURNAMENT. 7 p.m. Looking For Group, Brookline. 774-482-1264. COMMUNITY CREATE NIGHT: FERMENTATION. Run through a variety of vegetable fermentation methods in order to to creatively reduce food waste & increase health. 6 p.m. Chatham University Eden Hall Campus, Gibsonia. 412-365-9918. FINE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: CRYSTAL WORL. Multimedia art drawing inspiration from traditions & storytelling of her native Alaska. Her work explores the relationships & bonds between her people, the land, & the animals. Jan. 12-26 Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, North Side. 412-322-5058. PITTSBURGH RV SHOW. See new RV models & receive expert advice from the industries top representatives. Jan. 9-17 David Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. 412-310-7781.
WED 13
WHAT KIDS NEED TO SUCCEED: 8 BUILDING BLOCKS TO RAISE GOOD KIDS. For parents, grandparents, teachers, clergy & others who care about kids w/ an elementary-age focus. 6:15 p.m. Heritage Presbyterian Church, Franklin Park. 412-366-1338.
AUDITIONS MENDELSSOHN CHOIR OF PITTSBURGH. Seeking all voice parts to participate in the performance of the Bach St. John Passion in March 2016. Call to schedule an audition. Thru Jan. 31. 724-263-5259. PRIME STAGE STUDIO. Auditions for ‘A Lesson Before Dying.’ Jan. 9, 12-3 p.m. Non-equity actors between ages 20-80, for all roles except Jefferson. Prepare 1-2 minute monologue. Bring a resume & headshot. Auditions are by appointment. Thru Jan. 9. Prime Stage Theatre Rehearsal Studio, West End. 724-773-0700.
SUBMISSIONS BOULEVARD GALLERY
& DIFFERENT STROKES CONVERSATION SALON. GALLERY. Searching for A forum for active participation glass artists, fiber artists, in the discussion of the potters, etc. to compliment meaningful & interesting the exhibits for 2015 & 2016. events of our time. Large Booking for both galleries for Print Room. Second Wed 2017. Exhibits run from 1 to of every month, 10:15 a.m.12 p.m. Carnegie Library, 2 months. 412-721-0943. Oakland, Oakland. THE HOUR AFTER 412-622-3151. HAPPY HOUR FINE ARTIST REVIEW. Seeking IN RESIDENCE: submissions in CRYSTAL WORL. all genres for . w w w Multimedia art r fledgling literary citypape h g p drawing inspiration magazine curated .com from traditions & by members of storytelling of her native the Hour After Happy Alaska. Her work explores Hour Writing Workshop. the relationships & bonds afterhappyhourreview.com. between her people, the land, INDEPENDENT FILM & the animals. Jan. 12-26 NIGHT. Submit your film, Children’s Museum of 10 minutes or less. Screenings Pittsburgh, North Side. held on the second Thursday 412-322-5058. of every month. Ongoing. OPEN CRITIQUE W/ DAVID DV8 Espresso Bar & Gallery, ORESICK. Constructive Greensburg. 724-219-0804. feedback on in-progress or THE NEW YINZER. Seeking recent work, network w/ original essays about literature, other artists & practice public music, TV or film, & also essays speaking skills. Artists of generally about Pittsburgh. To all mediums are welcome. see some examples, visit www. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Neu Kirche newyinzer.com & view the Contemporary Art Center, current issue. Email all pitches, North Side. 412-322-2224. submissions & inquiries to PITTSBURGH RV SHOW. newyinzer@gmail.com. See new RV models & PITTSBURGH POETRY receive expert advice REVIEW. Seeking submissions from the industries top of no less than 3 & no more representatives. Jan. 9-17 than 5 poems. Interested David Lawrence Convention in series’ & linked poems. Center, Downtown. For more information, visit www. 412-310-7781. pittsburghpoetryreview.com. THE PITTSBURGH SHOW Thru Jan. 15. OFFS. A meeting of THE POET BAND jugglers & spinners. All COMPANY. Seeking various levels welcome. Wed, 7:30 p.m. types of poetry. Contact Union Project, Highland Park. wewuvpoetry@hotmail.com. 412-363-4550.
FULL LIST E N O LIN
Savage Love {BY DAN SAVAGE}
I’m a 45-year-old straight male. Politically and socially, I consider myself an ardent feminist. There is nothing I enjoy more than giving a woman an orgasm or two. I’m very GGG and will cheerfully do whatever it takes. Fingers, tongue, cock, vibrator — I’m in. If it takes a long time, so much the better. I’m OK with all of that. Now and again, though, I really like a quickie, a good old-fashioned “Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am!” The only ladies I’ve found willing to engage in those cock-centric acts are sex workers. I’m OK with that, too. But the last time I paid for it, with a woman I had patronized before, I was just about to slip my cock in doggy-style when her phone rang. It was in reach, and she picked it up! I hesitated, but she didn’t pull away, and in fact pushed back a bit while she answered. I figured this was what I came for, so I proceeded. Her cavalier attitude wound up being a huge turn-on for me. By the time she finished her 20-second call, I was finished as well. I hadn’t come that quickly since I was a teen. She laughed that she should take calls more often. What kind of beast am I that I really enjoyed such utter indifference? Does this reveal some dark secret deep in my psyche? How can that mesh with my otherwise feminist views? PREMATURE EJACULATION NEEDS SOME INTROSPECTIVE VIEW EXAMINED
easily.) My problem is that after I come, like most men, I’m done with sex. And the stronger the orgasm, the truer this is. A while ago, after a really fun time, I woke to find that I’d accidentally fallen asleep and left my longtime hookup buddy to fend for himself. Other times, I’m just tired and/or turned off. I definitely don’t want anyone inside me (it hurts), and while I’ve tried mustering enthusiasm for blowjobs, hand jobs, etc., my attempts come across as pretty tepid. So in the context of both ongoing relationships of various sorts and hookups, what’s the etiquette? I’ve found myself just avoiding things that’ll push me to come, because I don’t want to be rude. And since I’ve always enjoyed sex without orgasms, this doesn’t bother me mostly. But once in a while, I would like to come. How can I do this and still take care of the other guy? NOT GOOD AT SEXY ABBREVIATIONS
Use your words, NGASA: “If it’s not a problem, I’d rather come after you do — my refractory period kicks in hard when I come and, like other men, I briefly lose interest in sex. On top of that, I’m a terrible actor. So let’s make you come first or let’s try to come at the same time, OK?”
HERE’S HOPING YOUR FEMINISM INVOLVES MORE THAN PENETRATING A WILLING PARTNER.
First, PENSIVE, “enjoys giving women orgasms” sets the bar for “ardent feminist” just a bit low. So here’s hoping your feminism involves more than penetrating a willing partner with your fingers, tongue, cock and whatever vibrators happen to be lying around. Because if your feminism doesn’t include support for pro-choice policies and candidates, regular donations to Planned Parenthood, backing equal pay for equal work, speaking up when other men say shitty/rapey/ dehumanizing things about women (particularly when there isn’t a woman in the room whose pussy you want to lick until you come, because feminism!) — and more — then you’re not a feminist, ardent or otherwise. Moving on … Why did it turn you on when the sex worker took a call during your session? Because it did. Turn-ons are subjective and mysterious. So, PENSIVE, if I were to hazard some guesswork on your behalf, I’d probably go with this: Being treated with passive contempt by someone that you are supposed to be wielding power over (the woman you’re fucking, a sex worker you’ve hired) — being subtly humiliated and mildly degraded by that woman — taps a vein of eroticized self-hatred that makes you come quickly and come hard. And while that’s wonderful for you, PENSIVE, it isn’t proof you’re a feminist. I’m a 29-year-old gay trans man. On female hormones, I took a long time to come and usually wouldn’t come at all. I always enjoyed sex; I just wasn’t focused on coming. My partners would or wouldn’t, depending on their preferences. Since starting testosterone a few years ago, I now come quickly and easily. (Sometimes too quickly and
My wife and I are bisexual — we’re a man and woman — and we’ve been tiptoeing right up to the edge of organizing a threesome or swap through 3nder. But we haven’t gone through with it yet — too many flakes and fakes. But we have no complaints — just contemplating a threesome has put amazing energy back into our sex life. Is there a name for the explosive sex you have with your longtime partner when you’re anticipating a group scene or threesome? If not, can we suggest the neologism “presome”? Rhymes with threesome! MARRIED WITH ANTICIPATED HIGH JINKS
The phenomenon you describe — the insanely hot sex a couple has before a threesome or other sexual adventure — has been noted by sex researchers and couples counselors. Dr. Margie Nichols, a psychologist and sex therapist, told The N ew York Times that she frequently urges the non-kinky couples she sees to emulate kinky couples. “Kinky couples plan sex,” Nichols told Amy Sohn, “and simmer for days in advance.” Many couples in the planning stages of a threesome do a lot more than simmer: Like you and the wife, MWAHJ, they find themselves having hot twosomes in anticipation of the impending (and hopefully hot) threesome. I think “presome” is a wonderful term to describe that kind of sex — I’m officially endorsing your proposed neologism — but I don’t think it works as well for four-way swaps, group sex, BDSM play parties, etc., because it obviously rhymes with/ riffs on “threesome.” But it’s an excellent term to describe the situation you and the wife are in. To describe the sex you’ll have in the wake of your first successful threesome, I would propose the term “postsome.”
blogh.pghcitypaper.com
Work yourself into a lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Listen to Dan’s podcast every week at savagelove cast.com.
SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO MAIL@SAVAGELOVE.NET AND FIND THE SAVAGE LOVECAST (DAN’S WEEKLY PODCAST) AT SAVAGELOVECAST.COM
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FOR THE WEEK OF
Free Will Astrology
01.06-01.13
{BY ROB BREZSNY}
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In her poem “Tree,” California poet Jane Hirshfield speaks of a young redwood tree that’s positioned next to a house. Watch out! It grows fast — as much as three feet per year. “Already the first branch-tips brush at the window,” Hirshfield writes. “Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.” I suspect this will be an apt metaphor for you in 2016. The expansion and proliferation you have witnessed these past few months are likely to intensify. That’s mostly good, but might also require adjustments. How will you respond as immensity taps at your life?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Centuries ago, lettuce was a bitter, prickly weed that no one ate. But ancient Egyptians guessed its potential, and used selective breeding to gradually convert it into a tasty food. I see 2016 as a time when you could have a comparable success. Look around at your life, and identify weed-like things that could, through your transformative magic, be turned into valuable assets. The process may take longer than a year, but you can set in motion an unstoppable momentum that will ensure success.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Imagine that a beloved elder has been writing down your life story in the form of a fairy tale. Your adventures aren’t rendered literally, as your waking mind might describe them, but rather through dream-like scenes that have symbolic resonance. With this as our template, I’ll predict a key plot development of 2016: You will grow increasingly curious about a “forbidden” door — a door you have always believed should
not be opened. Your inquisitiveness will reach such an intensity that you will consider locating the key for that door. If it’s not available, you may even think about breaking down the door.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. His novel Of Mice and Men helped win him the award, but it required extra persistence. When he’d almost finished the manuscript, he went out on a date with his wife. While they were gone, his puppy Toby ripped his precious pages into confetti. As mad as he was, he didn’t punish the dog, but got busy on a rewrite. Later he considered the possibility that Toby had served as a helpful literary critic. The new edition of Of Mice and Men was Steinbeck’s breakout book. I’m guessing that in recent months you have received comparable assistance, Aries — although you might not realize it was assistance until later this year.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Remember what your life was like during the
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first nine months of 2004. I suspect that you fell just short of fulfilling a dream. It’s possible you were too young to have the power you needed. Or maybe you were working on a project that turned out to be pretty good but not great. Maybe you were pushing to create a new life for yourself but weren’t wise enough to make a complete breakthrough. Almost 12 years later, you have returned to a similar phase in your long-term cycle. You are better equipped to do what you couldn’t quite do before: Create the masterpiece, finish the job, rise to the next level.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): To become a skillful singer, you must learn to regulate your breath. You’ve got to take in more oxygen than usual for extended periods, and do it in ways that facilitate rather than interfere with the sounds coming out of your mouth. When you’re beginning, it feels weird to exert so much control over an instinctual impulse, which previously you’ve done unconsciously. Later, you have to get beyond your self-conscious discipline so you can reach a point where the proper breathing happens easily and gracefully. Although you might not be working to become a singer in 2016, Gemini, I think you will have comparable challenges: (1) to make conscious an activity that has been unconscious; (2) to refine and cultivate that activity; (3) to allow your consciously crafted approach to become unselfconscious again.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ancient humans didn’t “invent” fire, but rather learned about it from nature and then figured out how to produce it as needed. Ropes had a similar origin. Our ancestors employed long vines made of tough fiber as primitive ropes, and eventually got the idea to braid and knot the vines for greater strength. This technology was used to hunt, climb, pull, fasten and carry. It was essential to the development of civilization. I predict that 2016 will bring you opportunities that have metaphorical resemblances to the early rope. Your task will be to develop and embellish what nature provides.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): British author Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) had a day job with the postal service until he was in his 50s. For years he awoke every morning at 5:30 and churned out 2,500 words before heading to work. His goal was to write two or three novels a year, a pace he came close to achieving. “A small daily task, if it really be daily,” he wrote in his autobiography, “will beat the labors of a spasmodic Hercules.” I recommend that you borrow from his strategy in 2016, Leo. Be regular and disciplined and diligent as you practice the art of gradual, incremental success.
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VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Umbrellas shelter us from the rain, saving us from the discomfort of getting soaked and the embarrassment of bad hair. They also protect us from the blinding light and sweltering heat of the sun. I’m very much in favor of these practical perks. But when umbrellas appear in your nightly dreams, they may have a less positive meaning. They can indicate an inclination to shield yourself from natural forces, or to avoid direct contact with primal sensuality. I hope you won’t do much of that in 2016. In my opinion, you need a lot of face-to-face encounters with life in its raw state. Symbolically speaking, this should be a non-umbrella year.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Around the world, an average of 26 languages go extinct every year. But it increasingly appears that Welsh will not be one of them. It has enjoyed a revival in the past few decades. In Wales, it’s taught in many schools, appears on road signs, and is used in some mobile phones and computers. Is there a comparable phenomenon in your life, Libra? A tradition that can be revitalized and should be preserved? A part of your heritage that might be useful to your future? A neglected aspect of your birthright that deserves to be reclaimed? Make it happen in 2016.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Fourteenth-century author Geoffrey Chaucer produced a collection of stories known as The Canterbury Tales. It became a seminal text of English literature even though he never finished it. The most influential book ever written by theologian Thomas Aquinas was a work he gave up on before it was completed. The artist Michelangelo never found the time to put the final touches on numerous sculptures and paintings. Why am I bringing this theme to your attention? Because 2016 will be an excellent time to wrap up longterm projects you’ve been working on — and also to be at peace with abandoning those you can’t.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): A bottle of Chateau Cheval Blanc wine from 1947 sold for $304,000. Three bottles of Chateau LafiteRothschild 1869 went for $233,000 apiece. The mystique surrounding aged wine provokes crazy behavior like that. But here’s a more mundane fact: Most wine deteriorates with age, and should be sold within a few years of being bottled. I’m thinking about these things as I meditate on your long-term future, Sagittarius. My guess is that your current labor of love will reach full maturity in the next 18 to 20 months. This will be a time to bring all your concentration and ingenuity to bear on making it as good as it can be. By September of 2017, you will have ripened it as much as it can be ripened. Write a one-page essay entitled “2016 Is the Year I Figure Out What I Really Want.”
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NON-DAILY SMOKERS NEEDED
The following calendar maintains the tradition of meeting at 6:00 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every calendar month except as noted. The several meetings proposed for Council Chambers attempt to respond to the public recommendation that meeting at a centralized location may encourage increased public attendance. All Meetings Scheduled to Begin at 6:00 p.m.
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January 26, 2016
Council Chambers
510 City-County Bldg 414 Grant Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-255-2142 - office
February 23, 2016
Council Chambers
510 City-County Bldg Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Brashear Association
2005 Sarah Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203 412-321-4333
March 22, 2016
April 26, 2016
Council Chambers
510 City-County Bldg Pittsburgh, PA 15219
May 24, 2016
Hazelwood Senior Center
5344 Second Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15207 412-422-6549
Z3
Z4
June 28, 2016
PERSAD Center
5301 Butler Street, #100 Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-441-9786 Z2
July 26, 2016
Council Chambers
510 City-County Bldg Pittsburgh, PA 15219
August 2016
Combined with September Council Chambers
510 City-County Bldg Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Homewood Branch
7101 Hamilton Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15208 412-731-3080
September 27, 2016
October 25, 2016
Combined with September
Z5
Submit resume or email: Steel City Media, Attn: Chris Kohan, 650 Smithfield Street, Suite # 2200. PGH., PA 15222 or c.kohan@steelcitymedia.com No phone calls please. EOE. N E W S
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November 2016
Combined with December
December 6, 2016
Council Chambers
Combined with December 510 City-County Bldg Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(The public will be notified of any change of date or location through media publication.) For Further Information: 412-765-8023 Confidential TipLine: 412-255-CPRB +
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1. Christmas leftover? 4. Repeated passage, in music 8. Heckler, often times 14. Have to return 15. Obstacles for some supergroups 16. Short play 17. “In the Heart of the Sea” director Howard 18. Something served in the court covered with rainwater? 20. Hit below the belt 22. Guest’s bed 23. GI fare 24. “Spielberg, meet this Wookiee”? 28. Dramatic song sung in Italian, maybe 29. GM tracking system 33. Planks targets 36. Turn on the waterworks 38. Rock with a sparkling middle 39. Paul Reubens after being punched in the face? 44. Reprobate 45. “Why ___ you still here?” 46. Show that’s already had Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as guests 47. Squirrel’s stash 49. He kills Cassio
52. Transitional parts of the Thin White Duke’s songs? 58. There are 27 in a perfect game 61. Clothier Taylor 62. Tar bed 63. One who has seen a New Zealand bird? 67. Phrase said when the lights come on 68. Enter, as data 69. “Render ___ Caesar...” 70. Nuke in the microwave 71. Make a rating of 72. “Allow me” 73. Storm’s dir.
DOWN 1. Parts of a table setting 2. “Make me!” 3. Montagne of NPR 4. “Jeremy” singer 5. “Avengers: ___ of Ultron” 6. Cut (down) 7. Freudian subject, briefly 8. *sigh* “Oh, guys...” 9. 1/3rd of a banana? 10. “Hmmm...” 11. Dragon’s home 12. ___ homo 13. Lines on an Uber app 19. Sports announcer Buck 21. Actress Mendes
25. “Sweet” 26. Elwes of “The Princess Bride” 27. “Picnic” dramatist 30. AAA rides 31. Yemen’s gulf 32. Fisherman’s device 33. Start of a spell? 34. Voting group 35. Palm-tree variety 37. Passing word? 40. Place to leave your recycling 41. Reno game 42. Small quantity 43. Brandied fruit 48. Rustic lovers 50. Big name in electric guitars
51. “___ To a Grasshopper” 53. Pick-six: Abbr. 54. Blah feeling 55. Barely touch one’s food 56. Tom’s “Mission: Impossible” role 57. Mold or fashion 58. Deep-fried southern veggie 59. Quick turnarounds? 60. “Used to be,” back in the day 64. Green Bay’s st. 65. SAE, e.g. 66. Place to get off, briefly {LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS}
LET YOUR VOICES RING WITH ONCE A MONTH BIRTH CONTROL The Center For Family Planning Research is conducting a clinical research study for an investigational contraceptive ring and looking for healthy female participants. Participation includes 8 visits over 13 months at Magee-Womens Hospital, several phone calls, & study contraception at no cost to participants. Eligible participants may be compensated up to $500 for their participation. You may be eligible for this research study if you are a woman 18-35 years of age, in good general health, have a history of regular periods, in need of birth control for pregnancy prevention. To learn more & to ďŹ nd out if you’re eligible please call the Center for Family Planning Research at 412-641-5496 or visit www.birthcontrolstudies.org
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HEALING TOUCH {BY MARTY LEVINE}
RAYLENE HOOVER’S LIFE is a sitcom premise: She is a professional dog massager who’s allergic to dogs. Hoover got started pet-sitting in people’s homes in 2004, founding Critter Sitters mostly for older pets who can’t go to kennels. Some of these elderly dogs had hip dysplasia and arthritis. To aid her own joint problems, Hoover had gotten massages for years. Why not learn how to help dogs in the same way? So she got training in the therapeutic art of massaging mutts. Which is about the time she figured out that canines were causing her respiratory problems. “I love what I do too much to stop,” she says. But, wait a minute — aren’t dogs massaged all the time by us amateurs? Isn’t Hoover just getting paid to pet them? “We get that a lot,” she says. Petting is, technically, mere effleurage, which may warm up the skin, but is nothing compared to massage’s compression of tissues. Petting often excites a dog. Massage works to calm the creature — and is not necessarily applied in their favorite areas. Where petting works on the surface, massaging stimulates nerve endings under the skin. Once a dog gets comfortable with her touch, Hoover pushes down into the muscles in different spots. She moves in whorls to stimulate blood flow, working the layer of tissue covering the muscles, helping them to stretch. When Hoover first confronts a newbie with the notion of massages for the fur-covered set, she says, “I will get a shocked look, like, ‘What are you doing?’”
{PHOTO COURTESY OF RAYLENE HOOVER}
Dog massager Raylene Hoover at work
“He loved it and went straight to sleep,” Hoover recalls. Hoover arrived at the North Side home of two clients, a pair of large hounds who were once even larger but are in their twilight years now, experiencing pain she has come to alleviate. “I give wellness massage,” she explained. “It doesn’t heal anything. It’s not veterinary care.” But the owner of these pups has certainly seen improvements in them since Hoover started making house calls. Before, one of the dogs would inch down to sit, like an old person with arthritis, and then flop. The other stopped going up the stairs at night to sleep in the owner’s bedroom, and was reluctant even to descend other stairs to go outside. After a month — two massages — the owner saw a difference. “The first things I noticed were that they were sleeping more with ease,” she says. They were stretched out like young dogs. Both dogs also were
“IT’S NOT A LUXURY. IT’S REALLY AN INTERVENTION THAT HAS THE SAME KIND OF EFFECTS AS MEDICATION.” And that’s just from the dogs. Some of them won’t sit for their first rubdown. “Dogs don’t let strangers just touch them all over the place,” she says — although she has never met my beagle. “After a time or two: ‘Cool — I remember you.’” Once they get to know her, her hairy charges may present pained parts for treatment. They may growl to show her a certain touch hurts, but they will also push into her hand for more pressure. Owners are certainly skeptical, too. “There are a lot of people who say, ‘This isn’t going to help,’” she says. But some of her clients have been able to take their dogs off pain meds, saving money and sparing side effects. Any breed and any age can benefit from Hoover’s art. She has worked her magic on a show dog too nervous to let his owner move more than a few feet away. Within five minutes of Hoover beginning the massage, she recalls, the dog relaxed to the point that the owner was able to walk off. He never noticed she was gone; he didn’t even look up. Massage also works on the other end of the domesticated set. She recalls being asked to massage a four-month-old Doberman at a bringyour-dog-to-the-mall event. The dog’s owner said he wouldn’t slow down.
standing longer, getting up more readily. “One of the key benefits is being able to do it in their home, in their beds, with their mom and their treats,” the owner says. “It’s not a luxury. It’s really an intervention that has the same kind of effects as medication.” Hoover began on the first dog. “I usually start on the head, because that gets them to relax,” she said. The animal seemed to be soaking up the touch. Eventually Hoover progressed to a circular massage between the dog’s vertebrae, reaching his small muscles, promoting blood flow around nerves. When she reached the bottom of the spine, the dog’s back leg twitched. The second dog pulled away from Hoover’s touch when she reached his back. But he then pushed his head against her hand. She moved her hands down each front leg, then each back leg. When Hoover stopped massaging to gesture, the dog lifted his head. His message was clear: Why have you stopped? At the end, for being a good boy and allowing Hoover to massage her, he got a treat. It’s a dog’s life. I N F O@ P G H C I T Y PA P E R. C OM
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