December 12, 2018 - Pittsburgh City Paper

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DEC. 12-19, 2018

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Is hip-hop artist Benji. Pittsburgh’s breakout star of 2018?

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FIRSTSHOT

BY LISA CUNNINGHAM

Gingerbread houses on display at PPG Place Wintergarden in Downtown Pittsburgh

DEC. 12-19, 2018 VOLUME 28 + ISSUE 50 Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Associate Publisher JUSTIN MATASE Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD Managing Editor ALEX GORDON Senior Writers RYAN DETO, AMANDA WALTZ Staff Writers HANNAH LYNN, JORDAN SNOWDEN Photographer/Videographer JARED WICKERHAM Digital Media Manager JOSH OSWALD Marketing and Promotions Coordinator CONNOR MARSHMAN Graphic Designers MAYA PUSKARIC, JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Senior Sales Representative BLAKE LEWIS Sales Representatives KAITLIN OLIVER, NICK PAGANO Digital Development Manager RYAN CROYLE Office Coordinator MAGGIE WEAVER Advertising Sales Assistant TAYLOR PASQUARELLI Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, GAB BONESSO, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA, CRAIG MRUSEK, CHARLES ROSENBLUM, JESSIE SAGE, STEVE SUCATO Intern ALEX POPICHAK Office Administrator RODNEY REGAN National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529 Publisher EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

GENERAL POLICIES: Contents copyrighted 2018 by Eagle Media Corp. 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 Eagle Media Corp. 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 Eagle Media Corp. 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.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

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Benji. poses for a portrait in the Hill District.

CP PHOTOS: JARED WICKERHAM

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THE BIG STORY

SMILE, YOU’RE ALIVE!

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

O

NE YEAR AGO, Benji.’s life was in dire straits. After a series of unfortunate circumstances, the local hip-hop artist was forced to start a new, life-altering chapter. The events of which are chronicled in his May 2018 album, Smile, You’re Alive!

In the summer of 2017, Benji. — who went by Sir Courtesy — met Livefromthecity and Clara Kent during The City Music Festival at Spirit. Slated to play at the event, the three became fast friends and soon after started to work on music together at Flow Lounge in Oakland.

“They had their own recording equipment, I had my own recording equipment,” says Benji. “So we all brought our stuff together, and those were some of the best sessions in my entire life. Lots of space, nothing but friends, and good energy.”

The day before Thanksgiving, Benji.’s brother, who is currently the primary producer and touring DJ for rapper J.I.D., was in town for a show at Spirit, a rare occurrence due to a hectic tour schedule.

“I was being really lazy, and I wanted

to just go see my brother immediately,” says Benji. So he packed up his possessions as usual and put his stuff in the Flow Lounge’s storage area. But when he returned the next day after dinner, all his equipment was missing. His speakers, desktop computer, and hard drive: gone.

“My hard drive had seven years of work on it. That hurt me more than all the recording equipment.”

“It was a terrible straight two weeks.

Moving on after that was super difficult. I had to basically start over.”

Graciously, Benji.’s mom bought him a new laptop, which gave him a place to start rebuilding his catalogue. From there, he was able to buy and rent new equipment and purchase mixing software.

And then, as Benji. puts it, the craziest thing happened.

“I HAD TO BASICALLY START OVER.” Everything from the very first beat Benji. made when he was 18, to all the sessions they had recorded the past month — he was left with nothing.

The week before that, a DNA test showed that the child Benji. was expecting with his girlfriend was not his.

“I was in this entirely weird space. I thought [for months] that I was going to have a kid,” says Benji.

He moved in with his current DJ and roommate, Slim the DJ. Three days later, a friend of Benji.’s committed suicide.

“I was unpacking some things in my new room, and one of my old track backpacks had this flash drive. I loaded it up on the computer, and literally, the only thing on the flash drive was Smile, You’re Alive! It still doesn’t make sense to me at all. I was thinking it was maybe the first rough draft of it, but it was the finished album.”

The blue Adidas Duquesne track bag was one of the first bags he got as a freshman. “It made no sense,” says Benji., but he didn’t question the discovery. He went CONTINUES ON PG. 8

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

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to work finalizing the album.

To make Smile, You’re Alive! a true reflection of his life, the Pittsburgh native cut a few songs and replaced them with ones about what he’d gone through in the last year.

“I had to put that on the album because that would have wrapped up what the album meant,” says Benji.

Smile, You’re Alive! isn’t just a collection of songs. The album tells Benji.’s story. He holds nothing back, resulting in 42 minutes of fluid, raw emotion.

“I’ve been depressed for a while, but now I smile through the fog ‘cause I won’t be here long / I’ve been patient with the waiting ‘cause I been that strong,” Benji. raps on “Zola Rose” before getting candid about what happened with his thoughtto-be child’s mother.

The added songs brought the entire meaning of the album full circle — how starting over isn’t the end, how the worst thing can be a blessing, how, even when circumstances seem dark, to smile because you’re alive.

But what really bought the album together was the cover art (shown on page 7). The art was drawn by Benji.’s friend who committed suicide.

Two months before releasing the first album, Benji. dropped the Sir Courtesy handle and adopted his new moniker. Up until that point, no one called Ian Benjamin Welch “Benji” except his mother. But since he was starting anew, he decided to do a complete rebrand.

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“It was one of those other things that was nagging me for a while,” says Benji.

“Then I was like, I’m going to make a change. Why not start completely fresh?

So, when I dropped the album, I had just changed my name to Benji, and it was like a breath of fresh air for me. Everything that had happened was just done.

It’s been crazy since then.”

After the release, Benji.’s notoriety quickly skyrocketed in Pittsburgh. He opened for Joe Kay of Soulection Radio, performed at WYEP’s Holiday Hootenanny, and played in venues all over the city. Most recently, Benji. had his first headlining show at Cattivo where he experienced for the first time the entire audience singing his lyrics along with him. Nine of the crowd members drove from Virginia just to see him perform.

“That’s what I won’t forget about that show. That people actually traveled,” says Benji. “After everything, I didn’t think this would be a thing again; it’s cool that people are noticing what’s going on. I’m really excited about the next year because what we were able to do from where we came from in the past year, with everything, and we ended up at this moment. And we still have one more thing to do. We’re doing NYE at Spirit. It’s a great way to close out a good year.”

Follow staff writer Jordan Snowden on Twitter @snowden_jordan

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

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HOLIDAY HIGHS AND LOWS

BY GAB BONESSO // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

M

Y PARENTS loved Christmas. It brought out the best in both of them.

My mother grew up in an abusive, chaotic household. I remember her once saying, “There was never a Christmas where the tree didn’t eventually end up on the floor due to fighting.”

My father grew up in a rigid, ItalianAmerican household with parents who survived the Great Depression and never fully shook that mentality. They believed in practical presents. You should receive something you need, not something you want.

So when my folks got the chance to have their own family, they went HAM for Christmas. No matter what was going on in their lives financially, they made Christmas the biggest, most magical time of the year.

My mother, until the day she died, believed in Santa Claus. Truly believed.

Her birthday was the week before Christmas, so she always received decorations as gifts which in turn, made our home a Christmas cottage.

My father was the kind of guy who read the Children’s Palace ad like it was the New York Times. He loved toys as much, if not more, than his kids. He always had the best instincts as to what the coolest toys of the year would be.

Every December we would bake, sing together, and snuggle up and watch Christmas movies. My mom and I would even read How the Grinch Stole Christmas before bedtime every single

night of the month.

These beautiful, perfect memories are what make this time of year so bittersweet.

Every happy memory that brings warmth to my heart and a smile to my face also brings the realization that both my parents are gone. As is my brother Peppy, who actually died on Christmas, bringing a glaring trigger I just can’t avoid, even when I try to only focus on the good memories of my past.

MY MOTHER, UNTIL THE DAY SHE DIED, BELIEVED IN SANTA CLAUS. In therapy, I’ve learned that through time, I will make new memories and new traditions and all that therapeutic jazz.

Fine. Ok. You bet.

It’s just hard to imagine it ever being that good again because what we had was magic. It was that lightning in a bottle stuff. It was that part in the book after Mr. Scrooge saves Tiny Tim’s life, but we had that every year. It was Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” but in holiday form.

It was as good as real life can get.

Being a product of my parents, I also love Christmas. I love it for both the highs and lows that it now brings me. The pain I feel now just reinforces how wonderful it once was. I count my blessings and I do my very best to muddle through.

Merry little Christmas, everyone!

Follow featured contributor Gab Bonesso on Twitter @gabbonesso

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.ADVOCACY.

SAFE SEX

BY ALEX GORDON ALEXGORDON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HIS YEAR saw a number of highprofile stories about sex work, and while there’s substantial progress yet to be made, the industry has never been such a big part of mainstream cultural conversation. There was the passage of anti-sex trafficking bills FOSTA and SESTA (which many sex workers argue is censorship and detrimental to their business), the recent “adult content ban” on Tumblr, and a general amplification of statistics about violence against sex workers (particularly trans and people of color).

It’s fitting then, that 2018 will close out with the 15th annual International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers on Dec. 17.

Pittsburghers can observe at Persad Center, with a potluck and night of storytelling from people in the industry.

If you’re interested in submitting, you can find the form through Sex Workers of Pittsburgh’s (SWOP) Facebook page.

Stories will be told anonymously unless otherwise noted.

City Paper spoke with a stripper and entertainer that goes by Iris about what the day means to her. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

THE INAUGURAL INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST SEX WORKERS WAS IN 2003. WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME AWARE OF IT? WHEN/HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED? I first started working as a dancer in New Orleans and working in the French Quarter was a very eye-opening experience for me. I was followed home from work, I would wake up in the morning and people would be waiting for me outside my house. Fellow dancers were jumped leaving work at night headed back to their cars. Wearing sweatpants, leaving at 4:30 a.m. with a backpack (hopefully full of cash) and a face-full of makeup, us dancers are obvious to someone who knows what they’re trying to find. I will say the community in New Orleans is very hands-on, and there were so so many people who understood the risk all sex workers faced. There certainly were people who would show up with baseball bats if you called saying you were in

The red umbrella is a symbol reflecting the protection of those in the sex work industry

trouble. I don’t have much commentary in that regards for Pittsburgh.

A friend I worked with passed away in 2017 from being stabbed to death, and that was when the threat of this specific industry became direct and personal. I began working with SWOP Pittsburgh this year and we have been working on providing financial, legal, and health resources to the local area. The specifics of trying to target how to minimize the violence against sex workers feels like a wild-ass untamed animal, but the good news is that these topics are now challenging and reshaping legal policies (or the lack thereof).

INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST SEX WORKERS Vigil at 7 p.m. Food and performances at 7:30 p.m. Mon., Dec. 17.

Persad Center, 5301 Butler St., Lawrenceville. persadcenter.org

WHAT DREW YOU TO WORK IN THIS INDUSTRY? WHEN DID YOU FIRST RECOGNIZE IT AS A POSSIBLE CAREER? I was drawn to work in this industry because I have a background in business management and waking up at 7 a.m. to work with ungrateful men while having to fight and fight to be paid properly was stupid, frankly. Also, I have experienced

workplace sexual harassment. So waking up whenever I wanted and working whenever I wanted while making the head of operations meet me at MY workplace sounded theoretically better. Dancing became my sole source of income in August of 2015 and has been since. I knew immediately it could be a career, especially on Bourbon Street (at the time).

WHAT WAS YOUR RESPONSE TO THE RECENT “ADULT CONTENT” BAN ON TUMBLR? I loved Tumblr porn, oh my goodness! Ah! I’m sad to see it go. I will say, I think more porn actors/actresses should receive compensation and credit for the amount we all view their content. That isn’t strictly a Tumblr issue though. After FOSTA/SESTA this year I’m not at all surprised. FOSTA/SESTA is the modern way to censor and control sex work, due to the internet oversight aspect of it.

WAS THERE A PARTICULAR STORY/ PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU WERE TOLD EARLIER IN YOUR CAREER THAT ENCOURAGED YOU TO PURSUE THIS WORK? I have always felt connected to sex work!

I was what, nine years old when the cover of the song “Lady Marmalade” came out?

“We independent women, some mistake us for whores / I tell ‘em ‘Why spend mine, when I can spend yours?’” Yeah yeah, sexualizing the youth is bad but I

Follow managing editor Alex Gordon on Twitter @shmalexgordon

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also felt an innate closeness with the suggestion of sexual healing. I still feel a very strong connection to the notion of providing calmness and comfort through the dreamy dim-lit setting of boundaries, face caressing, and sometimes champagne.

The direct advice I received was when I was complaining about my business background and having to interact with shitty men who sexualized me anyways, and a friend of mine who was dancing encouraged me to do the same and become self-employed.

WHAT MAKES YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY TODAY? WHAT MAKES YOU PESSIMISTIC? I am optimistic about the uprising of advocacy. It is really wonderful to see people taking back their autonomy, as well as standing by one another and for the rights of not only themselves but for their fellow sex work family. It is also great to see the acceptance of sex work socially, seeing as how there are so many successful individuals who could use the mutual exchange of goods and services sex work provides to rid them of loneliness or boredom.

Sex work can feed your children and pay off your medical costs but being the objectified medium between someone and their drunk self-digressions runs the potential of high, high risk. Not only of personal safety, but also that of authentic character.

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.NEWS.

OFF-COLOR Stark racial disparities exist for teens tried as adults in Allegheny County. Can anything be done to change it?

BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I

N ALLEGHENY County, Black teens are 20 times more likely to be charged as adults compared to white teens.

Thanks to the passage of Act 33 in 1995, certain serious offenses committed in Pennsylvania by minors age 15 or older are automatically tried as adults. If a teen 15 or older uses a weapon in conjunction with crimes like robbery, aggravated assault, or homicide, those charges are sent to adult court, where the minor can be convicted and sent to adult prison. Minors of all ages can be tried as adults, but that’s under the discretion of prosecutors and the courts.

And in Allegheny County, Black teens account for the most cases where minors were tried as adults.

Joshua Vaughn, a criminal justice reporter from Cumberland County, analyzed nearly 200 cases where minors were tried as adults in Allegheny County between 2016 and 2017. Vaughn says these youths charged ranged from 1417 years old.

He published his results in a November article in The Appeal, a news site dedicated to reporting on criminal justice. According to Vaughn’s analysis, Black youth make up about 80 percent of these cases, but Black youth only account for about 20 percent of Allegheny County’s 14-17 year old population.

According to a 2018 report from the National Association of Social Workers, Black youth nationwide made up 47 percent of cases where teens are transferred to adult court, despite only making up 14 percent of the youth population.

In addition to the stark discrepancy between white and Black teens arrested and charged as adults, Black teens face ever-escalating battles in Allegheny County’s adult courts. “Black teens in the county accounted for about 85 percent of children charged in adult court, 91 percent of those referred for prosecution, nearly 97 percent of those who received an adjudication, and 100 percent of all children sentenced to

either jail or prison,� wrote Vaughn.

Nyssa Taylor of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is dismayed to learn about these statistics. “That is horrible. That is where the real disparity is,� says Taylor of the high percentages of teens adjudicated when charged as adults. “The fact the percentages went up in each step of the process [is] perpetuating and exacerbating that initial process.�

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BLACK TEENS ACCOUNT FOR THE MOST CASES WHERE MINORS WERE TRIED AS ADULTS. Advocates like Taylor are calling on Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala to tackle these disparities head on. The ACLU-PA recently launched a campaign to educate Pennsylvanians on the “vast powers [district attorneys] wield at virtually every turn in the criminal justice system.â€? Taylor believes Zappala and police departments in Allegheny County could make signiďŹ cant progress in tackling this racial disparity.

Zappala believes the statistics are slightly skewed. He says youth within the Pittsburgh Public School district account for large numbers of the Act 33 charges and PPS has a higher percentage of Black youths than Allegheny County as a whole.

According to 2017 census ďŹ gures, 39 percent of teens ages 15-17 in PPS boundaries are Black, compared to 17.5 percent in Allegheny County. That’s about twice as many Black youths, but nowhere near the disparity documented by Vaughn.

Regardless, Zappala defends many of his ofďŹ ce’s Act 33 cases, since they are designed to include serious and violent charges.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

15

OFF-COLOR, CONTINUED FROM PG. 15

“I think it is the process we have in place, to put the burden on the prosecution,” says Zappala. “You are talking about serious stuff.”

But cases aren’t always as clear cut as they might seem. Take Kiyon Swindle of McKeesport, who was charged as an adult and plead guilty to aggravated assault and other charges in 2017, three months shy of his 18th birthday.

Swindle, who is Black, was caught driving a stolen car and then crashed while attempting to elude police. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the crash resulted in injuries to two bystanders and medical attention to all three people in the car.

Zappala says the stolen car in that case was considered a deadly weapon, which under Act 33, means Swindle was automatically charged as an adult.

However, the P-G reported in 2017 that Zappala was also considering charging the officers pursuing Swindle under the county’s policy to curb unnecessary police chases. This could have put some of the blame on the officers, and not all squarely on Swindle.

It appears those officer charges never materialized, but Swindle was still sentenced to 1-3 years in adult prison.

Vaughn says some counties in Pennsylvania, like Lehigh, have instituted rules to make all charges flow through district attorneys before they are sent to court, allowing district attorneys more discretion in charging teens as adults. Zappala says all felonies, but not all charges, in Allegheny County are reviewed by his office before being sent to court.

can petition judges to transfer teen-toadult cases into the juvenile court. “The defendant can challenge, and ask that the matter be decertified, but they have to serve the public interest,” says Zappala.

But Vaughn says public defenders represent many of the Act 33 cases involving Black teens in Allegheny County.

And Taylor says Allegheny County public

“THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY DOES HAVE DISCRETION. THERE IS ROOM TO WORK IF YOU WANT TO.” Taylor says the policy means Zappala currently has the ability to combat this racial disparity for Act 33 cases by being more lenient with Black teens that fall under Act 33 guidelines.

“The district attorney does have discretion,” says Taylor. “There is room to work if you want to.”

This year, Zappala says his office transferred 24 cases from adult court to juvenile court. Those make up a small percentage of the 2,800 juvenile cases this year, according to Zappala.

Zappala also says defendants’ lawyers

defenders, like most public defenders across the country, are overburdened with huge caseloads.

Zappala bristles at the idea that Allegheny County public defenders are overburdened and believes they can handle the workload necessary to petition Act 33 cases down to juvenile court.

“There is a big support system: the taxpayers,” says Zappala. “Public defenders are not overworked.”

In June, Joe Otte resigned from his Allegheny County public defender position. He told Philadelphia-based WHYY

Follow senior writer Ryan Deto on Twitter @ryandeto

blogh.pghcitypaper.com

Work yourself into a lather.

Rinse. Repeat.

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

he and other public defenders were handling up to 80 cases per year, and that he felt there were “deficiencies in [his] representation” because of the workload.

When asked about the racial disparities of teen cases, spokesperson for Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald directed CP to Fitzgerald’s previous comments when, in October, the county was awarded $2 million from foundations to reduce over-incarceration in the county.

Fitzgerald said his office has focused on reducing over-incarceration and racial disparities in the justice system. But he deferred to the county’s law enforcement officials in regard to the questions about how to combat the Act 33 disparities.

When informed about the Act 33 statistics, Allegheny County Councilor Anita Prizio (D-O’Hara) said she and county councilor DeWitt Walton (D-Hill District) were interested in discussing this topic further to see if legislation could be introduced to combat the disparity. But ultimately, she said some responsibility lies with Zappala.

“The district attorney should guard against the practice of overcharging,” said Prizio. “Particularly when it comes to Black teens.”

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.FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 13.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the heroine rejects both the options that are too puny and too excessive. She wisely decides that just enough is exactly right. I think she’s a good role model for you. After your time of feeling somewhat deprived, it would be understandable if you were tempted to crave too much and ask for too much and grab too much.

It would be understandable, yes, but mistaken.

For now, just enough is exactly right.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1140, two dynasties were at war in Weinsberg, in what’s now southern Germany. Conrad III, leader of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, laid siege to the castle at Weinsberg, headquarters of the rival Welfs dynasty. Things went badly for the Welfs, and just before Conrad launched a final attack, they surrendered. With a lastminute touch of mercy, Conrad agreed to allow the women of the castle to flee in safety along with whatever possessions they could carry. The women had an ingenious response. They lifted their husbands onto their backs and hauled them away to freedom. Conrad tolerated the trick, saying he would stand by his promise. I foresee a metaphorically comparable opportunity arising for you, Aquarius. It won’t be a lifeor-death situation like that of the Welfs, but it will resemble it in that your original thinking can lead you and yours to greater freedom.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The National Center for Biotechnology Information reported on a 15-year-old boy who had the notion that he could make himself into a superhero. First, he arranged to get bitten by many spiders in the hope of acquiring the powers of Spiderman. That didn’t work.

Next, he injected mercury into his skin, theorizing it might give him talents comparable to the Marvel Comics’ mutant character named Mercury. As you strategize to build your power and clout in 2019, Pisces, I trust you won’t resort to questionable methods like those. You won’t need to! Your intuition should steadily guide you, providing precise information on how to proceed. And it all starts now.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1930, some British mystery writers formed a

otherwise delectable snack was that the center wasn’t always fully cooked. In 1847, a man named Hanson Gregory finally found a solution.

Using a pepper shaker, he punched a hole in the middle of the dough, thus launching the shape that has endured until today. I bring this to your attention because I suspect you’re at a comparable turning point. If all goes according to cosmic plan, you will discover a key innovation that makes a pretty good thing even better.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable?” Author John Green asked that question. I confess that I’m not entirely comfortable with it. It’s a bit pushy. I find I’m more likely to do remarkable things if I’m not trying too hard to do remarkable things.

Nevertheless, I offer it as one of your key themes for 2019. I suspect you will be so naturally inclined to do remarkable things that you won’t feel pressure to do so. Here’s my only advice: up the ante on your desire to be fully yourself; dream up new ways to give your most important gifts; explore all the possibilities of how you can express your soul’s code with vigor and rigor. club to provide each other with artistic support and conviviality. They swore an oath to write their stories so that solving crimes happened solely through the wits of their fictional detectives, and not through “Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, or Act of God.” I understand that principle but don’t endorse it for your use in the coming weeks. On the contrary, I hope you’ll be on the alert and receptive to Divine Revelations, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, and Acts of God.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When you’re prescribed antibiotic pills to fight off infection, you should finish the entire round. If you stop taking the meds partway through because you’re feeling better, you might enable a stronger version of the original infector to get a foothold in your system. This lesson provides an apt metaphor for a process you’re now undergoing. As you seek to purge a certain unhelpful presence in your life, you must follow through to the end. Don’t get lax halfway through. Keep on cleansing yourself and shedding the unwanted influence beyond the time you’re sure you’re free of it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Danish scientist and poet Piet Hein wrote this melancholy meditation: “Losing one glove is painful, but nothing compared to the pain of losing one, throwing away the other, and find-

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

ing the first one again.” Let his words serve as a helpful warning to you, Gemini. If you lose one of your gloves, don’t immediately get rid of the second. Rather, be patient and await the eventual reappearance of the first.

The same principle applies to other things that might temporarily go missing.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Elizabeth Gilbert is a soulful observer whose prose entertains and illuminates me. She’s well aware of her own limitations, however. For example, she writes, “Every few years, I think, ‘Maybe now I’m finally smart enough or sophisticated enough to understand Ulysses.’ So I pick it up and try it again. And by page 10, as always, I’m like, ‘What the hell?’” Gilbert is referring to the renowned 20th-century novel, James Joyce’s masterwork. She just can’t appreciate it. I propose that you make her your inspirational role model in the coming weeks.

Now is a favorable time to acknowledge and accept that there are certain good influences and interesting things that you will simply never be able to benefit from. And that’s OK!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): More than three centuries ago, Dutch immigrants in New York ate a dessert known as the olykoek, or oily cake: sugar-sweetened dough deep-fried in pig fat. It was the forerunner of the modern doughnut. One problem with the

I can’t believe I’m going to quote pop star Selena Gomez. But according to my analysis of the current astrological omens, her simple, homespun advice could be especially helpful to you in the coming weeks. “Never look back,” she says. “If Cinderella had looked back and picked up the shoe, she would have never found her prince.”

Just to be clear, Virgo, I’m not saying you’ll experience an adventure that has a plot akin to the Cinderella fairy tale. But I do expect you will benefit from a “loss” as long as you’re focused on what’s ahead of you rather than what’s behind you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Among the pieces of jewelry worn by superstar Elvis Presley were a Christian cross and a Star of David. “I don’t want to miss out on heaven due to a technicality,” he testified. In that spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I urge you, too, to cover all your bases in the coming weeks. Honor your important influences. Be extra nice to everyone who might have something to offer you in the future. Show your appreciation for those who have helped make you who you are. And be as open-minded and welcoming and multicultural as you can genuinely be. Your motto is “Embrace the rainbow.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Are you a gambling addict seeking power over your addiction? If you live in Michigan or Illinois, you can formally blacklist yourself from all casinos. Anytime your resolve wanes, and you wander into a casino, you can be arrested and fined for trespassing. I invite you to consider a comparable approach as you work to free yourself from a bad habit or debilitating obsession.

Enlist some help in enforcing your desire to refrain. Create an obstruction that will interfere with your ability to act on negative impulses.

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1130 S. Braddock Ave. • 3riversoutdoor.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

17

.FOOD REVIEW.

APPLEWOOD SMOKE

BY MAGGIE WEAVER MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

F

INDING Applewood Smoke is a

game of hide-and-seek with the end reward being a seriously delicious burger. The restaurant is Highland Park’s best-kept secret. There’s no sign, no flashing lights, and no dancing burger marking its existence. The fastcasual joint is hidden in plain sight, housed in back of the Park Place Pub. I walked into the pub on a slow Tuesday night. Five other patrons sat at the bar, drinking and watching Food Network. It was a straight shot from the door to Applewood Smoke, the kitchen a light at the end of a pub.

The menu is plastered on a chalkboard wall. It lists burgers, chicken sandwiches, wings, vegetarian options, and more. A surprising variety for such a small restaurant. I settled on the Bayou Burger (medium rare) with sweet potato fries and, the Vings (vegan wings) in sweet chipotle dust. Though Applewood Smoke and Park Place Pub share a building, they operate separately. I paid for my food, nabbed a seat at the end of the bar, and started a separate tab with the bartender.

Service was quick, even with a few takeout orders ahead of me. My burger arrived first, the open bun showcasing a picturesque drizzle of chipotle mayo.

The Bayou Burger was dusted with Cajun spices and topped with grilled onions, a charred tomato, banana peppers, and pepper jack cheese. It was plated diner-style, in a plastic basket lined with checkerboard wax paper.

I’ve found that burgers often take one of two paths; either an eccentric, “gourmet” burger, stacked three patties

CP PHOTO: MAGGIE WEAVER

The Bayou Burger

high with everything but the kitchen sink, or the fast-food “burger,” a flattened, depressing disappointment.

Applewood Smoke finds a middle ground, its menu a delicious bridge between the classic all-American burger and trendy, over-the-top creations.

My first bite was heaven. It was a superb blend of textures. The patty melted like butter with each bite.

There was a subtle crunch from the toasted bun — in the sweet spot right before it started to char — the edges so

APPLEWOOD SMOKE BURGER COMPANY

5271 Bryant St., Highland Park. Tue.-Thu. 5-10 p.m.; Fri. 5-11 p.m.; Sat. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. 412-522-4592

crispy they were beginning to flake off.

All of the toppings were cooked down, causing the burger to collapse in the best way.

The flavors were supreme. Acid

FAVORITE FEATURES:

18

Corona Santa

Social media absent

Veggie options

Imagine all your grandmother’s old, antique Santa decorations in one place. That’s how the Park Place Pub decorates for the holidays. My favorite was a toddler-sized, rosy-cheeked Santa standing next to a toddlersized Corona.

Before I go to a restaurant, I like to stalk its social media. Applewood Smoke is practically absent. The most recent posts are from last year, they have no website, and even the Yelp reviews are infrequent. They’re a true, modern-day mystery.

Catering to dietary needs isn’t easy, but Applewood Smoke does it with ease. There are a myriad of vegetarian options beyond the typical black bean burger.

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

from the banana peppers and tomato cut through the rich meat. The char added a bitter element, balancing out the sweet caramelized onions. It was chased by a smoky spice from the chipotle mayo.

My sweet potato fries were inconsistent. Some were delicious and crunchy on the outside and smooth on the inside. Others were underdone and starchy. The Vings were unexpectedly fantastic. Fried cauliflower was covered in a pancake-like batter and tossed in a great rub. They reminded me of food from a state fair, just toeing the line between wonderfully greasy and nauseating.

Truthfully, I expected mediocrity from a spot so unknown and mysterious. But Applewood Smoke proved me wrong, serving up one of the best burgers in the ‘Burgh with a side of secrecy.

•

Follow staff writer Maggie Weaver on Twitter @magweav

DINING OUT

SPONSORED LISTINGS FROM CITY PAPER ’S FINE ADVERTISERS

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED RESTAURANT

THE ALLEGHENY WINE MIXER 5326 BUTLER ST., LAWRENCEVILLE 412-252-2337 / ALLEGHENYWINEMIXER.COM Wine bar and tap room in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood.

Offering an eclectic list of wine by the glass or bottle, local beer, craft cocktails, cheese and cured meats, good times and bad art.

BAR LOUIE

330 N. SHORE DRIVE, NORTH SIDE (412-500-7530) AND 244 W BRIDGE ST., HOMESTEAD (412-462-6400) / BARLOUIE.COM We’re your neighborhood bar, where you can kick back and be the real you, with the help of an amazing staff, great music, handcrafted martinis and cocktails, local and regional drafts, incredible wines and a huge selection of bar bites, snacks, burgers, flatbreads and sandwiches. Come in after work, before the game, late night at night, or any time you need a quick bite or a night out with friends. Bar Louie. Less obligations. More libations.

BROAD STREET BISTRO

1025 BROAD ST., NORTH VERSAILLES 412-829-2911 / BROADSTBISTRO.COM Broad Street Bistro is a neighborhood restaurant offering daily specials. ALL food is prepared fresh and made to order. It is family friendly with a special kids’ menu.

THE CAFÉ CARNEGIE

4400 FORBES AVE., OAKLAND 412-622-3225 / THECAFECARNEGIE.COM An excellent dining experience from James Beard Semi-Finalist, Sonja Finn featuring a locally-focused menu, full service dining, and espresso and wine bar.

COLONY CAFE

1125 PENN AVE., STRIP DISTRICT 412-586-4850 / COLONYCAFEPGH.COM Whether stopping in for a weekday lunch, an afternoon latte or after-work drinks with friends, Colony Cafe offers delicious housemade bistro fare in a stylish Downtown space.

and features a full service bar, huge sandwiches and half-priced happy hour.

Open 4 p.m.-midnight, Mon.-Fri., and noon– midnight on Saturday. Check us out on Facebook for upcoming shows and events.

HARTWOOD RESTAURANT AND WHISPER’S PUB

3400 HARTS RUN ROAD, GLENSHAW 412-767-3500 / HARTWOODRESTAURANT.COM A hidden treasure in the Pittsburgh suburbs. Outdoor dining, full bar, eclectic atmosphere. Casual elegance at its finest. Daily specials. Open Tuesday through Saturday. Hope to see you soon!

LEON’S CARIBBEAN

823 E WARRINGTON AVE., ALLENTOWN 412-431-5366 / LEONSCARIBBEAN.COM Family owned and operated since December 2014. Here at Leon’s, we take pride in our recipes and quality of dishes. Simple menu with all the traditional dishes! Leon Sr. has been a chef for 30+ years, mastering the taste everyone has grown to love and can only get at Leon’s.

LIDIA’S PITTSBURGH

1400 SMALLMAN ST., STRIP DISTRICT 412-552-0150 / LIDIAS-PITTSBURGH.COM Lidia’s Pittsburgh is a warm Italian restaurant offering signature classics from Lidia Bastianich. Featuring brunch, lunch and dinner menus as well as private dining.

MERCURIO’S ARTISAN GELATO AND NEAPOLITAN PIZZA

1910 NEW TEXAS ROAD, MONROEVILLE/PLUM 724-519-7304 / EIGHTYACRESKITCHEN.COM Eighty Acres Kitchen & Bar offers a refined, modern approach to contemporary American cuisine with a strong emphasis on local, farm-to-table products.

5523 WALNUT ST., SHADYSIDE 412-621-6220 / MERCURIOSGELATOPIZZA.COM Authentic Neapolitan pizza, artisan gelato, and an inviting atmosphere are just a small part of what helps create your experience at Mercurio’s Gelato and Pizza in Pittsburgh.

It’s not your standard pizza shop; in fact, this isn’t a “pizza shop” at all.

FULL PINT WILD SIDE TAP ROOM

PAD THAI NOODLE

EIGHTY ACRES

5310 BUTLER ST., LAWRENCEVILLE 412-408-3083 / FULLPINTBREWING.COM Full Pint Wild Side Taproom is Full Pint Brewing company’s Lawrenceville location

4770 LIBERTY AVE, BLOOMFIELD 412-904-1640 / PADTHAINOODLEPITTSBURGH.COM This new café in Bloomfield features Thai and Burmese specialties. Standards

like Pad Thai and Coconut Curry Noodle are sure to please. But don’t miss out on the Ono Kyowsway featuring egg noodle sautéed with coconut chicken, cilantro and curry sauce.

SAGA HIBACHI

201 SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE MALL, BETHEL PARK 412-835-8888 / SAGAHIBACHI.COM Saga in the South Hills is now under new management. Stop in for exciting table-side preparations and the famous shrimp sauce. Or sit in the sushi-bar area for the freshest sushi experience, with both traditional preparations and contemporary variations.

The best gifts are edible.

1910 New Texas Rd. Pittsburgh, PA 15239 724.519.7304 EightyAcresKitchen.com

SPIRIT

242 51ST ST., LAWRENCEVILLE 412-586-4441 / SPIRITPGH.COM/SLICEISLAND Every day we bake fresh focaccia from unbleached flour, pull our own mozzarella, and curdle our own ricotta to put on your pizza with fresh toppings from the best local farms, butchers, and purveyors.

SUPERIOR MOTORS

1211 BRADDOCK AVE., BRADDOCK 412-271-1022 / SUPERIORMOTORS15104.COM Thoughtfully prepared food, drawing inspiration from Braddock, its people, its history and its perseverance.

The cuisine best represents the eclectic style which has become a trademark of Chef Kevin Sousa. Fine dining in an old Chevy dealership with an eclectic, farm-to-table menu and a community focus.

TOTOPO MEXICAN KITCHEN AND BAR

660 WASHINGTON ROAD, MT. LEBANON 412-668-0773 / TOTOPOMEX.COM Totopo is a vibrant celebration of the culture and cuisine of Mexico, with a focus on the diverse foods served in the country. From Oaxacan tamales enveloped in banana leaves to the savory fish tacos of Baja California, you will experience the authentic flavor and freshness in every bite. We also feature a cocktail menu of tequila-based drinks to pair the perfect margarita with your meal.

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412-781-4131 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

19

LET ’S GET

S CIAL

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

.ON THE ROCKS.

KNOW YOUR BARTENDER: JADE WILSON OF BUTTERJOINT

BY CRAIG MRUSEK // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM )ROORZ XV WR ƓQG RXW ZKDWōV KDSSHQLQJ @PGHCITYPAPER Ř FACEBOOK.COM/PITTSBURGHCITYPAPER

H

OW WELL DO you know your local bartender? Probably not as well as you think. This week, we feature Jade Wilson of Butterjoint.

WHAT’S THE MOST INTERESTING THING IN YOUR FRIDGE RIGHT NOW? I made a delicious cranberry sauce the other day. The secret is to add a little Cognac and Cointreau!

DO YOU PREFER WATCHING A MOVIE IN A CROWDED THEATER OR AN EMPTY ONE? While I do love going to movies alone, sometimes being in a theater with an interactive crowd can make or break the viewing experience. When I went to see Black Panther in theaters it really felt like I was in a theater with 75 of my friends sharing a good time.

WHAT’S A REALLY MEMORABLE THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU AT WORK? I had a lovely couple come in for dinner one night and was told that it was going to be a surprise proposal. They had been together for many years and the gentleman was truly surprised when his now husband asked him to marry him. I got to drop off the dessert with the big question written on it. He said yes. It was so cool to be able to be a small part of such a special occasion in someone’s life.

IS THERE A PERSON, PLACE, OR THING YOU FEEL IS UNDERAPPRECIATED? I’d have to say Carnegie Library. It’s a happy place of mine. I love to go there when I have some spare time. I recommend it as a great space to find a quiet corner to sit, think, read or listen to music. I also really love the sight and smell of old books.

DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY OR INTEREST THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED STRANGE? I enjoy the macabre. I like reading dark/ strange literature from authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Angela Carter, and Clive Barker.

WHAT FOOD OR DRINK TREND WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE GO AWAY? I’ve never cared for the concept of deconstructed dishes.

IF YOU COULD SPEAK A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN THE ONE(S) YOU ALREADY DO, WHAT WOULD IT BE? American Sign Language. It’s such a beautiful, fun, and expressive language. I used to sign well when I was younger, but I’ve lost most of that as time has passed.

DONUTS OR MUFFINS? Both! How can I choose just one? I’ll take a sugar donut or a lemon poppy seed muffin any day, anytime.

•

Follow featured contributing writer Craig Mrusek on Twitter @DoctorBamboo

20

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: NATALIE BURKARDT

Burk’s Barbeque owner Kevin Burkardt, chef Cullen von Osterhout, and head chef Joshua Altimus

.RESTAURANT OPENING.

BURK’S BARBEQUE

BY MAGGIE WEAVER // MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

C

HEF KEVIN BURKARDT got his start in barbecue on the rooftop of the Oaks Theater. He’d haul his smoker to the top of the building and sell his food at the Oakmont venue’s concession stand. Burkardt had years of experience working in fine dining, but he says that once he tried his hand at barbecue, there was no turning back.

“That was it for me,” recalls Burkardt.

The residency at Oaks Theater turned out to be short-lived and Burkardt soon transitioned to catering only. But a couple years ago, the opportunity popped up to purchase a physical storefront in Oakmont. Burkardt jumped at the chance, bringing head chef and partner Joshua Altimus along for the ride.

On Dec. 1, Burk’s Barbeque opened its brick-and-mortar takeout spot at 319 Maryland Ave. after two months cleaning, refurbishing, and rebuilding the space into a standing-room only, catering-centric eatery. The menu, for now, is short and sweet. It lists pulled pork, brisket, and sausage sandwiches, ribs, and homemade sides, including collard greens made with smoked vegetables and a potato salad that Altimus deems “ridiculously good.” The meat at Burk’s is smoked for 16-20 hours.

Though barbecue is known for its contentious territorial rivalries, Burkardt doesn’t attribute any single region to his style of food. He steals a little inspiration

from everywhere, with influences from Texas, Nashville, and North Carolina (his signature sauce is vinaigrette based) appearing on the menu.

Both Burkardt and Altimus are veterans of Pittsburgh kitchens, with more than 30 years of experience between them. After meeting at Girasole, a Shadyside fine-dining Italian restaurant, the two chefs ditched the sauté station for a smoker.

BURK’S BARBEQUE 319 Maryland Ave., Oakmont

That’s what Burkardt loves about barbecue. There’s no sweating over a sauté pan, burns from a fry station, or pushing to extreme limits. With barbecue, all of the heavy lifting is done before customers arrive. It allows for better quality control and consistency.

“I realized you don’t need to make walk-in service so strenuous,” said Burkardt. “You know the product is good before there’s a customer sitting at a table, waiting for food.”

For this first go-round, Burkardt is keeping things simple. He keeps his kitchen local, even down to the wood from his smoker, cut and seasoned in Pittsburgh. Once the restaurant finds its barbecue niche, Burkardt expects the menu to change. But for now, he’s sticking with simplicity.

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•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

21

.ART PREVIEW.

QUILTING CIRCLES

BY AMANDA WALTZ /// AW AWALTZ@PG AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM @PGHCITYPAPER COM

Stefani Danes’ Round and Round quilt

22

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Q

UILTS ARE MORE than a bed-

spread or a decoration to hang on a wall in a country craft store. Quilts are a true art form, a theory the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pa. intends to demonstrate with its latest exhibition, Circular Abstractions: Bull’s Eye Quilts.

The touring show, which first opened at the Muskegon Museum of Art in 2016, showcases 41 machinemade quilts by 32 artists from across the country, including one in Pittsburgh. Curated by renowned fine art quilt maker, Nancy Crow, the displayed works take a traditional pastime in a contemporary direction.

“There’s no two alike,” says Barbara Jones, chief curator of The Westmoreland. “They just get more complex as they continue. It will be an explosion of color in the gallery.”

The show challenged the artists to experiment with and reinterpret the bull’s eye pattern, a four-quadrant design with a bull’s eye at the center of each quarter. Some pieces, like City Lights #1 and Higgeldy Piggeldy #2 by Penn State quilter Patricia Altenburg, took the pattern in a Cubist direction, while others re-imagined it into highly technical, kaleidoscopic compositions.

“The interpretations are not in the spirit of traditional quilts, where they are small squares that are repeated over and over,” says local quilter Stefani Danes, whose piece titled Round and Round is featured in the exhibit.

Although she’s a lifelong seamstress, Danes, a professional architect who teaches part-time at Carnegie Mellon University, did not start quilting seriously until 12 years ago. After taking quilting classes with Crow at the Crow Timber Frame Barn art retreat in Ohio, Danes started designing her own original pieces.

“In a way, quilts for me were a combination of the pleasure of sewing and the real attraction that I’ve had to designing in architecture,” she says.

She was also inspired by a Whitney Museum exhibit of quilts created by the women of Gee’s Bend, a small, remote, Black community in Alabama primarily inhabited by the descendants of slaves.

While the quilts were produced out of necessity, Danes found them to be “absolutely remarkable.”

“They were very controversial at the Whitney because art critics didn’t believe that unschooled women could possibly do such sophisticated artwork and

PHOTO: STEFANI DANES

Stefani Danes at work on a quilt

they never considered quilts artwork to begin with,” says Danes. “So it really changed the whole dialogue about quilting and its role in the world of art.”

Besides creative fulfillment, Danes says she has also found a community of professionals who, like herself, took up quilt-making as a sort-of retirement activity. They come from a variety of backgrounds – a few she’s met include an aeronautical engineer, a neuroscientist, the former attorney general of Alaska, and a former provost of the University of Pennsylvania.

CIRCULAR ABSTRACTIONS: BULL’S EYE QUILTS The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. 221 N. Main St., Greensburg.

Dec. 15, 2018-March 10, 2019.

Free. thewestmoreland.org

“We all feel that it’s such a gift to have this opportunity to do this work when you decided that you’ve had enough of whatever else you’re doing,” says Danes.

Quilting holds a special place in the history and culture of Pennsylvania. Traditionally, the Pennsylvania Dutch – the name given to early German settlers and their descendants – made quilts from leftover scraps of cloth and presented them as gifts for special life events like weddings and births.

But what started as a useful way to recycle fabric has evolved into a legitimate art form, including among artists in Pittsburgh. Tina Williams Brewer, a

Follow senior writer Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

Homewood-based, African-American fiber artist, specializes in quilt-making.

Known for her artistic exploration of African-American history and culture, Brewer uses symbolism and textiles to create story quilts that reflect issues of family, women and children, and spirituality of the culture. For her work, she

recently received the 2018 Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Artist of the Year.

On Jan. 20, 2019, Brewer will present a quilting workshop as part of Circular Abstractions.

Besides style, the artists also differ in their quilt-making process – for example, some artists hand-dye their fabric, while others purchase it pre-dyed. All the quilts contain three components: a top layer compiled from individually cut pieces, a soft middle batting, and a backing.

“It’s like a sandwich – cotton on the top and bottom and then some kind of fuzzy stuff in the middle,” says Danes.

But because the size of quilts can be too unwieldy for home sewing machines, quilters enlist the help of large, industrial longarm quilting machines for the final step of sewing all the pieces together.

As a result, the show seeks to demonstrate how far the art form has evolved from the hand-stitch days of quilting circles.

“Quilters have taken the traditional quilt technique and pushed it so far beyond what so many of our ancestors would have thought was possible with machine-quilting and layering and transfer printing,” says Barbara Jones, chief curator of The Westmoreland.

“They truly are artists.”

•

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23

.PGH PAGES.

BOOK BURNING

BY REGE BEHE CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

A

MANDA FENNER calls her childhood idyllic, growing up in a house filled with candles and books.

But it wasn’t until she was an adult that Fenner decided to combine the two passions of her youth. “It kind of happened organically,” says Fenner. “I had been making candles and selling them for awhile, and a friend of mine who is Great Gatsby-obsessed had a birthday coming up.”

Fenner created a candle for her friend that combines elements of gin, juniper, and daisies to pay homage to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s evocation of the Roaring ’20s. Thus North Ave Candles was born, now a full-time venture for Fenner.

Her daughter Amelia is “the whole reason it exists as a business,” Fenner says. “I was doing it as a hobby. Once I had Amelia, I knew I wanted to stay home with her. I was in nursing school at the time, there was a farmer’s market nearby, and I thought, ‘I could try and sell these candles I make.’”

Today Fenner operates out of a South Side studio, with one full-time and one part-time employee. Her merchandise is stocked by local and national bookstores, gift shops, clothing stores, and museums, and is available online to individual customers through her website.

“I didn’t realize at the time how well candles actually sold in bookstores,” she says. “Book people and candle people, there’s an overlap there.”

Fenner combines her extensive

North Ave Candles’ series inspired by the Great Gatsby

NORTH AVE CANDLES northavecandles.com

knowledge of literature with a keen sense of whimsy and a knack for finding the right accompanying scents. Her Banned Book Collection features candles inspired by The Handmaid’s Tale (pomegranate and red tulip), Fahrenheit 451 (smoked pine and parchment), and The Color Purple (lavender and lilac).

Some titles were more problematic.

Fenner struggled with Are You There

God? It’s Me, Margaret from her children’s book collection before she came up with the inspired blend of frankincense and myrrh.

Other titles, notably the coffee and chestnut combination for 1984, are tributes to Fenner’s out-of-the-box thinking.

“In the book there’s the Chestnut Street Cafe, where the rebels and lovers meet,” she says. “I came out with that candle after a lot of political malarkey, and so it’s kind of like a coffee-1984-doublespeak-politics-let’s-wake-up-here-thisis-nuts kind of thing.”

Follow featured contributor Rege Behe on Twitter @RegeBehe_exPTR

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Fenner admits she’s had a few flops.

One notable misstep was creating a cherry lollipop scent for Lolita, which was not well-received. Other titles are resistant to aromas; there’s just no good solution for a scented Animal Farm candle.

But pick an author and Fenner’s imagination immediately kicks in. What’s a good aroma for Haruki Murakami, the Japanese author of Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles?

“I would do a cherry blossom and a sea salt, a Japanese and a shore kind of smell,” Fenner says.

•

PHOTO: ADAM THOMAS

Danny Rectenwald

.MUSIC.

YIN AND YANG

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

B

ASTARD BEARDED Irishmen (BBI)

fans may recognize Danny Rectenwald as the band’s mandolinist and guitar player. But the wild-party persona seen in BBI performances is just one public side of the musician. Last Friday, Rectenwald released his first solo album, Samadhi – a solo guitar project that is the complete opposite of the high-energy mood of BBI.

SAMADHI CD RELEASE

Fri., Dec. 14. 7:30-11:30 p.m. The WBU Event Venue, 1958 Varley St., North Side. $15. samadhi.brownpapertickets.com

Don’t expect to hear any drums, bass, or even vocals. The blissful 15-track holiday album is a mix of Rectenwald’s own compositions and arrangement as well as music from the classical guitar repertoire. With slow and relaxing meditative melodies and beats, Samadhi pairs well with any laid-back party, gathering, or yoga session which provided the inspiration for the album.

“A while back my sister-in-law became a yoga instructor,” says Rectenwald, “and she said I should record an album that she could play during her classes. It got me thinking that I could make a guitar album for yoga, meditation, or relaxation. As I was deciding which pieces to include, I decided to make a meditative, relaxing album that wouldn’t be just

background music.”

Why this move to mellow music? The decision didn’t come out of nowhere.

310346_4.75_x_4.75.indd Putting out an album comprised of classical guitar has always been a plan for Rectenwald. It was actually his original career goal – performing and making records with classical guitar. He’s been playing the instrument since he was 12 years old.

“What started as a dream to play primarily classical guitar music has turned into a wild mixture of me performing many styles of guitar and mandolin,” says Rectenwald. “This album is me sharing my first musical language: classical guitar.”

Over the years Rectenwald has gotten more and more into mindfulness and meditation. The guitarist explained he wanted to make an album that reflected what he loved about the stillness achieved through meditation, and “the capacity for our hearts to open to our true nature.” That’s why he titled the album, Samadhi, which is a state of intense meditative focus.

With song titles like “Wait,” “Daffodil,” and “Rainbow Connection,” the softer side of Rectenwald is on display. Often, musicians are put in box, but with the release of Samadhi, and by being a part of Bastard Bearded Irishmen, Rectenwald is able to show multiple sides of himself as an artist, both rowdy and subdued.

1

12/5/18 9:40

PHOTO G R A P H Y

THE EYES

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

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The

Mister Bunch

CP PHOTOS: AMANDA WALTZ

This holiday bus favors the Grinch.

Mister Grooming & Goods 4504 Butler Street 412.326.5964

.HOLIDAY.

BUS CHEER

BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I

T’S NOT EASY to catch a ride on a holiday-themed Port Authority bus.

Once a bus is decorated, it generally stays with the driver who did the decorating. Drivers often work two or three routes in one day, and the bus is often in service seven days a week while the driver is not. So, another driver operates the holiday bus for a few days. Riders on social media have spotted holiday buses on the 87, 64, 54, 41, and several other routes.

This is all to say there are many factors that can affect the odds of getting a tinsel-lined bus. The uncertainty is for the best, though; the most rewarding way to interact with a holiday bus is by surprise.

Holiday cheer is ubiquitous this time of year. Stores, bars, lawns, and anywhere else that could be decorated with tinsel and ornaments is indeed decorated.

Public transportation is no exception.

Port Authority buses typically look the same year-round, differing from each other only slightly in seat color and variety of candy wrappers left under the seats. Around ten years ago, a Port Authority driver asked for permission to decorate their bus for the holidays.

Three years ago, other drivers caught on and now at least five buses are decorated for Christmas. There are also two T cars decorated for the season.

“I think that bus operators are people, too, and they like to see holiday decorations,” says Port Authority Public Relations Manager Adam Brandolph.

If a bus driver wants to decorate his or her bus for the holidays, they have to get

permission from a supervisor. All the decorations are paid for by drivers out of their own pocket and are often leftover home decorations from previous years.

“People aren’t expecting it. It’s the time of the year where it’s cold, the days are shorter, and if this very little thing brings about some joy to someone’s day, it’s just that much better,” says Brandolph.

One of the buses is Grinch-themed, with a grinning Grinch on the bike rack, a Grinch blow-up doll, a “welcome to Whoville” sign, string lights, a small TV playing a Christmas movie, and a large Santa figurine casually sitting in a seat, propped up by bungee cords. Others are more modestly festive, with tinsel wrapped around the poles and snowmen adorning the walls. While there are no Hanukkah buses, Brandolph says there is at least one bus that has “Hanukkah elements.”

As zany as the decorating gets, Brandolph notes that there are still regulations the buses must meet: the accessible seats must be clear, the bike racks have to function, and there can’t be any religious messaging tied into the decor.

Christmas is currently the only holiday for which there are multiple buses decorated, but there was at least one bus decorated for Halloween this year, and Brandolph says Port Authority is open to any driver who wants to decorate for other holidays.

The buses started roughly a week before Light Up Night and will continue through the end of the year.

•

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27

HOLIDAY MOVIE ADVENT CALENDAR

Mingle All the Way

This holiday season, the CP staff decided to bring cheers and jeers by watching one holiday movie every day until Christmas.

This is just a sampler to entice you to check out the full collection at pghcitypaper.com.

Mingle All the Way (Hallmark)

BY HANNAH LYNN

A woman develops an app called Mingle All the Way, which is like Tinder for busy business people who don’t want a real date but do want a fake date they can take to work events. When she uses the app herself, she accidentally finds love!

PHOTO: LIYANA

Liyana traverses the desert with her bull.

A Shoe Addict’s Christmas (Hallmark)

.SCREEN.

BY HANNAH LYNN

You would not expect a movie with this title to be so little about shoes and so much about Christianity and time travel, but then again, it’s Hallmark. The protagonist’s name is, unfortunately, Noelle Carpenter (Hallmark queen Candace Cameron-Bure).

Life Size 2: A Christmas Eve (Freeform)

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN

It seems as though the writers copyand-pasted the script from the first movie, modernized the writing, and called it a day. A party girl performs a spell on Barbie-like doll Eve (Tyra Banks), who unfortunately comes to life and raps.

The Ultimate Christmas Present (Vintage Disney Channel)

BY MAGGIE WEAVER

Two L.A. kids discover that a discarded robot controls the weather and decide to get out of homework with a blizzard. Their dreams come true, and everyone in L.A. suddenly owns full winter gear.

Jingle Belle (Lifetime)

BY LISA CUNNINGHAM

Isabelle (Tatyana Ali) works in the Big City for an advertising agency as a jingle writer and must write a song for her hometown’s 50th anniversary holiday show. The song is terrible and has lyrics like “Sipping hot chocolate and making snow angels with style.”

LIYANA

BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I

N LIYANA, directors Aaron and Amanda Kopp take the somewhat rigid format of documentary filmmaking and infuse it with folklore and fairy tales. The movie follows a group of orphans in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), led by South African storyteller Gcina Mhlophe, as they write a fairytale, blending real struggles from their lives with fantastical ones.

At the center of their story is Liyana, a young girl on a journey to rescue her twin brothers who have been captured, after their parents died of AIDS. She crosses a river filled with crocodiles, fends off hungry hyenas, rides a bull, and fights a grotesque monster. She struggles with hunger, thirst, exhaustion. She gets lost, feels helpless, and is nearly eaten alive. It has the action-packed adventure expected from a story written by kids, but it also has their joy and optimism. Liyana runs on advice given by her grandma, which was never to lose hope. Even in the face of danger, she finds joy in playing on the beach, napping in the sun, and hanging out in a tree, eating mangoes.

The vivid animation is interwoven with scenes of the children’s lives at the orphanage, brainstorming their story, making toys out of scrap metal, going to the doctor for blood tests. As the movie notes, eSwatini has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world, with 200,000 orphans in a population of 1.2 million.

It’s distressing to see that these young kids are familiar enough with HIV to make it a villain in their story. The movie doesn’t dwell on this statistic, and barely scratches the surface of these children’s lives, but it’s a testament to the commonality of their situation.

LIYANA

DIRECTED BY: Aaron and Amanda Kopp Opens Fri., Dec. 14 at Harris Theater

There is little explanation as to how or why these children are writing this story, and whether or not it’s an activity that exists outside of the documentary.

But ultimately the story is more about Liyana, a collection of the children’s

fears and dreams, than it is about any of the individual children.

The animation itself is singular, not fully in motion but not a still-life either.

Liyana’s animator Shofela Coker called them “breathing paintings.” They move and twitch with life —flowing water, a glittering chameleon, the flash of lighting — just enough to make Liyana’s story real. It’s accompanied by a vivid soundscape, pairing music and natural sounds to convey the feel and place of the scene.

Each image stays for only a few seconds before cutting back to the children, either sitting on a stool narrating the story, or living their lives at the orphanage, which often mimic Liyana’s.

As she rides a bull through the desert, the children ride in a van to the doctor. As vultures begin to circle Liyana’s body, collapsed from exhaustion, a little boy gets blood drawn to test for HIV. Their dangers aren’t the same, but the animation allows the kids to tell it in a way that feels true. As one child notes, “It’s more difficult to live your life than writing a story.”

Follow staff writer Hannah Lynn on Twitter @hanfranny

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•

PHOTO: KIRK BOTULA

The Affordable Floors at the WXXP Reunion Show at Stage AE

.MUSIC.

REFINISHED FLOORS

BY REGE BEHE // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

F

OR ITS FIRST new music in 23

years, The Affordable Floors reverted to the past. Its new EP Every Broken Heart Will Mend is cut from the same cloth as Drumming on the Walls and The Sounding, albums that made The Floors one of Pittsburgh’s most popular — and accomplished — bands in the 1990s.

But instead of sounding dated, the five songs of Every Broken Heart Will Mend brim with vitality and vigor that transcends time and place.

EVERY BROKEN HEART WILL MEND

Available at theaffordablefloors.com

“When we were playing together constantly, we were always adding new music,” says keyboardist Kirk Botula.

“That’s sort of what motivates you.”

The Floors — whose full-time members include Botula, lead singer and keyboardist Harvey Coblin, guitarist Jeff Babcock, and drummer Ken Zenkevich — recently appeared at the WXXP Reunion show on the day after Thanksgiving at Stage AE. These yearly shows, curated by Rod Schwartz of the 11th Hour, have become an annual gathering for the musicians and fans that played Graffiti in North Oakland,

and other clubs, two decades ago.

Coblin, while enthusiastic about the performances, wanted more.

Thus the impetus for Every Broken Heart Will Mend. Botula, the band’s principal songwriter, starts from the idea that, “90 percent of anything is going to be terrible. I have very low expectations of what I’m doing, so I just do lots of it.” From huge batches of song sketches, he culls them to a workable few, then sends to Coblin “who enters into songs makes them his own,” Botula says. “That, I think, resonates with people.”

“I think we got better this time at leaving more space for one another,” Coblin adds.

Working remotely, The Floors gradually shaped the songs. Botula says one of the joys of working with the band is the element of surprise. He’s always amazed by what Babcock, Coblin, and Zenkevich add to his first versions.

But there’s one misnomer about The Affordable Floors that’s existed since the band’s inception.

“When we were young, people would say you’re a keyboard band, and I’d say, ‘no, we’re a drum band,’” Botula says, noting Zenkevich’s importance to the sound. “We’ve always used a visual logo of a field drum. The rhythm has always been super important.”

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

29

.PLAY REVIEW.

DIE HARD, YA JAG W

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ATCHING Die Hard N’at, the latest live show from the Midnight

Radio crew at Bricolage, made me think back to a Pittsburgh night in 2002 when I drove by a billboard featuring someone named Mario Lemieux, a man I guessed, from his wearing hockey gear and holding a hockey stick, was a hockey player.

“So what’s up with this Mario Lemieux guy?” I asked my then-boyfriend, a hockey fan. He looked at me as if lobsters were crawling out of my ears before explaining how “this Mario Lemieux guy” was a hockey legend.

This was news to me, a Central Pa.-raised country girl who had only lived in Pittsburgh for about a year and had yet to absorb the varied, mostly sports-obsessed aspects of the city’s culture.

PHOTO BYLINE?????????

Caption?????????????????

Wali Jamal, Lissa Brennan, and Patrick Jordan in Die Hard N’at PHOTOS: HANDERSON GOMES

30

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

But that was over a decade ago and, thanks to experience and some townie friends, I’ve since caught up on every notable Pittsburgh institution, sports figure, and local celeb peppered throughout Die Hard N’at. If you’re looking for exaggerated Yinzer accents and, as the performance itself points out, oddly specific Pittsburgh humor revolving around football, Mineo’s pizza, and the Greenfield Bridge, this is the show for you.

The show more or less follows the plot of the 1988 action hit starring Bruce Willis, but everything comes with a Steel City twist – for example, Nakatomi Plaza is now Yinzatomi Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh, and John McClane (Patrick Jordan) is a cop from the streets of Wilmerding, not New York City, trying to get back with his estranged wife, Holly (Lissa Brennan).

The best parts feature energetic, fastpaced banter poking fun at the local dialect, including an uproarious running gag about the Pittsburgh pronunciation of “couch” and an extremely quotable moment when a shot security guard (played by the excellent Elena Alexandratos) yells, “Trish, I’m dahn!”

The cast was clearly having a grand time, even as each member pulled

Elena Alexandratos

MIDNIGHT RADIO’S DIE HARD N’AT Continues through Dec. 22. 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $25-35. bricolagepgh.org

double duty playing multiple roles and doing sound work. The show never

takes itself seriously, especially when actors Wali Jamal and Jason McCune, as the Die Hard villains, could barely contain their amusement at their own comically bad German accents. When Jamal, who plays Argyle, Sgt. Al Powel, and Hans Gruber (in this case he’s called Heinz because of course he is),

breaks during one ridiculous bit, it only adds to the fun.

One consistently enjoyable aspect of Midnight Radio – or, as the cast puts it, “a radio show that’s not on the radio” – is the low-tech, DIY inventiveness of the Foley work. I went in wondering how the group, whose previous productions include spins on the less action-y Carrie, It’s A Wonderful Life, and, most recently, Frankenstein, would recreate all of the explosions, shattered glass, and gunfire of Die Hard. What unfolds is a fascinating experiment in noise, where machine gun shots are created with a piece of metal and a specially-outfitted drill and fight scenes are pulled off with a wiffle bat and well-timed belt snaps.

Still, it’s clear from the beginning that this is not a show for Pittsburgh newbies, as the many hyper-localized jokes will go right over their heads. It got me wondering how a similar show would play out in other cities, with Chicagoans going on about lake-effect snow and Da Bears, upstate New Yorkers joking about garbage plates, Bostonians constantly braying “Go Pats,” and Portlanders doing whatever it is they do. But in this case, Die Hard N’at is, for the most part, made by die-hard Pittsburghers for die-hard Pittsburghers.

•

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31

.DANCE.

PITTSBURGH: LIVE & ONSTAGE

BY STEVE SUCATO CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HEN Janera Solomon was

hired as the Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s new executive director in 2008, she was tasked with transforming the floundering rental venue into a viable theater. Rounding out its 10th year, KST has become an incubator for artistic expression, a city leader in presenting original arts programming, and a torchbearer for Pittsburgh on the national arts scene.

“We try to balance the subsidy program that makes us a community resource for all sorts of artists and non-profits with a presenting program inspired by our two namesakes,” says Solomon.

She goes on to say that a lot of the programming, like the newMoves Contemporary Dance Festival, was about connecting with national and international artists and making it so that Pittsburgh-based artists can live here and also have a national career.

By hosting this year’s National Performance Network/Visual Artists Network’s Annual Conference from Dec. 13-16, KST is taking another step towards those goals.

The conference, an international forum for artists, arts leaders, activists, organizers, funders, and others will feature workshops, forums, and talks, as well as Pittsburgh: Live & Onstage, a pair of local artist showcases that highlight the work of Pittsburgh contemporary

PHOTO: BILL SHANNON

Bill Shannon’s “Touch Update”

PITTSBURGH: LIVE & ONSTAGE 8 p.m. Fri., Dec. 14 and Sat., Dec. 15.

Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Pay what makes you happy.

412-363-3000 or kelly-strayhorn.org

performance makers.

Featured on the showcases will be Afro Yaqui Music Collective, Anqwenique Wingfield, and Blak Rapp M.A.D.U.S.A., along with dance artists slowdanger, who will perform a new 14-minute duet

called “hybrid memory | reflector” examining hypothetical concepts about how memory is stored; a 15-minute excerpt of Bill Shannon’s “Touch Update,” a multimedia work that “dissects and dismantles the multiple online identities we create in order to mask and manipulate our lived experience”; and a 15-minute excerpt of the STAYCEE PEARL dance project’s “... on being ...” (2012), a dancecentered multimedia work examining Blackness in relation to the philosophical movement of Post-Blackness.

Being accessible to the public is another important tenet of KST’s mission. “I

Follow featured contributor Steve Sucato on Twitter @ssucato

Pittsburgh’s lone liberal talkshow host for 30+ years Listen live every weekday at 10 a.m. at lynncullen.pghcitypaper.com 32

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

believe art to be a daily consumption and essential in people’s lives,” says Solomon.

“I think people should be able to have a little art every day and we have lots of ways people can get into our programming, from classes and talks to performances and parties. All that activity is about creating an opportunity for art to be a meaningful part of people’s everyday lives and not something just done on a special occasion. We want the public to take risks with us and support things that they might not be familiar with.”

For the full NPN Conference schedule, visit kelly-strayhorn.org.

•

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33

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

The Anthenaeum Hotel on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution along Chautauqua Lake, New York

.ROAD TRIP.

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE

BY JARED WICKERHAM // JWICKERHAM@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

“B

AG TIED in the middle” is the

rough translation of the Iroquois word Chautauqua, which gives its name to the lake and county in New York where I grew up. Just a twoand-a-half-hour drive from Pittsburgh, it’s mostly known for being a warmweather getaway for out-of-towners a couple months out of the year.

However, if you make your way up 79 North in the winter, you’ll find a much quieter version. The bars are filled with year-round locals and you never have a problem finding parking. Some of the coffee shops, restaurants, and wineries are closed for the season, but there’s no

shortage of things to see and do.

Sleigh rides inside the Chautauqua Institute offer an intimate tour of the community. You can’t help but be blown away by the beauty of the Athenaeum Hotel, built in 1881, that overlooks the lake. For those homes that haven’t been winterized, rentals are fairly affordable.

The Hall of Philosophy is also a popular spot for weddings.

If winter sports are your thing, there are a ton of snowmobile trails through towns like Mayville and Sherman, or you could hit the slopes at Peek’n Peak at nearby Findley Lake. But for those who like to keep things slow, given that

the lake is frozen over, cross-country skiing and ice fishing are also popular Chautauqua attractions.

tourchautauqua.com One thing I was surprised to hear upon my most recent trip to the area was that the city of Jamestown opened up the National Comedy Center, the first of its kind. Attached to the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum (Ball was born along Chautauqua Lake in Celeron), the center held its grand opening ceremony in August with some world-famous comedians, in-

Follow staff photographer/videographer Jared Wickerham on Twitter @wickphoto

34

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

cluding Amy Schumer and Dan Aykroyd.

If you plan on making a road trip up to Chautauqua in the winter, always be prepared for snow. Snow bands along Edinboro, Pa. and Sherman, N.Y. are known to accumulate significant amounts of snow, creating visibility so low you can barely see the car directly in front of you. As a native, my advice is to pull over and let it pass if you’re not comfortable driving in such conditions. But I promise it’ll be worth it once you get into town and cross the bridge over Hadley Bay and witness the winter wonderland that engulfs the town when it snows. In the winter, Chautauqua Lake is a picturesque snow globe.

•

PHOTO: RYAN MICHAEL WHITE

Jesse and Steph Flati

.MUSIC.

KEEP DANCING

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HEN A Pittsburgher falls, the

community is there to pick them up. This is evident in the way the music scene has rallied to help Steph Flati after the recent unexpected passing of her husband and bandmate, Jesse Flati. On Thursday, friends and fans are coming together for Dance for Jesse at Spirit, an event that will raise money to help Steph finish their latest album.

The Flatis made up The Lopez, a local electro-punk duo that has been a staple in the Pittsburgh music community for years. Besides the music, the pair is most notable for their DIY spirit and dedication to helping fellow artist and musicians. Recording engineer and friend of The Lopez Madeleine Campbell explained that over the past decade, The Flatis worked hard to set up shows for other people, organize festivals, DJ parties, and fundraisers, give touring musicians a place to stay, and generally just show up for others.

“I know how much they put into their music and the DIY Pittsburgh music community,” says Campbell.

In November 2016, The Lopez started recording an album that is now ready to be mastered and sent to press.

Keeping the DIY mindset, Steph was prepared to pay for the process herself.

But the Pittsburgh music scene wanted to chip in.

When Campbell told Steph about the event, The Lopez keyboardist was resistant at first.

“We’ve always done everything ourselves,” says Steph. “I don’t think anyone else should have to pay for our art or what we’re trying to put out there into the

world.” But Campbell insisted that there are many people who wanted to help.

“To me, this event means showing up, giving back and letting them know they’ve touched a lot of people,” says Campbell. “[Steph] would release this album on vinyl as planned no matter what. She did not ask for anyone to do this for her. A few friends decided to put this event together to give people an opportunity to offer her support, as she has given us, while celebrating and honoring Jesse’s life.”

DANCE FOR JESSE

8 p.m. Thu., Dec. 13. Spirit. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $10-20 suggested donation or pay what you can. Spiritpgh.com

Campbell has been working with Steph to finish the album, taking the time to make sure it’s perfect. In fact, it’s been a collective effort. Local artist Lizzee Solomon designed the cover. One of The Lopez’s best friends who lives in Portland is designing the back cover. “A lot of people are going into the making and designing of the physical copy,” says Steph. “And there’s going to be a lot of surprises inside the record.”

Steph is ecstatic about the album, excited to start playing the songs, and overwhelmed in regard to the event.

“The Pittsburgh music community has just shown so much support, just this whole time,” says Steph. “I really want to thank everyone. I appreciate all the support and the love that I have felt from everyone here in Pittsburgh, it’s been huge and wonderful and helpful.”

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

35

.FASHION.

CLOTHES MAKE ...

BY TERENEH IDIA CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Name: Rashaad Newsome

T

HE NEW YORK-based multimedia artist makes his Pittsburgh debut with Shade Compositions, Wed., Dec. 12 at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland at 8 p.m. The performance, featuring local performers, was organized by Jessica Beck, the Milton Fine Curator of Art at The Andy Warhol Museum in conjunction with its current exhibition Devan Shimoyama: Cry, Baby.

TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE WEARING TODAY? I am wearing a JW Anderson sweatshirt.

I discovered him from an interview I saw online. He talked about his stuff the way an artist talks about their work. He was really thoughtful and smart, so I thought it was cool. I was recently in London and I wasn’t prepared for the weather there and I needed a sweater. And his store was right next to the hotel where I was staying. So I went in and grabbed this sweater and it is comfy, easy and that’s why I am wearing it.

AND IT IS BLACK AND GOLD. WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT PITTSBURGH COLORS? I was not even thinking that about that yeah but [starts singing “Black and Yellow”

by Wiz Khalifa] “... black ‘n’ yellow, black ‘n’ yellow.” [Laughs] Yeah it is perfect. I didn’t even think about that but yes representing Pittsburgh today. Shout out to Pittsburgh!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE DESIGN? I always dress comfortably. I am an artist so I am always doing sh*t. So I need to be comfortable but I also have to have a little swag too. It’s about being comfortable, but also [looking] nice.

The jeans are regular Levi’s jeans, also comfortable. The shoes, very comfortable, are Balenciaga Triple S. AH, OK, I KEPT LOOKING AT THEM LIKE, ‘HMMMM, THEY ARE NOT NIKES!’ [LAUGHS] They have almost three soles so they are really kinda bouncy and they seem like they wouldn’t be comfortable but they are extremely comfortable.

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CP PHOTO: TERENEH IDIA

SO DO YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE LUXURY KICKS MOVEMENT? I don’t know if I subscribe to it but I like good design. Sometimes that is from luxury things and sometimes from a myriad of other things. But comfort is always, always at the fore.

ARE YOU A JEWELRY PERSON OR DO YOU WEAR A WATCH? I don’t wear jewelry. I wear one [piece], though I don’t even have it on today, so that shows you how much of a jewelry person I am. It’s a little beaded bracelet that a friend gave me as a gift recently. I wear that sometimes. It is my birthstone, a tiger’s eye with a little Buddha — it’s nice, it keeps me calm and centered. The stone has a lot of healing properties.

I am so much not a jewelry person.

I don’t have it on today, but normally I do. Other than that, nothing.

Because I work with images of jewelry in my work, I am, but I am [also] not a

jewelry person. I feel like I am going to lost it or forget it.

it, he wanted it to be shorter on someone.

But on me its perfect.

WHY IS JEWELRY PART OF YOUR WORK? I make collage work about the culture of domination and how the culture of domination teaches us that we need things in order to feel powerful, beautiful, or important in the world. So I pull images of cars, jewelry, certain hair textures, clothing — signifiers of status and use that as material to make these abstract images that comment on the culture of domination.

HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU? • RashaadNewsome.com • Rashaad Newsome Studio: IG, Facebook, Twitter • Rashaad Newsome on Soundcloud I am out there in these digital streets, in these virtual streets. [Laughs]

SO DO YOU BUY THINGS YOURSELF AS REPRESENTATION OF YOUR PERSONALITY OR DO YOU BUY CLOTHES MAINLY FOR COMFORT? I definitely make conscious decisions on the things that I buy. But it has to be comfortable, aesthetics pleasing, things that are designed well. Like this sweater, it is cut short. So I feel like when he designed

WHAT DO YOU HAVE COMING UP? On December 12 I’ll be performing with an amazing cast of local Black women from Pittsburgh. And it is going down, we’re about to light that b*tch up. Literally and metaphorically.

After that I will be headed back in New York to celebrate my birthday, December 19, before going to West Africa, to work on a whole new project, a robotics project, that starts in Africa, interestingly enough. I think people think that it wouldn’t start there.

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EARLY WARNINGS SPONSORED UPCOMING EVENTS FROM CITY PAPER’S FINE ADVERTISERS

WED., DECEMBER 26 ELF 7 P.M. HEINZ HALL DOWNTOWN. $31-96.

412-392-4900 or pittsburghsymphony.org.

WED., DECEMBER 26 BILL DEASY’S ANNUAL BOXING DAY SHOW 8 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $13. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone.

THU., DECEMBER 27 THE RECKONING: THE MUSIC OF R.E.M. 8 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $15. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone.

FRI., DECEMBER 28 JD EICHER 7 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $12. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone.

With special guest Nick Barilla.

FRI., DECEMBER 28 DARLING NIKKI: PRINCE TRIBUTE 10 P.M. HARD ROCK CAFE STATION SQUARE. Over-21 event. $20-25.

412-481-ROCK or ticketfly.com.

SAT., DECEMBER 29 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT WITH A PARK NATURALIST 8 A.M. NORTH PARK ROSE BARN NORTH PARK. Over-12 event.

Free (registration required). 724-935-1766 or alleghenycounty.us/parkprograms.

SAT., DECEMBER 29 SAM STUCKY’S 5TH DAY OF CHRISTMAS

SUN., DECEMBER 30 UPROOTED JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE WARRENDALE

SAT., DECEMBER 29 THE CLARKS 8:30 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE WARRENDALE. $25-30. 724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com.

SUN., DECEMBER 30 SNOWSHOEING WITH A PARK RANGER 2 P.M. WHITE OAK PARK MAGNOLIA SHELTER WHITE OAK PARK. $5-10.

412-350-4636 or alleghenycounty.us/ parkprograms.

SUN., DECEMBER 30 THE ABOMINABLE SNOW JAM FEATURING IDENTITY X & BIG ATLANTIC 8 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $10. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone.

SUN., DECEMBER 30 UPROOTED

MON., DECEMBER 31 NEW YEARS EVE 2018 BLACK & WHITE MASQUERADE 8 P.M. BAR LOUIE NORTH SIDE. $10. 412-500-7530 or facebook.com/barl ouienorthshore.

MON., DECEMBER 31 BUKU 9 P.M. REX THEATER SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $25-60.

412-381-1681 or greyareaprod.com.

With special guests Of The Trees, DJ Afterthought, FOMOboiz, & HU$KI.

TUE., JANUARY 1 L.L. BEAN NEW YEAR’S DAY YOGA HIKE 10 A.M. NORTH PARK TRAYNOR FIELD NORTH PARK. Over-8 event.

Free (registration required).

412-350-4636 or alleghenycounty.us/ parkprograms.

8 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE WARRENDALE. $18.75-35.

724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com. With special guest Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root.

TUE., JANUARY 1 WALKING TOURS AT HOMEWOOD CEMETERY

SAT., DECEMBER 29 TROPIDELIC

SUN., DECEMBER 30 START MAKING SENSE: TALKING HEADS TRIBUTE

1 P.M. HOMEWOOD CEMETERY SQUIRREL HILL. $10. 412-421-1822 or thehomewoodcemetery.com

8 P.M. REX THEATER SOUTH SIDE. Over-18 event. $15-20. 412-381-1681 or greyareaprod.com.

With special guest Zach Deputy.

8 P.M. MR. SMALLS THEATRE MILLVALE. All-ages event. $15.

412-421-4447 or mrsmalls.com.

With special guest Ruby Dear.

7 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $12. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone. With special guests Second to Safety & Guy Russo.

TUE., JANUARY 1 HAMILTON 7:30 P.M. BENEDUM CENTER DOWNTOWN. $150-530. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

FOR UPCOMING ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS EVENTS, LOG ONTO WWW.ALLEGHENYPARKS.COM PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

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CALENDAR DECEMBER 13-19

PHOTO: GREG MURRAY PHOTOGRAPHY

^ Thu., Dec. 13: Tyrion Pittister

THURSDAY DEC. 13

PERFORMANCE

Theatre company folkLAB was created in 2017 as a place to highlight diverse and marginalized voices in an artform that often leaves them behind. The company’s latest piece, OTHER: multiracial folklore, performed at Community Forge, explores the complications and specific isolation many multiracial people experience growing up. It’s the third installment of in Our Voice, a series that revisits established mythologies, previous iterations of which included FEMME

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and QUEER. The ensemble includes Jason Gordon, Diane Ghogomu, Brenden Peifer, and Jalina McClarin.

A portion of the sales go directly to the artists that help put it together. Continues through Sun., Dec. 16. Times vary. 1256 Franklin Ave., Wilkinsburg. $20 (some shows pay-what-you-can). folklab.net

DOG

Dogfighting is such a cartoonishly evil activity that it’s hard to believe it still exists, but it does. Local pit bull Tyrion Pittister, named for Peter Dinklage’s Game of Thrones character, was rescued from dogfighting in 2014. (Fun fact: he also received a grant from the Ian Somerhalder Foundation.) He was left with permanent

scars but now lives a happy and healthy life, educating humans about the dangers of animal abuse. Along with help from his owner Laurie Holding, Tyrion released Tyrion’s Tale, a children’s book about his before and after rescue.

Meet and learn more about Tyrion at a “pawtographing” session at Penguin Bookshop. 6 p.m. 417 Beaver St., Sewickley. Penguinbookshop.com

FEST

Escape the city for a night and catch the end of the Dormont Winter Festival. The borough celebrates the inevitable arrival of winter with holiday activities, including a laser show, parade, and of course, Santa. Don your holiday’s worst to

compete in the ugly sweater contest.

After, winners and losers can head to the Hollywood Theater for a free screening of Christmas Vacation. 7-10 p.m. Potomac Ave., Dormont. (Search “Dormont Winter Festival 2018” on Facebook.)

THEATER

When Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843, it was so popular it sold out by Christmas Eve, five days after publication. Its influence continues to this day; any cheesy movie where a character is visited by a ghost/spirit on Christmas and forced to revisit their life borrows from Dickens. A new theatrical adaptation of A Christmas Carol takes place the Carnegie Stage, reinvented

^ Fri., Dec. 14: All In

as a one-man show performed by Mark Coffin and directed by Heidi Mueller Smith.

In this version, Coffin plays both Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. The story was first performed as a one-man show by Patrick Stewart in 1987. Continues through Sat., Dec. 15. 8 p.m. 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. $5-35. Carnegiestage.com

MUSIC

On Oct. 26, local punk musician Jesse Flati of The Lopez died suddenly, leaving behind an unfinished album that he recorded with his wife and music partner, Steph Wolf.

Now Spirit wants to help finish and release the album with a special dance fundraiser.

The evening includes DJ sets by Stephanie Tsong and Ricky Moslen of P-Town’s Jellyfish dance night, and Rachel Brickner and Justine Hackimer of Divas Nite. All donations will go toward helping to pay for the mastering and vinyl pressing of the new album, which is scheduled to be released in May on Jesse’s birthday. 8 p.m. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $10-20 suggested donation or pay what you can. Spiritpgh.com

FRIDAY DEC. 14 MUSIC

Q: “What is funk music?”

A: “Funk is disciplined.

Funk is freaky.

Funk is space suits and Egyptian iconography.

It’s huge afros and crazy colors. It is Afrofuturistic and it is always fun.”

That’s just the top layer of Nelson George’s 2013 documentary Finding The Funk; if you want a deeper dive, check out We Want ^ Thu., Dec. 13: A Christmas Carol

The Funk Weekend at August Wilson Center. The film will be screened alongside a lecture from professor/funk historian Dr. Scot Brown.

Plus, obviously, a killer lineup of performers, including SOS Band, Brick, Con Funk, plus a DJ battle between Nick Nice and Nate Da Phat Barber at the afterparty. It’ll be a disciplined, freaky, Afrofuturistic fun time. 8 p.m. Also 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 15.

980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $41.75. aacc-awc.org

FILM

Treat yourself to the rush of extreme skiing without the risk, necessary

athleticism, or exposure to cold air.

All In centers on female professional skiers who tackle some of the most challenging, terrifying slopes on earth.

Shot in 4K in locations ranging from British Columbia to Japan, it’s self-described as “light on plot,” focusing more on the camaraderie and humor of the skiers and the stunning visuals of these remarkable athletic feats. All In screens at Regent Square Theater, with a pre-show fire, raffle, and festivities presented by 3 Rivers Outdoor Company. 8 p.m. 1035 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square. $10 advance/$15 at door. 3riversoutdoor.com

CHARITY

Get ready to toss back a few cold ones when 12 Bars of Charity presents its latest bar crawl. The holiday event raises funds for charities, while driving business to area bars and restaurants.

Teams representing local causes, including Autism Speaks Pittsburgh, Humane Animal Rescue, and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, hit various locations throughout the East End CONTINUES ON PG. 42

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

41

CALENDAR, CONTINUED FROM PG. 41

7 DAYS

OF CONCERTS

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: FLORENCIA SAAVEDRA

Kaleta & Super Yamba Band

THURSDAY Kaleta & Super Yamba Band 7 p.m. City of Asylum, North Side. cityofasylum.org

FRIDAY Tommy Stinson & Chip Roberts 8 p.m. Get Hip Recordings, North Side. gethip.com

SATURDAY Cisco Kid 8 p.m. Brillobox, Bloomfield. brilloboxpgh.com

SUNDAY Stinking Lizaveta 9 p.m. Spirit, Lawrenceville. spiritpgh.com

MONDAY Edwin McCain 6 p.m. Jergel’s, Warrendale. jergels.com

TUESDAY Jason D Williams 7:30 p.m. Hard Rock Cafe, Station Square. hardrock.com/cafes/pittsburgh

WEDNESDAY Ona with Ryan Hoffman and the Pioneers 7 p.m. Club Cafe, South Side. clubcafelive.com

MORE CONCERT LISTINGS ONLINE

AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM 42

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PHOTO: PHAT MAN DEE

^ Sun., Dec. 16: Beehive Stories

to spread awareness about their chosen charity. The event includes drinks specials and a free shuttle to get you and your crew safely from place to place. Plus, when you sign up, $10 of your registration fee goes toward the charity of your choosing.

8 p.m. Various locations. $30 registration.

12barsofcharity.com/pittsburgh

Meadery’s second annual Winter Market.

The cider house hosts local artisans from throughout the region during its annual market. Vendors include photographers, ceramics artists, jewelers, and painters.

The Threadbare tasting room and kitchen will be open for lunch, drink and bottle

FUNDRAISER

Belvederes is known for its themed dance nights. One of which is California Love, where the Lawrenceville dive bar plays only west coast hip-hop, rock, and R&B. A special edition of California Love comes Pittsburgh’s way on Friday to help aid the devastation in California caused by the recent wildfires. A large portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Wildfire Relief Fund and The North Valley Animal Disaster Group. 9 p.m.–2 a.m. Belvederes Ultra-Dive, 4016 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $5. Belvederesultradive.com

ART

The Sleeping Octopus gets into the holiday spirit with a special Art Jam and Tree Trimming Party. Help decorate the Yingling Mansion Christmas Tree and meet local and out-of-state artists creating live art together in a festive atmosphere.

While you’re there, check out Gathering of the FunGuys, an ongoing exhibit of wall statues that highlight the importance of fungus in nature and in spirit. Also included are refreshments and your choice of ornament for the tree. 6 p.m. 1300 Wood St., Wilkinsburg. $10 suggested donation

SATURDAY

MUSIC

DEC. 15 MARKET

‘Tis the season to deck your halls and make merry at Threadbare Cider House &

sales. Threadbare asks attendees to RSVP for free. All attendees 21+ will have the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary drink of the Perry the Pear Cider. Adults are welcome to bring along their children, who will be able to decorate their own crown while the adults shop for gifts and more. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Threadbare Cider House, 1291 Spring Garden Ave., Spring Garden. threadbarecider.com

PHOTO: JOSH WHITE JR. ARCHIVES

^ Sat., Dec. 15: Josh White Jr.

Legendary folk and blues artist Josh White Jr. has performed on some of the world’s greatest stages: Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Odeon Hammersmith Hall, Berlin Philharmonic Hall, and Madison

Square Garden. Next, he graces Get Hip Recordings along with alt/indie singer Kayla Schureman and singer/songwriter Benjamin Sweet. Serving drinks at the show are Pittsburgh Winery and Rock Bottom Brewery, and all attendees get a 10-percent discount on everything at the Get Hip Record store. Come for the music and leave with some music. 7-10 p.m.

Get Hip Records, 1800 Columbus Ave., North Side. $25. Eventbrite.com

SUNDAY DEC. 16 MARKET

Need the perfect gift for your Secret Santa? Can’t find anything for a picky relative? You’re in luck! Handmade artists and vintage collectors gather at Ace Hotel for a holiday edition of the beloved Made + Found Market. Bring your kids and dogs to shop the festive market, set to be the biggest yet with over 50 vendors. Tired shoppers are welcome to rest with coffee, cocktails, or brunch.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. 120 S. Whitfield St., East Liberty. Free. (Search “Made + Found Holiday Market“ on Facebook.)

MUSIC

Dubbed “the Ultimate Secular Festive Singalong,” Yule Rock at Community Forge celebrates the season with nondenominational tunes. It’s a communitydriven event with a potluck dinner and arts and crafts. The event is put on by Sunday Assembly Pittsburgh, a “secular community that celebrates life” and builds “community throughout the Pittsburgh area to improve lives.” If that sounds like your cup of tea, this is a great way to introduce yourself. 10 a.m. 1256 Franklin Ave., Wilkinsburg. forge.community

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER TESTANI

^ Sun., Dec. 16: Made + Found Market

EVENT

After 28 years in business, the Beehive in the South Side announced its closing to the dismay of many local artists, musicians, and coffee lovers. Now, former Beehive employees Phat Man Dee and Terrence Valencheck have set out to collect stories from customers, staff, and other people associated with the establishment. The interview videos will be archived at the Heinz History Center Digital Archives section for future generations to enjoy. Former City Paper arts and entertainment editor and current WESA reporter Bill O’Driscoll will also make an appearance to share his Beehive experiences. 2-6 p.m. 1327 E. Carson St., South Side. Free. beehivebuzz.com

MONDAY DEC. 17 SCREEN

Peter Jackson’s documentary They Shall Not Grow Old features restored footage

According to The Guardian, “the effect is electrifying. The soldiers are returned to an eerie, hyperreal kind of life in front of our eyes, like ghosts or figures summoned up in a seance. The faces are unforgettable.”

It’s sure to be a haunting, visceral way to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the armistice. The film plays one night only at SouthSide Works. 7 p.m. 425 Cinema Drive, South Side. $13.25 412-481-8800

Presented by Opus One and WYEP, the event is a response to the artists wanting to give back to the community following the Tree of Life shooting in October. The homegrown lineup is a one-of-a-kind concert and all proceeds will benefit the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh’s Victims of Terror fund.

6 p.m. Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side. $25. promowest.com/pittsburgh

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

CONCERT

MUSIC

DEC. 18 PHOTO: JULIEN BOURGEOIS

^ Wed., Dec. 19: Cat Power

shot by British soldiers during the first World War. The restoration goes beyond simply colorizing the grainy black-andwhite footage, even using lip-readers to help translate some of the less clear audio.

DEC. 19

Hometown artists will unite for a night of remembrance and charity when they take the stage at the Concert for the Tree of Life. The lineup includes Daya, Jorma Kaukonen, Low Cut Connie, Joe Grushecky, Sean Rowe, Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root, and Brooke Annibale. The artists performing at the all-ages show span genres and generations with the common thread being all of the acts are from the Greater Pittsburgh region.

It’s been a while since Cat Power has toured or released new music. Six years to be precise. During that time, she gave birth to a son and was diagnosed with a potentially fatal immune disorder.

Power sings about that journey in her Oct. 5 release, Wanderer. The 11-track album is soothing and blissful, yet harrowing and haunting. 8:30–11:30 p.m.

Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $39.50. mrsmalls.com •

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER

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IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-18-015343, In re petition of Shauna Harrington parent and legal guardian of Ivana Lexi West, for change of name to Ivana Lexi Harrington. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 27th day of December, 2018, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, CityCounty Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for

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THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Room 251, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on January 8, 2019, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

Pgh. Brashear High School Bridge and Driveway Repairs General Prime Pgh. Grandview PreK-5 Finish Floor Replacements General and Asbestos Primes Pgh. Perry High School Concrete and Retaining Wall Repairs General Prime Pgh. Pioneer Education Center Vertical Transportation Modernization General and Electrical Primes Pgh. Phillips K-5 Air Conditioning Offices Mechanical Prime Pittsburgh South Annex (Online Academy) Vertical Transportation Modernization General and Electrical Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on December 3, 2018 at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual.

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52. ___ Jodell (David Tennant’s “Camping” role) 53. “That’s not as cool as you think, pal” in some memes 56. Acorn sources 57. Formula 1 racing star Fernando 58. Artificial intelligence in the video game series Portal 59. Short-time user

11. “Something, something” (when you don’t know the words) 12. TV attorney played by Jonny Lee Miller 13. Some photos 14. xxx-xx-xxxx ID 18. Muffin morsel 23. Japanese assassin 24. Humana rival 26. Toward the back 28. Hair detanglers 29. Some hammers 30. Lake boat 32. Put away for later 33. Pesky bugs 34. Iranian leader overthrown on 9/16/41

35. Guy making excuses 36. Bluish gray color 37. Undrinkable coffee 40. D.C.’s mayor Bowser 42. Pipes down?

43. New Journalism author Gay 44. Decide on 46. Milk purchase 47. Letters on a bicycle tube 50. ___ noche (tonight, in Spanish) 51. Online crafts site 52. “Hot diggity” 53. Ride to the shop 54. Once called 55. Cavs on the board LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

DOWN

1. In need of repair 2. Diffuse slowly, as through a membrane 3. Resident of Dayton, say 4. The white stuff?

5. MTV series 6. “BlacKkKlansman” director 7. Big Apple sch.

8. Massage 9. “Take ___ turn at the light” 10. “Twilight” heroine

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER DEC. 12-19, 2018

45

PEEPSHOW A sex and social justice column

POLY IN PITTSBURGH

BY JESSIE SAGE // PEEPSHOWCAST@GMAIL.COM

I

F THOUSANDS of hours of conversations as a phone sex operator have taught me one thing, it’s that for many folks, strict monogamy is tremendously stressful.

Those who have sexual desires or kinks that their partner disapproves of or doesn’t want to participate in feel shamed and limited. Those who love their spouse but feel a strong desire for emotional or sexual connection with another person feel guilty. Those who simply desire variety but feel pressured by the culture to monogamously couple feel conflicted. And because there is such a strong stigma against non-monogamous relationships, most of these folks don’t know who to talk to, or how to negotiate their desires.

A local group, Poly in Pittsburgh, is working to create a community that supports poly folks, and to normalize polyamory as a practice. Morgan Hawkins, founder of Poly in Pittsburgh, described polyamory as simply “opening yourself up to the possibility of more than one loving relationship.” She tells me that not everyone practices polyamory the same way, adding, “the beauty of polyamory is the freedom you have to form relationships in a configuration that

works for you and your partner(s).” This could mean anything from having several partners in one household raising a family together, to having a primary partner, but the freedom to have secondary sexual and emotional connections, to having several concurrent relationships, none of which are central. Importantly, while there isn’t one way to be polyamorous, one of the key principles of polyamory is that all partners enter into these relationship configurations with full knowledge and consent.

FOR MANY FOLKS, STRICT MONOGAMY IS TREMENDOUSLY STRESSFUL. Learning to negotiate consent and communicate well is central to poly relationships.

When Poly in Pittsburgh started in Aug. 2016, it was just a Facebook group with a dozen of her friends and former partners who wanted to connect

to explore polyamory. But soon those folks started adding their friends and partners, and now the Facebook group has 900 members. Active members not only participate in online discussions, but also meet for monthly socials, and attend other events together.

Hawkins describes the community as serving a really important function for poly folks.

“Like many other countercultures, it’s comforting and validating to have a community where you don’t feel like you have to defend yourself and your way of living and relating,” she says.

The rapid growth of the group points to a shift in our cultural attitudes toward monogamy, more expansive understandings of relationships, and more forgiving attitudes toward sexual exploration. It is hopeful that with communities such as Poly in Pittsburgh, folks will feel less alone in their desires, and more comfortable honestly and openly advocating for them.

As for me, I’m sure my clients and I will find other things to talk about.

Those interested in finding out more about Poly in Pittsburgh can find them online at polyinpgh.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/polyinpgh.

Jessie Sage is co-host of the Peepshow Podcast, which addresses issues related to sex and social justice.

Her column Peepshow is exclusive to City Paper. Follow her on Twitter @peep_cast.

•

Peepshow Podcast, Ep. 35 This week on the Peepshow Podcast we had the pleasure of speaking to Andy, the owner of The Growth Arc, a consulting and coaching practice to help people work to be more honest with themselves and in all of their relationships.

The Growth Arc is a trauma informed, sex-positive, relationship and sexuality education-based coaching program.

Andy talked to us about her own history of sexual trauma and secrecy that led to the normalization of a lot of unethical sexual practices in her marriage.

Working through some of that trauma in therapy, as well as reading Janet Hardy’s The Ethical Slut (a text many deem the poly Bible), allowed her to rethink the way she was living her life.

In this episode, she reflects on her own introduction to polyamory at that time in her life and says, “I had been lying forever, and I needed this way to live to stop this pattern about being secretive.” After doing this work she reflected, “Holy shit, this way of communicating is so much better for the world than what is happening right now.”

Once she changed her relationship to polyamory, learned to listen to her own desires and more honestly communicate those to her partners, she was inspired to start the Growth Arc in order walk others through this process of discovery.

She talks about her story and the work she does with clients in Episode 35.

You can listen at peepshowpodcast.com/ peepshow-podcast-episode-35.

Too embarrassed to ask your friends about a sexual position?

Want to know what it’s really like to work in the sex industry?

Jessie Sage wants to hear from you! Submit a question for a chance to get it answered in an upcoming column.

Email your question to info@pghcitypaper.com with “Ask Jessie” in the subject line. (All questions will be kept confidential.)

46

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