February 27, 2019 - Pittsburgh City Paper

PITTSBURGH’S ALTERNATIVE FOR ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT SINCE 1991

FEB. 27MARCH 6, 2019

PGHCITYPAPER.COM PGHCITYPAPER

PITTSBURGHCITYPAPER

PGHCITYPAPER

FREE EVERY WEEK!

PGHCITYPAPER

WRITING WHILE BLACK Damon Young’s new memoir explores being Black in Pittsburgh

Shop over 10 acres with everything for your home!

PghHome.com Don’t Miss the largest home event in America!

00 18hibits!

Ex

MARCH 1-10 Pittsburgh Convention Center Downtown

2

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

3

650 Smithfield Street, Suite 2200 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412.316.3342 / FAX: 412.316.3388 E-MAIL info@pghcitypaper.com

FIRSTSHOT

BY JARED WICKERHAM

pghcitypaper.com PGHCITYPAPER PITTSBURGHCITYPAPER

FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019 VOLUME 28 + ISSUE 9 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 Editorial Designer ABBIE ADAMS Graphic Designer JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Marketing and Promotions Coordinator CONNOR MARSHMAN Senior Sales Representative BLAKE LEWIS Sales Representatives KAITLIN OLIVER, NICK PAGANO Office Coordinator MAGGIE WEAVER Advertising Sales Assistant TAYLOR PASQUARELLI Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, GAB BONESSO, LISSA BRENNAN, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA, CHARLES ROSENBLUM, JESSIE SAGE, STEVE SUCATO Interns JANINE FAUST, XIOLA JENSEN, JARED MURPHY 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 2019 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.

FIRST CLASS MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS: Available for $175 per year, $95 per half year. No refunds.

COVER PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM RE A D T H E S TORY ON PAG E 6

4

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

s e ct h

B * all

B

Celebrate World Spay Day!

saturday, March 2

*

6 -11 pm

nova place: 100 s commons pittsburgh, pa 15212

! s lu

VIP: $100 - includes stage side seating, two drink tickets, & private bar general admission: $40 - includes Spay breeze sample

P Drag Compet it ion

crowning miss b * tchburgh 2019 emceed by Akasha l van-cartier

* candy bar raffles & giveaways * dancing celebrity judges cat walk * * drink specials

chipotle

proceeds benefit:

mane Hu mane Hu Animal

proceeds ppr rroocee ooccee eeds eed ds bbenefit: enef en enef efit: it: it

Animal A nimal Re s u e c Re s u e c

purchase tickets at www.humaneanimalrescue.org/b-ball

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

5

THE BIG STORY

WRITING WHILE BLACK

Damon Young and the trauma of being Black in Pittsburgh

BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

D

AMON YOUNG IS AWARE that the state of Black Pittsburgh is not good.

Maybe too aware.

He is aware that economic opportunity for Black Pittsburghers is among the worst in the nation, even as white Pittsburghers’ fortunes are rising. He is aware that hundreds of Black people are being pushed out of their neighborhoods each year, and hundreds more are leaving the Pittsburgh region altogether, usually flocking to cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, or Washington, D.C. “Whatever the national average is, the disparity is greater in Pittsburgh,” says Young of statistics relating to the economy, health, and other issues. “We are a city that has always treated Black people like they should just be swept aside.”

But here he is. Sitting in Arnold’s Tea in the North Side, just a few minutes away from a house he recently purchased in the neighborhood. He and his wife just had their second child.

Young’s star has risen quickly over the last few years. The blog he co-founded with Panama Jackson, Very Smart Brothas (VSB), was purchased by Gizmodo Media Group and is now hosted on The Root, one of the nation’s largest Black media sites.

Young’s first book, What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker, is coming out at the end of March. It’s the first of a two-book deal with HarperCollins. In his new book, Young explores topics he hasn’t touched on as much in his previous writings, like confronting the roles that homophobia and masculinity played in his adolescence as a star athlete.

CONTINUES ON PG. 8

6

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Damon Young poses inside Arnold’s Tea on the North Side.

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

7

WRITING WHILE BLACK, CONTINUED FROM PG. 7

Buy Pharmacist-Approved

CBD for People and Pets!

0.0% % THC!

Lab NaturalsPCR

Broad Spectrum Plant Oil Broa

Third-Party Lab Tested for L Potency, Po Purity, & Consistency!

Shop CBD No Rx or o Card Required!

Re

Online 24/7!

www.LabNaturalsPCR.com ww.LabNaturalsP murray avenue

APOTHECARY

Compounding Pharmacy Boutique

Available at Murray Avenue Apothecary

A Pharmacy You Can Trust!

M.-Th. 10-6 & Fri. 10-5|Call 412-421-4996 4227 Murray Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Young, now in his 40s, could have picked anywhere in America to live, to write, to raise his young family. But he has no intentions of leaving Pittsburgh, even if he recognizes this decision has shortfalls. He says being Black in Pittsburgh can be traumatic and that finding comfort is no easy task.

In a recent blog on VSB, he elaborates: “We don’t have the luxury of easing into blackness; of finding quick comfort; of lazing into immediately friendly spaces.

If you want to be black in Pittsburgh, you need to be motherfucking intentional about it. You need to research. You need to procure. You need to excavate. You need to google.”

But he sees hope in Pittsburgh too.

He thinks the Black arts-and-writers scene is really starting to thrive and will continue to grow. He doesn’t fool himself into thinking this can create the kind of broad-based prosperity that will lift all of Black Pittsburgh. But it’s the path that is emerging for some Black Pittsburghers like Young, and maybe something that can help the community cope with living in a city where they often feel like an afterthought.

“If I had to rely on Pittsburgh, I would have left Pittsburgh,” says Young of his national writing success. “Since I don’t have to rely on Pittsburgh, I get to stay in Pittsburgh.”

Young was born and raised in Pittsburgh and spent his formative years in East Liberty. His last few teenage years were spent in Penn Hills, where he became a star basketball player for Penn Hills High School. Almost his entire life has been spent in and around Pittsburgh, except for his time at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, which he attended on a basketball scholarship.

His book is a memoir of his life experience in Pittsburgh, never ignoring what it’s like being Black in the Steel City. Young’s writing has an easy wit about it, but he says there was a concerted effort to document the stress, oddities, and trauma that came with growing up Black.

“So much of the conversations in the book are about race and about trauma,” says Young. “The neurosis that is bore out that. Each chapter dives into a different idea.”

A Brookings Institute study showed that from 2010-2015, the median wage increased 8.1 percent for whites in the Pittsburgh region, but decreased 19.6 percent for Black Pittsburghers. The white wage growth was well above the U.S. average over that time span and the Black wage drop was well below U.S. average.

“I feel like we have this cognitive dissonance,” says Young. “The city wants to believe it is the bastion of progress, but that progress doesn’t extend to Black people.”

Young explains in his book how this inequality has led him to experience the “hyper-cognizance” of his Blackness. He writes in his prelude that he is constantly asking himself questions like “Did that happen because I’m black?” and “If this is happening because I’m black, how am I supposed to react as a Professional Black Person?”

“IF I HAD TO RELY ON PITTSBURGH, I WOULD HAVE LEFT PITTSBURGH.” Eventually, Young says, constantly worrying about one’s place in society causes so much stress it can affect an entire community’s outlook on a region.

Young understands the nihilism attached to being Black in Pittsburgh. He feels fortunate that he has a strong network of family and friends here, and his career success as reduced that burden too. But he realizes many Black Pittsburghers aren’t as fortunate.

“It weighs on you,” says Young. “There are points that you wish that you didn’t have to be as cognizant, when you don’t have to be as aware.”

Young says these stressors are only exacerbated by Pittsburgh’s derelict state of comfortable Black spaces. He notes how Pittsburgh lacks a middle-class Black neighborhood or a business district were Black people congregate like U Street once was in Washington D.C. He says there are restaurants, churches, and clubs patronized by Black Pittsburghers, but there is intentionality about inhabiting those spaces.

“You don’t have any spaces in your life where it is just chill spaces,” says Young.

“You are living in every moment. If you can’t find those things here in Pittsburgh, you are going to go to a place where those things aren’t as hard to find.”

However, Young says talented Black writers and artists are starting to congregate in Pittsburgh as an intentional choice to practice their craft. He says the CONTINUES ON PG. 10

8

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

On the move?

New to town, or just a new neighborhood? If you haven’t tried transit before maybe now is the time. Port Authority has convenient and frequent service to and from the urban areas of Pittsburgh.

East Liberty is the heart of the East End’s transit service. Many Port Authority bus routes use the East Busway to bypass local traffic including the P1 and P3 from East Liberty’s busway station which offer quick rides to Downtown and Oakland. Various other routes have stops on Penn Ave. and serve just about anywhere in the East End of the city.

Living Downtown? You CAN get anywhere from here. You can catch a bus or T to almost anywhere in Allegheny County. Groceries in the Strip District, take the 88. For all the flavor of Lawrenceville the 91 works.

Nearly all of Port Authority's 100 routes travel in and out of Downtown.

For more neighborhoods go to onthemove.portauthority.org and make this town your own.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

9

WRITING WHILE BLACK, CONTINUED FROM PG. 8

ing featur

NO BAD

JUJU

COME ONE C OME O NE COME ALL C OME A LL SUNDAY March 24 - 4:30-8PM MUSIC FOOD FUN FOR ALL AGES

cash bar provided by our host THE CHADWICK

tic tickets on sale now through March 20 SPONSORED BY:

nhc

Three Rivers Depression Era Glass Society 42nd Annual Show & Sale

QUALITY INN 300 Tarentum Bridge Rd. New Kensington PA 15068 Route 28 Exit #14

Saturday, March 2 10AM to Noon - $7.00 Noon to 5PM - $5.00

Sunday March 3

BE-1423954

FAMILY TIES

•

Follow senior writer Ryan Deto on Twitter @RyanDeto

BOOK REVIEW

BY LISA CUNNINGHAM // LCUNNING@PGHCITYPAPER.COM Dollar Bank English Lane Nursery

Noon to 5PM - $5.00 Age 30 and under FREE with valid ID Sunday Noon to 2PM Free Glass ID (2 Items) Featuring Tiffin Glass Exhibit More Information

412-217-2083

Like us on Facebook: TRDEGS

10

in some African-American communities, “I hope this is a book that helps peoand the connection it has to patriarchal ple reduce harm. And helps people widen norms. Young shares anecdotes of how their spectrum,” says Young. people would accuse him of being gay And this is really what Young’s book because he didn’t have a girlfriend. is about: describing memories of stresses “But if there was nothing wrong about race, gender, family and ecowith being gay, why was there nomics. He says writing the something wrong with being book was a catharsis: a way ‘soft’? And how are these to understand and comtwo things connected? … prehend, as his prologue It was used to describe notes, that “living while For more on Damon’s the boys who seemed to black is an extreme sport.” cousin, artist be more interested in the The book and Young’s sarah huny young, turn to page 29. things girls were supposed writing in general are to be interested in than the extremely personal, but they things boys were supposed to appear to be therapeutic, be into.” a way to live through the stresses Young hopes his stories reach other Young documents about being Black young Black men who reject homoin Pittsburgh. phobia, the ones who question what their “The book was for me,” says Young. role should be in an evolving society.

“It was a book I needed to write.”

Damon Young’s What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker

e onlin order g

o.or

region’s comparably affordable living costs have fostered a community where Black writers and artists are thriving.

Writers like Pittsburgh City Paper columnist Tereneh Idia, CityLab staff writer Brentin Mock, and The Undefeated senior writer Jesse Washington; artists like Vanessa German and Alisha B. Wormsley, fashion designers like Tara Coleman, and multimedia artists like Young’s cousin sarah huny young.

“The artists that are here, the ones that are very intentional about their work, this is a city where this is happening,” says Young.

Young’s book isn’t just about stress of being Black in a region that is overwhelmingly white. Young also writes critically of masculinity in Black Pittsburgh.

The chapter “No Homo” is an honest critique of the homophobia that persists

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

People new to town won’t recognize the East Liberty in Damon Young’s What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker.

For one, the East Liberty in this book is Black.

Before the public housing buildings were demolished, and gentrification brought in luxury condos and replaced mom-and-pop shops with Target and Whole Foods, and the attempted rebranding to a friendlier sounding “Eastside,” East Liberty was Young’s home. It was a Black neighborhood full of primarily Black businesses and hangouts, where Young was once told by a classmate that he couldn’t come to his birthday party because his parents said he lived in “the ghetto.”

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker is a series of personal essays from one of Pittsburgh’s best known, and most respected, up-and-coming writers. It chronicles his life from a young poor Black kid in East Liberty, where his house was once shot up by a gunman who mistook his family’s home for that of a local drug dealer, to his Pittsburgh celebrity status as a co-founder of the popular blog Very Smart Brothas.

The comparison between the old and new East Liberty is a lot like Young’s own journey from the poor boy he once was to the “Young, Black and Successful” man he became. It’s a coming-of-age story, and a reflection on what it meant to both grow up Black in Pittsburgh and live while Black in the city today.

Along the way, Young shares stories from his high school years as a basketball star at Penn Hills, and how that affected his own self-image as both a Black person and a man. We witness his transition from sports hero to poet. Then, after he graduates from college, we ride along on the bus with him to his temp job as a substitute teacher because he didn’t have a driver’s license.

It’s a complicated journey, full of tales about race, masculinity, love, and masturbation. Young rubs it out a lot in this book. Did I

mention he’s also funny as hell?

Fans of Young’s posts on VSB will recognize the wit, but these essays dig deeper than his typical blog posts. Here, you see his vulnerability and insecurities. He seems torn between being surprised that he’s successful, and being surprised that it took so long.

The N-word — in both of its spellings and iterations — is in the book a lot. Like a lot, a lot. The book also makes it clear that white people should never use m eeither version — see his chapter “Three N-s.”

Pittsburghers from back in the day will dig the mentions of Shadow Lounge and Ava, happy th hhours at Savoy, and after-hour buffets at Eat‘n Park.

(Even Pittsburgh City Paper is name-dropped, as (E a measure of what it meant to be “Young, Black, aand Successful.”)

Young’s parents appear frequently in the essays. If I didn’t love my own folks so much, I’d es wish that Vivienne and Wilbur Young were my own. w One of the most touching memories in the entire O bbook is when Young discovers his large father wearing his tight basketball shorts to try to stretch w them out for him because he knew he was th eembarrassed that they didn’t fit right. Then, there’s “Living While Black Killed My Mom,” a chapter that, “L sadly, speaks for itself.

When speaking of his parents in his prologue, “Living while black is an extreme sport,” Young notes that one of the reasons he wrote the book is because “blackness doesn’t just find space but conjures beauty in a country specifically constructed to crush them.”

Young’s book is, largely, a love letter to the parents who raised him, the wife who elevated him, and the friends who stood by him.

You could also say it’s a little like a love letter to Pittsburgh too, but one that doesn’t let the city get away with any of its shit. It’s a refreshing, honest look at a city that still has a long way to go, but one that has hope if people like Young are still creating inside of it. •

WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU BLACKER RELEASES ON MARCH 26. PRE-ORDER NOW AT HARPERCOLLINS.COM.

THIS WEEK ONLINE AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

PART OF CITY PAPER’S MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

PITTSBURGH ARTIST MARCEL WALKER EDUCATES AND SPREADS JOY Read about Walker’s work as project manager and lead artist of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh’s comic book series CHUTZ-POW! SUPERHEROES OF THE HOLOCAUST.

JENSORENSEN

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

11

CP PHOTO: GAB BONESSO

Gab Bonesso, masked

.GABBY NORMAL.

SPA TREATMENTS FOR SHUT-INS

BY GAB BONESSO // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I GAMBIT S ’ N A M POOR AR. 9 M , Y A D R S AT U

HAVE NEVER been to a proper spa.

I’m a working-class artist living in a working-class town. Spa treatments just aren’t in my budget.

But I’m curious about them because, who doesn’t like the idea of being pampered and properly moisturized? But the turn-off for me isn’t just the price; It’s the strangers touching my body.

I’ve only had one professional massage, and the masseuse’s hands were the worst. The massage made both my skin and soul itchy. I hated it. Plus, the masseuse complained about her childhood during my entire visit. It was the opposite of relaxing.

I know spa treatments involve facials, manis, pedis, and other things that involve strangers touching my body.

Ultimately, I don’t think they are for me.

But the other day I was walking down the cosmetics aisle at Target, as one does when they specifically entered the store solely for furnace filters. (Target, Am I Right?)

Anyway, I found a section dedicated to face masks, and each face mask was described as an “at-home spa treatment.” The metaphorical light bulb that lives in my brain ignited. Face masks are spa treatments for shut-ins!

These at-home treatments only cost $1.99 per mask. That means I could have up to five treatments a week for only $20.

I know there is a saying, “quality

not quantity,” but I hate that saying. It doesn’t apply to Hostess snack cakes, and it certainly doesn’t apply to pampering yourself. If you ask me, eat all the doughnuts and use all the $1.99 face masks you can afford. The more powdered doughnuts, the better. The more moisturized your skin is, the better you feel. Ask Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs!

Lately my favorite face masks are ones that moisturize my skin, exfoliate my skin, or ones that add copious amounts of Vitamin C to my face. I have a mixed skin type that is either very oily or very dry so a nice mix of those three seem to make a difference.

I was recently tempted to try an “agedefying” face mask. What? I’m human, I fear death and aging just like everyone else. It said that it would make my skin tight and taut.

I’m not sure if it was that particular face mask or the fact that I am using around five masks a week (I’m not addicted, I have dry skin); but recently, I had an odd exchange with a school teacher.

I finished an anti-bully assembly and the teacher asked me if I’d be starting college soon. Bless her heart. I told her I was 1,000 years old, but I have a selfportrait aging in my closet. She laughed, but we know the truth.

Oscar Wilde definitely invented face masks.

•

Follow featured contributor Gab Bonesso on Twitter @gabbonesso

12

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

The Fosters available on XŜnity Stream app

Dreams reŝected.

On X1, it’s pride all year, only with XŜnity.j There’s power in seeing yourself on screen, and that’s why XŜnity created a Ŝrst-of-its-kind community endorsed LGBTQ Film & TV Collection. With XŜnity On Demand, you have access to thousands of TV shows and movies at home and on-the-go. Simply say, “LGBTQ” into the X1 Voice Remote to easily immerse yourself in an awesome, diverse collection of content that reŝects all of you. Simple. Easy. Awesome.

DIV031-Q4-NED-A9-V1

Find yourself at xŜnity.com/LGBTQ

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. No celebrity endorsement implied. ©2018 Comcast. All rights reserved.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

13

.NEWS.

BRIDGING THE GAP

BY ALEX GORDON ALEXGORDON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HE 40TH STREET BRIDGE isn’t the most iconic bridge in Pittsburgh, but in terms of shoddy sidewalks, trash, broken glass, and walkways that go without shoveling and salt every winter, it’s in a league of its own. Or at least it used to be.

Due to its unique location linking Pittsburgh to Millvale, the bridge’s heavily-trafficked sidewalks have historically been relegated to a jurisdictional no man’s land — the Pittsburgh DPW, Millvale DPW, and PennDOT have been playing an extended game of “not it.” PennDOT plows the car lanes during storms, but that just ends up shooting snow and gravel onto the sidewalks that neither Pittsburgh nor Millvale take responsibility for clearing.

But at some point in the past couple years, pedestrians and cyclists on the bridge might have noticed a change: walkways suddenly salted and shoveled, less garbage, and trash cans chained to the bridge bearing a magic-marker scribbled message reading: “Volunteer maintained bridge. Keep it clean, Yinz.”

For the most part, that’s “volunteer,” singular: Dani Kramer. She’s a Lawrenceville resident, bike-courier, as well as the co-owner of Pin Up Posters Courier Collective. As a frequent user of the bridge, she was fed up with all the flat tires and around two years ago, decided to just take care of the bridge herself.

“I just don’t like looking at the same trash every day on my commute,” says Kramer. “There are organizations that have volunteer workers to do the trails, but if it’s not getting done, I just do it myself.”

THOUGH HER APPROACH has evolved

since she started, an average session goes like this: Kramer loads up her cargo bike with a broom, dustpan, buckets, garbage bags, gloves, a hatchet, and water. She starts at one end of the bridge, clearing debris out of the sewage drains and collecting litter. The trash bags are dropped in the cans she installed on either side of the bridge, and once they’re full, she drags them to a

CP PHOTO: ALEX GORDON

dumpster in Millvale or Lawrenceville, depending on which side she started.

The garbage pickup takes an hour or so.

During the winter, her load is considerably lighter, with just a shovel, broom, and salt. Depending on the severity of the storm, shoveling and salting can take up to five hours. While she cares about the aesthetics of a clean bridge, in the winter, Kramer’s focus is strictly on making the sidewalks safe for travel.

The bridge has sharrows (which amount to nothing more than paint on the road reminding drivers cyclists might share the lane), but even as an experienced city cyclist, Kramer says it’s too dangerous.

Most people opt for the sidewalks, so in addition to the uneven, slick surfaces, glass and trash, the path is also highly trafficked.

By February 2018, Kramer started a GoFundMe campaign called “Pay The Bridge Toll,” to help ramp up her efforts. She’d been cleaning the bridge sporadically (she already has two jobs)

but wanted to commit to consistent sessions in 2018. In twelve months, she’s raised $2,470 (of a $2,000 goal) to pay for her cargo bike, with all the other expenses going to cleaning supplies.

The community support was nice, but still frustrating that she had to resort to crowdfunding when the local government should have taken responsibility.

THEN, ALMOST EXACTLY A YEAR after

she started the GoFundMe campaign, something happened. A DPW worker was spotted on the 40th Street bridge sidewalk, salting and clearing the snow after the Feb. 10 storm. Kramer had long been in contact with officials to no avail: representatives from Pittsburgh, Millvale, and PennDOT, members of BikePGH, as well as Mayor Peduto’s chief of staff Dan Gilman, and Pittsburgh City Councilor Deb Gross. Kramer believes it was Gilman and Gross who finally got the Pittsburgh DPW to address the issue.

When reached for an explanation, Tim

Follow managing editor Alex Gordon on Twitter @shmalexgordon

14

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

McNulty, communications director for the city of Pittsburgh, emailed Pittsburgh City Paper that “there were rounds and rounds of talks on which government agency should be responsible for the sidewalks (among PennDOT, Pittsburgh and Millvale) and rather than dealing with endless red tape, the city’s Department of Public Works finally decided to just take the job over.” McNulty says Pittsburgh DPW plans to handle the bridge’s sidewalk maintenance going forward.

“I’m not sure exactly what finally got the job done. Slowly but surely, the squeaky wheel finally got the grease,” says Kramer. “That’s the big lesson I learned here. I felt so hopeless about getting this simple thing accomplished for so long, but I kept at it and people started to hear and care.”

Kramer is happy to have the snow issue resolved, though she’s still waiting to hear what can be done to have the trash picked up. In the meantime, she’ll continue to do it herself.

•

HALF PRICE

DEALS!

Go to

justpayhalfpittsburgh.com for half price deals!

als include:

Some of our de

Restaurants • Events • Family Fun Activities • And More!

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

15

Home Protection Never Looked So Good! & SHOOTING CENTER LEA LE ARN TO SH HO OOT O ONE ON ONE CLASSES AVAILABLE 7 DAYS A WEEK (AS LITTLE AS 1 DAY NOTICE)

FREE RANGE PASS

Free range time or gun rental your choice expires 02/31/19

TTHE HE ONL ONLY LY IND INDOOR DOOR RIFL RIFLE LE RRANGE ANGE OPEN N EVE EVERY ERY DDAY! AY!!

2980 LEBANON CHURCH RD. • WEST MIFFLIN, PA 15122 • 412-469-9992 W W W . A N T H O N YA R M S . C O M

CP PHOTO: JOSH OSWALD

Exhibit A

.JUST JAGGIN’.

MTN- 44 Study

study of an investigational vaginal

You may be eligible if you are: • 18-45 years old • Not using hormonal birth control • Not at risk for pregnancy

and pregnancy prevention.

INTERESTED?

CALL (412) 641-5496 WEB birthcontrolstudies.org TEXT “JoinCFPR” to (412) 999-2758

Kayak Pool Sessions

WED. 7-9 PM

#shoplocal #3rocpgh #pghoutdoors 1130 S. Braddock ad ddo dock c Ave. - www.3riversoutdoor.com ck @3riversoutdoorco 16

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

BY JOSH OSWALD // JOSWALD@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Research is conducting a research

ring under development for HIV

Eligible participants will be compensated up to $1,000.

I FOUGHT THE LAW

The Center for Family Planning

T

HE PORT AUTHORITY Transit parking lot I use is the Dodge City of the South Hills. There’s never a day when 100 cars aren’t illegally parked using the “create your own space at the end of a row” method. Demand easily outweighs supply, and cheating a bit almost seems encouraged. But every few months, the Port Authority sheriff makes his rounds.

I got a parking ticket in a snowcovered Port Authority parking lot with no “no-parking” signs in a 100 yard radius.

So, I took a picture of my legally parked car from angles that would make Terry Richardson blush.

“I’m gonna put the system on trial,” I muttered to myself as I held a $50 parking ticket with $80 additional in “surcharges” and “fees.” One-hundred and thirty dollars out of my pocket, because I want to save the environment and ride mass transit. Well, that dog won’t hunt.

So, I mailed in the check. Turns out, the system is so confident that you will either not show up, lose, or die before the trial, that they cash your check upon receipt.

I waited for my court date like a kid waiting for Christmas. “I have photographic evidence I did nothing wrong!” I thought about Googling how to represent myself in a court case but was too lazy.

When I arrived at the magistrate’s building, there were about four other people in the waiting room. Of course, I tried to determine what each was in for.

But I quickly found out, because these people do not care what people might overhear. There was a British guy (I’m guessing) who missed his trial, couldn’t pay the fine, and the teller told him the only way he wasn’t paying anything is “if you die.” There was a woman who recently had surgery, felt ill, and was excused.

Fifteen seconds later another woman came running out of the courtroom to say that this was the 10th time she has given that story to get out of court.

“I’M GONNA PUT THE SYSTEM ON TRIAL...”

I finally got called into court with the only other person who didn’t divulge his legal woes to everyone in the waiting room. He looked classy, so I figured we were both going to clean up. We got called to the bench simultaneously, and the judge rattled off some legalese that translated to the officer did not show up, so you will both get your money back.

But I had to show the judge my carefully prepared evidence. Turns out the other guy, who was ticketed on the same day, also had pictures. The judge was not impressed by either of our defenses. He congratulated us on our victories and sent us back into the snow.

Justice served.

•

Follow digital media manager Josh Oswald on Twitter @gentlemanRich

MARCH 2 – 24, 2019 “When an ‘Odd Couple’ story shifts toward ‘Breaking Bad’” — LA TIMES

TAMARA TUNIE and LAURIE KLATSCHER in

THE ROOMMATE

LANDMARKS PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER

JEN SILVERMAN DIRECTED BY REGINALD L. DOUGLAS BY

- A program of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Foundation

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! USE CODE CITYCITY TO SAVE $5 ON SINGLE TICKETS. PH#

412-431-CITY

WEB

CityTheatreCompany.org

SOUTH SIDE

Call for dental coverage today to help save money on big dental bills.

This is real dental insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company that helps pay for over 350 procedures – cleanings, fillings, crowns, even dentures.

JOIN US AT THE LANDMARKS PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER FOR ONGOING WORKSHOPS AS WE CONTINUE PROGRAMMING ON ARCHITECTURE, HISTORY, DESIGN, URBAN PLANNING, AND OTHER TOPICS RELATED TO HOW CITIES FUNCTION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION AS A TOOL OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 • 6:00 P.M. TO 7:30 P.M. LECTURE: ANTIQUE SKYSCRAPERS AND HISTORIC HOUSES PRESENTER: MARK HOUSER PITTSBURGH MAGAZINE COLUMNIST A pair of iconic buildings in Pittsburgh’s skyline were overshadowed by the dark clouds of financial ruin as soon as they were finished. Plus a twice-haunted library, horse racing millionaires, and the time Henry Ford bought the wrong house in Lawrenceville. Mark Houser shares entertaining tales of century-old marvels and the characters who built them.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Mark Houser writes about antique skyscrapers and historic houses in Pittsburgh Magazine.

His recent TEDx Talk explores Pittsburgh’s bridge history, and he also created a free Downtown audio walking tour that is available in 11 languages. Houser is the director of news and information at Robert Morris University and a former reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

• No annual maximum, no deductible • See any dentist you want – including your own • Over 50? Coverage as low as $1 per day

Call now to get this FREE Information Kit

1-855-385-3879 dental50plus.com/citypaper Ask about Network Savings!

Over 470,000 Provider Locations Nationwide *Individual Plan. Coverage not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/ certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN) AW19-1034 6197

THIS LECTURE IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPS ARE APPRECIATED: MARYLU@PHLF.ORGOR 412-471-5808 EXT. 527.

744 REBECCA AVENUE

WILKINSBURG, PA 15221

412-471-5808

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

17

(ADVERTORIAL)

Carnegie Museum of Art

and scholarship opportunities at https://www.thecitizensciencel- try some foods that otherwise they would turn their noses up at. camps.artandnaturalhistory.org ab.org/ By starting early not only do we Learn how Monet made his mashope they will develop a passion terpieces and then make your for good healthy food, but also own, or learn from a real paleon- We offer fun, hands-on camps for We offer a large selection of age tologist how to dig for dino bones! grades 4 through 12. With a full appropriate children’s programs discover a lifelong joy of cooking.

There’s so much to create and range of science and engineering throughout the year in both discover at Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History summer camps. Use the museums as a classroom and learn from real artists, architects, and scientists in these innovative, week-long camps for ages 4 through high school. See details, registration,

Citizens Science Lab

Gaynor Cooking

adventures -- including robotics, outer space, zoology, microbiology, DNA, and drones -- there’s sure to be something that excites and inspires the budding scientist in your home.

Locations both Downtown and South Hills.

cooking and pastry and baking.

Our major objective during these

Humane Animal Rescue

programs is for the children to Humane Animal Rescue is proud discover the fun of cooking and to offer camps at both our Wildto realize that there is more to life Center and East End Shelter enjoy than just hamburgers and locations! Camps serve to edupizza. In creating meals them- cate children about the wild aniselves they are often willing to mals that surround us, as well as

Summer CAMPS Explore art, science, architecture, and nature all in one place.

Scholarships available.

18

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

REGISTER TODAY! camps.artandnaturalhistory.org

AT THE WILDLIFE CENTER 6000 Verona Road Verona, PA 15147

the companion animals living in sical, make friends. Programs inour homes, in an engaging and clude traditional day camps, perfun way! forming arts, travel and specialty camps at our 100-acre Family Park in Monroeville and in Squirrel Hill and the South Hills.

Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh Day Camps

CONNECTIONS•VALU E S • G R O W T H • F U N: Prepare your children for life’s journeys by sending them to JCC Day Camps. Campers ages 2 to 16 swim, climb, zip-line, explore nature and STEM, hone sports skills, learn archery, stage a mu-

Discover Animals native to PA and meet live educational animal ambassadors!

Wild Sleuths: June 10-14 Daring Defenders: June 17-21 Animal Helpers: June 24-28 Jr. Biologists: July8-12

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Art camps for school-age children and teens begin June 17 on our beautiful Shadyside campus.

With over 80 offerings in studio and media arts, campers can ex(continues (continueson onpage page20) 14)

AT THE SHELTER 6926 Hamilton Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15208 Join us for a pawsitively fun time and learn about the pets at our shelter!

Caring for Critters: July 15-19 Purrrfect Pets: July 22-26 VET CAMPS Vets to the Rescue: July29-Aug2 Animal Care 101: August 5-9

$100 FOR HALF DAY $200 FOR FULL DAY Camp Sessions are age-specific.

Before & after care is also available!

LLearn more and register at www.humaneanimalrescue.org/wildlifecamp For additional questions, contact: education@humaneanimalrescue.org or 412-345-7300 X501 “This is not a school sponsored event.”

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

19

(ADVERTORIAL)

CONNECTIONS • VALUES • GROWTH • FUN

2019 SUMMER (continued from page 19)

Prepare your children for life’s journeys by sending them to JCC Camps.

JCCPGHdaycamps.com 412-697-3537 J&R Day Camp • South Hills • Yalla Balagan Teen Travel • Performing Arts • Specialty

plore drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, podcasting, fiber arts, filmmaking, video game design, jewelrymaking, animation, coding and much more at PF/PCA this summer.

Stage Right

ater company based in Aspinwall that is in its fourth year providing summer theater camps for kids. Intro to Theater camp for ages 4-6. Runs June 17-20 from 2-4P. Shakespeare exploratory camp for ages 7-13. Runs July 1519 and 22-24 from 2-4:30P. Visit www.stagerightpgh.org g g pg g

Does your child love to perform on the stage? Stage Right is a the-

Summer Theater Camp!

TTwo greatt sessions i att Aspinwall A i ll Ri Riverfront f tP Park! k!

SESSION 1:

SESSION 2:

June 17-20, 2-4 p.m.

Ages 4-6

July 15-19 & 22-24, 2-4:30 p.m.

Ages 7-13

Introduction to Theater Shakespeare in the Park

Call: 412-477-5125 or visit

stagerightpgh.org

HAVE FUN WITH FOOD! SUMMER CAMPS FOR KIDS AGES 6 -18

309 East Carson Street

*} ]Ê* Ê£xÓ£ ÊU 412.325.2703

GAYNORSSCHOOLOFCOOKING.COM 20

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

.FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 28.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ARIES (March 21-April 19): South Koreans work too hard. Many are on the job for fourteen hours a day, six days a week.

That’s why a new concept in vacations has emerged there. People take sabbaticals by checking into Prison Inside Me, a facility designed like a jail. For a while, they do without cell phones and Internet and important appointments. Freed of normal stresses and stripped of obsessive concerns, they turn inward and recharge their spiritual batteries. I’d love to see you treat yourself to a getaway like this—minus the incarceration theme, of course. You’d benefit from a quiet, spacious, low-pressure escape.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The astrology column you’re reading is published in periodicals in four countries: the U.S., Canada, Italy, and France. In all of these places, women have had a hard time acquiring political power.

Neither the U.S. nor Italy has ever had a female head of government. France has had one, Édith Cresson, who served less than a year as Prime Minister. Canada has had one, Kim Campbell, who was in office for 132 days. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the coming months will be a more favorable time than usual to boost feminine authority and enhance women’s ability to shape our shared reality. And you Tauruses of all genders will be in prime position to foster that outcome. Homework: Meditate on specific ways you could contribute, even if just through your personal interactions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): A 19-year-old guy named Anson Lemmer started a job as a pizza delivery man in Glenwood, Colorado. On his second night, he arrived with a hot pizza at a house where an emergency was in progress. A man was lying on the ground in distress. Having been trained in CPR, Lemmer leaped to his rescue and saved his life. I expect that you, too, will perform a heroic act sometime soon, Gemini—maybe not as monumental as Lemmer’s, but nonetheless impressive. And I bet it will have an enduring impact, sending out reverberations that redound to your benefit for quite some time.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Scientist Michael Dillon was shocked when he learned that some bees can buzz around at lofty

(Feb. 19-March 20): PISCES Until the sixteenth century in much of Europe and the eighteenth century in Britain, the new year was celebrated in March. That made sense given the fact that the weather was growing noticeably warmer and it was time to plant the crops again. In my astrological opinion, the month of March is still the best time of year for you Pisceans to observe your personal new year. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to start fresh in any area of your life. If you formulate a set of New Year’s resolutions, you’re more likely to remain committed to them than if you had made them on January 1.

altitudes where the oxygen is sparse. He and a colleague even found two of them at 29,525 feet—higher than Mt. Everest. How could the bees fly in such thin air? They “didn’t beat their wings faster,” according to a report in National Geographic, but rather “swung their wings through a wider arc.” I propose that we regard these high-flying marvels as your soul animals for the coming weeks. Metaphorically speaking, you will have the power and ingenuity and adaptability to go higher than you’ve been in a long time.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Do you find it a challenge to commit to an entirely plant-based diet? If so, you might appreciate flexitarianism, which is a less-perfectionist approach that focuses on eating vegetables but doesn’t make you feel guilty if you eat a bit of meat now and then. In general, I recommend you experiment with a similar attitude toward pretty much everything in the coming weeks. Be strong-minded, idealistic, willful, and intent on serving your well-being—but without being a maniacal purist.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): If you gorge on sugary treats and soft drinks, you ingest a lot of empty calories. They have a low nutrient density, and provide you with a scant amount of minerals, vitamins, protein, and other necessities. Since I am committed to helping you treat yourself with utmost respect, I always

discourage you from that behavior. But I’m especially hopeful you will avoid it during the next three weeks, both in the literal and metaphorical senses. Please refrain from absorbing barren, vacant stuff into the sacred temple of your mind and body—including images, stories, sounds, and ideas, as well as food and drink.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Charles Grey was the second Earl of Grey, as well as Prime Minister of England from 1830 to 1834.

His time in office produced pivotal changes, including the abolition of slavery, reform of child labor laws, and more democracy in the nation’s electoral process. But most people today know nothing of those triumphs. Rather he is immortalized for the Earl Grey tea that he made popular. I suspect that in the coming weeks, one of your fine efforts may also get less attention than a more modest success. But don’t worry about it. Instead, be content with congratulating yourself for your excellent work. I think that’s the key to you ultimately getting proper appreciation for your bigger accomplishment.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): At a young age, budding Scorpio poet Sylvia Plath came to a tough realization: “I can never read all the books I want,” she wrote in her journal. “I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want?

I want to live and feel all the shades, tones, and

variations of mental and physical experience possible in life.” Judging by current astrological omens, I can imagine you saying something like that right now. I bet your longing for total immersion in life’s pleasures is especially intense and a bit frustrated. But I’m pleased to predict that in the next four weeks, you’ll be able to live and feel more shades, tones, and variations of experience than you have in a long time.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When Europeans invaded and occupied North America, they displaced many indigenous people from their ancestral lands. There were a few notable exceptions, including five tribes in what’s now Maine and Eastern Canada. They are known as the Wabanaki confederacy: the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac, Maliseet, and Abenaki.

Although they had to adjust to and compromise with colonialism, they were never defeated by it. I propose we make them your heroic symbols for the coming weeks. May their resilient determination to remain connected to their roots and origins motivate you to draw ever-fresh power from your own roots and origins.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn javelin thrower Julius Yego won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. How did he get so skilled? Not in the typical way. He gained preliminary proficiency while competing for his high school team, but after graduation, he was too poor to keep developing his mastery.

So he turned to YouTube, where he studied videos by great javelin throwers to benefit from their training strategies and techniques. Now that you’re in an intense learning phase of your cycle, Capricorn, I suggest that you, too, be ready to draw on sources that may be unexpected or unusual or alternative.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The first edition of Action Comics, which launched the story of the fictional character Superman, cost ten cents in 1938. Nowadays it’s worth three million dollars. I’ll make a bold prediction that you, too, will be worth considerably more on December 31, 2019 than you are right now. The increase won’t be as dramatic as that of the Superman comic, but still: I expect a significant boost. And what you do in the next four weeks could have a lot to do with making my prediction come true.

GO TO REALASTROLOGY.COM TO CHECK OUT ROB BREZSNY’S EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES AND DAILY TEXT-MESSAGE HOROSCOPES. THE AUDIO HOROSCOPES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE BY PHONE AT 1-877-873-4888 OR 1-900-950-7700

Pittsburgh’s lone liberal talkshow host for 30+ years Listen live every weekday at 10 a.m. at lynncullen.pghcitypaper.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

21

.FOOD.

OLD-WORLD ITALIAN

BY MAGGIE WEAVER MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

P

ITTSBURGH HAS IT ALL: chain Italian, fast-casual Italian, and upscale Italian. In a crowded room, Molinaro Ristorante & Bar brings old-world, classic dining to the table.

The restaurant nods to traditions and trends, offsetting the charade of bowtied servers with a swanky bar. Plates follow suit, flaunting the expected — cavatelli and branzino — alongside dishes with rare, fresh inspiration.

Molinaro Ristorante & Bar is a new addition to Market Square. The restaurant lives in the glass castle space formerly occupied by Poros, and bones of the old restaurant still visible in its architecture. Molinaro marks the beginnings of a Market Square transformation, led by M/W Hospitality. The group also owns NOLA on the Square, Perle, Il Pizzaiolo, and Pirata (soon-to-be Wolfie’s Pub).

The building starts with a stacked and glistening bar surrounded by high tables decked-out in white tablecloths.

Two steps away, the atmosphere changes and opens to a pageant of white-suited servers. Exaggerated dining room decor imitates Italian frescos, a fanfare of ornate murals on the wall, swelling in waves. A cathedral-esque dome beams light onto the bar. The menu takes inspiration from the seafood-heavy Amalfi Coast, reflected in tributes to the sea that twist around the bar like tides.

Molinaro practiced the art of leisurely, drawn-out meals, clear from the menu’s many sections. The long list lent itself to a seven-course, dining extravaganza, which I narrowed down to three things: octopus, pizza, and a strip steak.

Octopus found a home among classic antipasto, the lighter alternative to meatballs and eggplant. Two gorgeously

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

The L’oro Di Napoli dark chocolate mousse dessert

charred tentacles sat on a bed of cauliflower, pine nuts, and golden raisins, circled by a ring of olive oil. It was made for sunny days, light and sweet with a quiet punch of citrus and a bite of a grill.

Despite some chewy bites, I was sold.

The strip steak enticed me with the promise of balsamic, parmesan, and Roman gnocchi. It was a simple, straightforward preparation of an often overdressed dish. They let the meat shine, a blackened crust explosive with salt, teasing the zip of balsamic. Cuts were smooth and juicy, a success in every way.

MOLINARO RISTORANTE & BAR

2 PPG Place, Downtown. 412-586-4599 or molinaroristorante.com

Molinaro specializes in authentic, Neapolitan style pizza, a pizza experience unlike any other. It’s cooked fast in flames, bubbling the crust and lightly kissing toppings with a scorch. Toppings are scattered within tomato sauce, each bite different from the one before. That’s

FAVORITE FEATURES:

22

Carafes

Urns

Bartenders at Molinaro don’t just pour a few ounces of wine in a glass.

Instead, they pour tableside from an adorable, tiny vase.

Gorgeous, ornamental urns adorn almost every flat space in the restaurant and counting them is like counting stars.

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

People-watching windows Windows at Molinaro are perfect for people-watching. Eat a delicious meal while watching Market Square bustle around you.

the beauty with this style of pizza — no two bites are the same.

Pizza was the star for my table. It was outstanding. The stunningly ballooned crust framed fior di latte (mozzarella), Neapolitan salami, fresh basil, Romano, and finished with a drizzle of olive oil.

Ingredients were fresh and the sauce ripe with raw, acidic harmony.

I was once told that “crust needs to be worth eating,” the rare find — pizza crust that held flavor without extra sauce — worth leaving a diet for.

Molinaro fired up a crust with value, meant to be devoured.

Molinaro Ristorante & Bar revisits a ritualistic way of eating out, throwing white-tablecloth touches in with prices to match. At times it’s a bit elaborate, but leaning into the Molinaro way, the restaurant charms with an old-school, almost otherworldly dinner.

•

Follow staff writer Maggie Weaver on Twitter @magweav

CP PHOTO: JORDAN SNOWDEN

Inside East End Brewing’s Fermentation Room

.ON THE ROCKS.

BETTER WITH AGE

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

E

AST END BREWING lovers may

remember its “funky beers” known as Brett Hop and Saison La Seconde, offered as a limited release in champagne-style bottles last year. Well, they’re back, but in a slightly different way than before, all thanks to a little microscope culture.

Brettanomyces-lactobacillus, the active culture found in both Brett Hop and Saison La Seconde, causes the adult beverages to age like wine. While most beers are meant to be consumed fresh, these “funky beer” styles can age. As long as the beer stays in the bottle, unopened, the living culture will continue an active fermentation process and the beer can evolve for years.

“...THESE ‘FUNKY BEER’ STYLES CAN AGE.” When the Saison La Seconde was released last year, East End held back a bottled batch to see how the flavor would develop. Almost a year after it was bottled, those who previously enjoyed Saison La Seconde will find the aged version to be clearer, and perhaps even smoother. It smelled like apple juice with trace notes of candy and had a simple flavor profile.

What’s interesting is that the beers will continue to change as the bottle is

consumed. As I sat with the owner of East End Brewing, Scott Smith, sampling the Saison, he explained that the cultures tend to stay at the bottom of the container. While the first pour was crystal clear and light, as we neared the end of the bottle, the second pour was hazier, tasted heavier with more flavor, and lingered on the tongue longer.

While a bottled batch of Brett Hop wasn’t held back as the Saison was, thinking about the fermentation process can bring an entirely new appreciation to the beer. It starts with the same exact ingredients as East End’s number one seller, Big Hop. Big Hop is the first beer East End made. To this day, out of the about 35 different beers it produces every year, 40 percent is still Big Hop. Brett Hop uses the same recipe as Big Hop, except brettanomyces are added (The ‘Brett’ in Brett Hop is short for brettanomyces).

That one live culture creates an entirely different taste profile. Compared the Big Hop, Brett is fruity — yet there is no fruit added — tart, and more refreshing.

But don’t take my word for it. Everyone picks up different notes and flavors when drinking craft beer. It’s a great topic of conversation, especially when you and a friend or two can split a bottle of beer. These bottles are like wine, not just because it gets better with age, but because of the way they are thought of, handled, and consumed. Drink them now, later, cold, warm, with a friend or alone, and see how the flavors evolve.

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

23

.FOOD.

DON’T CALL IT A DONUT

BY AMANDA WALTZ AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

O

N MARCH 5, Fat Tuesday revelers

will stuff their faces with pączki, (pronounced poonch-ski in its plural form) a traditional holiday dessert with Polish origins. In Pittsburgh, the treat has risen in popularity, popping up at local bakeries and Giant Eagles.

And with Fat Tuesday rolling around later than usual this year on March 5, that gives businesses more time to serve the decadent treat.

“We get inundated with phone calls and emails asking when we’re going to start selling them,” says Laura Powell of Party Cake Shop in Brookline.

Powell – whose parents, Scott and Nancy Smith, own and run Party Cake – says the store started selling pączki in the early-2000s when they noticed the dessert becoming trendy. They now sell around 300 dozen a week beginning the second week of January.

The genesis of pączki is a lesson in resourcefulness: dating back to the Middle Ages, people made them to use up any perishable lard, butter, eggs, milk, and fruit in anticipation of Lent fasting. Rich dough balls are fried and filled with everything from traditional jams made of stewed plums or rose hips to custards and sweet jellies of lemon, raspberry, and apple. They are then rolled in powdered sugar, iced, or glazed.

While pączki are compared to donuts, Powell believes they offer more than their fried dough counterparts.

“It’s unlike your traditional raised,

PHOTO: OAKMONT BAKERY

Assortment of paczki from Oakmont Bakery

glazed donut that you get any other time of the year, especially with all the fillings,” says Powell. “You get a lot of filling in there, so you might like your Boston cream donut with your cream filling, but you get a pączki with custard in it, you’re going to get a heck of a lot more custard.”

The treat has a big following in the Midwest, to the point where many cities have a designated Pączki Day, but it took a while to catch on in Pittsburgh, despite the city’s strong Slavic heritage.

Ania Becker, president of the Polish Culture Club at the University of Pittsburgh,

explains that, even in the Polish diaspora, Tłusty Czwartek (Polish for Fat Thursday, a holiday occurring before Fat Tuesday) has always been a big day for both religious and non-religious Poles to feast on pączki.

“Since Poles have been immigrating to Pittsburgh since the late 1800s, pączki were most definitely eaten in Pittsburgh, at least in those immigrant communities,” says Becker. “I will say, though, that finding good pączki is hard in Pittsburgh and most of the traditional pączki eaten would be homemade and not commercially sold.”

Marc Serrao, owner of Oakmont Bakery

in Oakmont, started making pączki in 1990 after reading about them in a trade magazine. He recalls initially making two dozen of them as an experiment and selling every single one.

In an interview for Chatham University’s Western Pennsylvania Foodways Collection, Serrao says he first saw the pączki as a “super donut” that would appeal to customers.

“I’ve really watched what’s trending,” he says in the interview, adding that they also tried to capitalize on the Cronuts phenomenon with their own creation, the Doughsánts.

But unlike other pastry trends that have come and gone, including gourmet cupcakes, it seems as though pączki are here to stay. Since first introducing them nearly 30 years ago, Serrao believes his bakery has become well known in the area for pączki by offering 15 varieties, including the Polish staple prune filling, lekvar.

“We sell over 1,000 on a slow day and 5,400 last year on Fat Tuesday,” says Serrao. “We had to add some equipment to keep up with them.”

In order to keep up with demand, Oakmont and Party Cake have both bucked the tradition of halting pączki production during Lent. At Oakmont, the bakery begins selling them on First Night (Jan. 6) and continues through Easter, long after Fat Tuesday ends.

“It’s a little unorthodox but it works well for us,” says Serrao. “They aren’t typically sold during Lent, but our customers demand them so we continue to make them.”

Party Cake has started selling pączki for a few weeks in the summer when business slows down. They have also introduced new flavors, including peanut butter buttercream last year and, as of this Valentine’s Day, strawberry buttercream.

“I think that’s something we might start doing since people really seemed to enjoy it,” Powell says of the latter.

•

Pad Thai Noodle $9 Lunch Special Every Day!

Family Owned and Operated

DINE IN & PICK UP ONLY! Delivery & other offers excluded.

STUDENT & MEDICAL SPECIAL W/ ID CARD

10% OFF - FULL PRICED DINNERS ONLY!

AUTHENTIC & FRESH Thai & Burmese Specialties!

NOW OPEN IN 4770 Liberty Ave • 41 412.904.1640 1 2 904 1644400

BLOOMFIELD www.padthainoodlepittsburgh.com om

24

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Franchise Opportunities Available.

Visit our website for more details.

5523 Walnut Street • Shadyside • 412-621-6220

mercuriosgelatopizza.com

DINING OUT

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

SPONSORED LISTINGS FROM CITY PAPER ’S FINE ADVERTISERS

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED RESTAURANT

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.

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 martinisand 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.

EIGHTY ACRES

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-totable products.

FULL PINT WILD SIDE TAP ROOM

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

MERCURIO’S ARTISAN GELATO AND NEAPOLITAN PIZZA

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.

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.

COLONY CAFE

PAD THAI NOODLE

THE CAFÉ CARNEGIE

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 house-made bistro fare in a stylish Downtown space.

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.

AAuutthheennttiicc

TACOS • CHIMICHANGAS BURRITOS • ENCHILADAS 110 SMITHFIELD STREET OPEN @7AM FOR BREAKFAST! 412 . 471. 8800 412.

8800 ----------------------633 SMITHFIELD STREET OPEN 11AM-4PM 412 . 471. 8361 412.

8 3 61 PITTSBURGH, PA 15222

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.

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.

The best gifts are edible.

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

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

25

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Jenn Wertz

26

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

.MUSIC.

TAKE ‘EM AS THEY COME

BY REGE BEHE // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HE DAY JENN WERTZ turned 18, she moved with a friend to California to seek adventures they couldn’t find in their hometown of Greensburg, Pa. Renting a studio apartment in a house in Hollywood that once belonged to actor Rudolph Valentino, Wertz found a job at a Los Angeles art supply store.

“It was so weird. There were perverts and weirdos, everybody was tripped out on drugs,” she says. “There were a lot of street kids, kids who came from small towns everywhere like us.”

It was the mid-1980s. In addition to the hair bands and their followers in “skintight rayon pants and leopard prints,” the club scene was dominated by groups such as Guns N’ Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Wertz — who gravitated to the rawer, more visceral sounds of rock bands — immersed herself in the music, the style, the spirit of the times.

After recently turning 50, those experiences are re-emerging in her music and art.

Wertz — possibly best known as an original member of Rusted Root — is releasing a new album on March 1, Take ‘Em as They Come, and re-visiting her paintings that recall the works of Frida Kahlo and Marc Chagall. She has a thriving Instagram resale shop (@sweet_theads_wertzy) and has written a book about her life that mixes fact and fiction. She’s also a single mom who works part-time for Mookshi, a wellness center in Regent Square, and for the sculptor James Simon.

After years of being associated with Rusted Root, Wertz is finally stepping out of the band’s shadow. “It’s a blessing and a curse in a town like this,” says Wertz of being linked to the band.

“Rusted Root, for some people, can invoke a love or hate response.”

Recorded at The Church Recording Studio in Overbrook and co-produced with Dana Cannone, Take ‘Em as They Come is a tour de force of imagination and a yearlong adventure. Working with Jim Donovan of the Sun King Warriors, Rob James of the Clarks, Josh Verbanets of Meeting of Important People, Gary Musisko, Sarah Siplak, Korel Tunador, and Randy Baumann, Canonne counseled Wertz to take a patient approach to recording.

“If you take something like we had, a piece of clay, and beat it into submission, when you’re done you have a Picasso with a wonky nose and crooked lips and a weird eyeball and it all sounds OK,” Cannone says. “But instead we sat with the musicians a little longer, worked a little longer, and developed the initial idea: this is what we captured, we have to do something with it.”

Musically, Wertz seems to be channeling the Southern California sound she fell in love with when she moved to Los Angeles years ago. Think of 1970s recordings by Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, or Warren Zevon as a starting point. But Wertz’s gritty vocals are backed by an eclectic, sometimes dreamy mix that defies categorization.

Donovan, who performed with Wertz in Rusted Root, says he’s been hearing snippets of these songs for almost 20 years, “in all their incarnations.

Jenn’s got her own thing, her own way of thinking about phrasing and singing.

She’s very clear on what kind of sound she wants. It’s not just the song, it’s all the sonic qualities of each tone, of each instrument.”

Wertz’s previous forays into music include the bands Lovechild and Isabella,

The Annual Northside Mardi Gras Celebration is 2 week long party featuring 35+ restaurants, pubs, and businesses offering live entertainment and New Orleans and other Pre-Lenten inspired food and drink specials.

March 5, 7:00PM Allegheny Elks $10 at the door.

Sales! Music!

Food! DRINKS! & MORE! pittsburghnorthside.com/mardigras

CONTINUES ON PG. 28

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

27

TAKE ‘EM AS THEY COME, CONTINUED FROM PG. 27

PHOTO: JENN WERTZ

Jenn Wertz’s painting of Keith Richards

groups that hinted at her talents but didn’t fully capture the breadth of her interests. She thinks Isabella especially was a promising venture, but music and other artistic pursuits were temporarily stalled by the birth of her son, Gibson Musisko. The 14-year-old is now a budding musician in his own right. He sings on Wertz’s album and has his own band, The Allies.

TAKE ‘EM AS THEY COME Available March 1 on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon.

“I’m not speaking just as a mom, but as a parent,” Wertz says. “I have male friends, creative people, visual artists, and writers, but more so as a performer, things change. If you want to be a present parent and a good co-parent and a reciprocal co-parent, going out and playing shows has to change when a baby comes into the picture. But now my baby is 14, and I can go out and play.”

Wertz admits that when she stopped touring with Rusted Root in 2007, she felt lost. It took time to reignite her creative

itch. Unable to play guitar at home when Gibson was sleeping, Wertz started taking abstract photographs on their walks. Those images, at the urging of Scott Kramer, her friend and the owner of the recently closed Beehive on the South Side, became paintings that were exhibited in 2009 at Mendelson Gallery in Shadyside.

“I sold every piece,” she says. “That started me doing art again.”

At her 50th birthday party, one of Wertz’s friends from high school gave her a box. Inside was a painting of the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards that Wertz had done when she was only 16.

The painting, forgotten for more than three decades, caused Wertz to rethink her art and to consider realism as a palette for future works.

But no matter what Wertz decides to do — in art, music, or any other creative endeavor she chooses to pursue — it will be a “reflection of who she is, her personality,” Donovan says.

“She’s not your typical bird. She’s got her own background, her own way of seeing things. It’s apparent in her music, and I love that part of her.”

•

Follow featured contributor Rege Behe on Twitter @RegeBehe_exPTR

28

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

.ART . .

ACTION MOVEMENT REVOLUTION

BY HANNAH LYNN HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HE MANCHESTER Craftsmen’s

Guild is an unassuming stumpy building, next to a UPS center, a construction company, and other mundane businesses. But inside, MCG is home to Action Movement Revolution, a bright and lively exhibit in the Connie Kerr Gallery.

The exhibit, which opened Jan. 14 and will run through April 5, showcases photography work from three Pittsburgh artists, Kenneth Neely, Martha Rial, and sarah huny young (huny).

Each artist is also involved in teaching workshops with students in the MCG Youth & Arts program, who come from Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Though the artists all share the same medium, their styles and subjects vary from playful, to somber, to celebratory.

Pittsburgh native Martha Rial won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for her work documenting genocide survivors in Burundi and Rwanda. Her work exhibited at MCG focuses on a different humanitarian crisis, showcasing the lives of refugees with similar pasts but varying futures. “Refugees are just like anyone else,” Rial writes in her artist’s statement. “Except they have lost everything.” Her two sets of images capture Congolese refugees settled in Crafton Heights, and refugees trapped on the Greek island of Chios from the Middle East and across Africa.

In her statement, Rial says that she chose “to portray refugees as the ordinary people they are,” and indeed, the images of Crafton Heights show people going about their days, indistinguishable from non-refugees: a woman working in a packing facility wearing Crocs, a kid playing basketball in the street, two tween girls entranced by their phones. Similarly, the Chios refugees, who originate from Eritrea, Somlia, Yemen, and elsewhere, go about their daily tasks, putting away clothes and doing yoga. For her workshop, Rial took

PHOTO: SARAH HUNY YOUNG

Tarana Burke featured in a piece from the American Woman series

students to City of Asylum, where they photographed the participants in the Exiled Writers Residency.

ACTION MOVEMENT REVOLUTION

Runs through Fri., April 5. Gallery open weekdays, 7 a.m-9 p.m. Public reception Thu., Feb. 28. Manchester Craftmen’s Guild, 1815 Metropolitan St., Chateau.

Free. mcgjazz.org

MCG Youth & Arts provides free afterschool programs and workshops, transportation included, to mostly high school students, including photography, ceramics, design, and digital art.

Rial’s style and genre of photography involved photographing people in their daily environments, which stands in contrast to that led by huny. She brought Youth & Arts students to the Ace Hotel for portrait-shooting workshop using model friends. Huny’s works in Action Movement Revolution

include 55 images from her “American Woman” portrait series, which captures Black women across the country in their chosen settings, in an aim to justify the mainstream—and white—image of the “all-American girl.” One wall of huny’s work features women in the Pittsburgh area, including portraits of huny’s mother and daughter. The other wall features artists, writers, activists, and entrepreneurs from Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, Atlanta, and D.C. Each portrait is stunning, capturing women hanging out in spaces and wearing outfits they feel most comfortable in: lounging in the park with a book, laughing in a graveyard, posing by the pool. One of the largest and most eyecatching is of activist Tarana Burke sitting in a diner, in a Breakfast at Tiffany’sinspired outfit. Audrey Hepburn, the classic image of white beauty in America, remixed to broaden the standards.

While the other two artists use straight photography to capture their subjects, Neely takes his own photos

and works them into multimedia art, painting the background or cutting it up into a collage. The pieces are reminiscent of childhood art, but they’re not childish. Neely manages to offer both a celebration and critique of his community. Photos of kids hanging out or playing basketball are given backgrounds of rainbow colors, flowers, and hearts. Neely’s long-term project, Welcome to Pittsburgh, is a documentation of the changing landscape of the city, and he brings some of that social commentary to these works as well. A cut-up and painted image of a demolition site criticizes the financial motivation involved. A Black Lives Matter collage pieces together quotes from magazine articles and famous activists.

The images are colorful and eyecatching, giving a playfulness to each piece, regardless of its subject.

A public reception on Feb. 28 will feature a panel discussion with the artists led by students involved in their workshops.

•

Follow staff writer Hannah Lynn on Twitter @hanfranny PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

29

CP PHOTO: AMANDA WALTZ

Toddy Tondera of Thrifty Podcast

.PODCAST.

THE THRIFTERS

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I

T’S AN UNSEASONABLY WARM, sunny February day outside the Goodwill Outlet center in Heidelberg, Pa. That might explain the fairly large crowd on a weekday afternoon, with a few dozen people lined up along rows of large, blue bins, all digging through haphazardly piled clothing, housewares, and toys.

Among them are Thrifty Podcast host Toddy Tondera — easily spotted with his signature haircut and conspicuous outfit of a bright blue novelty t-shirt, large-framed glasses, and black choker —

30

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

and his co-hosts, Josh Larkin and Ryan Thompson.

The three have been coming to this particular outlet for the past two years in search of cool finds and collectibles to discuss on their show, a mix of casual, comedic banter and item appraisals.

“When you go to a Goodwill outlet, there are all types of different stereotypes,” says Tondera.

There are the hardcore thrifters like him who come multiple times a week to find items to sell. There are the more causal shoppers. And then there are the unsavory types, such as the “shoe guys” who

elbow their way into bins to grab as many shoes as they possibly can.

If it wasn’t already apparent, this isn’t boutique thrifting, where a shop will sell curated items at steep prices. It’s not even like a regular Goodwill, where clothes are at least separated and hung on racks. Here shoes are found without their mates, discarded action figures are tangled in old Halloween wigs, and bags are full of chipped glassware. And that’s after all the loose cords, hangers, and other useless debris are pushed out of the way.

presents

CP PHOTO: AMANDA WALTZ

Josh Larkin (far left) and Toddy Tondera (far right)

But sometimes all that digging produces a true gem. On this particular trip, Tondera finds an old sports jacket emblazoned with the name of his hometown, McKeesport.

Even when a day’s haul doesn’t result in a “heater” — a term used to describe a rare Holy Grail item — at least everything is sold by the pound.

THRIFTY PODCAST

Listen to the latest episodes at thriftypodcast.com

Each Thrifty member has their preferred items: Tondera gravitates to wrestling, sports, and film memorabilia, VHS tapes, and video games.

“Oh god, we had so many Xbox 360s,” says Thompson, as they relay how, before the rules changed, everything with a cord cost $1 (the cost is now $1.49 a pound with a $4.99 max). Currently, Tondera has a closet filled with video game consoles.

While Larkin and Thompson have previous thrifting experience, Tondera introduced them to a whole new scene when they started the podcast, and not just in terms of atmosphere.

“Toddy and I, we were just sitting at work one day … and he said, ‘hey, I’m thinking about doing this podcast, do you want to come on it?’ And I was like, ‘what the f*ck is a podcast?’” says Larkin.

Tondera had hosted another show,

but Thrifty offered a chance for him to hang out with Larkin, who he met while they were working at a now defunct art school. It also gave Tondera, who came out as queer within the last two years, an unexpected support system.

“I got more comfortable with myself,” says Tondera, adding that he was initially hesitant to come out to Larkin. “I needed validation because I never had it. I never had friends who did this. I never had friends who were like, ‘this is awesome.’”

To date, they’ve released around 60 to 70 episodes (they don’t number them, so it’s hard to keep track). The show also survived a dark period last summer when Tondera lost his job and the hard drive with all of his podcast files fried. To help bounce back, last August they hosted THRIFTYthon, a fundraiser at the Mr. Roboto Project that included a thrift-themed music set

by Thompson.

After they got back up and running, they worked to improve the production and even added a new segment, Vintage vs. Modern, where they compare an old item’s eBay selling price to that of a comparable new item. They also started selling items from their thrift hauls on their Instagram page.

But even as the podcast continues to grow, Larkin believes the mission stays the same.

“It’s just sentimental trash that friends hang out and talk about,” says Larkin. “We try to welcome everybody in.”

Follow senior writer Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

•

CHARENÉE WADE QUINTET MUSIC OF GIL SCOTT-HERON AND BRIAN JACKSON

SATURDAY, MARCH 2 • 8PM In partnership with

5941 941 Penn Ave Ave. Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 1520 15206 Tickets: KenteArts.ShowClix.com Or Call Showclix: 888-718-4253 Dorsey’s Record Shop: 412.731-6607 For more info: KenteArts.org PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

31

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

BY HANNAH LYNN HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: NETFLIX

Women in India learn to make their own pads.

In the United States, a country in which menstrual products are relatively accessible, the topic of periods is still taboo. They still get called the vague and useless term “feminine hygiene products.”

Women in prison often can’t afford pads or tampons. Even outside of prison, the they’re exorbitantly priced.

Imagine, then, how difficult it is to navigate having a period in India, where only 12 percent of menstruating women in the country use pads, and instead often PERIOD. use old rags. It’s END OF common for girls SENTENCE. to drop out of school once they Directed by Rayka get their period, Zehtabchi. and they are often barred from Now streaming on Netflix. entering certain temples. It’s lucky if men even know what a period is. Period. End of Sentence., is an Oscar-nominated documentary short that follows the installation of a pad-making machine in Hapur, a rural village outside New Delhi, India. The women who work to make the pads learn about menstrual health and hygiene. They also gain job skills and learn how to create, market, and sell the product.

The idea for the film came from students at a California high school who created The Pad Project, a nonprofit that helps raise awareness around the issue. The documentary’s title comes from their slogan, “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” • 32

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: DARK SKY FILMS

A prison-like school raises “clean girls” in Level 16

.FILM.

TEENAGE WASTELAND

BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

E REACHED the oversaturation

point of bleak dystopian movies long ago — there can only be so many worlds that are like ours, but grayer. But works like The Handmaid’s Tale adaptation on Hulu have inspired a slew of new and terrible worlds. In sci-fi drama Level 16, director Danishka Esterhazy creates yet another world where women are trapped against their will only to have their bodies used without their consent.

The Vestalis Academy is a boarding school that raises girls from a young age until they’re teenagers with the promise of getting adopted by a rich family at the end. The “school” is clearly an actual prison with gray walls and dim lighting, where the girls are told to scrub floors, take mysterious vitamins, and are never allowed outside. The whole institution is obsessed with making “clean girls” who maintain their “feminine virtues” and must constantly recite the academy’s tenants: cleanliness, obedience, patience, and humility.

Feelings like anger are considered a vice. The girls have never been outside because they’ve been told the air is poisonous. Once a week, they have “moving picture night,” where they watch the same old Hollywood movie.

None of them know how to read.

Vivien (Katie Douglas) has just been moved up to Level 16, the final level of the academy before their foretold adoption. She believes wholeheartedly in following the rules, reciting the virtues, and being the cleanest girl possible. But when she rooms with Sophia (Celina Martin), a friend from a previous level, Vivien learns the academy is not what it seems. Eventually, they discover the truth, that it’s not a school; the girls are being raised like cattle for a shocking purpose (it’s not to give birth).

LEVEL 16

Directed by Danishka Esterhazy.

Opens Fri., March 1 at Harris Theater.

Though it aims to shock and provide some sort of social commentary on how women and girls are treated, it doesn’t quite land the punch. There is obvious inspiration from past dystopian works that managed to offer in-depth criticism and nuance, like Handmaid, or Kazuo Ishiguro’s book/movie Never Let Me Go, or even Get Out. But those works have complex world-building, creating a universe that holds a distorted mirror up to reality.

But the world in Level 16 feels like it was created because it’s trendy right now to make art about repressed women.

Vivien doesn’t question anything about the academy until Sophia tells her to. In fact, none of the girls seem to question anything about the school, why they’re there, or what else is out there. This goes against usual dystopian stories in which characters are revealed to have been privately curious, even if they’re publicly obedient. But this is also antithetical to the nature of teenagers, especially teenage girls, who are naturally curious.

Any questions or hesitations they do have are immediately quashed by Miss Brixil (Sara Canning), a boringly evil bleach blonde headmistress. There is no glimpse into the outside world’s relationship to this academy, and it’s unclear whether this academy is socially accepted, or whether it’s an underground science project. There’s no explanation as to where these girls came from, who’s running the sinister program, or why everyone speaks English, except for the guards and cops who speak Russian.

The dystopian genre can offer useful, biting, and poignant criticism of the real world, but Level 16 is another example of how exhausted the genre has become. There’s no good reason why every dystopian story should be set in a bleak, gray world. Dystopias can exist in the sun, too.

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

33

.THEATER.

BACKSTAGE

BY LISSA BRENNAN CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

NAME: Phill Madore, Regent Square WORK: Assistant stage manager and freelancer based at Pittsburgh Public Theater RECENT PROJECTS: The Tempest, Pride and Prejudice

WHAT DOES AN ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER DO? I’m there to have everyone’s back.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR A DAY’S WORK? I work in partnership with the production stage manager and oversee things that happen on the stage and backstage level: props, costumes, set pieces, actors. My job focuses primarily on how things move around backstage, including people.

STARTING IN REHEARSAL? First prep: learn script, costume, props.

Tape out the room. Take the ground plan and transfer that to our rehearsal studio.

If you’re performing on a set that’s a few different levels, you’re rehearsing on a flat floor with all those levels taped out. I take notes on how things need to look and how they need to work and translate to technicians and designers.

THEN IN THE THEATER? Negotiating the backstage space which is never enough, figuring out how to safely move everything around, including areas clear for quick changes and pathways clear if actors have to get quickly from one place to another. Sometimes I’ll stand backstage and actually flag an area — actor coming through!

SO THERE’S OFTEN AS MUCH GOING ON BACKSTAGE AS ONSTAGE, BUT WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE? Absolutely. I really felt like I was choreographing with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum last season. In the opening number, three actors each do three quick changes in a period of about 90 seconds; exit one side, immediately appear the other. Three actors, three technicians, props, wigs, costumes in a space four feet wide by seven feet without collisions. To block that 47 seconds took about an hour-and-a-half of tech time.

34

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Phill Madore

AND THE GOAL IS FOR THE AUDIENCE TO BE COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF ANY OF THIS. Exactly. It takes up a lot more space and a lot more people than anybody realizes. We have it timed and set to light cues, and it’s incredibly precise. I do deck tracks for myself and the rest of the crew; tracks meaning it’s like a train — if you go off your track, things have gone sour.

DO YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR TYPE OF SHOW YOU ENJOY WORKING ON THE MOST? I love a big musical because they’re busy and they’re fun. There’s a lot to figure out.

And that sparkle is always fun too.

FAVORITE SHOW? I’m always in love with the show I’m doing at the moment. I think it’s because I have to invest so much into the show. It takes so much work and if I’m not fully invested, then, what am I doing?

ANY DREAM SHOWS? I would love to do Sweeney Todd. There’s going to be a lot of fun with that one. I just love doing the big musicals, set changes, people changing costumes all the time, and things going on and offstage.

WHAT’S THE BEST PART? I love how quickly you build relationships; how many people I meet. The flipside is how quickly people go away.

Intense relationships for four to six weeks, creating something together. It’s emotional and it changes you, especially when it’s something you’re very proud of.

AND THERE’S A LEVEL OF TRUST NECESSARY THAT’S NOT TYPICALLY PRESENT IN A WORK ENVIRONMENT. You can’t bare your soul if you feel unsafe, and I want to make sure an actor feels safe. Rehearsal is the best place in the world to fail. You need to be able to try things and they’re not always going to work. If you feel judged for trying something new, you’ll stop trying new things. I contribute to their safety in every way possible.

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

35

.MUSIC.

ROCK-ET

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

H

AIRY LEGS, bright pink tutus, a

dress suit, form-fitting blue spandex, and penis rocket ships make up Out There, a video piece by performance duo Princess, comprised of Alexis Gideon and Michael O’Neill. It’s a mash-up of traditionally masculine and feminine notions that toy with gender roles and expectations.

Performed as a live video album, Out There draws from influences like early MTV, Ziggy Stardust, and Deltron 3030. Gideon and O’Neill, each with an instrument, stand on opposite ends of the stage with a screen projecting a stopmotion video between them. The video, created by Gideon, progresses chapter by chapter as Princess plays accompanying music, resulting in an immersive live set that Gideon describes as “an experience that has to be experienced.”

Gideon and O’Neill formed Princess in Chicago in 2004. After a 12-year hiatus and moving to Pittsburgh and Brooklyn respectively, the pair started sending tracks back and forth as a game.

“Then when we were in the same place, we were like ‘Oh, is Princess back together? Let’s make an album.’”

Since Princess was mostly long distance, the majority of the music on Out There was created more or less during one in-person session. As Gideon and O’Neill began recording the project, they slowly understood something was emerging that was more than they’d planned.

“Over the course of the album we realized it wasn’t an album, it was a video piece,” says Gideon. “Then we devolved it along those lines because it really felt like there was a story. It just kind of revealed itself to us over the course of making it and then we really honed in.”

The pair describes Out There as a “sci-fi feminist rock opera.” It’s 2028, and the world has become a misogynistic dystopia. The viewer follows Princess’ journey into space to find a better place to live, as they bounce from planet to planet.

Upon reflection, Gideon and O’Neill realized that the idea of Out There was planted in their subconscious after participating in the 2017 Women’s March, along with the emergence of the #MeToo movement.

PHOTO: PRINCESS

“Hello” still from Out There

“As men, we were being called upon to examine our own behaviors and find ways in which we can support women better as individuals and as a society,” says O’Neill. “We wanted to use [the project] as a vehicle to process our own feelings and comment on how men play a role in the current cultural reckoning of misogyny.”

SOUND SERIES: PRINCESS OUT THERE 8 p.m. Fri., March 1. The Warhol Theater, 117 Sandusky St., North Side. $10-$12. warhol.org

“Not that misogyny is a new concept,” says Gideon. “It’s something that’s been part of the history of human time.

What’s different about this moment is that things are at least starting to be addressed in a way that some of these issues haven’t been addressed before.”

They are aware of the blatant contradictory element in our work. The first title card of the film reads, “as only two white men could.” But for them, that’s what makes the project interesting, it’s problematic.

“We’re creating a piece where one of

the messages is that it’s time for men to take a more supportive role, and to listen, and to not just go out and try to solve a problem,” says Gideon. “Then the way we’re doing that is making a piece and touring it all over the country. This is our opening up of the conversation. In no way is this the right answer, in no way this is ‘We have solved this problem.’ It’s ‘We’re upset, this is how we feel. What do you think?’”

But Out There is not an effort only

by Gideon and O’Neill. In addition to themselves, TEEN, a rock band made up of three sisters, sang on four of the songs. Local artist Jennifer Meridian created the Divine Feminine planet artwork, and singer JD Samson co-wrote the song heard on that same planet.

“We originally thought [Samson] was going to sing on a song we wrote,” says Gideon, “and she was like ‘Actually that doesn’t really make sense for the theme that you guys are saying this is about.’ We had to give up control of our precious baby. It was a moment in the actual process where the process mirrored the narrative.”

Out There premieres at The Andy Warhol Theater on Fri., March 1, before touring the U.S.

Follow staff writer Jordan Snowden on Twitter @snowden_jordan

36

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

•

Work yourself into a lather. blogh.pghcitypaper.com

Rinse. Repeat.

PHOTO: SEAN CARROLL

Entrance Space: Waxahatchee

.MUSIC.

VENUE GUIDE: THE ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM 117 Sandusky St., North Side. 412-237-8300 or warhol.org

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

H

EADING TO A VENUE for the first time can be anxiety-inducing, or, at the very least, inconvenient. Where’s will call? Is there parking? Will you have to hide your expensive bag behind a tree because it’s too big to pass security?

We want to make attending shows as stressless as possible. So, welcome to our venue guide, where you can find out what to wear, where to smoke, and everything in between.

The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side, the largest museum in the U.S. dedicated to a single artist, isn’t necessarily thought of as a venue for music. But the space hosts Sound Series, a variety of all-ages music performances. Depending on the act, The Warhol puts on shows in four locations: The Warhol Theater, The Warhol Entrance Space (both located in the museum building), Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland), and Carnegie Lecture Hall (Oakland). For this guide, the focus is The Warhol Theater and Entrance Space. Almost all performances at the museum start at 8 p.m. and end by 10 p.m.

•

FOOD & BEVERAGE:

AGE RESTRICTIONS:

• The Warhol Café, open during museum hours, is located to the right of the entrance. >> Serves seasonal fare: soups, salads, sandwiches, snacks, and specialty coffee drinks >> Vegan and gluten-free options always available • Whether the Café is open during performances depends on if the museum is open >> i.e., for Friday evening performances, the whole museum is open until 10 p.m., so the Café is open.

• When there are performances on days the museum is closed, the Café serves as a bar >> When performances are in the entrance space, the bar moves to the theater, or further inside the museum to free up room • The bar is full-size: beer, wine, mixed drinks are available >> Closes 15 minutes before the end of the performance • Cash, credit, and debit are accepted at the café/bar • Prices are average, slightly more than a dive, $5-$6 for beer

• All-ages venue • Warnings on shows with adult content (language, nudity, etc.)

ROOM: • Theater Capacity: 130, seated • Entrance Space capacity: 300, standing • Stools available upon request in entrance space, but call ahead

TICKETING: • If not sold out, tickets for an event can be purchased at the front desk >> Shows often sell out because of the small capacity so make sure to buy in advance • The Warhol has its own online internal ticketing service and because of this, there are no fees • Will call available, pick up tickets at the front desk • Tickets can be emailed, with a virtual ticket on your phone upon arrival

MORE VENUE TIPS ONLINE AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

37

Style is the language and how there’s a big distinction between how Black Pittsburgh speaks vs. the stereotypical Pittsburgh accent.

Black Pittsburgh’s language is stylish and carries history with it, sometimes specific to neighborhoods Black people populate ... Black Pittsburgh is aware of the city’s political and racial histories that still have ramifications today but they walk tall and take the high road, showing love to everybody, embracing everybody. They wear their neighborhood on their sleeve with pride.

Black Pittsburgh art, and I’m including stuff made here by Black people that weren’t from here but found inspiration here, is remarkable. From visual to performing arts, so many have produced significant works here, including Billy Strayhorn, Lena Horne, Romare Bearden, Thaddeus Mosley, August Wilson, Kerry James Marshall, Renee Stout, Vanessa German, Shikeith, Alisha B. Wormsley, the list goes on and on.”

.FASHION.

BLACK PITTSBURGH STYLE

BY TERENEH IDIA CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

M

Y OLDER SISTER Lorna matches the color of her shoes with her handbag. Along with my aunt Gigi and my mother Yvonne, she can sew anything. Their skills included making tutus and capes for Halloween costumes, as well as ruffles and ball skirts for wedding gowns. That was my introduction to Black Pittsburgh style.

Consider how Black Pittsburgh style floats across eras — from the mills and the Negro League baseball fields of the Hill District to the board rooms, bars, and ballrooms of Homestead and Downtown. There is a consistent unbroken legacy of Black Pittsburgh showing up and showing out — saying who we are with our work, art, and our clothing.

Despite, or possibly in defiance of, what feels like an erasure of Black Pittsburgh spaces, places, and people, there

Have you used Roundup® weed killer in the past and developed Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

You may be entitled to financial compensation.

Recent studies have shown repeated use of Roundup® products can double or triple your risk of developing Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

The Miller Firm is the first law firm to win a Roundup®/NHL trial. Call 1-800-882-2525 to speak to a Roundup® / Lymphoma

The Miller Firm LLC T R I A L

L A W Y E R S

KHARI MOSLEY, POLITICAL STRATEGIST

PHOTO: NJAIMEH NJIE

“The Vanguard,” a photo montage of Hill District residents from past and present, by Njaimeh Njie

www.MillerFirmLLC.com 108 Railroad Ave. ; Orange, VA 22960

is a strong desire to present Blackness, Black Joy and a Black Future here.

While we look back during Black History Month at where we have been, we see the style, vibrancy, and joy of Black Pittsburgh in the photos of Teenie Harris on view at the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh. We also acknowledge that contemporary artists like multimedia producer Njaimeh Njie are furthering that legacy in her work representing our present and future.

With that in mind, I asked some stylish Pittsburghers to offer a few words or more on how they would describe Black Pittsburgh style.

CORRINE JASMIN, ARTIST AND WRITER @CORRINEWHO “It is entirely its own, just as Pittsburgh is. It’s richly loaded with history, layered with the now, and frosted with what has yet to become. Black Pittsburghers are futurists who have others taking notes on what could never truly be carbon copied. It’s not necessarily one thing or shape because the Black Individual is all things.”

SEAN BEAUFORD, ARTS ENTHUSIAST @SEANBEAUFORD

800-882-2525 38

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

“My favorite thing about Black Pittsburgh

AND ACTIVIST @KHARIMOSLEY “Nowadays, Pittsburgh Black style is a much more of hybrid of current trends.

I see classic Pittsburgh Black style as ‘understated fly,’ not so much in your face but fly nevertheless.”

DAMON YOUNG, CO-FOUNDER OF VERY SMART BROTHAS AND AUTHOR OF UPCOMING BOOK WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU BLACKER @DAMONYOUNGVSB “Four words: comfortable, consistent, (occasionally) confused”

LIVEFROMTHECITY, HIP-HOP ARTIST @LIVEFROMTHE7ITY “Black Pittsburgh Style is raw, real, and heavy. I think it sets the tone for the creative climate of our city. We set the trends, everyone else follows.

We’re the Joneses; everyone else is just keeping up.”

JAMILLIA KAMARA, PHILLY NATIVE/ PITTSBURGH ADOPTEE @JAMILLIAKAYE “Our style is eclectic, multifaceted, and ever evolving. There is immense variety in how our community expresses itself, from our grassroots advocacy efforts to recreational Black joy convenings, fashion and music. At our very best, Black Pittsburgh is Art.”

•

Follow featured contributor Tereneh Idia on Twitter @Tereneh152XX

Sponsored by

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

WED., MARCH 13 ALL ABOUT GREEN WITH A PARK NATURALIST

PiYo Live at Round Hill Park Thursdays, March 7-28, 6:30-7:30 pm

6:30 P.M. NORTH PARK LATODAMI NATURE CENTER NORTH PARK. Over-6 event. Free event (registration required). 724-935-2170 or alleghenycounty.us/parkprograms.

Basic Yoga Flow at South Park Thursdays, March 7-28, 7-8 pm

WED., MARCH 13 ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N. 8:30 P.M. REX THEATER SOUTH SIDE. All-ages event. $13-16. 412-381-1681 or greyareaprod.com.

THU., MARCH 14 DRAKE WHITE 8 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE WARRENDALE. $20-35. 724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com.

With special guest Jordan Brooker.

THU., MARCH 14 SPONGE 8 P.M. CRAFTHOUSE SOUTH HILLS. $15-17. 412-653-2695 or ticketfly.com.

FRI., MARCH 15 GRAHAM NASH 8 P.M. CARNEGIE OF HOMESTEAD MUSIC HALL MUNHALL. All-ages event. $36.75-395. 412-462-3444 or ticketfly.com.

FRI., MARCH 15 CAPTAIN FANTASTIC: ELTON JOHN TRIBUTE

MON., MARCH 18 WE THREE JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE WARRENDALE

SAT., MARCH 16 BASTARD BEARDED IRISHMEN 6:30 P.M. REX THEATER SOUTH SIDE. Over-21 event. $13-17. 412-381-1681 or greyareaprod.com. With special guests Brave the Sea & Latecomer.

SAT., MARCH 16 JOE BONAMASSA 8 P.M. BENEDUM CENTER DOWNTOWN. $79. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

SUN., MARCH 17 SHIM

8 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE WARRENDALE. $20-35. 724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com.

7:30 P.M. HARD ROCK CAFE STATION SQUARE. $12-14.

412-481-ROCK or ticketfly.com.

With special guest Madame Mayhem.

SAT., MARCH 16 L.L. BEAN FAMILY-FRIENDLY HIKE

SUN., MARCH 17 WYNCHESTER

11 A.M. NORTH PARK PIE TRAYNOR FIELD NORTH PARK. All-ages event.

Free event (registration required).

Llbean.com/pittsburgh.

8 P.M. CATTIVO LAWRENCEVILLE. Over-21 event. $9-15. 412-687-2157 or ticketfly.com. With special guests The Anonymous Chronicles & Living with Monsters.

SAT., MARCH 16 THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW

MON., MARCH 18 RED DRAGON CARTEL

11 A.M. BYHAM THEATER DOWNTOWN. $20-35. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

8 P.M. CRAFTHOUSE SOUTH HILLS. $11.25-18. 412-653-2695 or ticketfly.com.

With special guests Silk9 & Icarus Witch.

Four-Week Set of Classes: $30 for county residents $40 for non-residents or $10 drop-in fee Register at alleghenycounty.us/parkprograms

MON., MARCH 18 WE THREE 8 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE WARRENDALE. All-ages event. $25-37.

724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com.

MON., MARCH 18 MARIAH CAREY 8 P.M. BENEDUM CENTER DOWNTOWN. $64.95-499.95. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

TUE., MARCH 19 JAMES MOORE 5 P.M. BACKSTAGE BAR AT THEATER SQUARE DOWNTOWN. Free event.

412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

TUE., MARCH 19 CRAFT BEER SCHOOL 6:15 P.M. GREER CABARET THEATER Downtown. Over-21 event. $31.25.

412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

TUE., MARCH 19 CELTIC WOMAN 7 P.M. BENEDUM CENTER DOWNTOWN. $56.25-168.25. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

TUE., MARCH 19 PUNCH BROTHERS 8 P.M. BYHAM THEATER DOWNTOWN. $44.25-179. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

FOR UPCOMING ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS EVENTS, LOG ONTO WWW.ALLEGHENYPARKS.COM

March 2:9: Harri Northson ParkHills Park March March 16: Boyce Park Details & registration at alleghenycounty.us/specialevents PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

39

CALENDAR FEB. 28MARCH 6 THURSDAY FEB. 28 FILM

This is the final week for us Muggles to experience the enchantment of Hogwarts at Row House Cinema’s third and final Harry Potter Film & Cultural Festival.

Now through March 7, the Lawrenceville theater is playing all eight of the films, while delivering a bit of wizardry to Pittsburgh. Discover whether you belong to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin with a sorting hat ceremony.

Sip on Butter Brew or, for those under 21, non-alcoholic Flying Cauldron Butter Beer.

Mingle with cuddly adoptable creatures from the Humane Animal Rescue, even meet a live owl! If you’re up early enough, enjoy a complimentary Bloody Mary or an all-youcan eat cereal bar. The list of movie-themed activities goes on and on ... as does the magic.

Continues through March 7. 4115 Butler Street, Lawrenceville. Times and prices vary. rowhousecinema.com

JAM

BOOM Concepts is offering a rare jam experience at Community Forge, no music ability required. “On the Inside”

^ Fri., March 1: Elias Khouri CP PHOTO: ANNIE BREWER

40

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

places its audience square in the middle of the performers, producing an immersive, interactive vibe not commonly found at live shows. No matter what type of music fan you are, you’ll be covered.

Tracksploitation, Shanyse Strickland, Ben Broshe, Shad Ali, Anqwenique, and Julie Mallis plan to effortlessly jump from classical compositions, jazz standards, hip-hop originals, and more.

7 p.m. 1256 Franklin Ave., Wilkinsburg. Pay what you wish, $15 suggested. 412-624-4129 or chambermusicpittsburgh.org

LIT

Many people know “The Rock” to be a famously buff man named Dwayne Johnson, but before he came on the scene, there was another.

Therese Rocco, Pittsburgh’s first female assistant police chief, was nicknamed “The Rock,” for her intensity and dedication, by her colleagues in an all-female missing persons department. Rocco will appear at Mystery Lovers Bookshop to promote her memoir, which details her decades of working intense and high-profile cases from the gender discrimination she faced to the brutal reality of confronting parents of a missing child. 7 p.m. 514 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. Free. mysterylovers.com

> Sun., March 3: Jennifer L. Holm PHOTO: TODD RAFALOVICH

PHOTO: DAVID BACHMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

^ Fri., March 1: Glory Denied

POETRY

Breakout works often gain attention for the way they challenge and confuse people’s expectations — Julian Randall’s debut poetry collection is a clear-cut example. Randall will read from Refuse, winner of the prestigious Cave Canem Poetry Prize in 2018, at a program hosted

by City of Asylum at Alphabet City.

His groundbreaking work examines his identity as a Black, biracial, queer man and challenges the binaries and boundaries meant to restrict him. The program will also feature a reading by Sherrika Mitchell of the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective. 7 p.m.

40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free and open to the public. RSVP at alphabetcity.org/events

FRIDAY

MARCH 1 MUSIC

For young musicians in Pittsburgh, finding venues for gigs can be tough; 21-and-over venues are out, leaving only a few all-ages venues to choose from. Understanding this struggle, rising teen phenomenon Elias Khouri is making space for young artists

in the music community. Friday marks the first of a new monthly, teen acoustic artist showcase, created and hosted by Khouri.

Some of Pittsburgh’s great unknown acoustic teenage talent will have a chance to perform at Friendship Perk & Brew. The showcase will be hosted at different venues every month. 6:309 p.m. 300 S. Pacific Ave., Bloomfield.

Free. (Search “Elias Khouri and Friends Presents: An Unplugged Acoustic Showcase” on Facebook)

MUSIC/COMEDY

Fred Armisen’s twin passions collide on stage tonight for a night of music and ^ Fri., March 1: Fred Armisen PHOTO: LANCE BANGS

comedy. The former Saturday Night Live cast member is reviving some of his favorite musical characters from that show for his “Comedy for Musicians but Everyone is Welcome” tour.

Appearing at Mr. Smalls for a night of comedy hosted by Opus One Productions, Armisen will play personas ranging from British punk rocker Ian Rubbish to Giuseppe the saxophone player. 7 p.m.

400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. All-ages general admission $30. Open floor/ non-seated show. opusoneproductions.com

OPERA

In 1964, American soldier Jim Thompson’s plane was shot down in South Vietnam and he was quickly captured by the Viet

Cong. He would remain a hostage there until 1973, making him the longest held prisoner of war in American history. Sadly, his life after he was released back to the United States was plagued by depression, addiction, and PTSD. Thompson’s complex story was first told in Tom Philpott’s 2012 book Glory Denied; now, Pittsburgh Opera stages an adaptation of that book at its headquarters in the Strip. Following this performance, audience members can meet Philpott, as well as the show’s composer Tom Cipullo. 7:30 p.m. Also Sun., March 3.

2425 Liberty Ave., Strip District. $40. opera.culturaldistrict.org

TV TUNES

It was 125 years ago today that the borough of Carnegie was incorporated; around 70 years after that, a bunch of popular American sitcoms elevated the art of TV theme music and came out with some badass jingles. Those landmarks may seem unrelated (and they mostly are!), but they convene tonight at Chris Laitta’s TV Tunes at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, in celebration of the borough’s b-day. Laitta will perform some of her favorite themes (Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, The Jeffersons, All in The CONTINUES ON PG. 42

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

41

CALENDAR, CONTINUED FROM PG. 41

7 DAYS

OF CONCERTS

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: PATRICK CAPRIGLIONE

Upstate

THURSDAY Sink In, Inbound, Vertical 48 8 p.m. Howlers, Bloomfield. howlerspittsburgh.com

FRIDAY Kiwano Sour 8 p.m. The Park House, North Side. parkhousepgh.com

SATURDAY Cisco Kid, The Sedonas, LoFi Delphi 7 p.m. Mr. Smalls, Millvale. mrsmalls.com

PHOTO: JOSIAH MOORE

^ Sat., March 2: Arcane Haven

SUNDAY Upstate, Nameless In August 8 p.m. Club Cafe, South Side. clubcafelive.com

MONDAY Sleeping Witch & Saturn, Dig Nitty, baseball dad, Lobby Boy 8 p.m. The Mr. Roboto Project, Bloomfield. therobotoproject.com

TUESDAY Lev Snowe, Zeve 9 p.m. Spirit Lodge, Lawrenceville. spiritpgh.com

WEDNESDAY kidmental 4 p.m. Mr. Smalls Theatre, Millvale. mrsmalls.com

FULL CONCERT LISTINGS ONLINE

AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM 42

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Family) and engage audiences with the stories behind the compositions. There’s a live band, prizes, and a desert reception that follow the show. 7:30 p.m. 300 Beechwood Ave., Carnegie. $15 advance/ $20 at door. carnegiecarnegie.org

TALK

Karamo Brown recently rose to fame as the culture expert on the Netflix revival of Queer Eye, in which he offers guidance to men and women all while rocking a series of sick bomber jackets.

But Brown started his career long before that on the MTV series The Real World: Philadelphia, where, in 2004, he became the first openly gay Black man on reality TV. Now the star, author, activist, and father comes to the August Wilson Cultural Center as a featured speaker for the TRUTHSayers series. 7 p.m. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $38.75. aacc-awc.org

SATURDAY MARCH 2

COMPETITION

Place your bets. Heavy metal bands Arcane Haven and Greywalker are going

head to head in a video game battle, and the winner headlines a show at Allegheny Elks Lodge. Playing Marvel vs. Capcom 2 live on location, only the one with the fittest thumbs will survive.

Joining them is Of Virtue and Gator Shakes, who will be playing no matter who succeeds. 7 p.m. 400 Cedar Ave., North Side. $10. (Search “Arcane Haven VS. Greywalker - MVC2 Tournament & Show” on Facebook)

STORIES

While LGBTQIA+ representation and talent often go unnoticed or unrecognized, this event brings attention to some of the musical and literary works created by or for that community throughout history. The Renaissance City Choir’s 2019 Cabaret features pieces LGBTQIA+ folks have used to make sense of the successes and challenges of life. Held at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, the event will feature solo and ensemble performances of music by Barbra Streisand, Stephen Sondheim, Queen, Elton John, Jason Mraz, and more, as well as poetry and prose written by LGBTIA+ individuals. 7:30 p.m.

Also Sun., March 3. 116 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty. rccpittsburgh.com

MUSIC

“Vomit Date” is the volatile first track on Sutphin’s latest, Medicine Machine. It opens unceremoniously and aggressively with an angular guitar riff before the band dives into the first verse. The song, like the eight that follow it, is discordant, noisy, and wicked fun. It may sound sort of chaotic but Sutphin is successful in letting the songs teeter toward shapeless messes, without ever actually losing form. Any fan of METZ, Pterodactyl, or smartly produced hardcore punk need to check out Medicine and find their way to AIR: Artists Image Resource, where they can catch this Wichita, Kan. four-piece alongside Barlow and Sciencevision. 8 p.m. 518 Foreland St., North Side. $5. artistsimageresource.org

MUSIC

With a sound described as “Appalachian Soul,” Angela Autumn has distinguished herself as a fresh new voice in Pittsburgh’s music scene. Earlier this year, she announced the release of Rascal, an EP enlivened with her acoustic strumming, rich twang, and country-western overtones. Rascal officially drops during a special release party at Howlers, featuring performances from Autumn along with two local acts, the four-piece alt-country group Elkhound

PHOTO: BRYAN CONLEY, CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART

^ Tue., Feb. 26: Lenka and Jon Rubin

and rock band Six Demon Bag. 8:45 p.m.

4509 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. $8. howlerspittsburgh.com

SUNDAY

MARCH 3 FLEA

Shopping, brunch, and cocktails. It’s the perfect Sunday, brought to you by The PGH Flea Market. More than 20 vendors gather at Spirit Hall to sell handmade and vintage goods. Peruse aged records, hand-crafted jewelry, prints, and more before heading downstairs to refuel and rehydrate with Spirit’s Sunday brunch. 11 a.m. Spirit Hall, 252 51st St., Lawrenceville. Free. (Search “The PGH Flea” on Facebook)

BIKING

There are only a couple days left at the North Side’s annual Mardi Gras celebration. So take the opportunity while you still can to chow down on po’boys, gumbo, and jambalaya, check out the live music and comedy, and finally, burn some of those calories with the North Side Mardi Gras Bicycle Booze Cruz. Spend a couple hours on a Mardi Gras-themed bike ride through the North Side, ending with a brewery tour at Allegheny City Brewing.

Make sure to add some flair; the bike with the best decor wins a free tune-up. 11 a.m. Bear Dog Bicycles, 901 Western Ave., Pittsburgh.

Free. beardogbikes.com

MUSIC/ SHOW

Who could resist bottomless mimosas, a full breakfast bar, and a local star-studded drag show?

Bambi, joined

by Scarlet Fairweather and Akasha Van-Carter, are holding Mamma Mosa, a drag brunch at Olive or Twist. You’ll leave full of bubbles, food, and wildly fun entertainment. Mamma Mosa! Here we go again.

12-2 p.m. 140 Sixth St., Downtown. $30.

(Search “Mamma Mosa: Drag Brunch hosted by Bambi” on Facebook) ^ Thu., Feb. 28: Therese Rocco

LECTURE

Historically, there haven’t been many children’s books about young girls who love science. But The Fourteenth Goldfish and its 2018 sequel The Third Mushroom, follow Ellie, a girl whose world gets turned upside when her scientist grandpa shows up in the body of a 14-yearold boy. Author and Newbery Medalist Jennifer L. Holm, who appears at Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, weaves themes of family, death, immortality, and discovery into her stories. Holm is the author of over two-dozen children’s books, including the Babymouse series and the Squish series.

2:30 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $11. pittsburghlectures.org

MUSIC

Founded in 2015, the female-fronted music ensemble Kamratōn pushes the

boundaries of performance, expands the contemporary chamber music repertoire, and supports women arts leaders by presenting new music created and curated by women. The Pittsburgh group takes the stage at Brillobox with Women+ Experimental, a night of free improvisation and experimental sound art by Lucie Vítková and Anna Azzizy, as well as Kamratōn members and other local women artists. The program kicks off the She Scores 2019 Festival, which celebrates the works of contemporary women composers. 7-9 p.m. 4104 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. Donations accepted. brilloboxpgh.com

MUSIC

Fugazi fans may never get that fabled reunion, but at least the legendary punk band has a partial comeback in The Messthetics. Created by former Fugazi bandmates Brendan Canty (drums) and Joe Lally (bass), and rounded out with guitarist Anthony Pirog, the instrumental trio released a self-titled debut album in 2018 and are now hitting Spirit for the second time since forming. Two local acts open things up: the rock band Trace Remains and the post-hardcore group TRVSS. 7 p.m.

242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $10 advance/ $12 day of show. spiritpgh.com •

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

43

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER

CLASSIFIEDS FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISEMENT, CALL 412-316-3342 HELP WANTED

REHEARSAL

ROOMMATES

WANTED! 36 PEOPLE

Rehearsal Space

Need a roommate?

CITY FOR RENT BACK ON THE MARKET Home for Rent Heart of Millvale 3 bdrms, full tiled bathroom. Large Kitchen and Living room with fenced in yard and carport. Pets Allowed with owner approval and deposit. Full basement with washer and dryer. Walking distance to everything.Rent: $950 per month + Utilities. Call or email Diane at 412-303-3805 radacoy@zoominternet.net

to Lose Weight. 30-day money back guarantee.

Herbal Program. Also opportunity to earn up to $1,000 monthly. 1-800-492-4437 www.myherbalife.com

starting @ $150/mo.

Many sizes available, no sec deposit, play @ the original and largest practice facility, 24/7 access.

412-403-6069

today! (AAN CAN)

HELP WANTED ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES

NAME CHANGE

NAME CHANGE

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-001467, In re petition of Jungmin Lee parent and legal guardian of Joonwoo Lee and Seoyoung Lee, for change of name to Daniel Joonwoo Lee and Jessie Seoyoung Lee. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the ďŹ ling of said petition and ďŹ xed the 22nd day of April, 2019, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County 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

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-1271, In re petition of Sylvia Shuyuan Ding for change of name to Shuyuan Ding.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the ďŹ ling of said petition and ďŹ xed the 19th day of March, 2019, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County 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. Attorney for the Petitioner Jesse Chen, Esq., 322 N. Shore Drive, Bldg 1B Ste 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15212.

412-848-8853

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-967, In re petition of Nick Ricci for change of name to Nicholas Anthony Ricci.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the ďŹ ling of said petition and ďŹ xed the 27th day of March, 2019, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County 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

Duquesne University is seeking Assistant Professor of Physician Assistant Studies in Pittsburgh, PA to teach courses in (among other areas) Pathophysiology, Anatomy Lab I & II, History & Physical Exam I, II & III, Applied Clinical Methods Lab I & II, as well as Clinical Externships IVIII. Resume & cover letter to careers@duq.edu.

Roommates.com will help you find your Perfect Match™

MISCELLANEOUS DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Call Now: 1-800-373-6508 (AAN CAN)

Personal Assistant

Busy executive individual seeking part-time personal assistant. Must be personable, friendly and have great communication skills. Must have good computer skills. Hours are 20-30Hrs Weekly. Salary is $25.50/hr. Applicant apply to jobinquiries820@gmail.com 44

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

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 March 5, 2019, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for: PITTSBURGH CLAYTON

• Restroom Renovations • Electrical Prime, REBID PGH. COLFAX K-8

• Air Conditioning • Mechanical and Electrical Primes PGH. COLFAX K-8 AND WESTINGHOUSE

76 West, 11 North, 82 West to East Market Street.

End of downtown Warren, on right hand side.

Open 8am-12 midnight 7 days a week!

Licensed Professionals Dry Sauna, Table Shower, Deep Tissue, Swedish

330-373-0303 Credit Cards Accepted Bring this ad for a special treat!

PGH. MINADEO PREK-5

• Unit Ventilators and Air Conditioning • General, Plumbing/Fire Protection, Mechanical, Electrical and • Asbestos Abatement Primes PGH. VARIOUS SCHOOLS AND BUILDINGS

• Carbon Monoxide Detectors • Mechanical and Electrical Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on February 4, 2019 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.

We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

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 March 19, 2019, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

• Stair Tower Painting and New Stair Treads • Asbestos Abatement Prime, REBID

Clicking “reload� makes the workday go faster

Best of the Best in Town!

420 W. Market St., Warren, OH 44481

ACADEMY 6-12 • Pool Filtration Repairs • Plumbing Prime

PGH. ALLDERDICE HIGH SCHOOL

blogh.pghcitypaper.com

TIGER SPA

PITTSBURGH LINDEN K-5

• Finish Flooring and Toilet Room Renovations • General, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical and Asbestos Abatement Primes PGH. MILLER PREK-5

get your yoga on! schoolhouseyoga.com gentle, ashtanga, yin, restorative SUHQDWDO DQG Ă RZ \RJD FODVVHV

• Stair Treads • General and Asbestos Abatement Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on February 25, 2019 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.

We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

east liberty | squirrel hill | north hills

FAKING OUT

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY // WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

ACROSS

1. Rabbit’s foot, e.g.

4. Left-leaning 11. L.A. setting 14. “Can’t believe it” 15. Solo admission?

16. “Bad Romance” chanting word 17. Scammer’s brute?

19. “___ fool” 20. Chops down, as trees 21. Louisiana primary?

22. “Don’t front!”

23. Taken in 24. Thing that doesn’t water your lawn?

27. Clarifying phrase 29. Salad dressing choice 30. “I’d say,” in texts 33. Friend of Flounder and Sebastian 36. Took a nap 39. Event that shows faux flicks?

42. Word on a triangular sign 43. “___ in Guyville” (Liz Phair album) 44. Small business?

45. Each of the theme answers in this puzzle, e.g.

46. Cartoon alcoholic Andy 48. Unbelievable strut?

53. Fourth book in the Book of Mormon 57. Away from

the wind 58. Affirmative that sounds like a pronoun 59. The first blank in ___ Breakfast ___ 60. The second blank in ___ Breakfast ___ 61. Riverdale High nonsense?

64. Drugstore with comically long receipts 65. Story of Jesus 66. Cosmetologist Marini 67. Little giggle 68. Exam you might have trouble focusing on 69. “___ you finished?”

DOWN

1. Smoke signals 2. See eye to eye 3. Ambergris maker 4. Coverage providers 5. Talks over Skype 6. Bleat 7. Young eel 8. Creator of Matilda and Charlie 9. Hidden motive 10. Tennessee governor Bill ___ 11. “If This Is a Man” author 12. Islands studied

by Mead 13. Props, another way 18. Arm bone 22. Covering on

some nachos 24. One in a pink onesie 25. “Kiki’s Delivery Service” genre 26. Warning on a wing 28. Refused 30. Like some stares 31. False innocent reply 32. Ticket request 34. Das ___ (1990s hip-hop group) 35. Lens name 37. Move, as the camera 38. “Waterfalls” singers 40. 1 in a 1,000,000 occurrence 41. Mosh pit maneuver 47. Sols are spent there

48. “Let me do my thing” 49. Anaprox alternative 50. Sudden invasion 51. Café sweetener 52. Drummers sometimes ride it 54. Japanese mercenary 55. Award given out the day after the Razzies 56. Glowed 59. “Sounds fishy” 61. Missing link’s relative 62. “When will ___ paid?”

63. 2015 Payne Stewart Award winner LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

45

PEEPSHOW A sex and social justice column

TRAFFIC STOP

BY JESSIE SAGE // PEEPSHOWCAST@GMAIL.COM

E

ARLIER THIS MONTH, TribLIVE

reported that state Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) is proposing a state law that would require everyone convicted of sex trafficking and of purchasing sexual services to be added to Pennsylvania’s sex offender registry for 15 years.

Those convicted of trafficking minors are already in the sex offender registry. Ward is proposing to extend this to those who have been convicted of trafficking adults, and those who purchase their services.

On its face, this proposal sounds relatively uncontroversial. No one supports turning a blind eye to abusers that violently coerce victims into having sex for money. This is no doubt why HOPE Center executive director Michelle Gibb, quoted in the TribLIVE article, assumes that Ward’s proposal “should be a slamdunk.” Yet, the justification for such a law is far from clear. There’s little evidence to suggest it will have a deterrent effect.

And, in any case, the statistics used to support claims of a sex-trafficking crisis have been thoroughly debunked.

And yet, sex workers — those who engage in the work consensually and independently — are paying the price for

this current panic around sex trafficking.

Sold as an anti-trafficking bill, FOSTASESTA moved swiftly through the house and senate last year, despite immense pushback from sex workers and harm reduction activists. If FOSTA-SESTA has taught us nothing else, it is that the government is notoriously bad at distinguishing sex work from trafficking, and this has very real, negative consequences on the lives of everyone who trades sex, including trafficking victims.

FURTHER CRIMINALIZATION DOES NOTHING TO AID TRAFFICKING VICTIMS The broad way in which trafficking is defined has several important consequences. Harm reduction organizations, who distribute safety information to sex workers, have been accused of trafficking (indeed, the Desiree Alliance, a social justice coalition comprised of current and former sex workers canceled its annual conference for fears of trafficking charges). Sex workers who work in pairs in order to ensure each other’s safety

have been accused of trafficking each other; and spouses, roommates, and other folks close to sex workers can be accused of trafficking if any of their rent and/ or bills are paid with money earned in sexual transactions. In fact, in some cases, law enforcement has accused women of trafficking themselves in order to inflate charges and pressure plea bargains.

This witch hunt around sex trafficking puts folks who run harm reduction organizations, and both sex workers and their loved ones, at risk of trafficking charges and getting put on sex offender registries, significantly affecting their lives, all while doing nothing to combat real cases of trafficking.

Ward herself is quoted as saying that she hasn’t “received any negative feedback.” All this tells us is that she is not talking to the people whose lives would be impacted by this legislation.

Further criminalization does nothing to aid trafficking victims, and only makes the lives of everyone in the sex trades, including victims, less safe. This dangerous piece of legislation, if passed, will cost sex workers their lives, just as FOSTA-SESTA has. Sex workers are saying this loud and clear; Ward and her colleagues ought to listen.

•

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. 44 In Episode 44 of the Peepshow Podcast, we talk with porn star Lena Paul. We invited Paul on the show to talk about the announcement she made on Twitter that she will be severing her professional relationship with porn studio Evil Angel, in light of its announcement to lift its ban on working with James Deen.

Deen has been banned from working with the studio for the last three years as a result of a slew of allegations of abuse from models and performers who have worked with him. In an announcement made at AVN in January, the studio’s owner, John Stagliano, said that three years seems like long enough, and they are ready to work with him again.

Paul tells us that while she believes victims, it wouldn’t even be necessary for her to do so in this particular case in order for her to take this stand.

She says that the problem with this move is that it “centers one particular content creators’ preferences, vision, and ego over the complaints and pain of victims.”

She goes on talk very openly about how, as a director, she has had to learn to become attuned to the limits of those who have worked in her studios. She also talks about the pushback she has gotten from being this open with her criticism of the way women are treated in the industry.

For more, turn to peepshowpodcast.com

We’re your sexual partner.

46

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

-Birth Control -STD & HIV Testing -Gynecological Care -Pregnancy Testing -Emergency Contraception -PrEP & HIV Prevention -Abortion Services & Counseling

933 Liberty Ave. 1.800.230.PLAN www.ppwp.org @PPWPA

Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania

GET A SMART PHONE FOR

$

JADE

*

0 DOWN

Wellness Center

Start taking your life back

with AT&T Next Every YearSM and AT&T Next®

Locations in Monroeville, Wexford and South Side, PA

*Req’s well-qualified credit & elig. svc. Tax due at sale. Limits & restr's apply.

Premiere, Family Owned and Operated Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Treatment:

HOW IT WORKS 1.

Choose your new smartphone. (Tax due at time of sale.)

2.

Choose your installment and AT&T wireless plans.1

NOW OPEN IN SOUTH SIDE

(The retail price of your new smartphone is divided into installment payments and added to your wireless bill.)

AT&T Next Every Year

AT&T Next

Pay 24 installment payments to fulfill the agreement.

Upgrade every year.2

Pay 30 installment payments to fulfill the agreement.

Upgrade every two years.2

3. Make an optional down payment at the time of purchase to lower your installment payments.

Brand-new facility providing medication assisted treatment:

• SUBOXONE • VIVITROL • Group and Individualized Therapy

Suboxone, Vivitrol, personalized detox.

1

If you cancel your wireless service plan, your remaining installment balance becomes due.

2 Upgrade eligible once 50% of device cost is paid on AT&T Next Every Year and 80% with AT&T Next. Requires trade-in of financed smartphone or one of the same make/model in fully functional/good physical condition.

855-528-3569

AT&T Business Customers: Please contact your AT&T sales representative for more information or call 866.9att.b2b (866.928.8222).

AT&T NEXT OR AT&T NEXT EVERY YEAR: Credit approval required. For smartphones only. Tax on sales price due at sale. Requires 0% APR monthly installment agreement and eligible service. Divides sales price into monthly installments. AT&T Next: 30-month agreement with trade-in to upgrade when 80% of sales price is paid off. AT&T Next Every Year: 24-month agreement with trade-in to upgrade when 50% of sales price is paid off. $0 down: Requires well-qualified credit. Limit as low as 2 smartphones at $0 down. Down payment: May be required and depends on a variety of factors. Down payment if required will be either 30% of sales price or a dollar amount ranging from currently $0 to $600 (amount subject to change, and may be higher). You may choose to pay more upfront. Remainder of sales price is divided into 30 or 24 monthly installments. Service: Eligible postpaid voice and data service (minimum $45 per month after AutoPay and Paperless billing discount for new customers. Pay $55 per month until discount starts within 2 bills. Existing customers can add to eligible current plans which may be less) is required and extra. If service is canceled, remaining installment agreement balance is due. Examples: $749.99 sales price on AT&T Next (30-month) with $0 down is $25 per month, with $225 down (30%) is $17.50 per month, or with $600 down is $5 per month. On AT&T Next Every Year (24-month) with $0 down is $31.25 per month, with $225 down (30%) is $21.88 per month, or with $600 down is $6.25 per month. Activation or upgrade fee: Up to $45/line. Waiver of fee subject to change. Restocking Fee: Up to $45. Limits: Purchase limit applies. Eligibility,device, line and financing limits & other restr’s apply. Upgrade with eligible trade-in: Requires payment of percentage of sales price (50% or 80%), account in good standing, trade-in of financed device (or one of the same make and model) in good physical and fully functional condition through the AT&T Next or AT&T Next Every Year trade-in program (excludes AT&T trade-in program where you receive an instant credit or AT&T promotion card), and purchase of new eligible smartphone with qualified wireless service. After upgrade, unbilled installments are waived. See att.com/next and your Retail Installment Agreement for full details. GENERAL WIRELESS SERVICE: Subject to wireless customer agreement (att.com/wca). Services are not for resale. Deposit: May be required. Limits: Purchase and line limits apply. Prices vary by location. Credit approval, fees, monthly and other charges, usage, eligibility and other restrictions per line may apply. See att.com/additional charges for more details on other charges. Pricing and terms are subject to change and may be modified or terminated at any time without notice. Coverage and service are not available everywhere. You get an off -net (roaming) usage allowance for each service. If you exceed the allowance, your services may be restricted or terminated. Other restrictions apply and may result in service termination. For info on AT&T network management policies see att.com/broadbandinfo. © 2018 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Owners of all marks retain their rights.

RTP SF T 0218 5181 D-Sa

Premier. Private. Affordable.

Immediate Openings Call today 412-668-4444 5855 Steubenville Pike Robinson Twp., PA 15136 journeyhealthcare.com

Gain the confidence and coping skills you need to address life on life’s terms.

NO WAIT LIST Accepts all major insurances and medical assistance

CALL NOW TO SCHEDULE

412-380-0100 www.myjadewellness.com

Addiction and mental health difficulties don’t have to define you forever.

If you’re ready to embark on a journey free from active addiction and mental health struggles, our certified therapists are ready to help you.

• Opioid Dependency Counseling • Alcohol Counseling • Depression • Anxiety • Anger Management • OCD

1. Group / Individual Counseling

RENEW YOUR IDENTITY AT POSITIVE PATHWAYS

2. Suboxone Treatment 3. Psychiatrists on Staff Your pathway to a fresh start and new way of thinking begins with a phone call.

We Accept:

CALL NOW: 412-224-2812 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 27 - MARCH 6, 2019

47

Shop the region’s most trusted marketplace – over 10 acres with everything for your home!

00ts!

8 1 hibi Ex

MARCH 1-10 Pittsburgh Convention Center Downtown

PghHome.com

Don’t Miss the largest home event in America!

A festival of great food ideas!

A FORTUNE in your attic?

FARM TO TABLE

Antiques Home Show Bring it in…

Ask Dr. Lori!

Eat Fresh! Buy Local!

• Buy tickets online at PghHome.com • Purchase tickets at the door, Convention Center Lobby Box Office • Discount Coupons online at PghHome.com, or participating

locations

Fridays & Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Sundays 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Monday thru Thursday 4-10 p.m.

Adults: $10.00 Children 6-12: $4.00 Under 6: Free

PARK AT HEINZ FIELD LOTS FOR $8.00. RIDE THE FREE CONTINUOUS SHUTTLE TO THE SHOW!