February 5, 2020 - Pittsburgh City Paper

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FEB. 5-12, 2020

Tara Coleman is challenging media organizations to be more accountable when reporting on Pittsburgh’s Black communities

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FEB. 5-12, 2020 VOLUME 29 + ISSUE 6 Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Director of Advertising JASMINE HUGHES 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 Designers JOSIE NORTON, JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Events and Sponsorship Manager BLAKE LEWIS Senior Account Executive JOHN CLIFFORD Sales Representative KAITLIN OLIVER Operations Coordinator MAGGIE WEAVER Events and Marketing Coordinator BRYER BLUMENSCHEIN Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA, CHARLES ROSENBLUM, JESSIE SAGE Interns MEGAN GLOECKLER, OLLIE GRATZINGER National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529 Publisher EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

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COVER PHOTO: SARAH HUNY YOUNG SEE THE STORY ON PAGE 6

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CP PHOTO: SARAH HUNY YOUNG

Tara Coleman, in front of pages from historical Black newspapers, on dispay at the John Heinz History Center in the Strip District

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THE BIG STORY

PITTSBURGH BLACK MEDIA PANEL

BY LISA CUNNINGHAM // LCUNNING@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HEN BLOOMFIELD ARTIST Tara Fay Coleman was notified that she won an award from a local publication last year, a mix of emotions followed. She knew it was a big deal; it substantiated her hard work, and she felt validated. Which made it all the harder for her to turn down the award.

Coleman, who is Black, says that you often will see Black people and their accomplishments celebrated in media organizations’ yearly award ceremonies, but not in their day-to-day coverage.

“I thanked them and told them, ‘I would love to accept this, but unfortunately I don’t see myself or my work reflected in any of your content,’” says Coleman. “Once a year, you want to throw a few Black people a bone,” she adds.

“I feel like it does more for them than it does for us.”

An arts curator who works part-time in a local Black-owned fashion boutique in addition to her office job at a local tech company, Coleman said she’s tried to get local media organizations over the years to publish more stories on Black artists and fashion designers she was representing, with little success.

After continuously getting turned down for coverage, Coleman says she started to become “outspoken about how these publications look, in terms of what they’re featuring, [and] what their staff looks like, compared to what they’re actually covering.”

What she does see from local media organizations when covering the city’s Black communities instead are largely stories on crime. She’s not alone.

“The Pittsburgh problem: race, media, and

everyday life in the Steel City,” a 2019 news report published by Letrell Crittenden, program director and assistant professor of communication at Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University, confirmed many of Coleman’s suspicions in his executive summary: “Pittsburgh news media over-represents African Americans as criminal,” Crittenden wrote in the report.

It noted two studies in 2011 commissioned

by The Heinz Endowments that found that men of color in Pittsburgh were shown as criminals or athletes more than 80% of the time in print; in broadcast news stories, 90% of the time.

I

T WAS WHEN Coleman first moved to Pittsburgh in high school that she says she experienced racism for the first time.

After growing up in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, N.Y., she says it was a culture shock to go to Shaler, a mostly white school, and realize how segregated Pittsburgh was in the early aughts.

For her senior project, she facilitated “Diversity Day,” an all-day educational event that included a visiting group from the University of Pittsburgh helping students with anti-racism exercises.

She says she worked with her school principal to mandate that anyone who had been reported for

“I WANT TO SEE MORE ACCOUNTABILITY IN HOW WE FRAME PITTSBURGH AS ‘THE MOST LIVABLE CITY’ WHEN THAT’S NOT EVERYONE’S REALITY.” There are some Black media outlets in Pittsburgh, including print publications The New Pittsburgh Courier and Soul Pitt, and radio station WAMO, along with national online publications coming out of Pittsburgh like Damon Young’s verysmartbrothas and Jenesis Magazine, edited by J. Thomas Agnew. But the media landscape at large in Pittsburgh — which, for full disclosure, includes Pittsburgh City Paper — is still predominantly white.

“I think a lot of the responsibility lies on white-led media,” Coleman says. “You’re choosing this content, and your content is reflective of the publication you aim to be.”

any racially-motivated fight in the school attend Diversity Day or face in-school suspension.

“People were calling it ‘Hug a N—r’ day,” Coleman says, adding that while her principal and vice-principal were very supportive, some teachers were consoling kids who were upset they had to attend. “I pulled [the event] off, and it was great,” she says. “But backlash was crazy.”

Now a mother to two daughters of her own, both who attend public school, Coleman acknowledges she has even more of a reason to advocate for change. Especially because she thinks it may have gotten worse in some ways since she graduated high school in 2006.

CONTINUES ON PG. 8

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

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PITTSBURGH BLACK MEDIA PANEL, CONTINUED FROM PG. 7

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PHOTO: SARAH BADER

J. Thomas Agnew

Lynne Hayes-Freeland

Brian Cook

Letrell Deshan Crittenden

PHOTO: NJAIMEH NJIE

Brentin Mock

Tereneh Idia

“Pittsburgh: A ‘Most Livable’ City, but Not for Black Women,” a September 2019 CityLab article by Pittsburgh journalist Brentin Mock, detailed last year’s widelyshared report on “Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race.”

“Black people in just about every other comparable city in the U.S. are doing far better in terms of health, income, employment, and educational outcomes than Black people living in Pittsburgh,” wrote Mock of the report.

According to PublicSource, the report showed that “Pittsburgh’s rate of infant mortality for Black babies is more than six times higher than it is for white babies. ... The report also found a significant wage gap among adults.

Black and other non-white women earn between 54 and 59 cents for every dollar a white man in Pittsburgh makes.”

“I want to see more accountability in how we frame Pittsburgh as ‘the most livable city’ when that’s not everyone’s reality,” Coleman says.

Just last week, in a CityLab article entitled “How Racism Became a Public Health Crisis in Pittsburgh,” Mock reported on Black city council members Rev. Ricky Burgess and Daniel Lavelle’s proposed legislation calling racism “a public health crisis affecting our entire city.”

“If the media was less biased,” Coleman says, “it could put more pressure on local politicians and hold more people accountable.”

C

OLEMAN HOPES to bring attention

to these issues during a Pittsburgh Black Media Panel at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center on Wed., Feb. 12, where a panel of eight local Black media personalities will speak on their shared experiences on working in the Pittsburgh mediascape.

PITTSBURGH BLACK MEDIA PANEL 6:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 12. August Wilson African American Cultural Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free, with limited seating. Search “Pittsburgh Black Media Panel” on Facebook

Her goal of the event — hosted by both City Paper and local nonprofit news organization PublicSource, with additional support from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation and California University of Pennsylvania — is for it to be a learning experience to help all local media organizations become more intentional in their reporting and hiring practices and to reevaluate the culture of their publications: who they’re trying to reach and what they’re trying to accomplish.

“My experience isn’t really unique, and there’s a lot of people who have similar experiences and similar feelings of being misrepresented, and those people don’t have the ability to put something like this together,” Coleman says. “So

PHOTO: SARAH BADER

Markea “Keea” Hart

sarah huny young

those are the people I’m advocating for.”

Panelists include Crittenden, Mock, and Agnew, as well as CP and PublicSource contributing writer Tereneh Idia; sarah huny young, creative director of Supreme Clientele and event producer of Darkness is Spreading; Lynne HayesFreeland, reporter with KDKA-TV news and host of “The Lynne Hayes-Freeland Show”; Markeea “Keea” Hart, of Girls Running Shit; and Brian Cook, president of the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation.

Coleman says it was important that the panelists were not just all Black, but that they had a balance “in terms of Black femme representation and a good mix of legacy media people and alternative media.”

The panel will be broken into two parts, moderated by Coleman and PublicSource community correspondent Jourdan Hicks. CP writer Jordan Snowden is gathering social media feedback using #PGHBlackMediaPanel on Twitter and Instagram to present during the event, and a testimonial booth will be set up during the panel to allow the public to record a message for local media organizations.

“I want Black people to read things about us in our communities that can make us proud,” Coleman says. “I want someone’s grandma in Larimer to read positive things instead of hearing about crime in her community or her being outpriced and gentrification moving further east.”

Follow editor-in-chief Lisa Cunningham on Twitter @trashyleesuh

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.NEWS.

VESTED INTERESTS These Southwestern Pa. reps who support fracking have direct sources of income from fracking companies

BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HOUGH NATURAL-GAS DRILLING,

aka fracking, only really started in Pennsylvania about 10 years ago, it has gained a political hold on Pennsylvania that any industry would envy.

Virtually all statewide elected officials in the Keystone State support fracking.

Republicans do so enthusiastically, but even Democrats who are calling for better environmental regulations still defend the industry as a necessary and important source for jobs in rural areas.

Despite this widespread support, research shows that fracking has led to well-water contaminations and copious amounts of methane being spewed into the atmosphere. Additionally, the industry failed to deliver on the manufacturing jobs it promised would be created by drilling for natural gas.

Only a handful of progressive and environmentally focused politicians have come out in total opposition to fracking. And when criticism of the industry is made public, it often becomes a lightning rod, as when Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said last year that fracking should be rolled back and future petrochemical plants should be avoided. In response, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, Democratic Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, and Republican House Speaker Mike Turzai condemned Peduto’s statement.

Any high-profile criticism of the industry tends to provoke ardent defense from its supporters, and that goes beyond just words: some area legisCP ILLUSTRATION: ABBIE ADAMS

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lators might also personally benefit financially from a more robust natural gas industry and fewer regulations keeping it accountable.

Last November, the governmentaccountability group Eyes on the Ties revealed that three Southwestern Pennsylvania state legislators have direct incomes related to the natural-gas industry, including one that is a part-owner of a company that supplies equipment to fracking companies. All three of them are champions of the fracking industry, and have voted to cut regulations for naturalgas drilling in the state.

State Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver) owns stake in his brother’s fracking-related company, among other ties to the industry. State Sen. Elder Vogel (R-New Sewickley) invests in two energy companies with ties to Pittsburgh regional fracking. And state Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Monongahela) has leased the mineral rights of her property to naturalgas companies.

On top of that, each of their campaigns also accept large political donations from natural-gas interests.

Ned Ketyer, an environmental activist and pediatrician from Washington County, has been advocating for local legislators to take a closer look at the dangers of fracking. He says he isn’t surprised at the financial connections, and knows that the state’s conflict of interest laws don’t really prohibit this behavior. Nonetheless, he says when politicians have such close and personal

ties to the industry they are supposed to be holding accountable, it leads people to lose trust in politicians.

“I think that is the way politics is, and it is why people hate politics,” says Ketyer.

KAIL WAS FIRST ELECTED in 2018; he

serves the 15th House District, which includes parts of Beaver County and the western section of Washington County.

Kail’s district is also home to an underconstruction cracker plant, which will refine fracked natural-gas into plastic pellets, as well as a number of fracking wells already in operation.

Eyes on the Ties found that Kail owns a 7% stake in Revolution Energy Services, a local company that provides equipment and employees to the natural-gas drillers.

Kail’s brother is the CEO of Revolution Energy Services. In financial disclosure forms, Kail also reports income from and lists himself as an employee of Silver Creek Services, a local company offering equipment and services for frackers. A Pittsburgh Business Times article from 2016 identified Kail as the company’s general counsel. According to campaign finance reports, Kail, who has only run for office once, has received more than $18,000 from oil, gas, and coal interests.

Business partners at Revolution Energy Services also donated more than $6,000 to his campaign.

“THEY ARE NATURAL-GAS LEASE HOLDERS AND THEY DIRECTLY BENEFIT. NOTHING SEEMS TO STOP THEM.” Kail is the prime sponsor of House Bill 1102, which is part of House Republicans’ Energize PA package, which has the goal of increasing natural-gas production by cutting regulations.

Kail did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

Bartolotta was first elected in 2014 and currently co-chairs the state

Senate’s Gas and Oil Caucus. She also sits on the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, which is the first step in creating laws related to fracking. Her senate district includes all of Greene County and parts of Washington and Beaver counties. She says she entered into an agreement to lease her mineral rights under her home and grocery store to EQT prior to being elected.

“As required by law, I report those contracts annually on my statement of financial interest,” said Bartolotta in a statement to Pittsburgh City Paper. “Just because I am an elected official does not mean I lose my ability to lease my mineral rights. I am no different than a legislator who owns real estate, business or the like.”

Bartolotta says the laws that she helps pass are “critical in striking a fair and appropriate balance between protecting and preserving the Commonwealth’s natural resources as well as utilizing those resources.”

In April, Bartolotta introduced a bill that would allow natural-gas drilling to occur on state forest lands, which is currently prohibited. And in August she praised the proposal to build a naturalgas pipeline that would run through her district and transfer natural gas to the East Coast.

Like Ketyer, Karen Feridun of antifracking group Berks Gas Truth isn’t surprised by Pittsburgh-area legislators with financial ties to fracking companies. She has been lobbying state politicians about the health consequences of fracking, and says it has mostly gone unacknowledged. She says the state’s conflict of interest laws are too lax, and expects legislators to take advantage of that, considering the strong relationships fracking companies have established with legislators.

“We have terrible conflict of interest rules,” says Feridun. “It goes far beyond what many would expect. They are natural-gas lease holders and they directly benefit. Nothing seems to stop them.

As long as they file their forms and as long as they don’t benefit more than the general public, then it is fine.”

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Ketyer understands that it can be difficult for all politicians to tease out CONTINUES ON PG. 12

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Camera Bartolotta, Josh Kail, and Elder Vogel

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all personal investments tied to the oiland-gas industry.

But he says many state legislators aren’t currently equipped to understand the science showing the negative health effects related to fracking, and that the pro-fracking biases that are forming only make that harder.

“There is a lot of peer reviewed scientific evidence and medical evidence showing significant harms to workers and people living near fracked gas wells,” says Ketyer. “The evidence has been overwhelming.”

According to a study from the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health, fracking has been linked to asthma, fatigue, high-risk pregnancies, migraines, and skin disorders. Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has identified 350 cases where water supplies were impacted by the oil and gas industries. There are more than 10,000 active fracking wells in the state. Recently, lobbying from Ketyer and Berks Gas Truth helped to get the state government to open an investigation into a string of rare cancers that have proliferated in Canonsburg, which is home to several fracking wells.

Vogel entered office in 2009 and serves the senate district covering parts of Beaver, Butler, and Lawrence counties. According to Eyes on the Ties, Vogel’s most recent financial disclosure shows that he gets “direct or indirect sources of income” from Penn Energy, a natural-gas acquisition and development company based in Pittsburgh, and ETC Northeast Pipeline LLC, which is based in Texas, but owns and operates natural-gas pipelines in Pennsylvania.

According to the Pittsburgh PostGazette, he also holds a gas lease on part of his family’s farm.

Vogel, like Bartolotta, sits on Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. Since 2007, he has received more than $40,000 in campaign contributions from the natural-gas industry. Vogel defends his investments with the naturalgas companies, and says the state’s ethics laws ensure that legislators don’t forgo the rights that other residents have, as long as they are transparent.

“As the Commonwealth’s ethics law lays out, you can be part of a class of individuals in similar situations,” said Vogel in a statement. “I am not different in terms of the family farm having a lease than the other individuals who also have a lease.”

Last week, Vogel voted in favor to advance a bill out of committee that would reduce regulations on fracking and provide tax credits to natural-gas related businesses.

Feridun says all the support, all the direct economic ties to the natural gas industry just show how far state politicians have gone to defend the fracking industry, and wonders how much Pennsylvania politicians are going to instigate fracking-related laws, when they are committed on a political and a personal level.

“If you are investing in something you want it to do well,” says Feridun. “It is indicative of a mindset that you are obviously invested in, even if it’s not a huge financial boon. It shows that they have no qualms. It sort of normalizes the whole thing.”

She says stories like these are evidence of the political power fracking has garnered over the last decade.

“I think that it has a lot to with the fact that in Pennsylvania there is only one party: the fossil fuel party,” says Feridun. “And we are not invited.”

Follow senior writer Ryan Deto on Twitter @RyanDeto

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STOP IN THE NAME OF DEMOCRACY

BY JOSH OSWALD // JOSWALD@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

A

S THE UNCERTAINTY of our democracy looms during a tenuous presidential impeachment trial (by the time you read this, I’m sure Trump will have been acquitted and free to make awkward faces and slur words once again in the highest office in the land), I ask that you take heed, my fair readers and biggest fans. As a seasoned government official, I can tell you significant changes are being made on the ground floor of township politics.

“I’M NOT IN THIS FOR THE MONEY. I’M IN THIS BECAUSE I VOTED FOR MYSELF AND ACCIDENTALLY GOT ELECTED.” Last Tuesday, as a commissioner of my township, I spent three hours grinding out solutions for everything from buses breaking the speed limit to buses using our neighborhood as a cut-through. There was a lot of bus talk, but there was also sewage, landslide, and police-staffing talk.

You can have no idea how much piping and, in turn, red tape runs under your neighborhood until you talk to your local engineer. It’s complex, hard to understand, and surprisingly

very interesting.

“Three hours would have broken me,” you say. That’s why we’re taken care of — $63 of my tax payers’ dollars every two weeks to be exact. I think. But I’m not in this for the money. I’m in this because I voted for myself and accidentally got elected.

Now, I have had a lot of exciting moments in my life that have singlehandedly redefined my perception of my own ego. Awards have been awarded; books have been published. You get the picture. I’ve lived long enough to have fallen ass-backwards into a handful of decent accomplishments. But I have never felt prouder and more powerful than when I got to vote on the installation of two new neighborhood stop signs.

Truman dropped the big one. FDR created the New Deal. G.W. Bush was The Decider. And Josh Oswald, a humble public servant and prolific columnist, slowed down the cars at a previously dangerous four-way stop with a slight blind spot.

Despite my tongue-in-cheek summary of the council meeting, I do take my role very seriously. I’ve lived in my township for over five years and am invested in its future for my family, my neighbors, and its future residents. My neighborhood is great, and I hope to make it even greater again. Wait. That came out all wrong. Damnit.

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Follow digital media manager Josh Oswald on Twitter @gentlemenRich PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

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.RESTAURANT REVIEW.

REED & CO.

BY MAGGIE WEAVER MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

R

EED PUTLITZ, owner of the plant-

based cafe Reed & Co., is not vegan, and he is not afraid or ashamed to admit it. He believes his preferences align with many Pittsburgh eaters who are looking for an easy way to eat healthy, without restrictions. This is the foundation of the Lawrenceville spot: fast-casual food, geared to make a healthy difference.

Reed & Co. opened in 2016, when Putlitz transformed a dusty, former H&R Block on Butler Street into a bright blue, welcoming cafe. It was, first and foremost, a juice bar. Grab-n-go food was an added, and delicious, bonus.

Putlitz says that in response to customer demands, the shop gradually shifted from a “juice bar that sells food” to a “restaurant that makes juice.” The menu now sports a bill of hot food dreamt up by chef Justin Crimone.

There are hoagies, burgers, nachos, cold salads, and a rotating menu of specials and soups.

Juice, however, has remained a mainstay at the cafe. The first thing Putlitz said to me when I entered the Lawrenceville store was, “Can I give you a health shot?”

Reed & Co.’s health shot, like all of the store’s juices, is cold-pressed in the basement of the eatery. A massive, labor-intensive machine (the chute alone weighs 40 pounds) presses all of the elements — in this case, ginger, turmeric, lemon, cayenne — together at once. When poured, the shot is polished off with a drop of oregano oil. The combination is designed to fight inflammation and “put your gut at rest.”

Putlitz poured a full, two-ounce cup of the health shot, handed it to

CP PHOTO: MEGAN GLOECKLER

Avocado toast, ginger beet soup, and Reed & Co. Big Health Shot

REED & CO. 4113 Butler St., Lawrenceville. reedandcopgh.com

me, and gave a warning: “The burn will fade.” Though I’d much rather tolerate a burn from whiskey, the health shot was enjoyable enough and worth it, based on Putlitz’s promise of “it works.”

The cafe offers a myriad of other pressed juices and “mylks” (cashewbased drinks), ranging from the classic

green to a sweet red beet. The super citrus juice, a blend of grapefruit, orange, turmeric, pineapple, lime, mint, and salt, was nice, light, and surprisingly, not too acidic.

A white drink, aka “mylk,” which Pultiz described to Pittsburgh City Paper in 2017 as a “healthy milkshake,” was exactly that. The blend tasted indulgent and unhealthy, despite the ingredients. Its nutrition comes from raw cashews and dates; mine was mixed with coffee for an added caffeine boost.

FAVORITE FEATURES: Collaborations The “Co.” in Reed & Co. also stands for collaborations. Right now, you can find the restaurant’s golden mylk in a cocktail at The Commoner.

Plant-based charcuterie board This vegan alternative returns to Reed & Co. for Valentine’s Day.

Catering and Wholesale Putlitz and his team supply shops and businesses, such as La Prima Espresso, with a selection of their grab n’ go goods.

Crimone’s jerk jackfruit “chicken” sandwich — spiced “chicken” salad, lettuce, pickles, avocado cream, and coconut bacon on white bread from Five Points Bakery — was incredibly well-made. The toast didn’t overpower its toppings but was thick enough to add a satisfying crunch. Avocado added the creaminess you’d expect from a mayo-based salad, and pickles cut through the jackfruit’s sweetness.

Putlitz came to the food industry from the fashion world and opened Reed & Co. with no prior culinary experience. He wasn’t new to retail, but food, he noted, was totally different than fashion. “You can talk somebody into a new handbag for the season,” he said.

“But if they don’t like the food, then they’re not going to come back.”

And there’s no question about it. The food at Reed & Co. is good enough to keep Pittsburghers coming back.

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Follow staff writer Maggie Weaver on Twitter @magweav

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CARMELLA’S PLATES & PINTS 1908 EAST CARSON STREET, SOUTHSIDE 412-918-1215, CARMELLASPLATESANDPINTS.COM Featuring an upscale ambiance, Carmella’s is located in the heart of South Side, serving a variety of refined comfort cuisine for dinner and brunch. The décor features a lodge-like feel with a wood beamed cathedral ceiling, stained glass and open fireplace. A local purveyor delivers fresh ingredients daily, which are crafted into unique and inventive meals, served alongside a curated cocktail list and comprehensive wine selection.

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

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.

ELIZA HOT METAL BISTRO 331 TECHNOLOGY DRIVE, PITTSBURGH 412-621-1551, ELIZAHOTELINDIGO.COM Set on the site of former iconic iron works, Eliza Furnace, Eliza is an American Bistro exploring classic Pittsburgh flavors, beloved by those that worked the furnaces, combined with the fresh perspective and seasonal sourcing that define what we eat in our region today. Relax with great food, cocktails, and enjoy live entertainment on the rooftop bar.

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.

MERCURIO’S ARTISAN GELATO AND NEAPOLITAN PIZZA 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.

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

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

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.

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.

TOOK TOOK 98 2018 MURRAY AVE., SQUIRREL HILL 412-422-6767 / TOOKTOOK98.COM Eating Happily. Leaving with Smile. The True Taste of Thai. Our goal is to provide the highest customer satisfaction as well as offering authentic Thai street food with Thai environment. Therefore, we have been working hard to bring exceptional dine-in experience to you. We offer variety of authentic Thai food, drinks, and desserts including smiling full-service with BYOB.

And on Fridays ...

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. They also feature a cocktail menu of tequila-based drinks to pair the perfect margarita with your meal.

Pittsburgh City Paper’s weekly talk show

Every Friday at 10 a.m. at lynncullen. pghcitypaper.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

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The sparkling Negroni

.ON THE ROCKS.

EXTENDED STAY

BY MAGGIE WEAVER // MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CRAFTYJACKALOPE.COM

H

OLIDAY POP-UP bars generally

follow the same pattern every season: open after Thanksgiving, close with the New Year. But The Holiday House pop-up in Market Square is breaking from tradition and setting up shop indefinitely as Emerson’s, an intimate cocktail lounge and restaurant.

Emerson’s is owned by the same team behind Market Street Grocery — Ralph and Mimi Falbo, David and Rachel Priselac, and Chad Rapp — and is located one floor above the popular Market Square store. The team succeeded in bringing the neighborly atmosphere of the market to their newest concept; if anything, Emerson’s is even cozier than the wine bar and market below it.

EMERSON’S 435 Market St., Downtown. @emersonsonmarket on Instagram

It was designed around the idea of “found luxury,” which Rachel Priselac described as a blend of three things: their love for California, history, and Parisian cocktail bars, all tied together in a traditional restaurant setting.

California has inspired their newer lounge space, filled with cushy couches, chairs, and a roaring fireplace. The bar area maintains the “deteriorated” history of the building, a beautifully restored 19th-century commercial space. The

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decor matches the “chic but unrefined” look of Parisian bars.

Cocktails and natural wines are the primary focus of the menu. Emerson’s operates under a different liquor license than the market’s bar, which allows them to carry a wider range of spirits. (The grocery can only carry liquor and beer made in Pennsylvania.)

The cocktail list is built on standards such as the Moscow mule and the old fashioned, but not without a bit of personality. A sparkling Negroni — the gin swapped for sparkling wine — is bright and refreshing. Rosemary finishes off Emerson’s otherwise standard gin and tonic; the Manhattan, finished with a skewer of cherries, is reliable and tasty.

The wine selection reflects the list downstairs, many from Collefrisio, a vineyard based in Abruzzo, Italy. Emerson’s current natural wine offerings are white, Syrah, and pinot noir. For beer drinkers, there’s a short draft list — featuring local selections from East End Brewing Co. and Arsenal Cider House — along with various bottles and cans. A small list of local charcuterie, personal-sized pizzas, and other bites round out the menu.

Finding the bar is Emerson’s biggest complication. There are two entrances: one adjacent to the grocery, the other located off of Graeme Street behind the store. Both entrances are well-marked with signs, but for those still wary, Emerson’s has a map posted on its Instagram page.

•

.DRINKS.

TOWN ALE

BY RYAN DETO RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

As the craft beer industry has exploded across America, certain regions are carving out their own niches. New England has the Hazy IPA. The Pacific states have West Coast IPAs. The Southwest has taken to producing Mexican-style lagers recently and Midwestern states like Kansas are big on wheat beers.

Over the last 10 years, Pittsburgh’s own craft beer scene has rapidly expanded. Allegheny County alone has about 30 breweries, with several more in Butler, Beaver, Westmoreland, and Washington counties.

But until now, Pittsburgh has yet to carve out its own style like some other regions. While there are many places in the region brewing multiple styles of beer, and doing it well, only one style excels across multiple breweries.

It’s time we declare brown ale as the Pittsburgh craft beer style, and here are three of the best: East End Brewing’s Fat Gary is a perfect brown ale to drink all day long. No need to to stock up on Yuengling for your tailgate; substitute it for a beer brewed in Pittsburgh, and one perfectly made for a fall day with a touch of sweetness. And don’t worry, you can drink a lot of them — Fat Gary is only 3.7% ABV. For a stronger brown ale, Helltown’s Mischievous Brown Ale is widely available and packs a bit more kick than the Fat Gary. But it’s still easy drinking. I can’t stress this enough as a prerequisite for a Pittsburgh style. At 5.5% ABV, it’s the kind of beer you can enjoy while chewing the fat with some yinzers at your favorite watering hole.

Voodoo Brewery’s Wynona’s Big Brown Ale is my favorite Voodoo beer and is easily the brewery’s most drinkable offering. It’s smooth and backed with sweet roasted malts, but it has enough hop backbone for craft beer fans.

At 7.5% ABV, it does not mess around. • PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

17

Diddle by Bryan Postlewait

.ART . .

STIFF COMPETITION

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HEN SCANNING THE condom section at a drug store, what stands out? Besides the emblematic Trojan horse, most of the small, square boxes — or, for those looking to stock up, larger rectangular ones — are a blur of sexy blacks, purples, and For Her Pleasure pinks.

But Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates (PPPA) recognizes the potential of condom packaging as a platform to uplift the conversation around safe sex and raise awareness about the kinds of products available. That’s why the

organization, which works to advance Planned Parenthood’s mission of defending sexual health care and reproductive rights across the state, recently launched Stiff Competition: Hindsight is 2020, a juried contest seeking the most creative packaging designs for condoms and dental dams.

Sara Dixon, who serves as the public relations manager for Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania and as the region’s action council coordinator for PPPA and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PAC), says Stiff Competition

STIFF COMPETITION: HINDSIGHT IS 2020 AT HIP AT THE FLASHLIGHT FACTORY 6-9 p.m. Fri., Feb. 7. 831 W. North Ave., North Side.

Tickets start at $30. plannedparenthoodaction.org

garnered over 20 designs from local designers and artists.

“We got a wonderful range, honestly,” she says, mentioning paintings, sketches, collages, and cartoons.

On Fri., Feb. 7, the chosen works will go on display for an exhibition at HIP at the Flashlight Factory, with the winning design showcased on its own packaging.

Stiff Competition originally launched 20 years ago when, as Dixon puts it, computer arts were becoming more accessible and “it was this really interesting art-form that we could use to talk about sexual education.” Though it fell to the wayside, she says PPPA wanted to bring the contest back as a way to see what people could do with new design technology.

What they received included the

winner, a dental dam design Dixon describes as both “funny” and “risqué,” a beautiful painting of “a bunch of sperm,” and a lot of “very anti-Trump” images.

Dixon expresses surprise at the level of support the tongue-in-cheek contest received, including from the judging panel. Besides sarah huny young of Darkness is Spreading and True T Pgh co-executive director, Duane Binion (Naheen), the panel also attracted Richard Parsakian, owner of the Eons vintage clothing store in Shadyside, and, in a more unexpected turn, former Carnegie International curator Ingrid Schaffner.

“We have someone who curated the Carnegie International now judging our local condom design competition,” says Dixon. “It blew my mind.”

In addition to being an offbeat CONTINUES ON PG. 20

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Detail of Galaxy by Clare Stefanini

showcase for local artists, designers, and crafters, Dixon sees Stiff Competition as a fun way to reinvigorate the conversation around safe sex and the need for sexual education, the latter of which came up when she noticed how many people had no understanding of dental dams, protective sheets used for non-penetrative sex.

“YOU ARE HARD-PRESSED TO FIND FUNNY OR INTERESTING DENTAL DAM PACKING.” Dixon partly attributes ignorance about dental dams to the lack of attractive packaging for female-oriented products. (Dental dams are most commonly used as a barrier during vaginal oral sex, as well as anal).

“If you look at [condom packaging], they have a lot of really funny, interesting stuff, which is great because they’re so popular,” says Dixon. “You are hard-pressed to find funny or interesting dental dam packing.”

She believes not shedding more

light on dental dams could have serious consequences.

“Just because you’re not having penetrative sex doesn’t mean you can’t get an STD,” says Dixon. “I would like to see more awareness around that product and its use.”

The Stiff Competition exhibition will also serve as a fundraiser for PPPA and PAC with works going up for sale during a silent auction. Dixon says any money raised will go toward helping Planned Parenthood’s mission, especially during an election year when many advocates see the Trump administration as a threat to healthcare and reproductive rights, especially legal abortion.

“It’s vital in this time to really pay attention and be aware of organizations like [Planned Parenthood] that are fighting for your rights and doing the best they can,” she says.

Dixon believes that by working at the state level, PPPA can make a difference by endorsing pro-sexual health candidates and policies. She cites how PPPA-approved state Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) was among those sponsoring Pennsylvania House Bill 1586 pushing for “age-appropriate, comprehensive sex education to all grade levels.” (Current Pennsylvania law does not require sex education in schools.)

“We’re coming into a political year, so it’s really important people know that groups they support have political movements as well, and you can help support them, too,” says Dixon.

Follow senior writer Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

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•

Sponsored by

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

THU., FEB. 20TH. DRINK BEER DO GOOD! 7 P.M. THREADBARE CIDER HOUSE, TROY HILL. 21+ Event. $20. drinkbeerdogood.com

THU., FEB. 20TH. THE 69 EYES 6 P.M. CRAFTHOUSE STAGE & GRILL, SOUTH HILLS. Under 21 w/ Guardian. $25-$37.50. 412-653-2695 or ticketfly.com.

FRI., FEB. 21ST. TRIXIE MATTEL: GROWN UP

TUE., FEB. 25TH. THE LUMINEERS

7 P.M. STAGE AE, NORTH SHORE. All Ages. $35-$160.

412-229-5483 or ticketmaster.com.

FRI., FEB. 21ST. GALLAGHER 6 P.M. CRAFTHOUSE STAGE & GRILL, SOUTH HILLS. Under 21 w/ Guardian. $25-$40. 412-653-2695 or ticketfly.com.

FRI., FEB. 21ST. ANDREW SCHULZ 7:30 P.M. PITTSBURGH IMPROV, HOMESTEAD.18+ Event. $30-$80.

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FRI., FEB. 21ST. GEOFF TATE 6 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE, WEXFORD. Under 21 w/ Guardian. $22-$25. 724-799-8333 or ticketfly.com.

FRI., FEB. 21ST. MALIIBU MIITCH 7 P.M. SMILING MOOSE, SOUTHSIDE. 21+ Event. $16-$18.

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FRI., FEB. 21ST. WATER TRASHPLEASURE PALACE TOUR 8 P.M. MR. SMALLS THEATER, MILLVALE. All Ages. $10.

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FRI., FEB. 21ST. LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS 8 P.M. O’REILLY THEATER, DOWNTOWN. All Ages. $31-$78.

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7 P.M. PPG PAINTS ARENA, UPTOWN.

FRI., FEB. 21ST. PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE W/ BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 8 P.M. BENEDUM CENTER, DOWNTOWN. All Ages. $140-$178.

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FRI., FEB. 21ST. F*** YEAH, DINOSAURS! 9 P.M. MR. SMALLS THEATER, MILLVALE. 21+ Event. $84-$270. 412-431-4668 or ticketfly.com.

SAT., FEB. 22ND. BATTLE OF THE BEASTS 7 P.M. MR. SMALLS THEATER, MILLVALE. 18+ Event. $10 .

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SAT., FEB. 22ND. WE ARE THE WEIRDOS-LIVE STORIES, TOLD BY WOMEN

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MON., FEB. 24TH. SOULFLY 4:30 P.M. CRAFTHOUSE STAGE & GRILL, SOUTH HILLS. Ages 18+. $26-$38.50.

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MON., FEB. 24TH. POST MALONE 8 P.M. PPG PAINTS ARENA, UPTOWN. All Ages. $134-$400. 412-642-1800 or ticketmaster.com.

TUE., FEB. 25TH. Y&T 5:30 P.M. CRAFTHOUSE STAGE & GRILL, SOUTH HILLS. Under 21 w/ Guardian. $22-$34.50. 412-653-2695 or ticketfly.com.

TUE., FEB. 25TH. THE LUMINEERS

8 P.M. CLUB CAFÉ, SOUTH SIDE. 21+ Event. $10. 412-431-4950 or ticketweb.com/opusone.

7 P.M. PPG PAINTS ARENA, UPTOWN. All Ages. $37-$300.

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TUE., FEB. 25TH. CATS

6 P.M. THE OAKS THEATER, OAKMONT. All Ages. $25-$35. 412-828-6322 or theoakstheater.com

7:30 P.M. BENEDUM CENTER, DOWNTOWN. All Ages. $84-$270.

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6 P.M. JERGEL’S RHYTHM GRILLE, WEXFORD. Under 21 w/ Guardian. $28-$40.

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21

THE LOCAL 913: THE GUARD OWLS

BY LIZ FELIX // LIZ@WYEP.ORG

When you think about places where people make a living writing pop hits behind the scenes, Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York City probably come to mind first. But for Mike Meiers, Pittsburgh has been the perfect place to hone his craft.

He’s fanatic about songwriting: learning about it, teaching it, and writing music for others. He’s also got a new project of his own, The Guard Owls, with fellow songwriter Maddie Finn.

“Our bands played a show at Kent State [University] at this weird little tiny venue,” says Meiers of how they met.

“We played a show and it was STAY UP-TOgreat. And then DATE WITH THIS we bumped WEEK’S LOCAL into each other MUSIC NEWS seven years WITH CP MUSIC later when we WRITER JORDAN were taking a SNOWDEN class, and we AND WYEP were like, ‘I can’t believe EVENING MIX it’s you.’”

HOST LIZ FELIX The duo Listen every tried writing Wednesday together and at 7 p.m. on ended up 91.3FM WYEP crafting a collection of very catchy indie pop songs that will be available throughout February and March. Their first single “Crazy” is based on the story of how Finn’s grandparents met. “We were trying to capture an oldschool romance and how it escalates very quickly from like, ‘Hey, you’re great,’ to ‘Oh, now we’re married and this is forever.’ We wanted to walk through this verse by verse – this idea of growing old with them.”

“Crazy” from The Guard Owls will, appropriately, be out on Valentine’s Day. •

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.MUSIC.

ROCK STARS

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

WO YEARS AGO, André Costello and the Cool Minors debuted their sophomore album,

Resident Frequencies, in a fittingly out-of-this-world way. Inside Carnegie Science Center’s Buhl Planetarium, the band, led by Costello, performed the entire record, choreographed to a laser show and 3D dome projection. On Sat., Feb. 8, they’re returning to the planetarium with a set of never-before-heard material.

“The last time around, it was a preview for an album that was polished, finished, and had a release date for a couple months later,” says Costello. “[The music we’ll be playing on Saturday] doesn’t have a set release date, but it is in the same spirit of, ‘This is going to be a special event.’”

Another difference between the shows is that the music has never been played in front of an audience before.

“That first set of material, we had been playing it live for a couple years here and there,” says Costello. “As we were recording it, we’d try out songs and play them at shows as they came.”

The first track on Resident Frequencies, “Broken Noses,” for example, was around for about four years before making it onto an album.

Costello and the Cool Minors are currently in the process of recording their new music, but the “timeline for the album is nonexistent.”

However, audience members can expect to hear a few familiar tunes, as the band plans to play some of their greatest hits and a couple of deep cuts — “those longer, trippier songs.”

“We planned the flow of the show and the order of the show based on a rising action, like a climax,” says Costello.

“We try to plan all our shows that way, but this one we really got into the weeds a bit.”

In addition to the setlist, Costello also has complete control over the projections and lasers. He’s been meeting with folks at the planetarium to bring his vision to life.

“Once I get over the anxiety of all the

CP PHOTOS: MEGAN GLOECKLER

André Costello at the Buhl Planetarium at the Carnegie Science Center

ANDRÉ COSTELLO AND THE COOL MINORS - LASER SHOW 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sat., Feb. 8.

Buhl Planetarium, One Allegheny Ave., North Side. $20. laserandre.bpt.me

moving parts, then I can focus on these wonderful moments that I have,” says Costello. “I go in there, and I’m like, ‘Do

you have anything like this?’ She’ll throw it up on the dome, and I’ll be like, ‘That’s really nice looking, let’s go with that.’”

Costello is most excited about the start of the program. When entering the planetarium, attendees will be greeted with a forest view, so when seated — the seats recline, making the ceiling or “dome” the main focus — the viewer feels as if tall trees surround them.

“It’s a 3D effect when all of your vision is occupied by the screen,” says Costello. “What’s really cool is that it’s such a unique experience, you could probably see any band in there, and it’s going to be amazing. But to be able to be the person steering the ship, this is a creation of art in my mind; I find it to be a very gratifying experience to be able to get all these people on board and make it happen.”

Once it’s start time, the forest view will slowly transition into a nighttime scene. Joey Spehar, host of the Morning Mix on WYEP, will do a short intro, and then the show will begin.

“After the last one, someone came up to me and said, ‘This makes me happy to be alive,’” says Costello. “It was the best thing that anyone’s ever said to me. Especially about going to see a local band show. It is really unique and really special.”

•

Follow staff writer Jordan Snowden on Twitter @snowden_jordan

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

23

.LITERATURE.

SORDID HISTORY

BY HANNAH LYNN HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

A

FTER THREE DAYS of searching through boxes at the Library of Congress, Cody McDevitt, author of Banished from Johnstown: Racist Backlash in Pennsylvania, finally found what he needed on the last hour of the last day that he was there. The box contained documents regarding an official investigation into a 1923 incident by the state of Pennsylvania into actions of Johnstown Mayor Joseph Cauffiel.

Following a shootout with a man named Robert Young that resulted in the death of four police officers, Cauffiel issued a statement in a local paper ordering every Black person who had lived in Johnstown for less than seven years to leave town.

MEET THE AUTHOR: BANISHED FROM JOHNSTOWN 6 p.m. Wed., Feb. 12.

Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. carnegielibrary.org

This may seem like an unmissable historic event, but most people’s knowledge of Johnstown history is limited to the Great Flood of 1889, which killed around 2,200 people. The forced exodus of an estimated 2,000 Black — and Mexican — residents was once known all around the country, provoking criticism in newspapers as far as Montana and California. But now, the incident is barely known to residents of Johnstown, let alone the rest of the country.

Even McDevitt, whose family has lived in Johnstown for generations, didn’t hear about it until a few years ago when he was looking for a story for the Somerset Daily American. This led to years of research, including the Rosedale Oral History project, which tries to find descendants of the exodus, and eventually, Banished from Johnstown, which includes a foreword from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalist Tony Norman and cover art by Alisha B. Wormsley.

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PHOTO: TRAVIS FAUSEY // COVER ART: ALISHA B. WORMSLEY

“It’s ’ a nationall scandal d l that h embarb rassed the whole city and here we are a century later and barely anyone knows about it because no one really talked about it after that,” says McDevitt. “That’s kind of the important part of actually remembering and documenting history, is that you forget about instances like this if it’s not documented.”

Mayor Cauffiel’s order, which he later claimed was not official, coincided with a rise in Ku Klux Klan activity in Johnstown. The night after the Johnstown Democrat published its article with Cauffiel’s statement telling Black residents to “go back from where they came,” the KKK burned 12 large crosses around the city. Reading about the

events in the h b book, k it’s ’ h hard d not to draw parallels to actions by modern white nationalists in response to perceived threats from people of color.

Before they died from wounds several days after the shooting, two officers gave an account that they were attacked by multiple Black shooters with a store of ammunition, when in reality, there was just one. “The Democrat said that crazed white men committed crimes as deadly as Young’s, but that guilt was not prescribed to all white men afterward,” writes McDevitt in the book.

“The fear of people of color committing crimes is something that is deeply ingrained in American history and is something that politicians back then

exploited,” says McDevitt. “And it’s something that politicians exploit now.”

After their exile from Johnstown, many residents seem to have gone westward, possibly to Pittsburgh or other nearby cities. McDevitt describes the process of trying to find their descendants as “trying to find a needle in a haystack.” But he hopes that the book will educate people in Johnstown and beyond about this piece of history.

The same year as Black residents were ordered out of Johnstown, the same thing happened in Stowe Township, just outside of Pittsburgh.

“Even the fact that this isn’t even known in Pittsburgh is something that’s kind of troubling,” he says.

•

PHOTO: MICHAEL HENNINGER

Philippe Arroyo in Little Shop of Horrors

.STAGE.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

ARNING: THIS IS a millennial’s

take on Little Shop of Horrors, playing now through Sun., Feb. 23 at Pittsburgh Public Theater.

Until seeing Little Shop of Horrors at Pittsburgh Public Theater, I only had one memory connected to the 1960s filmturned-musical comedy: It’s summer, and I’m lying on the floor in my cousin’s sunroom pretending to laugh so hard that I die. (I now realize that I was pretending to be high on nitrous oxide, aka laughing gas.) In seeking their approval, I went along with whatever ideas, games, or childhood nonsense that my two older cousins presented. Chardonnay, the oldest, wanted to reenact scenes from her favorite film, Little Shop of Horrors, and make a movie of our own.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS Continues through Sun., Feb. 23.

Times vary. Pittsburgh Public Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $31-91. ppt.org

When Pittsburgh Public Theater announced it would be performing the cult classic (over the years, it’s been adapted from a film to a musical and then back to a film), I jumped on the opportunity to see what the fuss was about.

I decided to see the show without looking up anything online. All I knew was that there was a part where someone dies from nitrous inhalation. Given that information, I was surprised to find that Little Shop of Horrors is a musical — not a play, as I originally thought — set at Mushnik’s Florists, where a clerk named Seymour (Philippe Arroyo) discovers a

mysterious plant with a taste for blood.

Seymour names the plant Audrey II (J. Alex Noble) after his crush and fellow plant shop employee, Audrey (Lauren Marcus), who is dating bad-boy dentist Orin Scrivello (Patrick Cannon). Seymour needs human blood to feed Audrey II; Orin is a sadistic, abusive boyfriend who happens to have human blood. Antics (and death) ensue.

The heavy topics of death and partner abuse, however, are masked by the bizarre plot, cheesy punchlines, and, of course, singing. And while I’m not a fan of musicals (neither was the friend who accompanied me), Little Shop of Horrors was seriously entertaining. The show seamlessly moves from speaking scenes to musical numbers without feeling forced.

The songs match the quirky essence of the plot, and both my friend and I found ourselves consistently laughing out loud.

What takes the show to the next level is the set design by Timothy Mackabee, who has worked on scenic design for Fox’s Gotham and Disney’s Frozen on Broadway, among other projects. Mackabee creates a world that pops out at viewers, encasing you in the story. Fire escapes used by the actors are placed around the theater, making it feel even more intimate than it already is. The puppets, which grow in size as the show progresses, are beautifully designed and move effortlessly around the stage.

Little Shop of Horrors is unlike anything I’ve seen at Pittsburgh Public Theater and the production renewed my faith in musicals. I only wish I hadn’t waited so long to drink the bloody Little Shop Kool-Aid.

Tired of tracking down food trucks?

Don’t miss our Weekly Food Truck Schedule!

Available every Tuesday at pghcitypaper.com

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

25

SEVEN DAYS OF CONCERTS JOHN NÉMETH SAT., FEB. 8 Growing up in Boise, John Németh listened mostly to ‘90s hip hop and rock. But all that changed when a friend gave Németh a mixtape of blues greatest hits — Buddy Guy and Junior Wells’ classic “Hoodoo Man Blues” caught his attention. Fast forward 20 years and Németh, now a blues and soul artist, has received several nominations for a Blues Music Award including as B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. It’s a good thing Németh received that mixtape, because his deep, rust-edged voiced sounds as though it was meant to sing over a jumping rhythm section, bass, drums, and guitar. 8 p.m. Moondog’s, 378 Freeport Road, Blawnox. $15-17. johnnemeth.com/bandsintown PHOTO: LISA MAC

John Németh

FULL LIST ONLINE pghcitypaper.com

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 6

PATRICK BREINER’S DOUBLE DOUBLE. Kingfly Spirits.

7 p.m. Strip District.

GIRLIE SHOW MEGA ANNIVERSARY. Hambone’s.

7 p.m. Lawrenceville.

BEATJUNKIE, ERYN EVANS. Remedy Restaurant and Lounge.

10 p.m. Lawrenceville.

JAZZ/BLUES

POP

ROGER BARBOUR BAND. Friendship Perk and Brew.

5:30 p.m. Bloomfield.

KING PRINCESS. Stage AE. 7 p.m. North Side.

PUNK

ACOUSTIC

COUNTRY

MULTI GENRE

JASON TREUMAN. Cioppino Restaurant and Cigar Bar. 7 p.m. Strip District.

CHRIS JASON. The Palace Theatre.

7:30 p.m. Greensburg.

SPIRIT FIRST FRIDAY. Spirit. 10 p.m. Lawrenceville.

TOM ROBERTS. Refucilo Winery.

6 p.m. North Side.

METAL

BUCKWILD. Crafthouse Stage & Grill.

9 p.m. Overbrook.

ALTERNATIVE/INDIE

FOLK

JAZZ

SPOTLIGHTS. Cattivo.

8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

TOWNE. Mr. Smalls Theatre.

8 p.m. Millvale.

FESTIVAL

THE BAD MAN, ANTI-PSYCHOTICS, THE SKRATCHTRAX. Mr. Smalls Theatre.

7 p.m. Millvale.

IGNORADOS COMEDIANTES. The Rock Room.

8 p.m. Polish Hill.

NATHAN XANDER. Howlers.

9 p.m. Bloomfield.

WORLD

REGGAE

LEYLA MCCALLA. Carnegie Lecture Hall.

8 p.m. Oakland.

TRUTH & RITES. Shady Grove.

9 p.m. Shadyside.

ROCK STANDARD BROADCAST. Thunderbird Café & Music Hall.

8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7

METAL

HIP HOP/R&B

THE IRON MAIDENS. Jergel’s Rhythm Grille.

8 p.m. Warrendale.

LYNSANITY. Mr. Smalls Theatre.

7 p.m. Millvale.

JAZZ ROGER HUMPHRIES. Con Alma.

8 p.m. Shadyside.

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CLASSICAL WORLD VOICES. First Unitarian Church.

7:30 p.m. Shadyside.

ROCK TAUK. Rex Theater.

8 p.m. South Side.

LONGVIEW. The Smiling Moose.

6 p.m. South Side.

ELECTRONIC

SCOTT AND ROSANNA. Monterey Bay Fish Grotto.

6 p.m. Mount Washington.

SKA

FRUITION. Rex Theater.

8 p.m. South Side.

THE BISCUITS, FUBAR. Gooski’s. 9 p.m. Polish Hill.

FOLK

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8 CLASSICAL BROWN BAG CONCERT. Pittsburgh Opera.

12 p.m. Strip District.

ACOUSTIC

ADAB, MALZOF. 3577 Studios.

9 p.m. Polish Hill.

THE PITTSBURGH CAMERATA. St. Andrews Episcopal Church.

7:30 p.m. Highland Park.

SOLDIERS AND SONS. Friday Faith Café.

7 p.m. Washington.

ROSKA. Brillobox.

10 p.m. Bloomfield.

DUO CORTONA. The Andy Warhol Museum.

8 p.m. North Side.

YOU’VE GOT A FEST IN PENNSYLVANIA. The Mr. Roboto Project.

4 p.m. Bloomfield.

FERDINAND THE BULL. Thunderbird Café & Music Hall.

8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 9

ELECTRONIC

ACOUSTIC

JEFFREY SFIRE, KATHI. Hot Mass. 12 a.m. Downtown.

R&B

HILLIARD GREENE. City of Asylum.

6 p.m. North Side.

EN VOGUE. August Wilson African American Cultural Center.

7 p.m. Downtown.

THE EXILE FOLLIES. Club Cafe.

6:30 p.m. South Side.

ROCK

SUBTRONICS. Roxian Theatre.

8 p.m. McKees Rocks.

REBEL REVOLVER. Howlers. 8 p.m. Bloomfield.

ELECTRONIC

Over 100 Vendors

ANTIQUES, COLLECTABLES & MORE a w Ope eek n 7 • 11 day a.m s .-6 p.

m.

92 Crane Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15226 (412) 481-1300

CAJÓNS, AND PERCUSSION ERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS SPECIALTY ST STORE PHOTO: KAI R. JOACHIM

SATAN’S FALL

BY STEWART COPELAND

Stewart Copeland

FRI., FEB. 7 AND SAT., FEB. 8 Stewart Copeland, former drummer and co-founder of The Police, is inviting listeners to experience Satan’s fall from Heaven — as told in John Milton’s Paradise Lost — in a stirring new way. With the help of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Copeland’s Satan’s Fall will have its world premiere at the Roxian Theatre. Composed by Copeland and commissioned by an international consortium of choirs, including MCP, Huddersfield Choral Society in the U.K., and Pepperdine University, among others, for 90 minutes, audiences can expect to be immersed in drama and emotion, driven

by MCP and accompanied by a 14-piece ensemble of strings, winds, and percussion.

Multiple shows. 425 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. $40-150. roxianlive.com

HIP HOP SHWAYZE. The Smiling Moose.

9 p.m. South Side.

TONY CAMPBELL. Wallace’s Whiskey Room and Kitchen. 5 p.m. East Liberty.

JASON BOLAND & THE STRAGGLERS. Thunderbird Café & Music Hall.

8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

PHAT MAN DEE. Blue Moon.

9 p.m. Lawrenceville.

FOLK

POP AMBER LIU. Rex Theater.

7 p.m. South Side.

THE WOOD BROTHERS. Roxian Theatre.

8 p.m. McKees Rocks.

REGGAE

ROCK

BADFISH. Rex Theater.

7 p.m. South Side.

CHEAP TRICK. The Palace Theatre.

8 p.m. Greensburg.

ROOT SHOCK. Club Cafe.

6:30 p.m. South Side.

MONDAY FEBRUARY 10

JAZZ

JAZZ

CLASSICAL

HOWIE ALEXANDER TRIO. Con Alma.

5 p.m. Shadyside.

PittsburGH, PA!

VISIT US ONLINE AT LOUSONDRUMS LOUSONDRUMS.COM COM OR IN SHADYSIDE

5413A WALNUT STREET | PGH PA | 15232

TUESDAY WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11 FEBRUARY 12 COUNTRY

JAZZ

Custom-made in

BOBBY WATSON. Greer Cabaret Theater.

8 p.m. Downtown.

KASSIA ENSEMBLE. Bar Marco.

7:30 p.m. Strip District.

ROCK BIG SOMETHING, ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N. Rex Theater.

8:45 p.m. South Side.

THE HIGH DIVERS. Club Cafe.

6:30 p.m. South Side.

BLUEGRASS SWEATY ALREADY STRING BAND. Arsenal Lanes.

9 p.m. Lawrenceville.

ACOUSTIC DAVID AND PAPPY (THECAUSE).

Coughlin’s Law. 8 p.m. Mount Washington.

METAL KROSIS, A WAKE IN PROVIDENCE. Black Forge Coffee House.

7 p.m. McKees Rocks.

These listings are curated by Pittsburgh City Paper’s music writer Jordan Snowden and include events from our free online listings. Submit yours today at www.pghcitypaper.com/submitevent PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

27

.SCREEN.

CABLE STRIFE

BY HANNAH LYNN HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HE BEST PART about the streaming era of TV and movies is that there is always something to watch. The phrase “there’s nothing on TV” no longer applies. But the worst part about the streaming era is all the decision-making.

I have to choose the streaming app and genre of thing to watch, and then sift through thousands of options. I often get too tired by the scroll and just watch an episode of House Hunters (streaming on Hulu). Over the holidays, a friend gave me an antenna to hook up to my TV. Like most young adults, I don’t have cable and probably never will again, because it’s way too expensive (unlike streaming services, which are free because I use various family members’ passwords). But I grew up with cable and there are parts of it I miss greatly, like watching important events live (award shows, Olympics). But mostly, I miss being able to plop on the couch, turn on the TV, and let the higher

powers choose my path. Sometimes, I don’t want to watch something because everyone else is watching it or because I read an article about it or because the Netflix algorithm told me to.

Buying a basic cable antenna feels like cheating. It’s $20 and you just plug it into the TV and immediately start getting TV. It comes with familiar channels like ABC and NBC, but also a whole slew of channels that, up until recently, I did not know existed, and whose purpose is not entirely clear.

There’s of course QVC and HSN, but then there’s also JTV (Jewelry Television).

The channel Grit (slogan: “television with backbone”) shows old cowboy movies.

Buzzr, a self-described “pop culture time capsule” exclusively shows old game shows, mostly from the ’70s-’90s, like Supermarket Sweep, Card Shark, and Password. The products and prizes on these game shows feature outdated or discontinued brands — like a luggage

set, a “color TV,” a mattress pad called Ultra Pad — so it doesn’t feel like I’m willingly consuming a long-form advertisement. It’s the same joy I get out of flipping through old magazines and seeing ads for healthy cigarettes and douches for women.

Another channel called Decades — which has the slogan “Relive. Remember.

Relate.” — shows, you guessed it, stuff from decades past. It could be an episode of The Dick Cavett Show with stuntman Evel Knievel and jazz musician Dizzy Gillespie as guests. Or it could be a show called Through the Decades, simultaneously including information about the impeachment of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, the year Tetris came to the U.S., and a celebration of Oprah Winfrey’s birthday.

I am not the target audience for these auxiliary channels, or probably even this antenna. I know this partly because of the programming, but also because of

Follow staff writer Hannah Lynn on Twitter @hanfranny

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

the commercials. There are frequent ads for different brands of machines that clean sleeping equipment. One is for a 2020 election-themed chess set that your family can “cherish for generations,” complete with Trump and Pence pieces, and two empty podiums for the still-undecided democratic nominee.

The height of the streaming era combined with TV turning into a prestige medium made for a lot of “must-watch” shows. But watching Buzzr on a $20 antenna is the opposite of must-watch TV. There is nothing to keep up with, nothing to trap you in a binge-watching prison, there’s not even a way to stalk the game show contestants online afterwards, the way you can with people on House Hunters or Chopped. These are shows that live in the Twilight Zone of TV-watching, completely of another time and place and format of viewing. None of it matters, and it’s the perfect escape from everything else that does.

•

PHOTO: ELENA SEIBERT

Tommy Orange

.LITERATURE.

THERE, THERE

BY REGE BEHE // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

OMMY ORANGE’S NOVEL There,

There has a unique structure.

The author introduces 12 Native American characters whose lives eventually intersect at a powwow at the book’s conclusion. Their stories are diverse, and for many Americans, new.

That unfamiliarity stems from a widespread obliviousness to Native culture, a predisposition to view anything about Native lives through the lens of pop culture. (Orange uses the term “Native” through the book.) To remedy this, Orange bisects the narrative with “Interlude,” a section that was originally part of a much longer prologue, according to the author.

PITTSBURGH ARTS & LECTURES:

TOMMY ORANGE 7:30 p.m. Mon., Feb. 10. Carnegie Library Music Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland.

Sold out. pittsburghlectures.org

“I wrote the ‘Interlude’ in a ‘we’ voice,” says Orange, who appears Feb. 10 as a guest of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ Ten Evenings series. “It’s supposed to be a great chorus, set in the context of reading about the characters, ‘this is who we are.’ It comes with a lot of talking about history. It’s been called an essay and I have no problem with that, but I certainly didn’t write it as an essay, and I didn’t write it with any didactic purpose.”

Published in 2018, There, There (Vintage) earned numerous honors (including a PEN/Hemingway Award), made many year-end lists for best novel, and was a

finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. Orange — a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma — was an unknown writer until the book’s publication.

But the frenzy over publishing rights to There, There indicated it wasn’t an ordinary book.

“I was at Yaddo [the renowned writing colony in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.] and I came down for what was pretty much my first time in New York City,” he says. “There were all these people pitching me why I should go with them.

That was pretty wild, a four-day bidding war with 14 publishers.”

Orange signed with Knopf, and after a series of glowing reviews, the novel charted on multiple bestseller lists, including the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

The question of why There, There resonates with readers is complex.

There are many Native writers producing excellent books. But aside from Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, and Joy Harjo, the current U.S. poet laureate, works by Native writers that find mainstream success are rare.

“I like to think that I did something original,” Orange says. “But messagewise, information-wise, there are books out there that are serious works. I think the timing of my book, in the wake of Trump getting elected, and in the wake of Standing Rock [the pipeline protests mounted by the Sioux Nation] and people seeing it on national TV, this horrific thing happening in North Dakota, I think they wanted to do something about it. And sometimes the only option people know how to take is to educate themselves.”

•

Follow featured contributor Rege Behe on Twitter @RegeBehe_exPTR PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

29

.FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 6

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

presents

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): According to my analysis, the year 2020 will be a time when you can have dramatic success as you re-evaluate and re-vision and revamp your understandings of your life purpose. Why were you born? What’s the nature of your unique genius? What are the best gifts you have to offer the world? Of the many wonderful feats you could accomplish, which are the most important? The next few weeks will be a potent time to get this fun and energizing investigation fully underway.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Physicist Niels Bohr won a Nobel Prize for his insights about quantum mechanics. But he was humble about the complexity of the subject. “If you think you understand it, that only shows you don’t know the first thing about it,” he mused. I’m tempted to make a similar statement about the mysteries and riddles that are making your life so interesting.

If you think you understand those mysteries and riddles, you probably don’t. But if you’re willing to acknowledge how perplexing they are, and you can accept the fact that your comprehension of them is partial and fuzzy, then you might enjoy a glimmer of the truth that’s worth building on.

l i a t k c o C Off e k a h S

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You now have the power to make connections that have not previously been possible. You can tap into an enhanced capacity to forge new alliances and strengthen your support system. I urge you to be on the lookout for a dynamic group effort you could join or a higher purpose you might align yourself with. If you’re sufficiently alert, you may even find an opportunity to weave your fortunes together with a dynamic group effort that’s in service to a higher purpose.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Victory won’t come to me unless I go to it,” wrote the poet Marianne Moore. In other words, you must track down each victory you’re interested in. You must study its unique nature.

And then you must adjust yourself to its specifications.

You can’t remain just the way you are, but must transform yourself so as to be in alignment with the responsibilities it demands of you. Can you pass these tests, Taurus? I believe you can. It’s time to prove it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): While at the peak of his powers as an author, Gemini-born Nobel Prize-winner Jean Paul Sartre consumed an array of mood-shifters every day. He quaffed at least a quart of alcohol, smoked two packs of cigarettes, and drank copious amounts of coffee and tea. His intake of pills included 200 milligrams of amphetamines, 15 grams of aspirin, and a handful of barbiturates. I propose that we make Sartre your anti-role model during the next four weeks, dear Gemini. According to my analysis of your astrological indicators, your ability to discover, attract, and benefit from wonders and marvels will thrive to the degree that you forswear drugs and alcohol and artificial enhancements. And I’m pleased to inform you that there could be a flood of wonders and marvels.

CANCER (June 21-July 22):

www.pghshakeoff.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH ENERGY INNOVATION CENTER • 7PM START 1435 BEDFORD AVE., PITTSBURGH PA 15219 30

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I don’t think I’m boring. How could I be? I have an abundant curiosity and I love to learn new things. I’ve worked at many different jobs, have read widely, and enjoy interacting with a broad range of humans. Yet now and then I’ve had temporary relationships with people who regarded me as uninteresting. They didn’t see much of value in me. I tend to believe it was mostly their fault — they couldn’t see me for who I really am — but it may have also been the case that I lived down to their expectations.

Their inclination to see me as unimportant influenced me to be dull. I bring this up, my fellow Cancerian, because now is an excellent time to remove yourself from situations where you have trouble being and feeling your true self.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Soprano Helen Traubel and tenor Lauritz Melchior performed

together in many productions of Wagnerian operas, often at the Metropolitan in New York City. Friends and colleagues but not lovers, they had a playful relationship with each other. A favorite pastime was figuring out tricks they could try that would cause the other to break into inappropriate laughter while performing. According to my quirky reading of the astrological omens, Leo, the coming weeks will be a propitious time for you to engage in similar hijinks with your allies. You have a poetic license and a spiritual mandate to enjoy amusing collaborative experiments, playful intimate escapades, and adventures in buoyant togetherness.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Eighteenth-century author Samuel Johnson singlehandedly compiled the influential A Dictionary of the English Language, which remained the definitive British dictionary for 170 years. We shouldn’t be surprised that it was a Virgo who accomplished such an intricate and exhaustive feat. As a highminded Virgo, Johnson also had a talent for exposing hypocrisy.

In commenting on the Americans’ War of Independence against his country, he noted that some of the “loudest yelps for liberty” came from slave-owners. I propose that we make him one of your role models in 2020. May he inspire you to produce rigorous work that’s useful to many. May he also empower you to be a candid purveyor of freedom.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Is there a project or situation you’d love to create but have lacked the confidence to try? Now is a time when you can finally summon the necessary courage. Is there a longrunning dilemma that has always seemed too confusing and overwhelming to even understand, let alone solve? Now is a favorable time to ask your higher self for the clear vision that will instigate an unforeseen healing. Is there a labor of love that seems to have stalled or a dream that got sidetracked?

Now is a time when you could revive its luminosity and get it back in a sweet groove.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Was there a more influential 20th-century artist than Scorpioborn Pablo Picasso? He was a revolutionary innovator who got rich from his creations. Once, while visiting a gallery showing of art made by children, he said, “When I was their age I could draw like Raphael [the great Renaissance artist].

But it took me a lifetime to learn to draw like they do.” In accordance with your current astrological omens, Scorpio, I suggest you seek inspiration from Picasso’s aspiration. Set an intention to develop expertise in seeing your world and your work through a child’s eyes.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I know a Sagittarius man who has seen the film Avengers: Endgame 17 times. Another Sagittarian acquaintance estimates she has listened all the way through to Billie Eilish’s album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? 135 times. And then there’s my scholarly Sagittarian friend who has read the ancient Greek epic poem the Iliad 37 times. I have no problem with this behavior. I admire your tribe’s ability to keep finding new inspiration in sources you already know well. But in my astrological opinion, you shouldn’t do much of this kind of thing in the coming weeks.

It’s high time for you to experiment with experiences you know little about. Be fresh, innocent, and curious.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Athens was one of the great cities of the ancient world. Its vigorous art, theater, philosophy, architecture, and experiments in democracy are today regarded as foundational to Western culture. And yet at its height, Athens’ population was a mere 275,000 — equal to modern Fort Wayne, Indiana or Windsor, Ontario. How could such a relatively small source breed such intensity and potency? That’s a long story. In any case, I foresee you having the potential to be like Athens yourself in the coming weeks and months, Capricorn: a highly concentrated fount of value. For best results, focus on doing what you do best.

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 CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

31

SEVEN DAYS OF ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

PHOTO: MATTHEW MURPHY

^ Thu., Feb. 6: Miss Saigon

THURSDAY FEB. 6

ART In her new show Mother at Silver Eye Center for Photography, visual artist Barbara Weissberger examines the word “mother” through photos and “related photo-objects.” Weissberger uses her background in sculpture to create abstract and improvised scenes out of cardboard and fabric, and to explore themes of

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gender, labor, beauty, disgust, and belief.

Continues through Sat., March 21. 4808 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. silvereye.org

STAGE Late Broadway legend Ethel Merman receives a fitting tribute with a fun spin on the hit comedy musical, The Book of Mormon. On stage at the Greer Cabaret Theater, The Book of Merman imagines what might happen if two Mormon missionaries arrived on the doorstep of one of the biggest personalities in show business. See what happens when old and new Broadway meet with a show that

promises original songs, ballads, and plenty of laughs. 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Continues through Sun., March 8.

655 Penn Ave., Downtown.

Ticket prices vary. pittsburghclo.org

LIT Alphabet City at City of Asylum hosts a reading and discussion with writers Jaquira Díaz and Kaveh Akbar as part of its memoir series.

Presented in partnership with the Chatham University program, Words Without Walls, the event looks at work by Díaz, whose 2019 book Ordinary Girls was considered

a must-read by multiple publications, and Akbar, an Iranian-American poet whose collection Calling a Wolf a Wolf has received multiple awards and recognitions.

The event will be moderated by Steffan Triplett. 7-8:30 p.m. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. alphabetcity.org

LIT Writers looking to bust into the thriller business shouldn’t miss this opportunity to hear from three best-selling authors at The Perfect Crime: A Panel of Thriller Writers, presented by Mystery Lovers Bookshop and the Oakmont Carnegie

ART: BARBARA WEISSBERGER’S “NAVEL”

^ Thu., Feb. 6: Mother

Library. The event features Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X), Hank Phillippi Ryan (the Charlotte McNally series), and Rebecca Drake (Just Between Us) discussing their work, their inspirations, and their process.

Ticket price includes a copy of one of the authors’ books and proceeds go to the Oakmont Library. The real mystery is why you haven’t gotten your tickets already. 7 p.m. Oakmont Carnegie Library, 700 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. $30. mysterylovers.com

STAGE The Benedum Center presents an epic love story with the U.S. touring production of Miss Saigon. Set during the last days of the Vietnam War, the musical follows a young Vietnamese woman determined to reunite with an American G.I. who unknowingly fathered her son. While the show, which first premiered in 1989, has garnered criticism in the past for a variety of reasons — including using yellowface — it’s worth seeing if the latest tour has become more

culturally sensitive. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sun., Feb. 9. 237 Seventh St., Downtown. $33-125. trustarts.org

COMEDY The Pittsburgh Black Comedy Association presents the ATL Explosion Tour at 24 PGH. The comedy show and concert welcomes funnyman Rodney Perry, along with a long lineup of stand-up acts like host Ma Ec, Brandon Johnson, and MRBIKEY. Also performing are vocalist Kia Starr and recording artists the Blaq Pyrates. 8 p.m. 1016 Duquesne Blvd., Duquesne. $15-25. 24pgh.com

FRIDAY FEB. 7 KIDS For more than two decades, Monster Jam has been sating America’s need to see monster trucks do sick tricks, land CONTINUES ON PG. 34

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

33

SEVEN DAYS, CONTINUED FROM PG. 33

PHOTO: RUSS ROWLAND

^ Thu., Feb. 6: The Book of Merman

gnarly jumps, and body-slam hoopties.

PPG Paints Arena hosts the crew’s semi-annual visit to Pittsburgh this weekend, so dust off that Grave Digger hoodie and prepare yourself for the least subtle, least cerebral, most ridiculous entertainment event of the season. And bring or buy headphones to protect your ears: Those engines are no joke. 7 p.m. Continues through Sun., Feb. 9. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. Prices vary. ppgpaintsarena.com

SYMPHONY Experience all your favorite musical numbers when the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents Blockbuster Broadway at Heinz Hall. The “ultimate showtune extravaganza” features songs from a number of hit Broadway productions, including Les Misérables, Gypsy, Chicago, 42nd Street, Hamilton, and more, in one performance.

8 p.m. Continues through Sun., Feb. 9.

600 Penn Ave., Downtown. Tickets start at $22. pittsburghsymphony.org

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SATURDAY FEB. 8

Arts Center. 8 p.m. 420 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. $10. amishmonkeys.com

GALA MARKET

What do you get when you combine 80 local artists and a shopping experience that’s second-tonone? You get a sack full of fantastic homemade wares perfect for your funny valentine. Head to The Block Northway for I Made It! Mine 2020 and see what all the fuss is about. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

8013 McKnight Road, Ross Township. imadeitmarket.com

COMEDY Leap year only happens every four years, so make the most of it with a special comedy show by the Amish Monkeys.

For its Leap Year Show, the long-running improv troupe will do what improv troupes are known to do — perform a series of games and sketches based on audience suggestions — at the Ryan

If you’re a ‘90s kid, you probably jammed to En Vogue, the powerhouse all-female R&B group that topped the charts with such hits as “Free Your Mind,” “My Lovin’,” and “Don’t Let Go (Love).” Now En Vogue will appear at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center for the Love is Red gala. The annual event serves as a fundraiser for the Kappa Endowment Scholarship Fund of Western Pennsylvania, which provides financial assistance and other resources to college students in the region. 8 p.m. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $103.75-253.75. aacc-awc.org

STAGE Remember how you always sensed a raunchy undertone to Pee-wee’s Playhouse?

Just me? But there’s “pee” and “wee” in the title! You see that before any of the actual weirdness begins! Whatever. Forget the undertones and embrace full raunch

with Pee-Wee’s Burlesque House, which promises to be “wacky, imaginative, and dirty fun.” 8 p.m. Carnegie Stage, 25 W. Main St., Carnegie. carnegiestage.com

COMEDY Commercial Valentine’s Day tends to favor a certain type of couple, but it doesn’t have to be that way: Head to Arcade Comedy Theater for Love is Love, a “comedically romantic evening of queer entertainment,” hosted by DONATELLA, a collaboration between artists AnnaMarie Rose and Zhiwei Ma. Last year’s version of the event sold out, so get tickets while you can. 10 p.m. 943 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $12-18. arcadecomedytheater.com

SUNDAY FEB. 9

EXHIBIT After the tragic Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in 2018,

^ Sat., Feb. 8: En Vogue

members of the media “falsely circulated that one of the victims, Rose Mallinger, was a Holocaust survivor,” according to Lauren Bairnsfather, director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. “We realized this error was part of a larger misconception that Jews came to the United States only or primarily after the Holocaust.” For You Were Strangers: Jewish Immigration to Pittsburgh, 1880-1990, the Holocaust Center’s new multi-media exhibit, aims to educate the public of Pittsburgh’s 100-year history of Jewish immigration. Opening night will feature a brief talk from Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program and Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center, whose archives are included in the exhibit.

11 a.m. Continues through Sun., May 31. 826 Hazelwood Ave., Hazelwood. jfedpgh.org/strangers

MONDAY FEB. 10 CABARET Critically acclaimed jazz singers and musicians come together to celebrate the blockbuster tunes from the golden age of film at Hollywoodland: Songs From The Silver Screen. It’s a robust collection of tunes but expect to hear classics like “Pennies From Heaven,” “Let’s Misbehave,” “Over The Rainbow,” “If I Only Had A Brain,” “Whistle While You Work,” and “It Happened In Sun Valley.” 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Greer Cabaret Theater, 655 Penn Ave., Downtown. $45-55. trustarts.org

TUESDAY FEB. 11

TALK As part of their programming through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Duquesne University will host Big Read, a series of discussions and events focused on one book, in this case Lab Girl, a memoir by scientist Hope Jahren. The panel discussion Women in Science Respond to Lab Girl will feature professors of environmental science, scientific writing, and pharmacy discussing their thoughts on the book, and how it may (or may not) relate to their experiences as women in STEM. 3 p.m.

Duquesne Student Union, 1243 Locust St., Uptown. duq.edu

WEDNESDAY FEB. 12 YOGA The best way to celebrate Galentine’s Day is with your friends, sweating in a large room with a bunch of other people’s friends. Join Pittsburgh Yoga Events for an evening of Galentine’s Day Yoga at the Heinz History Center, with an emphasis on heart-opening poses.

Hang around after for a drink, lots of candy, and after-hours access to the museum. 6 p.m. 1212 Smallman St., Downtown. $25. “Galentine’s Day Yoga at The Heinz History Center” on Eventbrite •

WE MOVED. Just down the street! Please update your records. Ʃ IJĕūĒƞöīð ūŞööū Lj Űĕūö ƦƧƦƥ Lj ĕūūŤéŰŞČĒƽ ƦƪƧƧƧ ,ƙöêūĕƅö YÎijŰÎŞƌ Ʀƽ ƧƥƧƥ Lj ƆƆƆǂśČĒêĕūƌśÎśöŞǂêļIJ

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OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213, on February 18, 2020 until 2:00 P.M. local prevailing time for:

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We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEB. 5-12, 2020

37

PEEPSHOW A sex and social justice column

BY JESSIE SAGE // PEEPSHOWCAST@GMAIL.COM

A

T ONE POINT in my life, I had a

corporate office job, where for a time I was the only female employee at my location. As the only one, I ran into strange problems that my male colleagues didn’t. Most notably, our boss wouldn’t let my colleagues work from home if he and I were in the office because he feared how being alone with me would be perceived.

He would often go out for drinks or meals with my colleagues, but not me.

Unfounded fear of sexual impropriety put me in a situation to both be resented by my co-workers and excluded from important meetings.

I am not alone. In a post #MeToo world, many men fear interactions with female employees. To talk about the problem that this poses for women in the workforce, I reached out to Dr. Victoria Mattingly, an organizational psychologist and expert in workplace inclusion and allyship.

WHERE DO YOU THINK THIS FEAR OF BEING ALONE WITH FEMALE COLLEAGUES STEMS FROM? Social norms as to what’s acceptable in the workplace are shifting, so men don’t know what to do. Instead of dealing with the discomfort of doing the wrong thing, or actually having a conversation with women about this, men are avoiding the situation altogether. This avoidance is causing

credibility when promoting diversity and inclusion (D&I) agendas. But when white men bring up the value of gender equity, people listen.

Allies can’t do this work in isolation from women, though — inclusion “champions” often miss the mark because they are doing what they think is right. True allies partner with those they’re trying to serve to ensure they are amplifying others’ voices, not speaking for or acting on their behalf.

PHOTO: JOE PUCCIARELLI/LOOP PHOTOGRAPHY //

Dr. Victoria Mattingly

more harm than good.

Women are being left out of the conversations where key business decisions are being made — this is bad for the business in cases where diversity of thought could result in better solutions and products — AND it’s bad for individual women who are left out of opportunities to demonstrate their value and build social capital.

one in the room with the Ph.D., you can connect the dots.

That’s the hardest part about gender discrimination in 2020. Whereas previous generations of women in the workplace had to deal with explicit sexism (think Mad Men-era physical and verbal abuse), current day discrimination is far subtler … yet still damaging, like death from a thousand papercuts.

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED THIS YOURSELF? Yes. No one ever explicitly said that I was being excluded because of my gender, but when you look around and see everyone on the “strategy” team is a man, and you’re on the “tactical” team of all women even though you’re the

WHAT DO YOU THINK WOMEN SHOULD DO WHEN THEY ENCOUNTER THESE WORK SITUATIONS? I’d love to be in a world where women can call out instances of exclusion without retaliation, but we’re just not there yet. Research shows that women and minorities risk damaging their

Dr. Victoria Mattingly is founder and CEO of Mattingly Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in developing and measuring workplace inclusion. You can find her at mattinglysolutions.com

HOW DO YOU THINK THAT ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD CHANGE TO MAKE IT A MORE INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN? You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Clearly define what inclusive behaviors look like so there is a clear expectation and shared language to have otherwise difficult conversations.

Develop these behaviors among everyone — this is where allyship fits in because adding allies to the conversation now includes the people who typically don’t see themselves as part of D&I initiatives.

Research shows that when majority group members (commonly men) are explicitly invited into D&I, many will step up to the task because they now feel welcome and part of the conversation. It’s a shift from “stop causing the problems” to “help us work toward the solution.”

•

JESSIE SAGE IS CO-HOST OF THE PEEPSHOW PODCAST AT PEEPSHOWPODCAST.COM. HER COLUMN PEEPSHOW IS EXCLUSIVE TO PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @PEEP_CAST. HAVE A SEX QUESTION YOU’RE TOO AFRAID TO ASK? ASK JESSIE! EMAIL INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM. QUESTIONS MAY BE CONSIDERED FOR AN UPCOMING COLUMN.

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