April 27, 2019 - Pittsburgh City Paper

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FIRSTSHOT

BY JARED MURPHY

APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019 VOLUME 28 + ISSUE 17 Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Associate Publisher JUSTIN MATASE Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD Managing Editor ALEX GORDON Senior Writers RYAN DETO, AMANDA WALTZ Staff Writers HANNAH LYNN, JORDAN SNOWDEN Photographer/Videographer JARED WICKERHAM Digital Media Manager JOSH OSWALD Editorial Designer ABBIE ADAMS Graphic Designers JOSIE NORTON, JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Events and Sponsorship Manager BLAKE LEWIS Sales Representatives JILL DOVERSPIKE, KAITLIN OLIVER, NICK PAGANO Office Coordinator MAGGIE WEAVER Advertising Sales Assistant TAYLOR PASQUARELLI Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, GAB BONESSO, LISSA BRENNAN, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA, CHARLES ROSENBLUM, JESSIE SAGE, STEVE SUCATO Interns JANINE FAUST, XIOLA JENSEN, JARED MURPHY Office Administrator RODNEY REGAN National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529 Publisher EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

GENERAL POLICIES: Contents copyrighted 2019 by Eagle Media Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Pittsburgh City Paper are those of the author and not necessarily of Eagle Media Corp. LETTER POLICY: Letters, faxes or e-mails must be signed and include town and daytime phone number for confirmation. We may edit for length and clarity. DISTRIBUTION: Pittsburgh City Paper is published weekly by Eagle Media Corp. and is available free of charge at select distribution locations. One copy per reader; copies of past issues may be purchased for $3.00 each, payable in advance to Pittsburgh City Paper.

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COVER PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM READ THE STORY ON PAGE 6

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Dan Burfield, aka Tiltcycle, in his studio CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

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Tiltcycle’s Dolly Parton artwork

.ART . .

PINBALLER MOVES

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

P

ITTSBURGH HAS BUILT a repu-

tation as a pinball town with events like the annual gamercentric convention ReplayFX and places like Kickback Pinball Cafe and Games N’ At, as well as the Professional and Amateur Pinball Association Headquarters based in Carnegie. Now, Pinball Famous, a new exhibit at the Artsmiths of Pittsburgh Arts and Cultural Center in Mount Lebanon, transforms the game into flashy pieces of pop art.

On view from April 26-June 16, Pinball Famous features 14 original works by

local artist Dan Burfield of Tiltcycle.

Each piece combines recycled or reused playfields, cabinets, and other parts from salvaged pinball machines with images of iconic musicians, actors, movies, and fashion brands.

Pinball Famous opens with a reception that includes a chance to meet Burfield and a free-to-play Game of Thrones pinball machine that will remain for the entirety of the show’s run. All the pieces in the show will be for sale.

An avid pinball fan, Burfield started integrating elements of the game into his work around 2011 when he was

approached to do a group show at Wildcard. It didn’t take long for him to see that he had something special.

“It was wild,” says Burfield. “I sold the first piece in the parking lot, and then someone offered him more money, and he sold it to that guy, and I thought, ‘this is really going off well.’”

Before then, Burfield had been buying and restoring old machines, only to realize that the hobby was far too timeconsuming and expensive. He saw his art as a more creative way to save discarded pinball machines from ending up in landfills.

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PINBALLER MOVES, CONTINUED FROM PG. 7

Tiltcycle’s David Bowie artwork

“It’s a way to give them a second chance and show some appreciation, because otherwise they get stuck in warehouses and forgotten about for a long time until the roaches find them,” says Burfield. “I’ve gotten some with beetles or termites or mold, and so they just become unusable.”

Still, he’s aware that turning pinball machine parts into art, as opposed to restoring them, is a touchy subject among die-hard fans of the game.

“Everything is restorable to a certain point but it’s a question of how much money do I need to spend? I’m not ruining anything that has the potential to go back on the floor,” he says, recalling how he rescued the top of a playfield that otherwise looked like it had been smashed with a hammer.

PINBALL FAMOUS OPENING RECEPTION 6-8 p.m. 1635 McFarland Road., Mount Lebanon. Free. artsmithspgh.com

Artsmiths executive director, Kate McGrady, sees Burfield’s work as paying tribute to the art of the peak pinball era from the 1950s through the 1970s.

“The amount of art [that went] into making these machines was really astronomical and really cool, and then the machines just kind of died out when the electronic age took over,” says McGrady. “A lot of amazing artists were involved in creating the original works, and then Dan is completely re-envisioning and reinterpreting it. I think that reinter-

pretation is new but it’s also an homage to the past and that pinball generation.”

Burfield wanted to marry the style of officially licensed pinball machines with elements that would thematically fit his subjects. The piece with David Bowie reclined across the side of a cabinet has more than enough glitter to make the late glam-rocker proud. Another piece has Dolly Parton wearing a dress that includes parts made in the country music giant’s home state of Tennessee, where her theme park Dollywood is also located.

Still, Burfield had an easier time with some pieces than others. For Blaxploitation film star Pam Grier, he wanted a depiction that would honor her without exploiting her work. For another, he spent a long time on the piece for the camp classic Valley of the Dolls, ultimately cutting out and placing hundreds of little pinball circles in the portrait’s background to mimic the pills familiar to the film and its literary source.

Also included are images of The Rolling Stones, Audrey Hepburn, Isabella Rossellini, Cher, and the movie The Lost Boys, as well as ads for Bulgari and Tiffany & Co. Burfield hopes the show will expose his pinball art to a wider audience, as he takes a lot of commission-based work.

As of now, he says he’s working on two requests for pinball art portraits of Tom Waits and Winona Ryder.

Ultimately, though, he’d like his work to grace the walls of the North Side museum built for his idol, Andy Warhol.

“That would be the pinnacle of my career,” he says.

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Follow senior writer Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

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CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Nila Payton

.NEWS.

LABOR WOES

BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

N

ILA PAYTON isn’t afraid to share her voice in the fight for workers’ rights. On April 14, she stood in front of thousands at a rally in Oakland for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and spoke about her and her co-workers battle to get UPMC to raise their minimum wage and allow workers to unionize. She had grown frustrated with just scraping by, even though she works for the largest employer and one of the richest entities in the region.

Specifically, Payton was upset with how UPMC locked employees into what she described as unfair UPMC health insurance plans. Her passionate plea drew roaring applause from the crowd.

“Many of my coworkers, none of which make a living, let alone thriving wage, are also in debt to UPMC, due to skyrocketing health-care prices and

predatory clauses in their insurance,” said Payton.

Before 2015, Payton was like most American workers. Put in her hours, performed her job, and then returned home to raise her children with her husband.

But in 2015, she started noticing how co-workers were building momentum in organizing a union. She realized she was just like them. She wasn’t making enough to support her family. She was struggling to make ends meet, saddled by medical debt her own employer was accruing against her. She spoke in front of the wage review board, and a fire was lit.

“Once I found out my rights, I was a like a steaming locomotive,” says Payton.

For the last four years, Payton has lent her voice to the movement for higher wages and the right to form a union at UPMC. She’s spoken publicly, rallied sup-

port, and become a face of the movement.

Payton is part of a long Pittsburgh tradition of workers demanding their employers treat them fairly and improve working conditions. Steelworkers in Homestead demanded this in the 1890s; hospital workers are demanding now. As International Workers’ Day approaches, aka May Day, Payton serves as a reminder of that long and storied history of American labor.

Payton has worked as an administrative assistant at UPMC Presbyterian for 13 years. She is 38 years old and has three children (one full-grown and others age 5 and 2). She lives with her husband and her two youngest kids in East Hills.

Even though she has worked at UPMC long enough to earn just above $15 an hour, Payton says it barely scratches the surface to provide a good quality of life

for her and her family. She is the breadwinner and says she and her husband have decided it makes more fiscal sense for him to take care of the kids.

Payton says she would love to take her kids to UPMC Presbyterian child care so her husband can work, but the cost is even greater than what her husband would likely earn, defeating the purpose.

“It would be great if life was just a little bit easier,” says Payton. “If they could make that wage happen, and maybe help out with childcare so my husband can work, that would make a big difference.”

Even with her salary, she and her family have to make hard choices. Between rent, diapers, food, a bus pass, and medical expenses, Payton is still able to save, but not much. It may seem small, but it makes a difference between things middleclass families might take for granted.

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LABOR WOES, CONTINUED FROM PG. 10

ART: LCLAA

.NEWS.

MAY DAYS

BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

D

URING THE Industrial Revolution of the 1880s, American manufacturing saw record numbers of production and with it, atrocious working conditions. New production methods might have helped the bottom line for many industries, but only exacerbated life for the American worker. Hours were long, conditions were poor, and the negative effects on workers’ health were substantial, if not fatal.

As a result, the decade produced a number of workers’ rights movements. This culminated in 1886 with the Haymarket affair of Chicago. Walkouts started on May 1 of that year; four days later, Chicago police killed four people during a peaceful worker’s rights protest.

In 1889, the International Socialist Conference declared May 1 to be International Workers’ Day. May Day holidays in Europe originated much earlier as ways to celebrate the arrival of spring and warm weather, but many Americans and others around the world have chosen the day to commemorate the anniversary of the Haymarket affair.

During the anti-communism fervor of the late 1950s, President Dwight Eisenhower declared May Day as “Loyalty Day” in an attempt to disassociate the day from workers’ rights activism, but it didn’t take. May Day is still celebrated as a time to remember the power workers have over their bosses, and Pittsburgh has three such celebrations to commemorate that power.

MAY DAY PICNIC! WED., MAY 1, 2-9 P.M. VALLEY REFUGE PAVILION IN RIVERVIEW PARK, NORTH SIDE. PGHDSA.ORG

The Pittsburgh chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America links most of their actions back to the struggles of workers.

But their picnic is about ignoring the struggle for a bit and enjoying some solidarity together in a family-friendly environment open to both members and non-members. It is a potluck and BYOB event that will include lawn games.

MAY DAY: JUSTICE FOR ALL WORKERS! WED., MAY 1, 6-8 P.M. 1688 MURRAY AVE., SQUIRREL HILL

This celebration organized by the Pittsburgh chapter of Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and 18 other local organizations is all about the intersectionality of labor. LCLAA’s Facebook page

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says, “To everyone who labors today: We wouldn’t be here without your work.”

The event will be about remembering the leaders of migrant, Black, Jewish, Muslim, disabled, and queer workers who fought to secure better workers’ rights for everyone. LCLAA says by uniting all these working forces, they can use labor as a tool to fight white supremacy.

MAY DAY PARADE SAT., MAY 4, 1 P.M., 531 MELWOOD AVE., OAKLAND. MAYDAYPITTSBURGH.WORDPRESS.COM

Polish Hill is hosting a May Day parade on the Saturday after the holiday. It will start in North Oakland and then march to Polish Hill, ending at West Penn Park. Floats, costumes, and banners are encouraged. A picnic, complete with a maypole and pick-up baseball game, will follow.

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“For a family of four to go to the zoo, that is $60, and then thinking about the food. It cost $8 for a hot dog,” says Payton, tallying up the expenses in her mind. “We want to have fun as a family, and Chuck E. Cheese is one of the only places we can afford on a regular basis.”

Payton’s struggles are not isolated.

The University of Pittsburgh is in the midst of completing a wage study of Pittsburgh workers. Sociologist Jeffrey Shook says the study compiled information from hundreds of hospital workers in Pittsburgh, and the consensus was even those making $15-18 an hour face many financial hardships.

“I think getting to $15 is good as it gets towards the goal of improving wellbeing, but it is not where we need to be,” says Shook.

According to the Pittsburgh PostGazette, seven executives at UPMC each brought in more than $2 million in salaries and benefits in 2016. UPMC president Jeffrey Romoff brought in just under $7 million.

Tough choices for UPMC employees are only compounded by medical bills.

Payton had gallbladder surgery at UPMC Montefiore, and recently took her son to the emergency room after he busted his lip. She says UPMC workers have inadequate UPMC health insurance, with high co-pays and deductibles.

Payton says many UPMC workers are in thousands of dollars of medical debt to their own employer.

“No one should have to worry about taking their kids or themselves to hospital,” says Payton.

All of these reasons have moved Payton to become more involved in the labor fight, and now she is joining the political movement. She not only spoke at the Sanders rally, she also supports his candidacy for president because she trusts he will look out for workers like her. “I honestly think Bernie would be the one to help us,” she says.

Payton says her situation could be better, but recognizes it is even worse for those making less than $15 an hour.

UPMC plans to raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour in 2021, but Payton says the workers need that raise now. And she says a union is necessary.

Follow senior writer Ryan Deto on Twitter @RyanDeto

JENSORENSEN

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.GABBY NORMAL.

PASSING LANE

BY GAB BONESSO // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

L

ATELY, I FIND MYSELF having full-

blown rage fits while driving. I .scream the sort of profanities that would only make my deceased, teamster grandfather proud. I furiously change lanes to drive around someone who is going 35 mph in the fast lane to notice that, ironically, the car’s driver is elderly.

As in, extremely old. Like so old, that they are hunched over and can barely hold their head to see above the wheel.

That old.

I JUST REALIZED THAT I’M LESS AFRAID OF BECOMING A MOTHER THAN A GERIATRIC DRIVER. Once I realize that it’s an elderly driver, my guilt sets in. How would I feel if someone called my elderly family member every single one of George Carlin’s “seven dirty words?” Maybe my shrink is right; I do need to meditate.

In an attempt to not emotionally beat myself up for swearing at someone’s grandparent, I try to think logical thoughts. Like, if this were my grandmother, I would be driving her around, so

she didn’t cause an accident. Where are this driver’s grandchildren? Why aren’t they making sure she is safe on the road?

It’s amazing how quickly I become the moral authority on elderly drivers. How do I even know if this old person has kids or grandkids? They could have been a self-proclaimed single person their entire life and cherished never having kids.

This is the point in my thought process where my own existential crisis occurs.

I am a self-proclaimed single person who has no desire to have children. I will someday be the old driver going 35 mph in the fast lane. Some jerky comedian will be riding my ass and calling me the “seven dirty words.”

In that moment, I always wonder how quickly birth control can get out of my system so that I can start my family of future chauffeurs.

I just realized that I’m less afraid of becoming a mother than a geriatric driver.

That needs to be mentioned in therapy.

Speaking of geriatric drivers, I saw an elderly man on the road yesterday.

The only thing that frightened me more than his erratic driving was the giant dreamcatcher attached to his rearview mirror.

Thanks for broadcasting that you occasionally fall asleep behind the wheel, Grandpa! The only thing worse than someone who makes a Pittsburgh Left is someone who naps during it.

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Follow featured contributor Gab Bonesso on Twitter @gabbonesso PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

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.CULTURE.

HOLI COLORS

BY JANINE FAUST INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

O

N APRIL 28, celebrate the fourth annual International Color Festival, hosted by the Indian Community Center and Visit Carnegie.

The celebration is based on Holi, the Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring. Celebrants throw dry powders of various colors at each other or spray each other with colored water.

Holi is a Hindu holiday, but it’s celebrated by people of all backgrounds.

Each color symbolizes something different: Red represents love and fertility, blue symbolizes the Hindu God Krishna, and green represents new beginnings. The event is meant to be celebratory and inviting to all.

INTERNATIONAL COLOR FESTIVAL 12-4 p.m. Sun., April 28, 205 Mary St., Carnegie. visitcarnegie.com

The Indian community makes up Allegheny County’s largest single ethnic group, with about 15,000 IndianAmericans living in the county in 2017.

While celebrations like the International Color Festival have been overwhelmingly attended by only members of the local Indian community, organizers hope to change that.

Krishna Sharma, founder of the Indian Community Center, says she started the festival as a way to bring the Carnegie community together and says it’s not intended as a religious event.

“We are encouraging all ethnic groups to come,” she says. “The entertainment is for everybody.”

PHOTO: KRISHNA SHARMA

2018 International Color Festival in Carnegie

The event, which is sponsored by Dollar Bank, will feature live music, dance performances, local merchandise, and, of course, color packets. It includes Indian cultural performances from Guiding Star Productions and Joanna Abel & 3rd Street Belly Dance, alongside R&B and jazz from

412 Brewery welcomes you to our newest taproom on Pgh’s historic Northside.

Dog-Friendly taproom with outdoor seating, firepits, games and more!

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Elmoz Fire Band.

The packets sell for $2 each or three for $5. T-shirts will also be sold for $15 each. Proceeds benefit the Carnegie Boys and Girls Club.

Sharma says last year’s celebration was a success, with about 350 people

attending. She says the festival has been growing each year since it launched, and she expects this year’s celebrations to be even bigger.

“If you don’t want to play color you don’t have to … just come enjoy the colorful day,” she says.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

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.RESTAURANT REVIEW.

LEO.

BY MAGGIE WEAVER MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HE OPPORTUNITY to open a new

restaurant practically fell into chef Michael Barnhouse’s lap. Owning a pub was always on the chef’s radar, and when a regular at his seven-yearold restaurant, Lola Bistro, approached him about renovating the old Duke’s Tavern in Manchester, Barnhouse took the offer and ran with it. It took three years, but in early April, Barnhouse opened Leo.’s doors.

The North Side has become somewhat of a “playground” for Barnhouse, as the chef has been a vital part of the food scene since 2012 when he opened Lola Bistro with his wife Yelena Barnhouse.

His culinary talents have slowly spread across the neighborhood, branching from Lola to Mayfly Market & Deli, and now to Leo.

LEO. 1207 Allegheny Ave., Manchester. leopgh.com

Leo. is named for Barnhouse’s grandfather, Leo “Bull” Handler. Barnhouse describes it as an old “shot-and-beer” bar, a dive his grandfather would have loved. For Barnhouse, it seems only natural to weave his family so deeply into the pub, his early culinary experiences rooted in his mother and grandfather.

The real Leo is a prominent feature in the pub, his picture stamped on coasters, in frames, and his name laid across the bar in metal letters.

From the outside, Leo. is traditional, the 19th-century building casting a regal gaze behind blue brick. But inside the pub is anything but conventional. It’s both retro and hip with some odd details, a testament to Barnhouse’s design devotion. He is a do-it-yourself chef, involved

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

House made Scottish salmon lox and green chili tamales at Leo.

with Leo.’s construction every step of the way. He has burnt and stained wood, carved the bar-top, and created the custom blue paint for the walls.

The menu is a made up of two salads, five sandwiches, and a few snacks. It’s a pint-sized list of unexpected pub fare that is both exploratory and traditional.

Barnhouse uses recipes from his mother in plates like Marty’s Meatloaf, a cold

meatloaf sandwich, and the garlic snack mix. (For a dollar, and that snack mix will take you straight to childhood with Cheerios and Chex.)

During my visit, I tried the banh mi, green chile tamale, and beef jerky.

The banh mi, a loose take on the Vietnamese sandwich, was filled with cilantro aioli, a daikon carrot slaw, and house-made tasso ham wrapped in nori

FAVORITE FEATURES:

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Candy Dish

Porcini vodka

Garden

If you’re like me, your grandmother always had an ornate candy dish, filled to the brim. In the center of Leo.’s bar sits a glass, claw-footed jar sparkling with neon wrappers.

Leo.’s bar program is equally as interesting as the dishes, with Barnhouse’s ambitious infusions.

Porcini vodka and birch juice make for a forest-tini, a deep, earthy cocktail.

Barnhouse has a small garden, where he harvests herbs for dishes at Lola and Leo. He even travels to Ohio to harvest ramps — enough to last an entire year.

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

(which I subbed for tofu). Tamales were made traditionally, the small, corn-husk wrapped packages paired with arugula, pickled red onion, and a dill sour cream sauce. They were a tad sweet, but cut with the onions, the dish was heavenly.

The beef jerky, which Barnhouse dehydrates in-house, was tender and burst with spice. It was the bar snack that I never knew I needed, a perfect salt and spice mix to balance out a cocktail or beer.

Even with three restaurants in his pocket, Barnhouse has gifted the North Side with yet another fantastic spot.

His curiosity-inspired menu will have Pittsburgh coming back again and again, to see where the next experiment leads him.

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Follow staff writer Maggie Weaver on Twitter @magweav

OPEN 11AM-4PM

DINING OUT

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

SPONSORED LISTINGS FROM CITY PAPER ’S FINE ADVERTISERS

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED RESTAURANT

LEON’S CARIBBEAN 823 E WARRINGTON AVE., ALLENTOWN / 412-431-5366 LEONSCARIBBEAN.COM Family owned and operated since December 2014. Here at Leon’s, we take pride in our recipes and quality of dishes.

Simple menu with all the traditional dishes! Leon Sr. has been a chef for 30+ years, mastering the taste everyone has grown to love and can only get at Leon’s.

BAJA BAR & GRILL

COLONY CAFE

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1366 OLD FREEPORT ROAD, FOX CHAPEL 412-963-0640, WWW.BAJABARGRILL.COM The Baja Bar & Grill is the perfect destination any time of the year for dancing to live bands and taking in great entertainment every weekend.

In addition, there’s good food along with amazing views of the Allegheny River and the Fox Chapel Marina.

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

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

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

BEA’S TACO TOWN 633 SMITHFIELD STREET, DOWNTOWN 412-471-8361, WWW.BEATAQUERIA.COM Authentic Mexican cuisine in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh! Bea Taco Town offers tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and much more all with traditional recipes. Slow cooked meats and fresh vegetables prepared daily will have you coming back to try it all.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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Pad Thai

Noodle Thai & Burmese Specialties!

4770 Liberty Av Ave • BLOOMFIEld padthainoodlepittsburgh.com

ANGELIA’S

CP PHOTO: MAGGIE WEAVER

Homemade infusions

CRAFT PIZZA & BEER 18 beer rotating tap list Daily food and drink specials New Thursday craft draft happy hours

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.ON THE ROCKS.

INFUSE YOUR BOOZE

BY MAGGIE WEAVER // MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

M

Y FIRST attempt to make

infused liquor involved a cheap bottle of vodka and a bag of gummy bears. It failed miserably. The drowned bears formed one massive clump that required both a tolerance of cheap alcohol and a spoon to consume.

Slow nights at the pizzeria bar where I was working inspired my later — mostly better — efforts (though I still made the mistake of candy corn vodka).

I concocted a neon-blue mojito from a surplus of frozen blueberries, limoncello made from Everclear and piles of hand-zested lemons, and, less successfully, a margarita rendered undrinkable from too many hot pepper flakes.

The popularity of infusing alcohol with unconventional ingredients has grown in the past few years, though flavored spirits and Jell-O shots have been around for ages. Today, spirit infusions have made their way into the food menu — liqueur-based pastries and “healthy bites” marketed as fun alternatives to drinking — and became DIY projects for many home bartenders.

At-home infusions are quick and simple, and when done right, add excitement to tired spirits. Understanding flavor is perhaps the most difficult part, but with basic spirit knowledge (or a quick internet search), it’s easy to iron out.

Personally, vodka and gin are my favorite spirits to work with. Unlike darker spirits, there aren’t as many flavors to work around. Vodka is more or less a blank slate and pairs with almost anything. Gin

brings its own herbaceous flavors that can carry warm spices, like cardamom and coffee, as well as lighter ingredients like strawberry and lemongrass.

Whiskey and bourbon already have the distinct aromatics, and a smooth combination requires staying in the spirit’s flavor family. I’ve found that simpler approaches yield better results; a basic peach and bourbon infusion is miles better than apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and spiced rum.

Nevertheless, there are no limits to what liquors can be infused. Take cues from local bars like The Commoner, which uses a Meyer-lemon vodka, or Mezzo at Sienna Mercato for a baconinfused rye. Just pour the spirit in a jar with the flavor components, let it sit for at least four hours, and voilà! You’ve successfully infused.

Out of every infusion I’ve tested and tasted, I still favor cucumber and gin.

Add some fresh basil and a little lime juice for a bartender-worthy cucumber basil gimlet.

•

CUCUMBER BASIL GIMLET 2 ounces cucumber-infused gin ¾ ounces fresh lime juice ¾ ounces simple syrup 10 basil leaves Throw all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake, strain into a glass, and enjoy!

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

19

PHOTO: REDD VISION

Wilkins Block Party 2018

.MUSIC.

BETTER TOGETHER

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN // JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

R

EDFISHBOWL AND WICKED PITTSBURGH could have easily become competitors.

The artist collectives — both of which aim to unify local creatives through music, art, and performance — have instead chosen to work together and uplift each other.

“There is no room for competition in the Pittsburgh creative community,” says Michael Schwarz, founder of Wicked Pittsburgh. “In a city with so much pride and talent — on the verge of an artistic renaissance — it [has] never been more important to collaborate, encourage, and empower each other as Pittsburgh artists.”

About six months ago, Schwarz and Chris Boles, founder and manager of Redfishbowl, met and broke down the top three goals of their organizations. Upon realizing their intentions were almost identical, the two decided to be allies.

CONTINUES ON PG. 22

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

21

BETTER TOGETHER, CONTINUED FROM PG. 20

PHOTO: CHRIS UHREN

Zaneta Grant

“We’re helping each other promote,” says Boles. “We have a similar concept, keeping art and music together, pushing multi-genre shows.”

This weekend marks the first official collaboration between Redfishbowl and Wicked Pittsburgh. On Friday, April 26, Wicked celebrates its two year anniversary with live art and musical performances at Gooski’s. The participating artists and musicians come from multiple Pittsburgh art organizations. Musically, there is Jack Swing, Atlantic Wasteland, and Black N Mild of Wicked Pittsburgh Records, Brittney Chantele, Jordan Montgomery, and Treble NLS of 1Hood, and Lyn Starr of High Five Productions. Anton Bachman, Camo Customz, Joe Craft, and Jerome Charles are all creating live art. Twenty percent of the proceeds will be donated to Assemble Pittsburgh.

“Seeing so much cross-collaboration, conversation, and socialization between the many sub-sections of the Pittsburgh

WICKED PITTSBURGH’S TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOWCASE Fri., April 26. 8 p.m.–1 a.m. Gooski’s. 3117 Brereton St., Polish Hill. $5. wickedpgh.com

WILKINS BLOCK PARTY Sat., April 27. 1–10 p.m. Schenley Park, Vietnam Veteran’s Pavilion Driveway, Oakland.

Suggested donation of $5. redfishbowl.com

creative community couldn’t be more exciting,” says Schwarz. “This communication manifests broader-reaching and more lucrative projects for artists, while simultaneously promoting Pittsburgh as the arts-centric community it has been striving to become these past 10 years.”

Then, on Saturday, April 27, Redfishbowl hosts Wilkins Block Party in Schenley Park. In its fifth year, Wilkins Block Party originated when Memphis Hills band members, who were all attending Carnegie Mellon University and living on Wilkins Avenue, rented out the block for a block party. Redfishbowl got

involved three years ago when Shane McLaughlin of Buffalo Rose introduced Boles to the Memphis Hill members. They were looking to change the location, add an art element, and generally spruce up the event.

“They used to donate to really big organizations that would kind of just get a random check in the mail and not know why,” says Boles. “So I was like ‘Hey, we should do local organizations where we can actually see a change and contribute the funds to a cause that you know what it’s going towards.’” This year, proceeds go to BOOM Concepts.

Follow staff writer Jordan Snowden on Twitter @snowden_jordan

22

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Boles also diversified the musical lineup and made sure to juxtapose almost opposite acts when creating the schedule.

“Last year it went from Jack Stauber to Jasiri X,” he says. “I was honestly really worried about that, for that drastic of a change, but it works and if you’re open-minded enough to have that happen, that’s what I think is really cool and people should get geared in more to just good music, whatever genre it is.”

The 2019 lineup includes Benji., Memphis Hill, Brittney Chantele, BBGuns, Meeting of Important People, Chet Vincent and Biirdwatcher. There’s also art from John Muldoon, Redd Vision, and more than 30 other artists.

“The opportunities are there,” says Schwarz. “The talent is there. The funding is there. It’s just a matter of coming together to actualize these incredible projects. We are most certainly stronger in numbers — and we can all succeed together.”

•

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23

SEVEN DAYS OF CONCERTS THE 5TH DIMENSION SUNDAY, APRIL 28 “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” by The 5th Dimension is one of the most iconic of the 1960s songs that embodies the spirit of the era.

After its release in 1969, the song spent six weeks on the Billboard singles chart, selling three million copies. “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Group. As people of color, The 5th Dimension (sometimes called The Black Mamas and Papas) didn’t receive the same “peace and love” mentality as their white counterparts. Despite those hurdles, the group has 22 Top 40 hits and five singles that hit No. 1.

See the prolific group when they take the stage at The Palace Theatre on Sunday, tie-dye not required.

3 p.m. 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg. $38-85. thepalacetheatre.org PHOTO: THE 5TH DIMENSION

The 5th Dimension

FULL LIST ONLINE pghcitypaper.com

THURSDAY APRIL 25 POP THIS WILD LIFE. The Smiling Moose. 6 p.m. South Side.

COUNTRY MAREN MORRIS. Stage AE. 7 p.m. North Side.

LOGAN MIZE. Tequila Cowboy. 7 p.m. North Side.

YARN. Club Cafe.

8 p.m. South Side.

ROCK/METAL MERZ, MILLER AND THE WOLVES. Howlers. 7:30 p.m.

Bloomfield.

PEELANDER-Z. Hard Rock Cafe.

8 p.m. Station Square.

JEFF BERMAN. Kingfly Spirits.

7 p.m. Strip District.

JAZZ/BLUES

CLASSICAL

THOMAS WENDT TRIO. Enix Brewing. 7 p.m. Homestead.

HIP HOP FOISEY. Market St. Block Party.

8 p.m. Downtown.

THE CONTENDERS. Cioppino Restaurant and Cigar Bar. 7 p.m. Strip District.

JOHN WALKER. Shadyside Presbyterian Church.

7:15 p.m. Shadyside.

DJS

OLGA WATKINS BAND. Wolfie’s Pub. 8 p.m. Downtown.

CHARLIE SCOTT (DOWN TO FUNK). The Goldmark. 10 p.m.

Lawrenceville.

COVEN (DARK DANCE).

Belvederes. 9:30 p.m.

Lawrenceville.

FRIDAY APRIL 26 ACOUSTIC THE RUST PROJECT. Wolfie’s Pub. 5 p.m. Downtown.

BUCKETHEAD. Jergels. 8 p.m. Warrendale.

NOTES AND WORDS: A FICTION SONGFEST. City Books.

7 p.m. North Side.

JAZZ

DARYL SHAWN. Backstage Bar. 5 p.m. Downtown.

TONY CAMPBELL. Dorothy Six Blast Furnace Café.

8 p.m. Homestead.

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

TODD AND DALE. Bar 3.

8:30 p.m. Millvale.

JIMMY ADLER AND THE SOULVILLE HORNS. Moondogs.

8:30 p.m. Blawnox.

ROCK THE WERKS. Rex Theater.

7 p.m. South Side.

YOU BRED RAPTORS? Cattivo. 7 p.m.

Lawrenceville.

FADE TO BLACK (METALLICA TRIBUTE).

Crafthouse Stage and Grill.

7:30 p.m. Whitehall.

POP PICTURE THIS. Stage AE. 7 p.m. North Side.

REGGAE THE FLOW BAND. The Spot, Etc. 7 p.m. Reggae.

SUNN O))). Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall.

8 p.m. Munhall.

TERESA HAWTHORN, LEGACEE LIVE. Rocks Landing Bar and Grille. 8 p.m. McKees Rocks.

BLUES TRAVELER. Rivers Casino.

8 p.m. North Side.

PARKER MCKAY. Club Cafe.

7 p.m. South Side.

REIGN OF Z, WINTER’S DESCENT, ARCANE HAVEN. Mr. Smalls Theatre.

8 p.m. Millvale.

SATURDAY APRIL 27

CATATONEYA, FORTUNE TELLER. Black Forge Coffee House.

6 p.m. Allentown.

CLASSICAL

ROCK/METAL

ELECTRONIC

COUNTRY

ELLE KING. Stage AE. 7 p.m.

North Side.

SUAVITY’S MOUTHPIECE. DV8 Espresso Bar and Gallery.

3 p.m. Greensburg.

SCRATCHY BLANKET. Cattivo. 8 p.m. Lawrenceville.

OVERKILL. Rex Theater.

6 p.m. South Side.

8TH STREET ROX. Moondogs.

8:30 p.m. Blawnox.

VÖLUR, THE LONG HUNT, PLUME. The Mr. Roboto Project.

7 p.m. Bloomfield.

JARRETT TEBBETS. Hot Mass. 12 a.m.

Downtown.

INDIE/POP DINOSOUL, MISTER MOON, BALLOON RIDE FANTASY, FLOWER CROWN. Club Cafe. 8 p.m. South Side.

JAZZ/BLUES CURRENT EXPRESS TRIO. Cioppino Restaurant and Cigar Bar. 7 p.m. Strip District.

ANTOINETTE MANGANAS JAZZ TRIO. Wolfies.

8 p.m. Downtown.

FUNK LITZ. Cattivo. 7 p.m. Lawrenceville.

QUICKSILVER. Synod Hall.

8 p.m. Oakland.

COVERS DANCING QUEEN BAND. Baja Bar and Grill. 9 p.m. Fox Chapel.

GONE SOUTH. Downeys House.

9 p.m. Robinson.

COUNTRY OUTLAW NIGHT. Howlers.

8 p.m. Bloomfield.

SUNDAY APRIL 28 ACOUSTIC PAZ, UKULELE EDDIE. California Coffee Bar. 12 p.m. Brighton Heights.

PHOTO: ALEXANDER THOMPSON

JONATHAN TOUBIN

Jonathan Toubin

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

From Bonnaroo to Benicassim, Jonathan Toubin’s Soul Clap dance party has gotten bodies moving around the world. Culled from long-forgotten ’60s soul singles, Toubin takes no part in the electronic-heavy music that is popular today. He spins uncommon original 7-inch vinyl, allowing a new generation of dance music lovers to discover hidden throwbacks. Next up, Toubin brings his retro cool to Spirit, along with Pittsburgh’s very own Century III and DJ Aunt Buck (Steph from The Lopez).

9 p.m. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $8-10. spiritpgh.com 315656_4.75_x_4.75.indd 1

POP EMILY REO, FOXES IN FICTION. The Mr. Roboto Project.

7 p.m. Bloomfield.

COUNTRY PAUL CAUTHEN. Club Cafe. 8 p.m. South Side.

ROCK BLESSED, SILVER CAR CRASH, THE I. Black Forge Coffee House.

7 p.m. Allentown.

MONDAY APRIL 29 ACOUSTIC/FOLK RAY BONNEVILLE, DAN PETRICH. Club Cafe.

8 p.m. South Side.

ROCK/METAL ANDY BLACK. Mr. Smalls Theatre.

6:30 p.m. Millvale.

PORTRAYAL OF GUILT, SHIN GUARD. The Mr. Roboto Project.

7 p.m. Bloomfield.

ULI JON ROTH. Jergels.

8 p.m. Warrendale.

TUESDAY APRIL 30 DJS HOT HONEY (DEEP HOUSE). The Summit. 9 p.m. Mt. Washington.

WEDNESDAY MAY 1 CLASSICAL THE KASSIA ENSEMBLE. Unity Presbyterian Church.

6 p.m. Green Tree.

WORLD

GLO PHASE (LIVE).

The Goldmark. 10 p.m.

Lawrenceville.

CHIRGILCHIN TUVAN THROAT SINGERS. First Unitarian Church.

7:30 p.m. Shadyside.

ROCK/PUNK

ROCK/PUNK

TWIN PEAKS. Stage AE. 7 p.m. North Side.

PUP, RATBOYS. Rex Theater.

7 p.m. South Side.

SOFT KILL. Black Forge Coffee House. 7 p.m. McKees Rocks.

ACTORS, BOOTBLACKS, PANIC PRIEST. Brillobox.

8 p.m. Bloomfield.

ADELITAS WAY. Crafthouse Stage and Grill. 7 p.m. Whitehall.

HIP HOP/RAP

ATSUKO CHIBA. Mr. Smalls Theatre. 7 p.m. Millvale.

JAKE MILLER. Rex Theater.

7:30 p.m. South Side.

COUNTY

COUNTRY/FOLK

ORVILLE PECK. Andy Warhol Museum. 8 p.m. North Side.

RHETT MILLER. Mr. Smalls Theatre. 8 p.m. Millvale.

SON VOLT. Mr. Smalls Theatre.

8 p.m. Millvale.

RACHAEL SAGE. Club Cafe.

8 p.m. South Side.

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

4/10/19 8:04

author

Zinzi Clemmons Monday April 29, 7p.m.

Free and Open to the Public McConomy Auditorium Cohon University Center Carnegie Mellon University A discussion about leadership, literature, and empathy

tepper.cmu.edu/tepperreads PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

25

..ART .. .

BACKSTAGE

BY LISSA BRENNAN CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

NAME: Jo Tauber, Harrison City WORK: Gallery Experience Coordinator, Carnegie Museum of Natural History

WHAT DO YOU DO? [I] take care of and present with the live animals. When I first started, we had a couple reptiles, nothing major. Now we have a menagerie permit through the PA Game Commission that lets us have mammals and birds as well. We went from having about four animals to having over twenty.

SO YOUR BACKGROUND MUST BE IN ANIMALS? It actually isn’t. My background is in music, art, and theater. I went to Pitt Greensburg and got a combined theater, art history, and music degree, but I’ve always been an animal lover. I just found out that I’ve been accepted into a graduate program to do this on a more formal and permanent basis through Miami University of Ohio online with hands-on training at zoos.

HOW DID YOU START HERE? I was working at Starbucks and thought a museum would be fun to work at. I applied here, CMOA, the Warhol. This is the job that got back to me and I ended up just kind of falling in love.

HOW COULD YOU NOT? I mean, I get to snuggle skunks. But I’m teaching kids stuff, and that’s something I really love to do. I love the moment when kids learn something and you can see them understand the world around them a little bit better for the first time.

WILL THE DEGREE YOU’RE PURSUING ACCELERATE YOU HERE OR TAKE YOU TO A DIFFERENT KIND OF JOB? Honestly, it could go either way. I already know what I love to do. I want to help people learn about and love the things that I love. So that’s the main goal, to expand upon my ability to do that. It’s all about the animals and doing right by the animals.

AND HOW DO YOU DO THAT? Shera is one of the reasons I fell in love

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Jo Tauber

with the animal aspect. She’s an American Kestrel that was rescued. She was a wild bird that was hit by a car then taken in by West Virginia Raptor Rehab Center but can’t be rereleased because she broke her wing and it didn’t heal properly. She can still fly, but not well enough to go live in the wild. This is a really great example of human impact both negative and positive. She was hit by a car, but then she was nursed back to health.

We have a parrot that was rescued from an animal-hoarding situation. A lot of the animals I like for the ability to break the stigma around them. People don’t like skunks, but they’re super

important to our ecosystem. A lot of people are familiar with them but don’t actually know a lot about them. They just think they smell bad.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE? I’m not supposed to.

I KNOW. My favorite to work with is the alligators. They’re easy to handle, I’m very comfortable with them, I know a lot about them, and they have really high impact for being an easy-to-manage animal. People see big gators at zoos, but this is a tiny little baby that’s going

to grow to be the apex predator of the American south.

If I had to pick one favorite, Mango the Sun Conure who had been hoarded.

I was one of the first people he bonded with. He’s now very comfortable with people, but because he came from such a rough background, it takes him a while to warm up. It was very rewarding to be that person for him.

WHAT ABOUT A FAVORITE EXPERIENCE SO FAR? My favorite thing that a kid has ever said to me is that all animals are cute, even the ugly ones.

•

.FASHION.

craving to be a part of a plus-size fashion show. She says, “I want to show a realistic fat body as a heightened expression of femininity.” Ultimately, she hopes that her performances will send a message to women that they should be comfortable in their own skin. She also hopes that she will be able to inspire other women and femmes to “take a baby step into the extra world.”

SELF LOVE

BY JESSIE SAGE CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HIS FRIDAY NIGHT at the Irma Freeman Center, Danielle Jackson Thorn will host her debut plussize lingerie fashion show, Loving Your Reflection, Loving the Skin You’re In. In addition to the lingerie show, there will be burlesque, belly dance, and spokenword performances, as well as a vendor and art showcase. To capture the diversity of the show, I reached out to four folks who are playing different roles. Here is a preview of what is to come.

Vendor: Lesa Rumbalski

Fashion Show Director: Danielle Jackson Thorn

PHOTO: MIA PHOTOGRAPHY

Morrigana Regina

While Thorn has been modeling on and off since she was 16, this is the first time she has ever attempted to put on a fashion show. Her other Loving Your Reflection body-positive events, however, put her in community with a lot of womenowned businesses that were both bodypositive and fashion-oriented, which made the fashion show seem feasible and desirable.

The fashion show itself platforms models between the sizes of 14-26. She explains, “I have a lot of plus-size friends.

I wanted to showcase them and create a space that celebrates all bodies.” Size alone is not the only thing that makes this particular fashion show stand out.

Out of the 16 models and six performers,

“We have every kind of variation of plus-size there is: smaller plus-sizes, larger plus-sizes, scars, tattoos, etc.” Thorn goes on, “My aim is to challenge the way people see their bodies and learn to love them in whatever incarnation they are.”

As someone who has worked for a major clothing retailer, Grumet strongly believes, “In general, we need more examples of body-positivity and diversity of bodies, especially when it comes to fashion.”

Runway Model: Sarah Grumet

Drag Performer: Morrigana Regina

Sarah Grumet says she’s been following Thorn’s other body-positive work, and as soon as she heard about the show she immediately reached out. She comments, “Knowing her, I wanted to be a part of it.”

More specifically, Grumet says, “I love her constant emphasis on body-positivity and self-love, and acknowledging whatever journey you are on.”

Femme drag performer Morrigana Regina will provide entertainment during the show. Regina describes her performances as an exaggeration of female identity.

In her words, “Drag is like a fantasy. The character, the extra-ness. I wanted to be extra, extra as fuck.”

And that desire is also fueling her

LOVING YOUR REFLECTION, LOVING THE SKIN YOU’RE IN 8 p.m. The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination, 5006 Penn Ave., Garfield. facebook.com/whodoyoulovewhynotyourself

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In addition to walking the runway herself, Rumbalski’s pinup company, Retro Rosie, is providing lingerie for several models in the show. She will also have Retro Rosie pinup clothes and lingerie on display for the audience to buy.

Part of her motivation for both buying the company and participating in events such as this is to share with others how embracing pinup modeling positively impacted her own life. “The first time I did pinup I was a pretty broken person,” she says. “But when I started, and I saw the images that came from it, I started to heal.

I want to give that kind of community and fashion to everyone.” As such, her goal is to provide plus-size pinup options for women up to size 30, and ultimately “to change the dialogue around pinup” to be inclusive of all bodies.

There is a growing body-positive community in Pittsburgh that intertwines fashion, burlesque, and small business. Thorn sees the fashion show as an opportunity to bring together diverse people who are all working toward the same ends. She says, “We may not have traditional body types, but we are strong, and even stronger when we work together.”

•

The Romeo Club of MASD proudly presents

“America’s Premier Showman”

Mark Milovats And His Orchestra Saturday, May 4th 7PM

McKeesport High School Auditorium 1960 Eden Park Blvd, McKeesport, PA 15132 Featuring the McKeesport Band & Choir

Admission: $20 Tickets available through 412.999.9922 or Romeotickets@yahoo.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

27

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

DEVILISHLY GOOD

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

D

ATING BACK to the 18th century,

the term “diablerie” refers to sorcery supposedly assisted by the Devil. It also means being reckless or wild in a charismatic way, a definition that better suits the new show from self-described “spectacle-maker” Murphi Cook.

Of her latest work Diablerie, or the Last Puppet Show, at the Glitter Box Theater on April 26 and 27, Cook says, “The whole thing is sort of designed to be organized chaos.” She plays multiple roles in the play, which is about a mys-

terious roadside circus called the Diablerie. It unfolds as a lecture, but also as a vaudeville or variety show. There’s a love story. There’s a man who eats chicken heads. There’s a rock concert and a songstress called The Saddest Woman in the World. And it all opens with a song-and-dance number about popcorn, complete with free popcorn for the audience.

But, as Cook says, “Basically, it’s just a lecture about a circus.”

Adding to the sense of “organized chaos” are the multiple methods through

DIABLERIE, OR THE LAST PUPPET SHOW 7:30 p.m. Fri., April 26 and Sat., April 27. 460 Melwood Ave., Oakland. $10. theglitterboxtheater.com

which Cook tells the story, including puppetry, animation, music numbers, and outdated technology like a 35mm slide projector. She’s aided by bubblegoth band The Gothees, who provide accompaniment to Cook’s original songs, as well as reading lines and playing “devil boys.”

Originally inspired by Victorianera diableries — stereoscopic images featuring little demon-filled dioramas — the play has been years in the making. Cook first started working on the show back in 2012, when it served as her graduate thesis during her time studying Dramatic Writing at Carnegie Mellon University.

“It was just an impossible play,” says Cook, adding that it started out as a super visual spectacle with six characters. “People would say this play doesn’t make sense.”

“BASICALLY, IT’S JUST A LECTURE ABOUT A CIRCUS.” After years of traveling with Miniature Curiosa, a puppetry project she did with former creative partner, Zach Dorn, she revisited the play.

“I decided to make it even more impossible,” she says. “I would do all the parts and do all the tech and also make it a rock show, and I would also wear a leotard and a cape. It’s just the hardest thing I can do right now.”

Cook believes the show satisfies her fascination with the dark and weird, a facet apparent in her past work, including the live-action horror play Birds of America and the self-explanatory Tonight A Clown Will Travel Time.

But as with Diablerie, or the Last Puppet Show, there’s also an innocence to the style of Cook, who calls herself a “truck-driving librarian by day and puppet-maker by night” (she drives the storymobile for literacy nonprofit Reading is FUNdamental).

“I am kind of like a demented child in a universe of bright colors,” says Cook.

“So it’s scary, but it’s also very colorful.”

Though she understands Diablerie, or the Last Puppet Show could come off as overwhelming, she hopes audiences are willing to give themselves over to it and “get lost in this ride.”

“I know it’s going to be sort of crazy and confusing, but I hope that they can get on board with me and just fall into the diablerie and eat a lot of popcorn along the way,” says Cook.

•

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

29

CP PHOTOS: JARED WICKERHAM

Artists and photographers, RaeStxx, Latrice Phoenix, Renzo, and Khadijat Yussuff

..ART .. .

BEHIND THE LENS

BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HEN PHOTOGRAPHER Patience Whitfield noticed that galleries and other art spaces in town were lacking diversity, especially when it came to Black female photographers, she decided to take matters into her own hands. I Luv Ur Work, a one-day show at Gallery on Penn in East Liberty and organized by Whitfield’s company PLEE Projects, will showcase work from 10 Black female photographers.

“When I’m reading the newspaper or when I see people online, they kinda just focus on one little artsy area of Pittsburgh, and it’s something people don’t really talk about, but it’s something that people talk about,” says Whitfield. “I feel like it would improve if we can kind of be as diverse as we claim that we are as a city, by just including every area of the city, not just that whole Bloomfield/Lawrenceville artsy area that people wanna highlight.”

Whitfield says one of her goals with the show is to highlight how all the photographers have completely different styles, from maternity photos to film portraits. “Everyone’s style is completely different in how we’re creators ... like the diversity in our shooting styles,” says Whitfield.

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The show will include works by Corrine Jasmin, a poet who uses photography to share narratives about identity; B.LaRae, who focuses on portraits of families and children; and sara huny young, whose photos highlight Black women’s style and confidence. There will also be works by The Milton Company Complex, Renzo, Khadijah Yueseff, Raestxxx, Felicia Brown, and Jordyn Ari. Gallery on Penn opened in November 2018 as part of the small-business incubator program, Catapult: Startup to Storefront, run by nonprofit Circles Greater Pittsburgh. The space aims to give independent, minority-owned businesses the opportunity to grow along with the East Liberty development that has left many behind. The space hosts art shows, food trucks, open-mics, and sells goods by women-owned businesses, like baked goods by CobblerWorld and natural, cruelty-free beauty products from Naptural Beauty Supply. I Luv Ur Work will also include giveaways from some of the businesses.

Another featured photographer, Latrice Phoenix, focuses on nudity and pregnancy as a way to build confidence in her subjects. “I specialize in nude

I LUV UR WORK 4-8 p.m. Sat., April 27. Gallery on Penn, 5935 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Suggested donation entry.

photography, but I use my photography to facilitate discussions about the Black body and Black peoples’ experience in America,” says Phoenix. “Even when I

do personal photoshoots, I like to take my client’s flaws and insecurities and just show them to them, but in a way that they can appreciate them, in a

way they have never appreciated their bodies before.”

The title of the show, I Luv Ur Work, comes from Whitfield’s love of Mean Girls and the line “Danny DeVito, I love your work” (the poster art is also in the style of the Burn Book), but it also serves to correct the way Black women are often made to compete against each other.

“Definitely events that I’ve done, they kind of put the Black girls together to compete, by either having two Black girls of the same genre, two Black girls of the same style,” she says.

But Whitfield says her event has only fostered support among the artists.

“We’re like, ‘Hey I’m so excited to be able to work with you. I really love your work,’ so that’s something that we were all really saying when we all came together to do this event.”

Ultimately, the hope is that other galleries and event spaces in the city borrow Whitfield’s idea and feature more photography by Black women.

“We’re kinda just shadows in the corner because we take photos. I wanna see more events of people incorporating more Black women female photographers, and just Black women displays in general.”

•

Follow staff writer Hannah Lynn on Twitter @hanfranny

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

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ALT-WEEKLY ON-SCREEN

BY HANNAH LYNN HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: COHEN MEDIA GROUP

Join the staff of Pittsburgh City Paper at Harris Theater on April 27 for a screening of the 1977 film Between the Lines, which follows the daily life of the staff at a Boston alt-weekly paper. Directed by Joan Micklin Silver, the film stars Jeff Goldblum, John Heard, Marilu Henner, and more now-famous stars before they hit their stride.

The slogan on the original movie poster read, “Fun, adventure, romance on $75 a week” (double the CP salary – just kidding). Though mostly plotless, the movie follows the work and personal lives of the staff members of a BETWEEN THE paper on the LINES: FILM brink of sale to a corporate AND LIVE PANEL publisher.

DISCUSSION There are love Sat., April 27. triangles, parties, Harris Theater, fights, sexual 809 Liberty Ave., harassment, Downtown. and big egos at play, all while the staff tries to put together a paper every week.

Though there are obvious differences between the paper in the movie and CP, there are also striking similarities, from the low pay and long hours to the staff rapport and hunger for local news. The gender politics of the movie are also refreshingly honest for the time period (maybe because it was directed by a woman, even more rare for the time). The women in the movie don’t keep quiet when they deal with harassment from bosses or cocky male writers.

Come out to the screening and ask CP (almost) anything about working at an alt-weekly, and how it compares to 1977. •

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PHOTO: MAGNOLIA PICTURES

.FILM.

Steve Bannon in Venice, in between sips of Red Bull

SWAMP KING

BY HANNAH LYNN // HLYNN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HE MOST humanizing part of the Steve Bannon-centered documentary, The Brink, is when the former White House chief strategist is talking about how hideous he looked during the 2016 election. “I don’t know if you saw pictures, but I was scary,” he says.

He’s still hideous, especially when he wears two polo shirts at once, but the documentary takes a peek inside the monster and shows that, ultimately, his brain is hideous too.

Director Alison Klayman follows Bannon around in the wake of his ousting from the White House. It was a particularly frantic time, with the upcoming 2018 midterm elections in the U.S. and the 2019 parliamentary election in Europe. Bannon is indifferent to Trump insulting him on Twitter; all he cares about his spreading his message.

Much of the documentary tracks how Bannon took his movement international, as he meets with and advises nationalist politicians in Europe, like Brexit leader Nigel Farage. Bannon is trying to build a coalition between the far-right movements in Europe and America, uniting mostly under the message of “immigrants are bad.” They all rage against liberal “identity politics” yet thrive on pushing white identity. It’s both fascinating and repulsive to watch these people, who all hold power, sitting in a horribly wallpapered hotel dining room, shoving pasta in their mouths

while discussing the problems with the high birth rate among Muslims in Belgium. Viewers can, at least, take comfort in the fact that this life is exceptionally bleak. Watching Bannon sip a can of Red Bull on a balcony overlooking the river from his hotel room in Venice is about as idyllic as it gets.

THE BRINK Directed by Alison Klayman. Opens Fri., April 26 at Regent Square Theater

Bannon also travels around America, promoting Republican candidates, including Roy Moore, as well as those running in the 2018 midterms. He goes to fundraisers and rallies, spreading conspiracy theories about the Washington Post, George Soros, and other favorite topics.

When Bannon is interrupted by a heckler during a speech, he jokes to the crowd, “Who invited my ex-wife?” They respond as if they are watching a stand-up comedian at the height of his career. Each time he has a photo-op with a woman and her husband, he instructs the woman to stand in between them. “A rose between two thorns,” he says, every single time.

While he’s campaigning, the news is full of nightmares, from the Brett Kavanaugh hearing to the Tree of Life shooting.

Bannon doesn’t react. He keeps going.

Throughout the documentary (a form of media), Bannon is repeatedly seen

giving interviews with journalists (also the media), who have varying levels of disdain for their subject. “The more the mainstream media gets obsessed with this, the more it’s gonna be your biggest ally,” Bannon tells a group of far-right foreign leaders. Meanwhile, Bannon produces and releases his film TRUMP @WAR (the media) about the beauty of Trump’s victory and how leftist Trump dissenters are violent hooligans. Bannon proudly refers to it as propaganda.

The Brink exists somewhere along a spectrum with other recent political documentaries, like Weiner or Get Me Roger Stone that attempt to document the chaos of American politics through one figure. But unlike Roger Stone, for example, which mythologizes the political consultant into a cult villain, The Brink takes a more objective approach.

Klayman doesn’t hide the fact that she disagrees with Bannon, but there are no talking heads offering commentary or dramatic edits.

Watching The Brink feels, in some ways, pointless. There has been no shortage of lengthy articles and documentaries trying to break down Bannon’s thinking, or more broadly, trying to understand how the hell we got here. But the chaos is so incessant that it’s helpful to have cohesive documentation of the timeline. It’s just another rung in the Sisyphean ladder of trying to understand it all completely.

•

.FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 25

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In 1815, the most ferocious volcanic eruption in human history exploded from Mount Tambora in what’s now known as Indonesia. It flung gas and ash all over the planet, causing weird weather for three years. Sunlight dimmed, temperatures plummeted, skies were tumultuous, and intense storms proliferated. Yet these conditions ignited the imagination of author Mary Shelley, inspiring her to write what was to become her most notable work, Frankenstein. I suspect that you, too, will ultimately generate at least one productive marvel in response to the unusual events of the coming weeks.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): For over 40 years, Cancerian musician Carlos Santana has made music that blends rock and roll with Latin and African rhythms. In the early years, his creations sold well, but by the mid-1980s his commercial success declined. For a decade, he floundered. His fortunes began to improve after a spectacular meditation session. Santana says he was contacted by the archangel Metatron, who told him how to generate material for a new album. The result was Supernatural, which sold 30 million copies and won nine Grammy Awards. I mention this, Cancerian, because I suspect that you could soon experience a more modest but still rousing variation of Santana’s visitation. Are you interested? If so, the next seven weeks will be a good time to seek it out—and be very receptive to its possibility.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Expergefactor” is an old English word that has fallen out of use. In its original sense, it meant something that wakes you up, like an alarm clock or thunderstorm or your partner’s snoring. But I want to revive “expergefactor” and expand its meaning. In its new version, it will refer to an exciting possibility or beloved goal that consistently motivates you to spring out of bed in the morning and get your day started. Your expergefactor could be an adventure you’re planning or a masterpiece you’re working on or a relationship that fills you with curiosity and enchantment. In my astrological opinion, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to identify and fine-tune an expergefactor that will serve you well for a long time.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Whether or not you believe in magic, magic believes in you right now. Will you take advantage of the fancy gifts it has to offer? I guess it’s possible that you’re not interested in seeing deeper into the secret hearts of those you care for. Maybe you’ll go “ho-hum” when shown how to recognize a half-hidden opportunity that could bring vitalizing changes. And you may think it’s not very practical to romance the fire and the water at the same time. But if you’re interested, all that good stuff will be available for you.

P.S. To maximize the effects of the magic, believe in it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): We live in a cultural moment when satire, sarcasm, cynicism, and irony are prized as supreme emblems of intelligence. If you say that you value sincerity and earnestness, you risk being considered naive and unsophisticated. Nevertheless, the current astrological omens suggest that you will generate good fortune for yourself in the coming weeks by making liberal use of sincerity and earnestness. So please try not to fall into the easy trap of relying on satire, sarcasm, cynicism, and irony to express yourself. As much as is practical, be kindly frank and compassionately truthful and empathetically genuine. (P.S. It’s a strategy that will serve your selfish aims quite well.)

meaning in Italian is “smoked.” When used to describe a painting, it refers to blurred borders between objects or fuzzy transitions between areas of different colors. All the forms are soft and hazy. I bring this to your attention because I suspect the coming weeks will be a sfumatolike time for you. You may find it a challenge to make precise distinctions. Future and past may overlap, as well as beginnings and endings. That doesn’t have to be a problem as long as you’re willing to go with the amorphous flow. In fact, it could even be pleasurable and useful. You might be able to connect with influences from which you’ve previously been shut off. You could blend your energies together better with people who’ve been unavailable.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

“Most people don’t find their creativity,” mourned Libran author Truman Capote. “There are more unsung geniuses that don’t even know they have great talent.” If that describes you even a little bit, I’m happy to let you know that you’re close to stumbling upon events and insights that could change that. If you respond to the prompts of these unexpected openings, you will rouse a partially dormant aspect of your genius, as well as a half-inert stash of creativity and a semi-latent cache of imaginativity.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Do you know the word “sfumato”? Its literal

“You have a right to experiment with your life,” declared author Anaïs Nin. I agree. You don’t necessarily have to be what you started out to be.

You can change your mind about goals that you may at one time have thought were permanent.

I suspect you could be at one of these pivot points right now, Sagittarius. Are there any experiments you’d like to try? If so, keep in mind this further counsel from Nin. It’s possible “you will make mistakes. And they are right, too.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You have one main task to accomplish in the coming weeks, Capricorn. It’ll be simple and natu-

ral if you devote yourself to it wholeheartedly. The only way it could possibly become complicated and challenging is if you allow your focus to be diffused by less important matters. Ready for your assignment? It’s articulated in this poem by Rupi Kaur: “bloom beautifully / dangerously / loudly / bloom softly / however you need / just bloom.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When the forces of the Roman Empire occupied the British Isles from the years 43 to 410, they built 2,000 miles of roads. Their methods were sophisticated. That’s why few new roads were built in England until the 18th century, and many of the same paths are still visible and available today. In this spirit, and in accordance with astrological omens, I recommend that you make good use of an old system or network in the coming weeks. This is one time when the past has blessings to offer the future.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I’m not enigmatic and intriguing enough,” writes a Piscean blogger named RiddleMaster. “I really must work harder. Maybe I’ll start wearing ankle-length black leather coats, billowing silk scarves imprinted with alchemical symbols, and wide-brimmed hats. I’ll listen to Cambodian folk songs and read rare books in ancient Sanskrit.

When someone dares to speak to me, I’ll utter cryptic declarations like, ‘The prophecies will be fulfilled soon enough.’” I understand Riddle Master’s feelings. You Pisceans need mystery almost as much as you need food. But I believe you should set aside that drive for a few weeks.

The time has come for you to show the world who you are with crisp candor.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving typically features a spectacular shopping orgy. On Black Friday, stores sell their products at steep discounts, and consumers spend their money extravagantly.

But the creators of the game Cards Against Humanity have consistently satirized the tradition.

In 2013, for example, they staged a Black Friday “anti-sale,” for which they raised their prices. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to try something similar. Is it possible you’re undercharging for your products and services and skills?

If so, consider asking for more. Reassess your true worth and seek appropriate rewards.

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

Pittsburgh’s lone liberal talkshow host for 30+ years Listen live every weekday at 10 a.m. at lynncullen.pghcitypaper.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

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TOP 5

PITTSBURGH TINY DESK SUBMISSIONS

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

The Moat Rats

In March, NPR opened submissions for its fourth annual Tiny Desk contest.

Up and coming bands could send video demos between March 12 and April 14 for a chance to perform at NPR music writer Bob Boilen’s famed “tiny desk.”

Among the wave of submissions were a number of videos from Pittsburgh acts.

Here are CP’s favorites:

BUFFALO ROSE “BORN”

Chosen as one of NPR’s “Tiny Desk Contest Entries We Love,” Buffalo Rose’s intimate performance makes the listener feel as though they are right there in the room with the band.

BILAL ABBEY “AESTHETIC”

Most Tiny Desk performances are shot in a brightly lit room, but Bilal Abbey performed the single from his new album, Gremlins, basked in purple light.

Perhaps a nod to Tyler, The Creator’s 2017 Tiny Desk Concert?

THE MOAT RATS

Thanks for sharing, @bobtedesco!

Tag your photos of Pittsburgh with #CPReaderArt for your chance to be featured on Instagram!

“EDGE OF THE WORLD” This seven-member group fills the entirety of the screen (we see you in the back, drummer), just as their energy fills the air.

THE STAPLETONS

“BLUE MOUNTAIN GIRL” Another plucked from NPR’s “Tiny Desk Contest Entries We Love,” this one prominently features a harp in a surprising, but charming new context.

STARSHIP MANTIS “ROGER JONES”

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With headgear, sparkly fringe, metallic pants, Starship Mantis’ out-ofthis-world weirdness shines bright in its Tiny Desk submission.

PHOTO: JENNY ANDERSON

Jeffrey Kringer & Betsy Stewart of Cruel Intentions

.JUST JAGGIN’.

CRUEL WORLD

BY JOSH OSWALD // JOSWALD@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

A

NARRATIVE devolving into song and dance has never made sense .to me in the same way that wizards, witches, and warlocks don’t.

But when I got the opportunity to see a musical based on my debauched, late90s pop-culture upbringing, I threw my ass in the jackpot.

Cruel Intentions The ’90s Musical is a jukebox musical — a performance that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score. I was unfamiliar with this term as a sane person who systematically avoids such tomfoolery.

But as a scholar of Cruel Intentions the movie, I knew I had to put aside my prejudgments so I could police the use of the source material — a difficult task, considering I’d be watching a musical, based on a movie, based on an 18thcentury French novel that I have never read. This would be the exact moment my two years of blood, sweat, and high school theater prepared me for.

The show opens with me waiting at the Byham’s bar for a sippy cup of gin and tonic and Sebastian (Jeffrey Kringer) at his therapist’s office. After the session, his therapist discovers that Sebastian has posted pictures of her daughter on the internet — and we’re not talking headshots here, if you catch my drift.

The musical moves briskly through the exposition, paralleling the movie quite nicely and inserting ’90s charttopper after chart-topper, sometimes

a bit too forcefully, into the narrative often connecting dialogue and action to specific song lyrics. While the song selection was sometimes anachronistic, especially NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye,” the vocal execution of the cast on top of the air-tight live backing band more than made up for any inconsistencies.

The cast, whose performances seemed a bit too tongue-in-cheek at the beginning, convincingly won the hearts and minds of the audience by intermission, especially the crowd favorite — naive underdog Cecile played by a charmingly manic Brooke Singer. Taylor Pearlstein’s portrayal of the hyper-sexual and conniving Kathryn made audience members shift in their seats and laugh to cut the tension. Kringer’s Sebastian was impressively accurate, right down to the exposed-buttocks scene, and Betsy Stewart maintained Annette’s holierthan-thou persona up until the climax, which in this production is both figurative and literal.

While the combination of serious narrative and oft-slapstick song and dance can be a distraction, Cruel Intentions The ’90s Musical awoke a musical fandom hiding somewhere within me.

The beginnings of numbers I had met with eye rolls, typically concluded with an awkward smile on my face and a mix of emotions I’ll need to schedule an appointment with Sebastian’s therapist to deal with.

•

Follow digital media manager Josh Oswald on Twitter @gentlemenRich

remember me to keep my peace.

.FASHION.

CLOTHES MAKE …

I READ THAT THE SCARAB IS ALSO CONNECTED TO THE CHAKRAS. There is a connection to the chakras, and some people also see it as connection to the human brain; you can quest and search for more information.

BY TERENEH IDIA CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

DO YOU WEAR IT EVERY DAY OR OFTEN? I am a moody dresser. [Laughs] But I have worn it every day for the past three to four months.

NAME: Jasmine Graham-Napper HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF? WHAT DO YOU DO? Life quester.

YOU HAVE BEAUTIFUL ACCESSORIES LIKE THE PIERCINGS AND GLASSES. The piercings are a creative expression of who I am and [an] extension, really. And intentional obviously, because it hurts. ... The piercings: I have three in the nose, two septum piercings, and a nostril.

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING TODAY? I’ll start from the top: This hat was my great-grandmother’s. It is so special to me and today was special, so I wanted to wear something that reminded me of her.

HOW DID YOU GET IT? After my great-grandmother passed, my grandmother, who was her daughter, inherited everything she left behind. So sometimes she allowed me to rummage through her belongings, begrudgingly, but I was able to sneak this one away.

And then the shirt I picked up online a few years ago. I am one of those people who still have clothes from high school, with the tags on it. So, occasionally I pick back through some things and this kind of popped up for me. And I like the way it contrasts with the jumper I am wearing.

Most people who know me in daily life would say “Oh I know Jasmine, she usually wears a skullcap and jumper or the farmer jack outfit.”

And the sandals because it is so warm out.

I LOVE THE LILAC TRENCH COAT! Absolutely, this I grabbed at a resale shop in Lawrenceville.

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVE THAT IS A GIFT THAT SOMEONE BOUGHT FOR YOU THAT YOU WEAR OFTEN? You’re probably expecting me to say something physical but the only thing that comes to mind is confidence, reassurance, believing in who I am and what I can do. That is a gift. ... My family, they believe in me sometimes more than I do myself, that is my best accessory and foundation of who I am.

CP PHOTO: TERENEH IDIA

Jasmine Graham-Napper at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

OH, AND I ALMOST FORGOT THE TEAKETTLE [BEING USED AS PURSE]!

This is a family heirloom it belonged to my great-great-grandmother’s sister. It has been nicked through the years, but it still holds up nice.

IS ANYTHING YOU’RE WEARING A GIFT YOU BOUGHT YOURSELF THAT HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO YOU? This anklet I bought about six years ago.

The scarab is traditionally known as a protection, but for me it is moreso to

IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS SPRING, THIS SEASON? The sunlight! [Laughs] Asked to pick a favorite place in Pittsburgh, Jasmine said the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. A big thank you to Julie LaBar and everyone at the Phipps for welcoming us and allowing us to photograph on a busy weekend.

•

Follow featured contributor Tereneh Idia on Twitter @Tereneh152XX

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

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PHOTO: DR. ROBERT KORMOS

Attack Theatre dancer Kaitlin Dann

.DANCE.

MACHINE VARIATIONS

BY STEVE SUCATO // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

A

TTACK THEATRE closes out its

24th season with one of its most .ambitious programs to date, The Rube Goldberg Variations.

The 90-minute dance-theater performance combines Rube Goldberg machines, which achieve simple tasks through unnecessarily elaborate means, with J.S. Bach’s equally detailed composition The Goldberg Variations. In it, two neighbors (here portrayed by Mark Thompson and Carolina Loyola-Garcia) face off over their differences to create humorous situations that culminate in the building of their own Rube Goldberg machine of understanding.

The idea of a Rube Goldberg machine can also be found in Bach’s music, says the show’s music director, Latin Grammy Award-nominated composer,

Flavio Chamis.

“One of the most intellectually creative pieces of music ever, I see The Goldberg Variations as a 32-piece Rube Goldberg musical contraption,” says Chamis. “There is a permanent flow of musical ideas moving forward, all tracked on a recurring bass line which is the conduit of the whole piece. Each variation carries forward from the previous one, steering at the same time to the next. The marvel of this process is the final task of this chain-reaction-journey: a return to right where we started.”

Bach’s score will be performed live by nationally-acclaimed pianist Nathan Carterette and bassist María Macarena Castellón. Also included in the program’s soundscape will be original ambient music by longtime Attack collaborators

Dave Eggar and Chuck Palmer, as well as an original closing composition by Chamis.

Company member Kaitlin Dann returned after taking time off for her first child Nelson.

ATTACK THEATRE PRESENTS

THE RUBE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS

8 p.m. Thu., April 25. Continues through Sun., April 28. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. $15-45.

412-320-4610 or attacktheatre.com/goldberg

“It is interesting that this is the show I am coming back to because Rube Goldberg machines are so much about taking simple tasks and having overly complicated ways of getting them done. It seems like that, in and of itself,

Follow featured contributing writer Steve Sucato on Twitter @ssucato

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

is parenthood as a dancer,” says Dann. “A simple task of rehearsing a three-minute section is finding the overcomplicated steps to put the baby to sleep or making sure he is happy so momma can go and dance.”

The dancers will facilitate parts of the narrative by taking small ideas and making them bigger. Dann sees similarities between Attack’s creative process and seeing the exploded pathways of a Rube Goldberg machine.

“We are really good at working backwards, upside down, sideways, and diagonal to get to a final goal,” says Dann.

“Once you start down this rabbit hole of seeing this world through all these bits and pieces that come together and create a final grand product, suddenly everything starts to shimmer in that light.”

•

.LIT .

JIM DANIELS’ NEW FICTION

BY REGE BEHE CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

J

IM RAY DANIELS is best known as a poet. He’s spent the last 30 years produc ing thoughtful, mostly straightforward poetry that focuses on his upbringing as a working class kid in Detroit. He’s published a number of collections, including his 1985 debut Places/Everyone, which was awarded the Brittingham Prize for Poetry. Despite the acclaim and prolific output, once in a while, Daniels likes to switch tracks completely, and work on short stories. “[Short fiction] allows me to do some things I can’t do in poetry: character development and dialogue and things like that,” says Daniels, who just released The Perp Walk (Michigan State Press), a short-story collection. “I don’t have any novels in me, but I like the longer form of the short story.”

The Perp Walk is comprised of interconnected stories that track a young man’s progression to manhood. Daniels admits the character is a bit of jerk, but the arc of the story will ring familiar to anyone who came of age during the 1970s. There are stories about relationships, parties, and sex, the typical concerns of youth. Daniels writes these tales from varying perspectives and points of view, creating an aspect of doubt about the truthfulness of the young characters.

Jim Ray Daniels

“One of the things I’m playing around with in the book is, what is fiction?” says Daniels, who lives in Oakland and moved to Pittsburgh when he was 25.

“I’ve been hanging out with writers for a long time, and the expression ‘don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story’ is something I’ve taken to heart. I’m kind of playing around with different versions of the truth.”

The Perp Walk acts as a bridge between Daniels’ writing pursuits, with a few of the shorter stories having evolved from poems. He also makes another connection in the book: Most of the stories take place in Daniels’ native Detroit, but by the end of the collection,

there are scenes in Pittsburgh.

Daniels suspects he may have drawn connections between Detroit and Pittsburgh in prior books, “but not that often,” he says. “I’ve had more poems set in Pittsburgh than stories, particularly about my kids when they were growing up here.

As we had our family, I ended up writing

more poems set here because so much was happening in my life as opposed to looking back on Detroit. But there’s obviously a dynamic that goes back and forth, in my head at least, that doesn’t always show up on the page.”

There’s a natural tendency to see Daniels’ stories as biographical instead of observational. At a reading in Michigan attended by his parents, a friend from grad school was in attendance.

One of the stories he read was about a character whose parents were divorced.

The friend later approached Daniels’ mother to console her about the divorce.

“My mom’s been a pretty good sport about it,” he says of the literal interpretations of his work.

While Daniels has a clear affection for the 1970s, he’s also cognizant that it’s dangerous to let nostalgia overwhelm a story. Each story must be more than just the recollection of an event or memory — it also must be universal.

“I am aware of that [nostalgia] creeping in,” Daniels says. “Because someone my age is looking back, revisiting and re-evaluating, actually. A lot of the tension is between how I saw things then and how I see things now. I know I’m older, but I don’t know if I’m any wiser. I like to imagine that I am.”

•

BETWEEN THE LINES: Jon Yahalom, author of Caring for the People of the Clouds: Aging and Dementia in Oaxaca (OU Press), will visit White Whale Bookstore in Bloomfield.

Yahalom, a Duquesne University graduate who lives in Los Angeles, writes about a family taking care of Oaxacan elders afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease in Mexico. 7 p.m. Fri., April 26. Free. 754 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield.

412-224-2847 or whitewhalebookstore.com

Follow featured contributor Rege Behe on Twitter @RegeBehe_exPTR

presents

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! THE WSO WILL HAVE YOU HUMMING ALL SUMMER LONG!

SATURDAY, MAY 4 - 8 PM TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL 231 Park Avenue Washington, PA 15301

Tickets available at 1-888-71-TICKETS or www.washsym.org or at the door.

For more information call 724-223-9796 or visit www.washsym.org The WSO has received funding for its 2018-2019 season marketing project from the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency, Inc.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

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.MUSIC.

STEEL BLOSSOMING

BY LISA CUNNINGHAM LCUNNING@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

C

AN STEEL BLOSSOMS do for country music what Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa have done for Pittsburgh hip-hop?

Hometown girls Hayley Prosser and Sara Zebley are joining the ranks of Kacey Musgraves and Brandi Carlile, pushing the boundaries with untraditional lyrics and busting up the boys’ club of the current country scene.

The Americana duo, who grew up in the Pittsburgh area, is mostly a honkytonk group with some folk mixed in.

There are even some rockabilly and cow-punk vibes on new tracks like “Trailer Neighbor,” about a gossiping woman next door who knows everyone’s business.

“I like to say that I might have grown up on a street of trailer neighbors,” says Prosser. “I’m from the South Hills and everybody knows what’s going on in everybody else’s lives all the time.

There’s not really any secrets.”

“Hayley is my trailer neighbor,” says Zebley.

The bandmates and friends often finish each other’s sentences. “It was instant chemistry between the two of us when we were singing and we just kind of knew right away that we had something really unique together,” Zebley says.

The two met at a music festival in 2008 and, years later, quit their jobs as elementary school teachers to move to Nashville and pursue a music career.

Since then, they’ve become full-time musicians, touring the country at house shows, which they love because they’re “super personal and intimate.” No, they don’t peek in people’s medicine cabinets while they’re there, but they do sleep there. “It’s one of the great parts of it,” says Zebley.

CP chatted with the duo before they return home this weekend for an album release show on Fri., April 26 at Hard Rock Cafe.

WHY THE NAME STEEL BLOSSOMS? ZEBLEY: We wanted to pay tribute to our roots. We like to say that Pittsburgh is really where we blossomed. It’s where we met, it’s where we both grew up, and

Hayley Prosser and Sara Zebley

STEEL BLOSSOMS ALBUM RELEASE 8:30 p.m. Fri., April 26. Hard Rock Cafe Pittsburgh, 230 W. Station Square Drive, Station Square. $20. steelblossoms.com

it’s where we really blossomed as people and musicians.

YOU LIST KACEY MUSGRAVES AS AN INFLUENCE. DO YOU THINK SHE’S OPENED DOORS FOR OTHER WOMEN COUNTRY ARTISTS TO BE A LITTLE EDGIER? BOTH IN SYNC: Oh yes, definitely.

PROSSER: She is our queen. We modeled a lot of our writing after her. She pushes the envelope and we kind of like that she doesn’t play the radio game and doesn’t try to please everyone all the time. She just does her thing.

She’s singing about real things and for us. We would hear her songs and we’d be like, “Oh, we can say that in a song?” and it gave us the freedom to do that.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT BUT YOU’RE AFRAID THE COUNTRY AUDIENCE WOULDN’T ACCEPT? I’M THINKING BACK TO WHEN THE DIXIE CHICKS WERE BOYCOTTED AFTER TALKING ABOUT GEORGE W. BUSH. DO YOU THINK THE SCENE HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN? PROSSER: I think a lot of people are scared to sing about politics or be open in their political views, but for us, I wouldn’t say that there’s anything really that we’re scared of writing or singing about. We have a song on the album called “Heroine” and that was kind of the first time where we were like, “Alright, we’re going

to do it. We’re going to write a song about our personal experiences with friends and loved ones who have struggled with addiction.” So yeah, I think other people might be afraid of us writing about things like that, but we’re definitely not.

HAVE YOU FACED ANY SEXISM IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY SO FAR? ZEBLEY: Oh yeah.

PROSSER: [Country music] is such a maledominated genre. Americana music is a little more open. I think especially for us being girls and looking young, that has definitely been a struggle.

ZEBLEY: That has actually worked not in our favor. A lot of people don’t think we know what we’re doing. We show up somewhere and the guys will be like, “Where’s your band?” And we’re like, “It’s us, we’re the band,” and they judge us before they give us a real chance.

YOU HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG FEMALE FANS. DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELVES AS ROLE MODELS? PROSSER: I would like to hope that we’re role models to say that girls can really do anything. They can go out and chase their dreams and they don’t have to stay home or be the housewife.

ZEBLEY: Or they can move away and pursue something strange!

•

SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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FRI., MAY 10 THE HAPPY FITS 6:30 P.M. SMILING MOOSE UPSTAIRS SOUTH SIDE. All-ages event. $10-12.

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With special guest Early Eyes.

1 P.M. TRUST ARTS EDUCATION CENTER DOWNTOWN. Ages 8-10. $20 (registration required). 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org.

SAT., MAY 11 SIGNS OF THE SWARM 6 P.M. SMILING MOOSE UPSTAIRS SOUTH SIDE. All-ages event. $15.

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MON., MAY 13 METAL CHURCH 7:30 P.M. CRAFTHOUSE SOUTH HILLS. $20-22. 412-653-2695 or ticketfly.com.

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39

SEVEN DAYS OF ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

^ Thu., April 25: LOCHER + LOCHER

THURSDAY APRIL 25 ART Siblings Brandon and Olivia Locher aren’t artistic collaborators in the strict sense.

They work in different mediums (Brandon primarily in music and visual art; Olivia in photography). However, their lives and their work have been intertwined for the majority of their adult life, both in their hometown of Johnstown, Pa., and in New

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York City, where they lived together for a time and helped each other hone their crafts. SPACE Gallery presents the Lochers’ work side-by-side with LOCHER + LOCHER, featuring Olivia’s satirical, confrontational photography and Brandon’s intricate, abstract illustrations. Continues through Sun., May 12. SPACE Gallery, 812 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free. spacepittsburgh.org

KIDS It’s that magical time of year when miniature humans in tiny bow ties and power suits push their way through revolving doors to

take the helm of businesses for a day. Candy and naps for everyone! When your kids get sick of pretending to be in charge for Take A Child to Work Day, head over to the Trust Arts Education Center for Jazz Time! Family Jazz Performance, a special performance of the Cultural Trust’s childhood jazz performance series. Kids can learn the “instruments styles, and elements” of jazz through a story created by Pittsburgh artist and vocalist Anqwenique Wingfield, with music and lyrics by composer Douglas Levine. 10:30 a.m. 807 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free. trustarts.org

FRIDAY

APRIL 26 ART There’s no shortage of galleries, museums, and installations for art lovers to visit in Pittsburgh, but it’s definitely a lot easier to do so when all the attractions are within 14 blocks. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust hosts its quarterly Gallery Crawl, a multivenue display of Downtown’s art and

nt s: Pr e s e Reel Q

TH

A p r i l 2 6 - 28 TH

LOCATION

ios The Alloy Stud e.

Av nn Pe 5530 15206 Pittsburgh, PA

SCHEDULE FRIDAY — APRIL 26, 2019

PHOTO: AVAILABLE LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

^ Sat., April 27: Pittsburgh Freaky Fair

entertainment scene. This crawl includes exhibits such as Portals, a collection of non-objective, abstract works from 80-plus artists at 707 Penn Gallery; and We Are All Related, a multimedia exhibition created by Pittsburgh photographer Andrea London, celebrating the commonalities of Western Pennsylvania residents at 937 Liberty. 5:30-10 p.m.

Cultural District, Downtown.

Free. trustarts.org

FILM For the third year in a row, the Pittsburgh Underground [Queer] Film Festival (PUFF) offers a selection of unconventional films about LGBTQ communities.

Opening night at Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Alloy Studios will feature Knife + Heart, a 2018 French film about a porn director who gets caught up in a murder investigation. The screening will be followed by a dance party at P-Town with music by Jellyfish. Other films include The Cockettes, a documentary about a 1969 drag troupe, and Don’t Be Nice, a documentary about a New York slam-poetry team. 7:30 p.m. Continues through April 28. 5530 Penn Ave., East Liberty. $7-10. reelq.org

^ Sat., April 27: Miss Gay Pittsburgh Pride PHOTO: 2018 MISS GAY PITTSBURGH PRIDE VIVIAN LE CHER

7:30PM Opening Night: KNIFE + HEART

SATURDAY

SATURDAY — APRIL 27, 2019

APRIL 27

2PM Screening: THE COCKETTES

BIKE Riding bikes and drinking beer are two of life’s great pleasures. Riding in the sun, working up a sweat, and then quenching your thirst with a cold brew, it’s hard to beat. East End Brewing Company transforms this leisurely activity into a ride to benefit charity.

Now in its 15th year, The Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride brings riders together to celebrate the brewery with Pedal Pale Ale and kegs of fresh beer brought along for the ride.

Every now and then, the riders stop and enjoy just a little beer. The ride starts at the brewery, but the end destination isn’t revealed until riders reach it. The total distance is between 6-11 miles. Money raised will be donated to Auberle Foster Care Foundation.

9:30 a.m. 147 Julius St., Larimer. $25. eastendbrewing.com

4:30-6:30PM: ASSEMBLE + PUFF QUEER ART & COMMUNITY MARKETPLACE 7:30PM Screening: NARCISSISTER ORGAN PLAYER

SUNDAY — APRIL 28, 2019 2PM Screening: DON’T BE NICE 5:30PM Screening: PITTSBURGH QUEER SHORT FILMS A collection of locally based short films focused on LGBTQ+ themes.

ticket info

PARTY People from this city will never hesitate to tell an outsider that a particular celebrity hails from Pittsburgh, whether it’s Michael Keaton, Gertrude Stein, or Christina Aguilera (Wexford still counts). But no

reelq.org/puff Art/Design by harleyskibicki.com and AramDesigns.com

CONTINUES ON PG. 42

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 24-MAY 1, 2019

41

CALENDAR, CONTINUED FROM PG. 41

PHOTO: DAVID BACHMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

^ Tue., April 30: Don Pasquale

name looms larger than August Wilson, and with good reason. Few Pittsburghbred artists have left such an indelible mark on American culture while focusing their work so squarely on their hometown.

The August Wilson Block Party celebrates this legacy by bringing revelers to the famous playwright’s childhood home in the Hill District. All around the home — which is currently being converted into a theater and cultural center — find vendors, games, live music, food trucks and live stage performances. The party is a celebration of Wilson’s birthday and marks the fourth year the Hill District has hosted the event.

11 a.m. 1727 Bedford Ave., Hill District.

Free. augustwilsonbirthdaycelebration.com

LIT Celebrate Pittsburgh’s independent bookstores during their national holiday at City of Asylum on the North Side. The Pittsburgh staple hosts a number of Indie Bookstore Day activities and special offerings, including limited edition merchandise, raffles, giveaways, and discounts. The day will also include visits from book-loving Pittsburghers, like

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documentarian Rick Sebak and children’s author Brittany Thurman. 11:45 a.m.

40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. cityofasylumbooks.org

MUSIC Get ready for a full day of live music when Cornerstone at Tonidale presents the 15th annual Blues Society of Western PA’s Blues Challenge. The competition pits 14 acts, including ensembles, solo, or duos, all vying for cash prizes, studio time, and a chance to represent the Blues Society of Western PA at the 2020 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. Each act has 20 minutes to perform for a panel of judges. Make sure to stick to schedule — changeovers between performances are a mere 10 minutes. The event includes food and drinks, with a timeout for dinner. 1 p.m. 7001 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale. $12. bswpa.org

ART Art All Night returns to 31st Street Studios for another massive showcase of uncensored, non-juried work from hundreds of local artists. Now in its 22nd year, the event presents more than 20 hours

of interactive art, family-friendly activities, live entertainment, and a video lounge.

Put in a bid at the art auction or help Art All Night become a zero-waste occasion by turning your trash into a sculpture.

Other possible features this year include a glass-blowing demo, body painting, a life-size board game, and more. 4 p.m.

Continues through Sun., April 28. 77 31st St., Strip District. Free. artallnight.org

MARKET A good craft fair has a wide selection of handmade jewelry, art, clothing, home goods, and more. But a great craft fair has historical zombie portraits, animal bone sculptures, and wearable terrariums. The bi-annual Pittsburgh Freaky Fair is back to show off the latest goth, paranormal, occult, or otherwise spooky goods. Located in SouthSide Works in the former H&M building (extra freaky!), the fair will have dozens of vendors, DJs, tarot readers, and food trucks. To celebrate the fair’s fifth year, there will also be a raffle to win baskets of goods donated by vendors. 5 p.m.

Continues through April 28. 535 S. 27th St., South Side. $5. pittsburghfreakyfair.com

DRAG Who has what it takes to be the next Miss Gay Pittsburgh Pride 2019? Find out at There Ultra Lounge as queens compete for the crown. Hosted by Lady Rose Amore, the newly crowned Miss Steel City Comedy Queen, contestants show off their best in three categories: talent, presentation, and on-stage questions.

May the best queen win! 10 p.m. 931 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Search “Miss Gay Pittsburgh Pride 2019” on Facebook

SUNDAY APRIL 28 PHOTOS The annual PGH Photo Fair returns to the Carnegie Museum of Art Hall of Sculpture with 17 exhibitors from Pittsburgh, New York, and abroad. As the city’s only photography-focused art fair, the event will host internationally known dealers and photo projects showing museum-quality prints and photo-based art spanning from 19th-century vintage prints to contemporary

TUESDAY

works, as well as photography books and magazines. Among those featured is the New York-based nonprofit, Aperture, and PGH Photo Fair co-founder Spaces Corners, as well as the Pittsburgh’s own Silver Eye Center for Photography. 10 a.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. pghphotofair.com

APRIL 30 STAGE

Don Pasquale is an old, rich bachelor, trying to set his nephew up with a nice girl. But his nephew is not interested. Cue the chaos. The resulting opera, Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, is delightfully funny and filled with trickery and deceit.

Pittsburgh Opera’s iteration at the Benedum Center shifts the story to 1950s Hollywood. 7 p.m. 237 Seventh St., Downtown. $7-160.25. pittsburghopera.org

LIT Hear a selection of poetry when the Brooklyn-based nonprofit art and publishing collective, Ugly Duckling Presse, visits Brillobox. Presented as part of a multi-city, multi-month celebration of UDP’s first 25 years, the event features readers Kate Colby, Nathaniel Farrell, Phil Metres, Laura Solomon, Ed Steck, and Cathy Wagner. UDP editor and co-founder Matvei Yankelevich will provide introductions throughout the evening. Guests are welcome to come early before the show and mingle with the authors. 7 p.m. 4104 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. Free. brilloboxpgh.com

MONDAY

WEDNESDAY MAY 1 DRINKS PHOTO: PUFF

^ Fri., April 26: Don’t Be Nice

APRIL 29 READING

In author Zinzi Clemmons’ 2017 debut novel What We Lose, a college student’s life begins to fall apart after her mother

dies of cancer, and she has to learn to live with the grief while navigating a complicated time in her life. The story is roughly based on Clemmons’ own life and the diaries she kept while caring for her sick mother. Clemmons will speak at

the McConomy Auditorium at Carnegie Mellon University about leadership and literature, as part of a joint event with the business and English departments.

7 p.m. 5032 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. cmu.edu/tepper

Join tannin lovers and wine-heads for an unforgettable Wine Wednesday at the Pittsburgh Wine Festival. The event is based on a simple mission: to “bring the world of wine to the people of Pittsburgh,” this year with over 500 global varieties. Back for its 17th year, the festival has seminars and specialized tastings to broaden Pittsburghers’ horizons.

5 p.m. Heinz Field East & West Club Lounges, 100 Art Rooney Ave., North Side. $125-250. pittsburghwinefestival.com •

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NAME CHANGE

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-433, In re petition of Allison Kopaczynski parent and legal guardian of Cody Jackson, for change of name to Cody Jackson Kopaczynski. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 24th day of April, 2019, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-3919.

In re petition of Philip Thomas Palcsey for change of name to Philip Thomas Santillo.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 14th day of May, 2019, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for

NAME CHANGE

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-3919. In re petition of Matthew William Palcsey for change of name to Matthew William Santillo.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 14th day of May, 2019, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-19-005199, In re petition of Arielle Sagbohan parent and legal guardian of Nathaniel Luc Mari, for change of name to Nathaniel Luc-Mari Vossah.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 8th day of May, 2019, at 9:45 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for

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1. Even-money roulette bet 5. Jet 8. Gass’s partner in Tenacious D 12. Gloomy and dismal 14. Opium, in slang 15. Fear’s representation, on a mood ring 16. New Zealand’s national rugby team, or a hint to this puzzle’s theme 19. “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is ___” (Henry Ford) 20. Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius 21. “Back to ____” (Amy Winehouse album) 23. Type of bear, mamba, or panther 24. Justice Hugo 25. Like almost every sharp key on a piano 29. 1991 Joyce Carol Oates play 37. Atramentous 38. 8-ball’s color 39. ___ Sabbath (Ozzy’s band) 40. Pen choice 43. Total absence of light 44. Description of a kettle, in a phrase 45. ____ Lives Matter

48. Chess side 51. Depressed 55. Sea off the coast of Istanbul 57. Like spades and clubs 59. CMYK (0, 0, 0, 100) 60. Obsidian 61. Top belt in a karate dojo 62. “Men in ___” 63. Germany’s “Forest” along the Rhine 64. Coffee order

DOWN

1. Type of box found in a cockpit 2. Melanite’s hue 3. Like ice that’s difficult to see on a road 4. Relating to covert intelligence 5. “The Choice Is Yours” rappers ___ Sheep 6. Dingy 7. Guinness, vis-à-vis Bass Ale’s “tan” 8. “Friday” after Thanksgiving’s descriptor 9. Go into an alcohol-induced coma, with “out” 10. Wild West bandit Bart 11. In the ___ (out of debt) 13. Color of the American Express Centurion card 14. “___ Boy”

(Richard Wright book) 17. Clint of country 18. Like charred food 22. Most-common color of ink 26. Singer Rebecca with the 2011 viral video “Friday” 27. Murky 28. Shoe polish choice 29. Onyx 30. Satanworshippers’ “Mass” 31. Sable 32. “The ___ Stallion” 33. Color of a turned-off computer screen 34. Stand-up comic Lewis 35. Raven 36. Tell-tale sign of a goth, outfit-wise 41. One side of an

Othello disc 42. ___ Death (the Plague) 46. Tie worn at a formal event 47. Cat that can curse 48. Dirty and soiled, maybe 49. Pixies frontman Frank 50. Demographic which voted 95% for Obama in 2008 51. Oreo cookie hue 52. Pitch 53. ___ cow (root beer float) 54. Ebony 56. Sinister, in a literary way 57. Kind of “hole” in outer space 58. Sooty LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

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PEEPSHOW A sex and social justice column

BY JESSIE SAGE // PEEPSHOWCAST@GMAIL.COM

I

N MARCH, my partner and I gave a

the algorithms. As a byproduct, tech becomes harmful.

talk at Carnegie Mellon University’s Ethics for Technologists lecture series on the impact of the controversial anti-trafficking law FOSTA/ SESTA on technology. It was there that I met Alison Falk, founder of the monthly digital publication Sex Tech Space (STS) and the platform Women in Tech PGH. At the time, Falk was getting ready to launch her special issue of STS on FOSTA/SESTA. I reached out to her to ask about what she is doing to platform women in tech and why sextech is important.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE FIELD OF SEXTECH? I didn’t have a traditional background into technology. I have a degree in international business and then got a scholarship for a Master’s in brand management. I moved back to Pittsburgh and couldn’t find a job. While I looked, I enrolled in a coding boot camp because I was inspired by the women on the hashtag #womenwhocode on Instagram. I got hired as an app developer, and as I explored new sectors of the tech industry, I still felt lost. After discovering sextech, I really felt like it was an area in which I could contribute because sex positivity is something so important to me.

Alison Falk

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO START WOMEN IN TECH? I wanted to show that there is so much more to the tech industry than just being a programmer or learning to code. Everyone has a story to tell about how they got where they are; their voices deserve to be heard and will inspire those who may be just one step behind them. Beyond this, I wanted to create a platform and hold events that eliminate the feeling of having to wear a professional mask. In most tech spaces, people can’t show up as their authentic self. When you create a space where someone doesn’t have to dilute or change who they are, the connections

you make a more genuine, which I believe contributes to a stronger community and more unique innovation.

WHAT PERSPECTIVES, INSIGHTS, OR APPROACHES DO YOU THINK THAT WOMEN BRING TO TECH THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN MEN? As minorities in tech, women bring their different life experiences and thus are able to provide more inclusive solutions to issues. When you have a group of people who come from a similar background, either they aren’t aware or don’t care to be aware of obstacles individuals from other demographics face, and that’s how bias gets woven into

YOU ALSO STARTED STS. WHAT WERE YOUR MOTIVATIONS FOR DOING THAT? I got really frustrated that many people in tech had never heard of sextech — and if they did, they thought it was all sex robots. I decided to create a platform to bridge the tech community and the field of sextech. My goals with the publication are to eliminate the stigma surrounding the discussion of human sexuality, and to give people permission to discuss sex. The aim is to eliminate this view of professional risk that comes with being associated with sextech.

YOU JUST PUT OUT AN ISSUE ON FOSTA/SESTA. WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE WAY THAT SEX WORK IS BEING LEGISLATED? SESTA/FOSTA legislation is not backed by accurate data and most importantly was not established with all stakeholders involved. It was created under a guise of morality when in reality it is a war on bodily autonomy and puts human lives at risk by dehumanizing an already marginalized population (sex workers). When our laws or beliefs allow us dehumanize anyone, it’s time to check those beliefs.

•

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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