VOL. 1 ISSUE 4 â–¶ SEPT. 11-24, 2018
Fall Guide a guide to autumn adventures
MAC MILLER 1992-2018 TRIBUTE, PAGE 54
2 | SEP. 11, 2018 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
ASYLUM after DARK FLASHLIGHT TOURS
WWW.TALAWV.COM TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM LOCATED IN HISTORIC WESTON, WV.
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CONTENTS Vol. I Iss. IV Sept. 2018
NEWS
FOOD
▶ Thrival 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
▶ Revival on Lincoln . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 ▶ This Tastes Funny. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Publisher/Editor: Charlie Deitch Charlie@pittsburghcurrent.com Associate Publisher: Bethany Ruhe
OPINION
Bethany@pittsburghcurrent.com
▶ Aryanna Berringer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
EDITORIAL
▶ Rob Rogers’ cartoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Editor-at-Large: Kim Lyons, Kim@pittsburghcurrent.com Music Editor: Margaret Welsh, Margaret@
ARTS
Special Projects Editor: Rebecca Addison, Rebecca@
▶ ‘Ma Rainey’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
pittsburghcurrent.com
▶ Quantum Theatre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Staff Writer, Arts: Amanda Reed, Amanda@
▶ Bricolage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
pittsburghcurrent.com Staff Writer, News and Food: Haley Frederick, Haley@ pittsburghcurrent.com
FALL GUIDE
Columnists: Aryanna Berringer, Sue Kerr, Mike
▶ Your Guide to Fall Adventures . . . . . 19
Wysocki, opinions@pittsburghcurrent.com Contributing Writers: Jody DiPerna, Mike Shanley, Corey Carrington, Ted Hoover, Mike Watt, Ian Thomas, Matt Petras, info@pittsburghcurrent.com
MUSIC
Social Media Manager: Thria Devlin, Thria@
▶ Mac Miller, 1992-2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
pittsburghcurrent.com
▶ Rob Maruzek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Listings Clerk: Brooklyn Magill, listings@
▶ Garter Shakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
pittsburghcurrent.com
NEIGHBORHOODS ▶ Allentown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
pittsburghcurrent.com
Visuals Editor: Jake Mysliwczyk
▶ Day Drinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
▶ Allentown interview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
EXTRA ▶ Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 ▶ News of the Weird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 ▶ Savage Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
PHOTO CREDITS Front Page photo of The Point by Jake Msliwczyk. Fall Guide Cover photo by Jake Msliwczyk.
Lead Designer: Mary Beth Eastman, info@ pittsburghcurrent.com Cover & Logo Design: Mark Adisson
ADVERTISING Vice President of Sales: Paul Klatzkin, Paul@ pittsburghcurrent.com Senior Account Executives: Andrea James, Andrea@pittsburghcurrent.com Jeremy Witherell, Jeremy@pittsburghcurrent.com Account Executive: Mackenna Donahue, Mackenna@pittsburghcurrent.com
ADMINISTRATION Office Manager: Bonnie McConnell, Bonnie@ pittsburghcurrent.com
THE FINE PRINT The contents of the Pittsburgh Current are © 2018 by Pittsburgh Current, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this publication shall be duplicated or reprinted without the express-written consent of Pittsburgh Current LLC. The Pittsburgh Current is published twice monthly beginning August 2018. The opinions contained in columns and letters to the editors represent the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Pittsburgh Current ownership, management and staff. The Pittsburgh Current is an independently owned and operated print and online media company produced in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood, 1665 Broadway Ave., Pittsburgh, PA., 15216. 412-204-7248.
Distribution Manager: Kyle Sims-Ruhe, Kyle@ pittsburghcurrent.com 4 | SEP. 11, 2018 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
Email us or don’t: info@pittsburghcurrent.com.
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NEWS
Thrival joins speakers, musicians for innovation By Brittany Hailer PITTSBURGH CURRENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER info@pittsburghcurrent.com Ascenders’ Thrival Festival on September 19-21 will host more than 50 speakers and performers. The festival is split into two categories: Humans X Tech and Music X Arts. The Human X Tech portion of the festival explores the “impacts of humans and technology on INFO: business, society, and culture.” To purchase tickets More than 50 and learn more visit speakers will thrival festival.com/ come together September 19th and 20th to tackle both worker displacement in the age of automation and what is means to be human in a tech-filled world. The Music X Arts portion of the festival on September 21 is to encourage sharing experiences, community gathering and of course, a wide array of music from different genres. Headlin-ers this year are EDM artist DJ Dillon Francis and indie-pop duo Matt and Kim. Jourdan Hicks is the Thrival Festival brand ambassador. Hicks first collaborated with Thrival several years ago. She was program coordinator at Center of Life and her Krunk Movement students performed at the festival. The Krunk Movement is collective of high school students who rap, sing, dance and create videos to cast their experience as young adults. Hicks fell in love with the festival and its mission and wanted to help broaden its reach.
Dillon Francis
She’s been promoting and building the brand since. What is Hicks excited about this year? The riverfront. In years past, the
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festival was held at Carrie Furnaces. This year, the music portion of the festival will be held at Highmark Stadium. “This year is a Totally different
vibe,” Hicks said, “Carrie Furnaces is a massive, oversized industrial complex. It is rugged. People were kicking up dirt. It is the steel side of the city. This year we’re going to hear all this really good music on the water, with the backdrop of the city. I am so excited for that.” Jourdan is also proud of her city and can’t wait to watch as entrepreneurs, techies and leaders share a platform with big names like Google and IBM. “Pittsburgh is embracing technology more and more. We are bringing our best and the world’s best on the same stage,” Hicks continued, “This is how life, music, art and technology converge.” Here’s a breakdown of what to expect at this year’s Thrival Festival. DAY 1 September 19th is the Future of Work Symposium where public officials, journalists, experts and researchers will discuss job automation and worker dis-placement. The Future of Work Sympo-sium will take place at Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty from 6-8 p.m. The evening will begin with, “We Made It: Pittsburgh's Legacy of Work” a presentation and discussion by Pittsburgh City Mayor William Peduto and Andrew Masich, the CEO of Heinz History Center: “The Fourth Industrial Revolution will bring about the most rapid and pronounced changes our civilization has ever seen, through the ubiquitous integration of advanced technologies throughout our environment and lives. However, the effects of these transformations - from the challenges of job displacement to the opportunities to solve previously un-
NEWS solvable problems.” Panel topics later in the program include “Course Correction: Navigating Disruption with Education” and “The Rising Tide: Risks and Opportunities in an Automated Future.” Speakers include: Nina Barbuto, the founder and director of Assemble, Max Dennison, the executive director of Academy PGH, Matt Stroud, freelance journalist and editor, Mila Sanina, the executive director of PublicSource, Suzy Teele, the head of marketing and communications at Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM), and more. Suzy Teele, who will present on the “Course Correction: Navigating Disruption with Education” panel is excited to talk about tech and humans working side by side. “This is something we are very passionate about at our organization. Just the overall theme of humans and technology together. What we do at ARM is, we are a government funded nonprofit who has created a member collaborative to work together to advance the use of robotics in manufacturing in order to grow the manufacturing sector. Just saying that statement comes off sometimes to people as controversial, right? ‘Someone is taking away our jobs,’” Teele said. ARM’s mission is to find that balance between humans and technology. They want to see small and medium-sized manufacturers thrive, which will create more middle class jobs for Americans. Teele will be partnering with Thrival the day before the festival as well. On September 18, the Pittsburgh Chapter of WELD (Women for Economic and Leadership Development) is holding a panel called “The Future of Work: How Technology is Changing our Jobs AND Our Careers.” The panel will discuss how women can leverage new technologies and advance their own career success. The Future of Work Symposium also includes an excerpt from Marjorie Prime, a near-future play coming to Pittsburgh Public Theater in May 2019. Marjorie Prime “explores what it
means to be human in the digital age and creates a world where advanced technology shares our most intimate moments.” There is a musical act, too. Performance group Veserium consists of former engineers Ray Li and Michael Ndubuisi who use Tone Sculptor technology to create sound from thin air using only motions and gestures. DAY 2 September 20th is the LIFE. CODE Summit which “examines the nature of adaptation, learning, and world-building within the Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Panels, presentations, discussions, and workshops, will facilitate collaboration and partnerships between leaders, decision-makers and participants. The summit will take place at Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens in Oakland from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. John Battelle, Editor-in-Chief & CEO of NewCo and Founding Editor of WIRED will kick off the LIFE. CODE summit with his keynote “What makes us Human?” The rest of the LIFE.CODE Summit is packed with panels, presentations and workshops. Registrants can choose from different tracks and programming. Ryan O’Shea is founder of Future Grind, a podcast that explores the possibilities, ethics, and implications of emerging science and technology through in-depth interviews with innovators and thought leader. O’Shea will moderate the panel “Body Hacks: The Ethics and Implications of Human Augmentation.” “I’m very excited to be moderating the Body Hacks panel this year. One of my primary focuses is on the future of human enhancement and human augmentation. We for thousands of years have been using technology to direct our own evolution...I think over the past century or so, we realized this. We realized that we have the power as humans to make technology that can build the future that we want and direct our own evolution. That’s becoming more clear with things like
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NEWS CONTINUED gene editing and cyber enhancement,” said O’Shea. O’Shea has been an attendee at rival for several years. He’s watched the festival from just a local event to a national festival. He’s excited to see the Pittsburgh community gather with national and international innovators and leaders to be a part of a conversation about the future. LIFE.CODE Summit’s evening will transition to Carnegie Museum of Art & Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland where participants will be immersed in an interactive experience centered around the question “What makes us Human?” Throughout the museum, participants will engage with curated technology simulations, art presentations and exhibits. This is CMOA’s first collaboration with Thrival. There is even a Thrival after-party with Chicano Batman at Rex Theater from 11:00pm to 2:00am on September 20th. Day 3: September 21st, the Music X Arts portion of Thrival is an outdoor, live music experience on the Pittsburgh riverfront. With headliners Dillon Francis (his first time coming to Pittsburgh) and Matt and Kim, audiences will round out the weekend at Highmark Stadium. Artists Bastard Bearded Irishman, Brooke Annibale, Paul Luc, and Mars Jackson are also playing. Audiences have a choice of passes:General Admission for $30, Pit Pass for $50, and VIP Pass for $99.50. Crowds can expect food trucks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage sales and free interactive activities, demos, and art installations. Thrival is produced by Ascender (formerly Thrill Mill), a five year old nonprofit located in East Liberty that “elevates the start/build ecosystem in Pittsburgh by strategically identifying, developing and integrating the conditions for success.” Thrill Mill was co-founded by Bobby Zappala in 2013. Proceeds from Thrival support Ascender and its “Start/Build” community. 8 | SEP. 11, 2018 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
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No shame in work By Aryanna Berringer PITTSBURGH CURRENT POLITICAL COLUMNIST aryanna@pittsburghcurrent.com Some of you may have caught what is now a viral photo of former Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens working the cash register at Trader Joe’s. In true internet fashion, there were those who job-shamed Mr. Owens for working the till. But there were others who quickly took to his defense and the hashtag #ActorsWithDayJobs started trending. Some 7.6 million Americans currently hold two or more jobs, and that includes famous actors. I watched my mother work three waitressing jobs as a child just to try and make ends meet. Did you know that the minimum wage for a server in Pennsylvania is just $2.83? I’ve held jobs from the lowest enlisted member of the United States Army raking rocks (not kidding) to now managing global implementations of enterprise software ensuring that Fortune 500 organizations can effectively do business. What it seems however, is that we have gotten away from is recognizing that there is value in all work. No matter if it’s behind the cash register or behind a desk. Each job serves a greater purpose to our collective community. What we should be doing instead of shaming those who have to work two jobs to make ends meet, or jobs that you may see as menial, is working to ensure that these positions actually support and provide for the person doing them. Cities like San Francisco and Seattle have already raised their minimum wage to $15 per hour and there will be 18 cities that will be paying $15 an hour by 2020.
OPINION
ROB ROGERS
Pittsburgh is changing rapidly and we already have large employers like Google, Uber, and UPMC (now the largest employer in the state of Pennsylvania) based in the area. We’re also on the short list for other corporations like Amazon to locate here. We’re always on some Top 10 list for being the most “livable” city, but that will quickly fade unless we start the ball rolling now to protect all of the citizens of the
Pittsburgh community. All of you. And we shouldn’t have to wait for Harrisburg to act on this. But unfortunately years ago, politicians stipulated that municipalities could not strike out on their own to raise the minimum wage for all workers within their borders. So much for one of the basic tenets of Pennsylvania being a Commonwealth.
Sure, the laws allow us to have local control in creating school districts which allow for wildly varying tax rates, but no way in hell are you all smart enough to be able to vote to increase your income, according to Harrisburg’s logic. Pittsburghers have earned the right to have a livable wage that equals our most livable city status. And there is no shame in that.
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | SEP. 11, 2018 | 9
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— September 21–December 9 —
SPACE
Meet the artists Oz Malul, Ujoo + Limheeyoung, Samuel St-Aubin and Zoro Feigl > Saturday September 22, 1:30pm 812 Liberty Avenue, above the “T” / 412 325 7723 gallery hours: Wednesday, Thursday: 11am–6pm; Friday, Saturday: 11am–8pm Sunday: 11am–5pm (free on-street parking) / free and open to the public SpacePittsburgh.org /spacepittsburgh This exhibition is generously supported by the Danish Arts Foundation.
A project of:
TrustArts.org/Firsts
A project of:
TrustArts.org/Firsts
image: Samuel St-Aubin, TableSpoons, 2012
NONOTAK — September 21–December 31 — Wood Street Galleries 601 Wood Street, above the “T” / 412 471 5605 gallery hours: Wednesday, Thursday: 11am–6pm; Friday, Saturday: 11am–8pm Sunday: 11am–5pm (free on-street parking) / free and open to the public WoodStreetGalleries.org /woodstgalleries @woodstreetpgh
/woodstreetgalleries
image: Daydream V.5 Infinite, 2018; courtesy the artists
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | SEP. 11, 2018 | 11
ARTS
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company Revisits ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ “ [Ma Rainey] died in the '30s and people are still talking about her. They’re still singing her songs.” Right: Vanessa German (Photo: Duane Rieder)
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By Amanda Reed PITTSBURGH CURRENT STAFF WRITER amanda@pittsburghcurrent.com During rehearsals for August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Mark Clayton Southers wasn’t shy about revealing his reasons for directing the show. “I told them I was being very selfish, that I really shouldn’t be directing this play because of my health issues [Southers has had issues with knee replacement surgery since February], but I told them I needed to direct this. I needed something to keep me from slipping deep into depression,” says the founder and producing artistic director of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company. “There are a lot of capable directors in the city, but I needed to be involved on this level.” INFO: The producMa Rainey’s Black tion, which runs Bottom. 8 p.m from Sept. 14 to Sept. 14 through Oct. 1, is part of the August Oct. (also 2 p.m. Wilson Center’s on Saturdays, 3 Highmark Blues p.m. on Sundays.) and Heritage Festival, which 1. $35. Pittsburgh celebrates the Playwrights musical genre Theater Company. and the musicians who 937 Liberty Ave., revolutionized Downtown. www. it — one of those pghplaywrights.org musicians being Ma Rainey, one of the earliest African-American professional blues singers who is called the “mother of blues.” The 1982 play is the first in Wilson’s ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle and set in Chicago — the only play not in the
ARTS Steel City. It revolves around an imaginary recording session with the 1920s singer, her producers and her band. Usually, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company saves an August Wilson play for its season finale. But after the August Wilson Center approached him about performing the work, Southers thought a change in lineup felt right. “The very first play we did when we started 15 years ago was ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.’ We haven’t done it in 15 years, so it makes a lot of sense,” he says. According to Southers, the cast ranges in performance skills of all levels, from newer faces who are performing in an August Wilson work for the first time to seasoned members of the community. One of those seasoned members is Vanessa German, a local performance artist who has been involved with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company both on and off stage: She’s coordinated the costumes for past productions and played Bernice in its first production of “The Piano Lesson.” And, before that, her mother helped provide tapestries and curtains for shows. “I love working with Pittsburgh Playwrights,” she says. “It’s really special to be in that community, because it’s exactly sort of like the layers of magic that August worked in.” This is not German’s first time playing the titular role: she’s done it in the past for August Wilson’s birthday at the August Wilson Center. But, this time around, she’s gained deeper appreciation for the character after her own personal and artistic growth. “Ma Rainey was a boss in the 1920s. She ran her career in a time when people didn’t want to let her walk into the front door of the theater. At that time, I was too young to imagine the places a human being — a black woman — has to go to inside of themselves to overcome any fear or trepidation to be themselves,” she says. “She died in the 30s and people
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE FREE OPENING RECEPTION F R I D AY, S E P T E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 8 / / 6 - 8 p m
O S G E M E O S C u ra t o r
Vanessa German
are still talking about her. They’re still singing her songs.” Proceeds from the matinée performance on Sept. 15 will benefit German’s Art House, a community creative space in Homewood. German, however, is more focused on what she’ll be able to do with the money from the ticket sales than the almost sold-out show. “I’m thinking, ‘ his is what I can order online.’ I can order a whole bunch of masks that the kids love to paint. I can order one of those huge slats of pumpkins and make a lit-tle pumpkin patch out in the backyard and give the kids a little-fall festival,” she says. “I’m thinking about renting a petting zoo for a day and doing a fall festival and letting the kids plan a little festival for Homewood.” Southers doesn’t intend to make a statement with the play. He just wants to transport the audience to another time and put on a professional-level show. “We want people to walk out and say things we’ve heard in the past,” Southers says. ‘ his was better than Broadway’ or, ‘I had the best time of my life,’ or ‘this was a great experience.’”
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ARTS
Quantum Theater debuts a new immersive experience with ‘Chatterton’ By Andrea Laurion PITTSBURGH CURRENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER info@pghcitypaper.com The term “dinner theater” often brings to mind cheesy murder mysteries, but Quantum Theatre is ready to challenge that notion with its newest production. Anyone who shows up hungry will be happy to hear that each performance of Chatterton features not just a snack, but a full intermission dinner prepared by a local celebrity chef. Like John Krizanc/Richard Rose’s 2014 Quantum production TAMARA, Chatterton also begins with a libation (cider, in this case) in addition to the INFO: meal and makes Chatterton runs use of an unconventional theater from Sept. 14 to space, Downtown’s Oct. 28 at Trinity Trinity CatheCathedral dral Pittsburgh. Participating Pittsburgh, Downchefs include Kate town. For a full list Romane of Black of performances Radish Kitchen, and participating Bill Fuller of big Burrito Group, and chefs: quantum Dennis Marron of theatre.com. Or, The Whale. The world premiere of Chatterton is running Sept. 14-Oct. 28 as part of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. Based on the Man Booker Prize-nominated novel of the same name by Peter Ackroyd, Chatterton is directed by Quantum artistic director Karla Boos. She was asked to join the festival team as guest curator in November 2016. The Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts celebrates never-before-seen theater, dance, music and other artistic expressions from 30 international companies with artists from 20 countries.
Quantum Theatre presents ‘Chatterton.’
Previous iterations in 2004, 2008, and 2013 drew millions of visitors downtown to experience these new works. According to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the length of the festival has doubled and the attractions have tripled since previous installments. “Most of the really innovative companies around the globe are actually made up of people from many places,” Boos says. “The world is global, Pittsburgh is global, and Quantum has been a pioneer of international art in Pittsburgh.” Chatterton is a story in three parts about three poets spread across three different time periods. The play was inspired by the story of 18th century poet Thomas Chatterton, who was immortalized in a famous painting 100 years after his tragic suicide. The model for the painting, George Meredith, was also a poet, and featured in Ackroyd’s book. In the present day, poet Charles Wychwood investigates the story of Chatterton, trying to find the line between truth and fiction.
14 | SEP. 11, 2018 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
The audience is divided into three tracks (18th century, 19th century, and present day) and those tracks intersect at several key moments in the show. At intermission, everyone comes together for the three-course meal. Boos said that they are drawing from their TAMARA experience for the dinner. “Breaking bread with fellow audience members you know and don’t know, and talking about the different things you saw adds to the fun and depth,” Boos said. For the meals, there were no specific requests other than three courses. “We want them to showcase what they do best,” Boos says. The inspiration for Chatterton came to Boos after reading Ackroyd’s book while on a summer trip to London following Quantum’s 25th season. Quantum was looking for a follow up to TAMARA, a show built in 14 rooms inside Rodef Shalom Temple with the audience moving and experiencing different things. “This book seemed a good basis for
doing that, with its settings in three time frames united by its themes of what’s ‘real’ or ‘legitimate’ in art and what might be ‘fake’, stolen, or forged, and what we think we know about history,” she says. “Chatterton is one of the most immersive, complex, difficult, and selfless pieces I've had the pleasure to create, with some of the greatest talent in the area,” says Jonathan D. Visser who plays the title role. Each of the show’s tracks tells the story from a different character’s point of view, while not missing any of the story. “You may have a different point of view of who Thomas Chatterton might have been and what exactly might have happened to him than possibly someone you arrived to see the show with,” Visser says. “Getting together with other the-atergoers and describing and discussing what you saw, what story was told to you, is one of the great joys of seeing the theatre.” Visser first experienced immersive theater as part of Guerilla Shakespeare in Central Park in the early 2000s; he said the audience traveled to different prede-termined scenes in the park as the play progressed, not unlike Chatterton. When it comes to immersive theatre, Boos says that she has found Pittsburghers to have adventurous souls. “I’ve been making unusual and experimental theater for 28 years in Pittsburgh, and we threw out the ‘theater’ very early, putting the audience inside the work in a sense, which people seem to love,” she says. Quantum has held shows in different neighborhoods and locations across the city. “This show, in all the hidden nooks and crannies of Trinity Cathedral, is a sort of extension of that right in the heart of the Cultural District.”
ARTS
Controversial, insightful, flawed activist Ward Churchill to speak By Jody DiPerna PITTSBURGH CURRENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER jody@pittsburghcurrent.com At the heart of all of Ward LeRoy Churchill's lifetime of activism, political writing and speaking is passion about indigenism and a deep dedication to the aim of decolonizing the United States. Sponsored by the Big Idea Collective and Bookstore, Churchill will speak in Pittsburgh at the Union Project September 24th. He will surely talk about his views on pacifism, radicalism and the current state of things. "My framing is what is referred to indigenist," Churchill told the Pittsburgh Current from his home in Atlanta, "which is indigenous rights, the structural nature of the US as being an internal colonial settler state and that you really don't address issues of liberation, ultimately, unless you take as a priority the decolonization of indigenous nations with respect to those rights. “Otherwise, no matter how much readjustment to these existing systems you might accomplish, you still end up with a fundamental basis in colonialism. And the colonial paradigm in effect gives rise to a whole lot of the other maladies people seek to address." He has spent his life teaching and also kicking over anthills; there is never a lack of controversy swirling around him. Even his Native American heritage has been called into question. It can be confusing, though, as he himself has reported differing accounts of his ancestry at various times (one-sixteenth Creek and Cherokee; or three-sixteenths Cherokee; or some combination of Muscogee, Creek and Cherokee.) He told Mother Jones, "I
Ward Churchill
never said I was fucking Sitting Bull," and beyond which, he rejects the notion that the government can or should decide who is native and who is not (issuing 'Certificates of Degree of Indian Blood').” Such notions and measurements are always used by the colonizers to decide who gets to decide, which makes it both easy and inevitable to strip identity away and eventually eliminate first nations people altogether. "The implications would be -- look at the disposition of resources. These are resource colonies, at least in the west. … The disposition of the uranium resources are predominantly places like Navajo, the Black Hills, the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. That's exactly where they're homing in on -- what they want to do is leeching, as
they call it. It's basically fracking uranium," Churchill said. Never one to shy away from a provocative position, he wrote an essay shortly after the 9/11 attacks titled, On the Justice of Roosting Chickens, in which he referred to the workers in the World Trade Center as “little Eichmanns.” It spurred Bill O'Reilly to fits of nightly apoplexy. (O'Reilly aired forty-one segments on Churchill.) To posit that those who died in the Towers were somehow complicit is objectionable. On the other hand, using the FDR theorem that a person should be judged by the enemies they have made, Churchill has O'Reilly. So, at least there's that. He may be a flawed messenger but his thoughts on the genocide of Native Americans are compelling. He embrac-
es radical systemic change, asserting that colonialism is the very root of the United States. The foundational paradigm is what Churchill seeks to dismantle. Basically, if you grow your garden on top of a poisonous mound, it doesn't matter how much you tend and landscape it , you still have a poisoned garden. Churchill's most recent book, Wielding Words as Weapons: Selected Essays in Indigenism, 1995-2005 (PM Press, 2017) contains a decades worth of essays on these subjects, including essays on Cherokee anthropologist Robert K. Thomas, Standing Rock Sioux luminary Vine Deloria, Jr., and his take down of the Indian Claims Commission (it also includes the notorious 9/11 essay.) In 2007, the University of Colorado Boulder fired Churchill, who was a tenured professor of ethnic studies at the time, citing research misconduct. Churchill asserted that he was fired for his controversial opinions (see above) and an investigation by the American Association of University Professors found no research misconduct. But the damage was done to Churchill's career. At 71, age hasn't softened his views. He remains unbowed and defiant. "Babies are being starved to death systematically, the world is being foreclosed upon and in the face of that you've got some moral principle about your relationship to an ant? Later. Eat what you want. Have sex with who you want. Dress however you want. I could care less. You want to assert your right to do that, I support you in it. But you didn't solve what it is that's fundamentally at issue. You can make as many tweaks as you want to the status quo -- the status quo can absorb that, make adjustments and go right along."
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | SEP. 11, 2018 | 15
ARTS
BAZAAR THEATER
Bricolage’s annual fundraiser is a truly immersive event By Andrea Laurion PITTSBURGH CURRENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER info@pittsburghcurrent.com
When it comes to its upcoming fundraiser, Bazaar, Bricolage Theater has some secrets up their sleeve, but they’re not spilling. They will say that they’re switching up their typical fundraiser into a work of theater in its own right, but anyone curious will have to see it for themselves. “We can promise more experiences than a single patron can experience in one night, and that offer everything from discomforting to delightful,” says managing director Jackie Baker. As artistic director Jeffrey Carpenter put it, “isn’t everyone tired of the old gala format?” Bricolage will unveil Bazaar, a carnival-themed immersive theater fundraiser, on Saturday, Sept. 15, on the grounds of Pennsylvania Pure Distilleries in Glenshaw. Bazaar will feature 12 different micro-immersive pods designed by local artists ranging from musicians and escape room designers to performers and visual artists. There will also be midway games and carnival characters along with tours of the distillery, where Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka and BLY Silver Rum are made. Bricolage describes immersive theater as a “theatrical event that places audience members at the center of the experience” by removing the stage and giving the audience more agency. An immersive theater experience allows the audience to interact with performers, explore the usually untraditional space, and often involves some form of a choose-your-ownadventure element. For Bazaar, Bricolage put out a call for creatives to build accessible, participatory immersive experiences in a 12-foot high, 64-square-foot pod. Baker says the selected participants represent a broad variety of what immersive theater can look like. In keeping with Bricolage’s secretive nature, the creators of the immersive pods have not been announced yet. Baker said the company wants to avoid discussing what to expect within each experience and simply challenge the audience to dive in for themselves. Baker said that for many years, Bricolage’s fundraiser was Bricolage Urban Scrawl, known as BUS. It was a 24-hour playwriting challenge featuring 60 local directors, playwrights, and actors combined with a gala. “It was a great vehicle for us to get to see new faces and 16 | SEP. 11, 2018 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
Bricolage Artistic Director Jeffrey Carpenter as a firebreather (Photo: Kristi Jan Hoover)
form relationships with people we could work with the rest of the year,” she says. “Because we’re having others create the experiences in the pods, it also allows us to use Bazaar to do something that we felt BUS did a great job of — bringing together the theater community and highlighting people doing this kind of work in town.” Following its 2012 production of the STRATA, Bricolage has leaned more into immersive work as their signature programming. STRATA, was an interactive play in a publicly undisclosed Downtown location (later revealed to be a former Bally Total Fitness), spread over three floors. Enlisting more than 20 performers to guide and interact with audience members, the show was critically well-received and has influenced how Bricolage approaches theater. In regards to BUS, Baker said many audience members who came to Bricolage for the first time would see the traditional play and would not find anything similar to that in the rest of the season. The transition to immersive productions also affected actors who were not trained in this type of perfor-
mance. “We weren’t able to necessarily translate our relationship with performers from BUS to the rest of our season,” Baker says. “Immersive work is an entirely different beast for a performer or collaborator than the process of creating traditional theater experiences.” Slowly, they found the fundraiser that best exemplified their mission for about a decade wasn’t really doing that job anymore, she said. “We aren’t really interested in a fundraiser that isn’t deeply connected to our mission and work,” Baker says. “The only way to do this for us is to intertwine it with who we are at our core: adventurous and audience-centered.” The future of Bricolage will include keeping up with the demand for more. “Since STRATA, we’ve sold out every immersive we’ve presented, unable to run the productions long enough to meet audience demand,” she says. “Over the past few years, we’ve been mindfully working to grow our staff and our financial resources to allow us to launch big visions on an annual basis.”
Current Comics
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Autumn
A GUIDE TO
adventures
PITTSBURGH CURRENT FALL GUIDE ▶ SEPT. 11, 2018 ▶ SPECIAL PULLOUT SECTION
SEPTEMBER 25-30 BENEDUM CENTER BOX OFFICE AT THEATER SQUARE 412-456-4800 GROUPS 10+ TICKETS 412-471-6930
FALL EVENTS MANIFOLD
ILUMINATE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 BENEDUM CENTER
JIM CARUSO’S CAST PARTY
SEPTEMBER 18-23 BENEDUM CENTER
GALLERY CRAWL
SEPTEMBER 20 BYHAM THEATER
CIRQUE ELOIZE HOTEL
BEYOND
SEPTEMBER 21 CULTURAL DISTRICT
SEPTEMBER 21-OCTOBER 26 CULTURAL DISTRICT
GAB SQUAD
JOAN DIDION’S THE WHITE ALBUM
SEPTEMBER 21 & 22 BENEDUM CENTER
EVA NOBLEZADA SEPTEMBER 25 GREER CABARET THEATER
SEPTEMBER 25-30 BENEDUM CENTER
OCTOBER 1 GREER CABARET THEATER
ANASTASIA
MRS. KRISHNAN’S PARTY
TAGO
IN THE TUNNEL OCTOBER 3-6 TRUST ARTS EDUCATION CENTER
BLIND CINEMA
OCTOBER 4-7 AUGUST WILSON CENTER
OCTOBER 11-14 AUGUST WILSON CENTER
MIDNIGHT RADIO
AYIKODANS
OCTOBER 25-27 BRICOLAGE THEATER COMPANY
OCTOBER 26-28 AUGUST WILSON CENTER
SEPTEMBER 22 HARRIS THEATER
WHAT’S THAT? OCTOBER 12 & 13 TRUST ARTS EDUCATION CENTER
KAROO MOOSE
OCTOBER 16-21 BENEDUM CENTER
OCTOBER 17-21 TRUST ARTS EDUCATION CENTER
OCTOBER 18 BYHAM THEATER
OCTOBER 25-28 TRUST ARTS EDUCATION CENTER
ANDROCLES AND THE LION NOVEMBER 2-10 TRUST ARTS EDUCATION CENTER
TRUSTARTS.ORG U.S. PREMIERES
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES
WORLD PREMIERES
IMMERSIVE PERFORMANCE DANCE VISUAL ART THEATER MUSIC
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SEPTEMBER 21 – NOVEMBER 11, 2018
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NONSTOP PANDEMONIUM.” ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
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Fall Guide TABLE OF CONTENTS
PITTSBURGH CURRENT 2018
VISUAL ARTS
FOOD
▶ Fall Visual Arts Exhibitions .............................. 30
▶ Eating Your Way Through Autumn................ 46 ▶ Fall Food Listings...................................................47
LITERARY
STAGE
▶ Joyce Carol Oates kicks off series .................32
▶ Pittsburgh New Works Festival .....................24
▶ Fall Literary Events Listings .............................32
▶ Autumn on Stage: Fall Listings .....................25
FILM ▶ Fall of the Dead...................................................... 48 ▶ Fall Film Listings ................................................... 48
MUSIC
DANCE
▶ Fall Music: Something for Everyone ........... 40
▶ Texture Ballet ......................................................... 28
▶ Fall Music Listings ................................................ 40
SOMETHING NEW
▶ Fall Dance Listings ............................................. 29
▶ Fall Opera Listings ............................................... 44
▶ German Car Show ................................................ 49
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Stage
Pittsburgh New Works Festival Premieres 18 New Plays this year By Amanda Reed PITTSBURGH CURRENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER amanda@pittsburghcurrent.com Dek Ingraham, festival director of the Pittsburgh New Works Festival, can’t choose which of the festival’s 18 INFO: new plays he likes Through Sept. 23. best. Various times. $50 “They are all my favorite. We for festival pass. do want to make $17-20 ($15 for sure everyone students). Carnegie feels valued, and the work that’s Stage. 25 W. Main being done is all St., Carnegie. www. over the place, PittsburghNewin tone and apWorks.org. proach,” he says. The Pittsburgh New Works Festival runs through Sept. 23, bringing 120 performing artists and 18 Pittsburgh-region theater companies together. But, despite being called the Pittsburgh New Works Festival, only one comes from Pennsylvania. “This is a rare year that we don’t have any specifically Pittsburgh playwright. We have one playwright from Coatesville [“The Survivor” by Gordon Bennett], and that’s our only Pennsylvania playwright this time around,” he says. The festival began 28 years ago by a group of theater lovers lead by Donna Rae, who played Terminal Stare in the Channel 11's Saturday Late Show Chiller Theater in the 60s. “The art form dies if you don’t create new pieces of work, so this festival was conceived as a way to both bolster the theatre as an art form but to increase the community between the many theaters
in Pittsburgh who take part in it,” Ingraham says. According to Ingraham, the festival received 341 submissions this year. To vet those submissions, the plays were sent to 37 volunteer judges. From there, the plays were read two to three times and scored on a 100-point rubric. The judges also give commentary to the playwrights, which helps them improve for next year, according to Ingraham. “Even if they’re not chosen, we’re giving them value and professional criticism of their work,” he says. After applying to participate, the 18 theater companies attend a play selection meeting, where they pull a number which determines the order in which
24 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
they choose their favorite plays. “In the past two years, we’ve started having an application so we can see the variety of the companies that are coming in because we want to diversify the voices that are coming on our stage,” he says. The festival encourages directors and playwrights to openly communicate with each other, since they exist in order to serve the playwright, according to Ingraham. But, he says that the directors have an excellent lot to work with this year. “We’ve always had great work in the past, but I believe that this is our strongest year so far,” he says. Despite being in its 28th year the festival still finds ways to keep audiences coming back. “Every single year, we’re doing 18
world-premiere plays, so it’s something that no one has ever seen before. It’s sort of that sense of adventure, that you come back because you never know what’s going to be there,” he says. “That’s sort of the beauty of the model of this, that we don’t necessarily have to work hard to keep it fresh. Because the work itself is always new.” Ingraham says that, with 18 plays, there’s something for the experienced theater-goer and the first-time attendee. And, he says the nature of the festival leaves people coming back year after year. “It may not be to one person’s liking, but that’s the fix, that you’re going to be exposed to things you wouldn’t necessarily have chosen for yourself.”
AUTUMN ON STAGE By Ted Hoover PITTSBURGH CURRENT THEATER CRITIC ted@pittsburghcurrent.com A list of upcoming productions by local theater companies.
PUCCINI’S
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
APPLE HILL PLAYHOUSE www.applehillplayhouse.org A Comedy of Tenors. Yet another farce about opera from Ken “Lend Me a Tenor” Ludwig. (Sept 20-Sept 29.) BAREBONES PRODUCTIONS www.barebonesproductions.com Lobby Hero. Kenneth Lonergan’s comedy/drama about Manhattan’s seedier crowd. (Sept 28-Oct 20.) BRICOLAGE THEATRE www.bricolagepgh.org Frankenstein. Mary Shelley’s classic presented as a live radio broadcast. Word Play. Storytelling for a new generation. (Nov 16-17.) Die Hard N’at. Spoof of the Bruce Willis movie as a live radio broadcast. (Dec 6-22.) Enter the Imaginarium. Immersive theater experience crossed with an escape room. (Ongoing.) CARNEGIE MELLON DRAMA www.drama.cmu.edu/box-office The Way Out West. Drama about the scientists and wives living in Los Alamos, 1945. (Oct 4-13.) Dutchman. Legendary play by Amiri Baraka. (Nov 7-9.) A/B Machines. Adapted from work by Andy Warhol. (Nov 28-Dec 1.) Detroit ’67. Dominique Morisseau’s piece about the famous Detroit riots and the aftermath. (Nov 15-Dec 1.)
Love, betrayal, and sacrifice
OCTOBER 6, 9, 12, 14
• Benedum Center • Tickets start at $14; Half-price tickets for kids 6-18 • 412-456-6666 • pittsburghopera.org/butterfly UNDERSTAND EVERY WORD: With projected English supertitles Tuesday Night Sponsor: Ambridge Regional Distribution & Manufacturing Center
Season Sponsor
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 25
Stage CONTINUED FROM 25
CITY THEATER www.citytheatrecompany.org The Revolutionists. Comedy about women and the French Revolution. (Thru Sept 30.) Young Playwrights Festival. See what local young scribes are up to. (Oct 16-27.) Pipeline. Dominique Morisseau again, here looking at the African American experience in the education system. (Oct 27-Nov 18.) KINETIC THEATRE www.kinetictheatre.org The Father . Parisian playwright Florian Zeller’s play about the emotional toll of dementia. (Sept 14-23.) An Octoroon. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins blistering comedic deconstruction of the Dion Boucicault original. (Nov 1-18.) LITTLE LAKE THEATRE COMPANY www.littlelake.org Macbeth . A play about why you don’t want to visit Scotland. (Sept 20-Oct 6.) Sherlock Holmes & The West End Horror (Oct 11-27.) The Lion in the Winter . The Plantagenet family putting the “dis” in dysfunction. (Nov 1-17.) A Christmas Story. Oh God, is it that time already? (Nov 23-Dec 15.) NEW HORIZON THEATER www.newhorizontheater.org Black Sparta. Layon Gray’s play about the 18th century all-female Dahomey African warriors. (Nov 9-11.) OFF THE WALL www.insideoff thewall.com
SEPTEMBER 8 – 30, 2018 A Christmas Carol . One-man deconstruction of the Dickens classic. (Nov 30-Dec 15.) PITTSBURGH BROADWAY SERIES pittsburgh.broadway.com The Play That Goes Wrong . Brit comedy about a disastrous theatrical presentation. (Sept 18-23.) Anastasia . Stage version of the Disney feature film with songs by Pittsburgher Stephen Flaherty. (Oct 16-21.) Fiddler on the Roof … because, what the hell, no one’s done it in the last week. (Nov 20-25.) Elf: The Musical. I have nothing to add. (Dec 26-Dec 30.) Hamilton. Lin Manuel-Miranda’s musical about the first Secretary of the Treasury that’s so famous even people who hate musicals are taking out second mortgages to get tickets. (Jan 1-27.) PITTSBURGH CLO www.pittsburghclo.org Men Are From Mars/Women Are From Venus. Live! Adaptation of the best-seller, presented as a one-man stand-up comedy. (Sept 6-Oct 14.) Game On. World premiere of a new musical about TV game shows, with book & lyrics by Pittsburgher Marcus Stevens. (Nov 9-Jan 27.) A Musical Christmas Carol. Dickens’ scathing indictment of capitalism … but they sing! (Dec 7-23.) PITTSBURGH MUSICAL THEATER www.pittsburghmusicals.com Hedwig and the Angry Inch. John Cameron & Steven Trask’s musical about the fabulous trans rocker Hedwig! (Nov 9-17.) A Lyrical Christmas Carol. Dickens’ tale about a Victorian Trump. (Dec 13-16.)
26 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
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PITTSBURGH IRISH & CLASSICAL THEATRE www.picttheatre.org The Old Curiosity Shop. A stage adaptation of a Charles Dickens’ story that isn’t about Scrooge … a Christmas miracle! (Nov 23Dec 15.)
Of Mice and Men. Look George, a bunny! (Nov 2-11.)
PITTSBURGH PLAYWRIGHTS THEATRE COMPANY www.pghplaywrights.com Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. The play that put August Wilson on the map. (Sept 14-Oct 1.)
QUANTUM THEATER www.quantumtheatre.com Chatterton. Adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s book about poets and death. Served with a sumptuous meal by area chefs. (Sept 12-Oct 28.)
PITTSBURGH PUBLIC THEATER www.ppt.org Pride and Prejudice. Contemporary theatrical retelling of the Jane Austen classic. (Sept. 27-Oct. 28.) Sweat. Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer winning drama about a steel factory in Reading, PA. (Nov 8-Dec 9.) Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin. One-man show (two guesses who the man is) about THE premier composer of the American Songbook. (Dec 19-30.) PLAYHOUSE CONSERVATORY COMPANY www.pittsburghplayhouse.com The first season in the new downtown space. Cabaret. As in “Life is a …” (Oct 26-Nov 11.) The Coram Boy. Adaptation of a children’s novel about adventures in the 18th century. (Nov 16-Dec 2.) PITTSBURGH NEW WORKS FESTIVAL www.pittsburghnewworks.org Annual showcase of new plays, now its 28th year. (Thru Sept 23.) PITTSBURGH SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK www.pittsburghshakespeare.com The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Mistaken identities and other comedic knee-slappers. (Thru Sept 23.) PRIME STAGE www.primestage.com
RAGE OF THE STAGE PLAYERS www.rotsplayers.wordpress.com Fright Night. New stage adaptation of the cult vampire classic film. (Oct 5-27.)
RED MASQUERS www.duqredmasquers.com The Foreigner. Larry Shue’s farce about Southern culture. (Oct 4-14.) Dames at Sea. Spoof about those fabulous!, but idiotic, 1940’s Warner Brothers musicals. (Nov 8-17.) The Seagull. Anton Chekhov’s drama about relentlessly vocal Russians. (Dec 5-9.) SOUTH PARK THEATRE www.southparktheatre.com Now and Then. A new love story by Sean Grennan. (Sept 13-19.) The Stranger. Stage adaptation of an Agatha Christie story. (Oct 4-20.) SPLIT STAGE www.splitstage.com Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The greatest musical ever written, written – of course! – by Stephen Sondheim. (Oct 5-13.) STAGE 62 www.stage62.com Guys and Dolls. The classic Damon Runyon/Frank Loesser musical. (Nov 8-18.) THE THEATRE FACTORY www.thetheatrefactory.org Young Frankenstein. Mel Brooks’ musical adaptation of the Mel Brooks film. (Sept 14-23.) The Mousetrap. The longest continually
Bricolage.
running stage production in the Western world. (Oct 12-21.) Nuncrackers. For people who need a Nunsense fix. (Dec 7-16.) UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH www.play.pitt.edu “Bethany” and “The Author’s Voice.” Two one-acts. (Oct 3-7.) She Kills Monsters. Comedy by Qui Nguyen about the “Dun-geons & Dragons” subculture. (Oct 4-14.) Much Ado About Nothing. Shakespeare’s immortal classic about screwed up heterosexuals. (Nov 8-18.) The Last Five Years. Jason Robert Brown’s musical about screwed up heterosexuals. (Nov 14-18.) PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 27
Dance
The Speed of Sound By Amanda Reed PITTSBURGH CURRENT ARTS WRITER amanda@pittsburghcurrent.com Texture Ballet focuses on music’s involvement in dance with, The Speed of Sound, happening from Sept. 2830 at the New Hazlett Theater. The program features world premieres by Texture Ballet artistic directors Alan Obuzor and Kelsey Bartman. Obuzor’s work is set to the music of modern composer Philip Glass, combining swift movement with Glass’s signature morphing sounds and overlapping melodies. Bartman’s piece features music by Scottish band Frightened Rabbit and pays tribute to the late lead vocalist and guitarist, Scott Hutchison. This work is inspired by the band’s lyrics and instrumentals, creating a feeling of vulnerability through dance. The little ones can enjoy musical dance magic unfolding before them on Sept. 29, with a children’s performance at 4 p.m. made just for them. The Speed of Sound. Texture Ballet Theater. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, Allegheny Center. Through Sept. 30. Textureballet.org
FALL DANCE LISTINGS
SEPT. 11
Salsa on the Rooftop of Evangeline’s. Arthur Murray’s Dance Center. Distrikt Hotel, 453 Boulevard of the Allies, Central Business District.
SEPT. 14
The Invisible Jazz Labs. The Space Upstairs. 214 N. Lexington St., Point Breeze. thespaceupstairs. org Season 24 Kickoff Party. Attack Theatre. 1315 Arch St., Northside. attacktheatre.com
SEPT. 20
iLuminate. Cohen & Grigsby TRUST PRESENTS Series. Byham Theater, 111 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Trustarts.org
SEPT. 22
Philippine-American Performing Arts: Halo-halo. Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. kelly-strayhorn.org Some Assembly Required. Attack Theatre. Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 106th Annual Exhibition, 2708 Sidney St, South Side. Through Dec. 23. Attacktheatre. com 28 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
The Tamburitzans. Canon-McMillan High School Auditorium, 314 Elm St Ext, Canonsburg. thetamburitzans.org
danger.com
OCT. 11
Cirque Éloize Hotel. PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh. Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St. Downtown. Trustarts.org
Contemporary Choreographers. Point Park Conservatory Dance Company. George Rowland White Performance Studio, Point Park University, Downtown. Through Oct. 18. pittsburghplayhouse.com
SEPT. 28
OCT. 13
SEPT. 26
Taiwan Acrobatic Troupe: A Cultural Celebration. Taiwan Association of America- Pittsburgh Chapter. The Rosemary Heyl Theatre, Antonian Hall at Carlow University, 3333 Fifth Ave., Oakland. Taapittsburgh.org Cynthia Oliver: Virago-Man Dem. Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Through Sept. 29. kelly-strayhorn. org
SEPT. 30
SPI. slowdanger. Pearlarts Studios, 201 N Braddock Ave., Point Breeze. pearlartsstudios.com
OCT. 6
VLX. slowdanger. Bricolage Production Company, 937 Liberty Ave, Downtown. slowdangerslow-
Deborah Colker Dance. Pittsburgh Dance Council. Byham Theater, 111 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Trustarts.org The Sessions Upstairs. The Space Upstairs. 214 N. Lexington St., Point Breeze. thespaceupstairs. org
OCT. 20
The Tamburitzans. Gateway Senior High School Auditorium. 3000 Gateway Campus Blvd, Monroeville. thetamburitzans.org
OCT. 26
Mozart in Motion with the PBT Orchestra. Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St. Downtown. Though Oct. 28. Trustarts.org
Christopher Williams. The Blanket. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, Allegheny Center. Theblanket.org
2425 Liberty Ave., Strip District. Through Dec. 1. Attacktheatre.com
NOV. 30
Ayikodans | Cri des Nago. Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. trustarts. org
Dance Shorts. Texture Ballet Theater. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square East, Allegheny Center. Textureballet.org
NOV. 2
The Nutcracker. Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. Benedum Center, 237 Seventh St. Downtown. Through Dec. 27. Trustarts.org
ESPÆCE | A piece by Aurélien Bory. Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. trustarts.org
NOV. 3
Yabin Wang Dance. Pittsburgh Dance Council. Byham Theater, 111 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Trustarts. org Harvest Ball & Showcase. Pittsburgh Ballroom. Edgewood Country Club, 100 Churchill Rd, Edgewood. Pittsburghballroom.com
NOV. 16
Student Choreography Project. George Rowland White Performance Studio, Point Park University, Downtown. pittsburghplayhouse. com My People Queer Arts. Kelly Strayhorn Theater. Alloy Studios, 5530 Penn Ave., Friendship. Through Nov. 17. kelly-strayhorn.org
NOV. 29
In Defense of Gravity. Attack Theatre. George R. White Studio,
DEC. 1
Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s Alloy School Showcase. Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Kelly-strayhorn.org Let’s Move! Family Dance Party. Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Kelly-strayhorn. org
DEC. 7
Winter Dance Concert. Point Point Park Conservatory Dance Company. PNC Theatre, Pittsburgh Playhouse, 350 Forbes Ave., Downtown. pittsburghplayhouse.com African Music and Dance Ensemble Fall Concert. University of Pittsburgh Department of Music. Bellefield Hall Auditorium, 315 South Bellefield Ave., Oakland. Music.pitt.edu Trevor Miles & Julie Mallis. Kelly Strayhorn Theater. Alloy Studios, 5530 Penn Ave., Friendship. kelly-strayhorn.org
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 29
Visual Arts
VISUALLY STUNNING
A list of autumn visual arts exhibitions By Amanda Reed PITTSBURGH CURRENT ARTS WRITER The Benedum Center itself becomes a work of art with Manifold, beginning Sept. 21 as part of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. With projection mapping by Filip Roca and original music composed by Wang Lu, “Manifold” uses the downtown cultural building as a canvas and conversation piece about the state of being and repurposing spaces. Pittsburgh musicians of all ages play a score with hints of hip-hop, ragtime-influenced banjo, flamenco guitar and brass band under the baton of Daniel Nesta Curtis, creating a work that’s as diverse as the Steel City. Roca’s abstract audio-visual work creates space distortions and optical illusions for eight minutes of light, matter and sound. But, be quick: there are only a total of four chances to see it. Manifold: Filip Roca & Wang Lu. Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. Penn Ave. & 7th St., Downtown. culturaldistrict.org
SEPT. 14
HANDWORK: KIM FOX. Society for Contemporary Craft, BNY Mellon Satellite Gallery, 500 Grant St., Downtown. Through Jan. 5. Contemporarycraft.org TRANSFORMATION 10: Contemporary Works in Found Materials, The Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize Exhibition. Society for Contemporary Craft, 2100 Smallman St., Strip
District. Through March 23. Contemporarycraft.org ART ON TAP: Westmoreland Museum of American Art. 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. thewestmoreland.org
SEPT. 18
RACHEL ROSE: Carnegie International Fall Artist Lecture Series. Kresge Theatre, 5000 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. cmoa.org
SEPT. 20
SOUND SERIES: Rob Mazurek’s Farnsworth Scores. The Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. warhol.org Third Thursday: Thrival Life.Code. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Cmoa.org
SEPT. 21
OBJECT + BODY. Future Tenant, 819 Penn Ave, Central Business District. futuretenant.org NONOTAK. Wood Street Galleries, 601 Wood St., Downtown. Through Dec. 31. Woodstreetgalleries.org 50 CITIES - 50 TRACES. Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. 937 Liberty Gallery, 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Through Dec. 9. Trustarts.org ANTUMBRA | KENY MARSHALL. Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. 707 Penn Gallery, 707 Penn Ave., Downtown. Trustarts.org ART IN THE ALLIES. Redfishbowl. Alleys in the Cultural District between Penn and Liberty Ave from 7th Street through 10th Street, Downtown. redfishbowl.com PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF FIRSTS. Pitts-
30 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
burgh Cultural Trust. Multiple Locations. trustarts.org OPENING CELEBRATION: Artists in Residence. The Mattress Factory, 500 Sampsonia Way, Northside. mattress.org
ESTATE ANTIQUES AND FINE ART AUCTION. Concept Art Gallery, 1031 South Braddock Ave., Edgewood. conceptgallery.com
SEPT. 22
SABA INNAB. Carnegie International Fall Artist Lecture Series. Kresge Theatre, 5000 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. cmoa.org
WENT LOOKING FOR BEAUTY: Refashioning Self: Photographs by Deborah Willis. August Wilson Center. August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown.Through Dec. 31. aacc-awc.org ON THE MAKING OF STEEL GENESIS: Sandra Gould Ford + LaToya Ruby Frazier. August Wilson Center and Silver Eye Center for Photography, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown and 4808 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. culturaldistrict.org SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE MUSEUM DAY. Westmoreland Museum of American Art. 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. thewestmoreland.org WINE, WHISKEY AND WOMEN. The Frick Pittsburgh, 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze. thefrickpittsburgh.org
SEPT. 26
SOME LIKE IT HOT! Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, 5833 Ellsworth Ave, Shadyside. morganglassgallery.com
SEPT. 28
RAYMOND SAUNDERS. Carnegie Museum of Art. CMOA Theater, Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Cmoa.org
SEPT. 29
OCT. 2
OCT. 3
POP-UP STUDIO: Scents and Sensibility. Westmoreland Museum of American Art. 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. thewestmoreland.org
OCT. 7
CREATED, COLLECTED, CONSERVED: The Life Stories of Paintings. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Through Nov. 10, 2019. cmoa.org
OCT. 9
ZOE LEONARD in conversation with Rhea Anastas. Carnegie International Fall Artist Lecture Series. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. art.cmu.edu
OCT. 10
CRASH COURSE: Contemporary Art. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Through Oct. 31. Cmoa.org
OCT. 12
FAMILIAR BOUNDARIES. Infinite Possibilities. August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown.
Through March 24. aacc-awc.org
OCT. 13
CARNEGIE INTERNATIONAL. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Through March 25. Cmoa.org ISABELLE DE BORCHGRAVE: Fashioning Art from Paper. The Frick Pittsburgh, 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze. Through Jan. 6 thefrickpittsburgh.org DEVAN SHIMOYAMA: Cry, Baby. Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., Northside. Through March 17. warhol.org
OCT. 19
THE ART OF RE-USE. Westmoreland Museum of American Art. 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. Through Nov. 18. themestmoreland.org
OCT. 21
DRIVING THE DISENFRANCHISED: The Automobile’s Role In Women’s Suffrage. The Frick Pittsburgh, 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze. thefrickpittsburgh.org
OCT. 23
ALEX DA CORTE. Carnegie International Fall Artist Lecture Series. Kresge Theatre, 5000 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. cmoa.org
OCT. 30
LENKA CLAYTON & JOHN RUBIN. Carnegie International Fall Artist Lecture Series. Kresge Theatre, 5000 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. cmoa.org
NOV. 3
HACK THE MUSEUM. Westmoreland Museum of American Art. 221
N. Main St., Greensburg. thewestmoreland.org
NOV. 4
PRINTMAKING WITH ETCHING WORKSHOP: What CC Means to Me. Society for Contemporary Craft, 2100 Smallman St., Strip District. Contemporarycraft.org.
NOV. 8
SALON DISCUSSION WITH DANA BISHOP-ROOT. Purnell Center for the Arts, 5000 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. miller-ica.cmu.edu
NOV. 13
SENSORY FRIENDLY AFTERNOON. Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. 10 Children’s Way, Allegheny Way. pittsburghkids.org
NOV. 17
ANDRE BRADLEY: Family Systems Theory. Silver Eye Center for Photography, 4808 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. Silvereye.org HANNAH PRICE: Semaphore. Silver Eye Center for Photography, 4808 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. Silvereye.org
NOV. 23
tional Fall Artist Lecture Series. Kresge Theatre, 5000 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. cmoa.org
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NOV. 29
MACHINE CULTURE. Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. SPACE Gallery, 812 Liberty Avenue, Downtown. Spacepittsburgh.org.
NOV. 30
CMOA ON ICE WINTER PARTY. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Cmoa.org
DEC. 2
HEROES & SHEROES: The Art & Influence of Ruth E. Carter in Black Cinema. Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St., Strip District. Heinzhistorycenter.org
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NOV. 27
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PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 31
Literary
Fall Literary Events: Joyce Carol Oates kicks off Ten Evenings series By Haley Frederick haley@pghcitypaper.com Joyce Carol Oates is a prolific novelist, playwright, essayist, and poet who published her first novel in 1962. There have been many high points throughout Oates’ long-standing career. Her 1969 naturalist novel, them, earned her the National Book Award. The 2000 novel, Blonde, which imagines the inner life of Marilyn Monroe, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestseller. President Obama awarded Oates the National Humanities Medal in 2010. Oates will speak about her extraordinary career and her latest collection of short stories, Beautiful Days, as a part of the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ upcoming conversational lecture series Ten Evenings. Starting September 24, with Oates, notable authors will take the stage at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland, with the series wrapping up on April 1, 2019. The characters in the 11 short stories that make up Beautiful Days lead complicated lives and find themselves in extreme circumstances. Through her portrayal of those characters’ interior lives, Oates masterfully explores the depths of humanity—as she has been known to do throughout her career. Pittsburgh Current interviewed the author via email per her preference. In 2009 you told the New York Times, “I consider tragedy the highest form of art.” Can you talk about the role tragedy plays in the stories that make up Beautiful Days? The stories deal with tragic elements, but they are not necessarily “tragic” stories. The first story, for
connected with your readers since the advent of social media? I don’t think so. Readers used to write letters which tend to be longer and more thoughtful than email exchanges. Though in fact, as I recall now, I do have “friends” I have met through email and Twitter.
Joyce Carol Oates, Sept. 24 (Photo: Dustin Cohen)
instance, tracks the evolution of a love affair that is transformed into something more permanent and deeper. When you begin writing a story like “Fractal,” for example, do you know before you start that Oliver will not come out of the Labyrinth, or do events unfold as you write them? Yes, I have my stories plotted out carefully beforehand. I usually know the specific words that will be the ending, and it is toward that ending that I direct the story. Do your characters leave you once you have finished the story or novel that they appear in, or do you often find yourself thinking about the people you created in past works?
32 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
Yes, I think about “characters” as if they are people, and I often yearn for a return to the world(s) that I have created, where atmosphere is so crucial. A work of fiction is like a dream: intense, atmospheric, really not explicable in terms of its “plot.” The dream is always so much more than what we can recount. When you start a project, must you focus on that one until you see it through? Or do you pick things up and put them down to work on others and come back to them later? Usually I stay with one project until it is completed. You’ve experienced what it is like to be an author both pre- and post internet. Do you feel more
You will be one of eight women speaking in the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures Ten Evenings series this year out of ten total speakers. Can you wrap your mind around how different the position of women in this industry—and in general—is now from how it was when you published your first novel? Yes, it is totally different! For persons of color, gay and lesbians, and women writers the culture has changed astonishingly. Are there any literary quotes that come to your mind as pertinent in our current political climate? A good question! “This, too, will pass”— is probably the most appropriate quote. What would you say to someone who made the assertion that works of fiction are frivolous in such a dire time? Many things seem “frivolous” when set beside an epoch, let alone a millennia. It is not always clear what is fiction and what is non-fiction today; but fiction will at least declare itself imagined, and aiming for a higher, more permanent truth.
FALL LITERARY EVENTS Compiled by Jody DiPerna
ONGOING
Girls Write Pittsburgh Various Locations Weekly program that helps female-identifying teens find their voices through writing. Girlswritepittsburgh.com
SEPT. 12
Library Cafe Reading Series Millvale Community Library 213 Grant Avenue, Millvale, Pa. http://millvalelibrary.org/ Reading: Brad Felver (Drue Heinz Lit Prize Winner), author of "The Dogs of Detroit"
City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar Spoken Word Open Mike Biddle's Escape 401 Biddle Avenue, Wilkinsburg
SEPT. 13
Meet the Author: Audrey Abbott Iacone Carnegie Library Beechview 1910 Broadway Avenue, Pgh, Pa. 15216 https://www.carnegielibrary.org/ clp_location/beechview/ Ciderhouse Cookbook Reading & Cider Pairing Threadbare Cider & Meadery 1291 Spring Garden Ave, Pgh. Pa. 15212 https://threadbarecider.com/ Poetry & Pints
East End Taproom 102 19th Street, Pgh, Pa 15222 http://www.eastendbrewing.com/ A Reading by Jan Beatty, Sheila Carter-Jones and Adriana Ramirez Benefitting Local Women Political Candidates White Whale Bookstore, 4754 Liberty Ave, Pgh 15224 When the Smoke Clears: A Talk with Ervin Staub Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St., Pgh, Pa 15222 https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/
SEPT. 14
Regional Writer Series: Women, History and Place Laurie Graham, Author of 'Singing the City: The Bonds of Home in an Industrial Landscape,' and 'Rebuilding the House' The Frick Pittsburgh, 7227 Reynolds
Street, Pgh, Pa. 15208 http://thefrickpittsburgh.org/ Jazz Poetry Month: Oliver Lake & Li-Young Lee, Rickey Laurentiis, Yona Harvey & Tuhin Das City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa. 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar
SEPT. 15
Reading: Barbara Dahlberg, author of 'Patsy Cline Is on the Radio;' also reading Rochell Preston & Janice Henry City Books, 908 Galveston Avenue, Pgh, Pa. 15233 https://citybookspgh.com/
SEPT. 15-16
Jazz Poetry Month: Stoop is a
SEP 14 - OCT 27
Gallery Hours: 11:00am–7:00pm, Tuesday-Saturday
AAP EXHIBITION SPACE IN THE SOUTHSIDE WORKS
AAPGH.ORG
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 33
- HUMANS X TECH -
- HUMANS X TECH -
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
FUTURE OF WORK SYMPOSIUM
LIFE.CODE SUMMIT
KELLY-STRAYHORN THEATER 6:00 – 8:00PM
PHIPPS CONSERVATORY & BOTANICAL GARDENS 9:00AM - 4:30PM
PITTSBURGH, P
F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N A N D T O B U Y T I C 4 | SEP. 11, 2018 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
XXXX
- HUMANS X TECH -
- MUSIC X ARTS -
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
LIFE.CODE INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
DILLON FRANCIS + MUCH MORE
CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART 5:00PM - 11:00PM
HIGHMARK STADIUM 4:00PM - 11:00PM
P E N N S Y LVA N I A
C K E T S V I S I T W W W.T H R I VA L F E S T I VA L . C O M PITTSBURGH CURRENT | SEP. 11, 2018 | 5
Literary
Jill Lepore JAN 14, 2019
Ottessa Moshfegh FEB 18, 2019
Valeria Luiselli MAR 11, 2019
Min Jin Lee APR 1, 2019
Author photo: Krystal Griffiths Author photo: Elena Seibert
36 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
Dave Eggers DEC 10, 2018 Author photo: Em-J Staples
Write Your Story with Sandra Gould Ford Homewood YWCA 6907 Frankstown Ave, Pgh Pa. 15208
Tayari Jones NOV 19, 2018
Author photo: Tanya Sazansky
Chuck Beard visits the History Club Carnegie Library, West End
SEPT. 22
Masha Gessen NOV 5, 2018
Author photo: Alfredo Pelcastre
SEPT. 20
Katherine Boo OCT 22, 2018
Author photo: Dari Pillsbury
Listen, Lucy Writing Workshop The Glitter Box Theatre 460 Melwood Ave, Pgh, Pa. 15213 https://www.theglitterboxtheater. com/
Luis Alberto Urrea OCT 8, 2018
Author photo: Nina Subin
SEPT. 18
SEPT. 21
History at Noon: Women's Suffrage on the Open Road The Frick Pittsburgh 7227 Reynolds Street, Pgh, Pa. 15208 Jazz Poetry: Solo Piano Improvisations with Claudio Cojaniz & Poet Shauna Barbosa City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar Book Release Party: 'Miss Macross v Batman' by Sheena Carroll (a/k/a Miss Macross) Garfield Art House
Joyce Carol Oates SEPT 24, 2018
Author photo: Heleen Welvaart
Riverstone Book Club: Orphan Train Riverstone Books 8850 Covenant St., Pgh, Pa 15237 Nikki Giovanni (author, poet, essayist) Simmons Auditorium, Tepper Bldg Carnegie Mellon Campus https://www.cmu.edu/uls/ Meet the Author: Zoje Stage, author of 'Baby Teeth' Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill Branch https://www.carnegielibrary.org/ clp_location/squirrel-hill/ Meet the Author: Natasha Garrett, author of 'Motherlands' Northland Public Library 300 Cumberland Road, Pgh, Pa. 15237 https://www.northlandlibrary.org/ Moth Mainstage in Pittsburgh Byham Theatre, 101 6th St., Pgh, Pa. 15222 https://pittsburghlectures.org/
2018/19
Author photo: Joe Mazza
SEPT. 17
47 Wabash St, Pgh, Pa. 15220 Jazz Poetry: Stephan Crump Trio & Poet Rajiv Mohabir, Ava C. Cipri, Vanessa German & Sheryl St. Germain City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar An Evening with Marie Benedict (author of 'Carnegie's Maid') Mt. Lebanon Public Library 16 Castle Shannon Blvd, Mt Lebanon, Pa. 15228 WESA presents, "An Evening with Joshua Johnson" host of NPR's '1A' August Wilson Center 980 Liberty Ave, Pgh. 15222 Series Debut: Rewind Reading Series brillobox 4104 Penn Ave., Pgh, Pa. 15224
Author photo: Dustin Cohen
Verb City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar
Made Possible by the Drue Heinz Trust Monday nights at 7:30 p.m., Carnegie Music Hall Tickets on sale now! $10 student tickets available.
PghArtsLectures
pittsburghlectures.org
Annette Dashofy’s 'Cry Wolf' Book Launch Party Mystery Lovers Bookstore, 514 Allegheny River Blvd, Oakmont, Pa. 15139 Jazz Poetry: Stride Piano with Claudio Cojaniz & Poet Daniel Borzutzky City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar
SEPT. 23
An Evening with Patrick Winn Mt. Lebanon Public Library 16 Castle Shannon Blvd, Mt Lebanon, Pa. 15228
SEPT. 24
Coffeehouse Reading Series: Dancing Girl Press (Reading and Book Party) Genesius Theatre, Duquesne Univ. 600 Forbes Ave., Pgh, Pa. 15282 Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures 10 Evenings: Joyce Carol Oates Carnegie Music Hall Oakland https://pittsburghlectures.org/ Ward LeRoy Churchill, author of 'Wielding Words as Weapons' The Big Idea Bookstore, 4812 Liberty Ave., Pgh. Pa 15224 http://thebigideapgh.org/
SEPT. 25
Meet the Authors: Sharon Dilworth and Natasha Garrett Shaler North Hills Library, 1822 Mt Royal Blvd, Glenshaw WorD (Write or Die) Meeting Rickert & Beagle Books 3233 W Liberty Ave, Pgh. Pa. 15216 http://rickertandbeaglebooks.com/
SEPT. 26
The Meaning of Frankenstein in the 21st Century Gumberg Library at Duquesne University 600 Forbes Ave., Pgh, Pa. 15282 Drawing Inside Out: Writing Comics for Yourself Prototype PGH 460 Melwood Ave, Pgh, Pa. 15213 Chatterton Book Club Night with Quantum Theatre 218 N Highland Ave., Pgh, Pa. 15206 http://www.quantumtheatre.com/ Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series: Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah Heinz Memorial Chapel S Bellefield Ave., Pgh, Pa. 15213
SEPT. 27
Cass Sunstein, "Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media" Porter Hall 100, Carnegie Mellon University https://www.cmu.edu/uls/ Workshop: Write Now! Center for Creativity at Pitt 4200 Fifth Ave., Pgh, Pa. 15260 Annette Dashofy and Liz Milliron Penn Hills Library 1037 Stotler Road, Penn Hills 15137 Jaimeo Brown: Americana Song with Jamaal May, Malcolm Friend, and Adriana E. Ramírez City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar
SEPT. 29
Flash Fiction: PopUp Workshop (with Jamie Lackey) Rickert & Beagle Books 3233 W Liberty Ave, Pgh. Pa. 15216
http://rickertandbeaglebooks.com/ Booktoberfest Oakmont Carnegie Library 700 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont, Pa. 15139 Jaimeo Brown: International Music + Local Authors City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar
OCT. 5
SEPT. 30
Meet the Author: Natasha Garrett, Author of 'Motherlands' LaRoche College 9000 Babcock Boulevard, Pittsburgh 15237 Book Launch Party: Jonathan Auxier, author of 'Sweep' City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar Reading and Book signing, David Reichenbaugh, author of 'In Pursuit, the Hunt for the Beltway Snipers' City Books 908 Galveston Avenue, Pgh, Pa. 15233 https://citybookspgh.com/
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Words & Pictures: Meg Medina Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, Oakland https://pittsburghlectures.org/
OCT. 3
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures New & Noted: Anita Sarkeesian and Ebony Adams Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, Oakland https://pittsburghlectures.org/
OCT. 4
Author Visit: Doris Sasson, author of 'Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israeli Defense Forces' Carnegie Library, West End 47 Wabash St, Pgh, Pa. 15220 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra & Local Authors City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar Off the Record XVIII: #YinzToo! Byham Theatre 101 6th St., Pgh, Pa. 15222 https://trustarts.org/
Kelly Forsythe with Carly Joy Miller White Whale Bookstore 4754 Liberty Ave, Pgh 15224 Book Launch Party for 'The Quelling' by Barbara Barrow Colony Cafe 1125 Penn Ave., Pgh. Pa. 15222
OCT. 6
OCT. 7
Hell's Lid Reading Series Full Pint Wild Side Pub 5310 Butler Street, Pgh, Pa. 15201 The Poetry Atelier The Space Upstairs 214 N Lexington St., Pgh 15208 https://www.thespaceupstairs.org/ poetry
OCT. 8
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, 10 Evenings: Luis Alberto Urrea, author of 'The House of Broken Angels' and 'The Devil's
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 37
Literary Highway' Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland https://pittsburghlectures.org/ Oct. 10 Biddle's Spoken Word Open Mic Biddle's Escape 401 Biddle Avenue, Wilkinsburg
Christine Stroud Genesius Theatre, Duquesne Univ. 600 Forbes Ave., Pgh, Pa. 15282 Reading: Barbara Sipe, author of 'Letters from the Box in the Attic' Penguin Bookshop 417 Beaver Ave., Sewickley, Pa. 15143
OCT. 11
OCT. 19
'Welcome to the Night Vale' Byham Theatre 101 6th St., Pgh, Pa. 15222 https://trustarts.org/
OCT. 12
Dubravka Ugresic (Croatia) City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar
OCT. 14
Mindfulness and Poetry Workshop with Joni Sturgill Schoolhouse Yoga 2215 Murray Ave, Pgh, Pa. 15217
OCT. 14 Eighth Annual Pittsburgh 'Zine Fair! Union Project 801 N. Negley Avenue, Pgh 15206 Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Words & Pictures: Neal Shusterman, author of 'Challenger Deep' Carnegie Library Lecture Hall Oakland https://pittsburghlectures.org/
OCT. 16
Coffeehouse Reading Series: Maureen McGranahan &
Sherrie Flick ('Thank Your Lucky Stars') and Maria Romasco Moore ('Ghostgraphs: An Album') Book Release Party White Whale Bookstore, 4754 Liberty Ave, Pgh 15224
OCT. 20
Family History Month: Kenyatta D. Berry, author of 'The Family Tree Toolkit,' and host of 'The Genealogy Roadshow.' Carnegie Library, Pennsylvania Department Oakland Write or Die Halloween Writing Event Rickert & Beagle Books 3233 W Liberty Ave, Pgh. Pa. 15216 http://rickertandbeaglebooks.com/ Book Launch: Brittany Hailer, 'Animal You'll Surely Become' 2918 Leander Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Reading: Natalie Sypolt, author of 'The Sound of Holding Your Breath' and Laura Leigh Morris, author of 'Jaws of Life' White Whale Bookstore 4754 Liberty Ave, Pgh 15224 Reading: Joan E. Bauer, author of 'The Almost Sound of Drowning,' and Justin Vicari, author of 'The Professional Weepers' and the new 'In
38 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
WEAR FAIR
Discover fairly made clothing for all occasions. 25% OFF ONE ITEM 5820 Forbes Avenue . Pgh, PA 15217 . 412-421-2160 Tenthousandvillages.com/Pittsburgh
Offer valid at participating stores until 10/6/18. Not valid with other offers or discounts, purchase of gift cards, Oriental rugs, Traveler’s Finds or consumables. One coupon per store per customer.
Search of Lost Joy.' City Books 908 Galveston Avenue, Pgh, Pa. 15233 https://citybookspgh.com/
OCT. 22
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures 10 Evenings: Katherine Boo, author of 'Behind the Beautiful Forevers' Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland https://pittsburghlectures.org/
OCT. 23
Radical Writers Rise Up: Pgh DSA Poetry & Fiction Reading The Glitter Box Theatre 460 Melwood Avenue, Pgh, Pa. 15213 Remaking Post-Industrial Cities with Don Carter City of Asylum 40 W North Avenue, Pgh, Pa 15212 http://www.alphabetcity. org/#events-toolbar
OCT. 24
Pittsburgh Speaker Series: Lisa Genova ('Still Alice') Heinz Hall 600 Penn Ave., Pgh, Pa. 15222 https://trustarts.org
OCT. 25
Black Ecstatic: An Evening of Poetry & Film Frick Fine Arts Building, Schenley Drive, Pgh, 15213 https://www.artsburgh.org/
OCT. 28
Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Words & Pictures: Jason
Reynolds Carnegie Library Lecture Hall https://pittsburghlectures.org/
OCT. 30
Alan Mallach, author of "Who's Moving to Cities and Who Isn't: Comparing American Cities" Hamburg Hall A301, Carnegie Mellon University https://www.cmu.edu/uls/
NOV. 1
Conference on Philology, Translation & Criticism, hosted by boundary 2, an international journal of literature and culture Cathedral of Learning Room 501, 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pgh, Pa. 15213
NOV. 3
Sherrie Flick, author of 'Reconsidering Happiness,' 'Whiskey, Etc.,' and the recently released 'Thank Your Lucky Stars.' AND Kim Chinquee, author of 'Oh Baby,' 'Pretty,' 'Pistol,' 'Veer,' and 'Shot Girls' City Books 908 Galveston Avenue, Pgh, Pa. 15233 https://citybookspgh.com/
NOV. 4
Pitch, Promote, Publish: A Conference for Writers Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh, 620 William Penn Pl, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 http://www.pitchpublishpromote. com/where/
BRING YOUR CREATIVITY. We’ll take care of the rest.
ENROLLING NOW CLASSES FOR ALL AGES IN STUDIO & MEDIA ARTS
LEARN A NEW SKILL. JOIN A COMMUNITY. CREATE A LASTING PIECE OF ART. Classes and workshops in jewelry, ceramics, drawing, painting, fiber arts and more begin in September at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. Visit our website to sign up today. pfpca.org/classes 412-361-0455
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 39
Music
Fall music offerings: Something for everyone By Margaret Welsh PITTSBURGH CURRENT MUSIC EDITOR margaret@pittsburghcurrent.com In case you’re experiencing a touch of melancholy about the end of outdoor concert series, just remember that autumn brings the true glory days of live music. Not only do we suffer less as music fans (hot, sweaty venues are a little less hot and sweaty) but these months usher in a wave of exciting tours (bands don’t like to be sweaty either). And though summer festival season is ending, there are still a couple that you shouldn’t miss: Sept. 28-30, check out the inaugural Highmark Blues and Heritage Festival at the August Wilson Center (980 Liberty Ave., Downtown). The vast and exciting lineup features performances from Sweet Honey in the Rock, Bettye LaVette, John Scofield, Billy Price, New Breed Brass Band, and many more. In addition to the performances the festival offers a series of educational programs, including the first “Lil Juke Joint,” featuring performances and hands-on activities for young attendees. Visit aacc-awc.org for more information. Also that weekend is the second annual Descendants of Crom festival which packs two days – Sept. 28th and 29th -- with heavy music of the doom and stoner variety: this year’s lineup features New Hampshire sludge band Come to Grief, Austin’s heavy psych outfit Duel, bluesy doom rockers Mos Generator; there’s also a strong presence of high-quality locals including Molasses Barge, Horehound, Outsideinside and Urns. The whole thing goes down at Cattivo (146 44th St, Lawrenceville). Check out descendantsofcrom.com.
FALL MUSIC LISTINGS
SEPT. 12
Beach Goons The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com Dawes Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive., North Side Stageae.com
SEPT. 13
Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side rextheater.net Parkway Drive, The Devil Wears Prada, August Burns Red Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive., North Side Stageae.com
SEPT. 14
Gwar Mr. Smalls Theater, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com Kip Moore
40 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
Common Holly
Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive., North Side Stageae.com
Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg thepalacetheatre.org
Maia Sharp, Bill Deasy Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side Clubcafelive.com
Morris Day & the Time The Meadows Casino, 210 Racetrack Rd, Washington, meadowsgaming.com
SEPT. 15 Little Anthony & the Imperials
Renee Fleming Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown pittsburghsymphony.org
SEPT. 16
The Brass, Control Test, Mala Leche Blumcraft, 460 Melwood Ave., Polish Hill Remo Drive The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com State Champs Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side rextheater.net
SEPT. 17
Courtney Marie Andrews Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side Clubcafelive.com Paul Simon PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown ppgpaintsarena.com Gary Numan Mr. Smalls Theater, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com
SEPT. 18
Givers The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com Josh Rouse Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side Clubcafelive.com Guided By Voices Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 41
Music
1964 THE TRIBUTE FRI • 10/5 • 8PM
SHREK THE MUSICAL FRI-SUN • 9/21-9/23
RIVER CITY BRASS
LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS W/GUESTS TERRY JOHNSON’S THE FLAMINGOS SAT • 9/15 • 7PM
ROCKY HORROR BRASS SAT • 10/6 • 7:30PM THE BRIT-AM INVASION SAT • 11/3 • 7:30PM CHRISTMAS BRASSTACULAR SAT • 12/1 • 7:30PM
RANDY BACHMAN
TUE • 9/25 • 7:30PM
EVERY SONG TELLS A STORY
WORLD OF DANCE LIVE! WED • 10/3 • 7:30PM
THE PRICE IS• RIGHT LIVE! wEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21
ALMOST QUEEN TRIBUTE & A TRIBUTE TO STYX
WED • 10/10 • 7:30PM 21 W. OTTERMAN ST. GREENSBURG 724-836-8000
THU • 10/11 • 7PM
TICKETS: WWW.TICKETFLY.COM AND THE PALACE THEATRE BOX OFFICE CHARGE BY PHONE 1-877-435-9849 OR 724-836-8000
FOR MORE INFO GO TO ELKOCONCERTS.COM OR THEPALACETHEATRE.ORG
CELEBRATE 50 SAT • 10/13 • 7:30PM
PALACE THEATRE
21 W. OTTERMAN ST. GREENSBURG 724-836-8000
T I C K E T S : W W W . T I C K E T F LY . C O M A N D T H E P A L A C E T H E AT R E B O X O F F I C E CHARGE BY PHONE 1-877-435-9849 OR 724-836-8000
FOR MORE INFO GO TO WWW.ELKOCONCERTS.COM OR WWW.THEPALACETHEATRE.ORG
Courtney Barnett
SEPT. 19
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., pittsburghsymphony.org
SEPT. 20
Chicano Batman Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side rextheater.net Mat Kearney, Atlas Genius Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com Peter Case The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com Skyharbor, Toothgrinder
Hard Rock Café, 230 W Station Square Drive, Station Square hardrock.com/cafes/Pittsburgh
SEPT. 15-20 Pittsburgh Festival of New Music Pittsburgh Opera, 2425 Liberty Ave., Strip District aliamusicapittsburgh.org/pfnm
SEPT. 21 River Whyless The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com Little River Band Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, 510 E. 10th Ave. librarymusichall.com
42 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS SAT • 12/5 • 7:30PM WESTMORELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
SOCIAL DISTORTION SUN • 10/14 • 8PM
FAIRY TALE FASHION 14TH ANNUAL RUNWAY FASHION SHOW WED • 10/17 • 7PM
DENNIS DEYOUNG: THE GRAND ILLUSION 40TH ANNIVERSARY ALBUM TOUR FRI • 10/19 • 8PM
THE CLARKS SAT • 10/20 • 7PM
A CLASSICAL REVOLUTION WED • 10/24 • 7PM
THE TEMPTATIONS THU • 10/25 • 7:30PM
THE MUSIC OF CREAM 50TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR FRI • 10/26 • 8PM
THE MAN I WANT TO BE TOUR 2018 SUN • 10/28 • 6PM
PETULA CLARK SUN • 11/4 • 3PM
THE DOOBIE BROTHERS WED • 11/7 • 7:30PM
MIKE DELGUIDICE & BIG SHOT THU • 11/8 • 7:30PM
BRET MICHAELS FRI • 11/9 • 8PM
GINO VANNELLI & HIS BAND SAT • 11/10 • 7:30PM
GLADYS KNIGHT SUN • 11/11 • 7PM
MAMMA MIA THE MUSICAL FRI-SUN • 11/16-11/18
STOMP SAT-SUN • 11/24-11/25
THE IRISH DANCE CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR SUN • 12/2 • 4PM
GENERATION AXE MON • 12/3 • 7:30PM
KENNY G
LATSHAW POPS SPECTACULAR CHRISTMAS SHOW
BILLY JOEL TRIBUTE
THE BEACH BOYS
REASON FOR THE SEASON CHRISTMAS TOUR TUE • 12/4 • 7:30PM
WESTMORELAND CULTURAL TRUST’S
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK
THE NUTCRACKER
WSO/LAUREL BALLET 25TH ANNIV. PROD. SAT-SUN • 12/8-12/9
ROCKTOPIA
CAROL OF THE KING
THE MIRACLES HOLIDAYS & HITS TOUR MON • 12/10 • 8PM
ERIC JOHNSON
AH VIA MUSICOM TOUR
THU • 10/18 • 8PM
FRI • 12/14 • 7:30PM
WWW.THEPALACETHEATRE.ORG
21 W. OTTERMAN STREET, GREENSBURG PA • 724-836-8000 • FREE PARKING FOR WEEKEND & EVENING SHOWS!
COMING EVENTS
Music Hang Tight The Smiling Moose, 1306 E Carson St. smiling-moose.com MC50 Mr. Smalls Theater, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com
SEPT. 22
Village People The Meadows Casino, 210 Racetrack Rd, Washington, meadowsgaming.com
SEPT. 22
Drake Bell Jergels Rhythm Grill,103 Slade Lane, Warrendale jergels.com
SEPT. 27
Neck Deep Mr. Smalls Theater, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com
SEPT. 28
Whethan Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com
Eyehategod, The Obsessed Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com
Sister Hazel Jergels Rhythm Grill,103 Slade Lane, Warrendale jergels.com
SEPT. 23
SEPT. 28-30
Life of Agony Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side rextheater.net
SEPT. 24
Shakey Graves Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
SEPT. 25
Justin Timberlake PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown ppgpaintsarena.com
SEPT. 26
Beartooth Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
Side Stageae.com
OCT. 1
Restorations The Smiling Moose, 1306 E Carson St. smiling-moose.com
OCT. 2
Franky Cosmos The Mr. Roboto Project, 5106 Penn Ave., Friendship therobotoproject.com The Revivalists Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
Giant Dollar Sale
Saturday September 22: 10am-6pm Sunday September 23: 12pm-5pm Over 10,000 LPs!
Pittsburgh's largest used record store BUY - SELL - TRADE Tues-Sat 10am-6pm Sun 12pm-5pm 2136 Murray Ave. 412-421-4533
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: Manfred’s 60th with Zukerman
SEPT. 29
Maroon 5 PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown ppgpaintsarena.com Ed Sheeran PNC Park, 115 Federal St., North Side mlb.com/pirates/ballpark Shooter Jennings Benedum Center, 237 7th St., Downtown trustarts.org George Clinton, Steve Arrington, Zapp Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 43
Music Maxwell Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown pittsburghsymphony.org
OCT. 4
Dreamers, Morgxn, Weathers Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com Yolanda Adams Petersen Event Center, 3719 Terrace St., Oakland. petersen eventscenter.com Uada, Imperial Triumphant, Panzerfaust The Smiling Moose, 1306 E Carson St. smiling-moose.com
OCT. 5
Gladstone Deluxe & Samir Gangwani Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty kelly-strayhorn.org
OCT. 6
Kansas Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown pittsburghsymphony.org
OCT. 7
Jennifer Knapp Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side Clubcafelive.com
OCT. 5-7
Pittsburgh Symphony Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown. pittsburghsymphony.org
High Notes OPERA LISTINGS
SEPT. 15
Gala Concert: Renee Fleming 7 p.m. Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown pittsburghopera.org
SEPT. 16
Rising Stars Concert 6 p.m. Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters, 2425 Liberty Ave., Strip District pittsburghopera.org
SEPT. 20, 27
Market Square Concerts 11:30 a.m. Market Square pittsburghopera.org
OCT. 8
Steely Dan Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown pittsburghsymphony.org
OCT. 9
Paranoid, Cotton Ponys The Rock Room, 1054 Herron Ave., Polish Hill 412-683-4418
OCT. 10 Elton John
44 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
OCT. 6, 9, 12, 14
NOV. 10
OCT. 12-14, 18-21
NOV. 3, 6, 9, 11
OCT. 13
DEC. 8
Madama Butterfly Check website for showtimes. Benedum Center for the Performing Arts 237 7th Street, Downtown pittsburghopera.org
Yeomen of the Guard Check website for showtimes. Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall 300 Beechwood Avenue, Carnegie pittsburghsavoyards.org
October Brown Bag Concert 12 -1 p.m. Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters, 2425 Liberty Ave., Strip District pittsburghopera.org
PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown ppgpaintsarena.com Brian Fallon, Craig Finn Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, 510 E. 10th Ave., Homestead librarymusichall.com
OCT. 11
The Essex Green The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., North Side warhol.org
November Brown Bag Concert 12 -1 p.m. Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters, 2425 Liberty Ave., Strip District pittsburghopera.org
Hansel & Gretel Check website for showtimes. Benedum Center for the Performing Arts 237 7th Street, Downtown pittsburghopera.org
Holiday Brown Bag Concert 12 -1 p.m. Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters, 2425 Liberty Ave., Strip District pittsburghopera.org
OCT. 12
Great Lake Swimmers Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side Clubcafelive.com Gruff Rhys The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com
OCT. 13
Pokey Lafarge Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side rextheater.net
Music OCT. 14
Stanley Clarke Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side rextheater.net Electric Six Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side Clubcafelive.com Atmosphere Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
OCT. 15
Radioactivity, Spiritual Cramp The Rock Room, 1054 Herron Ave., Polish Hill 412-683-4418 Titus Andronicus Cattivo, 146 44th St, Lawrenceville cattivopgh.com
OCT. 16
Dance with the Dead Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com Molly Burch The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com Murder By Death Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com Sebastian Bach Jergels Rhythm Grill,103 Slade Lane, Warrendale jergels.com
OCT. 17
Ted Leo Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side Clubcafelive.com Lovelytheband The Club at Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
OCT. 18
Eric Johnson Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg thepalacetheatre.org The Black Lillies Club Café, 56 S. 12th St., South Side Clubcafelive.com Metallica PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown ppgpaintsarena.com Common Holly Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com Lindsey Buckingham Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, 510 E. 10th Ave., Homestead librarymusichall.com
OCT. 19
Swearin’ Cattivo, 146 44th St, Lawrenceville cattivopgh.com Courtney Barnett Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
OCT. 21
The Life and Times Cattivo, 146 44th St, Lawrenceville cattivopgh.com
Clutch Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
OCT. 23
Yamantaka//Sonic Titan Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com
OCT. 24
Steven Van Zandt Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, 510 E. 10th Ave., Homestead librarymusichall.com
OCT. 25
Low Cut Connie Mr. Smalls Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale Mrsmalls.com The Temptations Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg thepalacetheatre.org
OCT. 26
Alice Cooper Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
OCT. 28
Lil Yachty Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
OCT. 29
Machine Head Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North
Side Stageae.com
OCT. 31
Oxymorrons Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com Colter Wall The Club at Stage AE, 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side Stageae.com
NOV. 1
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Jergels Rhythm Grill,103 Slade Lane, Warrendale jergels.com Fleetwood Mac PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown ppgpaintsarena.com Kool & the Gang Palace Theatre 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg thepalacetheatre.org
NOV. 3
They Might Be Giants Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side rextheater.net RBRM: Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky & Mike Petersen Event Center, 3719 Terrace St., Oakland peterseneventscenter.com
NOV. 4
Deafheaven, Diiv Spirit, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville Spiritpgh.com
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 45
Food
Eat your way through Autumn By Haley Frederick haley@pittsburghcurrent.com More than two dozen restaurants, breweries, and food trucks will converge on Kennywood for the annual Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival on September 23 from 1-6pm to serve up their own creations inspired by that beloved potato pouch. Guests can find traditional pierogies from purveyors like Rankin Jr. Tamburitzans and S&D Polish Deli. Other vendors will incorporate pierogies into their unique cuisines. BRGR will be serving up pierogi burgers. The Coop Chicken & Waffles will be topping their pierogi waffles with fried chicken. And Happy Camper Cakes, Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, and Sugar & Spice Truck will be offering up their dessert pierogi dishes. Tickets to the festival include free parking and access to classic Kennywood amusements like the Thunderbolt and Jack Rabbit. Live entertainment will be provided by several acts including the DJ Pandemic and the bands Unnecessary Polka and Meeting of Important People. Attendees can paint their own pierogi with Paint Monkey or peruse the pop-up Pierogi Marketplace for memorabilia. 21+ Pierogi lovers can also enjoy a beer garden. September 23. Kennywood Park, 4800 Kennywood Blvd, West Mifflin. pittsburghpierogi festival.com
Photo: Kennywood
EVENTS SEPT. 22OCT. 28
Weekends SOERGEL ORCHARDS WEEKEND FALL FEST 2573 Brandt School Road, Wexford Soergels.com
SEPT. 13
BIERHAUS: AN INDOOR
BIERGARTEN EVENT. Spirit PGH, 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. Spiritpgh.com SUMMER NIGHTS WITH GAUCHO AT THE BARRELHOUSE. Wigle Whiskey, 1055 Spring Garden Ave. Weekly through October 19. Wiglewhiskey.com 4TH ANNUAL SWEET CORN ROAST. Shadyside Nursery, 510 Maryland Ave, Shadyside.
Theshadysidenursery.com
SEPT. 14
OKTOBERFEST PARTY AT OUR HAUS. Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh, 2705 S Water St, South Side. Hofbrauhauspittsburgh.com
SEPT. 15
STEEL CITY BIG POUR. Construction Junction, 214 N Lexington St, Homewood. cjreuse.org/bigpour
SEPT. 16
FIG FEST. Wigle Whiskey. 1055 Spring Garden Ave. Weekly through October 19. Wiglewhiskey.com
SEPT. 21-23 & 28-30 PENN BREWERY OKTOBERFEST. Penn Brewery, 800 Vinial St, North Shore. Pennbrew.com
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 46
Food
SEPT. 22
A TASTE IN DORMONT. Dormont Pool, 1801 Dormont Ave #1899, Dormont. Discoverdormont.org
SEPT. 22
BREWS IN THE PARK. Kennywood Park, 4800 Kennywood Blvd, West Mifflin. Kennywood.com/events
SEPT. 27
SAVOR PITTSBURGH to benefit Magee-Womens Research Institute. Petersen Events Center, 3719 Terrace St, Oakland. Savorpgh.com
SEP. 28
TASTE OF BLUES August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave, Downtown. aacc-awc.org
OCT. 3
CRAB WALK. Merchant Oyster Co., 4129 Butler Street, Lawrenceville. Merchantpgh.com
OCT. 7
DONUT DASH 2018. Schenley Plaza, 4100 Forbes Ave, Oakland. Pghdonutdash.org
OCT. 13
8TH ANNUAL TASTE OF AFRICA.
Teamsters Local Union 249, 4701 Butler St, Lawrenceville. cameroonfdp.org/toa
OCT. 20
STEEL CITY SIP & SWEETS. Nova Place, 100 South Commons, North Side. Steelcitysipsweets.splashthat. com
OCT. 20
8TH ANNUAL BOO & BREW BASH to benefit Make-A-Wish Greater PA and WV. Downtown Pittsburgh. Greaterpawv.wish.org
OCT. 20 HOMETOWN
HOMEGROWN FOOD EXPO. Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St, Strip District. goodtastepittsburgh.com/ hometown-homegrown
OCT. 26
2018 PITTSBURGH WHISKEY AND FINE SPIRITS FESTIVAL. Rivers Casino, 777 Casino Dr, North Shore. Piittsburghwhiskey festival.com
OCT. 27
A FEW BAD APPLES CIDERFEST WBU Event Space, 1958 Varley St, Spring Hill. afewbadapples.brownpaper-
tickets.com
OCT. 27
PITTSBURGH HALLOWEEN. BAR CRAWL NATION. Carson City Saloon, 1401 E Carson St, South Side. barcrawlnation.com/pittsburgh
NOV. 10
UNCORKED WINE FESTIVAL. Galleria of Mt. Lebanon, 1500 Washington Rd, Mt Lebanon. Galleriapgh.com
NOV. 30
THE JOY OF COOKIES: Cookie Tour 2018. Lawrenceville Lvpgh.com
alleghenylandtrust.org Join Us & Protect More Fun
protected land 47 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
= guaranteed adventure
Film
Fall of the Living Dead Director George Romero featured in several events by Mike Watt PITTSBURGH CURRENT FILM WRITER mike@pittsburghcurrent.com In July, I was lucky enough to observe a film camp put on by Pittsburgh Filmmakers/Pittsburgh Center of the Arts titled “Girls Remake Horror.” It was a two-week intensive Summer camp headed up by Amy Lynn Best (producer/director/actress and, in full disclosure, my wife), Sarah Moore (videographer/photographer), Kara Sambrick (photographer/videographer), Laurie Smith (cinematographer and Point Park professor), and Shannon Dailey (special effects artist / production designer). The six instructors gave a half-dozen women (ages ranging from 13-17) a dizzying crash-course in filmmaking— pre-production, script writing, location scouting, auditions, rehearsal, filming, editing—that resulted in the ten-minute short film Tintamarre, about a photography student who is being driven to madness by a sound only she can hear. It’s an effective, moody story and you will be able to check it out for yourself at the Romero-of-tomorrow Short-horror Film Contest to be held at Regent Square on Oct. 7. Mayor Peduto will be kicking off Romero Fest with a press conference on Oct. 1. If you visit the Romero Lives website, you’ll see all the great horror-related events coming up as we slide into the Halloween season. Including: September 11: FREE Rooftop Shindig screening of NIGHT OF THE
George Romero (Photo: Gage Skidmore)
LIVING DEAD, courtesy Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, The ScareHouse and Pittsburgh Filmmakers with “live” zombies, zombie themed food, beverages and games plus live music from Devin Moses & “The Undead”. www.downtownpittsburgh.com October 5-7: The annual “Living Dead Weekend” celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the film classic, Night of the Living Dead in the place it was filmed with the people who made it. www. thelivingdeadweekend.com/ October 5-6: The Legacies of George A. Romero: Genre, Politics, and Independent Film. Symposia happening
48 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
all day at the Andy Warhol Museum, and there will be a FREE academic conversation with visiting scholars and filmmakers to speak of all things Romero at the Pitt Humanities Center and Andy Warhol Museum. http://www.humcenter. pitt.edu/ » For those interested in non-Romero-related activities, there is also: September 15: Jump Cut Theater is hosting alternative content -endangered youth: an introduction to vintage safety films. “Dust off your best carpet
square this September, because alternative content is going back to school!” Vintage Safety Films were once all the rage. Revisit your study hall memories! Held at The Flying Squirrel in Carnegie. https://www.jumpcuttheater.org/ tickets October 3 – 9: The 2018 ReelAbilities Pittsburgh Film Festival will take place at SouthSide Works Cinema. https://filmpittsburgh.org/pages/ about-reelabilities November 14 - 18: Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival, featuring movies from across the world. https://filmpittsburgh.org/pages/pittsburgh-shorts
Something New
German car show debuts in Deutschtown By Matt Petras PITTSBURGH CURRENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER info@pghcitypaper.com Jason Farahi grew up around German cars because his father often worked on them. The North Side business owner, along with his significant other, Lauren Bradley, own Annex PGH, a Deutschtown clothing store that is themed around cars. Bradley began sharing Farahi’s love of German autos and when the two decided to bring an event to the North Side, their passion seemed to be the perfect fit. “Fahrzeugfest: German Motor Vehicle Show,” is a free festival planned for Saturday, Sept. 15 with food, drinks, music and, of course, the cars. “We have a huge parking lot behind our building, and I thought, you know what, it would be really cool to throw a German car show back there and have old and new German cars,” Farahi says. The couple decided to “make it a free event and get people out there to support something unique and also check our business out.” The show, hosted by Annex PGH, will take place from 2-7 p.m. The organizers will be using the Foreland Street parking lot and closing off Foreland between Middle and James streets, all near the Annex PGH store. ASADO, a food truck from Gaucho Parrilla, Argentina, will be there selling food. Allegheny City Brewing will be serving beers. Music on deck includes a live performance from local rock band The Black Six, which includes a friend of Farahi’s. Farahi says he’d like to have about 50 cars for folks to check out at the show. And if anyone wants to have their car as part of the festivities, email annexpgh@gmail.com. There will be old and new Ger-
Jason Farahi and Lauren Bradley of Annex PGH (Current photo by Jake Mysliwczyk
man cars at the event, like BMWs. Farahi says German cars dovetail with Deutschtown’s deep German history. “I personally haven’t seen any German car shows in the city, and … [with] the Deutschtown section of the North Side we’re in, I just thought that it would be a cool event,” Farahi said. While the main attraction will certainly be the cars, the show isn’t intended to just appeal to automobile addicts. The hope is that folks will grab a drink and a bite to eat and enjoy some tunes, regardless of whether or not they know the difference between an Audi
A6 and an Audi A7. “We wanted to make it somewhat of a party/car show,” he says. Farahi and Bradley want people to come out to North Side and appreciate it the way they do. Farahi has lived in the area for almost 11 years, while Bradley has been there for five. She also has deep roots in the area; her parents, grandparents and other family have long owned property and lived in the North Side. “We’re just really wanting to get people to the North Side and realize what a great community [it is] and how much there is to offer, especially
on East Ohio Street where our business is … that’s really the main goal of hosting this car show is just to create an atmosphere where other people can come and enjoy our neighborhood as well,” Bradley says. While Farahi certainly has an attachment to Deutschtown, he doesn’t share its German history. He’s Persian and Ecuadorian, and therefore, “the least German person you’ll ever meet,” he says with a laugh. “If there were Persian cars and Ecuadorian cars, maybe that’ll be next year,” he says jokingly. “But until then, we’re gonna stick with German cars.”
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | FALL GUIDE | SEP. 11, 2018 | 49
Pittsburgh Festival of New Music 2018
pghnewmusic . com
aliamusicapittsburgh.org
SOUNDPIKE
Saturday 9/15 · 3:30pm · 8pm
FEATURE
Thursday 9/20 · 7:30pm
at the Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters (2425 Liberty Avenue · Strip District) Contemporary Pop Duo NIMIKRY (Italy) Ben Barson · Ben Opie · John Ivory · Kassia Kuo/Bernabo · Wolftrap · NAT28 · Alia Musica
50 | SEP. 11, 2018 | FALL GUIDE | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
Eight Songs for a Mad King with Paul Pinto and Tenth Intervention (NY) Plus Alia Musica, Christiana Dolores, and mor
PITTSBURGH CURRENT | SEP. 11, 2018 | 53
MAC MILLER » 1992-2018
‘THE UNDERDOG WHO MADE HIS DREAMS HAPPEN’ Pittsburgh hip-hop star Mac Miller may have died at 26, but his music, his ‘light’ will live on By Charlie Deitch PITTSBURGH CURRENT EDITOR charlie@pittsburghcurrent.com For the people who knew Mac Miller, it’s tough imagining a world without him. There’s rarely a person who utters his name without also talking about his smile, his passion, his personality, his sense of humor. Most of all, it seems, that Mac Miller made the people around him feel loved in one way or another. “We first met through a mutual friend in our late middle school years. I remember him so vividly because he came over with a guitar in-hand and performed the whole night for all his companions,” recalls Hadley Armstrong, a childhood friend of Millers who spoke to the Pittsburgh Current in the wake of the hip-hop stars sudden death Sept. 7 at his California home. “Malcolm lit up every room he walked into. I immediately was drawn towards his warm personality, astonishing charisma, and his uncontrollable passion for sharing music. “He carried his guitar with him everywhere he went, played the piano and drums at every opportunity, and would make up rhymes and jingles for everyone he met. He loved music and it oozed out of him as if he couldn’t contain it. “I don’t think it was a shock to anyone that the whole world discovered and adored his talent.” Miller, born Malcolm James McCormick on Jan. 19, 1992, made music a part of his life almost from the beginning. The Artist, who scored big with records like “Blue Slide Park,” “K.I.D.S.,” “Watching Movies With the Sound Off,” “The Divine Feminine” and last month’s “Swimming,” seemed destined to it at an early age. James Armstead Brown remembers Miller as the 16-yearold rapper who came to compete at one of is “Hip Hop Calisthenics” shows. The format of the show saw the performers spin a wheel and then perform a specific freestyle task. (Check out pittsburghcurrent.com to see video of somw of Miller’s early performances.) “Mac’s technical ability and star power quickly became 54 | SEP. 11, 2018 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
Mac Miller performs at The Fillmore in Philadelphia (Photo: Xavier Thomas, @artlikeus)
MAC MILLER » 1992-2018
Early Days Mac Miller playing guitar with friend Hadley Armstrong (Photo: Hadley Armstrong). Below: With DJ Bonics
Top and right: Mac Miller backstage at an early show. (Photos: Laura Petrilla) obvious to all of us who watched him execute these difficult challenges as a teenager,” Brown says. “At that early age he had a knack for timing and could construct thematic punchlines on the spot. He represented everything we set out to accomplish with Rhyme Calisthenics; making hip-hop fun and creative while showcasing the true complexity of the craft.” DJ Bonics, a former Pittsburgh radio DJ, best known for working as Wiz Khalifa’s DJ, has fond memories of Miller hanging around and in late 2009 or early 2010, he was the first person to play Miller on the Radio. “It was right after Live Free came out. He had my attention and I asked him to come to the radio station and we chopped it up. I told him that I would play his song on my the radio the following Friday,” Bonics recalls. “I gave him the specific time that it would play, midnight. It was a pre-recorded show so something funny happened with the automation and Mac’s song started playing at the same time a Rihanna song was playing. “It made that first time memorable to say the least. But to me those things
are just a sign of great things to come.” Later in 2010, Mac asked DJ Bonics to provide scratches for the K.I.D.S. mixtape. He did and Miller later came to the station, 96.1 Kiss FM, and dropped the mix on Ustream from the station. “We will never forget that day. That tape changed his life.” Pittsburgh native and hip-hop artist Kellee Maize says she remembers booking a very young Mac Miller for a small, private event. She remembers he “had such great stage presence even then. Many years later I hadn’t seen him in a long time and went back stage at his sold-out show at Stage AE. It was like nothing changed. He was still such a sweet, kind and humble person despite the fame. He was truly a genius and an inspiration. It’s so incredibly sad that he is gone and won’t make more music, but his legacy and music will live on forever.” Although no cause of death has yet to be released, many are speculating that Miller died of a drug overdose. Miller was not without his demons, friend’s concede, but while media outlets continue to parrot the same lines
over and over, Mac Miller was more than just an entry on Wikipedia. He was a man that few would argue was a gifted musician and larger-thanlife personality who would do whatever he could to help other struggling artists realize their dreams the way that he did. Ryan Haynes, who performs professionally as DJ Afterthought, spoke
to the Current just a few hours after Miller’s death on Sept. 7. While he was emotional, he was also very clear in how he believes Miller’s life and legacy should be remembered. “He was the underdog who made his dream happen and then helped many more of us realize ours,” Haynes says. “He was a positive light. He never let his smile down, even in dark times. I want people to listen to his music, listen to what he said and remember him that way. He was loved.” Adds DJ Bonics: “Mac’s legacy will always be his music. He never sold out. Never cared to be cool he just wanted to do music how he wanted to. Thousands of “KIDS” grew up with Mac. They saw someone just like themselves make his mark in music. And that in turn influenced a generation. His legacy will be his music. And he left us with so much that he will always live forever.”
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Through a Glass Composer Rob Mazurek brings his Farnsworth Scores to the Carnegie Museum By Mike Shanley PITTSBURGH CURRENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER info@pittsburghcurrent.com Aside from the main title sequence quickly flashing on screen, the opening shot of the film The Farnsworth Scores remains pitch black for the first 90 seconds. The darkness accompanies an uncomfortable dead silence, which could be mistaken for technical difficulty. Suddenly, ambient sounds slowly fade in: INFO: analog syntheROB MAZUREK’S sizer rumbles; FARNSWORTH a train; sounds of nature; and SCORES. 7 p.m., low, long tones Thursday, Sept. 20. of a cornet. Over Carnegie Museum the next four minutes, a slow of Art Theater, 4400 zoom out reveals Forbes Avenue, that the black orb Oakland. $15. 412in the middle of 237-8300 or www. the screen is the bell of the cornet warhol.org in question, held in the hands of multi-disciplinary artist Rob Mazurek. Throughout the 26-minute Farnsworth Scores, a collaboration with filmmaker Lee Ann Schmitt, Mazurek explores the ideas of sound while walking in and around Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s entirely transparent
Rob Mazurek (Photo: Daniel Vass)
Farnsworth House. The film moves at a slow pace, often sticking to a stationary shot for several minutes. Sound comes and goes, seemingly at random. But like all of Mazurek’s work, it forces viewers to leave their biases in the lobby and see where his journey takes them. Mazurek first came to prominence in the experimental jazz scene in Chicago. He has led numerous bands, including the Chicago Underground Duo, Exploding Star Orchestra and Sao Paulo Underground, the latter group coming together while the cornetist lived in Brazil during the last decade. For the past couple of years, home has been Marfa, Texas, a city with 2000 citizens and a strong artist community. Although his cornet playing is
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rooted in jazz, and his earliest work went in a straight-ahead direction, his output now goes beyond simple categorization and varies with each project. Black Cube SP played a high-volume set at the Andy Warhol Museum in 2015 that felt like an amalgamation of prog-rock grooves, free improvisation and sampling. His solo efforts feature electro-acoustic work created with his horn and analog synthesizers. This comes closest to describing his work on the film, which will be screened prior to a live performance at the Theater in Carnegie Museum. (The Warhol again presents his appearance.) Some jazz musicians say their approach to music transcends the ideas of playing chord changes or musical styles, and feels more like “playing life.”
Mazurek, who prefers to do interviews via email, relates to the description. “But I suppose for me, [I am] also trying to crack through to the other side of what is not heard or seen. A kind of invisible finding,” he says. “I try to push the limits of some kind of resonance that has the capability of opening something up. It’s absolutely a spiritual quest to find the hidden spaces in sound and vision. I want to be a luminous light. I have no interest in creating for any other reason.” The Farnsworth House, a National Historic Landmark located in Plano, Illinois, near Mazurek’s family home, has fascinated him for years. “I actually studied architecture for a semester when I was young,” he says. “I was always excited about Mies, and Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan. For the last 10 years I was thinking about this glass house and how something could be done there. I probably visited the place 100 times. [It’s] a very resonant, spiritual place for me.” He and Schmitt were able to make the film after receiving a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in Fine Arts. Filmed frequently through the glass, Mazurek seems like a ghost, who could vanish at any moment, as he blends in with the reflection of trees. The silent passages in the film, he adds, were a beautiful accident. “I had been thinking a lot about the idea of the glass and how you can see through it. But technically it is there also to keep out sound and wind and elements,” he says. “Then it struck me that the glass, the window, is silence, the idea of silence. This intrigued me… so we have spaces in the film where it was decided to have a complete silence drop, in order to reflect upon this idea. At other times you hear pure sound of the room, pure sound of the nature outside and then different filtering situations dealing with the sound.”
GREAT SHAKES
MUSIC
Balancing serious issues with humor, Garter Shake’s new EP packs a punch By Mike Shanley PITTSBURGH CURRENT WRITER Jenn Jannon-Fisher remembers being at a party where one of her favorite bands came on the mix that was playing. She had followed the group since she was younger, and knew all about them. That didn’t stop a dude from mansplaining the band’s history to her — and getting it wrong. “I said, ‘Really, I really know this band.’ And he wasn’t hearing it,” she recalls. So she did INFO what every GARTER SHAKE EP self-respecting RELEASE with Bramusician would do: Jannon-Fishzilian Wax, Boiled er wrote a Denim. 7 p.m., song about the Saturday, Sept. 15. incident when she got home. Glitterbox Theater, Over a driving 460 Melwood Ave., beat, “Tell Me Oakland. $8. 412More” sarcasti302-0248 cally takes down the mansplainers who think they have all the facts: “My history is such a mystery/ my favorite song, I guess I got it wrong/ my body is beyond me/ what should I do/ I need to hear from you!” The song opens Garter Shake’s five-song EP, Dirty Hair, with a bit of bile even as the chorus welcomes a singalong. Both elements are in strong supply from Garter Shake, which began as a side-project by some seasoned Pittsburgh musicians but has started to take on greater life. Becki Gallagher, Lo Fi Delphi’s
vocalist and keyboardist, became fast friends with Jannon-Fisher when her band shared stages with the Park Plan, in which Jannon-Fisher played bass. Before long, both picked up guitars and decided to try something together. “Jenn has challenged me a ton,” Gallagher says. “I didn’t play guitar before, not even a little bit. She pretty much said, ‘You’re going to do this.’” They recruited bassist Mara Jacob (also of Action Camp) and drummer Steve Gardner (also of Rebreather) and debuted in January of 2017. Dirty Hair contains a strong balance of serious issues and humorous messages, which all come in an affirming, powerful punch. The moody “She Says So,” deals with the issue of stalking. Gallagher flips off conventional expectations in “Appropriate.” “That word has stuck with me a long time because I grew up very religious and very sheltered,” she says. “Being ‘appropriate’ was always something that stuck in my mind a lot when I was growing up. Even this day, that [word] will pop into my head. It’s really not what I’m about.” Jannon-Fisher often adds screamed counter-vocals, which are balanced by Jacob’s backing harmonies. The two guitarists collaborate on music and lyrics, often completing the other’s idea, with results like the title track, an affirmation of dry shampoo. “With the two of us, there’s not a whole lot of second guessing in the writing process,” Jannon-Fisher says. “If one of us doesn’t like something, it’s not a personal attack. It’s like, ‘What are you thinking?’ And we’ll work through it in the moment.”
Garter Shake (Current Photo by Jake Mysliwczyk)
*Hypothetical savings example over life of loan based on reduced interest rate. Actual savings amount will vary depending on your individual circumstances. 1303063 10/13 State Farm Bank, F.S.B., Bloomington IL
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FOOD
Revival on Lincoln Historic Bellevue home getting new life as fine-dining restaurant By Haley Frederick PITTSBURGH CURRENT FOOD WRITER On the corner of Lincoln and North Fremont in Bellevue there is a 116-year old house. Over the years it has been many things—the home of a wealthy lawyer’s family, a doctor’s office, a dress boutique, a funeral parlor, and an abandoned building. Now, thanks to Bellevue residents Chris Driscoll and John King, it is about to become a restaurant. Dubbed “Revival on Lincoln,” both because of its classical revival architecture style and its imminent rebirth, the new American fine-dining restaurant is set to open before the end of September. Restoration of the 5,000square-foot building has been underway since March. “It’s really an exercise in preservation and then finding an adaptive reuse for a building,” Driscoll says. Driscoll, who’s spent his career in higher education IT, first saw the building in 2013 when he moved into a house just three blocks away. He was drawn to it immediately and imagined turning it into a bed and breakfast or apartments. Driscoll owns a few other historic properties, but this would be his biggest undertaking by far. Then, in 2017, he met King, who retired after serving as the executive chef at the Allegheny Country Club for 28 years. They decided that the house at 366 Lincoln Ave—which will be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019—should be a restaurant. Ever since it’s been all hands on deck. King and Driscoll, along with their
Chris Driscoll and John King at Revival on Lincoln (Current Photo by Jake Mysliwczyk)
friends and neighbors, have been hard at work to bring the space back to life. “We made it a point to use as many local contractors as possible,” Driscoll says. Revival has been a community project, with many Bellevue, McKees Rocks and North Hills residents pitching in as contractors or just in their own free time as volunteers. In one room an emerald green fireplace was rediscovered under layers of paint. Lead-glass windows from the en-trance are being restored to their former glory. The walls are being brought to life with rich coats of fresh paint, while an-tique velvet flocked wallpaper remains in the hallways. Even Executive Chef Jamie Sola can be found with a paintbrush in hand. Sola moved to Pittsburgh in 2012. He’s worked at places like Spoon in East Liberty and the Allegheny Country Club, where he first met King. At the Country Club, Sola focused on modernizing the dishes to bring members new dining experiences. He’s carrying that same idea to the kitchen at Revival.
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“I want to keep people learning about food,” Sola says. His menu will feature classic American fare elevated by new elements and energetic plating that encourages diners to keep their forks moving around the dish in search of unique flavor combinations.” Just like the building itself, the food will bring together the old and the new, the classic and the modern. The menu posted on Revival’s website features selections inspired by global cuisines like a brown butter curry cauliflower salad, chorizo meatballs, and walleye ramen. More traditional American menu items include steamed mussels, roasted chicken, New York strip steak, and baked four cheese macaroni. “The food will revolve somewhat around classic images and rusticness, but then you’re going to also see really nice clean-cut, layed-out dishes which are will portray more of the modern sense and the advancing techniques that we’re going to use,” Sola says. Though an official opening date has yet to be announced, Driscoll and King
expect to have their restaurant open by the end of the month. Guests will be able to make reservations online. Revival will be open for dinner from 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Diners who come to Revival on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m-2:30 p.m for brunch will see menu items like The Revival Omelet with bacon, shrimp, caramelized onions, goat cheese, tomato relish and an arugula pistou sauce, as well as The Bellevue Irishman, complete with eggs, portabella, tomato, hash browns and sausage from local butcher shop Tom Friday’s. They hope to appeal to food-lovers from all over the city, as well as longtime residents of Bellevue. Driscoll is a part of the community organization Bona Fide Bellevue, along with the interior designer for the project Susan Stabnau, who has lived in Bellevue since 1994. The group states that their mission is to “bring new growth and revitalization to our bustling neighborhood.” Driscoll sees Revival as a community project not only because of all of the Bellevue residents involved in the restaurant, but because of the impact he hopes it will have on the neighborhood. He sees Revival as an anchor establishment that will help bring traffic into the area that will benefit the surrounding businesses. “We feel it’s going to help bring the community back,” Driscoll says. “When people from other ends of town come here to eat, they’ll see what Bellevue has to offer.” According to Driscoll, Bellevue is one of the only places that a project like Revival could work at all—where a beautiful, historic home that sits less than ten miles outside the downtown area of a major city can be affordably purchased and restored. “This would only have worked in Bellevue,” he says. “We feel that everything is aligned here.”
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FOOD This Tastes Funny
Amanda Averell goes to Hidden Harbor By Haley Frederick haley@pittsburghcurrent.com The first time comedian Amanda Averell got up on stage at an open mic, she needed some encouragement. She found that encouragement in one supportive friend and several boozy mojitos. It’s been four years since she performed that first set and now she can’t stop. “I’ve just been doing it ever since, all the time,” Averell says. “I’ve done it when I had pneumonia and a 104 degree fever. I’ve driven hours [to a gig] and hours back to do it. I love it.” I invited Averell to check out Hidden Harbor in Squirrel Hill with me before I’d heard the mojito story, and also before I knew she had a thing for sharks. More on that later. Hidden Harbor has a “modern tiki” motif. The menu is mostly cocktails with laundry lists of fruity ingredients mixed together and served in ornate island drinkware. If there’s a shark fin next to the name of the drink it means it’s pretty strong. If there are two shark fins, the drink is very strong. For our first round, because Hidden Harbor isn’t the kind of place where you only get one round, we both go for rum based drinks. Averell orders the Golden Girl and I the Rum Cannonball. Mine comes out as a slushie in a glass that looks like it was stolen from a chemistry lab. Hers comes out in a tall glass with a blue tiki head etched on the side, a blue crazy straw, a pink carnation, and a star fruit slice on the rim. She removes the carnation and places it behind her ear. “Look at this drink, this looks like my own personal little topiary,” Averell says. “Couldn’t you just imagine like the most tropical of gnomes living there and he just wears the hat and board shorts?” The drinks are tasty, as we expected. The food we feel less certain about. The menu is considerably more sparse on
‘Modern tiki’ at Hidden Harbor. (Photo by Haley Frederick)
Amanda Averell (Photo by Haley Frederick)
that front, but the Caribbean offerings sound surprisingly authentic and much more interesting than the cliché coconut shrimp you’d expect from a tiki joint. We order the watermelon ceviche, which is a great vegan alternative to traditional seafood ceviches. But we’re not vegan; we just like watermelon. It takes a long time to get to us. “They probably have to actually go kill the watermelon to do it,” Averell jests. “So it might take them a while to hunt it down and lure it in.” Averell’s stand up involves a lot of stories about odd things that have actually happened in her life. Like the time she got a lip tattoo inspired by her love of pro wrestling. The tattoo reads “hardcore.” “It was my third tattoo, because I’m that kind of white trash where as soon as I turned 18 on my birthday I got one tattoo, I got another one the day after prom, and then I got a third one like
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three days after I graduated.” When it’s time to order our entrees, I go for a rice and bean bowl with chicken and Averell gets a dish called “mofongo.” Mofongo, we learn, is plantain smashed together with pork belly and garlic. Best of all, it’s served in a wooden chalice. Averell even gets another flower to add to her hair. We’re both happy with our choices and our second round of drinks. The food and cocktails are pricey because you’re paying for the decor— both the stuff that’s on the walls and the stuff that’s in your cup. But under all of the tropical trinkets, it tastes good. We decide to keep it going and order tres leches for dessert. It’s a beautiful little slice of cake soaked with sweetened condensed milk and topped with whipped cream. Averell goes to show me a photo of food on her phone, and in doing so scrolls past a few featuring a toy shark.
“His name is Bruce,” she says. The namesake of the iconic beast in Jaws, Averell received the small shark in a drink she ordered at a Joe’s Crab Shack. She held onto him. Now, the whole thing has spiralled into Averell owning a collection with about fifteen sharks, most of them gifts from friends. She once tore apart one of Liberace's former mansions, now an Airbnb, looking for a shark she had brought along on a trip to Vegas. But no dice. “It was like we lost a child,” Averall says. “My boyfriend and I grieved.” Averell’s latest comedic project brings together the three forms she loves: stand up, improv, and sketch comedy. It’s a show she’s co-producing with Sarah Wojdylak called “That Time of the Month” on September 14 at Arcade Comedy Theater. Those who attend the show are asked to bring a cash donation or individually wrapped menstrual products for collection by the charity Sisterfriend. “We wanted to avoid marketing it as an all women show,” Averell says. ”It’s a variety show—it just so happens that we cast a lot of really talented people and most of those people have vaginas.”
FOOD
DAY DRINKING By Day Bracey PITTSBURGH CURRENT CRAFT BEER WRITER info@pghcitypaper.com Editor’s Note: Day Bracey is a stand-up comedian and host of the Drinking Partners Podcast on the Epicast Network. He chronicles Pittsburgh’s craftbeer scene for the Pittsburgh Current. Sept. 4, 11a.m.: I’m meeting with Mike Potter, and he shows up with a four pack of Equilibrium Energy Wave. It’s juicy, delicious, lives up to the hype, well worth the wait. I guess the squeaky wheel gets the juice. Sept. 7, 8 p.m.: It’s the grand opening of Walter’s BBQ in Larryville. Not many black-owned establishments on Butler Street, or anywhere in Pittsburgh for that matter, so I’m in the building to support. Folks are playing corn hole on the lawn, while the DJ spins hip-hop tunes near the bar. They have a short but impressive draft list. I order an East End Smokestack Heritage Porter; it tastes like sadness. Not because the beer was bad, it's a reminder that summer is ending, the Apumpkalypse, nigh. It’s stouts like these that will see us through. I order the ribs, pork belly, greens, and mac. They serve the meat seasoned with no sauce. Stop. Let me say that again. They served the meat seasoned with no sauce! Traditional Pittsburgh BBQ, if there is such a thing, is typically a bland serving of meat heavily reliant on toppings and sauces to make it palatable. Something that would get you shut down immediately anywhere below the Mason Dixon, in this region is sold at a premium. There are a few exceptions in the city, and Walter’s is another to add to that short list. The thin-sliced, smoked
pork belly isn’t even a thing I knew existed and now my arteries have a new nemesis. Praises be to pork. Yes, there are vegetarian options for the rabbits and, apparently, the lawn will be tented and heated. So, if you’ve been waiting for winter corn hole tournaments, 2018 is your year! Sept. 7, 10 p.m.: Full Pint Wild Side. The BBGuns are playing tonight and I’m a fan. Tom Poet, the face of Full Pint, is in the building and we have a chat about beer. I order a Night of The Living Stout. Someone at the bar is ordering Uggs and spiced lattes. I just know it. Me: What’s your biggest gripe in the beer industry? Tom: Hype over substance. The gotta-have-new mentality. Doesn’t matter what it is. The beer can have weeds in it, but you gotta have it because it’s new. I’d love to go back to the days where people were like, “This brewery makes really solid beer,” not, “I’m at this brewery every couple of weeks, because they’re brewing something crazy.” You can listen to the hits. When you’re at a concert, you’re not screaming, “Play the new stuff!” You’re going to a concert because you want to hear the hits. Breweries gotta get back to playing the hits.
stantive lyrics, and an old school vibe. He tells me his music is therapeutic, and he wants to help others find their purpose. Me: How has the passing of Mac Miller affected you? MULU: He was more of an inspiration than I even realized, simply because he wasn’t afraid to do his own shit. He was very serious about his craft, whether he was Mac, Larry Fisherman, or whatever. It sucks. And to anybody listening, check on your strong friend. Sept. 8, 1:30 a.m.: I’m sitting with Barz Blackman & Lazy JP, the BBGuns. I’ve had their Thirst album on repeat for the past two days, and they were just as good in person.
Me: What is your sound? BBGuns: I think it’s mixing hiphop with more indie-rock, house music. We like sampling, synthetic beats, and more contemporary 808s and stuff, too. We’re fresh, but familiar. We’re trying to find that balance. I don’t think being innovative and catchy are mutually exclusive. Me: If you had control of all the earth’s satellites and could get out one message before they cut you off, what would it be? BBGuns: Be unapologetically you, but also be cool. And with that, I’m out. You folks be cool. RIP Mac Miller. Go check on your strong friends.
Come get a little taste of
Sept. 8, 1 a.m.: His Royal Dudeness, an imperial white Russian stout brewed with Mindful Brewing, was my last call. It’s a niner. I didn’t know it was a niner. It certainly feels like a niner. I’m sitting with MULU, a young rapper from Uniontown who opened for BBGuns. He has high energy, subPITTSBURGH CURRENT | SEP. 11, 2018 | 61
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Allentown’s business district helps fledgling entrepreneurs By Rebecca Addison PITTSBURGH CURRENT SPECIAL PROJECT EDITOR rebecca@pittsburghcurrent.com For many Pittsburghers, the name Allentown evokes images of a city hundreds of miles away in the eastern part of the state. But nestled on the hilltop of Pittsburgh’s southern tip is another Allentown, a neighborhood where blue collar tradition meets a black collar edge. Like many forgotten city neighborhoods, Allentown fell on hard times at the end of the previous century. But just like plenty of the city’s other scrappy neighborhoods, Allentown has seen a resurgence over the last decade, giving rise to a bustling business district where fledgling entrepreneurs can thrive. Work Hard Pittsburgh, a business incubator on Allentown’s main street, Warrington Avenue, was among the first in a wave of new organizations moving into the neighborhood. “We looked at a half dozen neighborhoods that were all sort of at the tip of transitioning or economically distressed,” says Work Hard founder Josh Lucas. “What it came down to was the correct partners were in place in Allentown for us to have a go at it.” Essentially, Work Hard’s mission is reflective of the Allentown neighborhood as a whole. For a lot of the businesses that have moved in recently, this is their first storefront. “We’re interested in creating more equitable opportunities in entrepreneurship and tech,” Lucas says. “So it’s important for us to be in a neighborhood like this.” Since moving into the neighbor-
Work Hard Pittsburgh. (Current Photo By Jake Mysliwczyk)
hood in 2013, Lucas says growth in Allentown’s business district has been swift. And he says that wouldn’t be possible without the Hilltop Alliance, a community development organization that works in Allentown, Arlington, Arlington Heights, Beltzhoover, Bon Air, Carrick, Knoxville, Mount Washington, Mount Oliver City, South Side Slopes, and other neighborhoods. In particular, he says several businesses have benefited
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from the Hilltop Alliance’s rent abatement program where new businesses can have 50 percent of their monthly rent paid for one year. “The business district has been pretty well fleshed out,” Lucas says. “There’s only a few storefronts that aren’t occupied now. The thing that made this possible is rent abatement. That investment at the state level is really the driving force behind a lot of the devel-
opment that’s happening here.” Among the Allentown businesses that have benefitted from the program is Black Forge Coffee House. Now a staple of the community, Black Forge moved in next to the neighborhood’s police station in 2015. “We were at the cusp of when no one wanted to come here,” says Black Forge cofounder Ashley Corts. “It’s exciting now to see people starting up businesses
NEIGHBORHOODS Black Forge. (Current Photo By Jake Mysliwczyk)
“We seem to get along really well with the other businesses in the area,” says Black Market owner Domenic Betters. “We’ve built up a pretty good relationship and that’s helped a lot. We all seem to have the same philosophies.” The deli has been open since last October. It shares a space with Breakfast at Shelly’s, a diner style restaurant that boasts Pittsburgh favorites like salads topped with fries. Betters initially set up in the location to run his meat jerky operation out of the kitchen. But he was approached by the Hilltop Alliance to fix up the deli counter in the front of the venue and offer fresh meats in a neighborhood that still lacks a full service grocery store. It’s one sign that Allentown still has a ways to go to becoming a fully prosperous community, but the thriving main street and dedication of the neighborhood’s business owners indicate the neighborhood will get there. “All of us are outside of our storefronts every morning, cleaning up the sidewalks,” says Corts. “It’s definitely a community effort.”
Salon Ivy
in a neighborhood that people have given up on for years.” Corts first lived in Allentown back when there were hardly any businesses on the main drag. She can recall a chinese restaurant, a tattoo shop and a small grocery store, but says she longed for a nearby place to grab a cup of coffee. Years later she’d open that coffee shop and eventually buy a home in the neighborhood. “Back when I was living here there was nobody walking around, even when we first opened. We went through a lot of struggle to stay open. And then all of a sudden it just started picking up,” Corts says. “It’s just really cool to see people walking around past 6 o'clock at night. It’s really great to see a neighborhood brought back to life.” Corts’ coffee shop and event space is part of a group of Allentown businesses with a decidedly dark theme. Black Forge promotes metal music and culture. There’s an oddities shop called the Weeping Glass that offers novelties like coffin nails. And at the other end of the street there’s Onion Maiden, a vegan restaurant that also has a metal theme. ”That definitely was not intentional,” says Corts who explains that many of the other business owners are her friends. “A lot of them came to us and were like, this is a really cool neighborhood how do I get in? All of these spaces have been sitting vacant for so long and the neighborhood keeps pushing them to everyone, but no one was jumping to do it. But all of our friends really wanted it. “But there’s no real theme for it. It’s not like you have to be metal to be in the neighborhood, you just have to be kind and give a crap about the neighborhood you’re in.” It’s a close knit community where the various owners often help each other out and partner on events. In August, they all banded together to hold the neighborhoods first night market and they regularly promote each other's products. For example, Black Forge sells sandwiches from Black Market Deli, another newer business down the street.
816 E. Warrington Ave, Pgh 15210 412.488.4488 @SalonIvy
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Neighborhood Conversation: Gordon Hall By Rebecca Addison PITTSBURGH CURRENT SPECIAL PROJECT EDITOR rebecca@pittsburghcurrent.com Approximately seven months ago, Gordon Hall joined the Hilltop Alliance as the Allentown business district manager. In his short time with the community he’s learned a lot about Allentown and what makes it special. Pittsburgh Current sat down will Hall to find out what’s next for the neighborhood. Now that vacancy rates have decreased on main street, what’s the next step for Allentown’s business district? Business retention and growth are number one. Number two is increasing foot traffic which is still an issue up here. We see so many cars pass through on a daily basis, going Downtown and then in the afternoon going back to the South Hills. It’s a matter of getting people to stop here and stay here. And down the line the end goal would be getting an anchor tenant, a large office building or something that really provides a large body of people on a daily basis down here. Allentown has been in the news lately after a train derailment in
Station Square forced the city’s trollies to detour through the neighborhood. Some are calling for the neighborhood’s trolley service to be reinstated. What do you think? There are pros and cons to it. The pros are that the neighborhood would be connected again and these tracks that lay in our mainstreet everyday would be used again. However, Pittsburgh T trains are not wheelchair accessible. A trolley when put on its own line is fantastic, but when a trolley shares the road with general traffic it causes issues. If someone parallel parks poorly, the T can’t pass them. But I think it adds to the vibrancy and the overall feel of the neighborhood. It’s not a perfect solution though. What’s one thing people might not know about Allentown? You either know us because of Alla Famiglia (an italian restaurant). Or you know us because of Black Forge and Onion Maiden, but we’re somewhere in between. We’re so close to Downtown. Grandview Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the city. It’s very walkable. The more you know about it the more you love it. On each block, each bit, there’s a very interesting story behind each door. There’s a story behind every single building.
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Gordon Hall, Allentown business district manager.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD By the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com
UNUSUAL HOBBY Social media have given us the dubious opportunity to document all manner of celebratory, mournful, hilarious and contemplative events. And so they have opened the door to fame for "Paul Flart" (real name: Doug), a 31-year-old hospital security guard who took to Instagram in March to share with the world his "sphincter sirens." Flart spent a lot of time sitting around at the front desk with nothing to do, but, he noticed, "The lobby has really great acoustics, and naturally, we all fart. One day I ripped a rather nice one and got really good sound from it, so the next time it happened I recorded it and sent it to my group chat." Those lucky friends encouraged him to go viral and helped him choose his Insta handle, Paul Flart. Today, he's racked up more than 20,000 followers, according to Vice. Unfortunately, hospital management isn't among them, and on Aug. 23, Flart was fired from his job. But he's not deflated; he plans to expand his reach: "We can do Paul Flart on vacation, you know, throw in like a Hawaiian shirt and a hat ... and then just fart around Florida."
GOVERNMENT IN ACTION The public works department in San Francisco gets, on average, 65 calls EVERY DAY with complaints about feces on the sidewalk. Public works director Mohammed Nuru and the city's mayor, London Breed, put their heads together and came up with a solution: the Poop Patrol. In mid-September, five public works employees with a
steam cleaner will begin scouring poop "hot spots," such as the Civic Center, Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, during the afternoons to clean up what nature has left behind. (Another team also cleans overnight.) Officials told the San Francisco Chronicle that the waste comes from dogs and people, and the mayor recently allotted about $1 million for new public restrooms. "I just want the city to be clean," Mayor Breed said, "and I want to make sure we're providing the resources so that it can be."
FLORIDA. SAYS IT ALL On Aug. 20, the Miami Herald endorsed Republican Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera, who was running to replace Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to represent a district that includes parts of Miami and Miami Beach. (She lost her primary bid on Aug. 28.) Rodriguez Aguilera has been a city official and a business executive, the Herald noted, but conceded, "We realize that Rodriguez Aguilera is an unusual candidate." Before she was a candidate, Rodriguez Aguilera appeared on Spanish-language television programs to talk about her experience of being abducted by aliens when she was 7 years old. Three beings, two women and a man who reminded her of Jesus Christ, spoke to her "telepathically" and took her aboard their spaceship. Inside, she saw "round seats that were there, and some quartz rocks that controlled the ship," and she said she has communicated with them several times since then. However, editorial page editor Nancy Ancrum didn't think Rodriguez Aguilera's beliefs or past experiences compromised her as an effective public servant. "Here's why we chose her: She's not crazy," Ancrum told The Washington Post. "I don't think we went off the rails here."
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SAVAGE LOVE
by Dan Savage mail@savagelove.net
I am a gay man in my late 50s and have never been in a relationship. I am so lonely, and the painful emptiness I feel is becoming absolutely unbearable. In my early 20s, I hooked up off and on, but it never developed into anything. I have always told myself that’s okay; I’m not people person or a relationship kind of guy. I have a few lesbian friends but no male friends. I have social anxiety and can’t go to bars or clubs. When hookup apps were introduced, I used them infrequently. Now I go totally unnoticed or am quickly ghosted once I reveal my age. Most non-work days, my only interactions are with people in the service industry. I am well-groomed, employed, a homeowner, and always nice to people. I go to a therapist and take antidepressants. However, this painful loneliness, depression, aging, and feeling unnoticed seem to be getting the best of me. I cry often and would really like it all to end. Any advice?
Lonely Aging Gay
“In the very short term, LAG needs to tell his therapist about the suicidal ideation,” said Michael Hobbes. “In the longer term, well, that’s going to take a bit more to unpack.” Hobbes is a reporter for HuffPost and recently wrote a mini-book-length piece titled “Together Alone: The Epidemic of Gay Loneliness.” During his research, Hobbes found that, despite growing legal and social acceptance, a worrying percentage of gay men still struggle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Loneliness, Hobbes explained to me, is an evolutionary adaptation, a mech66 | AUG. 28, 2018 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
anism that prompts us humans—members of a highly social species—to seek contact and connection with others, the kind of connections that improve our odds of survival. “But there’s a difference between being alone and being lonely,” said Hobbes. “Being alone is an objective, measurable phenomenon: You don’t have very many social contacts. Being lonely, on the other hand, is subjective: You feel alone, even when you’re with other people. This is why advice like ‘Join a club!’ or ‘Chat with your waitress!’ doesn’t help lonely people.” The most effective way to address loneliness, according to Hobbes’s research, is to confront it directly. “LAG may just need to get more out of the relationships he already has,” said Hobbes. “He has a job, friends, a therapist, a life. This doesn’t mean that his perceptions are unfounded—our society is terrible to its elders in general and its LGBTQ elders in particular—but there may be opportunities in his life for intimacy that he’s not tapping into. Another recommendation: Seek out other lonely guys—and there are lots of them out there. “LAG isn’t the only gay guy who has aged out of the bar scene—so have I —and struggles to find sex and companionship away from alcohol and right swipes,” said Hobbes. “His therapist should know of some good support groups.” And if your therapist doesn’t know of any good support groups—or if you don’t feel comfortable telling your therapist how miserable you are, or if you’ve told your therapist everything and they haven’t been able to help—find a new therapist. On the Lovecast: Wait—why can’t gay men donate blood? savagelovecast.com.
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