Don’t miss these free JazzLive shows: april 1: Mark Strickland, 5-8 p.m. and 9:30-11 p.m. april 8: Michele Bensen, 5-8 p.m. and 9:30-11 p.m. april 15: Tim Stevens, 5-9 p.m. april 22: Tony DePaolis, 5-8 p.m. and 9:30-11 p.m. april 29: Roger Humphries, 5-8 p.m. and 9:30-11 p.m.
py a co er N I W ak ilerm ve at o B f Li o Band Jazz obtown the M room! Ball Visit whirlmagazine.com for more details.
Backstage Bar at Theater Square, Downtown. TrustArts.org.
PLUS!
Keep the celebration going at home with the sounds of Boilermaker Jazz Band. Since 1988, the Pittsburghbased, six-piece band has been performing American hot jazz across the country. The group’s CD, Live at the Mobtown Ballroom, features more than an hour of hits, made popular from 1917-1953. This is the band’s 10th album, but first live recording. We were hooked by the first track, and love listening to the tunes during our commutes to work. So, if you catch us casually whistling “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah,” you’ll know why! Boilermaker Jazz Band, boilermakerjazzband.com.
MR brightside With just one listen to John McDonald’s new album, Right Place, Right Time, we are instantly transported to a land of sunshine and no stress. The former frontman of the local party band John McDonald and the Mango Men created the album with the same high energy we love him for. His latest creation blends tropical instrumentation, world beat rhythms, and positive lyrical themes. The uplifting track “Azaa Loo (Celebration!)” even features a West African ensemble, whose vocals were recorded separately across the globe and meshed in with McDonald’s part thanks to the wonders of technology. Order a copy of the mini-vacation today, and enjoy the sweet words of McDonald’s inspiring life philosophy! John McDonald, johnmcdonald.com.
APR 2
back AND BETTER THAN EVER
Gypsies, tramps, thieves — everyone is invited to see Cher at CONSOL Energy Center! The April 2 show kicks off with a set by Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, then Cher will take the stage to celebrate her countless hits and new album Closer to the Truth. Cher’s over-the-top fashions, beautiful voice, and chart-topping tunes have helped the fan favorite grow into the awardwinning icon she is today. With songs spanning from “I Got You Babe,” to the latest “Woman’s World,” the pop legend has plenty of options to keep us dancing all night. And with a tour called “D2K,” short for Dress to Kill, we know she’ll have some fabulous costumes to bring it all together! CONSOL Energy Center, Uptown. consolenergycenter.com. Cher, cher.com.
wild and crazy Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas unleashed this similar creature in Geneva last December. Keep an eye out for the Sweetwater Center of the Arts’ unique beast!
APR 4
Giant. Green. Sea. Creature. If that’s not enough to draw you to the Sweetwater Center for the Arts in Sewickley, how about “art with an unrestrained spirit,” a variety of art classes, and crazy-fun family days at the Wild Things exhibition. From April 4-June 21, the Center will be bursting with 2-D, 3-D, and kinetic artworks by talented artists, including Cynthia Shaffer, the juror of Wild Things. Topping off the explosion of creativity are the 30-foot tentacles that will be erupting through the building’s roof through July 31. Artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas, who are known for their public displays of inflations, designed the over-the-top installation. It perfectly captures the exhibition’s “untamed” theme and will certainly lure in any local art lovers! Sweetwater Center for the Arts, sweetwaterartcenter.org. Filthy Luker, filthyluker.org.
Photographs from Cantillo Management, Robert Seibel, CONSOL Energy Center, Filthy Luker.
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