Pittsburgh, PA

That’s right! Head to Peter’s Pub any Thursday night in August and get in for free to check out the new rendition of the beloved Upstage 80’s night.

There have been other 80’s nights since the Upstage closed, but this is the closest I think any of them are going to get to the old one. I just hope that in trying to replicate a good thing, it still remains one. It’s so hard to do that with most things in life.

If you can’t read the flyer that well, there is going to be $1 Long Island Iced Teas (can’t beat that!) and $1.50 Bud Lites.

Go to www.myspace.com/underpressure80s for more information.

I work Thursday nights, but I’m still going to try and make this.
Everyone knows how much I loved the old 80’s night.

80’s night, Under Pressure, Oakland, Peter’s Pub, music, drink specials, Thursday, Upstage

Last Saturday I attended an event at the Creative Treehouse called Capture Pittsburgh. It was a photography show that only featured pictures of places in and around Pittsburgh. From what I could tell a lot of people were selling work. That seems to be the trend of Treehouse art shows, people come there with the intent to buy.

The event itself was very nice. There was plenty of food and drinks for everyone, and I especially liked the veggie tray. I didn’t stay for the bands, but from what I heard they went over well. The only negative comment about the night was the heat. But I hear the Creative Treehouse is working to correct that.

I was talking to the organizer of the event John Bodnar, and he told me over 150 people showed up. He also informed me that the grape leaves lasted to just about the end. Again I always seem to miss out on the grape leaves; I hear so much about them. Maybe at the next event I will get to try one.

Go to www.creativetreehousepgh.com for more information on upcoming events. The next public event is going to be Doughnuts and Art, August 25th. You can find more details at, DoughnutsandArt.com!

Pittsburgh, Capture Pittsburgh, Doughnuts and Art, Bellevue, photography, Creative Treehouse, John Bodnar, grape leaves

Since everyone likes lists, I thought of another one. What is your favorite place to get a hamburger in/around Pittsburgh? I find that not everyone can get this right. To have a good hamburger it must be cooked to order, be made from good meat, and have just the right seasoning. Here are my top three burgers:

1. Rocky’s II (Mckees Rocks) – This place has amazing food and great service. Get the double cheeseburger with bacon at your own risk. It puts Wendy’s Baconator to shame.
2. Fat Head’s (South Side) – I know it sounds like I am obsessed with this place but I can’t help it. I have been never been disappointed when I go here. You can’t go wrong with good beer and a burger.
3. The Sharp Edge (Crafton and East Liberty) – Belgium Beer and a Bacon Cheese Burger is what heaven is like for me. I usually get the “Sharp Burger” since it’s cheap and comes with crispy bacon.

Like last time, let me know your top three and why you like them. I enjoy reading about new places.

Wendy’s Baconator, Pittsburgh, The Sharp Edge, Bacon Cheese Burger, South Side, East Liberty, S Liberty, Crafton, Bacon, McKees Rocks, Best Hamburger in Pittsburgh

Ok so I’ll admit I haven’t been to Kennywood in ages. I’m terrified of heights and roller coasters, so it’s usually not that much fun for me. I do kind of miss the place though and I think it’s nice they have these ethnic days, since Pittsburgh has such a diverse population and I think we need to celebrate that more often.

Today is actually Byzantine Day which sounds very exotic. I personally don’t know anyone from the Eastern Roman Empire, unless I count a Greek friend, who may have descended from this time, but ah…this is getting too complicated. Just go today and if any of our readers are Byzantine, let me know, I want more info!

Here’s the schedule for the rest of summer:

Monday, July 30- Slovene Day
Wednesday, Aug 1- Hungarian Day
Tuesday, August 7- Polish Day
Friday, August 24- Scottish Day
Sunday, August 26- Jewish Community Day
Sunday, Sept 1- Croatian Day

Well, looks like I missed Irish Day, there was no German day which I find shocking or a Swedish Day, so my last chance is the Scottish Day, since I am partially Scot. I apologize to the Carpatho Russians, Serbs, Italians, Slovaks and the Greeks for not announcing their days earlier.

Oh and bring me back some potato patch fries, funnel cakes, ice cream and all the rest of that greasy, yummy food I love so much!

Kennywood, West Mifflin, potato patch fries, funnel cakes, Irish, Russian, Serbian, Italian, Slovak, Greek, Byzantine, Slovene, Hungarian, Polish, Scottish, Jewish, Croatian, ethnic, ethnic days, amusement park, Pittsburgh, roller coaster

There has been a lot of bad news about the South Side lately, so I would like to be a little more positive. Since there are a lot of bars on Carson, I would like to know your top 3 favorite bar hops. I will start you off with mine.

1.) Dee’s Cafe – This was where I had my first beer (I didn’t drink till I was 22), it was an ice cold PBR (only $1). I still like going to this place because it’s big and comfortable. It can get a little smoky at times, but I get over it.
2.) Fat Head’s – If I feel like eating great food and spending a little money on some good beer, this is the place I go. Yes there beer is pricey, but their food is cheap for what you get. So it’s a good place to start off your night.
3.) Pipers Pub – I have only been here a few times, but every time I go its amazing. If you’re walking past this place and you see a folk band playing, stop in. Trust me, it will be the best time you have all night.

So that is my top 3 bars on the South Side. Leave a comment sharing your own; make sure you let us know why you like them too.

South Side, Pittsburgh, Dees Cafe, Fat Heads, Pipers Pub, PBR, Pabst, cheap food, Bar hopping

There’s a new literary/art magazine in town that just so happens to be run by yours truly.

Debris Magazine is online only for now and publishes quarterly, but will feature an artist and a photographer monthly, so check back often for updates. Despite having its origins in Pittsburgh, the talent featured in this first issue reaches as far as England and Russia.

The first issue also features a local photographer by the name of Jeff Zoet who does amazing work and also a local artist, Matt Gondek. I would love to see more local artists featured monthly. I know there are a bunch of you out there, so don’t be shy. The issue also features a Russian illustrator, poets and writers from around the country and world, a travel article on Chile-which sounds like a wonderful place to visit, a review on a local glass art exhibit and more!

The second issue will be published in October and will be the fall/Halloween issue. So if you’re disappointed with the first issue, make sure you give me another chance by checking out the next one when it comes out.

Or you could always make it better by contributing something yourself!

I’m looking for poetry/prose, short stories, essays, reviews, travel writing, artwork, photography and more! I would seriously love for more local reviews and travel writing. I love reading about places I may or may never visit! And I know plenty of people besides myself that travel a lot. Don’t make me write my own articles!! And as I mentioned in the submission guidelines on the website, don’t hesitate because you feel that what you do is not creative or does not necessarily fit into a certain category of what is art or literature. Boundaries are meant to be broken.

I also feel that Pittsburgh has a lot of great talent. Help me let the world see that! I will try and highlight local talent as much as possible, so start sending in your best work asap!

For further details on how to submit work or if you want to check out the first issue, click on the banner below.

Debris has a Myspace here.
I’m also looking for advertisers to earn revenue for a print version and it’s cheap, so ask me if you’re interested!

Debris Magazine, Pittsburgh, literary, art, Jeff Zoet, Matt Gondek, Chile, Looking Glass exhibit, local talent, magazine, submissions

In the past few weeks there has been a lot of buzz about wi-fi in Pittsburgh. The first mention was about local businesses in Shadyside offering free wireless to anyone close enough to get it. Then today there was an article in the Post that talked how Pittsburgh wants to get a contractor to offer free wireless to the whole city.

Right now you can get 2 hours of free access a day Downtown. I have used it before and it’s not that bad. It’s fast enough to check you email but I wouldn’t try downloading large files with it. Even with its limitations it would be great to have wireless access widely available. It might even help keep young people in Pittsburgh; since that seems to be the new goal of this town.

After reading the article you realize that you shouldn’t hold you breathe for this to happen. A lot of wireless companies are finding that it would not be cost effective to offer the service for free.

The best idea so far is from Jonathan Plesset, owner of the Shadyside Inn. He turned on free wireless for all of Walnut Street, in Shadyside not that long go.

“There’s no reason we couldn’t do this in Squirrel Hill or South Side,” he said. His plan is to have business owners in those areas chip in to cover the costs of the system, so their clientele could use it for free.
He’d like to talk with the city about its plans, but said he believes it makes most sense to “just do it neighborhood by neighborhood.”

This something that would benefit the city but finding the best solution is going to take a long time. So I can’t see the city wide wi-fi happening anytime soon, but I guarantee in the near future the “Plesset Style” wi-fi system will be popping up all over.

city wide wi-fi, pittsburgh, downtown, free wi-fi, Shadyside, Jonathan Plesset, Walnut Street

One of the great benefits of writing this blog is that I can promote any event/anyone I like and this post is all about supporting my friend’s bands, well minus Lucinda Williams, although I wish she was my friend!

This weekend brings a lot of good music to Pittsburgh, starting with the ever popular local, turned national band, Black Tie Revue.
They’re playing a free show tonight at the Smiling Moose at 10pm with Philadelphia’s the Teeth and Ohio’s Men of Gentle Birth. The band has really emerged as one of the most successful bands coming out of Pittsburgh in the past couple of years. They’ve been getting a lot of press coverage and played at the SXSW festival in Austin this past March. I couldn’t be happier for them and I’m not just saying that because I know the keyboardist and think he’s one of the best ultimate frisbee players ever!
If you’ve never heard of Black Tie Revue or want to check out some of their new songs, make sure you go to their website and/or Myspace to listen and buy their new album!

Go to this! One of my friends, well actually two are in the Main Events and it’s bound to get crazy! Listen to them on their Myspace. The Fitt has one too here and so does Federale. Show starts at 10pm Saturday at the 31st Street Pub.

Like I said, Lucinda Williams is not my friend, but she has been one of my favorite musicians ever since I can remember. She has some of the greatest, most thought provoking lyrics and her voice isn’t half bad either, despite what some people might say!
She is playing at the Byham Saturday at 8pm and although I can’t afford to go, I sincerely hope she gains some new fans in Pittsburgh this weekend. Go to her Myspace to listen to some of her new songs or buy the album on her website.

If your music tastes favor electronic music and dj’s, instead of power pop and alt-country and whatever craziness goes on at the Pub, make sure you check out Shy Fx and a whole bunch of other djs/electronic music at the Chinatown Inn Saturday night starting at 9pm.

For more details, go to 1337’s website.

And lastly, as I previously mentioned, the 13th Annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival held at Hartwood Acres starts today and continues into Sunday.

It’s a good weekend for shows, so check out at least one of them please! I’ll be at Black Tie Revue, the show at the Pub and Shy FX if anyone cares.

Pittsburgh, music, Lucinda Williams, Byham, Black Tie Revue, Smiling Moose, the Teeth, Men of Gentle Birth, Main Events, Forbidden 5, The Fitt, federale, 31st Street Pub, Shy FX, Chinatown Inn, djs, downtown, South Side, local bands, Hartwood Acres, Blues Festival

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is sponsoring a series of Neighborhood Forums, the first of which will be held in the North Side tonight. There will be information about the initiative, Neighborhoods First Agenda and there will be input from the Mayor on the current conditions and future of the community. There will be a series of ten community conversations throughout Pittsburgh neighborhoods in the coming months.

For any readers who live in the city of Pittsburgh, you might want to participate in one of the following forums:

July 19 – North Side
August 1 – Downtown, North Shore & Strip
August 29 – Southside Flats, Slopes, Hilltop, Mt. Washington & Duquesne Heights
September 5 – Upper East End (Lawrenceville, Morningside, Garfield, Friendship, Bloomfield, Highland Park)
September 19 – 31st Ward, Hazelwood, Glen Hazel
September 24 – West Pittsburgh
October 24 – East End (East Liberty, Larimer, Lincoln Lemington, Homewood, Brushton and East Hills)
November 7 – Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Greenfield, Swisshelm Park, Point Breeze, Regent Square
December 5 - South Hills (Brookline, Beechview, Banksville, Overbrook, Carrick)
December TBD – Oakland, Hill and Uptown

These forums will be listed in the “community events” calendars of the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review ahead of time.

Thursday, July 19th
6:30 -7:30 pm
Pittsburgh’s Grand Hall at The Priory
614 Pressley Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212

For more information contact:
Jennifer Watson
Neighborhood Initiatives Coordinator
Office of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
412-255-4765
Jennifer.Watson@city.pittsburgh.pa.us

The following information was taken from the websites of the Post-Gazette and Progress Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh, neighborhood forum, Luke Ravenstahl, mayor, North Side, downtown, North Shore, South Side, South Hills, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Oakland, Point Breeze, Strip District, Mt. Washington, Duquesne, Upper East End, East End, Hill district, Hazelwood

Pittsburgh Council today unanimously, approved legislation to limit bars on South Side’s East Carson Street. This is good news to people who live on the historic street and are tired of the all the bars popping up.

Here is an except form the article in the Post Gazette:

“The legislation allows only one liquor license per 50,000 square feet of any local neighborhood commercial district larger than 2 million square feet. That would apply only to East Carson Street on the South Side, Butler Street in Lawrenceville and Penn Avenue in Bloomfield and Garfield.”

In the article it says that Carson St. is past the saturation point, which is clearly true. That’s about the only business on that street. In the past few months I have seen a lot of the shops down there close up. The pet store and the guitar store are just some of the places that have left.

As much as I hate government regulation I can definitely see where this is coming from. If the town I lived in was getting overrun with bars, I would be upset too.

Pittsburgh Council, Pittsburgh, Southside, Carson St, bars, goverment regulation, Lawrenceville, Penn Avenue, Bloomfield, Garfield

Blues lovers unite! This weekend is the Pittsburgh Blues Festival held at Hartwood Acres. It just keeps getting better every year and helps supports a great cause as well, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Tickets are already on sale, which you can buy on their website, pick up at the Food Bank or buy at Dave’s Music Mine (East Carson Street), Record Village (Walnut Street), Paul’s CDs (Liberty Ave in Bloomfield) or at European Motorcycles (Wexford).

Make sure you bring a bag of non-perishable food items on Friday, so you can get it for free.
Saturday/Sunday: $22 advance, $25 at the gate
2-day Weekend Pass $40
Family Fun Pack $95

The schedule so far includes:
Friday 5-10pm:
Devon Allman’s Honeytribe
Walter Trout
Billy Price
Saturday 1:30-10pm:
Guy Davis
Larry McCray
Bernard Allison
Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush
Sunday1:30-10pm:
Eric Lindell
Peter Karp
Delbert McClinton

Local bands are also playing in between the bigger acts.
There will be family activities as well, so feel free to bring the kids!

For more details, go to Pghblues.com.

Pittsburgh Blues Festival, Pittsburgh, blues, music, Hartwood Acres, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Billy Price, Eric Lindell, Peter Karp, Delbert McClinton, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, Bernard Allison, Larry McCray, Guy Davis, Walter Trout, Honeytribe

I was browsing the Post-Gazette’s website and found one of the funniest events listings. The listing is for a Hot Dog eating contest and it’s happening in East Liberty at the Station Street Hot Dog Shop. Here is the description of the event:

EAST LIBERTY: Station Street Hot Dog and Sandwich Shop, 6290 Broad St., hosts a six-minute Hot Dog Eating Contest at 1 p.m. as part of its grand opening and in observance of July as National Hot Dog Month. First prize winner receives $300, a color television and case of hot dogs. Call 412-365-2121.

I think what the first prize winner wins is amusing. $300 and a case of hot dogs would have been enough, I don’t know why their throwing in a color TV. If you already have one it would be useless and I can’t imagine it being that good to begin with. I could see in the 1960’s winning a color TV would have been a big deal, but not now. It just sounds like over kill to me.

I do need some extra money so I might have to give this a try. But I am not sure if I could even eat 3 hot dogs. Now if it was a Bacon eating contest I would win for sure!

hot dogs, color tv, eating contest, National Hot Dog Month, pittsburgh, east liberty, extra money

Every Friday in July and August you can check out live bands, drink some beer and eat from 5-11pm at Station Square. It’s a good time even if some of the bands are not so great. Candlebox is playing tonight and they’re decent, so if anything go then. Cinder Road, Neverset and Strangeway are also playing.

During the Street Jam and afterwards, make sure you wander into one of the many participating bars that include Bar Louie, Buca di Beppo, Hard Rock Cafe, Houlihan’s, Joe’s Crab Shack, The Melting Pot, Red Star Tavern, Ref’s Sports Bar and Buckhead Saloon.

Or if you’re more interested in clubs, head to Matrix, Margarita Mama’s, Saddleridge and the Palm Bar. I’m partial to Margarita Mama’s myself.

Check out Station Square’s website for more details.

free music, Candlebox, Station Square, Street Jam, beer, Cinder Road, Strangeway, Neverset, Pittsburgh, summer

I’m not sure how many of you have heard of Zombo radio, but even if you have not, you need to check out the new art space he’s opening in Lawrenceville featuring one of my favorite local artists, Wayno.

The press release says it all:

Zombo Gallery in Lawrenceville Announces Grand Opening Exhibition
“Squaresville: Recent Paintings by Wayno”

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood is home to a growing community of restaurants, clubs and galleries. The area’s newest art space, Zombo Gallery, at 4900 Hatfield Street, opens on July 13, 2007.

Gallery owner Michael Devine is a musician, disc jockey, and all-around entrepreneur and impresario. Zombo Gallery joins Lawrenceville’s thriving cultural scene as its newest home for visual art exhibits, musical performance, unique printed t-shirts and an unusual assortment of gifts and novelties. As the gallery’s slogan states, patrons can See it, Hear it, Wear it, Own it.

The featured artist for the opening is Wayno, a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer based in Pittsburgh. His clients include The New Yorker, Nickelodeon Magazine, Rhino Records/Warner Music Group, McGraw-Hill Books, Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, Pittsburgh City Paper, and The New York Times. He is a member of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators and the National Cartoonists Society.

Squaresville is a collection of pop art works using the artist’s own illustration archive as source material. The paintings in the exhibit are executed on identical twelve-inch square panels, calling to mind an imaginary collection of LP covers. This is no surprise, as both Michael Devine and Wayno are very active in the music world, and the two first met as participants in a panel discussion during The LP Show at the Andy Warhol Museum in 2002.

The opening party begins at 5:30 PM on Friday, July 13, 2007, and will include fresh beer from the East End Brewing Company, and music provided by Akron’s DJ Tothar.

Squaresville will run from July 13 through August 10, 2007 at Zombo Gallery, 4900 Hatfield Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Friday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Saturday from Noon to 6:00 PM, or by appointment.

There will be a closing party on Friday, August 10, at 5:30 PM.

For additional information, call 412-904-3703, or visit http://www.zomboworld.com
To see a preview of the exhibit, visit http://www.wayno.com/squaresville/

If I can’t make it out this weekend, I definitely plan on it soon and I suggest you do the same!

Zombo, radio, art, gallery, Lawrenceville, squaresville, cartoons, East End Brewing Company, DJ Tothar

On the front page of the Post-Gazette’s website is this story about cat licensing called, “Cat Lovers Howl over Licensing Felines”. It’s about the new ordinance that requires cats to be licensed like dogs.

The reason they want to do this is because there are a lot of complaints that cats are damaging property. Here is a quote from the article.

Complaints include “cats causing damage to neighbor’s property,” including spraying urine, he said. The licensing proposal “is an attempt to make owners responsible for their cats.” — Post-Gazette

Holding people responsible for their pets is a good thing. If your pet damages property then you are responsible to fix it. Maybe the people that are opposed to this are the same people that let their cats piss all over their neighbor’s bushes.

I know it’s a pain in the ass and costs money to get your cat licensed, but look at the number one benefit. If your cat gets lost and then it’s picked up by animal control you will have better luck of getting it back. So if you love your cat you would get it licensed!

cat licensing, pittsburgh, animal control, ordinance, Post-Gazette, love your cat