Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan dives deep into band’s catalog in Pittsburgh show
If Billy Corgan wants to go out and explore some lesser-known Smashing Pumpkins tracks, that’s fully his right. Corgan, after all, is the singer/guitarist as well as the primary songwriter for the psychedelic, fuzz-laden band that broke big with hits like “Cherub Rock,” “Disarm” and “Today” as alternative rock exploded...
Pittsburgh’s The Cheats release new album — ‘Old Rats on a New Ship’
The Cheats, a veteran punk band from Pittsburgh, released their latest album, “Old Rats on a New Ship,” on Friday, but it was actually the second album of originals they put together since 2020’s “Cussin’, Crying ‘N’ Carrying On.” “We actually had a whole record done with another member, but...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: Benefits
Benefits’ first full-length album, “Burnout,” presents the songs in the order they were written, based on events ripped from the headlines from 2020-23. “The words and imagery in these songs really are faithfully harvested from the events that were happening and reported in the news over those years,” said Bill...
Blairsville Chamber Music Festival returns bigger than ever
Due to an overwhelming positive response in its previous years, the Blairsville Chamber Music Festival will return for another year from June 26-29. The festival was founded in 2022 by Blairsville native Sarah Marshall and her husband, violinist Avital Mazor. The couple was based in New York, but after multiple...
Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth to perform national anthem before Game 7 of NBA Finals
OKLAHOMA CITY — At 4-foot-11, Kristin Chenoweth is still making it to the NBA Finals. The award-winning actress, singer, Oklahoma native, Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee and unabashed Thunder fan is performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 7 of the title series between the Thunder and the Indiana Pacers on...
Bassist Carol Kaye says she’s declining Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ‘permanently’
NEW YORK — Carol Kaye, a prolific and revered bassist who played on thousands of songs in the 1960s including hits by the Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel and Barbra Streisand, said Friday she wants no part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “I’ve declined the rrhof. Permanently,”...
Rachel Zegler serenades the crowd for free in a new London production of ‘Evita’
LONDON — In a new production of “Evita,” one of the biggest moments isn’t on the stage. Midway through the show, Rachel Zegler, playing Argentine first lady Eva Perón, emerges onto an exterior balcony at the London Palladium and sings “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” to whoever is passing by...
August Wilson Center honors Juneteenth during monthly Intermission event
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s most recent monthly Intermission event series fell on Juneteenth, a Federal holiday to commemorate the emancipation of slaves within the United States. The event offered networking opportunities, live music by DJ Nate Da Barber, food by the Black-owned business Hysyde Lounge, live entertainment,...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 20-22
If you’re scientific about it, we’re finally hitting the real beginning of summer. Enjoy the longest days of the year with a slate of great events this weekend. Prime Stage Theatre Cemetery Walk Learn about history with a theatrical tour of Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville on Saturday. Prime Stage Theatre...
Joe Winkler’s ‘Oil Paintings and Other Delights’ coming to Monroeville Library
Friends of the Monroeville Public Library will host award-winning fine artist and graphic designer Joe Winkler June 27 - July 29 at the library’s Gallery Space. The exhibit,“Oil Paintings and Other Delights,” will feature Winkler’s original works, most of which are his take on still life subjects. Winkler often acquires...
Grand Funk Railroad co-founder Mark Farner bringing ‘explosion of love’ for Pittsburgh area show
It’s been more than three months since Mark Farner’s American Band played a concert, so he’s amped for the next show on his calendar, a June 26 stop at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille in Warrendale. “When we hit the stage, man, it’s like this big explosion,” said Farner, the original singer/guitarist...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh-filmed ‘Forked’ debuts at PIFF; local chef makes EatThis.tv pilot
With advances in digital technology and cameras, anyone can make a TV pilot these days. Getting it distributed is a greater challenge, but two indie projects with Western Pennsylvania ties are having a moment. ‘Forked’ Writer/actor Sarah Goeke first got inspired to make her web series “Forked” while performing in...
Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie dies at age 82
Native Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie, who scored No. 1 Billboard hit with “Lightnin’ Strikes” in 1966, has died. He was 82 years old. His wife, Francesca, told the Hollywood Reporter that Christie died at home in Pittsburgh after an undisclosed illness. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the Sacco family...
Mt. Lebanon poet, artist earns spot in ‘Art of the State’ gallery in Harrisburg
Marilyn Narey’s main challenge in preparing her entry for Pennsylvania’s “Art of the State” contest was that she could only submit one piece, instead of the full series from which it originates. In addition to her work as a visual artist, the Mt. Lebanon resident is also a poet, and...
Play about ‘Jaws’ actors bickering on set extends run in Braddock
As the iconic 1975 blockbuster “Jaws” marks its 50th anniversary this week, the stage play “The Shark Is Broken,” which dives into the behind-the-scenes drama of the movie’s actors stuck on a boat with a constantly malfunctioning mechanical shark, enters its fourth week of a sold-out run in Braddock. Since...
List of the top summer movies since ‘Jaws’ turned it into blockbuster season in 1975
LOS ANGELES — “Jaws” turns 50 this week, and its legacy of the summer movie blockbuster remains strong. The titles that have packed the most summer moviegoers into theaters since 1975 represent some of the best known films of the last half century, including five “Star Wars” movies, Pixar favorites...
TV Q&A: How does a Pirates announcer handle a losing team?
Q: The Pittsburgh Pirates have had three winning seasons in the last 30 years. The one constant during this period is play-by-play announcer Greg Brown. I read a report that Greg has called well over 2,000 Pirates losses and Brown is the losingest play-by-play announcer among active announcers. Has Greg...
Food Network star Anne Burrell dead at 55
NEW YORK — Anne Burrell, the Food Network star best known for leading the channel’s hit show “Worst Cooks in America,” died on Tuesday. She was 55. Burrell died at her home in Brooklyn, according to TMZ. Her cause of death was not immediately reported; sources told the outlet she...
TV milestone: Streaming is now bigger than cable and broadcast combined
LOS ANGELES — For the first time, streaming services have eclipsed traditional television in overall U.S. TV viewership, according to a Nielsen report released Tuesday. YouTube, Netflix, Paramount+ and other streaming services combined to attract 44.8% of all television usage in May, representing the largest share to date for direct-to-consumer...
TV Talk: HBO’s ‘Gilded Age’ grows more dramatic in 3rd season
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. HBO’s “The Gilded Age” returns for its third season (9 p.m. June 22, HBO, Max) and the show remains the best (and only!) “Upstairs Downstairs”/“Downton Abbey”-esque series in production today. Sometimes it feels like not...
Doctor charged with supplying Matthew Perry ketamine will plead guilty to distributing the drug
LOS ANGELES — A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the “Friends” star’s overdose death has agreed to plead guilty, authorities said Monday. Dr. Salvador Plasencia has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, federal prosecutors said in a...
Q&A: Avril Lavigne celebrating pop-punk glory days (and more) in Greatest Hits tour
Pop-punk music is still going strong, and look no further than Avril Lavigne’s Greatest Hits tour for proof. The Canadian singer, who broke out as a teenager in 2002 with songs like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi,” sold out New York’s Madison Square Garden last month, with the tour making a...
Overwhelmed and understaffed, the Louvre shuts its doors — a warning sign for global overtourism
PARIS — The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, remained shuttered Monday — not by war, not by terror, but by its own exhausted staff, who say the institution is crumbling from within. It was an almost unthinkable sight: the home to...
Pittsburgh local music spotlight: 9sundays
The Pittsburgh band 9sundays has been around since 2008, with the current lineup together for the past seven years. Their latest album, “Scream,” came out on June 4 and was a five-year effort, with an album release show later this month. ”It was a collaborative effort with everyone in the...
TV Talk: Reimagined ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ stomps to PBS
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. When the original “Walking with Dinosaurs” debuted in 1999, Emily Bamforth was a teenager already intrigued by Mesozoic creatures. Her favorite film remains the original “Jurassic Park” (the sequels, reboot and the reboot’s sequels, not...
