Yo yo yo ... maclesbians. OK, that worked so much better in my head. :-)
Never one to let Jim and Randy beat him on a salacious topic, John has asked me to do a segment on the upcoming 2nd Annual Dyke March today at 2:25 on 93.7, The Zone. They may have broken the story, but MacYapper has a dyke in his pocket.
It ain't gonna be the same discussion you would hear on Lynn Cullen, but the spirit of the Dyke March isn't about hiding out in safe spaces. It is about claming new spaces.
So tune in ... I have no clue where the conversation will go, but I'm sure it will be interesting.
Here's one suggestion for a perfect summer evening: spend a few balmy hours out on the patio of a local coffeehouse in the company of friends (and your lover) while you listen to some of Pittsburgh's talented chica singer-songwriters, collectively known as the Riveting Rosies.
I was feeling rather nosy
so I thought that I would go see
the most Riveting of Rosies
the stage was kind of cozy
There's more than one singer of these lyrics that keeping running through my mind.
The most I seek my music locally the closer I am to fine ...
Better keep my day job, huh?
Seven women filled the stage with more than an evening's worth of melody, harmony and memory. The Rosie's include:
Tracy Drach - after a few bars of her first song, I immediately thought of that perfect moment in the morning when you caress your first cup of coffee -- rich and strong with just a hint of cream. The kind of java that you need to drink so it can sustain you through the rest of the day. That's what I thought about. I also thought that Tracy's voice is exactly how I sound in my head when I belt out my favorite tunes.
Stacy Mates - She sang this really unique love song about hating Ohio. It worked. Here's what I noticed about Stacy -- she sang harmony on just about every song the others performed and she was really good. Good as in transforming a good song into a really great performance.
Patty Spinner - I kept thinking I knew her songs or maybe I just should know them. I wrote in my notes (yes, I carry a notepad with me to capture bloggable moments) "fuses good rhythmic guitar with interesting lyrics." She's moving away which is a pity b/c she has this whole package of good songs, good instrumentation (is that the right word?) and a good voice. Plus, she played the washboard. How cool is that?
Heather Kropf - Heather played the keyboard at the back of the stage, so she was sort of this mysterious goddess voice speaking from the midst of the Rosies. She had a really rich and polished voice. She also was incredibly gracious about lifting up her talented friends. I bought one of her CDs. I expect it to be good.
Janet Ingram - Janet had a great dress on. I know that seems like a shallow thing to observe, but I just had to put that out there. Janet was wry and funny. She writes some cool stuff, especially a great song about actually liking Pittsburgh. That alone gives her a kajillion bonus points in my book. I would love a copy of that song.
Sue Gartland - Another irrelevant note: Sue has an uncanny resumblance to my sister-in-law Candace. So I was disposed to really like her from the get go. She did not disappoint. She has a rich, charismatic voice and really delightful lyrics. She had a super fun song about fast food that really transported me right to my childhood. I was disappointed that she didn't have a CD.
And, finally, there's Eve Goodman. You may recall that we really like Eve's music. It has just been a little over a year since we met her and her also very cool significant other. We've had the good fortune to get to know them a bit which just adds to the pleasure of listening to her perform. What struck me the most last night was what a wicked guitar player she is. She played the entire evening and the other performers gave her multiple shout outs for her improvisations. She is seriously really good. Really. The other thing that struck me was how much she was enjoying herself.
My only wish would have been for the performers to reconstruct an unexpected song, much like Mary Chapin Carpenter and friends during their "Singer-Songwriter" tour a few years ago. I think her group did a folk take on a boy band song. As I was composing this, Blondie comes on the radio. I'd love to hear Dreaming or maybe I Love Rock and Roll or even I Wanna Be Sedated. Maybe I'm weird, but I think it would be fun. (Please no Beatle songs. Thank you.)
It was a really nice evening. The weather was great. The crowd was mellow. Yes, there were a few less than perfect moments. The menu was really limited which was a bummer because we had to get there super early to get a seat. The opening act (Prickly Pear?) was just so-so, but drew this really large group of people with toddlers and preschoolers. It was like a conference of yuppies with poor parenting skills. The kids were cute, but unruly. Their parents were not so cute, especially those who were actually pouting because they couldn't find a seat. One woman plopped her toddler down on the pathway between the kitchen and the patio, taking umbrage when the chef politely asked her to move. Jesus.
Plus, this is the second venue we've been to where the hummus is not accompanied by pita or anything crispy. Just veggies. Ironically, the Quiet Storm (veggie heaven) does serve pita. What's up with that?
The Riveting Rosie's are definitely worth an evening of your time. Or two. You'll have a good time. And you'll support local music. Do it.
UPDATE: I found an excerpt of the Mary Chapin Carpenter Singer/Songwriters Tour. And, yes, it includes a few moments of their rendition of "I Want It That Way." So without further ado ...
This afternoon, I thought it might be interesting to live blog an event that the Mayor actually attends. Something critical and groundbreaking, perhaps even newsworthy. Like, say perhaps, a "garden" party to celebrate his single-handed reclamation of a porn palace for the good citizens of Pittsburgh. <insert applause>
So off we toddled to West Park for the 4 PM kick-off time. We were promised live music and refreshments, plus entertainment. After snagging a primo parking spot on Arch Street, we thought things were going to be groovy and we were really looking forward to seeing the theater.
Unfortunately, Luke's partying aptitude requires a heavy dose of yinzerettes and Iron City, because this was just ... sad.
See, the party was across the street from the Garden Theater. But ... we weren't allowed to go in because there was a performance scheduled for later that evening. The nice lady keeping the homeless people away from the refreshment stand told us that we could save $2.00 on admission to the show. She also told us that the garden party was from 1 - 4 PM (it was 4:15 at the time) and refreshments would be served at 5 PM. So, perhaps she wasn't the most reliable of reporters.
This is where I stop the narrative. Why would you throw a party to celebrate reclaiming a theater and not let people see it? What the hell? Instead, I got to see 20 photos of the glory days and argue with a fussy gay man that, no I was not spending time at the Garden in 1974, because I was three years old and dealing with a curfew. Thus, I could not authentically sign his Garden Theater memory book. He seemed pissed.
So we milled around with the yuppies for awhile and fended off the overly eager Citi-Parks employees handing out programs, as well as some frightening giant puppet people. There were a few artsy vendors. I think someone drew a giant circle of protection in chalk around the whole affair to ward off people who don't pay property taxes. <am I being too mean? Ledcat thinks that, yes, I am.>
Meanwhile, I thirsted. The food lady told me that there were two whole coolers of beverages, but none for me. I had to wait until after the Mayor spoke. Cause if you throw a summer party and invite the entire Northside, why provide beverages to slake their thirst? Make 'em wait! I suppose I could trot down to the corner store ... oh wait, this is the Northside. The corner store is 17 blocks away. Darn.
My thirst got the best of me. So we trotted back to Arch Street with plans to head to see our niece and get a glass of water to boot. With ice. On the way, we passed a car with tags that read "Ms. Tonya" and a bumper stickers proclaiming "African-Americans for Kerry/Edwards" so I presume my City Council Rep was there. Good for her.
I hope she brought a bottle of water.
Truth be told, I wasn't really going to live blog. I brought my trusty notepad and several pens. I even wrote some stuff down until I was accosted by yet another puppet person and decided to flee for the relative sanctity of Perry Hilltop. I did make time to stop and tell all the locals (taxpayers and otherwise) that dinner was on at 5 PM sharp.
This was a silly little event designed for self-congratulations and the never-ceasing Mayoral commitment to throw us off the important issues. Who throws a party and doesn't let you see the inside of the building? If my tax dollars built the damn barn, get the friggin giant puppet the hell out of the way and let me see what I have bought.
Maybe they should just send the giant puppets to City Council meetings and leave Luke to do the really important stuff ...
