Weekend Hotlist: 7/13/06

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Weekend long

The music choices this weekend come in all shapes and sizes, from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Beth Orton to Brave Combo. Let's start with the road trips, because you'll need to get an early jump on those.

The Jamboree in the Hills -- aka the Super Bowl of Country Music -- kicks off today in St. Clairsville, Ohio, with four days of hootin' and hollerin' from sweethearts (Carrie Underwood), rugged folk (Clint Black and Tracy Byrd), ladies men (Keith Urban), veterans (Oak Ridge Boys), local heroes (PovertyNeck Hillbillies) and even a guy from the silver screen (John Corbett).

We can't call it the Super Bowl of Jam Rock, because that would be Bonnaroo. But the 10th annual All Good Music Festival, in Masontown, W.Va. (94 miles from Pittsburgh), is at least a great playoff game. Playing Friday through Sunday will be the Black Crowes, Trey Anastasio & Mike Gordon, Ween, Southern Culture on the Skids, Les Claypool, Robert Randolph, The Wailers, Aquarium Rescue Unit, Umphrey's McGee and much more. Tickets are $119. Go to www.allgoodfestival.com or call 800-594-TIXX.

SouthSide Works Exposed celebrates world cultures with an artists market, live music on two stages, dancing, children's activities, a European film festival, food, cocktails and a World Bazaar. Most of the activities are free and everything is open to the public.

It begins Friday at 5 p.m. with "A Slice of Americana," featuring a barbershop quartet, swing kings Dr. Zoot, country singer Deanna Denning, the Dance Alloy, Attack Theatre, No Bad Ju Ju's and Rolling Stones tribute band Jumpin' Jack Flash.

On Saturday, from noon to 11 p.m., it's "Island Hopping" with Caribbean steel drum band Resonance Percussion, Tuika's Polynesian Island Magic, a Tiki Wall Climb, hula-hoop competitions, sing-alongs, face painting, art activities offered by the Mattress Factory, a magic show and an exotic bird show. In the late afternoon and evening, Salsamba hits the stage with Latin-infused jazz, followed by the reggae tunes of Ras Prophet and salsa band Az?car with lessons by artists from Dance Alloy.

On Sunday, from noon to 7 p.m., it's "Rhythms of the World" with Shristi Indian Dancers, Centro Flamenco Spanish dancing, Khafif Middle Eastern Music, the Burke Irish Dancers, Umoja African Arts Company and Kyiv Ukrainian Dancers. Children's activities will include Japanese story time, an Afro-Peruvian drum session and pseudo-Sumo competitions.

Alcohol will be sold Friday and Saturday and a portion of the proceeds will go to a local charity.

Along with the outdoor events, the SouthSide Works will present "Exposed: New Films of the New Europe," a film festival featuring cinema from Poland, Latvia, Hungary and Croatia.

The 30th anniversary season of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble rolls on with a night of smaller works, led by Kevin Puts' "Alternating Currents," Judith Shatin's "Grito Del Corazon" and a premiere by Thomas Albert called "Night Music." The concerts, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at City Theatre on the South Side, blend a small music troupe with theater and video. Tickets: $20 (seniors $10; students, pay-what-you-can; first-time visitors free). 412-431-2489.

TODAY

"Note: Films include scenes of wild animal behaviors and may not be suitable for young children." That's the awesome fine print that comes along with the National Geographic Film Series at the newly opened Schenley Plaza. Over the next several weeks, the plaza will be the scene for five signature National Geographic films featuring narrative approaches to wildlife. They are free to the public and run approximately 55 minutes. It begins tonight with "Wolf Pack," the story of the first gray wolves reintroduced at Yellowstone Park, at 9 p.m.

Reverend Raven, a Chicago/Milwaukee-based blues band that tours the Midwest blues circuit, hits The Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville, touring on the release of the new CD "Big Bee." Call 412-682-0177.

FRIDAY

Somehow in the crazy summer concert mix of Skynyrd, Three Doors Down and Counting Crows, there's a little gem at Mr. Small's named Beth Orton. The British singer, with a gorgeous, raspy voice, came to fame during a stint with The Chemical Brothers, and has proven herself with such albums as "Trailer Park" and "Central Reservation." Her latest, "Comfort of Strangers," finds her hooking up with guitarist and producer Jim O'Rourke (Sonic Youth), for a record that's heavy with heartbreak. "I've always, truly in my heart, wanted to do that record," she told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "For years, I've had this running dialogue in my head about certain situations that sum up how you feel when you lose somebody you love, and the aloneness that comes with that. It was like wanting to put my hand across the seat in a taxi, and almost feeling the other hand touching mine." She plays at Mr. Small's at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17. Call 800-594-8499.

What song is it you wanna hear?!! If you yell "Free Bird" at this show, they'll actually play it -- eventually. Lynyrd Skynyrd, newly inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, rolls into the Post-Gazette Pavilion, led by singer Johnny Van Zant. The Southern Rock legends are joined by Mississippi's Three Doors Down, who like Superman, know a little about "Kryptonite."

The Gin Blossoms, a band that hit had a rocky road after its success with "Hey Jealousy," will add to its discography, finally, with a new album on Aug. 8. "Major Lodge Victory" is another slice of easy-going, jangly rock a la the Eagles. Prior to that, the Arizona band turns up with four original members, led by Robin Wilson, for a free show at the Station Square Street Jam which goes from 5 to 11 p.m. and also includes The Delaneys and Airiel Down.

Cabaret Pittsburgh presents the Pittsburgh debut of jazz-stylist Tony DeSare, a New Yorker who has been compared to Michael Buble and Jamie Cullum. He attempts a fresh take on standards made famous by singers such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme and introduces his own songs like "(I'd Have It All) If I had Drew" which debuted in the independent movie "My Date With Drew." Shows are 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. in the symphony room of the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel. The ticket price of $45 includes entertainment, a glass of wine and hors d'oeuvres. Call 412-394-3353 or visit www.proartstickets.org.

The free show in South Park is John Chappell doing a one-man play as Mark Twain at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY

Mr. Small's and The X present the Small's Summer Xtravaganza, a free event that fuses skateboarding, freestyle BMX, inline and live music. Pro skater Mike Vallely and other top industry riders will demonstrate their skills at the Small's skate park in Millvale and there will be music by Chalk Outline Party, Vale and Year, Camera, Jack Wilson and DJ 7UP at 3 p.m. Later, the action moves to Mr. Smalls Theatre where Valley's band, Revolution Mother, will headline with A Fall From Grace, Lost Ledny and Solegion at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are $5.

Paint and Body in Wilkinsburg opens "Mandate: A Postmortem Analysis: A Subsidiary of Technogaia," a collaborative multimedia installation that "explores the current social and political climates in the United States and the government's role in its global war on terror." The exhibit will include the "Vague Apocalypse," a new sound work for radio transmitters & radios by Alyssa C. Salomon that debuted at 1708 Gallery in Richmond, Va. It also includes work by Bob Ziller, Herbert Hoover, Mark Graves, C. Whittington and Tim Kaulen. The opening, with live local music and refreshments, is 7 to 11 p.m. at 815 Penn Ave. in Wilkinsburg. Call 412-951-0622.

SUNDAY

Brave Combo, fresh from the Polka Fireworks, returns for an evening of pumped-up dance music at Club Cafe at 7 p.m. Tickets are $13 to $15. Call 412-323-1919.

Around the corner, at the Rex, Junior Brown does his own little honky tonk Jamboree at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 412-323-1919.

New York band Black 47 takes its spirited and political Irish rock to Hartwood Acres for a free show at 7:30 p.m.