June 3: The Boilermaker Jazz Band at the Caberet

The Boilermaker Jazz Band is an ecstatically fun band performing authentic hot jazz, ragtime, and swing. The group has a wide repertoire that can make an audience swing to a classic jazz standard, get sentimental over an old-time ballad, boogie to a hot jump tune or get low-down with a gritty blues. From concert halls to dances, festivals to family parties, listeners and dancers agree - with their infectious beat and enthusiasm this band can make any crowd move! Leading the Boilermaker Jazz Band on clarinet and vocals is Paul Cosentino, a full-time bandleader/performer who founded the band in 1988 at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He is constantly searching for new and original tunes to add to the band's classic jazz repertoire - you'll hear something different every time! Paul plays an antique Albert system clarinet giving him a wonderfully distinctive sound.

The band also features fabulous female singer Jennie Luv who will thrill you with her smooth and sultry vocal stylings. From bar room ballads and not-so-standard standards to hot and bubblin' swing, Jennie's performances add a touch of sophistication to the Boilermaker ensemble.

The Boilermaker Jazz Band has performed at major festivals, concert halls, colleges and clubs throughout the world. Everywhere they go, they deliver the good feelings that real jumpin' jazz can create. Paul and the Boilermakers have recorded six critically acclaimed CD's - including an award-winning children's recording - and have received rave reviews for their excellent live performances. The Boilermakers have been featured on radio shows across the country and overseas, including a National Public Radio Jazz Series that was broadcast on over 50 stations. Read more at www.boilermakerjazzband.com

The Lowdown:
Friday, June 3 at 9:30 & 10:30 pm
Authentic American Jazz, Ragtime and Swing
Sound Clip
Tickets required - $10 at the door, $8 in advance

June 4: The Pittsburgh Nude Project

The City Laid Bare: The Pittsburgh Nude Project
Pittsburghers lay bare exactly what is at the heart of the city, what makes it unique—themselves—in this first exhibition from The Pittsburgh Nude Project, opening Saturday, June 4, 2005 at Blue Ruin Gallery.

The Pittsburgh Nude Project is the collaborative effort of two Pittsburgh natives, photographers Kim Rullo and Brent Isaac, who initiated the project as a means to “capture the essence” of the people who inhabit this region. At the heart of this endeavor is the quest for identity as it seeks to answer the question: Is identity really who we are or merely a means to an end? Read on...

Blue Ruin Gallery is a woman-owned venue founded in 2000 as an alternative gallery space. Its aim then and now is to serve as a venue for freedom of expression through the fine arts and photography...Read on...

The Lowdown:
M, W, Th :: 5.30p - 7p
F :: 5.30p - 7p
Sat :: 11a - 7p
Sun & Tue :: Closed

blueraingallery.com

This Weekend: Three Rivers Arts Festival

Festival Dates: June 3-19, 2005

Getting you from the concerts in the Park to the art at 937 Liberty for free every day.
Click here to find out how.

Summer officially begins June 3 at the 46th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival!

From June 3 -19, enjoy free outdoor concerts every night of the week and intimate theater and dance performances in the new Liberty Lab. View innovative public art installations in Point State Park and throughout downtown and new works by the best regional artists in the Annual Exhibition. Shop for one of a kind handmade pieces in our Duquesne Light Artists Market and don’t forget, the Festival is not just for grownups. The ever expanding Southwest Airlines Family Festival offers hands on activities for kids of all ages and back by popular demand, performances by the Zany Umbrella Circus.

Click here for more details.

June 3: Crescent and Frost at Club Cafe

Daniel Marcus brings his background in bluegrass and folk to the songs. His original melodies and lyrics have an individuality imbued with his personal style; an innovative amalgamation of original, traditional and contemporary musical expressions.

Maryann Fennimore sings and composes with refreshing honesty and reflection. While revealing people and places with fond recollection, her lyrics and music build a new block in the bluegrass neighborhood.

Friday, June 03, 2005 at 7PM
Doors Open At 6PM
$15 in Advance and Day of Show

Tickets available through TicketMaster
Charge by phone 412-323-1919.

Call Club Cafe at 412-431-4950 for more details.

June 1: Pirates vs. Florida Marlins

Venue: PNC Park
Date: Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Ticket price: varies
Ticket contact info: 1-800-BUY-BUCS

Girls Night Out

June 1: Summer Lecture Series - Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen

Venue: Pittsburgh Glass Center
Date: Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Time: 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Ticket price: free
Ticket contact info: 412-365-2145

Karen is an avid bird watcher who has spent the past several years studying the raptors of the Pacific Northwest and incorporates this theme in her work. She will present slides and a lecture about her art. [via the Post-Gazette]

June 1: Peter Himmelman at Club Cafe

Songwriters are generally able to reveal plenty about what makes them tick, but one who can let you know what makes you tick is a special person indeed. Peter Himmelman has proven himself to be such an artist, as is clear from the zealous worldwide fan base that's developed over the course of his fifteen-year recording career.

"People do seem to respond to what I do in a way that's different from the usual performer/audience relationship," Himmelman says. "I think I play a weird role for some people. I've actually heard that my shows serve as a substitute for psychotherapy or a theology seminar." Himmelman goes on to say, "that works for me, it's all included in the ticket price."

On Love Thinketh No Evil, the Minneapolis-bred, California-based singer/songwriter's ninth album (and his first for Six Degree Records), he alternates between meeting and confounding expectations. As ever, his spirited, powerful performances illuminate songs that force the listener to give a secondÐand often a third or fourthÐthought to what's just transpired. At times, as on the poignant "Comin' Apart at the Dreams," that can be a rather somber experience; at others, such as during the album-closing "Gravity Can't Keep My Spirit Down," the effect is positively exhilarating. read on...

The Lowdown:
Doors Open At 6PM
$14 in Advance / $16 Day of Show

Tickets available through TicketMaster
Charge by phone 412-323-1919.

Call Club Cafe at 412-431-4950 for more details.

June 2-5: Sheryl Underwood at The Improv

Sheryl Underwood is one of the boldest and most brazen women in comedy. In her comedy act, Sheryl dares to discuss sex, politics, current events, relationships and adult conversation. Sheryl has a down-to-earth nature, and uses humor to give examples of her points of view. With fifteen years of comedy experience and a Masters Degree under her belt, Sheryl has the ability to get an audience to understand what she is saying even if they don't agree with her opinion. Currently on tour throughout the U.S. and Canada discussing male-female relationships, this sexually progressive, God-fearing conservative republican, usually elicits bold testimonials from even the most conservative of crowds. She has appeared in the feature films "Bullworth" and "I Got the Hoop Up." Sheryl's blue-style comedy is fun adult entertainment.

The Lowdown:
The Improv at the Waterfront
June 2-5
Click here for showtimes & ticket information

May 31: Ike Reilly and Johnny Hickman (of Cracker) @ Club Cafe

The independent wave-crashes of these two indie rockers, Johnny Hickman (of Cracker) and Ike Reilly, felt together, might flatten the Eastern seaboard ... but for their fortunate faithful, the pair have lulled their rock into a gentler offering... a six-date acoustic tour (with each doing separate sets).

Hickman co-founded Cracker in the early 90s and co-wrote all their radio hits. Known as the “twangy” half of Cracker and a purveyor of commercially unforgettable guitar riffs, Hickman is an innovator of Southern Gothic rock ... an Americana/ Alt-rock godfather. His first solo release, Palmhenge, emphasizes both the serious and humorous sides of his songwriting, and of course, Hickman’s trademark instrumentation. read on...

The Lowdown:
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 at 7:30PM
Doors open at 6PM
$12 in advance and day of show

Call Club Cafe for more details: 412.421.4950

May 31: Deana Muro @ the Cabaret

Deana Muro is thrilled to be at the CLO Cabaret! Performance credits include Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, Julie in A Perfect Wedding (Post-Gazette Best Supporting Actress list), Gilmer in Godspell and Maureen/Queenie/Dot in Honk! Music Direction credits include Joseph..., Evita, A Funny Thing Happened...., The Starmakers Gala, Marat Sade, Footloose, Working, A My Name is Alice, And the World Goes Round, Dames at Sea, School House Rock!, Oliver, Annie, Jr., Once On This Island and A Chorus Line. She has accompanied/music directed for the Pittsburgh CLO, Point Park University, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, City Theatre, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theater and The Theatre Factory. Deana can be heard on the piano (music director) and singing on Tom Rocco's upcoming album entitled "Matters of the Heart."

The Lowdown:
May 31, 9:30PM
Cabaret at Theater Square
412.456.6666
Click here to order tickets online.