Something about this summer- super great collaborative projects abound. First there was the  illustration ale a partnership between East End Brewing and the Toonseum.  Then Barebones Productions brought Killer Joe to the stage with Joe Grushekcy accompaniment.  Public Record is a collaboration between Pittsburgh writer and artist Justin Hopper, tech company DeepLocal and publishers Encyclopedia Destructia to bring some of the mystery and history of Pittsburgh to life on the streets of downtown Pittsburgh.

Public Record has created poems based on some 19th century Pittsburgh crime reports. Actual stories of murder, theft and other Pittsburgh history – come to life.  These poems can be listened to via cell phones – there is an iphone app and a text message based system as well.  You can listen to the poems in the locations that the poems reference.

The collaboration continues into the project as Public Record record that audio for the project with Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl at Pearl’s Tuff Sound studio in Wilkinsburg. The voices of Public Record readings include artist Alexi Morrissey, poet and musician Christiane Leach, and actress Adrienne Wehr. David Bernabo and Nathan Hall contributed original music to the pieces.

The gallery show includes visual artwork, inspired by the poems, from Jeff Schreckengost, Lisa Toboz, David Pohl, Jennifer Howison, Erin Brubaker, Christopher Kardambikis, and Wayno, plus a projection-based version of the tour for audience members to experience in the gallery by Hopper, Jonathan Kline, and Christine Brill.

Public Record opens this Friday, June 16, 2010 at 937 Liberty Ave during the summer gallery crawl.  More information about the project is available at PublicRecordPgh.com

Facebook Event for the opening is here.

Check out some of the great press that Public Record has already received:

• BOMB Magazine
• Post-Gazette -Next Page
• Pittsburgh City Paper

SHOW HOURS:

July 16, 5 – 10 pm
July 17, 2 – 10 pm
July 18, 12 – 5 pm

Exposed Artist Market – over 70 different artists will be selling their hand made wares this weekend at the Southside works.  Here are a few of our favorites.  Check out the entire list of vendors here on the IMadeIt Market Blog.

• Birds of a Feather - love their I heart PGH pins
• Cosy Knits – beautiful recycled and hand dyed yarns
• E-A-Poos – check out these snazzy un-paper towels
• Kiddy Kapes – because every kid needs a super hero cape! They even have Steelers capes too.
• Talking Paint – pretty painted canvas accessories
• Minx Shop - always happy to find handmade clothes.  Check out this pretty leaf top.

Lots of great local music…

I have know Ben for a few years now and I think we have shared some of his videos here on the blog.  I just received an email update from him about his summer residency in Iceland.  I thought it might be interesting to show off Ben and some other Pittsburghers who are visiting interesting places this summer.  If you know of a Pittsburgher who is traveling or living somewhere interesting for the summer – please share a link to their blog.  Maybe we can make this a regular series.

Ben Hernstrom is from Pittsburgh.  He runs a video production company called Ambulantic which has put together lots of interesting videos about people and events here in Pittsburgh – you can check out all some of his videos here – http://www.youtube.com/ambulantic.

For the month of July, Ben has a residency at at the Icelandic Association of Artists Residency (SIMRES).  He has set up a new blog for the project – check out his photos from Reykjavik here – http://anunspeakablelanguage.posterous.com/

You can purchase some of the photographs in the Ambulantic Etsy Shop here http://www.etsy.com/shop/ambulantic.

Very excited that we get to add a post to Iceland on our map too.

Ten years later – the Shadow Lounge has grown from a 1 room establishment to 3 different venues – Shadow Lounge, Blue Room and now Ava on Highland Ave.  The Shadow Lounge is one of those place that always ends up on our list of places to visit in Pittsburgh (we of course included it on our Pittsburgh list for American Airlines Magazine last summer).

To celebrate this big birthday – The Shadow Lounge has planned a big, bad block party with something for everyone.  2 days of bands, performers, djs and more from Pittsburgh and beyond.  Also – Saturday night is Title Town – Pittsburgh’s monthly soul music night.

Tickets are available here. Facebook event here.

Check out this line up…

Back again for another summer of fun – free concerts on Walnut St. in Shadyside.  Walnut Street is closes to traffic and opens for music and more.

All of the proceeds benefit the Western PA Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  It looks like the concerts are free – and that you can spend $2 on a wrist band for beer. If you know more about how this works please leave a comment below.

• Saturday June 26th -  Donora and Bon Journey
• Saturday July 24th -  Survivor Alexis Grace from American Idol
• SaturdayAugust 21st – Kelsey Friday and Dancing Queen

All concerts start at 7:00 pm but get there early for raffle participation. The festivities will end at 11:00.

Prices: $2.00 wristband

Happy Hour: Between 7:00pm and 8:30pm $2.50 Miller Lite
Post Happy Hour: Between 8:30pm and 11:00pm $3.50 Miller Lite

Jam on Walnut 2010 - dates and details

You have probably walked past many of these house before – now is the chance to take a tour of the insides and back yards of a dozen different abodes in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood.  I know one of the homeowners and she has been working diligently to make sure everything is ready for you to take a peek around her house.  The South Side Home Tour should be extra interesting  -  many of the homes on the South Side look a lot different on the inside than they do on the outside – definitely some hidden gems.

South Side Historic Home Tour
Saturday, May 15, 2010 10am-4pm
Tickets are limited.
Advance Tour Tickets: $14.99
Day of Tour Tickets: $18 (if available)
Order online: http://www.showclix.com/event/9155/ or  by phone: 1.888.71.TICKETS (1.888.718.4253)

Facebook Event Link – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115233098500033#!/event.php?eid=115233098500033

If you are looking for something fancy to do this Saturday night you might want to check out the Q Ball.  This is the gala fundraiser for Quantum Theater.

Quantum Theater has been staging performances in Pittsburgh since 1990 and brings theater to unusual Pittsurgh places.  Quantum has staged over 50 productions in Pittsburgh – each in a unique location.

From PopCity Media:

Situation theater: For two decades and counting, homegrown theater company Quantum has been presenting compelling site-specific productions within some of the city’s most distinct settings—from Allegheny Cemetery and Heppenstahl Steel Mill, to the Garden Theater and Frick Art & Historical Center. The ever fearless company has even produced plays inside a pool housed within Braddock’s Carnegie Library.

They have also planned some impressive parties – you can help support Quantum at their 2010 event the Q Ball.

Quantum Theater’s Q Ball

Saturday, April 10, 2010
Clear Story Studio, 1931 Sidney Street
7:30pm-Midnight

What to wear? Solids or stripes. Something swank for a modern shark, or classic pool hall apparel.

$85 at the door

For more information call 412.697.2929 To buy tickets visit ProArtsTickets.org

Click here for the Q Ball Facebook Event.

A community of connected individuals, young professionals, investors, and concerned citizens who have the power to make things happen just by the click of a mouse is a revolution; and it’s happening in Pittsburgh.

Why not take it to the next level?

Google is searching for the best place in the nation to test their new ultra-high speed broadband network and Pittsburgh is “ready, willing & able.”

Google will create a one-gigabit per second Internet service network, which will be 100 times faster than what is currently offered by companies like Comcast and Verizon. What’s even more remarkable about this project is that Google promises to offer competitive rates so that up to 500,000 people in the chosen community would be able to afford and enjoy the service in their homes, offices, and public places.

Steve Klabnik, Chief Technical Officer of local startup CloudFab, is enthusiastic at the prospect of Google choosing Pittsburgh. “It’s like when the first cars couldn’t go very fast; only short trips were possible. Once engines got better, they enabled longer trips.” Steve is also interested in the prospect of Google becoming a competitor to Verizon and Comcast. “Right now, there isn’t much competition for Internet services around here. Google would make Verizon and Comcast improve their service and drop their prices, which is good for everyone.”

From now until March 26th, citizens and local officials can submit their suggestions to Google as to why their city or community should be chosen for the trial. It has also been noted that the Google Fiber trial will not cost the chosen community a penny- Google will take care of all of the expenses related to the testing.

The City of Pittsburgh firmly believes that Pittsburgh is the best choice for the Google Fiber experiment; they’ve set up a website with more information and a link to contact Google directly. The site also includes a comments section to share thoughts and questions along with representation from a slew of community supporters including the Pittsburgh Technology Council, UPMC and Carnegie Mellon University.

In speaking to KDKA this week, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl was quoted as saying: “Google has said it will pick a city that proves that citizens and businesses are excited as its government. We are excited, we are ready, we are able, but we need your support.”

Mike Woycheck, Technology Analyst at Innovation Works, believes that the Google Fiber initiative would have far-reaching benefits: “The Pittsburgh tech startup community across all sectors such as web/software, entertainment, medical applications, networking, and others would gain a significant competitive advantage by getting an early opportunity to understand where the world will be in a few years.”

Adam Jette, a computer programmer, put it bluntly: “More tech means more work, and more work means more competitive salaries.”

Regarding industry leadership and efficiency, Woycheck added, “Companies that are developing significant content offerings such as video, rich media, and gaming/entertainment could leverage gigabit speeds to position themselves as industry leaders in their respective field(s). More and more startups moving to cloud computing offerings such as Amazon’s Web Services and Google’s App Engine could deploy their web/internet based applications much more efficiently while maintaining flexibility to host whatever resources they need on-site cost effectively.”

Do you think Pittsburgh is a great location for the Google Fiber tests? If you’re interested in adding your voice to the cause, make sure to let Google know your thoughts by March 26th.

Photo credit: Brian Cohen

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• Pittsburgh, Seattle Announce Interest In Google’s Fiber Trial (tech.slashdot.org)

Admission: $10 cash at the door
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
Presentations begin at 8:00 p.m.