Art Taipei 2009, the longest-standing art fair in Asia with roots that go back to 1992, will kick off at Taipei World Trade Center today with a total of six themed areas and 78 galleries from all over the world, providing art lovers, investors, and artists the opportunity to feast their eyes on a variety of art forms.

“As the biggest annual art expo in Taiwan, Art Taipei is destined to become better and better each year,” said Betty Huang, minister of the Cabinet-level Council for Cultural Affairs yesterday at the opening press conference of the event in Taipei. Huang added that the annual event has not only caught the attention of domestic and international art circles, but also has a remarkable transaction record. Last year, a total of NT$750 million in transactions was reported during the five-day fair.

Huang added that, just like last year, the fair will showcase the works of eight talented local young artists in an area entitled “Made in Taiwan — Young Artist Discovery,” with an aim to increasing the visibility of young Taiwanese artists on the world art scene.

Besides the area for local new blood, Art Taipei has five more themed exhibitions: “Art Galleries”; “2009 Art Project — Art & Environment”; “Art, Now — Southeast Asia”; “Ela-Asia” and “Art Media.”.

The 78 galleries from countries all over the world offer various works including oil painting, sculpture, video installations and photographs.

Affordable art

Another feature of 2009 Art Taipei is a special event called “Affordable Art.” The works range from US$200 to US$2000 in price, providing plenty of opportunities for new collectors.

Meanwhile, Asia Art Economy Forum in Taipei will be held during the fair, offering a great chance to share and exchange experiences in the Asian art market with people with real global expertise.

The convener of the art fair, York Hsiao, said the event organizer will donate all ticket income to Typhoon Morakot relief. The five-day Art Taipei 2009 will run until Sept. 1 in Areas A and D of the Taipei World Trade Center.

Written By: Joseph Yeh

It’s time to go over the falls again.

The Ohiopyle Over the Falls Festival, the one time in the year it is legal for kayakers to go over the 18-foot-high falls in that Fayette County town, will be on Saturday, from 9 a.m. through a town party that begins at 7:30 p.m.

Whitewater paddlers will be able to race over the falls, and compete in a river slalom course upstream and a surfing and acrobatics event.

The town party in the evening will feature live music, vendors and pictures from the event. The falls will be illuminated after dark.

The event is sponsored by American Whitewaters, the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds & Rivers and the state Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.

Fees to participate in events range from $20 to $30. Observation is free.

Details: FallsRace.com.

— Bob Karlovits

The Pittsburgh New Works Festival kicks off its 19th season Sunday with the first of two evenings of staged readings.

The annual festival is dedicated to fostering the development of original one-act plays. Each year, it debuts 18 original one-acts, each produced by a different theater company. Six receive staged readings during the first two weekends in groups of three. Over each of the remaining four weekends, a different trio of plays receive fully staged performances.

The free staged readings begin at 7 p.m. Sunday for:

• “No Flash Bright Enough” by James Sievert of Switzerland, produced by Actors Civic Theatre.

• “The Desperate Man” by Michele Scaramucci of Belle Vernon, produced by Veronica’s Veil Players.

• “The Mantua-Maker” by Elizabeth Orndorff of Danville, Ky., produced by Comtra Theater.

This year, the Pittsburgh New Works Festival has moved to the Father Ryan Arts Center, 420 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks.

Details: 412-394-3353 or www.pittsburghnewworks.org.

— Alice T. Carter

When the local band Meeting of Important People released its self-titled album in March, expectations were low, especially given the ongoing plight of the record industry. Then things started happening: airplay on WYEP-FM, some good reviews and, just recently, a deal with Authentik, a label based in Los Angeles that’s run by Scott Austin, formerly a creative executive with Maverick/Warner Bros. and Capitol Records.

Authentik repackaged the album as a digital release. Recently, “Meeting of Important People” reached No. 11 on iTunes’ independent album charts; the group also was listed as a featured band on the iTunes site. A video of the song “Brittney Lane Don’t Care,” directed by Thom Glunt (Anti-Flag, Iggy Pop) and shot at a Bloomfield warehouse featuring the group towering over a city constructed from cardboard, will be released soon.

Josh Verbanets (guitar, vocals), Aaron Bubenheim (bass) and Matt Miller (drums, vocals) will perform at 9:30 p.m. Friday at Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville. Ben Hardt and His Symphony and Jupiter One also are on the bill.

Admission: $5.

Details: 412-682-0177 or www.thunderbirdcafe.net.

— Rege Behe

They’ll be dancing only the hits tonight when Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre presents its annual outdoor performance at Hartwood Acres, part of the Allegheny County Summer Concert Series.

Given the success of choreographer Dwight Rhoden’s “Step Touch” at its premiere performances in March, it’s not surprising the ballet is presenting it again today. Performed to music by Charlie Thomas’ Drifters and Pure Gold, Rhoden’s ballet employs nine couples in an intricate sequence of contemporary dance styles that is breathtaking.

The concert will be completed by George Balanchine’s exquisitely conceived “Theme and Variations” to music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. at Hartwood Acres, Hampton. Admission is free.

Details: 412-281-0360.

— Mark Kanny

Versatile song stylist Kenia returns to the Cultural District on Tuesday, bringing her distinctive mix of jazz, pop and Brazilian accents.

A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Kenia has “a wonderfully expressive vocal instrument that throbs with sultry intensity. It’s low key, yet ultra bright,” JazzTimes magazine says. Her repertoire ranges from Antonio Carlos Jobim and Gilberto Gil to Stevie Wonder and Harold Arlen.

The free performance starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Katz Plaza, Cultural District, Downtown.

Details: 412-456-6666.

— Mark Kanny

This Saturday, art and fashion collide in “Synergy,” a fashion show and multimedia art event that will focus on the creative aspects of fashion design, melding them with other art forms to create an evening of “synergy” and collaboration.

The evening will showcase work from several talented Pittsburgh artists, taking the form of music, dance, fashion and sculpture. The work of eight fashion designers will be trotted out among works by a half-dozen local artists to the music of Ishtar, Nadina and Kellee Maize, and dance performances by The Pillow Project and Sadiqa Bellydance.

Event organizer Jesse Riesmeyer says the inspiration came from the drive and desire to bridge the gap between fashion and art.

Admission is $12. Synergy runs from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Meter Room, 2637 Chartiers Ave, West End.

Details: 412-728-0724.

— Kurt Shaw

Get a fresh, in-depth look at a neighborhood you thought you knew.

From noon to 1 p.m. Friday and Aug. 28, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks is offering a free tour of the area around Fourth Avenue and PPG Place, Downtown.

The neighborhood, one of 18 National Register Districts in the city, contains buildings constructed between 1836 and 1984 from designs by more than a dozen distinguished architects.

Styles range from Greek revival to post modern and include buildings tall and small. Some have been repurposed from their original intention, and others serve multiple new uses or are awaiting renovation.

The tour begins from the parklet at Fourth Avenue and Smithfield Street and lasts one hour.

The tour is free, but Pittsburgh History & Landmarks asks that those who plan to attend let organizers know at least one day before the event.

To RSVP or for details, contact Mary Lu Denny at 412-471-5808, ext. 527, or marylu@phlf.org.

— Alice T. Carter

Bassist Jeff Grubbs sometimes is known as Jeffrey, but he is not playing jazz on those occasions.

Grubbs is a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and bears the full name in the more formal settings. But he loves playing jazz as well as the classics and will show off his skills in that direction at the “Reservoir of Jazz” concert Sunday in Highland Park.

Grubbs and his wife, Tania, a singer, will offer a set of standards, which Grubbs hopes to give something of a twist, and some post-bop material.

Tania, who does some music teaching, is not a performance professional but enjoys being on the stage. Jeff says they have had enough musical spots in the past year or so that “her confidence is really getting up there.”

Music begins at 5 p.m. at the concert site near the end of Highland Avenue. It is free.

Details: 412-255-8975.

Moving into the final two days of BikeFest, the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area and BikePGH will co-sponsor a historic bike tour of industrial Pittsburgh on Saturday.

The casual, 6-mile ride will tour and discuss remnants of the steel industry still visible in the South Side and along the Eliza Furnace Trail on the other side the Monongahela River.

It is part BikeFest, the 10-day celebration of bicycling put together by BikePGH, the bicycle-pedestrian advocacy group.

The 90-minute ride will begin at 9 a.m. at Bessemer Court in Station Square. Reservations are required, and participation is $20; $10 for members.

Details: 412-464-4020.

— Bob Karlovits

There are gaggles of geese, prides of lions, congregations of alligators and coalitions of cheetahs. There’s no term for a group of writers — swarm or colony might fit — perhaps because they so rarely congregate in numbers.

That will happen Friday when Penguin Bookshop in Sewickley will present “Jazzed About Local Authors,” an opportunity to meet some of the many writers who live in Western Pennsylvania.

Writers scheduled to appear include Rebecca Drake, Anne Faigen, Kathleen George, Laurie Graham, Kathryn Miller Haines, Carrie Kennedy, Many Ly, Debbie Mancini-Wilson, Shanthee Manjoo, Nancy Martin, Lewis “Buddy” Nordan, Leanne Paranik, Lila Shaara and Heather Terrell.

The event, which starts at 4 p.m., is free.

Details: 412-741-3838 or www.penguinbookshop.com.

— Rege Behe

Like KISS, Los Straitjackets have a gimmick.

Unlike KISS, which shed its makeup for a while, Los Straitjackets never have stopped wearing their signature Mexican wrestling masks that make them look like, well, oversized Mexican wrestlers onstage.

Don’t let that fool you; Los Straitjackets are in no way a novelty band, but one of the more energetic, instrumental groups currently performing. A new album, “The Further Adventures of Los Straightjackets,” features the band’s stratospheric garage rock that recalls the Ventures by way of the Ramones.

Los Straitjackets perform Friday at the Rex Theatre, South Side. Admission for the 8:30 p.m. show is $17.50.

Details: 412-381-6811 or www.rextheatre.com.

— Rege Behe

Appearing tonight at the Pittsburgh Improv — Gov. Ed Rendell (via video) and various judicial and mayoral candidates.

They’ll tell jokes. We’re not joking when we tell you this.

The second annual Candidates Comedy Night is a fundraiser organized by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. With Sen. Arlen Specter on the bill, it promises to be funnier than a town hall meeting on health care reform. And please, when you pay for your two-drink minimum, don’t heckle Dan Onorato by yelling “Hey, thanks for the drink tax!”

The candidates and elected officials are joking for a good cause. Proceeds will benefit children and youth served by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and the Juvenile Section of the Family Division of the Court of Common Pleas.

Doors will open at 5 p.m., and at that time, a full menu and drinks will be available for purchase. The comedy show will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. Sections of eight seats are available now at the following levels: Platinum section, $1,000 donation; Gold section, $750 donation; Silver section, $500 donation. A limited number of individual seats will be available for a $50 donation.

Details: 412-350-3428.

— William Loeffler

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is offering the Park ‘N’ Ride trolley service to the Washington County Fair, through Saturday. The trolley service is available from 5 p.m. to midnight daily, and roundtrip tickets cost $2.

Riders will board the trolley at the Cooper House-Hinds Parking Lot and will be dropped off at the fair’s main gate. Tours of the Chartiers, Washington County museum are available for $9; $8 for senior citizens; $5 for ages 3-15; and free for those younger than 3.

Details: 724-228-9256 or www.pa-trolley.org.

— Kellie B. Gormly

Source: pittsburghlive.com

The Square Pegz, a Clawson-based band that performs hits of the 1980s with a highly visual and energetic flair, returns to Sterlingfest Art & Music Fair in Sterling Heights on Thursday night. The fest runs July 30-Aug. 1.

The most notable aspect about the music lineup for this year’s Sterlingfest Art & Music Fair is the lack of nationally known performers — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

There’s no doubt the attraction of star power is a big plus for any free outdoor festival, but local and regional bands booked by the fair organizers have the desire and energy to provide an entertaining weekend.

A further plus — promoters don’t have to deal with the outlandish backstage demands of major rock stars.

“These bands are thrilled if we give them each a bottle of water,” said Mike Crimmins, broadcast services manager for the Sterling Heights Community Relations Department.

Sterlingfest runs July 30-Aug. 1 at the corner of Dodge Park and Utica roads in Sterling Heights with an extensive variety of food, kids’ activities, a juried art show and live entertainment.

Each night features a headline act on the Dodge Park Concert Series Stage with more than two dozen bands and performers taking various stages in the daytime.

On Thursday night, the Square Pegz, an Oakland County-based band performing hits of the 1980s with a highly visual stage show, appear at 7 p.m. following the release of 5,000 balloons in the park.

The July 31 showcase acts include the Prolifics, a five-man Detroit-based vocal group celebrating 50 years of Motown hits, along with FunkinBluzin, a horn-driven blues-based band.

Closing out the series on Aug. 1 are vocalist Alyssa Simmons followed by Fleetwood Dreams, a tribute band performing all of the classic rock hits of Fleetwood Mac.

Meanwhile, regional and local bands perform on the Jazz & Blues Court Stage and the Suds N’ Sounds Stage include a number of bands with ties to Sterling Heights such as Nightline, Chill FX and blues guitarist Jim McCarty with Mystery Train. McCarty has been the driving force behind Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, The Rockets and other bands.

Other outstanding musicians on the bill include Count Bracey & the Pleasure Tones, who recently won the Detroit Blues Society’s Best Band Award; Chicago-based jazz pianist Rob Ryndak; Big Foot Bob & the Toe Tappers and more.

For children, there are numerous magicians, jugglers, puppeteers and musical acts performing in the daytime through the evening.

A complete entertainment schedule is available at www.sterlingfest.info.

Sterlingfest hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. each day, with free parking and $1 shuttle bus service available at schools along Dodge Park Road and on city-owned property. Admission to the Suds ‘n’ Sounds Refreshment Tent is $2 per person ages 21 and older after 6 p.m. Utica Road between 18 Mile Road and Dodge Park will be closed from July 29 through Aug. 2.

Source: www.dailytribune.com
Written by: Mitch Hotts, Journal Register News Service