Disc Jockeying from your couch

There is an eclectic mix of radio stations on the dials of Pittsburgh residents. Starting on the far left are the public and college stations, where we then move into the meat and potatoes of the frequencies: oldies, top 40, and soft rock. We top it off with a classic rock station, conservative talk, alt/rock, and some country for good measure. Finding little use for top 40, soft rock, and (especially) conservative talk, I usually don't go past 94.5 FM when I'm cruising the dial. Why? Because all the other stations don't play what I want to hear, obviously enough.

But 91.3 FM, WYEP, is attempting to give the listener a little more power over what he or she is listening to. Their program "My 15 Minutes" allows anyone with an email address and internet connection to submit three songs they would like to hear on WYEP's Morning Mix, which airs every weekday between 6-10am. Not only do they simply allow you to pick three songs, but you can include commentary and personal connections to your choices. If your set is selected, the Morning Show DJ, Cindy Howes, will email you the day before it is aired so you can dial in and revel in the sweet satisfaction of being judged by every WYEP listener. The station also suggests you leave your phone number so you can be a guest DJ for the Friday edition of the Morning Mix.

Aside from encouraging you all to achieve temporary rock stardom, I would also encourage you to consider donating and/or becoming a member of the station if you like the music they play. There are tons of incentives that follow, including special "in-studio" sessions about three times per month. These sessions bring in relevant artists to play a few songs and talk about the album and the band. The performance is free to all WYEP members and located at their studio on the SouthSide at 67 Bedford Square right off of E. Carson Street. Membership and donations are all very customizable; you can choose whatever amount you wish to donate, although higher levels afford you more gifts from the station. At $40/year, members receive a yearly periodical, Year in Review; the $240/year level allows members to have access to tickets for CD Live! Concerts before the general public. For all members, there are annual events all year boasting live music, food and drinks, and general community well-being.

Become an active member of your community and a local celebrity with 91.3 WYEP.

No blues after eating at Buffalo Blues

For the first time in a while, Luke and I (and our other roommate, Jack) all found time last night to go out and get some food. It was colder outside and without a vehicle, we made the short walk down Highland Avenue to Buffalo Blues. Luke and Jack had been their once or twice before, but this would be my first time.

Buffalo Blues, located right on Highland Avenue four or five blocks from Fifth Avenue, is known for its wings and once you walk in, you get that feeling: music playing, people drinking at the bar and even some cornhole action going on. It was good place and from whenever we first got there until we left, we all agreed that we were having a good time.

It might even be my nomination for Best Pittsburgh Restaurant, but then again it may be too premature.

We all ordered something different and split a 10-piece order of wings (Howlin' Wolf, the third spiciest wings, and Garlic Parm, which were fairly mild).

Note: if you go to Buffalo Blues on Wednesday, it's all-you-can eat wings for something like $10. This is a solid deal considering how good their wings tasted. They also have a few other specials on different days. Just check out their specials page on their website.

As for our entrees...I ordered a blackened chicken sandwich (Low Down Spicy Blues Cajun Chicken), Luke went with a burger and Jack got a wrap. All of our entrees also came with their house made hand cut chips. They were good, too, and just the right amount.

We agreed that the portions were the right amount and we felt full at the end of the meal, which is good. The prices were fairly reasonable, too, and just what you'd expect for a restaurant like this. Sandwiches ranged from $7 to $10 and full course entrees were around $14. Not too bad. Wings were also reasonable at under a buck per wing (like I said before, wing night is the way to go if you're in the mood for that).

After our trip to Buffalo Blues, it's safe to say that we'll be back.

They also have a nice beer selection for the legal out there with 30+ draft beers on tap.

As for more restaurant reviews, I think we'll have more because all three of us have Tuesday nights open and plan on doing more things like this.

Have a favorite Pittsburgh restaurant?

Then submit it to FoodBurgh for your chance to win a $25 Giant Eagle gift card.

The rules are simple and basically the Giant Eagle gave the blog four gift cards to help promote the new Giant Eagle Market District — there's on in Shadyside, Bethel Park and now in Robinson. For clarity, here's how they winners will be decided:

* Submissions must be less than 200 words.
* Entrants should list their name and neighborhood of residence
* All entries must be received by midnight on Sunday, 11/8.
* Winners will be drawn at random and notified via email.

That’s all there is to it. I’ll randomly select 4 winning entries and Giant Eagle will send a gift card to each of them.

That's why this contest is going on. It's your turn, now, to let them know which is your favorite Pittsburgh restaurant. And while you're at it, why not let us know about it, too? We'd like to check it out and give our thoughts on your favorite place.

All That Jazz (including seminars, live performances, films, etc....)

If you are struggling to fill your Jazz quota for the year, read on.

The University of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh area is in the midst of Jazz Week, lasting from November 3-7 this year. It is the 39th year for the event, hosted by local Pittsburgh celebrity, Nathan Davis. I remember that first fall semester at Pitt, waking up at an abominable 11 AM to attend my History of Jazz lecture from Nathan Davis. He was a relaxed "cat," using the term he threw out multiple times during the 50min I was in the David Lawrence lecture hall, and was a superb change of pace to the biology and chemistry lectures I was attending when I still believed my calling was in the biological sciences (ugh).

The November 7th concert will feature Benny Golson on tenor saxophone and primary celebrity. He has worked on popular movie and TV sitcoms' soundtracks (see: M*A*S*H, Mission Impossible, and the Cosby Show). The event was the "academic jazz seminar in the country to feature international artists connecting with aspiring students in a lecture format, then performing together as an ensemble," as the Pitt Chronicle notes. Tickets for students are only $8 while those less fortunate to own a student ID will have to pay out $18.

Aside from the concert, there will be films on Tuesday and Thursday of this week (Nov 3rd and 5th) at the WPU Assembly Room and Frick Fine Arts Building auditorium, respectively. Friday and Saturday will feature lectures and demonstrations at the Frick Fine Arts Building, which are all free.

BLOGFEST!!!

One of the largest blogs in support of our great City of Champyinz, Pittsburgh Bloggers, will be hosting Pittsburgh BlogFest 19 on November 20 at North Shore restaurant Finnegan's Wake. All bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, and "social media folk of all stripes (and their friends...feel free to bring some even if they don't blog!)" are welcome to attend the gathering, encouraging networking and goodwill towards the Pittsburgh blogosphere. The event will start at 5:30PM and continue to "9:30 and beyond."

The event is also in support of Pittsburgh Bloggers, which turns five years old this November. Pittsburgh Bloggers itself is a great grouping source for Pittsburgh blogs. It is free to submit your blog to inclusion on the site, following the submitted blog fulfills the requirements. There are seriously hundreds of blogs listed on Pittsburgh Bloggers ranging from tea enthusiasts to Pens fanatics to high school sports devotee to those wishing to get their thoughts down on the public forum. There is no need for a Pittsburgh connection other than the author to reside in southwestern PA, so hurry up and submit your blog, which will be posted under the "new blogs" section.

Mayor Luke: More bike racks for business

I've really enjoyed reading and following BikePGH over the past couple months. A lot of great stuff comes out of their website and blog - and they do a lot for the cyclists in this city.


And apparently Mayor Luke is also helping out. Maybe it's because he enjoys biking around Pittsburgh, or maybe because he's just looking for votes. Say what you want about the way Luke is running this city, and he doesn't have my vote this upcoming election, but he has been doing a lot for the biking community.

Today, BikePGH posted that the mayor is going to continue his biker-friendly ways. It started with a new bike rack in front of Enrico Biscotti Co in the Strip District and 199 more will be placed in front of businesses throughout Pittsburgh.

You can thank BikePGH, with the help of donations from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and William Benter Foundation, for 100 racks. The city matched and will also donate 100 racks.

Scott Bricker, executive director at BikePGH, said

"Bike racks are one of the most important indicators of a bike-friendly city. They do more than provide support and security to bicycles; they act as a visual cue that bicycles are a welcome mode of transportation in our city."

If you're happy with what BikePGH is doing, you should head over to their membership page and become a member. Right now, through October 31, every membership donation will be matched by BikePGH. That means even more bike racks, bike lanes and biking fun.

After a little more research...

It turns out that the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank isn't the only group that is (was) holding a Match Day. Today is (was) a much bigger Pittsburgh Foundation Match Day. Apparently Match Day was such a big success the the Foundation has already maxed out their $300,000 match donations to every organization except for one.

So, if you're a little upset about the closings and problems facing the Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh, the Foundation will still match your donation to help the libraries. Just head over to the Match Day website, register and donate. Simple as that.