Scott Tady: Rap contest in Bridgewater; Froggy DJ camps at BV Mall; Sewickley theater gets new name
A Bridgewater show next month hopes to boost the Beaver County hip-hop scene.
"I'm finally able to throw a show in Beaver County for Beaver County artists to flourish," promoter Jordan Schofield (stage name Call Me Schosa) says. "It will be a competition: 'Coldest in The County.'"
The Dec. 16 contest, at Robert's Roadside Inn, will feature rappers performing three songs each, earning ranked scores by judges.
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Local artists confirmed so far: Trappn J., Lone G, Chicken Man, Yung Zon, 98Goose, Popout Nez and Call Me Schosa (who has previously booked Beaver Valley rap artists at Pittsburgh clubs.)
Prizes will include free studio recording time from The Rap Cave.
As many as five more rappers can sign up for Coldest in The County by contacting Call Me Schosa's Instagram and Facebook pages. He's selling advance show tickets there, too, for $10 (a $5 savings off the $15 cover charge).
More:November concert calendar for Pittsburgh brings wealth of talent
BV Mall food drive
Beaver County's own Frank "Frogman" Lewis will spearhead the Froggy-FM Thanksgiving Food Drive in Center Township.
"Nov. 14, 15 and 16, I'll be camped out at the Beaver Valley Mall in front of Dick's, collecting non-perishable food items," Lewis, morning host for the region's Froggy country radio stations, said. "I'll be camped out in an RV. Cooking is one of my passions and you can't cook without food. Thanksgiving and the holidays remind us to be thankful for what we have, and unfortunately, it reminds us of what (some people) don't have. Food shouldn't be one of those things they don't have, and I want to help make that possible."
Lewis, of West Mayfield, will do a similar food drive Nov. 17-19 at the Uniontown Mall.
More:November fun awaits in the Beaver Valley & beyond
Sewickley theater's new name
Say so long to The Tull Family Theater, and welcome to The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center.
"The Lindsay," for short, becomes the new name for the two-screen Sewickley movie theater on Jan. 1, as a new 10-year sponsorship deal by the Corry Family Foundation takes effect.
The family’s multi-year gift is a tribute to their late daughter and sister, Lindsay Nicole Corry.
“We have invaluable memories of our family enjoying the theater together,” sister Alexis Corry Kappel, owner of the Sewickley boutique Lex & Lynne, said in a press release. “We have witnessed the theater’s breadth of service and programming and believe this is a fitting way to honor Lindsay’s exuberance, creativity and compassion.”
Lindsay Corry graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with honors, earning bachelor’s andmaster’s degrees and had a successful business career in private equity in New York. Since infancy, she lived with Type 1 diabetes and, in January 2020, was diagnosed with cancer and died in August 2021, at the age of 30.
The theater, at 418 Walnut St., opened six years ago as The Tull Family Theater, named after local businessman Thomas Tull, a Pittsburgh Steelers owner, who founded and plays rhythm guitar for local blues-rockers Ghost Hounds. “While we look to the past with gratitude, the new name ushers in a new era for the organization,” the theater's chief executive officer, Carolina Pais-Barreto Thor, said. “‘The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center’ reflects our growing service to the region, beyond cinema.”
The theater continues to expand cultural options, offering live theater, dance, music, speakers and public forums for youths, senior citizens and the special needs community.
The Sewickley theater is a designated venue for the Three Rivers Film Festival this weekend, showing films such as "Sweet Disaster" (5 p.m. Nov. 13) a German-Finnish rom-com (with English subtitles) called “as cute and funny as it is dramatic and heartbreaking” by The Independent and winner of the Jury Prize and Best International Feature at the Regina Film Festival & Awards. Then at 7 p.m. Nov. 13 is "Róise & Frank," an Irish dramedy about a grieving widow and the mysterious canine she is convinced is her husband reincarnated. With Gaelic dialogue, and again English subtitles, it won the Audience Choice Award at this year’s Santa Barbara Film Festival.
Get advance tickets at thetullfamilytheater.org
3 Cool shows
Boy Wonders, a new jangle-pop/post punk band from Pittsburgh plays its cassette release show Nov. 19 at Cattivo in Lawrenceville.
Yes, cassette tapes of the band's debut album will be at the merch table.
"Cassettes are rad," Boy Wonders band member Derek January said. "They're niche, they go great with a 1995 Honda Accord, you can grab a beer from the fridge before flipping to side B ... and they're a lot cheaper than pressing vinyl."
Boy Wonders is a band with an urgency, quirkiness and lo-fi tunefulness I think will be successful.
2. The long-awaited Mushcup reunion happens this Saturday (Nov. 12) at Thursday's saloon in Bridgewater.
Kings of the Beaver County hard-rock scene in the late-1990s and early 2000s, Mushcup will introduce its new drummer, Mark "Tree" Trelfner, from Downfall.
Expect a raucous trip down memory lane. The show starts at 9 p.m. with Blind Colours featuring bassist-vocalist Shaun Haklo Jr. (whose dad is in Mushcup.), followed by Parable, which is a Tool cover band featuring Matt Sabbath of Midland.
Last time Mushcup played at Thursday's, there was no room to get in, so fans might want to arrive early. Pre-sales have sold out, so it's $15 at the door.
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3. Murder for Girls plays its first Beaver County gig since 2020 this Friday (Nov. 11) at Wooley Bullys Juke-Joint (temporarily renamed Jay's Jingle Juke-joint for the holidays) in New Brighton.
It's the first time the garage-rock/alternative band has played Beaver County since stripping down to a trio.
"As a trio, we are crisper, tighter, and more aggressive," bassist Jonathan Bagamery said. "Oh, and I sing now, a little backup here and there. Formerly, I did not sing at all.
"As a three-piece, we now all have Beaver Valley origins even though we are known as a Pittsburgh band," Bagamery said. "I live in Patterson Township, Michele Dunlap lives in Leetsdale, and Stephanie Wallace now lives on Pittsburgh's North Side but formerly lived in New Brighton. Steph remembers performing with an early band at New Brighton's Lighthouse for the Blind when she was only 17.
"Thus, we are very excited to see some familiar faces and make some new friends. We're looking forward to playing in the area more frequently in the coming years," Bagamery said.
"We will be performing songs from all of our releases, including this year's 'Six Stories' EP. We will also have the few remaining copies of the 'Nine Storie's LP version available at the show.
The show opens at 9 p.m. with the Shadow Event.
"They're pretty impressive live," Bagamery said. "Their singer, Christina Santavicca, is an excellent frontwoman in the vein of Siouxsie Sioux."
Scott Tady is entertainment editor at the Times, and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.
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This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Rap contest set for Bridgewater; Sewickley theater gets new name
