Finally, a new season of Pirates baseball that doesn't come on the heels of double digit consecutive losing seasons. How cool is that? 

OK, I know I always say this, but this entry really does have a lot of fascinating stuff in music journalism, including some long-reads that are worth savoring. Enjoy!

From the L.A. Times, a Robert Ashley appreciation http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-robert-ashley-appreciation,0,2675910.story#axzz2va6X11do

From Wired, Amazon Prime pricing and music streaming http://www.wired.com/business/2014/02/one-way-amazon-ease-pain-prime-price-hike/

From Aeon, why we love repetition http://aeon.co/magazine/altered-states/why-we-love-repetition-in-music/

From Wired, turning colors into sound http://www.wired.com/2014/03/cyborg-neil-harbisson-teaches-musicians-play-color-sheet-music/

From the New York Times, the Detroit Symphony’s cutting-edge streaming service http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/22/arts/music/detroit-symphony-dives-headlong-into-streaming.html

From the Washington Post, the opera singer on “The Bachelor” http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/sharleen-joynt-between-the-bachelor-and-the-challenges-of-an-opera-career/2014/03/20/ed346a6a-ada8-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html

From the New York Times, musicals spilling into opera companies http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/arts/international/opera-companies-turn-to-musicals.html

From Al Jazeera America, young black classical musicians http://projects.aljazeera.com/2014/detroit-music/

From the Wall Street Journal, the best composer-conductor you’ve never heard of http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304418404579463194137990718

Penguins

-Shelly Anderson's recap from last night's game. "We all felt like the first 10 [minutes] we were carrying the play. I think the shots were pretty evident of that. For whatever reason, we got away from that. Maybe we thought that came easy or thought we could get away with cheating. It didn't work." - Sidney Crosby.

-The Associated Press' recap. "I thought we kept it simple and kind of slowly frustrated them as it went on and it was a win we needed." - Hurricanes captain/forward Eric Staal.

-Highlights:

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-The Penguins gathered near the bench:

-Carolina's Andrej Sekera battled Crosby for this puck:

-Beau Bennett battled with Carolina's John-Michael Liles for position:

-Dan Bylsma speaks:

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-Crosby speaks:

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-Kris Letang was named the Penguins' nominee for the Masterton Trophy.

-Should the Penguins rest players if and when they clinch the Neapolitan Ice Cream Metropolitan Division?

-The Penguins signed forward Bryan Rust, a third-round pick in 2010, to a two-year entry-level contract. Rust, 21, just finished his senior season at Notre Dame where he appeared in 40 games and scored 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists).

-The Penguins signed forward Scott Wilson, a seventh-round pick in 2011, to an entry-level contract. Terms were not reported. Wilson, 21, just finished his senior season at Massachusetts-Lowell where he appeared in 31 games and scored 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists).

-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Philip Samuelsson will be sidelined four to six weeks due to a "lower-body" injury.

-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender Peter Mannino was named the AHL's goaltender of the month for March.

-After the Jump: Douglas Murray faces discipline for a dangerous hit.

The Supreme Court overturned a campaign finance law that limited the number of candidates an individual donor is allowed to support. This, on top of Citizens United (corporations are people too), will continue to pour money into political campaigns. Corruption can't be too far behind. 

(Photo: Albany Times Union)

Robert Morris has received a commitment from former Siena and current Cloud City Community College (Kansas) forward Lionel Gomis, according to Andrew Chiappazzi of Rivals.com.

A native of Dakar, Senegal, Gomis' backstory is a unique one, partially because of a little-heard-of NCAA policy that put his long-term eligibility into question. When he arrived in the United States, Gomis was fluent in French, but knew little English, something which caused him to reclassify from a junior to a sophomore. After signing with Siena, he was informed by the NCAA that he effectively had to sit out his freshman season, play as a sophomore, but beyond that, he could no longer play. The rule that prompted that decision states that an athlete must complete their high school core-curriculum requirements no later than the high school graduation date in a five-year period. Basically, the time that he missed not going to school in Senegal were counted against him once he entered college (his final two years) and he would have had to sit out the first year because of his reclassification. In all, it was a pretty bizarre situation.

Siena was able to successfully petition the NCAA's ruling and Gomis was on the team for two seasons. In December of 2012, his sophomore year, he opted to transfer, citing family reasons. He appeared in just one game that season, playing two minutes in the Saints' season-opening loss to Vermont.

At 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, it would appear that Gomis could help bolster a Colonials frontcourt that looks pretty thin entering next season. Robert Morris returns six scholarship players from last season and has signed two incoming freshmen, guard Jafar Kinsey and forward Andre Frederick. With forward Jeremiah Worthem and guard Britton Lee suspended until January -- and both of their scholarship statuses up in the air -- Gomis will give the Colonials nine scholarship players (not including Worthem and Lee).

Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG

Penguins

-What are Olli Maatta's (right) credentials for the Calder Trophy?

-The Penguins eat healthier than you.

-Penguins forward prospect Bryan Ruster is expected to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an amateur tryout contract.

-Mike Condon made 31 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 3-0 shutout of the Toledo Walleye.

-Happy 32nd birthday to current Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland. A free agent signing in the 2007 offseason, Engelland has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Penguins. He appeared in nine games in 2009-10 and recorded two assists while compiling 17 penalty minutes. In 2010-11, Engelland played in 63 games, scored 10 points and recorded 123 penalty minutes. During the 2011-12 campaign, Engelland set career-highs with 73 games and 17 assists. He appeared in six postseason games in the spring of 2012 and recorded one assist. Last season, Engelland appeared in 42 games while recording six assists. Engelland played in seven postseason games last spring and failed to record a point. This season, Engelland played in 54 games and scored 12 points. In 241 career regular season games, he has scored 47 points and accumulated 306 penalty minutes. In 13 postseason games, he has recorded one assist.

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-Happy 81st birthday to former Penguins forward Billy Dea. Claimed from the Blackhawks in the 1967 expansion draft, Dea was a member of the Penguins for the first two years of their existence. During the club's inagural season of 1967-68, he appeared in 73 games and netted 28 points. He followed that in 1968-69 by seeing action in 66 games and scoring 18 points.Prior to the 1969-70 season, Dea was traded to the Red Wings for Mike McMahon. In 139 games with the franchise, he had 46 points.

-Happy 53rd birthday to former Penguins defenseman Neil Belland. A free agent signing in the 1986 offseason, Belland appeared in three games and recorded one assist for the 1986-87 Penguins. He joined Lukko Rauma in Finland the following season.

-After the Jump: Ellwood City's Stephen Johns signs with the Blackhawks.

Here's a segment from Pittsburgh Today Live where I plant pansies in containers with Jon Burnett and Kristine Sorensen. Watch it, we have fun!

"Pansies look delicate but are rugged, just like you Jon."

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http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10014428

1,2,3 — that’s the number of years since we heard from this Pittsburgh indie band that became critical darlings upon releasing 2011’s “New Heaven.”

1,2,3, returns on May 27 with a sophomore double album, “Big Weather,” on their new label American Hermitage.

A second album almost didn’t happen, as frontman Nic Snyder, one of two former members of power-pop band Takeover UK, quit the band in late 2012 due to burn-out from touring and working on the follow-up.

As the label describes it, “Several months later, after a few nights of drunken persuasion, he re-convened with the rest of the band and coaxed them back, wanting to finish what they had started. Snyder had been inspired by ’70s dystopian movies, combined with a pattern of strange weather and its resulting destruction (a tornado ripped through his aunt’s house in Pennsylvania… something that shouldn’t happen in PA), along with the tsunami that devastated Japan two weeks later.”

In the making, the band recorded storms and “listened to nothing but local oldies radio stations,” while recording entirely on primitive gear, using nothing but creaky old guitars, a bass, and things to bang on.”

“This album is undoubtedly ridden with flaws,” Snyder comments, “but so are its creators, and the circumstances under which it was created… and in that regard, this album feels very special to me.”

The band is sharing the first two singles, “Big Weather Pt. 1” “Leave Me In The Sky With The Lawnchair,” both dubbed “disaster ballads,” as free downloads via Soundcloud.

The release show is going to be Friday, May 30 at Brillobox in Bloomfield.

Big Weather Tracklisting: 

1. Big Weather Pt. 1
2. Leave Me In The Sky With The Lawnchair
3. Pontoon Song
4. Waiting For The Horsemen
5. Mile High Grass
6. Bus To Babylon
7. Refusal Bop
8. Shapes of Wrath
9. Fear_Pure Elevation
10. Rebuilding
11. Stone Haus
12. Porch Swing Song
13. Big Black Car
14. Big Weather Pt. 2
15. In The House of The Locust
16. When The Levee Broke at The County Fair
17. Strawberry
18. Faith Hill
19. Where We Lived
20. Sick of the End

Being new to the region, if not to the religion beat, many of my assignments have enabled me to discover new areas of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Earlier this week I was able to visit the Laurel Highlands for the first time -- and definitely not the last time. 

I was there on a cool but beautiful afternoon for the burial of the nation's longest-serving Orthodox bishop, the Antiochian Metropolitan Philip Saliba. He was buried at Antiochian Village, the camp and conference center in Westmoreland County whose founding he oversaw as part of his mission to transplant and extend the immigrant church in American soil.

While I was there, I saw a relative rarity in these parts: the tomb of a saint. The Antiochian Orthodox honor their first American bishop, St. Raphael of Brooklyn, and after Metropolitan Saliba's burial in a small, shaded cemetery at Antiochian Village, several stopped by St. Raphael's tomb to pay respects.

St. Raphael came here in the late 19th century under the auspices of Russian Orthodox bishops to help organize the Arab Christian immigrants who were arriving in North America -- fleeing Ottoman persecution and seeking better economic opportunity.

Most of them were Orthodox. When they got here they worked hard to build churches and sacrificed. It was the Russian Orthodox Church that was trying to care for them."

Russian Orthodox prelates arranged to bring Raphael here and eventually ordained him a bishop.

"His story is remarkable because he basically set it as his mission to find every Middle Eastern Orthodox person in North America," said the Very Rev. George Kevorkian, pastor of St. Ignatius Church in Englewood, N.J., and hierarchical assistant for the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. "Wherever they were, he sought them out by train, by horse carriage; he walked. There's a story that's told that when he got somewhere in the Midwest by train rather than going to sleep he went wandering asking everybody he saw are there any Arabic-speaking people in the area who are Christians, and he found three and spent the rest of the night talking to them, assisting them. That's the heart he had. We call him the shepherd of the lost sheep of North America, because without his ministry, who knows what would have happened to those people?"

By the time of his death in 1915, there were 29 Antiochian parishes in North America. There are now about 275, according to the church, many launched under the recent half-century tenure of Metropolitan Philip.

Among those visiting his tomb on Monday were the Rev. Gregory Murphy of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Geneva, N.Y. -- a parish founded by St. Raphael.

Father Murphy said St. Raphael was known not only as a "good shepherd" but also a "peacemaker."

"There are stories that he would go into a community and maybe families were not getting along with each other, and he worked out their problems," said Father Murphy, a convert to Orthodoxy. Speaking after Metropolitan Philip's burial, he said the church has long had "these great saints that came up organically. ... We see one today, maybe in the making."

A preview of the Jets.

When and where: 8 p.m. EDT. MTS Centre.

TV: Root Sports, TSN-Jets.

Record: 34-33-11, 85 points. The Jets are in sixth place in the Central Division.

Leading Scorer: Blake Wheeler (right), 64 points (27 goals, 37 assists).

Last Game: 2-1 road shutout win against the Coyotes, Tuesday. Ondrej Pavelec made 28 saves for the Jets.

Last Game against the Penguins: 6-5 road loss, Jan. 5. Evander Kane had two goals and an assist for the Jets.

Jets Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Bryan Little He has a seven-game scoring streak.

Ex-Penguins on the Jets: Eric Tangradi, LW; Chris Thorburn, RW.

Ex-Jets/Thrashers on the Penguins: Jason Botterill, assistant general manager; Pascal Dupuis, RW; Tanner Glass, LW; Chris Kunitz, LW; Todd Reirden, assistant coach; Don Waddell, professional scout.

Useless Jets/Thrashers Trivia Vaguely Related to the Penguins: Jets center Olli Jokinen (1,164 games/1,035 penalty minutes) is one of three players selected in the 1997 draft in Pittsburgh who have played in over 1,000 NHL games and accumulated more than 1,000 penalty minutes. The others are Wild left winger and former Penguin Matt Cooke (1,011 games/1,122 penalty minutes) and Sharks captain/center Joe Thornton (1,202 games/1,017 penalty minutes).

Best Jets/Thrashers Video We Could Find: Thrashers goaltender Pasi Nurminen making a bizarre save with his right skate against the Maple Leafs in 2002-03:

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Probable goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury (36-18-4, 2.36 GAA, .916 SV%) for the Penguins. Ondrej Pavelec (21-25-7, 3.01 GAA, .902 SV%) for the Jets.

Injuries: For the Penguins, center Marcel Goc ("lower body"), Evgeni Malkin (foot) and Joe Vitale ("upper body") are out. Right wingers Chris Conner (foot), Pascal Dupuis (knee), defenseman Kris Letang (stroke) and goaltender Tomas Vokoun (blood clots) are on injured reserve. For the Jets, defensemen Zach Bogosian ("upper body"), Keaton Ellerby ("lower body"), goaltender Al Montoya (undisclosed), center Mark Scheifele ("lower body") and right winger Chris Thorburn ("lower body") are doubtful. Defenseman Grant Clitsome ("upper body") and center James Wright ("lower body") are on injured reserve.

Potential lines and defensive pairings: The Penguins did not hold formal line rushes at today's morning skate. Consider this a guess at the lines and defensive pairings:

14 Chris Kunitz - 87 Sidney Crosby - 22 Lee Stempniak
19 Beau Bennett - 36 Jussi Jokinen - - 18 James Neal
17 Taylor Pyatt - 16 Brandon Sutter - 49 Brian Gibbons
15 Tanner Glass - 27 Craig Adams - 59 Jayson Megna

3 Olli Maatta - 2 Matt Niskanen
44 Brook Orpik - 7 Paul Martin
41 Robert Bortuzzo - 4 Rob Scuderi

The Jets' expected lines and defensive pairings are:

16 Andrew Ladd - 18 Bryan Little - 67 Michael Frolik
33 Dustin Byfuglien - 12 Olli Jokinen - 26 Blake Wheeler
9 Evander Kane - 58 Eric O’Dell - 15 Matt Halischuk
27 Eric Tangradi - 19 Jim Slater - 14 Anthony Peluso

5 Mark Stuart - 8 Jacob Trouba
39 Tobias Enstrom - 4 Paul Postma
2 Adam Pardy - 25 Zach Redmond

Notes:

-The last time the Penguins played the Jets, this happened:

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-Martin is expected to return to the lineup after being sidelined due a hand injury.

-Orpik has appeared in 699 career games.

-Adams has 99 career assists.

-Byfuglien has 298 career points.

-Our live blog, direct from our couch, begins at approximately 7:45 p.m. Please tune in.

(Photo: Marianne Helm/Getty Images)

These new 'Hip Hop' violas have become a favorite spring planted flower for me.

I'll be presenting "My Favorite Plants and How to Grow them Organically" at Cooper Siegel Libraryin Fox Chapel, Saturday 4/5/14 at 10:30am. I'll also have copies of The Steel City Garden to sign.

I've got a long list of reliable, long blooming flowers and vegetable varieties to show you. I'll also talk about easy ways to make them thrive.

Registration is required and can be done here.

Hope to see you there.

Much was made last week of how former Pittsburgh-area high school basketball players were showing up at many places in the NCAA Sweet 16.

Arizona's Sean and Dayton's Archie Miller (Blackhawk) were the first brothers to coach in the Sweet 16 the same year. Arizona's T.J. McConnell (Chartiers Valley) and Iowa State's DeAndre Kane (Schenley) were two point guards in the Sweet 16 who attended high schools 12 miles apart. Kentucky coach John Calipari (Moon) was another former WPIAL player who had a team in the Sweet 16.

Well now there is a rather notable happening involving two former WPIAL girls players in the NCAA women's Final Four. In fact, Madison Cable and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough might very well be making history.

Cable is a redshirt sophomore for Notre Dame. Walker-Kimbrough is a freshman for the University of Maryland women's team. Their teams will meet in the Final Four Sunday.

There are no records, or rosters, to prove it. But I'd be willing to bet that this is the first time two former WPIAL players have met in the women's Final 4. In fact, I wonder if it has ever happened with two former WPIAL boys players. And for a remember when moment? Check the picture below. It's when Cable and Walker-Kimbrough were on the Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 team in 2011. Cable, then a senior, is in the middle. Walker-Kimbrough, only a sophomore at the time, is on the far right. I wonder if that photo shoot was the last time they were together?

Neither Cable or Walker-Kimbrough start, but both play key roles for their teams.

Walker-Kimbrough had been selected the ACC freshman of the week earlier this season. She is Maryland's third-leading scorer, averaging 9.6 points a game. She plays 17 minutes a game and also averages 2.9 rebounds. She shoots 48 percent from the floor and has 23 3-pointers.

Cable plays 14 minutes a game. She is averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds a game. She is shooting an impressive 52 percent from the field and 47 percent from 3-point range for the undefeated Fighting Irish. She has the best 3-point shooting percentage on the team.

Walker-Kimbrough and Cable were both former Post-Gazette Players of the Year and both former P-G Athletes of the Year.

Fourteen acts will have 20 minutes to make it to Memphis on Saturday.

The bands/solo artists will hit the stage April 5 for 10th annual Blues Challenge, presented by the Blues Society of Western PA at the Tonidale in Oakdale.

Each will play a 20-minute set, and one band and one solo artist or duo will be chosen to represent the society at the 2015 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. It begins at 1:30 p.m. A dinner buffet will be available during the break early in the evening, and there will be an after party/jam with last year's winner, Billy the Kid and the Regulators, at 10:30 p.m.

Tickets are $12; $10 for society members; $6 students. The Tonidale is at 7011 Steubenville Pike, Oakdale. Go to bswpa.com

Here is the list of contenders:

1. Mia Z
2. Jimmy Adler and Charlie Barath
3. Chris Yakopcic
4. Bo Hog Brothers
5. Pet Cro
6. Melinda
7. Scott Albert Project
8. Blues Devils
9. Ms. Freddye Band
10. Paul the Resonator
11. Bottom Shelf Blues Band
12. Eugene Morgan
13. Gordon James Band
14. Ruby Red and the Dirty Devils

Enjoy my latest video with Style Editor, Sara Backnecht, as we discuss all-things Pittsburgh, from social events to fashion trends! Happy Friday!

Follow us on Twitter @NBSeen and @SaraB_PG

If you are free on Saturday night, I will be a guest on the John McIntire Show at the Cabaret Theater. We will be talking about the changing social scene here in Pittsburgh. It will be a fun night! For more information: CLICK HERE

Fashion was out in full force Thursday night at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's first Fashion for the Wild benefit event.

Influential fashionistas from across Pittsburgh were present, either displaying their designs at vendor booths, modeling or showing off their collections in a fashion show emceed by Sally Wiggin and David Conrad.

The aquarium where the event was held was filled with fashion eye candy. Here are some of the top trends spotted during the night:

Colorful prints: Collections by Lana Neumeyer, Tidal Cool Creations and Jazmin Jackson were peppered with eye-catching prints in bright colors. Ms. Jackson dabbled a lot in blacks and golds (references to Pittsburgh perhaps?), while Ms. Neumeyer's designs brought the flavor of her native country of Brazil with bold florals in warm hues. 

Cozy chic: Kiya Tomlin's sweatshirt dresses prove comfort and chicness can combine. Super soft fabrics in a few colors and cuts allow ladies to find a look that suits their style.

A sprinkle of sparkle: The table of sparkly accessories from Sabika's spring/summer line attracted a lot of attention as women gathered around to try on the Swarovski pieces in rich shades of blue, pale pink and silver.

Statement scarves: Never mind those who say scarves are just for winter. Wraps in seasonal shades or floral prints and stripes, like those from Carabella boutique in Oakmont, are a simple way to switch up a look.

Bold cuffs: Arm cuffs etched with creative designs were among the offerings from luxe handbag and jewelry designer Sandra Cadavid.

Sparkly Swarovski jewelry by Sabika.

 Classic envelope clutches by Sandra Cadavid.

Buried in the middle of the second paragraph of the press release about the touring “Jesus Christ Superstar” is this little bombshell:

“English singer-songwriter and lead singer in Public Image Ltd. (PiL) and Sex Pistols, John Rotten Lydon, will play ‘King Herod’.”

This is absolutely classic (!) starting with the dainty reference to Rotten as “English singer-songwriter.”

“I’m here to sing with the King of the Jews, who could ask for anything more?” the punk rocker says in the release.

His previous experience for this would be working with Malcolm McLaren — Jewish King of the Punks in England. (As for acting, he was most notably in the 1983 film "Corrupt" with Harvey Keitel, and you have to figure this is better than him playing a hippie in "Hair.")

Herod has all of one song in “JCS,” but Rotten is likely to draw an inordinate amount of the attention for this production.

The 50-plus city tour, which hits Consol Energy Center on Aug. 12, also stars Brandon Boyd of Incubus as Judas, ‘N Sync vocalist JC Chasez, as Pontius Pilate, Destiny’s Child Michelle Williams as Mary Magdalene and young Brit Ben Forster, who won England’s ITV Superstar competition in 2012, as Jesus. There will be more 50 cast and musicians on stage.

Andrew Lloyd Webber notes in the release: “Jesus Christ Superstar began life as a rock album...probably because nobody believed back in 1969 that you could present a stage musical about the last days of the life of Jesus Christ. I shall never forget its first live performance in the Civic Arena, Pittsburgh on July 12th 1971. Of course JCS subsequently became a legit theatre stalwart, but I, personally, have always hankered after seeing it again in the arenas where it started.”

Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan sang on the original album, but that first arena tour featured Jeff Fenholt (who became a Christian evangelist and claimed to be a member of Black Sabbath briefly in 1985) as Jesus, Carl Anderson as Judas, and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene (the latter two also played in the film and Broadway versions).

Co-creator Tim Rice added: “In 1971 Andrew and I were thrilled by the first-ever Jesus Christ Superstar tour of the United States. We certainly did not imagine then that 43 years later we would be witnessing another America-wide tour of our first big hit show. We are delighted and grateful that enthusiasm for Superstar has been maintained over the years and this new production presents the work in its most powerful format — as a true rock experience.”

Boyd noted: “I grew up on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classics and never imagined I would be playing a role in one, let alone with such an incredibly diverse cast of players. Truly an honor!”

The tour kicks off on June 9 and runs through Aug. 17, so Pittsburgh is at the tail end.

We’ll have to hope that Jesus or one of his disciples doesn’t strangle the abrasive Rotten before they get here.

Me? I'm only going if this ends with an encore medley of Sex Pistols/'N Sync/Incubus songs.

Tickets details will be announced soon. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Friday, April 4 at 10am local time. They range from $29.50 to $125 plus applicable fees and service charges. In addition, a limited number of Gold Circle tickets and Superstar Premium VIP packages are available.