WEEKLONG

SPEED RACERS

The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix will be roaring and putt-putting through Schenley Park next weekend.

But, first, there is a weeklong campaign leading up to it.

The fourth annual PVGP Historic Races will present a variety of vintage (pre 1960) and historic (after 1960) racing along with related activities at BeaveRun MotorSports Complex in Beaver Falls Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Also, the "Black Tie & Tailpipes" Gala is Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Oakmont Country Club ($185 per person).

Looking ahead, here are more events:

Monday: Invitational Car Show with rare, classic and exotic cars on Walnut Street from 5 to 10 p.m.

Tuesday: PVGP Car Cruise at the Waterfront from 4 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday: Downtown Pittsburgh Car Display from noon to 2 p.m. at PPG Plaza and the U.S. Steel Building. Also, Happy Hour/Fundraiser at Bossa Nova from 6 to 9 p.m. with drivers and cars ($30 per ticket covers 2 drinks and tapas appetizers).

July 14: Race Weekend Car Shows and Race Qualifying at Schenley Park with Combined Car Shows & British Car Day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

July 15: Schenley Park Race Day from noon to 5 p.m.

Call 412-471-7847.

FRIDAY

CDB AND CO.

Southern Rock fans won't have to sell their souls to the devil or take a hit in the wallet to go see Charlie Daniels at the Post-Gazette Pavilion Friday as part of his Volunteer Jam tour. Tickets only cost $12.

Daniels has always befuddled critics who want to classify his music.

"Somebody once asked me if my music was country or bluegrass or rock," Daniels told associatedcontent.com. "I said, 'Yeah.' It's all of those. I don't believe in strongly categorizing music. What difference does it make? Just let it breathe; let it be."

The Marshall Tucker Band and The Outlaws will perform as well. Marshall Tucker's lead singer Doug Gray has some advice for fans.

"All I say to people is come to see us live and then you will know that all these songs you didn't know were Marshall Tucker that played at one time or another on the radio, these are still us," Gray told classicrockrevisited.com.

-- Cody McDevitt

AFRICAN FOLK

Samite, a folk musician from Uganda who became one of East Africa's most acclaimed flutists, performs as part of First Fridays at the Frick at the Frick Art & Historical Center in Point Breeze.

Samite, who came to the United States in the'80s and now lives in Ithaca, N.Y., will be backed by guitar and percussion on songs from his latest CD, "Embalasasa."

Along with being a musician, Samite is a humanitarian who founded Musicians for World Harmony, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to enabling musicians throughout the world to share their music to promote peace, understanding and harmony among peoples.

It begins at 7 p.m. A $5 donation is suggested per adult; children are free. Guests are invited to bring a picnic supper or create a gourmet picnic with selections from the Cafe at the Frick, which begins serving at 5:30 p.m.

-- Scott Mervis

COVERED TWICE

Attention: Beatles fans who like Metallica.

Some bands dedicate all aspects of their lives when they cover famous musicians. Beatallica commits its all to two bands, The Beatles and Metallica. The band will perform at RPMS on Friday.

The members even changed their names to reflect who they cover. There's lead singer Jaymz Lennfield, guitarist Grg Hammettson, bassist Kliff McBurtney and drummer Ringo Larz.

Their new album is "SGT Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band," with songs like "Revol-ooh-tion," "Blackened in the U.S.S.R," and "Hey Dude."

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

ART2 TOUR

The Penn Avenue Arts Initiative and Lawrenceville artists are pooling their resources for Art2, a weekend of art featuring Unblurred and the Lawrenceville Artists' Studio Tour.

It begins Friday evening with Unblurred: First Fridays on Penn, at the galleries in the Penn Avenue Arts District (4800-5500 Penn Avenue) where the offerings will include glass work, sculpture, clothing, paintings, clay and spoken word. Both Attack Theatre and Dance Alloy Theater will hold short work-in-progress performances and ask for audience feedback. for full details, go to www.pennavenuearts.org and click the Unblurred sign.

Art2 continues in Lawrence- ville on Saturday from Noon to 5 p.m. when artists will open their studios for free, self-guided walking tours, revealing finished work as well as the artists' processes. It will range from oil paintings and figurative sculpture to ceramics and new media. For a list of artists, go to www.artiststudiotuor15201.org.

SATURDAY

DOO DAH

Doo Dah Days: Stephen Foster Music and Heritage Festival, from noon to 5 p.m., at the Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville honors the famed songwriter who grew up in Lawrenceville and was responsible for the California Gold Rush anthem, "Oh! Susanna."

Foster was also a member of the Christy Minstrels, which performed some of his other hits like "Camptown Races," "Nelly Bly," "Old Folks at Home," and "My Old Kentucky Home." His songs were often associated with minstrel shows, but he told white performers to get the audience to feel compassion for the slaves being imitated.

Upon his deathbed at the untimely age of 37, he held a note in his hand that read, "dear friends and gentle hearts."

Though his dear friends are no longer here, admirers of his work still are. Perhaps the festival will touch a few hearts and make them a bit more gentle.

Parking and admission are free.

-- C.M.

DEF JAM

Step inside ... the Post-Gazette Pavilion, walk this way ... to the lawn seats. Def Leppard, Styx, and REO Speedwagon can be seen at the Post-Gazette Pavilion for $39.50, courtesy of Ticketmaster.

Def Leppard released "Yeah!" in 2006. It was a compilation of other artists' music they covered including David Bowie and The Faces.

Rolling Stone said, "Def Leppard have a huge chip on their shoulder about being lumped in with the U.K. and U.S. hair-metal bands of the Eighties," the publication wrote. "To set the record straight, they've recorded this album of covers of songs by their real heroes. 'Yeah!' is their most convincing album in fourteen years."

REO Speedwagon released a new album, "Find Your Own Way Home," in April.

"A lot of the songs on this album were inspired by the things the band was going through. Everyone in the band kind of hit a patch of black ice and ended up in the ditch. We looked around and saw that we were all in the ditch together. I think that is why there is so much passion on this record," singer Kevin Cronin told classicrockrevisted.com.

For more on Def Leppard, click here.

-- C.M.

NEED TO KNOW

The Pittsburgh Symphony performs at South Park at 8 p.m. Saturday and at Hartwood Acres at 8:15 p.m. Sunday. Both are free.

Three Rivers Saxophone Quartet performs at Bach, Beethoven & Brunch at 10 a.m. Sunday at Mellon Park.

Weird Al Yankovic brings two decades of parody songs -- from "Eat It" to "White and Nerdy" -- to the Byham on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.