THURSDAY

WAR STORIES

The American Shorts Reading Series will present "Operation Homecoming," a writing project created to help veterans and their families write about war experience, tonight at the New Hazlett Theater.

Since the invasion began, more than 3,500 American men and women have died and more than 26,000 have been wounded.

Created in 2004, some of the workshops have been led by famous authors like Tobias Wolff, Tom Clancy, Jeff Shaara and Bobbie Ann Mason. The organization sent out an open call for writing submissions from anyone who has served since 9/11. Over 10,000 pages have been submitted since.

This presentation will showcase eyewitness accounts, private journals, short stories, letters, e-mails and poems. There also will be a presentation of a short film put together by Shawn D. Bronson, a Pennsylvania National Guardsman who was a gunner at Camp Habbaniya.

It begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7. Call 412-622-8866.

-- Cody McDevitt

IFFT YOU'RE GOING

Fox Chapel's own Eddie Ifft -- "the Sidney Crosby of comedy," according to Jimmy Kimmel -- comes home for a show at 8:30 tonight at the Rex Theatre.

Ifft, a Pitt alum, began performing at comedy clubs locally before his career took him to tours all over the world. He also is working on the documentary film "America The Punchline," which chronicles his travels.

Tickets are $20 at the door and $15 with student ID; 412-381-6811. There's a free After Party at Carson City Saloon at 10 p.m.

FRIDAY

ROOM FOR CELLO

You have to call Erik Friedlander a cellist, but he plays the instrument much like a guitar and a fiddle. Whether picking quickly or droning with the bow, he creates solo soundscapes that make you strain your ears to realize it is a cello he's playing. But above all, he strives for beauty in his playing and writing, and often finds both.

While Friedlander made his name performing in downtown New York, backing up the likes of John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Mountain Goats and Courtney Love, his own compositions in his upcoming release, "Block Ice & Propane" (August 14), inhabit a more laid-back atmosphere.

This instrumental song-cycle of acoustic cello solos depicts his childhood summer days spent in a camper as his father, photographer Lee Friedlander, took the family on long road trips. Wordless songs (all with some improvisation), such as "King Rig," "Airstream Envy," "Road Weary" and "Pressure Cooking," spin a well-paced tale and nostalgically capture the sweet mixture of fascination and boredom he experienced on the road as a young boy.

Erik Friedlander appears, with openers DBL D with Rick Gribenas, at 8 p.m. Friday; all ages at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 door; call 412-361-2262.

-- Andrew Druckenbrod

SATURDAY

CARPATHO-RUSYN

From noon to 3 p.m. the 10th annual Carpatho Rusyn Event will take place at The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., North Side. James and Paul Warhola, Jr., nephews of Andy Warhol, will speak about "Memories of Andy, Summer of 1968," as he recovered from having been shot. Paul, who was ordained as a Byzantine Catholic Rite priest, left Catholic ministry and is pastor of The Church of The Resurrection in Denver. James is illustrator and author of the children's book "Uncle Andy's, a Faabbbulous Visit with Andy Warhol," which received an award from the International Reading Association in 2004. The cantor at Warhol's funeral, Jerry Jumba, will present a Rusyn liturgical chant to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death. Vox Ethnika will perform traditional contemporary Capratho-Rusyn songs and techno-rock versions of them. And art projects for all ages will be offered. (Free with museum admission; 412-237-8300 or www.warhol.org.)

-- Mary Thomas

TRITT IS IT

While working on Sam Moore's recent duets album, "Overnight Sensation," producer and "American Idol" star Randy Jackson heard Travis Tritt sing in a more soulful voice and said to the country star, "If you ever want to do an album that puts a spotlight on that, I'd love to work on it with you."

The result is "The Storm," a record due in August from Tritt, who headlines the Hot Country Jam at the Post-Gazette Pavilion Saturday. It features a funky lead single, "You Never Take Me Dancing" (by Richard Marx), along with a Diane Warren ballad, a song Tritt co-wrote with Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas) and some Southern soul.

"Growing up just outside of Atlanta, to the north of us you've got the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville," Tritt says on his Web site. "A little bit south you've got Macon, Ga., home of the Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band and Capricorn Records. And off to the west you've got delta blues. Sprinkle Southern gospel over the top of that, and you're talking about where I come from."

The Jam also will feature emcee Clint Black, Little Texas, Mark Wills, the PovertyNeck Hillbillies and Alli Gillis. It begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $14 to $54. Call 412-323-1919.

-- S.M.

SMITHEREEN JAM

Expect to hear a few Beatles tunes when the Smithereens play the free Jam on Walnut show Saturday.

The New Jersey power-pop band, which broke out in the '80s with such hits as "A Girl Like You" and "Blood and Roses," recently released "Meet the Smithereens," a track-by-track tribute to "Meet the Beatles."

" 'Meet the Beatles!' was a call to arms to an army of musically inclined kids across the nation," Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken said of the Fab Four's U.S. debut. "There was no turning back after hearing this LP and seeing the Beatles on the 'Ed Sullivan Show.' We were instantly hipped to the fact that there can never be anything cooler than playing in a rock 'n' roll band."

Jam on Walnut in Shadyside is a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It's free, but a $2 donation buys a wristband that allows you to consume alcohol right on the street.

The Yards open the show at 7 p.m.

-- S.M.

NORTH SIDE JUBILEE

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Pittsburgh's unfriendly takeover of Allegheny City, and North Siders are honoring the annexation of their land by throwing a party.

The Jubilee edition of the North Side Celebration in the Park will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in East Park in Allegheny Commons, near Cedar Avenue. Now in its fifth year, the free party in the park will feature history-related activities and art projects, including puppet-making workshops.

Puppet artist Cheryl Capezzuti is creating giant puppets depicting famous North Side women in history, and puppet parades will be held throughout the day beginning at 11:30 a.m. The largest puppet parade, with more than 300 puppets, starts at 4 p.m. and everyone is invited to walk in it through the park.

In a "history tent," people can record on paper or digital audio their memories of the North Side. From noon to 4 p.m., Saturday Light Brigade producer and host Larry Berger will record memories of seniors.

Local bands -- Old School Band, Mercedes and the Freedom Band -- will play, and a kids' stage will feature a "North Side American Idol" with kids' karaoke. The festival also includes craft activities, 3-on-3 basketball, petting zoo, Boy Scouts' climbing wall, merchants and food vendors.

The event is the first of several in the coming year that will honor the annexation. For more information, contact the North Side/North Shore Chamber of Commerce at 412-231-6500 or visit www.northsidechamberofcommerce.com.

-- Patricia Lowry

SUNDAY

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC

You gotta love this line from the press release about the Doobie Brothers playing at Seven Springs:

"The band members, Guy Allison, Michael Hossack, Tom Johnston, John McFee, Marc Russo, Pat Simmons, Ed Toth and Skylark, who are not truly siblings, share a special bond brought about by their passion for music and a loyal audience."

Who are not truly siblings.

OK, somehow we figured that out.

You'll notice the name Michael McDonald is not on that list, which means the Doobies, who have been getting great reviews, will not be fussing with that latter-day blue-eyed soul. Rather, the set will rock with songs like "China Grove," "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'," "Jesus is Just Alright" and "Black Water."

It begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Grey Rocks Amphitheatre. Tickets are $23. Go to www.7springs.com or call 1-866-703-7625.

-- S.M.

CRY AMERICA

CRY America Inc. -- a non-profit organization that works towards restoring basic rights to underprivileged children in India and the U.S. -- presents Festival in the Park 2007, an evening of authentic Indian cuisine, free live music, dance performances and a movie in the park.

There will be performances by Jim Dispirito, Shankar Krish and Ajit Ranganathan, Chai Baba, Rockers with New Moves, Nandanik Dance Academy, and Putt Punjab De, followed by a screening of "Little Buddha" starring Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda.

Orchid Restaurant and Namaste India will provide Indian snacks and entrees, and there will be a henna artist, caricature artist, a silent auction, and Indian jewelry and garment vendor.

It begins at 3 p.m. at Flagstaff Hill, Schenley Park.

POPPER-VILLE

Blues Traveler is rolling into Hartwood Acres Sunday for the Allegheny County Music Festival, and we can only hope there's a tour bus involved. In March, leader John Popper was busted in Austin, where a trooper said he was doing 111 mph in a car stocked with marijuana and more than a dozen firearms.

They dismissed the charges as long as he behaves. So he'll have to stick with music for fun. Blues Traveler is the rare jam band with hits, having struck the airwaves in 1994 with "Hook" and "Run-Around."

The band made its name playing the H.O.R.D.E. Festival in the '90s along with Phish, Widespread Panic and others. Now, says drummer Brendan Hill, it might be time to bring that back. "H.O.R.D.E. was a wonderful thing in its early stages that just grew into a traveling behemoth for us and especially for John, because he was sort of a figurehead in that," he told the DeSoto Scene. "Now that these big concert festivals have stopped moving around the country and are just doing like a weekend somewhere, that seems a little more appealing. I think H.O.R.D.E may come back in the next few years."

In the meantime, Blues Traveler will play this show benefitting Allegheny County Music Festival Fund, which provides life-enriching items and opportunities to children receiving services from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services.

They play at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 2 p.m. From 3 to 6 p.m. there will be crafts, carnival games and live performances by Gemini Theatre, Umoja and Sounds of Steel Ensemble. A $10 per vehicle donation is requested.

-- S.M.

NEED TO KNOW

The Goo Goo Dolls, who provide a new feel-good power ballad to the "Transformers" soundtrack, headline the A.J. Palumbo Center Sunday at 7 p.m. with Lifehouse and Myspace sensation Colbie Caillat.

Singer-harpist Mark Hummel and his band, The Blues Survivors, hit the Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville Sunday at 8 p.m. for a "Blues Harp Blowout" with Billy Boy Arnold and Lazy Lester. Tickets are $25. Call 412-682-0177.

The free Station Square Street Jam takes on a country flavor Friday at 5:30 p.m. with features NOMaD, Alli Gillis Band and Blind Date.

Jesse Harris, the singer-guitarist who wrote some of those hits on Norah Jones' breakthrough record, "Come Away With Me," is back with a new solo record called "Feel." He plays Club Cafe at 7 tonight for a WYEP Members Show.