Wiyos and you

Those who managed to beat the traffic to the Wild Things stadium in Washington this summer to see Bob Dylan/Willie Nelson/John Mellencamp were lucky to catch The Wiyos, a young group from Brooklyn that, in a sense, goes back further than any of those three legends.

The Wiyos is a string-band specializing in 1920s/'30s country blues and Western swing, using banjo, upright bass, harmonica, steel guitar and washboard. Rather than playing it straight, the Wiyos add a modern touch, like some beat boxing on the song "Stomp." The Wiyos are touring behind their fourth CD, "Broken Land Bell," the group's first collection of all original songs.

The Wiyos never got to meet Dylan, but singer-guitarist Parrish Ellis told the Allentown Morning Call recently, "I was excited by hearing Dylan's band and Willie Nelson and Family Band, and likewise, we got that back from a lot of the band members. ... They all were enjoying what we were doing and I heard that a number of times from a few of the folks, that for them it was exciting and inspiring that we were doing something different. So it was kind of cool to get kind of juiced up by that mutual admiration and inspiration."

This time, the Wiyos return for a longer set, courtesy of Calliope: A Folk Music Society, at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts tonight at 7:30. Tickets are $17. Call 412-394-3353.

Daring duo

People tend to call the Chicago-based jazz duo of baritone saxophonist Hamiet Bluiett and percussionist Kahil El-Zabar "progressive" or "avant-garde" even though they've been perfecting their craft for 40 years.

Bluiett helped start the influential Black Artists' Group in St. Louis, then moved to New York to jam with Charles Mingus and Sam Rivers, and co-founded the World Saxophone Quartet in 1976 with Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill. El-Zabar was a leader of the AACM artists' collective (spawning ground of the Art Ensemble of Chicago) and founded the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, which previously performed at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Warhol Museum and Carnegie Mellon.

The first recorded collaboration was 2001's "The Calling," which All About Jazz called "visceral and emotive ... underscoring the importance of unity, authenticity, and groundedness." Whether it's Bluiett's unique tone and technique, or El-Zabar's use of African instruments, the veteran jazzers remain forward-thinking. They play with opener Ben Opie tonight at Istanbul Cafe, 4130 Penn Ave., Lawrencville. Admission is $15; all ages. Call 412-683-1623.

Beatles at PSO

The Beatles are coming to Heinz Hall -- that is minus John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. But if you can suspend belief for one night, let the expert interpreters of The Classical Mystery Tour return you to the glory days of the Fab Four with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in support under the direction of resident conductor Lawrence Loh. Along the way will be such brilliant, well you'd have to call them works as well as songs such as: "All You Need Is Love," "Eleanor Rigby," "Penny Lane," "Yellow Submarine" and "Yesterday." 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20-$79; call 412-392-4900 or visit www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

Shopping trip

You can wait till Black Friday and buy the usual stuff for Christmas gifts. Or you can jump in early and find one-of-a-kind items at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts And Crafts Holiday Spectacular.

The 12th annual event features more than 250 booths of arts and crafts, with decorative and functional wood creations, candles, jewelry, clothing, soft sculpture, tole and decorative painting, ceramics, pottery, photography, candies, home-baked goods, etc. There's also pre-packaged food. Children can visit with Santa and the family can enjoy a free concert Saturday and Sunday at noon with Heartbeat.

It's at the New Monroeville Convention Center (former Wickes Furniture store) Friday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Adults: $5.50, seniors (age 65 and older) $5, children ages 6-12, $1 and under the age of 6, free; www.familyfestivals.com, 724-863-4577.

Book of Pittsburgh

You may have read that for the G-20 summit, Pittsburgh photographer Duane Rieder was commissioned by President Obama to create a gift for each of the visiting dignitaries: a 5-by-12 handcrafted, specially bound panoramic photography book of Pittsburgh.

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh's 2009 Annual Alumni Exhibition features the recent project by Rieder, a 1986 alumnus of the school. A reception will be held Friday at 6 p.m., during Light Up Night, with an open bar and hors d'oeuvres. For information, call 1-800-275-2470 or go to www.artinstitutes.edu/pittsburgh.

Squonk's 'Mayhem'

As mentioned during Halloween week, Squonk Opera will open the doors of Kelly-Strayhorn Theater this weekend for a sneak preview of "Mostly Mayhem," a production the performance troupe will be doing in March. Squonk will do 10 scenes from the show "Mayhem & Majesty."

Jackie Dempsey writes that she told fellow Squonk leader Steve O'Hearn not to worry about it being rough, saying "our ART will be as big as our hearts, and that's a mighty big place. Plus, it's called MOSTLY MAYHEM!" The free performance begins at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the theater in East Liberty.

Push Play to play

Will Push Play be the next Jonas Brothers?

Well, the band members have this going for them: Like the Jonases, the band got to open for Miley Cyrus on tour. Musically, Push Play serves up a similar pop-rock formula to the Jonas Brothers or Maroon 5 with big choruses, a little funk and lots of harmony vocals, as heard on the single "Midnight Romeo."

The band members grew up together on Long Island and have been grooming the sound for years. "When I first met CJ [Baran]," bassist Nick DeTurris says in their bio, "our relationship grew around our interest in skateboarding. Now it is centered on music. He pushed me to get a bass, and that was the origin of this band coming together. Derek [Ries] and Steve [Scarola] came along about three years ago, so we really have been building this for quite a while."

Push Play will be joined at Altar Bar by Emily Osment, Miley's BFF, Lilly, on "Hannah Montana," who is trying to launch a career as an alt-rocker. Also on the bill are My Cardboard Spaceship Adventure and Music From Another Room.

It begins at 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 advance; $10 at the door. Go to www.ticketmaster.com or by call 1-800-745-3000.

Nissman in recital

After a career that took concert pianist and author Barbara Nissman all around the world, from being launched by Eugene Ormandy in Philadelphia to performing the first complete cycle of Prokofiev's piano sonatas in London to working with Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera, she has settled down on a farm in the hills of West Virginia. But her passion for performing has not abated, and she will perform during the new recital series of the Steinway Society of Western Pa. at 3 p.m. Sunday at CAPA, Downtown. The program includes Prokofiev's Sonata No. 6, Liszt's Sonata in B Minor and selected Preludes and Etudes-Tableaux of Rachmaninoff. Tickets are $5-$15; call 412-559-8210, 412-521-3424 or visit www.sswpa.org.

Early Thanksgiving

For a taste of what Thanksgiving was like in the frontier era, stop by the Oliver Miller Homestead Sunday. They'll be preparing a Thanksgiving meal on the open hearth, using foods that were common at the time.

At 2 and 3 p.m., visitors can see what church services were like.

There also will be historic craft demonstrations, including spinning, quilting and blacksmith work, and tours of the homestead buildings.

The Oliver Miller Homestead is on Stone Manse Drive, just off the circle in South Park. Hours are 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Information: 412-835-1554.

• Austin jug band The Asylum Street Spankers, known for its bawdy odes to beer, weed and sex, turn up at the Rex Theatre on Sunday on the "Salvation and Sin" tour featuring "God's Favorite Band," billed as "the world's first agnostic gospel album." It begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance/$17 at the door; 412-381-6811.

• St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland winds up its re-inaugural series on its repaired Beckerath pipe organ as organist Kenneth Danchik gives a free recital of works by Bach, Holst, Langlais and more at 7 p.m. Sunday; 412-621-6082.

• Tonight, the Hillel Jewish University Center will explore the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe through Allan Mondell's recent documentary "The Monster Among Us." Mondell will be on hand for a pre-movie dinner conversation at the Public Health Auditorium. It begins at 8:30 p.m. Go to www.hilleljuc.org.

• Pittsburgh cover band Kardaz will go back 40 years for Woodstock: The 40th Happening Concert/Show at Ozzie's Bar & Grill in West View Saturday at 9 p.m., playing everything from Crosby, Stills and Nash to Sly and Family Stone to The Who. The band will be backed by psychedelic images and film clips of late '60s concert footage. It benefits the Multiple Sclerosis Service Society. There will be a Chinese Auction and a prize for The Best Dressed Hippie. Tickets are $5.

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.