Khruangbin plays Pittsburgh, April 6.

Via @khruangbin.

Texas trio Khruangbin, with a sound routinely described as "Thai funk," will play in Pittsburgh on April 6. In a January Vulture profile, the band speaks to that label:

After Mark Speer, Laura Lee, and Donald Johnson put out their first album, The Universe Smiles Upon You, critics and khru-members alike slotted them under the genre of Thai funk. “We can’t claim that,” says Speer, who plays the guitar. “That’s doing great disservice to the folks who actually make what we in the West call Thai funk. Khun Narin, or Paradise Bangkok, check them out, those are actual Thai bands playing Thai funk.” It’s been an honest mistake: Ahead of recording Universe, Speer built a playlist of tracks by Khun Narin, Paradise Bangkok, and their contemporaries, sourced from all over but mostly from a blog called Monrakplengthai. They played it constantly. “If you put something in your head, and you’re listening to it all the time, it will come out when you’re playing,” Lee, the bassist, says.

Tickets for the 21-and-over show at Rex Theater on the Southside (map) are now available online.

Michael Sakamoto: Soil at Kelly Strayhorn Theater, March 9 and 10.

The Kelly Strayhorn Theater will present the "intercultural dance-theater work" Soil on March 9 and 10.

Soil is an intercultural dance-theater work conceived and directed by Michael Sakamoto and co-created with three performers who embody distinct traditions: Cambodian classical and contemporary dancer Chey Chankethya, Thai traditional and contemporary dancer Waewdao Sirisook, and Vietnamese-American contemporary dancer Nguyen Nguyen. Each of these performers’ personal histories chart humanitarian, social, and economic crises that have stemmed from colonialism, war, genocide, political turmoil and natural disaster in Southeast Asia.

Soil poses the question “Who am I?” in the context of a chaotic and globalizing transnational citizenry. Various dance forms and styles—including Western contemporary, Cambodian classical, Northern Thai traditional and folk, and butoh—are juxtaposed, remixed and revealed as rooted in the experience of everyday life as global citizens. Featuring original music by Reiko Imanishi and Shinichi Isohata.

Tickets for the 8:00 pm shows are pay-what-you-can. The Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located at 5941 Penn Ave. in East Liberty (map).

Thai film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ) free at Maridon Museum, November 10.

Butler's Maridon Museum will present the 2010 Thai film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ) on November 10, as the final installment of the museum's Thai Film Series.

2004 Thai horror film Shutter (ชัตเตอร์ กดติดวิญญาณ) at Butler Maridon's Museum, October 27.

The 2004 Thai horror film Shutter (ชัตเตอร์ กดติดวิญญาณ) will play at the Maridon Museum in Butler on October 27, the second of three installment's in the museum's Thai Film Series. The Tribeca Film Festival provides a summary:

There's a ghost in the machine and she's looking for blood in this nastily entertaining supernatural thriller from Thailand. It was the biggest Thai box office hit of 2004 and the country's response to the current Asian horror renaissance. The photographer and playboy Ton and his girlfriend Jane accidentally run over a woman on their way home one night; even worse, they drive off without stopping. Their guilt forces them to return a few days later, but there's no record of the accident, nor report of a body. There is one problem though; all of Ton's recent photos have been smeared with a strange light and an odd smudge, one that when enlarged looks strangely like a woman's face. Who this woman is, and what she's after, are questions that grow more urgent as Ton's friends begin dying, and as his playboy past begins to unravel.

The movie starts at 6:00 pm and is free and open to the public, though reservations are required to be made by phone: 724-282-0123. It will be presented by Slippery Rock University professor William Covey.

The Maridon Museum is an Asian art museum at 322 N. McKean St. in downtown Butler (map) that runs film series periodically throughout the year, in addition to art classes, book club meetings, and its regular exhibits.

Cremation Ceremony of King Bhumibol, October 26 at Carnegie Mellon University.

SIAM - CMU Thai Students Association will host a ceremony marking the cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on October 26.

His Majesty the beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand passed away on October 13, 2016. His Majesty has worked tirelessly on several projects all over the kingdom throughout his life for the betterment of his people. His countless accomplishments and teachings will forever be remembered.

The cremation of the Late King is happening on October 26, 2017 in Thailand. SIAM will be hosting an event on CMU campus for those of us away from home but would like to pay respect to the King. Please dress respectfully to the event.

The exhibition will be open from 5:30 to 8:00pm. There will be a presentation about the cremation ceremony at 6:00pm presented by SIAM Thai members.

The event will be held in the Connan Room of the Jared L. Cohon University Center (map) from 5:30 pm.

Umami named Best Japanese Restaurant in 2017 Pittsburgh City-Paper Readers' Poll.

via @UmamiPgh.

Umami was voted Best Japanese Restaurant in the 2017 Pittsburgh City-Paper Readers' Poll, which announced its results this morning. Umami, which opened in Lawrenceville in April 2016,

offers contemporary Japanese fare that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the tastebuds. Menu categories include robatayaki — skewered foods grilled over charcoal — and yatai, which encompasses items served at street-food stands.

Nakama was voted Best Sushi, and had been a perennial winner of Best Japanese, garnering the most votes in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2015, and 2016.

Other relevant winners to this site are Sesame Inn again being named Best Chinese Restaurant, Nicky's Thai Kitchen voted Best Thai, and Pusadee's Garden Thai voted Best Outdoor Dining.

The Overture (โหมโรง), Shutter (ชัตเตอร์ กดติดวิญญาณ), and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ) at Maridon Museum's Thai film series, from October 12.

Butler's Maridon Museum will show three Thai movies as part of a Thailand Film Series in October and November: The Overture (โหมโรง), Shutter (ชัตเตอร์ กดติดวิญญาณ), and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ).

Korean and Japanese movies highlight second half of Silk Screen Film Festival, through September 23.

The annual Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival runs this year from September 16 through 24, with several East Asian films getting a second screening this week.

2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, September 16 through 24.

The 2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival will run from September 16 through 24 at several Pittsburgh-area theaters. This year's iteration includes selections from Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Philippines.

NextPittsburgh on 15 local Asian restaurants to check out.

Photo via Top Shabu Shabu.

Tom O'Connor of NextPittsburgh released a list of "15 Asian restaurants in Pittsburgh that should be on your radar" tonight, with a nice assortment of local places with, or gaining, acclaim for their authenticity.

Tom asked me for comment, and I shared something I've mentioned elsewhere on the growth of authentic Asian places vis-a-vis the increase in international students in Pittsburgh:

The growth in international students is an important factor, but it’s also entrepreneurs finding opportunities to introduce more authentic dishes to neighborhoods willing to support them[.] You have more diners, international and domestic alike, open to — even demanding — real, authentic food.

Several recent profiles on the Asian restaurant scene have focused on that increase, particularly among Chinese students. For further reading on that angle, try:

• Pitt News (November 20, 2015): "Hungry for more: Competition heats up among Oakland’s Asian restaurants"
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (July 9, 2015): "Restaurant Scene: The Asian Influence"
• Saveur (October 21, 2015): "America's Next Great Chinatown Takes Root in Pittsburgh"

15 Fahrenheit rolled ice cream coming to Squirrel Hill.

On the same block as a forthcoming Japan-inspired crepe place is a forthcoming Thailand-inspired rolled ice cream place. Signage recently went up at 1722 Murray Ave. (map) for 15 Fahrenheit, which opened its first area shop in Mt. Lebanon in April. 15 Fahrenheit's official website provides an introduction:

If you never heard of the concept "Rolled Ice-cream" then you are in for a real treat that will keep you coming back for more because of the individual process that takes place in creating this unique experience.

This is a Thailand inspired concept that will be made on a chilled pan that will be chilled to -15 degrees fahrenheit, using two paddles to make a delicious rolled treat. You will get to observe how this whole process is created from start to finish. The end result will be a delicious treat for you to enjoy.

2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival includes selections from Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Philippines.

The lineup for the 2017 Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival was announced tonight and it includes selections from across East and Southeast Asia, as well as a Chinese Short Films Presentation. Full-length films include: Close-Knit (彼らが本気で編むときは), Harmonium (淵に立つ), and Himeanole (ヒメアノ～ル) from Japan; The Bacchus Lady (죽여주는 여자) and Missing (미씽: 사라진 여자) from Korea; Old Stone (老石) from China; 1985's Taipei Story (青梅竹馬) from Taiwan; Interchange from Malaysia; Ma'Rosa from the Philippines; and Pop Aye, a Singaporean-Thai film that played in Pittsburgh last week.

Selections in the Chinese Short Films Presentation are: "The Stilted Building", "103 Days of Francis Xavier in China", "Blooming Rape Flowers", "Unrest", and "My Daddy Eric Tsang".

The festival runs from September 16 through 24 at theaters throughout Pittsburgh. Tickets and showtime information will be available later in the month.

2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye in Pittsburgh, July 28 - August 3.

The 2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from July 28. A summary from a recent A.V. Club review:

Some men buy a Ferrari when they’re in the throes of a midlife crisis. Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), the successful architect who’s at the center of writer-director Kirsten Tan’s wistful feature debut Pop Aye, buys an elephant. And although at first this appears to be an act of portentous quirkiness, it turns out that the elephant, Pop Aye—played by an elephant named Bong, one of three actors listed in the film’s credits—is the same one Thana grew up with on his uncle’s farm in the Thai countryside, and the duo’s long walk back to Thana’s hometown is not just a homecoming; it’s an act of penance.

Dissatisfied and feeling as though life is leaving him behind, Thana longs for a simpler time, one less beholden to modern conveniences and consumerist luxuries. The film takes a similarly leisurely tack, ambling along at an unhurried pace for a road trip story that doubles as a travelogue of rural Thailand. Much of the film is split between this odd-couple pilgrimage and scenes of Thana’s life back in Bangkok, where his younger co-workers are squeezing him out of his own firm and his relationship with his wife, Bo (Penpak Sirikul), long ago soured into resentment.

Tickets and showtime information is now available online. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye in Pittsburgh, from July 27.

The 2017 Singaporean-Thai film Pop Aye will play at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont from July 27. A summary from a recent A.V. Club review:

Some men buy a Ferrari when they’re in the throes of a midlife crisis. Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh), the successful architect who’s at the center of writer-director Kirsten Tan’s wistful feature debut Pop Aye, buys an elephant. And although at first this appears to be an act of portentous quirkiness, it turns out that the elephant, Pop Aye—played by an elephant named Bong, one of three actors listed in the film’s credits—is the same one Thana grew up with on his uncle’s farm in the Thai countryside, and the duo’s long walk back to Thana’s hometown is not just a homecoming; it’s an act of penance.

Dissatisfied and feeling as though life is leaving him behind, Thana longs for a simpler time, one less beholden to modern conveniences and consumerist luxuries. The film takes a similarly leisurely tack, ambling along at an unhurried pace for a road trip story that doubles as a travelogue of rural Thailand. Much of the film is split between this odd-couple pilgrimage and scenes of Thana’s life back in Bangkok, where his younger co-workers are squeezing him out of his own firm and his relationship with his wife, Bo (Penpak Sirikul), long ago soured into resentment.

Tickets and showtimes are not yet available online. The theater is located at 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont (map), and is accessible by Pittsburgh's subway/LRT at a block south of Potomac Station.

Sweet Panda Asian Market coming soon to South Side.

NextPittsburgh profiles Noi Chaisri, the owner of Thai Me Up and Sweet Panda Asian Market opening soon on the South Side.

Chaisri says it’s common for guests at Thai Me Up to ask where they can buy a particular ingredient used in their cooking, and until now, she would send them across town. It didn’t take long for her to decide that it made more sense to open her new storage space to the public as a market.

Sweet Panda will stock mostly Thai products alongside some Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and Filipino fare. Expect to find fresh lemongrass and basil alongside specialty soy sauces, purple yams, vegan tofu and other hard-to-find items.

Sweet Panda will also sell prepared meals, “like an Asian version of GetGo,” laughs Chaisri. They’ll open early so customers can pick up Thai beef jerky with sticky rice for breakfast, or snag some ginger chicken for supper on the way home. They’re also thinking of offering some curries that aren’t on the menu next door.

Sweet Panda will open later this summer at 114 S. 23rd St., next to her restaurant (map).

Nicky's Thai Kitchen North Hills location to open in mid-April.

The Nicky's Thai Kitchen coming to Mt. Nebo Road in the North Hills is planning on a mid-April opening. I photographed early signage back in January; earlier anticipated openings in February and March were delayed. The new restaurant will open at 1026 Mt. Nebo Rd. (map) in what was Recipes Remembered and, most recently, a Chinese restaurant.

Squirrel Hill's Thai & Noodle Outlet to open March 31.

Squirrel Hill's Thai & Noodle Outlet is scheduled to open tonight, March 31.

Signage went up earlier in the month at 5813 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map), in what was most recently Sukhothai Bistro. That replaced Cool Ice Taipei, a Taiwanese food place, back in June 2014.

Thai N' Noodle Outlet coming soon to Squirrel Hill.

Coming Soon signage recently went up for Thai N' Noodle Outlet at 5813 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map), in what was most recently Sukhothai Bistro. That replaced Cool Ice Taipei, a Taiwanese food place, back in June 2014.

Nicky's Thai Kitchen to open North Hills location.

Construction is underway at 1026 Mt. Nebo Rd (map) on Nicky's Thai Kitchen, in what was formerly Recipe's Remembered and, most recently, a Chinese restaurant. Nicky's Thai Kitchen has two locations in Pittsburgh---downtown and North Shore---and is routinely in the conversation for best Thai food in the city. The North Hills location is scheduled for a February opening.

Vengeance of an Assassin free at Parkway Theater, November 17.

The 2014 Thai action movie Vengeance of an Assassin will play at the Parkway Theater on November 17 at 7:00 pm. The movie, like the others in the theater's Asian Movie Madness series, is free. The theater is located at 644 Broadway Ave. in McKees Rocks (map), a few miles west of the North Side.