Tower of Power in Concert at Jergel’s; ‘Sex Werque’ in Reprise Run at Carnegie Stage (Thurs., 1/18/18)

1) Oakland, California-based Tower of Power got the funk party started in the late ’60s with its then-unorthodox sound, which centered on a thudding electric bass and horn section. Since then, trends have come and gone—and so have enough band members to fill a Greyhound bus—but Tower of Power remains impressively active. They are arguably best known for hits such as “So Very Hard to Go” and “What Is Hip?” Recent releases include the 2009 R&B covers album Great American Soulbook—which features performances from Joss Stone, Huey Lewis, Tom Jones, and others—and the live album Hipper Than Hip. Although released in 2013, Hipper Than Hip was recorded for a radio broadcast in 1974, and it showcases the group in tip-top shape. They’ve continued to tour consistently, the MCs of an old-school dance party that has lasted 50 years and continues today at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille. 8 p.m. 285 Northgate Dr., Warrendale. (EC, CM)

2) Moriah Ella Mason’s one-woman dance and performance show, Sex Werque, draws on her experiences as a former stripper. Themes include “the politics and economics of dance,” and, provocatively, “how we perform eroticism and consume intimacy.” Sex Werque isn’t Mason’s first appearance at Carnegie Stage, nor her first to address exploitation. In 2016 she was in Mark C. Thompson’s Kimono, a dramatic dance/movement inquiry into predation and victimhood. Mason has acted and danced in numerous productions in and around Pittsburgh. She has also worked as a film director, producer, choreographer, and editor. “Eser HaMakot / Ten Plagues,” Mason’s installation art piece, appeared at BUNKERprojects in Pittsburgh in 2014. Sex Werque premiered last summer and it’s back by popular demand. 8 p.m. Continues through January 21. 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie. (CM/MV)

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