THE LAST WE saw Honus Honus (Ryan Kattner) and Chris "Pow Pow" Powell, we barely saw them. Long story short, the Philly-based mustachioed Man Man were playing the side-stage lounge area at The Roots Picnic in June. No sooner had they revved their engines, than The Roots appeared on the main stage with Nas and blasted off. "It was ultimately OK but a bummer to play against The Roots at their own picnic," says Powell. Honus jokes, "It's not every day we get to participate in a barely audible live mash-up with Nas and The Roots. It was a real 'character-building' moment. Surreal." Doubly surreal is Man Man's new Life Fantastic and its uninterruptable first Philly airing Aug. 5 at the Troc with what promises to hold plenty of surprises. Like what? "I've heard West Philly Orchestra has a lot of horns. Have I said too much?" asks Honus. We'll have more on Pow Pow and Honus at CritMass.
Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby are moving quickly from the recent closing of Horizon (off South) toward Vedge: a vegetable restaurant at the 12th-and-Locust space that formerly housed Deux Cheminees. Not only is Vedge heading toward a vegetable-focused (less faux-meat) product. They're working swiftly to open (end of August/early September), will supposedly host an à la carte-heavy mix-n-match, and will hire chefs from Govinda's and Blackbird Pizzeria.
Also coming up is Audrey Claire Taichman's COOK at 20th and Rittenhouse with an Aug. 15 target opening and a planned Aug. 23 event with ?uestlove's Food Ventures; Taichman's also busy with her Live Arts fiesta Feastival (Sept. 14, Pier 9) and its pre-bash Aug. 8 at Percy Street BBQ.
We didn't love the '90s but we dug Ointment, that era's crusty power-pop giants from Media. Before drummer Hoagy Wing does Gypsophilia (Aug. 20, Tiberino Museum), he'll join with Ointment singer Bruce Scott for a first-time-in-10-years reunion gig (Aug. 10, Troc Balcony) co-starring American Babies and If'n.
Remember four years ago when Fringe/Live Arts' Nick Stuccio changed the post-shows late-night program from burlesque and performance art to a bar with DJs? That's probably why there seems to be some contention as to whether there is contention between the official 2011 Festival Bar's recently implemented plan of cabaret and live acts at RUBA Club (booked by Brat Productions) and the renegade/unaffiliated Late Nite Cabaret 2011 producers (Mike Cataldi, Scott Johnson), who used to manage and book the Fest Bar's live acts. All of which isn't so sordid when you consider that Brat's Madi Distefano and Jess Conda will host Late Nite Cabarets.
Check out Ice Cubes on this and so much more at citypaper.net/criticalmass.
