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October 24-30, 2002 cover story Arts & Entertainment
Best local painter of topless women in kiltsTina Newberry has been a vital force in the Philadelphia art scene since the mid-'80s. She applies traditional techniques of oil-on-panel painting to flamboyant and hilarious subjects, such as a woman wearing only pantyhose and holding a dead twig, another crowned in flowers and sitting on the toilet and plenty of topless women in kilts engaged in various activities. But as ribald as they appear, the paintings offer deeper pleasures for the viewer: a compassionate vision of human frailties and a sweet melancholy from life's unsatisfied desires. Newberry's paintings have been shown locally in solo shows at More Gallery and the Art Alliance, and her new work is slated to travel this fall to exhibitions in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. Keep an eye out for her future shows in Philly or look her up on missioncreep.com. SHMost superheroic rescue Last year, Gov. Mark Schweikers decision to freeze $1.4 million of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts 2001-2002 budget sent local artists into a frenzy. Many local organizations had already spent the money they were promised from PCA. Rumors flew: Would PCA ask for artists to return the promised cash? How many arts organizations would go under with this unexpected drop in resources? The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance quickly went into action, and, through the William Penn Foundation, set up a fund that gave each and every Philadelphia artist who had been promised frozen funds from PCA the full amount they had been counting on. Now the only problem is what happens next year... DA Most enduring dance influenceWho'd have guessed Manfred Fischbeck would still be a major force in local experimental stuff 30 years on, with no sign of letting up? There was a time Group Motion seemed to exist on the margins. Now the question is: Who hasn't studied with Manfred? His contemporaries, and he has notable ones, are either performing elsewhere or retired. But there he is, gray hair and all, at the center of Group Motion and Kumquat, making new stuff, teaching, doing music and showing up all over the place -- seeing plays, watching dancers and chatting with the other au courant in local bistros. Hats off. JA Most enduring radio presenceWXPN's ever-charming Michaela Majoun is an underrated treasure, a real pro who makes the work of being a radio "personality" seem effortless -- and whose longstanding support of events like the PA Ballet dancers' Shut Up and Dance concerts for AIDS has been invaluable. She's funny and warm and knows tons about music, as I learned as one of her guest critics on First Impression. (The show's been quietly removed, by the way... sadly missing, I think, but then again, I'm prejudiced.) NP Most unsung heroineWho can say enough good about the Fringe Festival, and yet here's a good word left unsaid -- Deb, as in Deborah Block, Fringe Program Director. She makes this unbelievably complex assignment, involving hundreds of performers, performances and logistics you just don't want to think about, seem not only easy but downright fun. Deb's everywhere in Old City on her bike or on foot, waving and saying hi to friends, chatting on her constantly ringing cell phone. And she's an artist herself -- a Barrymore-nominated local director. JA Best long-awaited importFor five years, Fringe Festival director Nick Stuccio and other Philadelphia artists worked to bring a Polish theater company, Teatr Biuro Podrózy, to Philadelphia. Challenges kept arising, not the least of which was securing permission from the city's fire department for the company's show, Carmen Funebre, an elegy on the horrors of war that involves a breathtaking but potentially dangerous fiery finale. But this year everything fell into place, and the results were simply stunning. Here's hoping that its success leads to visits from other risk-taking artists from around the globe. DA Best expansion in the Philly art sceneOnly a year or so ago, the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art was a hallway in Rodeph Shalom Synagogue on Broad Street, a place where interesting paintings or sculptures were featured to little public notice. This year the museum has exploded with new and fascinating exhibits. Curator Matthew F. Singer has raised the museum's profile, first with a show he organized with artist Bruce Pollock, "Pure: Eight Philadelphia Painters." The painters, only one of whom was a practicing Jew, presented a spectrum of ideas on spirituality through abstract art. Currently the museum is featuring Shelley Spector's show "Mamaloshen (Mother Tongue)," a set of reflections on the role of the Yiddish language in Jewish culture. DA 615 N. Broad St., 215-627-6747. Mamaloshen runs through Nov. 24. Best new classical music seriesFor the first time in many years, Philadelphia is hosting major orchestras of the world on a regular basis, thanks to the Kimmel Center concert series. The big bands from New York, Israel, Pittsburgh, St. Petersburg and Cleveland have been or will be passing through. Kimmel is also hosting an impressive recital series, most notably featuring the great pianist Maurizio Pollini, who, amazingly, has never given a solo performance here. And don't forget the home team: Besides our own wonderful orchestra, you can hear excellent groups (usually at a fraction of the ticket price required for the big names) from Curtis, Temple and Haddonfield. PB 260 S. Broad St., 215-893-1955 Most unwieldy donor recognitionThe recently christened Delaware River Port Authority Box Office at the Kimmel Center. What's next? The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority Men's Room? DA Best neighborhood cultural centerFrom its neon-lit Art Deco exterior to its spacious interior, Mt. Airy's Sedgwick Cultural Center glows with an eclectic and talented array of world-renowned musicians, artists and dancers as well as local school-age performers, along with art, dance and music lessons. A former vaudeville palace, Sedgwick is now the gem of Germantown Avenue. HA 7137 Germantown Ave., 215-248-9229 Most welcome resurgenceWith the Sameric shuttered and Exhumed Films forced to find an alternative home (Somerdale, N.J.'s Cinemark Theatre) after the abrupt shutdown of Pennsauken's Hoyt's theater, it's been a rocky year for local film venues. But the repertory film programming at International House, guided by Michael Chaiken, has been kicked into gear more aggressively than at any time since the glory days of the Neighborhood Film and Video Project. And people, shock of all shocks, have been showing up, whether for a jammed evening with the brilliant Albert Maysles or a selection of avant-avant garde short films. With things running in high gear at the Prince as well, it's enough to make you forget about the city's limited number of rep venues -- because somehow, there always seems to be something to see. SA 3701 Chestnut St., 215-895-6542 Best subversion of a Philadelphia arts institutionEvery First Friday the masses descend upon Old City like migrating birds crowding into one flimsy tree. One man had a vision of hijacking it (a week backwards), and taking it underground (in West Philly, to boot). The result: Final Fridays in The Catacomb Lounge downstairs at Dahlak, where D.E. Christman spins a smooth, down-tempo set to a packed house on the last Friday of every month. Christman isn't just about the groove, though: an accomplished visual artist in the horror field, he's committed to providing an improvised gallery space for exhibits from other "dark" visual artists (we're pretty sure he doesn't mean chiaroscuro). A caution, however, regarding the upcoming Halloween show with Stendhal: Patrons should only accept finger food from the excellent hosts upstairs. HT Catacomb Lounge at Dahlak, 4708 Baltimore Ave., 215-726-6464, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Best Philly ghost storyRoxborough author Michael Swanwick is a magician, but instead of rabbits, he pulls amazing stories out of his hat. He’s so prolific that he’s been known to hold three simultaneous nominations for “best short story” among the speculative genres. In “Radio Waves,” Swanwick’s ghost, Cobb, haunts close to home. He starts out racing up the power lines of Ridge Avenue to the amusement of the “Seven Sisters” -- now eight -- that wink ceaselessly at travelers headed west on the Schuylkill. Turns out that the tallest of them is named Thalia, likes to babble and giggle and is as good a conduit to the afterlife as any. Half the fun in reading is realizing that this is Philadelphia turned literally upside down, and playing spot-the-landmark. The other half is the sheer delight of a spooky but humorous tale that ends in the best kind of goosebumps, from one of the masters of the craft. HT “Radio Waves,” by Michael Swanwick, reprinted in Tales of Old Earth. Berkeley, Ca: Frog, Ltd., North Atlantic Publishing, 2000. Best invasion of other-worldly artworkTin Man Alley has brought more alien visitors to Bucks County than M. Night, Mel and Joaquin put together. Vixens, monsters and anthropomorphic objects have popped up at Jonathan LeVine's New Hope-based gallery this year, thanks to artists like Dlek, SHAG and Michelle Piano, whose aesthetic makes nods to animation, childhood imagination and twisted pop culture. Currently on show: a skateboarding shrimp by Plankton Art Company and a portrait of an arachnid fighter pilot by Brandt Peters. Now that Levine's about to bid adieu to New Hope and stage an invasion of Northern Liberties, it's time to salute his bobble-headed, technicolor, super-stompy influence. JF 12 W. Mechanic St., New Hope, 215-862-1110 Best place for a cheap dateThe nonprofit artists' collective Vox Populi has a reputation for providing terrific service to the Philadelphia art community by producing exhibitions of work by some of the area's most talented emerging artists, and presenting performances, film screenings and lively fundraising events. But the gallery's also a great spot for a cheap date -- at least when they're holding First Friday opening receptions. For the price of a small donation you can enjoy beer or ale supplied by Victory, a great local microbrewery, and, quite often, live music the whole evening. Plus, if things don't work out with your date, there are always plenty of other interesting people to hang out with. SH 1315-29 Cherry St., 4th floor, 215-568-5513
Best gentlemens club
In the interest of informing our readers, I selflessly volunteered to cover this category. Not that I frequent gentlemen's clubs myself, you understand, but let's be honest: These places are wildly popular. So what's the appeal? In a word, fantasy. Here the most pathetic loser can command the undivided attention of a gorgeous woman who, under normal circumstances, wouldn't cross the street to spit on his shoes. She'll laugh at his corny jokes, smile sweetly at his awkward come-ons and pretend that his droning on about his job as a parking valet is the most interesting thing she's ever heard. In Philadelphia, among many good options, the can't-miss choice is Delilah’s. The dancers are among the most beautiful women in town, the decor is classy, the lights and sound (and fog machines) are rock-concert quality, and everyone goes out of their way to treat you like a big shot (even if you're a pathetic loser). Not that I'd ever go to any of these places myself, you understand. DG 100 Spring Garden St., 215-625-2800 Best totally esoteric gallery nameSlought Networks' new gallery space at 4017 Walnut has a baffling moniker. Though executive director Aaron Levy will gladly explain its archaic meaning, the layperson will be happy to merely enjoy the array of in-depth, impeccably produced events on Slought's calendar this fall. The inaugural exhibit, "Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting," features work by Jasper Johns, Sol Le Witt, Gerhard Richter, Alexander Calder, Oskar Kokoschka and Josef Albers. Over at the temporary Slought Networks Annex, a.k.a. the United Bank storefront, at 3945 Chestnut, the windows are dressed with poetry by past and present Penn denizens as well as photographs by Stefan Abrams and Levy and the highbrow exhibits and hardcore aesthetic theory are tempered by musical events. MB 4017 Walnut St., 215-746-4239, www.slought.net Most welcome decision to stay putFor a while, everywhere I went someone was complaining bitterly about Kait Midgett's decision to pack up and leave Philadelphia for the greener pastures of Richmond, Va. Midgett's been running the alternative gallery Project Room for several years and has helped many artists and curators try out ideas for installations without any of the constraints of a commercial gallery or nonprofit space. But it turns out Midgett and her husband have changed their minds. They were shocked by the high real estate prices in Richmond on a recent visit and decided that, with an equivalent cost of living and loads more art and culture, Philadelphia was not looking so bad after all. Now Midgett is applying some fresh ideas and a renewed sense of purpose to Project Room, and plans to collaborate with artist Pepon Osorio on running the gallery. SH Project Room, 960 N. Eighth St., 215-413-3101 Best late-night readingIf you're looking to jolt your subconscious before nodding off for the evening, you can't ask for better dream fodder than Weird NJ magazine. Published twice a year, the zine provides fascinating folklore, bizarre personal anecdotes, ghost stories and a decidedly off-kilter travel guide to the Garden State's creepiest destinations and best-kept secrets. Recently, Weird NJ has begun exploring oddities outside of its home turf. The just-released issue 19 features a rather horrific account of one Philadelphian's run-in with the strange inhabitants of the infamous Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry. Once you delve into the massive amount of information contained in each issue, you'll probably want to head over to Jersey and discover some of the state's weirdness for yourself. Shouldn't take too long. CC $4, Available at Tower Records and www.weirdnj.com Local band most likely to have you checking under the bed for monstersEver wonder what waiting for the other shoe to drop sounds like? Then check out Philadelphia's Everything is Fine. Consisting of lyricist/singer Marc Manning, guitarist Geoff Matis and drummer Sara Gallo, the trio deftly constructs affecting songs about imminent doom and despair that manage to be both unnerving and hauntingly beautiful. (This is perhaps best exemplified on "Tooth," from their CD The Telephone is Breathing, which offers advice on how to survive a leap from a moving car.) So, if it seems like you're looking over your shoulder more and more in these dangerous times, you should probably give Everything is Fine a listen. After all, it may all end tomorrow... CC Visit www.everythingisfine.net for more information. Next years best CD alreadyBrian McTear is the co-owner of Miner Street/Cycle Sound Studio and the producer/engineer/multi-instrumentalist behind (can I do this in order?): Ashtabula, The Bigger Lovers, Burning Brides, Butterfly Joe, Echo Orbiter, Eltro, Lefty's Deceiver, Matt Pond PA, Mazarin, She-Haw, Swearing at Motorists, Swisher and The Trouble With Sweeney. Now he rips opens his own solo semi-acoustic CD as Bitter, Bitter Weeks, with the same tender-hearted musicality that marks his charges, as well as a bubbling subtle spirit, endearing atmospheres and doubly entrancing melodies. It's that good. ADA Most unknown local superstarWhen it comes to "neo-soul," the local all-stars' names are in bright lights: James Poyser, ?uestlove and of course Touch of Jazz. But who the hell is Anthony Tidd? He's a musician, producer and Philly transplant who moved here from his native city, London, around five years ago. A mini-superstar in his hometown for his massively original, black Brit avant jazz-funk ensemble Quite Sane, here Tidd is virtually unknown -- maybe because he's been in the recording studio or on tour almost nonstop. He's worked with everyone from neo-soul locals like Jazzyfatnastees, Musiq, Aaries and Jaguar to globe-trekking artists like Soul Asylum, Me'Shell NdegéOcello and Bjrk. His most recent project, producing Zap Mama's upcoming February 2003 release Ancestry in Progress, is so positively the shit, Rawkus Records included a cut on its recent Soundbombing III compilation. HK Best career transformation/best rock presenceAs one of Greg Giovanni's co-conspirators in Big Mess Theater, Jimi Mooney proved to be an actor of sinewy voice and snaky presence. But he wanted more. So he evolved -- slowly at first -- into the Siouxsie-draggish perf-art persona Helen Back, an early-'70s glam girl gone through the hell of latter-'70s Westwoodish punk with all the accoutrements. Gigs at TLA's Gay Film Fest, 1616, Velvet Cabaret and Tritone cemented Helen's rep as a punk poetess with a comic edge (a recent appearance on WYBE's In Bed With Butch was hilarious). But with the serious introduction of The Str8Razors, featuring some of Philly's finest musicians, including Andrew Chalfen and musical director Chris Unrath, she turned her Fringe-cabaret production HomoFaux Pas into a raw punk jamboree, with Helen a genuine wailing vocal presence. Quite frankly, more than any other local act, Helen and her troupe rock out: dramatic rock 'n' roll at its finest (and I do mean fine), with better vocals than any broad out there. God save the queen. I mean it, man. ADA Most likely to receive a job promotion
The bench is deep at Pennsylvania Ballet, where the corps, ballet's usually indistinguishable swans and peasants, is strictly first-class. But there's room at the top. Bill DeGregory's retirement last spring means a mere seven dancers are ranked principal, and worse, just three are officially soloists. PAB needs more than 10 dancers for featured roles just to get through Nutcracker, so corps will get plum roles -- and maybe even promotions. Wouldn't be surprised to see Tara Keating move up, or any of three talented guys -- Philip Colucci, Matt Neenan or Francis Veyette (the latter being the first truly old-style bravura male dancer to show up at PAB for quite a while). JA Best musical familyWhen not shooting a video in L.A. for their new CD Past and Present Futurists (they bumped into Little Richard during the vid shoot), Eltro may be this city's most overextended extended family. There's electronicist and Schwa-disk label boss Rick Henderson, who, when not busy introducing his "sample-and-drone" Positron to the world, puts out CDs as The Wayward Wind, City of Horns, DJ Flux and Harpoon. Then there's singer Diana Prescott, who seems to have as many hands in sound/video/text installations as does Jorge Sandrini, who when not doing "Rashomon Effect" events with Henderson or running shows at The Parlor, is recording Germanic minimalist techno under the name Celsius. And percussionist Ted Johnson happens not only to be in Eltro and Wayward Wind, but Gentlemen 4 to boot, with Chris Unrath. So. ADA Best addition to lesbian nightlifeSan Francisco has had 'em for years, but we finally got our very own all-girl go-go bar, at least for one night a month, at Pousse Cafe. What started as a Dyke March benefit has become a recurring antidote to the dreadfully dull and dated Sisters. And don't worry, boys, you can go -- but only if you are accompanied by ladies and promise to be on your best behavior. EL 1734 Snyder Ave., 215-829-4986 Best burlesque BDSM showWith their self-described brand of "domme-dy," mistresses Mimi and Veronica, two leather-wearing taskmasters who make Tawny Kitaen seem docile, bring bondage and punishment to the big stage at Charlie's Dream. Actually, it's kind of a small stage with poles, but it's saying something that these two can perform in front of an audience more accustomed to watching strippers gyrate to Lil' Kim and keep them entertained. EL Charlie’s Dream, 6039 Passyunk Ave., 215-724-8507 Rowdiest pub quizOnce you've paid your two bucks and told Irish John your team name, "Welcome to this evening's pub quiz" are the last polite words you'll hear: It's a written quiz, he explains, and you "better not shout out the fucking answers." Every Wednesday night around 10 p.m. (read: 11 p.m. or later), trivia buffs both young and old are invited to get their "brain on" while they get their "drink on" at Dirty Frank's. Your host, "who'll have both on," asks questions ranging from chemical compounds to pop culture to dead world leaders, and the winning team gets fabulous prizes: cash and beer. Nearly every week, "some fucker" does show off by calling out an answer, and the obscenities fly; most nights at least one person is thrown out of the bar. Still, there's nothing quite as satisfying as having a tough answer dawn through the haze of liquor, cigarette smoke and drunken yelling to discover your team has inched its way into second place. Make no mistake: first is not an option. The venerable Group W takes it every time. NA 13th and Pine sts., 215-732-5010 Best reason to go to Bob & BarbarasAs if you needed one. In the late fall of 2001, Wednesdays at Bob & Barbara's became more competitive, as Blue Ribbon Bingo debuted. Now, a year later, it's got a following that loves to drink and listen to numbers being called. As if playing bingo weren't therapeutic enough, you can also win fabulous prizes, valued at 99 up to $3! In keeping with the Bob & Barbara's motif, many of the gifties are emblazoned with the Pabst Blue Ribbon logo. There're keychains, hats, the sweetest little canvas bags (seen on the arm of many a chic barfly), work shirts and T-shirts. Just don't win too much, or people will hate you right to your face. AR 1509 South St., 215-545-4511 Best place to make a ton of friends in the blink of an eye while rockin out to the hottest jukebox in Old CityAvram Hornik, owner of Lucy's Hat Shop and SoMa Lounge, unleashes another watering tank on Front and Market in Old City where hipsters and modsters drink the night away amid old-looking, deeply dark wood paneling and copper-top tables. At Drinker’s Tavern, the bomb-diggity jukebox gets plenty of use -- and it ain't that Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra crap. You can rock out to a trendy selection of music from megastars like Bjrk, Stone Roses, Green Day, Clash, Marley, Elvis, U2, Beatles, Metallica, Soundgarden and more. And even better, no matter how many people are present at Drinker's, you can buy everyone in the entire bar a round of shots for only $30. Now that's a party place! SO Drinker’s Tavern, 124 Market St., 215-351-0141 Best jazz series, straight-aheadLots of contenders in this category -- including the heavyweight Annenberg and Kimmel Centers -- but the nod goes, oddly enough, to The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Although the building's marble atrium can pose acoustical problems, its Friday Evening Series has featured many stellar shows, with local and national artists receiving equal due. The fall schedule promises such wide-ranging stuff as Steve Wilson, Izaline Calister, Mamadou Diabate and Orrin Evans. Oh, and it's free once you pay museum admission -- which turns out to be a great deal. Apparently there's some art there, too. NC 26th St. and the Parkway, 215-763-8100 Best jazz series, experimentalWith a seemingly ceaseless battery of shows at Tritone, Houston Hall and now Slought, Mark Christman's Ars Nova Workshop has nearly cornered the market on the presentation of improvisational music in Philadelphia. A litany of past events reads like today's "Who's Who in the Avant-Garde"; upcoming shows include a Tim Berne/Michael Formanek duo, a Billy Martin/G. Calvin Weston duo, and the American debut of Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko. And with seriously modest admission costs (shows are usually $10, and sometimes free), there's no excuse for staying home. NC Best jazz startupThere have been a few this year, but for sheer chutzpah and good intentions, the honor goes to Michael Ricci's All About Jazz Philadelphia. An outpost of Ricci's excellent Springfield, Pa.-based website allaboutjazz.com, this tabloid-style free monthly has struggled to reach a readership in the Philly jazz community and beyond. Here's hoping a labor of love can find solid footing -- and funding, perhaps? NC Best idea for a local labelWhile manipulating Zanzibar Blue's live-jazz/fine-dining ideal from its Bellevue basement home through to the wilds of Wilmington, Del., the Bynum Brothers came up with the local jazzquivalent of Birdland or the Blue Note: Zanzibar Blue’s live CD label Random Chance, starring its most illustrious hometeam players. After the label's auspicious summer start with Afro-Cubano composer/bassist Charles Fambrough, look next for the smooth Latin swang of Ellas Y Amigos, the cool modernity of Fortune Vinson Cruse and the dark blues of the Webb Thomas Trio. After that, expect the bros.' own Zanz-brand of condiments, marinades and wines. There's a musical note you'll eat alive. ADA Best opportunity for full immersion in new musicThe Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents a Festival of Philadelphia Composers this November, including music by 17 composers over the course of six concerts. Sleepy old Philadelphia, a hotbed of new music? You betcha. This is terrific stuff, in a huge range of styles, performed by some of the best new music interpreters in the world. PB 215-569-8080, www.philadelphiachambermusic.org/fest.asp Best lounge clubIn Philly, especially Old City, there seem to be too many of those awkward-ish lounge clubs where the DJ rocks out the energetic dance music despite the fact there's no dance floor -- just a bunch of tables and couches for loungin'. Most of these stuffy venues cater to the out-of-towners seeking some hot, smokin' booty while soaking in the commercial top-40 tunes. However, on the edge of the South Street madness, Liquid Blue devotedly concentrates on the underground music scene -- where you can find DJs like Willyum and Jason Leroy dishin' out deep, soulful house, or Ced One and Tone tearin' up some funk/soul and old-school hip-hop. Again, no dance floor -- but a plush, aquatic, dimly lit atmosphere where "heads" can groove 'n' sway on the velour couches or up above in the couch-laden balcony. The soothing haven is small, intimate, and it feels oh-so-right. SO 622 S. Sixth St., 215-351-9010 Hip-hop DJ whos most about the bootyIn the long struggle to avoid having a dance party turn into a sausage party, one hip-hop DJ/promoter in Philly is doing it right. Major Taylor throws two to three parties a month at Silk City. So You Wanna Be a Rapper? is a hip-hop karaoke night designed for people to make fun and be made fun of -- something that Taylor insists is less appealing to guys than to gals. Then there's Let's Get Butt Naked and Fuck every fourth Thursday -- where Taylor drops a mishmash of music styles and hosts a booty-shakin' dance contest with a whole lotta women on hand who just wanna get their swerve on. Taylor and Low Budget also do a Saturday monthly called Ladies Night. At the last one, gals outnumbered guys 8 to 1. Ladies get in free to all the parties if they arrive early. And if you come dressed in just your undies, admission is always free. "Or maybe it's 'cause I only give fliers to hot girls," says Taylor. SO Silk City, Fifth and Spring Garden sts., 215-592-8838 Best DJ night to hear cock-rock and punk shit while hangin out with modsters and college studentsFuck the art rock and post-punk garbage. It's about all things that rock and drive. Every Tuesday night is A Rock Tits Event at Tritone -- the dimly red-lit, intimate hot spot across the street from Bob & Barbara's. Joel Flood, Nez and a dozen other rotating DJs dish out grinding punk and metal while college kids and scruffy rock-lovers let their hair down and get drunk on Yuengling lager, Paulaner or the infamous special ($3 for a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a shot of Jim Beam). Rock Tits DJs drop a vinylicious hodgepodge of garage, late-'70s punk, obscure hard rock, early-'80s metal, local bands and other cock-rockin' goodness -- like The Ramones, Misfits, Stones, Slayer, Little Richard, AC/DC and much more. SO A Rock Tits Event, Tuesdays, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., free, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-514-1475 Best idea for a DJ nightPicture this: You're bitching about what your local club DJ is playing. You'd like to hear Donna Summer then The Strokes then Cannonball Adderly and in that order. Think it's easy to DJ? So then go ahead and do it, smartass. Greg Precht at Silk City offers -- only once a month, sadly -- a way for him to save cash and you to be happy, with “Hang the DJ,” an evening where you, all of you, bring the records, spin for 15 minutes and see if you can get people to pack a dance floor. As much a dare as it is a groovy screwy dance night. ADA Fifth and Spring Garden sts., 215-592-8838 Easiest nightclub to get lost inMany, many years ago, it used to be a fitness center for aristocratic health nuts. Now the 1616 Club is the only swanky nightclub of its size in Center City where you'll often find DJs like Brandon and Joey Blanco dishin' out the worldly funk, soul and hip-hop. Two floors are saturated with wood, expanded white tiles, Renaissance-ish paintings on the walls, and, well, maybe, uh, five bars? Ask the 1616 employees. They don't even know for sure. But if it's a big enough party on a given night, they'll open up many of the countless rooms. You'll feel like... well, no... you are in a very old, historical building. Be careful not to wander off from room to room -- you may never come back. SO 1616 Club, 1616 Locust St., 215-413-7143 Most promising redoOnce known as Proto, Butter and a former sports-bar-attached-to-a-steakshop, the "club under the parking lot," now called the Living Room, may finally deservedly flourish. With ceilings heightened, booths and blackened windows removed, its open-air minimalist decor is maximized by mirrors, perforated aluminum ceilings and psychedelic fiber optics magnified by simple sanded acrylic. Blame designer Tommy Strada and the L-Room owners themselves for rolling up their sleeves and making the Living live -- and not at the cost of millions, either. ADA 125 S. Second St., 215-351-9026 Shrewdest men in clublandUS Hospitality -- Barry Gutin, Larry Cohen, Joe Grasso, the Bros. Frankowski, etc. -- is the company that holds Egypt, Shampoo, Swanky Bubbles, Marmont, 32 and Cuba Libre. They've built, over the last decade, a clubby empire that keeps its spaces constantly new in order to keep up with ever-progressing tastes and hastes. Beyond mere trendiness (like tiny VIP lounge areas) they remake/remodel/remarket their locations almost before you get sick of the previous look. The now-decade-old Egypt, the 5-year-old Shampoo and the barely 2-year-old Cuba Libre will all either add, subtract or redo their rooms, size, floors and light scenes substantially this winter. ADA Hottest female DJOK, so, maybe it's the eyes, the figure, the personality. But that's hardly what matters from a DJ, right? Erica Stone, standing at a towering 5-foot-10, knows exactly how to make you move from behind the decks -- pulling you gracefully through a deep and dark body journey with techno, tribal, trance and breaks. You may have seen her rock it on Sunday nights at Tribecca last year, or currently once a month at Tribal Verb (Wednesdays) at La Tazza. Stone's DJ career is only at the beginning, and there's plenty more to come. Her pristine, heartfelt mixing is as smooth as her complexion. Her track selection is as enthralling as her spirit. Truly one of Philly's finest. SO Coolest piano loungersOther than the fine black box at the Prince and some other select spots around, there are too few spaces to hear lounge pianists sing their supple songs. That may be changing now that Jessy Kyle is tickling the ivories and applying her smoky voice to soul and standards (from "Killing Me Softly" to "Careless Whisper") in the piano bar at Avenue B. Outside the confines of Center City, Wynne Alexander reels in the cabaret suckers with her own throaty theatrical vocals (a femme Bryan Ferry if ever there was) and self-compositional brand of blues and musical drama at the Polana Country Club in Princeton, N.J., Odette's in fabulash New Hope and coming up in November, at the Bellevue in Center City. ADA Best eclectic DJ (radio or otherwise)In my mind's eye, there's a playlist -- an always churning combination of Coltrane, Celia Cruz, Willie Bobo, Sun Ra, James Brown, Hector Lavoe, Millie Jackson, Roxy Music, Eric Dolphy, George Jones, France Joli, Sonic Youth -- you get the picture. Eclectic. When I choose to hear that without plucking through my own shelves, I tune in to Dan Buskirk at WPRB 103.3 (Fridays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.), where he's apt to play either a genuine guignol-like blend of noise or ride out one continued theme based on that week's shopping spree. Or I venture out to hear him at 700 Club (every third Tuesday) or Tritone (where he's usually linked to one of Rick D's esoteric bookings) or the occasional gallery setting (eves like the recent Vox Populi party with Gary Panter) where Buskirk's booked to provide the appropriate frantic moods. Plus he does weddings. ADA Best effort to pep up the image of a formerly stodgy arts institutionFrom an innovative grant program for local artists to quirky exhibits of its stunning collection, the Rosenbach Museum and Library is doing an amazing job of breathing life into a collection that hasn't changed in 50 years. The current exhibit, "Making Shakespeare," displays treasures like a Third Folio of Shakespeare's complete works, an even rarer Second Folio and love letters that the Bard never wrote. Ask for Michael Barsanti, the world's friendliest curator, and he'll be happy to explain the strange history of Timothy Ireland, the world's most successful Shakespeare forger, who made up an entire Shakespeare play -- and almost got away with it. The Rosenbach has commissioned works from a local comic book artist and an opera singer; put together a Dracula film and cultural festival that includes Halloween-time screenings and viewings of the original Bram Stoker manuscript; and supported Sebastienne Mundheim's multimedia children's presentation The Potable Joyce. Why haven't more people noticed? MB Rosenbach Museum and Library, 2008 Delancey Pl., 215-732-1600, www.rosenbach.com Best neglected opera resourceThe Temple University Opera Theater consistently presents lively, well-performed productions of both mainstream and offbeat operas at its North Philadelphia campus. They stand comparison with any other opera in town, but too few fans seem to know about this neglected and delightful treasure. This year, they present Hansel and Gretel (in English) in November, and in the spring, a grouping of three one-acters by Stravinsky, Hindemith and Puccini. PB 13th and Norris sts., 215-204-8307 Best old-school carnival attractionAt the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in A.C., step up to the $10,000 Chicken Challenge -- a game that pits your wits against a trained chicken named Ginger in a heated round of tic-tac-toe. Don't feel bad when you lose. Ginger always wins or plays to a draw, and only five folks have won the Chicken Challenge in Atlantic City during its first year. This summer, the fowl play expanded to the Tropicana casino in Vegas, where only one woman has won so far. In case you're worried about Ginger wearing herself out by flying back and forth, rest assured that chicken trainer Bunky Boger has an entire flock of trained game hens. Each Ginger works a 90-minute shift on the casino floor, then retires to her roost. If the embarrassment of playing chicken -- and losing -- is too great, consider retiring to one of the many casino restaurants for a plate of buffalo wings. MB Tropicana Hotel and Casino, Brighton and the Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J., 800-THE-TROP Best way to spend your Monday nightBowling anyone? Since the fall of Oregon Lanes, some of us Philadelphians still gotta have our bowling fix. So we take a 15-minute drive over Walt Whitman Bridge to the 24-hour Westbrook Lanes in Brooklawn, N.J. Every Monday night from 9 p.m. until sunrise, Westbrook offers dollar games, dollar shoes and dollar beers (until 2 a.m.). Wow! Can't beat that, eh? So you can rent a pair of those old, decrepit shoes, bowl 10 games, drink 10 plastic cups of cheap beer, and only spend $21 for all that drunken excitement. And even better, you'll find CP writers like Brian Howard and Pat Rapa sinkin' the gutter balls over and over again while I dance in circles around them with countless strikes under my belt and a lager in my hand. Anybody wanna challenge the master? Bring it on! SO Westbrook Lanes, 1 Creek Rd., Brooklawn, N.J., 856-456-2692 
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