ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow. And other stuff.

POSTED: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Icepack Illustrated

This week was supposed to be fun. I was finishing an Ice Cube on the Academy Ball, guessing in my print column how Molly Eichel would be Gorgeous Dan Gross’ successor on the gossip beat at the Daily News (I was right) and writing up something cute about how Philly producers Pop Wansel and Tru got themselves in the middle of that Chris Brown/Frank Ocean fracas in Los Angeles. Then Jef Lee Johnson died. By now you’ve read eulogies (including Pat Rapa’s) about Philly’s most inventive guitarist and his sudden passage. Eulogies worldwide referenced a City Paper cover story on Jef and his immense talents that I wrote. Needless to say his loss leaves a deep hole in this city’s musical schematic to say nothing of the world at large and more specifically his family to whom I send the dearest of condolences. For me, who got to know him a little — we talked at length about his life and work — I can’t stop feeling a little bit emptier. Seriously. He will be missed. Everything else today seems dumbly frivolous.

Anyway about that Chris Brown/Frank Ocean fight at Westlake Studio in L.A., Sigma Sound stalwarts Tru, FLIP Colson and Pop Wansel were at that same studio mixing (according to label sources) the Miley Cyrus album they started here and got caught up in the police proceedings, harassed and hassled according to friends and Tweeters. Come home, gents. Our cops ain’t that bad.

Tonight, is Philadelphia Night on NBC with the finale of Tina Fey’s 30 Rock and the beginning of the Philly-filmed Do No Harm. Do a shot if you hear the words “Upper Darby” or see Broad Street, drunkie.

Is the Jose Garces catering crew so in love with their deal at the Kimmel Center that they’re looking for similar mini-hubs at other large scale civic centers?

The Pub & Grub at 20th and Hamilton is under new management, yes, yes. For now, they’d like to keep themselves out of the picture, OK. OK. That said, before they make any drastic dramatic changes they’ll show off the old and the new food and booze during a Super Bowl bash this Sunday.

Every time we think we’re re-gaining faith in Old City, things get messy. The very promising Craft & Claw on Chestnut at the one-time Mad River space just closed. Now, we’re seeing that the Indian fare-filled Jalsa off the corner of Third and Market just became another space, Tantra Luxe Lounge, to emphasize the bar bits rather than a menu. Have it your own way. Speaking of name changes, after an extensive employee search job fair, the long-time dance emporium that I helped open in the 1700s, Shampoo, has become Devotion, with similarly themed gay nights (with Neol Zayas, so that’s swank) and radio nights in place.

Will Smith is such a nice guy that when his old pal Sista Souljah reads from her new novel A Deeper Love Inside this Saturday afternoon at Temple U’s Performing Arts Center, he’ll be on board to host a relationship chat with Souljah. WRNB’s Lady B and WDAS’ Patty Jackson are the day’s hosts.

If Jerry Seinfeld can work with Wale in Philly, why can’t the Roots do something funny? Soon to be Mardi Gras King ?uestlove and the rest of his band have finished up a full album with Elvis Costello — 12 to 14 songs worth — that like Wale/Seinfeld’s Philly album, will find a release date in 2013. Oddly enough, the Roots, tonight Jan. 31, will host musical guest/Costello-alike Graham Parker on the Jimmy Fallon Late Show.

If you’re an eating machine and a goof, but don’t like meat, may I recommend Philly comedians Hilary Rea and Larry Napolitano’s Veggie Wing Bowl eat/joke bash on Feb. 2 at Adobe Cafe on E. Passyunk? Skinny New Dreamz (Space 1026’s Andrew Jeffrey Wright and Rose Luardo), Carolyn Busa and T.J. Hurley will be there.

WHOWHATWHERE: The Radio 104.5 Winter Jam at the Piazza not only featured the likes of Matt & Kim, Walk the Moon, Tegan & Sara, Twenty One Pilots and Philly’s own June Divided. Damn near every one of the acts got hold of sports goods from the day’s sponsors, Mitchell & Ness. While June Divided’s membership wore Flyers gear and Matt & Kim got Brooklyn Nets stuff, T&S got hold of Calgary Flames’ wear. Damn Canadians. In other news, NowhereNauts visited Radio 104.5’s iHeart Radio Performance Theater and got nothing to wear. HAH. In more crucial world geo-political news, the Hillel Of Greater Philadelphia got a visit from Yaron Sideman, new consul general to Israel.

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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