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Archive: October, 2012
The Raveonettes drove into Philly last night straight from a gig in Montreal, stopping only in NYC for the afternoon to play Letterman's Late Show (you know, just 'cause.) One might expect the lack of rest to detract from the sonic ferocity for which the band has become known over the years. And one might be very, very wrong.
If there's one thing The Raveonettes do well, it's noise. In any and all circumstances. Since their debut EP Whip It On, released a decade ago (almost to the month), Copenhagen compatriots Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo have explored noise in just about every way it's ever been aestheticized in pop music.
Their concerts often serve as eardrum-rattling lessons in rock history. Seamlessly shifting from ’50s garage ditty ("Remember") to relentless no-wave anthem ("Aly Walk With Me") to glimmering shoegaze surf-rock (the new standout, "Sinking with the Sun") the Raves delivered a cohesive and hard-hitting set of their genre-blending noise-pop gems that fans have come to love.
So, sure, some rest might've helped the Danes' showmanship, stage presence and yeah, their ability to hit all of their lyrics. But when they crank it up till your ears go numb, that doesn't quite matter as much. You're still hearing that great love sound, the sound of a band shamelessly in lust with the noise of rock & roll.(Provided you're still hearing by the end.)
I’m not certain at this point who likes Restaurant Week. It short changes diners, wait staffs and misrepresents most every fooderie that enters this limp dick enterprise. That is why I say God bless to Arch Street’s sweetest BYOB Chloe. Not only is its owners/operators Mary Ann Ferrie and Daniel Grimes damn entertaining (and celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary). Old City’s nicest pair host an Anti-Restaurant Week promotion where they’ll give away $10 gift cards to customers who tell them their Restaurant Week woes and horror stories. And no, a dozen of ’em doesn’t get you $120 off.
When big name wrestlers go to Dave & Buster’s what do they do first? Play the way aggressive “bang on the gopher” game near the row of skeeball tables or rip apart the rack of ribs? If you’re as curious as I am, hit up D&B’s at 2 p.m. on Oct. 7 to meet, greet and get autographs from WWE star Edge from South Carolina and ECW sensation Tommy Dreamer from Yonkers.
The good folk at Dark Horse will one day soon become employees of Cavanaugh’s Head House and its Café Bar. The deal has been in place forever. It’s only now — or soon — that the liquor license is ret to transfer.
While its curator Butch Cordoba is off sleeping in a window up town (BoConcept) Ven and Vaida on S. Third Street (next to National Mechanics, know it by its still-fenced in street repair) shows off the work of photographer Amie Potsic and her activist Chinese art inspired by political dissident Ai WeWe.
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From all accounts, I'm double glad I skipped the debate for a dose of pan-Celtic music.
Carlos Nuñez is from Galicia, an under-celebrated Celtic nation contained within Spain. He was championed as a piping prodigy by the Chieftains when he was just into his teens. Like them he has travelled the world, ferreting out lost connections in places where the Celtic Diaspora put down roots, like Mexico and Brazil and Cuba.
Me, I love hearing hot playing to set pieces with a great deal of charming explication in between. My Celto-phile companion was less charmed; she wanted more of a session. Not what you'd expect on the first night of a tour, particularly not one to support a Sony two-CD collection, Discover. They chose some great tunes, but since they are pulled from a range of themed recordings and seemingly mixed at random, one day when I have time I'll separate the orchestral stuff (eh) from the Cuban (yes!) and trad.
If you like a little teaching mixed with music, try this Nuñez live show, which will take you back to the 13th century, featuring a cantiga played on hurdy gurdy and sung by Don Pancho Alvarez. Alvarez is also front and center in the 21st century running his bouzouki through a stomp box on other songs, playing a booming bass simultaneous to delicate string lead, courtesy the marvels of processing. Speaking of processing, my companion is the mother of percussionists and she was alarmed by the lengths that Nuñez' brother Xurxo went through to tart up his drumming. The pride of Boston, fiddler Katie McNally played her fiddle straight and strong.
You may recall our recent cover story on the history of the 215 literary festival and Philebrity's attempts to revive it this year. At the time, the full schedule wasn't set in stone, but we just got tipped off that all the events taking place over the long, Thursday-starting weekend of Nov. 1-4 are now up at the 215 website. The big lit names are still Jon Ronson, John Hodgman, Buzz Bissinger, Starlee Kine, and other people we mentioned in the story, but there's a lot more music and art stuff on the bil now, including Lushlife, Spinto Band and some Vox Populi stuff.
We kind of want that obnoxious yenta partial credit for the fact that festival founder Neal Pollack is now on the bill — he didn't even know it was happening when we called him up. And we actually have visual proof:
(Important note: Jewball is Pollack's new Philly-set book, though without the context that statement is funnier.) Also, Madeline, the 14-year-old daughter of one of the founders who featured in the story, is indeed partially curating an event! Aww!
Full lineup after the jump...
As the world's oldest, most exclusive sorority churns out tons of celebrities and politicians, a new young batch of sisters discovers the secret power behind their rituals is actually demonic and a tad bit murderous. No, this isn't a hidden legend of UPenn past, but the plot in local production company South Fellini's Alpha Girls, shot entirely in Philadelphia. With a world premiere at 7 p.m. tomorrow at The Balcony, last summer's production will soon be splattered on screens across the East Coast and elsehwere. Tony Trov and Johnny Zito, the comic artist duo that wrote and directed the film, took time out to sit with City Paper for a brief, snark-tastic gab fest.
City Paper: How much research and first-hand experience went into accurately representing sorority life?
JZ: There was a ton of research. We spent months playing beer pong, listened to tons of dub step and entered several pillow-fighting competitions.
TT: Not to mention the countless panty raids. These were all difficult hurdles but we managed to overcome.
WHO: Flosstradamus, DJ Sliink, DJ Swizzymack, Krueger and Copout
WHAT: On their latest tour, Chicago’s on-fire DJ duo is set to hit Philly with the freshest trap bangers and club smashers. Flosstradamus (aka J2K and Autobot) has been rockin’ parties worldwide for over eight years and have dropped releases on Fool’s Gold, Mad Decent and other labels. Expect a wide variety of sounds, pushing the envelope but always keeping it thumping. This night is sure to be out of control in this intimate venue, and each DJ in the supporting lineup is sick in their own right.
WHEN & WHERE: Thu., Oct. 4, 10 p.m., $8-$10 door, Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave., 215-634-7400, r5productions.com.
WHY: The ADA suggests you Flosstradamus at least once a day.
LOVE NOTE RECIPIENT: The Episcopal Church of Saint Luke and The Epiphany
I AM: Executive director of the William Way LGBT Community Center, radical faerie and past host of @TEDxPhilly.
MY LOVE NOTE:
Dear Episcopal Church of Saint Luke and The Ephiphany
Since I consider myself more spiritual than religious, it is perhaps strange that I chose a church as the recipient of my love note. But the Episcopal Church of Saint Luke and The Epiphany (ECSLTE) is a special place to me and many others who lived through the worst years of the AIDS epidemic in Philadelphia. This church is a haven, a sanctuary and a place for restorations and occasional epiphanies. Hundreds of activists have been energized and inspired within its walls, and hundreds of men and women who died of AIDS were eulogized and given a proper funeral within its lofty sanctuary.
I fell in love with ECSLTE when I attended my first ACT UP Philadelphia meeting in 1990. ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, is an activist group that has fought to bring an end to the AIDS crisis since 1987. ACT UP has met in the basement of this church at 330 S. 13th St. each Monday for almost the organization's entire history. To return to that space brings back the ghosts and memories of those weekly meetings and a very satisfying feeling of having been woven into the fabric of an activist community that taught me how to make a difference.
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