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Archive: December, 2011
Every Monday, CP music critic Brian Wilensky rounds up the week's sure-bet live shows.
Monday: Vilebred’s leader has an older brother who’s now sitting in the high court of Philly rock royalty. But Sam Vile writes riffs a little differently and sings like Thom Yorke raised on post-grunge ’90s rock. Their first effort, Kamikaze Blues, came out in 2009 on Kind of Columbian, and last month’s EP, Eeep, will be available at their upcoming shows. 8 p.m., free, with Chelsea Allen, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 215-787-0488.
Tuesday: Ray White is joining Ike Willis’ Frank Zappa homage band, Project/Object. Willis started joining Frank on Joe’s Garage in which he plays the voice of Joe. So he probably remembers how to keep it greasy. 8 p.m., $17-$20, with Igor’s Egg, World Cafe Live,
Wednesday: Unlike most acts in the jam-band scene, the New Deal know when enough is enough. This short string of East Coast shows will be the band’s last. The synth-driven dance trio is drawing the curtain on their 12-year run of turning rock venues into rave scenes. And that means one thing: bring extra glowsticks. 8 p.m., $27.50, with Sonic Spank, TLA, 334 South St., 215-922-1011.
Thursday: This year’s Man in Nature put Cheers Elephant in the “Going Places” box. Keep an eye on it because that box can be renamed to the “I Told You So” box at any time. Play it for the girl of your dreams and she just may become the girl you bring to this show. 9 p.m., $10, with Illinois & Hollis Brown, Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684.
Our Top 21 Albums issue comes out Dec. 22, but that doesn’t come close to telling you what 2011 sounded like. To help find the devil in the details, we’ve asked City Paper’s critics, friends and family to name some of their favorite songs — be they secret gems on terrible albums, sleeper tracks you missed, huge pop songs that need defending, or just plain good songs everybody already knows and loves.
Here’s the leadoff song from the heartbroken album of the year. J, who’s often pretty sensitive, wears his heart on his sleeve more than ever before. No one part of this one shines brighter than another and it works to J’s advantage. He seems aware that playing a catchy, rolling guitar line behind lyrics that sound more like a diary entry than anything else is what makes it appropriate for setting up the next nine songs on the album. Coincidentally, he put it on the market just days after your’s truly was put back on it, too. Thanks for helping fill the hole, J.
Devoted poet/avid concert-goer/nerd-grrrl extraordinaire Jane Cassady's weekly horoscopes run in this space every Friday morning.
Capricorn (Dec. 23-Jan. 20): You are a cookie-decorating contest. Awards will be given for “Jolliest,” “Best Wrapped” and “Best Winter Wonderland Re-enactment.” Decorate meticulously, get sticky and sugar-high, and win.
Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19): Yours is the biggest family I know. May your holiday be filled with friendly cooking, emphatic children and dear, unlikely moments of privacy and peace.
Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20): “Don't try to swim against the tide. You want to be there, and you've already done so much to get there … this is not where you are trying to land. Follow the stream. You will be great.” (Shanny Jean Maney)
Aries (March 21-April 18): You are a miracle and I love you. Who could ever say no to that face? Have fun talking pretty people into things that are complicated and fun. And remember, you are so much of the stars’ strength.
Taurus (April 19-May 18): To the Taurus librarian who made a request: Yes, you are nearing escape velocity. This is where it all gets easier. Your children will have jobs and spouses that they/you love. Your table will be full of long-lasting light. (Confidential to a pal: You are my “Red Rider 200 shot carbine action range model air rifle with a compass and this thing that tells time built right into the stock.” Best present, thank you.)
Gemini (May 19-June 21): For the holidays, your family will be together. Children will ignore their toys to hug you. There will be exactly enough meatballs, and everyone will love their presents. Most importantly, though, you’ll be holding the right hand(s) and happy.
Cancer (June 22-July 23): To the Cancer who called me complaining that all of the Christmas decorations at home make him feel like he’s “living in a department store, and not a particularly expensive one.” The important thing is, like the Muppets, you and your beautiful wife are artists of both joy and melancholy. Thanks for giving them both their due. This voicemail is art in itself.
Leo (July 24-Aug. 23): Like the girl who was frozen in a vault on that planet where fish swim in the clouds on Doctor Who, you will have a perfect Christmas day. Unlike her, though, your days are not quite so numbered. Find a million little ways for joy and peace, and take them all.
Virgo (Aug. 24-Sept. 23): “I wouldn’t even know where Destiny’s balls are.” (Henry, [Adam Scott] on Party Down.) I am confident that you will figure it out.
Libra (Sept 24-Oct 21): Mindy Kaling says that one of the titles she considered for her book was Sometimes You Just Have to Put on Lip Gloss and Pretend to Be Psyched. You’re already pretty psyched, but feel free to smile a little wider, to anticipate just a little more joy, to shine your beautiful eyes with hope.
Scorpio (Oct. 22-Nov. 22): It gets dark early, yes, so you may be tempted towards unhelpful tangents about Frosty the Snowman as a metaphor for the finiteness of life. Instead, cuddle in, watch a movie or 10, and wait for the light to start coming back. It will!
Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 22): “I do not know which to prefer, / The beauty of inflections / Or the beauty of innuendoes, / The blackbird whistling / Or just after.” (Wallace Stephens, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird) Marvel at the in-betweens of things, and let the rest of it go.
Our Top 21 Albums issue comes out Dec. 22, but that doesn’t come close to telling you what 2011 sounded like. To help find the devil in the details, we’ve asked City Paper’s critics, friends and family to name some of their favorite songs — be they secret gems on terrible albums, sleeper tracks you missed, huge pop songs that need defending, or just plain good songs everybody already knows and loves.
Snakecharmed in a sonic maze, you are swaying left to right. The grit and swagger of Carrie Brownstein’s “I’m a racehorse … You put your money on me” disorients and enchants further. The focus of the ears (and the eyes during their sublime live sets) infinitely shifts between the paradoxically dueling and complementary guitars of Brownstein and Mary Timony and the flicker bombast of Janet Weiss’s drums and the organ eccentricities of Rebecca Cole. As a declaration by the most exciting confluence of talent in rock and roll in recent memory, Wild Flag’s “Racehorse” rightly desires jam status, extending to nearly the 10-minute mark in their flagship Philadelphia performance at Johnny Brenda’s in March. And the words “Pony up, pony up” were never before woven together with such power, popping into eternal music consciousness without any politics; just pure aural pleasure bestowed here, raw and timeless.
Our Top 21 Albums issue comes out Dec. 22, but that doesn’t come close to telling you what 2011 sounded like. To help find the devil in the details, we’ve asked City Paper’s critics, friends and family to name some of their favorite songs — be they secret gems on terrible albums, sleeper tracks you missed, huge pop songs that need defending, or just plain good songs everybody already knows and loves. (Ignore the video, this is about the audio.)
This is by far one of the catchiest radio-friendly tunes of the year — especially the part where Levine croons “Moo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-ooves like Jagger.” And adding a little Christina power-vocal at the end is the icing on the Pop Tart.
When it comes to Christmas music, a far too limited number of soul classics get their fair due. No need for “This Christmas” to be the only jam in heavy rotation. Here are five more R&B Christmas singles that couldn’t possibly be spun enough.
Marvin Gaye “I Want to Come Home for Christmas”: Homesickness on tour inspires Marvin to list his holiday hopes, and the results are ever so soulful.
The O’Jays “Christmas Just Ain’t Christmas”: A song to set Kwanamas off right, Philly International style.
Isaac Hayes “Mistletoe and Me”: Did someone spike the eggnog more than usual? No child, that’s just Isaac Hayes working his magic.
The Jackson 5 “Give Love On Christmas Day”: A Jacksons classic. The Temptations cover is worth a listen too, to say the least.
James Brown “Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto”: Christmas music with a message gets no better than this.
As an Italian, I like seven fishes during the holiday. Not stretched through the season — I like them all at one shot. Christmas Eve. Some of the fishes (smelts, shrimp) are small so don’t get to thinking Italians are a particularly gluttonous lot (we are). Anyway, this year the seven fishes dinner, has become a de rigueur test for Philly’s best chefs to stretch their briny muscles. East Passyunk’s Le Virtu cooks up awesome Adriatic fish dishes on Dec. 24. Davio’s on S. 17th is doing all seven with lobster bisque and short ribs in the mix. Amis on S. 13th is doing its four courses on the 23rd. Old City’s Panorama on Front Street is doing its seven fish menu through Dec. 30 with a Mediterranean wine pairing if you ask nicely. Still, Route 6 and chef Anthony DiRienzo? I’ve wanted to mention him and it for awhile. DiRenzo is cooking eight-courses on Christmas Eve with a house-made egg nog ice cream sandwich finish. But, the last of Stephen Starr’s spots (for a while anyway) has more than seven fishes. Opening as it did right after Starr’s more publicized Il Pittore, Route 6 is a coolly appointed bleached white-and-woodsy wide nook (reminded me of a ’60s rancher) with handsome dark accents. As a go-to spot R6 is a gateway to the further development of North Broad. And its menus are crammed with magnetic raw bar bites and hot plates like johnny cakes apps, chicken fried lobster tails with Tabasco aioli, and a sweet selection of wood oven roasted seafood items like monkfish tails, diver scallops with Meyer lemon broth and Black Bass with escarole. Do it.
Know how you’re shopping for pricey gifts and you hit Daffy’s on 17th Street because it’s got the most of the same stuff for scads less? Well, the Daffy’s Corp got a new CEO in Feb. 2011 (Caryn Lerner) and the 17th Street property in Philly supposedly got sold after that. So why are employees worried? A few off-the-record employees are worried that the work force might get trimmed considerably or worse that Daffy’s will go away entirely. Where will I get my endless array of funky designer socks?
Since I first Icepack-ed it in October, I’ve been waiting for the closed-through-summer Portofino at 12th to blossom into the ’40s style Walnut Street Supper Club. Restaurateur Ralph Berarducci and Nolan’s Music Hall alumnus James McManaman held auditions so to make WSSC into something between Palumbo’s, Victor’s Café and Riverfront Dinner Theater with its sleek and tony retro décor (table lamps, lots of onyx) and a singing theatrical wait staff in smart suits serving up steakhouse favorites and Portofino’s traditional pastas. Well, the time has come and the SupClub is set to open Dec 28 with more than a few Temple U. vocal students and folks from area theater companies overseen by musical director Jeremiah Downes. Look for the ribbon cutting to feature peeps from the Midtown Village Association to boot.
It’s uptown party time. Or at least a high wattage light bulb bash. The Uptown Entertainment and Development Corporation (UEDC) is booting up the marquee atop the famous Uptown Theater at 2240 North Broad on 5 p.m. Dec 22. They’re going to keep it lit through New Year’s Day while they get ready for its next ceremony in March 2012 — the completion of the theater’s education and technology tower. It’ll also be the Uptown’s 83rd anniversary. They got to pay for those bulbs though: Tax-deductible donations of $25, $50 or $100 will help with donors names to placed on the wall outside the theater. Pledges? philadelphiauptowntheatre.org. http://philadelphiauptowntheatre.org/
WHOWHATWHERE: On the day that the Bill Conlin sports-writer scandal broke, I was in Rittenhouse Square (Barnes & Noble to be precise) talking to local CBS sports casting legend Al Meltzer and Philly scribe Robert S. Lyons (Eagles Encyclopedia) about Big Al: Fifty Years of Adventures in Sports Broadcasting. We never dished the dirt or talked trash. My wife Glamorosi and I just rhapsodized about seeing the white haired lion of Philly sports behind the anchor desk when we were tots and how great it was to see them both in the here and now. Fork’s Ellen Yen and its exec chef Terence Feury made the merry bright when they donated holiday deals to The Gift of Life Family House their Home Cook Heroes division and Howard N. Nathan, the CEO of the Gift of Life Donor Program for Philadelphia-area transplant patients and their loved ones. http://www.giftoflifefamilyhouse.org/volunteer/homecookheroes/ Soul singers made their presence known in Philly this week, at WDAS in particular: Anthony Hamilton and Carl Thomas both visited on-air jock-ess Mimi Brown at WDAS’s iHeart Performance Theater in Bala Cynwyd. While we Christians go in for Santas and mangers, our Jewish friends like Icepack photographer Scott Weiner hold dear Hanukah and Menorahs. Weiner stopped by the Lubavitch Of Castor Ave. the other day to take part in its Menorah Car Parade on the first night of Hanukah.
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“A lot of the guys from the early '70s pre-grunge era were thrilled that I was actually writing about them because they were ignored for years,” says Stephen Tow, a Delaware Valley College history professor about his first book, The Strangest Tribe: How a Group of Seattle Rock Bands Invented Grunge (Sasquatch, October).
Tow sets the record straight about Seattle grunge, because he says that people have only gotten it wrong so far. No, Nirvana and Alice in Chains didn’t start the movement. And no, it didn’t end when Kurt Cobain bit down on the barrel of a shotgun. Tow suggests it ended before that.
Nirvana’s Nevermind was on the tail end of the grunge train. It simply introduced the sound to the mainstream media who then made a mess of it by turning it into alternative rock. The U-Men, a largely unknown Seattle rock band of the late ‘70s to mid-‘80s whose sound drew on “jazz, garage rock and post-punk, but with a punk aesthetic,” says Tow, influenced the advent of the grunge sound.
Love it or hate it, The Nutcracker is a holiday staple for adults and children alike all around the world. For some, its viewing is a tradition passed from generation to generation since its introduction to New York City in the 1950s; for others it’s a guilty pleasure that makes even the most masculine, “bah-humbug” soul beam at the sight of the irresistibly magical Sugarplum Fairy.
Pennsylvania Ballet’s rendition of The Nutcracker at The Academy of Music largely plays it safe with the use of George Balanchine’s classic arrangement, which proved to be exuberant at times and a bit stale at others.
Though there is a deeper story behind the animation of the wooden nutcracker and his admittedly intense duel with antagonist The Rat King, on the surface the show is a fun-filled two hours of non-stop dancing mixed with various other crowd-pleasing stunts. And taking it for what it is, The Nutcracker is exceptional at accomplishing the evocation of holiday spirit it so clearly aims for.
Our resident DJ on his most boogie-worthy pick of the week.
WHO: Jihad Muhammad, Christian James, DJ Niko
WHAT: Jersey native and steady fixture in the deep-house scene for over two decades, Jihad Muhammad slides through Delaware Avenue to lay down slick mixing skills and selections from his impressive catalog on labels like Westend, Camio and King Street. Drink specials will get you toasty while the residents and Jihad warm up the dancefloor with deep pre-holiday vibes.
WHEN & WHERE: Thu., Dec. 22, 9 p.m.-2 a.m., $5, Flirt Lounge, 939 N. Delaware Ave., 215-931-0101, flirtphilly.com.
WHY: Santa won’t be there and ideally you won’t hear any holiday tunes.
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