|
|
|
Archive: February, 2010
THE SHOWDOWN: Aggression, testoterone, politics and blown eardrums. Just like any other Friday night
A concert a day keeps the doctor away.
Monday: Barton Carroll puts together some catchy, twangy tunes that make your foot suddenly start tapping. Then there's the overwhelming desire to sip whiskey and share stories of heartbreak with other barflies. With Angel Ocana, $8, 8 p.m., The M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577.
Tuesday: Philly locals Eat Your Birthday Cake don't fake it. They just make the music they like: delicate, soft and dewy. It's rainy day music, yet they never allow themselves to get too sappy. So it's drizzly weather music. With The Daredevil Christopher Wright and Conversations with Enemies, $10, 9 p.m., Johnny Brenda's, 102 N.Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684.
Wednesday: Really, this band's name is Fucked Up, so being filthy, rotten punks is a prerequisite. Living up to their name, these Canadians were the ones who played a set on MTV Live which resulted in a moshing ban from MTV Canada. Then, when they were asked back for another show, they demolished the set even further and were forced to stop the performance after one song. They should not disappoint tonight. With Kurt Vile and the Violators, $12, 7 p.m., The Barbary, 951Frankford Ave., 215-423-8342.
Thursday: Superfly lady killer Mos Def is slicker than your average rapper, as skillfully shown on last year's The Ecstatic. Mos Def keeps evolving his tracks with edgy samples and flawless rhymes. With De La Soul, Jay Electronica, Pete Rock, Hezekiah and Slick Rick, $40, 9 p.m., The Troc, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-5483.
Friday: Go listen to the churning guitars of the Allentown band Pissed Jeans and satiate your desire for an '80s punk resurgence. Oh, and they're playing with a Rage Against the Machine tribute band. That means plenty of aggression, testoterone, politics and blown eardrums. Just like any other Friday night. With Battle for Los Angeles and M Ax Noi Mach, $8, 9 p.m., The Khyber, 56 S. 2nd St., 215-238-5888.
Saturday: It doesn't matter if they're going by the name Parliment-Funkadelic or the P-Funk All Stars. All that matters is that the Big Old Granddaddy of Funk George Clinton will bring them with him when he paints the Keswick black tonight. At 8 p.m., $29 - $45, The Keswick, 291 N. Keswick Ave., 215-572-7650.
Sunday: Tranmography makes noise. It's not ear-splitting noise; it's a video game style noise with loops, keys, drum machines and samples. It's possible that they use tin cans, garbage pales and small bombs, though I can't say for sure. The tracks take time to grow on you, but as the loops build and become more elaborate they become surprisingly fun. It's a fun that sneaks up on you. With La Snacks, Owl Stations, and The Buffalo Analog, $5 - $10, 8 p.m., Danger Danger Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Jesse, perhaps you are not familiar with pat's photoshop skillz
I stopped watching Lost after the third episode of Season 1, but I assume from Picture 1 above that there's a Hot Topic store on the island. The untarnished, brand spanking new Maiden patches on those jackets killed my ability to willfully suspend disbelief.
The cancellation of Cinefest struck and blow to Philly's movie-loving community, but the Philadelphia Film Society is looking to fill the void. PFS teased the idea of spring film fest right after the rival Cinema Alliance announced Cinfest was a no-go. Plans are now more concrete: From April 9-11, PFS will hold a free mini-fest featuring domestic and international films. Gratis?! PFS members get first dibs on tickets, but that also means free flicks for all!
PFS will announce the official screening list in March but if their fall, half-a-fest is any indication, it'll feature buzzworthy fest circuit choices of the Ritz variety. In short, safe but solid. The fall fest will go on as planned on October 14-24. Submissions are still open and they welcome any filmmaker who submitted to Cinefest to resubmit to the later festival.
 |
| bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com |
| Clockwise from top left: Amy, Anna, Anthony, Ben, Emilio, Janeane, Seth Aaron, Milla, Maya, Jonathan, Jesse, Jay |
There was tons of hype this week when Sir Gunn announced that this challenge was going to be one of the biggest in ProjRun history. So big, in fact, that this week's winner would not be granted immunity for the next challenge. Tim took his little designer darlings over to the Hearst Building to meet Marie Claire's editor-in-chief, Joanna Coles.
Gunn and Coles broke down the challenge and its whopping winning payoff: Create a design to be worn by a super famous celebrity. On the cover of April's Marie Claire. Yes, this is major. Coles stressed that there really ought to be plenty of color and detail in the designs. It needs to be able to catch the eye of a magazine peruser and make them want to buy, buy, buy! That part could be handled later, it was time to get to the real juice: Who was going to be the celeb?
It was Heidi. Womp, womp.
I know she's a big shot, but this feels a little cheap. Past guests have included LL Cool J, RuPaul and queen fashionista and trendsetter Carrie Bradshaw. I mean Sarah Jessica Parker. Did you happen to record the episode? If so, watch in slow motion as the crew is told who their hot celebrity will be. There's a wave of disappointment covered up by fake enthusiasm. Yes, yes, it's exciting, but it is, after all, only Heidi.
This week we finally saw something from Ben that brought him out of the boring middle ground and into the top three. He made a vibrant blue wrap dress and used panels of bright yellow chocolaty brown to make the eye focus on the core of the model and meet at the waist, where he added a wide black belt. Finally, something from this meager little designer who has barely made an impression on the judges in the past.
This idea of "not meeting the judges" business was a concern that Anna expressed, as well. Tim told her, "that could be a blessing." Sadly for this little daisy, though, she met the judges this week when they were dissecting her drab three piece design. Anna put together a shapeless, washed-out blue blouse, a shiny vest that did nothing for the model's figure and a pair of dark, satin shorts, that the judges called well constructed. That's funny, because I thought that as the model came down the catwalk she looked a bit penis-y in the pants.
Going along with a complete lack of color, Jeneane (who narrowly beat out Anna), Maya, Seth Aaron and Mila all decide to disregard Joanna Coles' advice to use color. They opted instead for more mute and washed out palettes. Jeneane tried to go for a beach theme with her pearl dress, accented with a touch of slate blue at the straps. Coles, that cold-hearted business woman, said it reminded her of a polluted beach with plastic bottles. "It's not fashion forward," Heidi said, "and it's too sweet." True. Mila thought peach would be a strong color to use. Yeah, that will work, Mila, good job [cue eyeroll]. "That peach comes off as Ace Bandage," said Mr. Michael Kors. So true. Jay Nicolas made a dress that was also in a neutral cream it was so gorgeous and attention-grabbing that it didn't need to be anything but cream-colored. It was so light and airy, with one shoulder covered in ruffles. This one should have been top three.
None of that matters as much as who won this weeks über-fantastic, massive, bragging rights for months challenge: Anthony. Yes, my favorite little southerner in the sewing room was given the great honor of dressing Heidi (after she pops out the baby, of course) and having it slapped on the cover of Marie Claire. He made a futuristic one shoulder mini in a blue that was soft but still bold. It looked like frosting with the layers of straps bunched at the top, and then smoothing out into the rest of the dress as they went down the model's body. Kors was thrilled, raving, "the costume drama is over! You've entered modern times!" The judges always love it when they can look at a designer's Project Runway portfolio and see how they took the advice at each elimination and worked it into their garments. I really hope that Anthony keeps moving up, and cutting these bitches back. But no one is surprised to hear that.
Mila needs to start moving out of her sewn-inset themes. She's getting BOR-ing. Her designs are starting to look like they came from a quilt factory. Anthony's dress was indeed striking. Too bad more of the designers failed to follow his instinct to use an eye-catching color. As Julia says, Jay's design compensated for its lack of color in its sheer beauty. Overall, given the hype about this week's competition, the designs were underwhelming. Too many anemic colors and too few inspired shapes and looks. At least we didn't have to see a painfully inept contribution from Ping this week.
Collectors of pretty things, take note: Every Friday, we're rounding up a what's-what of what we [heart], culled from the scores of design blogs, artist sites and Etsy treasuries we can't help but stalk on the regular.
 |
We may be ripping off the title of CP contributor Amy Strauss' delectable food blog here, but bear with us: Posters and tees, we think, are an excellent combo for a sludgy Friday afternoon spent blog-browsing.
First, and most angry-making: The Lost Valentine's cards we showed you earlier today got us thinking about the show (and how we're pretty damn sure Sayid is the new Jacob and why the hell was Desmond on the alternate-universe Flight 815?). Lo and behold we found these amazing vintage-y Lost-inspired posters — like the polar-bear-meets-smoke-monster style, above, and the infinity bunny, right — but, judging by the psycho comments on Mattson Creative's site, they're not for sale. Come on! It's not nice to tease. mattsoncreative.com, spied first at sharesomecandy.com.
Speaking of vintage-y: Book-jacket design is half the reason we get so mad when we hear the word "Kindle." There's something magical about the old-school-iest covers of our favorite novels, and we are just plain sad to see them electronified. Out of Print understands our bookish woes, and thus has created an assembly of iconic and out-of-print books made into tees. We're partial to Slaughter-house Five, but there's something for everyone (for now, only men's sizes are available, but they're remedying that in the spring). $28, outofprintclothing.com, spied first at designworklife.com.
While we're on the topic of Design Work Life: Big ups to local illustrator Dan Judge, who got shouted out on the design blog this Wednesday. He's created posters for Jay Reatard, Parts & Labor and many more, and for the past few years has contributed to Philly-based Screens 'n' Spokes, an annual bike-art fundraiser benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Doesn't look like Judge has any work for sale on his site, but hit up Etsy's Screens 'n' Spokes shop to check out his '09 contribution, plus tons of prints from previous years. $15, etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes, spied first at designworklife.com.
Before we go: We've seen this shirt before — it was given to this friend by this friend as a birthday gift last fall — and trust us, it's a winner. Indie clothing blog Hide Your Arms has compiled a list of 200 foodie T-shirts, so even if you're more in favor of anthropomorphic cupcakes than garden shovels, you'll probably find something that suits you. The "Grow Your Own Food" tee, sez Hide Your Arms, is available at Metro Three. $18, hideyourarms.com, spied first at thekitchn.com.
Thanks for the shout-out Carolyn! I have a few prints available on my Etsy page. Check it out: http://www.etsy.com/shop/danjudge
We were seriously bummed when Sara Zia Ebrahimi told us she would have to cut the Flickering Light film series short due to problems with their venue. Flickering Light programmed foreign, experimental and LGBTQ-themed films that rarely see the light of day outside of the festival setting. All screenings will now take place at the Mt. Airy Art Garage (542 Carpenter Lane). As per usual, screenings start at 7 p.m. (doors at 6:30 p.m.) and cost $5.
It all begins on March 6, with a twoweek tribute to the great German-Turkish filmmaker Faith Akin. If you haven't seen Flickering Light's opening movie Head On, about the marriage of convenience between two Turkish immigrants in Germany (see the trailer after the jump), this is an excellent opportunity to do so.
The schedule is after the jump but check for full listings at citypaper.net/repfilm.
Saturday, March 6: GEGEN DIE WAND (HEAD ON)
Saturday, March 13: KEBAB CONNECTION
Saturday, March 20: WORD IS OUT — Twenty-seven gays and lesbians discuss their lives and set out to shatter stereotypes. Made in 1977.
Saturday, March 27: INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S ANIMATION SHORTS
Saturday, April 3: SECRETS FOR SALE
Saturday, April 10: NYC's MIX FESTIVAL: LGBT EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS
Saturday, April 17: TEMPLE U's DIAMOND FESTIVAL: THE BEST OF LOCAL TEMPLE U SHORTS
Wasn't Head On Vinny Chase's breakout role?
These are too perfect not to share. Illustrator/designer/LiveJournal-using genius Lee Bretschneider has created the best Valentine's Day cards we've ever seen, just in time for the big day. Print 'em out, or add 'em to your Lostie friends' Facebook walls.
 |
Bretschneider's main Web site, adventuringcompany.com, has a bunch of cool prints for sale, too, and all proceeds will be donated to Haiti via the Red Cross. (No Lost posters up there yet, but we can dream.) Check out more of our favorite Lost V-day cards after the jump, and don't forget to keep up with Patrick Rapa's weekly Useless Lost Recaps. (h/t Jon Solomon)
 |
rufuswainwright.co |
Rufus Wainwright, who takes the Borgata stage this Sunday (Valentine's Day for those keeping score at home), called me this week from his family home in Montreal to gab about his AC performnace and a few other tidbits that usually come up in a conversation between two gay guys — like divas, being out and of course, Lady Gaga.
City Paper: I saw you perform in Philadelphia on Valentine's Day last year and exactly a year later you'll be in Atlantic City. Why do you like to perform in this area on Valentine's Day?
Rufus Wainwright: I'm not going to say because it needs love [laughs], but I will say that I love doing shows on Valentine's Day that are close to New York so I can get home and get back into bed with my boyfriend that very night [laughs].
CP: What will people see at your show on Sunday?
RW: These are an interesting set of shows because they're the last shows I do before the tour for the next record, All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu. This is the last snippet of my former life when I was doing gigs to pay for restaurant bills in between writing operas and ballets and stuff [laughs]. Everything is up for grabs. When I get back on the road after these shows it'll be all very orchestrated and constructed, so this is the last of the loose.
CP: Tell me about your upcoming album.
RW: It's just me and the piano, at last, having musical sex.
CP: Elton John has called you the best songwriter on the planet. Can you share your writing process?
RW: I have somewhat boiled it down to a bodily function — meaning I don't have to plan it out so much. I just wait on the corner for the cabs to arrive, I just get in and hope they take me to the right place. Whether it's the lyrics or the music or a line on the piano or guitar — it's mostly about not thinking actually and the faster it comes the better.
CP: How has being open about your sexuality influenced your career?
RW: Initially I was honest out of laziness because it would take too much energy to keep lying at every interview and every show and every album cycle. It was more of a practical issue for me at first to get it over with and talk about it. But there was a reaction, meaning on one hand certain markets were closed for me — I didn't get as much coverage as other artists — but then on the other hand I also have extremely fierce and loyal grassroots support because I've been so truthful. I may not be injected with tons of cash, but I have a fierce following that will support me my whole life.
CP: Do you consider yourself a diva?
RW: It depends. In terms of a great performer and an elegant, luxurious trophy — then sure, why not. But in terms of attitude, being difficult and not giving respect to my fellow musicians, then no. I subscribe to the good parts of being a diva and definitely not to the bad ones, otherwise I definitely wouldn't be around still.
CP: Let's play a word association game. I'll call out a few words and you tell me what pops into your head. First, Lady Gaga.
RW: Look out! [laughs] I appreciate her. Lady laid down the gauntlet and I intend to pick it up.
CP: Sarah Palin.
RW: Oh my God. Lord help us. I think even God hates her.
CP: Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.
RW: Dangerous!
CP: One last question. If you were to generate a playlist on iTunes Genius based on your music what would you like see come up?
RW: I'd love to see Wagner but it's not going to happen. Wagner is what I want, so Wagner's what you'll get.
Rufus Wainwright, Sun., Feb. 14, $65, Music Box at the Borgata, One Borgata Way, Atlantic City, N.J., 08401, theborgata.com.
Even a deaf person could enjoy a Minus the Bear concert. Who needs to hear what song is playing when it's just as easy to see what song is playing?
Take a glance at guitarist Dave Knudson during any given song and he's sure to be doing a dance requiring a little too much coordination for the rest of us: a jittery Zydeco during Menos el Oso's "The Game Needed Me," a frantic jazz-tap during "The Fix." Shit. Did he just do the Charleston??
Nope. That was the riff for fan favorite "Knights".
They spread out their set well, including three songs off their soon-to-be-released-yet-to-be-named album, focusing on songs from Menos el Oso. Unfortunately, while I was enjoying the show, there were other people enjoying the show, too.
1,500 of them.
Throughout the opening acts, bouncers created tunnels in the crowd to inject more people into a space that was already impossible to move in. In short, I got to know the bro in front of me a little too well. There was one group of dudes in front of me — all with backwards fitted hats — who were following the one alpha-bro. At all times, this alpha-bro was either making out with his girlfriend or staring into his toadie's eyes and singing the lyrics to each other. And when the leader was occupied with his girlfriend, the toadie could be seen staring longingly at him, waiting for his chance to prove himself worthier than the girl.
So as I was swept away in the sea, Minus the Bear provided the soundtrack. "Drilling" provided the energy as the opener. Everything off of Highly Refined Pirates was entertaining, if not just to watch Knudson tap bass and lead rhythms all around his fret board while I was dodging the nearest crowd surfer.
Along with his fleet-of-foot dance moves, Knudson engaged in a lot of other typically non-lead guitarist behavior. In a few solos, he didn't touch his guitar. Well, he had to hold it, but there were no intentions of strumming, plucking or picking. Instead, Knudson knelt and played his sprawling pedal board; he turned knobs and arranged loops that would become five or six separate guitar parts. And when he wasn't kneeling, he was doing his trademark pedal dance. The way he swings one leg and holds his guitar at his side in one arm, it looks like he's in mid air, trying to land some special airwalk move in Tony Hawk Pro Skater.
Setlist:
- Drilling
- Into the Mirror
- Thanks for the Killer Game of Crisco Twister
- White Mystery
- Throwin' Shapes
- *New Song* Excuses
- The Fix
- The Game Needed Me
- Fine + 2 Points
- Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo
- Broken China
- Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse
- Knights
- (First Encore) Spritz!!! Spritz!!! (Not sure on this one.)
- (Second Encore) Pachuca Sunrise
...And now for the openers...
Maps and Atlases were superb. After listening to their studio recordings, I didn't think they could reproduce the all-over-the-place drums, guitar or vocals. But they did. The amazing thing is, everyone in the band is playing lead, but no one is playing as if the spotlight's on them. There aren't any over-exaggerated moves. There isn't any staring at the notes they are playing because it's so damn hard. It's just four dudes that play well, playing well together
Setlist:
- Witch
- Israeli Caves
- Ted Zancha
- Daily News
- Banished Be Cavalier
- Pigeon
- Everyplace is a House
Phantogram was good as well, even though I didn't know anything about them the shoegazy-electronica-trip hoppers with decent beats. Having J Dilla and Madlib in their top friends should give a hint to where they draw their influence. They'll be in town this Saturday, February, 13 at Kung Fu Necktie.
Setlist:
- As Far as I Can See
- Let Me Go
- Mouthful of Diamonds
- Running from the Cops
- You Are the Ocean
- All Dried Up
- Make a Fist
- Turn it Off
- When I'm Small
The Wolfman didn't screen in time for publication but Drew Lazor went anyway.
It's a shame that Benicio's del Toro's love for the 1941 monster classic Wolf Man is not enough to salvage Joe Johnston's hexed remake, which has suffered far too many director swaps, reshoots and delays than a silly movie about lycanthropic English gentlemen in ruffly period costumes should ever endure. Lawrence Talbot (del Toro), an English-born stage actor whom we learn was shipped off to America in his youth (that explains the vaguely Puerto Rican accent!), returns to the perpetually foggy hamlet of Blackmoor to investigate the bizarre death of his brother Ben (Simon Merrells), found ripped to shreds by the side of the road. At first, it's easy for the townsfolk to blame the gypsies hanging out in the forest for the crime, but that's before Lawrence himself is mauled by the same creature. Andddd cue WOLFINESS! Del Toro seems altogether bored by his character. The same goes for Emily Blunt as Ben's sad-sack wife and Hugo Weaving as a jaunty Scotland Yard inspector. Only Anthony Hopkins, as Lawrence's emotionally cold, big-game-hunting father, does delightful (if unsubtle) things with his screen time. A campy self-awareness is pretty much a requirement for these sorts of proceedings, so it's unfortunate that Hopkins is the only one who seems to be having any fun.
Go to citypaper.net/movies for more reviews, tickets and showtimes.
Couldn't agree more, stay home, rent the original or read the book. This Legend of Wolfboy is pretty good if you're into wolves books and all that. An interesting idea at least. Reading a novel free online, beats a $20 movie. http://LegendOfWolfboy.com/
- Activism
- Arts
- Arts Events
- Books
- Dance
- First Person Fest
- Last Chance
- Museum
- On the Fringe
- Philly Artists
- The Curator
- Theater
- Visual Art
- Arts News
- Artist Profile
- Arts Preview
- Street Art
- Been There, Done That
- Big Ups
- Comedy
- LOL With It
- Stand-up
- Critical Mass
- DVD
- Events
- Friday Fill-in
- Ice Cubes
- In Memoriam
- Interview
- Just Do It
- Just Opened
- Kaleidoscopic
- LGBTQ
- Art Phag
- Mailbag
- Movies
- Film Fest
- Movie Review
- On set
- Scenester
- screening
- trailer!
- Music
- 10 Track Mind
- Album
- Album Review
- Concert Review
- DJs
- Local Support
- Now Hear This
- One Track Mind
- Philly Bands
- Show
- Somebody Else Was There
- Song
- The Showdown
- concert photos
- jazz
- DJ Nights Blogged
- Night Watch
- Now See This
- Poetic License
- Printed Matter
- Radio
- Shopping
- Coveted
- Fashion
- What We Heart
- TV
- 24
- Idol Hands
- Mad Men
- ProjRun
- True Blood
- Useless Lost Recaps
- Couch Potato
- Shore Trash
- Turned ONN
- TopMod
- Video Games
- Free Online Game
- PSP
- PlayStation 2
- The 1-Upper
- Wii
- Web Junk
- CAGE MATCH
- Free Online Toy
- Weekend Omnibus
- Win
