Archive: February, 2011

POETIC LICENSE: Horoscopes, Feb. 18-24

POSTED: Friday, February 18, 2011, 9:00 PM

Filed Under: Poetic License

Devoted poet/avid concert-goer/nerd-grrrl extraordinaire Jane Cassady's weekly horoscopes run in this space every Friday morning. Spring Fever Mix Tape Aquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 19): Write About Love (Belle and Sebastian): Whatever cubicle nightmare is glitter-hazing your head, your heart needs some fresh air. Go outside and get sunbeams on your face. Map the snowmelt rivers, or better yet, follow them. Pisces (Feb. 20-March 20): (Portland, Oregon) You're My Home (Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen): "We're so thankful for everything we've got, and we're so sorry for everything we're not." Except that you never have to apologize. Your heart is as bountiful as a Portland food truck. You are the opposite of an ironic mustache. Like the Rose City, your aim is true. Aries (March 21-April 18): The Cave (Mumford and Sons): "The sun, it rises slowly as you walk/ Away from all the fears/ And all the faults you've left behind." You are now leaving Plato's cave. Things aren't shadows anymore, they're three-dimensional. Taurus (April 19-May 18): Firework (Glee Cast Version): Everyone has come to the field and spread out their blankets as the blue fades from the sky and the stars appear. They're waiting for you with a soundtrack of sighs. You are only for special occasions, only for glimmering across their upturned faces. Gemini (May 19-June 21): The Suburbs (Arcade Fire): Things may seem end-of-the-worldy, but a lot of it plans to stick around, I promise. Ride bikes around like little kids. Take out your camera and record every angle of your living sight. Have faith in the horizon, and even in the cul-de-sac. Cancer (June 22-July 23): Animal (Miike Snow): You shapeshifter, mixing your signals, fading in and out like a pulse. You can decide what you are on any highway. "Now you're pulling your disguise up. Are you free or are you tied up?" Leo (July 24-Aug. 23): Home (LCD Soundsystem) and Home (The Magnetic Zeroes): Get there and stay there, or carry it with you. Everything you hope for is stacked up around your ears. Remember your best friend is your breath, and most importantly: come back, come back, come back. Virgo (Aug. 24-Sept. 23): El Scorcho (Weezer): Somebody is always reading your diary, decoding the heart-doodles in the margins. Follow love with or without mistranslation, whether or not you are even legible. Send out sparks like homing beacons, it's okay for now, the waiting. Libra (Sept. 24-Oct. 21): You Can Do It (Ice Cube): You are my very own living room dance party, and this is encouragement you can trust. "Don't stop, git it git it." You will. Scorpio (Oct. 22-Nov. 22): Touch the Sky (Kanye West): "Any pessimists I ain't talked to them,/Plus, I ain't have no phone in my apartment." Feel free to be oblivious to anything that might hold you back. Pull out all of your household wires if necessary. Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 22): Born this Way (Lady Gaga): It doesn't matter if you were born this way or notthe you that you are creating out of the materials given (hardship, music, TV shows, imaginary limits) is so perfect that it is too beautiful to look at. Get yourself to a disco ball, and refract all over the place. Capricorn (Dec. 23-Jan. 20): Awake my Soul (Mumford and Sons) "How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes/ I struggle to find any truth in your lies/ And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know/ This weakness I feel I must finally show/ Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all/ But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall/ Lend me your eyes I can change what you see/ But your soul you must keep, totally free"

Posted by Jane Cassady @ 9:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

SHORE TRASH: Does anyone in that house eat fiber?

POSTED: Friday, February 18, 2011, 8:00 PM

Filed Under: TV Shore Trash

mtv.com

She needs to poop

Last night's episode was a welcomes reprieve from the nonsensical drama that had been plaguing the Jersey Shore lately. It comprised of a lot less Ronnie, and (well, almost) absolutely no Sammi, so there really wasn't anywhere to go but up. With a devastated Ronnie, shattered by the absence of a girlfriend to emotionally desecrate, he was in need of a therapy session, which, luckily for those who watched, involved some great words of wisdom from Mike, who proves that he doesn't suck as a human. Well, not always. "It's good to cry," he says, laying a Popeye-arm on Ronnie's shoulder. He explains that he is not one-dimensional dude only vying to work out and get laid, but rather a douche of all trades. "Some days, I'm Uncle Situation, other days I'm Doctor Situation, I'm Chef Situation, Bang-Your-Girl Situation. I'm a pretty deep dude," he says. After spewing more poetry about playing Michael Bolton music and how he would rather die standing than live on his knees, or something like that, Ronnie doesn't seem too perked up. "Listening to Mike about relationship problems is like listening to a sailor about flying a plane," he says. Yeah, Ronnie, just like that.

mtv.com

While Ronnie cried, Deena once again proves herself to be the most consistently not crappy roommate by enlisting Snooki to agree to smother cake on Vinny's face. "One, two, three four, I declare a prank war," affirms Pauly, and it's on. Team Meatball and Team Bromance (creatively or not coined by Deena), swap pranks of mysteriously smelly concoctions under each team's beds. Then Pauly and Vinny hit below the belt, stealing Snooki's beloved, booger green Croccadilly' and hiding it. They hung it from one of the balconies, causing Snooki, who is just moments away from plastering the toy's goofy face on a milk carton, to whine to anyone that would listen to her. Either to stir the pot or to just to shut her up, Mike takes pity on the oompa-loompa by showing her where the strange object of her affection is, resulting in a shriek from Snooki. Outraged, Snooki asks the biggest TV mystery question since "Who shot Mr. Burns?" on the Simpsons. "Who hung Crocadilly?" Really, Snooks? The next day, Deena is afraid to wake an emotionally dainty Ronnie for their shift at the t-shirt store. "Ronnie is a friggin' hot mess," Deena proclaims. Takes one to know one, but Deena's right. Ronnie spends most of his shift crying in the bathroom, leaving Snooki to whine about waiting to poop. There's a good chance Ronnie was masking his actual bathroom activities with tears and sobs because meanwhile at the house, Vinny and JWOWW worked on unclogging the toilets (yep, plural) that Ronnie had gone to work on earlier.

mtv.com

Later, constipation rears its ugly head again, as Deena is now the victim and doesn't think she can go out because of her stomach ache. "I'm backed up!" she pouts. Does anyone in that house eat fiber? Undeterred, of course, they go to Karma, where Mike essentially dry humps Pauly's ex (no guy code, bro) and Ronnie continues to mope. Snooki says the smartest thing she's said in a while, and advises Ronnie, "You two are fucked up in the head and you both need to be single." Perhaps as a reward from the juice-head shore gods for her insight, Snooki meets a "Mario brother" whose name she can't remember (spoiler alert: she must have stamped a name tag on him because they're still dating in real life), and all is right in the world. On the walk home, Deena continues her miserable, constipated, not fun, very sloppy day by falling and crying in the middle of the street. Proclaiming in hysterics that no one gets her, she wants to go home, yadda yadda yadda, Mike dubs her a Sloppopotomus' (a slop tart + a hippopotamus, duh) as she continues to whine and cry all over herself. Once back at the house, Ronnie enlists her to help cook drunk munchies to cheer her up. He later has his only redeeming moment of the season so far, when he consoles Deena into staying with a few choice words. "You're like our baby sister we never wanted," he tells her. Deena, perhaps realizing that she is getting a pep talk from someone whose life sucks more than hers, elicits a smile. Overall, it was a shitty day for Deena, except not really. That was kinda the problem. HIGH: Snooki can't remember her new beau's name once they are in the Smush Room. So, she gives an educated guess. "Bernard?" Close, his name's Jionni. LOW: Ronnie sends flowers for Sammi. If he really wanted to get her something, how about new glasses to make up for the ones he shattered? Those polycarbonate lenses don't come cheap, Ron.

Posted by Diana Palmieri @ 8:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

CONCERT REVIEW: Yann Tiersen @ First Unitarian Church sanctuary, 2/17

POSTED: Friday, February 18, 2011, 7:00 PM

Filed Under: Music Concert Review

Photo | Chris Sikich

Playing to a crowd seemingly filled with more curious listeners than devoted fans, French composer Yann Tiersen and his band earned a hushed respect for their mellow melodies and for their earsplitting sonic swells. Could've been the settting: Audiences in First Unitarian Church's sanctuary are generally better behaved than they might be elsewhere. Could've been unfamiliarity with the material: Though everyone seemed absorbed, few clapped until compelled. But even as the band toggled effortlessly between extremes from a phalanx of keyboards to a gentle ukelele, from instrumental bliss to gang choruses respect wasn't the reaction they were going for. The first crack in the audience's reserve came when Tiersen traded in his guitar and keys for a violin freakout; the second, when the bandleader noted they'd rather look out and see dancing in the sanctuary's pews than a seated reverence. Or worse, yawning. That was enough to shake things loose. By show's end, only a quiet minority remained seated. The rest, on their feet and fully won over, were quiet no more.

Posted by M.J. Fine @ 7:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

LOL WITH IT: Standup exports, the new class

POSTED: Friday, February 18, 2011, 6:00 PM

Filed Under: Comedy | Critical Mass | LOL With It Stand-up

Every Friday, Ryan Carey takes a look at who and what's giving Philly the giggles. Today he talks to a group of younger Philly-bred comedians who are seeking professional careers in other markets. They were each asked: WHEN did they start comedy & when did they leave Philly? WHY did they relocate? HOW has it been going? WHO were their favorite Philly comics or bookers in the Philly scene when they left? WHERE can we find them performing should we happen to be in their town? Kent Haines

WHEN? I did my first open mic in the summer of 2006, and probably did about 20 shows the first year. When I moved to Philly in 2007 I started doing comedy in earnest. I moved to Chicago in May of 2010. WHY? I wanted to push myself in a bigger comedy scene. Also, my wife got a sweet job, and I don't make any money, so I go where she goes. HOW? It's been good, although breaking into Chicago feels a lot like breaking into Philly felt in that first year. For the most part, you're getting booked by other comics, so it takes a few months at least for them to accept that you're a funny guy (and that you're going to keep bugging them until they book you). I think Chicago is great, it's a bigger scene which means there are more open mics and showcases to get up at every night. That said, there are some great things about Philadelphia that are lacking in Chicago. For one, there isn't an open mic in the city that is nearly as good as Helium, or even the Raven Lounge. So it's harder to get a good gauge for new material because you aren't in front of real crowds unless you're doing a booked show. Secondly, because the scene is bigger, the sketch, improv, and stand-up scenes are very segregated. One of the best parts of Philadelphia is the extent to which the three comedy scenes support each other, to the point where they start to feel like a single community of funny people. Some of my best friends in Philly were comedians who never (or rarely) did stand-up, but instead focused on improv and sketch. WHERE? If you want to see me in Chicago, you can check out the Lincoln Lodge. I am a cast member of this weekly showcase, which has been running for 11 years and has featured Kyle Kinane, Kumail Nanjiani, TJ Miller, and basically any other good comic from Chicago in the past decade. It's a fun room and I'm really proud to be a part of it.

Conrad Roth WHEN? I began performing comedy my senior year of college, September 2006. I left Philly in October 2009 for San Francisco. WHY? I left because I found out that I could perform multiple times every night in SF and didn't want to move to NYC just yet. HOW? My act has gotten much better and also evolved due to experimentation. However, I'm paying dues all over again which is challenging and very interesting. It's simply a larger scene out here in the Bay Area, meaning more comedians and more venues, which translates into more opportunities. Also people (audience members) in SF go out every night of the week, where as in Philly, most people go out only Thursday - Saturday. WHERE? I perform a few times a week at the Brain Wash then once a week at Deco, Nick's Crispy Tacos, SF State, Amnesia, Rockit Room, and Club 93. These are all places in SF proper because I don't have a car, but I will be going to more shows in the East Bay (Oakland and beyond) in 2011. John Kensil (The Prodigal Son)

WHEN? I started comedy around 1997. I left for L.A. in 2007, and returned in 2009. Now please don't think "Geeze Louise! He spent all that time here in Philly just doing Philly clubs?" I got tired right away. There wasn't a great room like Helium in Philly. I started going to New York about 3 nights during the week. It took me a bunch of auditions till I finally got passed at the Comic Strip. Now you may say "Jumping Jehosaphat! Why didn't you move to New York?" Well to be honest New York is only about 85 miles away from where I live and I could make that drive instead of paying enormous rent or have 6 roommates. Plus I did other comedy related things. I sold jokes to radio services, cartoons and a couple of comedians. I worked and learned at The Comedy Cabarets which had six or seven good clubs in the suburbs. WHY? I always wanted to get away and see what L.A. was like. And hey, you only go around once in this world! I'll be honest. LA is where you go to get noticed and picked up hopefully get a spot on a show or a Comedy Central presents. Or even better, a spot on a sitcom. And this is where it gets complicated. You start out being a comedian then you evolve into acting, writing, film making. But if you love being a standup you can do it wherever you live. I also found out there is way more paid work in the NE part of the country. I know several comics that "Live" in LA but they are on the road 3 weeks of the month to pay rent on their 1 bedroom apt in Sherman Oaks. HOW? The Improv on Melrose was the place for me. You see a ton of really talented people especially at the Upright Citizens Brigade and Largo. You have to do showcase nights, hopefully someone will see you. Nothing is going to fall in your lap--you have to make a name for yourself, then an agency will notice you. You don't get paid out there to do showcases so you have to get a day job to pay your rent unless you have a Sugar Daddy (yes the candy bar, it gives you plenty of pick up, I'll say!). I came back here because I realized I love my family and friends and I enjoy the east coast. Additionally, there is simply more paid work back here. I have no bad feelings about LA and would not discourage anyone from going out. I might mid go back in 2011 with a different game plan (I'm buying an organ grinder monkey--don't print my organ grinder plan or else everybody is going to get one). WHERE? I think I'm staying in Philly, I love it here, the seasons change, I enjoy others with an east coast city mentality. I really dig the growing Sketch community here in Philly. I really enjoy Helium for letting me be original in front of smart inner city audiences. I have a couple invites back out with friends who have places for me to stay. I wouldn't mind alternating between coasts. I have been writing a couple of scripts (like that's never been said before). As I mature I see other outlets for my humor (i.e. talk-radio, short films, dunk-tank Clowning etc.). But Jimmy Fallon and Letterman are only an hour and a half away, and there are plenty of funny people here that inspire me. Pat House (Just Departed!)

When? I started writing ideas and "jokes" in high school, but I was 19 the first time I stepped on stage to try stand-up. I did my first open mic October 13, 2004. I left Philly on Dec. 15, 2010 for Hoboken, NJ. Why? I moved for comedy, for more opportunities to get on stage. I know people that perform 15-20 times a week in NYC and I really want to do that. I want to obtain all the stage time I can to become the best comic I can be. How? I've only been near NYC for a little bit. But my career had already evolved immensely since I started. I used to tell one-liners that were completely unrealistic and kind of bizarre. Then about two years in, I was telling the same quick set-up/punchline style of jokes, but the jokes were more personal and I found myself being more honest on stage. Still evolving, about four or so years into comedy, and much more comfortable on stage, I started to venture into telling stories and making my act even more personal. I hope I continue to evolve in this area because it's honest and there's so much to choose from. No one can steal you life experiences. Plus, it's so much more fun to just be yourself on stage. Need more of the funny stuff? Check our online events database for stand-up, improv and sketch shows!

Posted by Ryan Carey @ 6:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

GO SEE IT: Mummies make a one-time East Coast cameo

POSTED: Friday, February 18, 2011, 5:00 PM

Filed Under: Critical Mass Arts Events

Penn Museum

Beauty of Xiaohe

Have you ever seen a really fine mummy? Well, the "Beauty of Xiaohe," age 4,000 years, is giving new meaning to MILF (Mummy I'd like to find). Unearthed in 2003 in the desert sands of Chinag's Tarim Basin, she's finally made the trip to the East Coast, where she'll be on display at The Penn Museum's new exhibit, "Secrets of the Silk Road." Opening to the public today, the exhibition will showcase this startlingly well-preserved (not to mention good lookin') mummy "with graceful eyelashes," it's as if "she has just softly fallen to sleep," say the folks at Penn Museum. Okay, all creepiness aside, the exhibition is a once-in-a-4000-year-thing. Along with "the beauty," there will be more than a hundred objects representing life during the days of the Silk Road, including a smaller mummy and fragments of the famed, six-foot, six-inch "Yingpan Man" (if only the NBA has been more open to international players back then). Apparently, these artifacts made quite the splash in the archeology community, revealing the full swath of peoples that mingled via the Silk Road back in the days of the Han Dynasty (late second century BCE. to about 1400 CE). As far as present day politics, it seems there was some sort of "miscommunication" with China regarding the mummies' stop in Philly, the details of which the Penn Museum has decided to keep as shrouded as their embalmed buddies. But whatever the case, you can check out all the ancient knickknacks for the next month at the Penn Museum.

Posted by Will Stone @ 5:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ICE CUBES: Saving [Topher] grace

POSTED: Friday, February 18, 2011, 4:00 PM

Filed Under: Ice Cubes

Jami Osiecki

Topher Grace, Teresa Palmer and the The 10! Show hosts

You can't always figure out the choices an actor or actress makes. Take Topher Grace: After a dippy turn in "That 70's Show," he promised that his career would take more of a spiky turn as signaled by the dastardly villain he played in Spider-Man 3. Good. Real teeth gnashing stuff. But if you wait for those roles, you sometimes don't eat. So here he is, doing the star and producer bit in Take Me Home Tonight, the '80s-ish comedy that begs the question really, Eddie Money? That said, Topher's an amiable comic presence think a Dick Van Dyke for the 21st Century and the flick is a larf-and-a-half. He hung out, Phillies cap and all, on the set of the NBC-TV 10 program The 10! Show Wednesday with his Aussie co-star Teresa Palmer. Yay you. In further ICE news from yesterday, we found a few links to the American Idol files of Erika Schiff who made the top 100 contestants during Hollywood week. Such a struggle finding links. Not singing.

American Idol Archive

Idol Chatter

Road to Hollywood Video

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 4:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

TO-DO LIST: Games & quizzo, Feb. 18-25

POSTED: Friday, February 18, 2011, 3:00 PM

Filed Under: To-Do List

Each day we dig into a different category of our listings database to compile a to-do list of our favorite entries. Today: get your brain right for a week's worth of games and quizzo.

BINGO AT EL CAMINO REAL Free BINGO with prizes ranging from veggie wings to nachos to pitchers of margaritas or beer. Every Mon., 8-10 p.m., FREE, El Camino Real, 1040 N. Second St., 215-925-1110.

BINGO AT PYT Win drinks and grub at this weekly BINGO party in NoLibs. Every Wed., 8-10 p.m., FREE, P.Y.T., 1050 N. Hancock St., 215-964-9009.

DARK HORSE QUIZZO Compete for a chance to win a $40 or $20 gift certificate. And yes, they can be used for beer. Every Mon., 9 p.m., FREE, Dark Horse Pub, 421 S. Second St., 215-928-9307.

FUN FRIDAYS AT PRCC Every Friday, the Philadelphia Recovery Community Center (PRCC) offers all types of entertainment from board games to Wii tournaments and karaoke, without drugs or alcohol. Every Fri., 5:30-7 p.m., FREE, Philadelphia Recovery Community Center, 1701 W. Lehigh Ave., 215-223-7700.

LOCUST RENDEZVOUS QUIZZO Feat. Johnny Goodtimes. Better call ahead to get a reservation, this one gets busy. Every Wed., 6:15 p.m., FREE, Locust Rendezvous Bar and Grill, 1415 Locust St., 215-985-1163.

MAGGIE'S WATERFRONT QUIZZO Test your knowledge and wits at Maggie's Waterfront for their weekly quizzo. Prizes differ every week. Every Wed., 8-10 p.m., FREE, Maggie's Waterfront Café, 9242 N. Delaware Ave., 215-637-6716.

QUIZZO BOWL VII Hosted by Johnny Goodtimes comes the mother of all quizzos with first place winning over $1500 in prizes. Expect appearances from local celebrities and other people of "interest." The last few have sold out, so don't wait too long, quiz nerds. Sat., Feb. 19, 8 p.m., FREE, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400.

RAVEN LOUNGE DAILY QUIZZO AND BOARDGAMES All day everyday you can play all types of board games, trivia games and, well, just games. Daily, 4 p.m.-2 a.m., FREE, The Raven Lounge, 1718 Sansom St., 215-840-3577.

REMBRANDT'S QUIZZO Test your wits to win beer! Every Tue., 9 p.m., FREE, Rembrandt's Café, 741 N. 23rd St., 215-763-2228.

SWEENEY'S SALOON QUIZZO Pints and quizzo, what more could you ask for on a Wednesday night? Every Wed., 9-11 p.m., FREE, Sweeney's Saloon, 13639 Philmont Ave., 215-677-3177.

TANGIER RESTAURANT QUIZZO First place winner gets $25 gift certificate and second place gets $15. Every Mon., 9-11 p.m., FREE, Tangier Restaurant, 1801 Lombard St., 215-732-5006.

THE BLOCKLEY POURHOUSE QUIZZO This four-round quizzo features three random knowledge rounds and one lightening round. Drink and food specials every time. Every Mon., 8-10 p.m., FREE, Blockley Pourhouse, 3801 Chestnut St., 215-222-1234.

THREE-WAY QUIZZO "Just like a real three-way your first time might be a little scary, but do your best and hope the other guy gets screwed." Every Tue., Wed. & Sun., 9-11 p.m., FREE, Local 44, 4333 Spruce St., 215-222-2337.

There's a whole lot more where that came from in our events database. Check it!

mike

Posted 2011-02-18 11:18:38

lame to leave out Irish John's nights at Atlantis and N' Mechanics.  He's way better than the other quizzo offerings in this town.

James

Posted 2011-02-18 11:22:07

Yes! Irish John rules!  I used to go every Sunday for Quizzo at Noddingheads.

James

Posted 2011-02-18 11:23:37

"it's a piece of piss!!" haha

Posted by Sean Kearney @ 3:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

DOC REVIEW: The Complaint Choir

POSTED: Thursday, February 17, 2011, 9:00 PM

Filed Under: Critical Mass | Movies

The Complaints Choir is a movement to compile gripes, grumbles and grievances and arrange them in a chorus. This is not a glorification of non-gratitude, but rather a philosophical and turns out a somewhat political demonstration which gets an assortment of different reactions as choirs are organized all around the world. The basic premise is that we don't process problems in a healthy way. We focus more on the problems and less on the improvements. Sometimes we keep this stuff bottled up and it manifests in psychological or physical distress. Other times, we complain too gratuitously and fall into less effective general attitudes, mistaking the relevance of a late train for that of the Stock Market crash. And indeed, part of the Complaint Choir's beauty is their juxtaposition of "I have a hangnail" with "I lost my job" woven into the fabric of the music to effectively illustrate the empirical values of different complaints made stylistically similar.

In the documentary, we see that the Complaints Choir doesn't always go smoothly. Singapore is one example where the government intervened, and you start to realize that the freedom to express our grievances is perhaps the freedom most heartily taken for granted by Western culture. But do we do use it to affect positive changes, or do we just keep the muckiness of our culture damp with a vague haze of discontent? The Complaint Choir was begot by Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen in Helsinki, Finland as a living pun (there's a Finnish phrase to describe lots of people complaining at once, "Valituskuoro," which literally translates to "chorus of complaints"). When it picked up notoriety in England, Complaint Choirs started sprouting up all around the world. We had one here in Philadel0phia in '08, organized by First Person Arts and Spector Projects. For more information, visit http://www.complaintschoir.org/

Posted by Ryan Carey @ 9:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

ADVENTURES OF AN OPEN-MIKER: Tritone

POSTED: Thursday, February 17, 2011, 7:00 PM

Filed Under: Critical Mass | Music | Adventures of an Open-Miker Local Support

The PBR Band.

Make no mistake: Tritone is a rock bar. The venue at 15th and South had Zeppelin blasting on the jukebox when I entered. The walls are red, the bathroom was covered with graffiti and those black-and-white bumper stickers for angry unknown bands, and the stage was littered with guitar amps as a man assembled a drum kit. This might sound like criticism, but it's not: it's just to point out that this is a venue quite different from those I've covered up to now. This one caters mainly to full bands, not singer-songwriters. That said, performances varied widely, from keyboards to harps to horns.

David Bowden

The night was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., but open-mikers be warned: it didn't get going until about 9:30. Still, the bands on stage Tuesday put on a rollicking good showI haven't seen so many extended guitar solos in quite a while, and it reminded me of why jam bands are so much fun. The band that hosted the night, called the PBR Band (though it stands for Philadelphia Brothers Reunion, not the beer), sounded like a cross between the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brotherstwo bands which they later covered. The guitarist played deft, modal solos reminiscent of Jerry Garcia's, but the overall sound was more stripped-down and punchy than either band. The keyboardist easily transitioned to bass as the night went on. These guys were technically proficient, and had plenty of energyworth dropping by on a Tuesday night to see. As for the other performers: we each got 15-minute, 3-song slots. I was impressed by David Bowden, a solo Irish harpist who confidently took the stage wedged between louder acts. His Celtic tunes were followed by Gray Fox, another standout actand not just because their drummer busted the bass drum head. They were a two-piece band, just guitar and drums, but there was no need for a bass: the guitarist filled the room with his metal-inflected blues riffs even while we waited for the drum kit to be repaired. The electric guitar, with its thin sound, has never struck me as a good solo instrument; you rarely see singer-songwriters come onstage with one. But Gray Fox pulled it off: it was Delta blues on speed. While we listened, we ate fried pickles and drank what's been called the "citywide special": PBR and a shot of whiskey for three bucks. No beers on tap, but a good selection of bottles and cans. Tritone is an upbeat, rocker's nightbands should check this one out, while singer-songwriters might prefer just to listen. The nitty-gritty for performers: Tuesdays, Tritone, 1508 South St. Scheduled for 8, but don't show up until 9. Three songs apiece.

Posted 2011-02-17 14:43:15

Though there may not have been many on this night, singer-songwriters are welcome to play, and often do.

Posted by Matt Cantor @ 7:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

PORTLANDIA: The dream of the '90s is alive!

POSTED: Thursday, February 17, 2011, 6:00 PM

Filed Under: Critical Mass | TV

ifc.com

Fred Armisen and Sleater Kinney co-frontwoman Carrie Brownstein's situational sketch comedy show is so much more than a bunch of post-Jeff Foxworthy "You might be a hipster if..." jokes strung together. Although, if that's all it were, it would still be funny because, after all, our culture is certainly prime for a little good-natured joshing towards the dominant personality continuum of the '10s. The success of Stuff White People Like has certainly shown us that the average 28-year-old white Obama voter is a stereotype rife with intricately consistent patterns. And since they have more momentum and unity than ever, it's time to tap in for some satire. But Portlandia is more than all that, and works as great sketch comedy even if you've been living on a military base in the Middle East for the last decade or have never seen a Life is Good sticker, craft brew-pub or ultimate frisbee. The characters deal with such absurdly exaggerated pre-occupations that the humor exists in two realms at once: the satire realm and the absurdist realm (note: I've never been to Portland, but I pray to the goddesses that this is the case).

Jason Sudeikis guest stars in a sketch

Playing an array of characters from themselves to adult hide-and-seek league players, Armisen and Brownstein traverse the bicycle-flush landscape of vegan-friendly music-snobbery. They both play members of the opposite sex during the show sometimes simultaneously, which is ridiculous enough to be enjoyable despite the harsh fact that they both make brutal transvestites. They take trips such as getting up from a restaurant to visit the nearby free-range farm of the chicken they're considering eating for dinner, as well as searching for Porlandia's mayor who they find playing bass with a roots-reggae band. Produced by Lorne Michaels and directed by SNL digital short-maker Jonathan Krisel (who also directed the seminal [Philly-bred] adult swim shows Tom Goes to the Mayor and Tim & Eric Awesome Show), Portlandia utilizes trippy editing to bolster its comic rhythm and create absurdist atmospheres. Frequent guest appearances are made by Kyle MacLachlan and Funny People/Parks & Rec darling Aubrey Plaza. I was happy to find that Brownstein really backs up her indie-cred with outstanding sketch acting, including but not limited to superb comic timing and a bevy of nuanced faces from deadpan to bitchy to seemingly all-encapsulating feminism. Portlandia should be poised to be a flagship show for IFC. It airs Fridays at 10:30 p.m., but if you don't have the Independent Film Channel (guilty!), do what I did and check it out free on Comcast On Demand. In the meantime, lets get you started with a sketch...

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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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