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Archive: March, 2008
To anyone familiar with the Nintendo WarioWare series, Four Second Frenzy will seem like a complete rip off. It is, but it's OK as this collection of 50 minigames was developed by a group of programmers and artists from across the globe. There are quite a bit of countries represented, each presenting its own four-second game for the ADD set.
The game is incredibly simple. You're presented with a series of very, very, very, short games (hence the title) that only require you to use the arrow keys and the spacebar. You'll be tasked with everything from parking a car, mowing a lawn, chainsawing a zombie in two, or snapping a photo of a UFO shooting across the sky. There's no real skill required, just fast-twitch muscles. It may take you a few tries to figure out exactly what to do in each game, so keep playing until your eyes bleed, which I think is a very real side effect of this.
Go play Four Second Frenzy here, and try not to think of the missing hyphen in the title.
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| Photo | Brian Howard |
| People love beer. |
It's a testament, I suppose, to how good an idea The Brewer's Plate is that the organizers can't seem to find a space to do it justice. Teaming 21 local eateries with 21 locally brewed beers in a food-and-suds-pairing extravaganza sounds a little bit like heaven — until you try to do it (and, I'd imagine, until you try to pull it off). Held in the long corridor that is the first floor of the Independence Visitors Center, the event drew a fantastic number of sampling-glass-toting attendees. Lines were long, some restaurants had begun running out of food (oh, London Grill duck wings, I never knew ye) just 45 minutes into the non-VIP portion of the evening, and it was nearly impossible to stand in one spot for even 20 seconds to sip a beer then awkwardly balance your plate to sneak a bite before someone was on your heels, trying to get to right. where. you. were. I'm told last year's, held at the Reading Terminal Market, was similarly logistically challenging.
That said, the stuff I was able to sample (before succumbing to a mild case of mob-induced claustrophobia) was delish. The Abbaye's traditional Belgian stew, all meaty and potatofied, went nicely, if not ethnically, with Sly Fox's O'Reilly's Stout. Bar Ferdinand's Nodding Head-braised pork belly with heirloom apples was a little bit divine — the pork belly was tender the the point of melting. Nodding Head's All Night Ale was the perfect complement. RX's blood orange-infused cheddar polenta with rice and plantain chips was a heady combo with Dock Street's St. Alban's ale. And Sidecar's Cajun boudin with red beans and rice was a nice finisher, as Cricket Hill's APA proved yeoman. I'd have loved to have tried more — the line for the Rose Tattoo's oysters and Weyerbacher's Climax Extra Special Bitter extended nearly the length of the venue — but logistics dictated otherwise.
As the scene dwindled, I grabbed from the Franklin Fountain booth a root beer float made with, get this, beer-flavored ice cream, and bolted for the exit, hoping to enjoy my sudsy dessert en route home. However, since the ice cream contained actual beer, and was thus technically an alcoholic beverage, was not allowed to leave the premises with it. A quick sip — tasty but a little weird — and I was out the door and able to breathe again.
I'm no event planner, but given the event's turnout (as it really is a magnificent showcase of Philly's burgeoning restaurant and brewing scenes), may I suggest that next year's be held in a room that's just a little bit more square, and with a few more high-top tables. It's nice to be able to stand and enjoy beer and a bite, if only for a minute.
More photos after the jump:
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| Photo | Brian Howard |
| The Abbaye's Belgian stew (top) and Bar Ferdinand's Nodding Head-braised pork belly with heirloom apples. |
Yeah, the London Grill's duck was amazing. I missed the Franklin Fountain float, but heard it was good. And the event would most definitely be better served in a more suitable location. End of the day it's not about how interesting of a locale the event takes place in, but how well it can function, and this was really tough to get around once it filled in. That being said, I would do it again, it's a great event.
Flying Fish Farmhouse Ale and Tinto Super-Delicious-Meat-and-Bread Combination pairing, my hat is tipped to you.
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| Photo | Nate Adams |
The last time I got kicked in the head, I was in the 10th grade and at a Bad Religion concert in upstate NY. Fully convinced that punk music could save the world, I made it my business to be at the front of every show, dancing my face off and making sure that no crowd surfers broke their necks falling into dead spots in the crowd. Even as a young idealist, I could only stand so many blows to the head, and I caught one shoe to the face too many at that show. I've stayed away from the front ever since.
Years later, a bitter and jaded curmudgeon, I found myself in the basement of the First Unitarian Church, surrounded by punks young and old, all untied in their zealot love for Philly's local hardcore heroes, Paint it Black. Unwillingly caught up in a swarm of bodies, I was pushed towards the front once more, where I was promptly greeted by a Chuck Taylor to the teeth within seconds.
Who says you can't go home again?
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After spirited sets by Philly's Higher Giant and Austin, TX's Riverboat Gamblers, Paint it Black took the stage to a heroes welcome. As the opening notes of "The Ledge," the first track off of this year's New Lexicon, blasted out of the speakers, the kids packed into the church all surged forward in a tidal wave of black t-shirts and bad haircuts. By the time lead singer and front man Dan Yemin screamed the first line of the song, war had broken out in the church basement.
It's impossible to know for sure how many or even what songs the band played; most of the songs came off New Lexicon, but there were some older songs peppered in to please the old heads. The music was coming in waves of fast, brutal, one-minute blasts that kept the crowd smashing into each other and screaming at the top of their lungs.
Yemin was an engaging front man, posing, mugging and generally looking intimidating has be belted out his songs. He got so caught up in his songs, he abandoning his microphone several times to scream like a madman howling at the moon. Waving his arms like a crazed conductor, he lead the crowd in a scream-along that was both awe-inspiring and a little bit scary. Kids rushed the stage, sang with the band and jumped head-first into the swirling crowd, hoping to be caught by the masses. Everyone was caught up by the brutal magic of Paint it Black.
Perhaps what's most interesting about the show is how little of the band's ascetic is reflected in the music. Like Minor Threat and Black Flag before them, Paint it Black aim to address the social injustices of the world by screaming at them. While some might have a hard time seeing a positive message in the band's violent audio assault, the overall message is one of unity and acceptance.
The other thing that surprised me was how funny and relaxed the band was. Hardcore has a stigma of being overly-serious almost to a fault, but that isn't the case at all with Paint it Black. In between their dense, crushing walls of music, the band would joke with the crowd, poke fun at each other, and generally behave like a bunch of dudes having a good time. Surprising for a genre that used to shun any and all attempts to show emotion other than rage.
For their last song, Paint it Black pulled about 30 kids on stage to sing, dance and smash into each other. It was a fitting end for a set full of controlled, joyful chaos. I left the show with a ringing in my ears, a footprint on my face and a smile on my lips. The kids are alright after all.
Don't forget: Paint It Black is on City Paper's team in the Phily Rock Shootout. vote now
Also, John Vettese recently talked to Paint It Black about their newest CD. read it
Peppers and Ladles
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Orchids growing along side the bayou cabin
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Show goers watch Hoppin' John
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Hoppin' John
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Went to the flower show mid-week, looking to see how the NOLA theme, including lots of gritty-hot music, worked with the sometime precious airs of the flower show. . When you stand 5'2" the old saying "unless you are the lead dog the scenery never changes." applies to that crowd scene. Shorties learn to strategize - when will crowds be lighter? The web site says come after 4 p.m. -is there a curfew on tour buses ("be outta town by sunset!")? After 4 didn't work with the band I wanted to see interacting with the flower show hordes, so I wheedled a pre-opening spin through the hall thanks to the obliging nature of Alan Jaffe, Horticultural Society press tsar. Here is most important take away from that whole visit: no matter how high the extra tariff for the early morning tours, you owe it to yourself to go at least once when there are no crowds. What joy to pass without playing thread the needle, to linger a moment at something you really admire and not have somebody's hoagie breath leaning over you. Pay the Society whatever they want for these private tours. Yes, they are high dollar but if you're from the city it is really an investment in your own backyard -or at least the streetscape, because the funds go to programs like Philadelphia Green. Now that you're excited the bad news is the early tours are sold out for this year, but if you go to the website you can get on the mailing list to be first in line for next years tours, complete with docents who sound authoritative on growing things. http://www.theflowershow.com
Loved that prizewinning arrangement of yellow peppers and red ladles in what appears to be a purple yard long Hurricane glass. The bayou cabin was another fave, circled with orchids. A recreation of a beaver dam charmed as well as informed. Always inspiring, the wall of overflowing window boxes, taller above and spilling further down than ever, fueled my resolve to try again (and maybe spend on the "selfwatering kind" avoid my annual baked flowers event). Anybody with a scrap of dirt and no clue where to start shouldn't miss the Children's Garden from Camden, showing intermixed flowers and vegetables, with swiss chard in all its technicolor glory is as decorative as it is delicous.
Over in the vendors area reps from New Orleans sat forlorn and abandoned while folks elbowed for a chance at the begonia bulbs. Sigh. Let's hope that folks get fired up by the pagentry and traditions represented through out the displays and in the music, because years later, Katrina-country still needs some bucking up.
Back to the preciousness feared in the first sentence. With all the glitter of mardi gras floats for reference, the frequently over the top sparkle and showmanship of the formal displays found a happy outlet. The Bourbon Street stage was built to look like a side street back in the quarter, with suggestions of the fancy wrought iron work and for real containers of flowers and plants everywhere. Yes, our own secondliners Hoppin' John, did pull 'em over there.. No seats in front of the stage, so all the blue hairs croweded in where the dancing should've been taking place, looking for all the world that given enough time, they were gonna eventually shake it. Hoppin' John is reason I'd dream braving those crowd. They are one of this city's under-utilized forces of nature. Beats? Clean and hotly syncopated. Horns? Blasting and no hesitation on intonation. They'll be playing daylight hours through Sunday (last day of show)... close your eyes, feel the heat of the crowd, catch the drift of jasmine and gardenia, hyacinth and narcissus in the air and, yeah, you can be in NOLA for a minute.
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| christianvsiriano.com |
| Fierce! |
It was really no surprise that Christian Siriano, the fashion-savvy 21-year-old with a penchant for cockatoo-inspired hairdos and (over)using the word "fierce" would win the whole thing. Sirianio's designs were the most high-fashion throughout the entire season (puffy anything = high fashion) and let's face it, he made for good TV. In what was comparatively a lackluster season, last night's finale was still a must-watch. Christian, along with contestants Rami Kashou and Jillian Lewis, showed their lines at New York Fashion Week to a crowd of fashion industry leaders, celebs and past PR designers, including Philadelphia re-pat and season 1 winner Jay McCarroll. There was, as expected, behind-the-scenes bedlam including a panicked Jillian second-guessing her model choices and Christian's last-to-arrive model. The show, on the other hand, was anything but. Each designer had a very individual point of view that played to very different clientele. Jillian, who consistently made the most wearable clothes all season, showed the most accessible line. Her knit-wear looked the most ready for a spring collection. Rami, who managed to put his obsession for draping aside, made some truly outstanding clothing, particularly those last two dresses he sent down the runway. His attention to detail and surprises (the basket-weaved look was fantastic) made him a true contender against Christian, but his color choices were a bit of a mystery, especially to judge Michael Kors. Christian, who stayed true to his couture and over-the-top fashions, showed a line of mostly black, but all memorable pieces. The outcome was not much of a surprise, but the reaction was. Humble is not typically a word to describe Christian so to see him with a quivering lower lip and tears of joy was the most welcome surprise of the night. He can show emotion, even if it is only for a hot second. I even cried a little, but mostly it was at the thought of not seeing Tim Gunn for a few months.
I stumbled across Bow Street Runners a week or so ago, and I'm hooked. I used to love the old point and click adventure games, and this mixes live action, elements from those old games, and historically accurate (from what I can tell) live action. Great music and sound effects don't hurt, either.
Bow Street Runners pops you into the role of a Bow Street Runner, a member of an 18th-century London police force. In your role, you'll be tasked with solving the murder of a well-to-do socialite who was about to give his fortune away to a tart he fell in love with. It'll take a keen eye and good deduction skills to figure it out. And, from the looks of it, there will be more episodes coming soon, so sign up and get solving!
Go play Bow Street Runners here.
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Pat, this is your best one yet. Those are some mad Photoshop skills you've got.
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