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Archive: June, 2011
In the year it's been in business, Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar has earned more than the reputation for being a favorite Gayborhood wathering hole. General Manager Freddy Shelley says the two-level bar has become the go-to spot in the area for gay-related non-profit groups to host fundraising and outreach events. "When the business started, we reached out to local organizations about fundraising opportunities," he says. "After hosting the first few, the requests kept coming in."
Through their weekly Community Thursdays affair and events hosted by outside organizations, Shelley says more than three dozen community groups have garnered thousands of dollars through fundraising efforts at Tabu. The list of worthy beneficiaries have included a diverse lineup, including the Mazzoni and Attic Youth Centers and arts groups like Gender Reel and Quince Productions.
Tonight, in celebration of their 50th fundrasier, they're hosting RISE, a bash to benefit ActionAIDS and Philadelphia Fight, two local groups that work to bring awarness and support services to those living with or affected by HIV and AIDS. The evening will include performances by drag queen (one of our Summer Guide cover girls) The Goddess Isis and those crazyass Dumpsta Players.
Fri., June 24, doors at 8 p.m., performances at 10:30 p.m., $10, Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar, 200 S. 12th St., 215-964-9675, tabuphilly.com.
(josh.middleton@citypaper.net)
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The first thing I heard when I walked into Stogie Joe’s was a group of women yelling the lyrics to Gloria Gaynor's “I Will Survive." Then I looked left and saw several "Happy Birthday" balloons at one of the tables, and I knew I had walked into a good time.
Shortly thereafter, another baby boomer grabbed the mic singing Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” paired with the best rock ‘n’ roll strut I’ve seen at a karaoke yet. Her female rocker singing voice grabbed everyone by the bits and pieces and they all joined in on the chorus, clapping to the beat.
“I Drink Alone,” came up next, which wasn't really relevant, since the bar was packed from wall to wall. Every seat at the bar was taken and every table was crowded — inside and out. “It’s like this every Tuesday,” said Paula, a Stogie Joe’s karaoke-night fanatic. “But everyone’s always accepting of whatever karaoke songs and its always a good time.”
The classic “Citywide” special, which includes a shot of Jack Daniels Honey and a Lionshead for $5, was surprisingly unpopular. Looking around, it seemed like people were sticking to a traditional forumula of a domestic beer or mixed drink.
The youngest-looking guy in the joint gave the Springsteen’s “Born to Run” a shot with a Long Island in hand — but he forgot to dedicate it to the late Clarence Clemons (RIP). However, a woman sent everyone home on a good note when she performed Etta James’ “At Last" — signifying a well-rounded group of folks who can start a party strong, but know how to wind it down when the time's right.
Nitty Gritty for Performoers: Tuesdays, 9 p.m., free, Stogie Joes, 1801 E. Passyunk Ave., 215-463-3030.
“Visual Correspondences” — one of two exhibitions currently on view at the Slought Foundation — demonstrates that two people can still share meaningful exchanges, even in the absence of spoken conversation and physical contact.
The show consists of five sequences of photographs and drawings done by Argentinean photographer Marcelo Brodsky and five other artists living and working all over the world. Arranged linearly from left to right, each photograph in a particular sequence evokes the one preceding it — through shared subject matter, similar coloration or like composition.
The project began when Brodsky and Manel Esclusa, a Spanish artist and photographer, began exchanging photographs with no accompanying text or explanation. Brodsky would send an initial photograph and Esclusa would send back one of his own, playing off the original image in some way. Reacting to what Esclusa had sent him, Brodsky would send a new photograph to his colleague, continuing the process to create a dialogue through imagery.
Since that time, Brodsky has undertaken similar exchanges with other artists, including Martin Parr, Cassio Vasconcellos and Pablo Ortiz Monasterio. “Visual Correspondences” is an exhibition of these collaborative efforts.
Student-made behind-the-scenes vid of "City in Motion"
Think back to the first time you ever saw a still life. Gauguin’s Still Life with Apples, a Pear, and a Ceramic Portrait Jug, maybe? Not to trivialize apples, pears or ceramic portrait jugs, but we’ve pretty much outgrown anything ‘still.’ Between tweeting and checking in, society has lost its passion for attractions that don’t offer some kind of interactivity. Deep down, though, we’re still aching for some display to bring us to a mouth-agape standstill. The Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and the MuralArts Program will unite for a 40’x100’ behemoth that combines projection, collaborative multimedia collage and the side of a building.
Blending high technology like cutting-edge design software with classically informed artistry, the teams went to local business owners and scenesters for inspiration. The resulting presentation captures the “City in Motion,” a dynamic look at Philadelphia’s nonstop activity. Stepping back to consider our exhaustive lifestyles might conjure memories of a more optimistic Koyaanisqatsi. Play along with QR codes and your smartphone if you must, but the overriding message of this vigorously stationary experiment is to appreciate our surroundings. Sun., Jun. 26, 8:30 p.m., Fabric Workshop and Museum Building, 1214 Arch St., 215-685-0750, muralarts.org.
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Minnesotta electro-pop group Owl City is coming to The Mann Center (5201 Parkside Ave.) Saturday to promote their latest album, All Things Bright and Beautiful. Want tickets?
I'll give a pair to the first three people to email me with the subject line, "Hoot!"
I'll update the post as winners start rolling in. Let's do this!
View galleryOctomom Nadya Suleman will be in NJ for a Damon Feldman Celebrity Boxing bout June 29 on at Pennant East (141 Crescent in Bellmawr) where she’ll fight Jen Posner of 102.9 WMGK’s John DeBella Show while wearing soft, large gloves. Oy. Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Kim G is guest ref and you can see the whole sordid affair on battlecam.com if you dare.
Philly DJ/producers Bombé (Tim Shaw) and Mr. Caribbean (Luis Angel Cancel) joined forces for a self-released mix tape based on the premise of dipping the chocolate of James Blake into the peanut butter of Drake. The weird mash-up result is titled James Drake (simple, right?) and Pitchfork liked it enough to give it a 7.6 rating. Couldn’t they have given it an 8?
Claudia Gould, the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art at UPenn, just appointed Alex Klein as the ICA’s new program curator. Klein is an artist from LA and is looking to reconfigure the ICA’s website into a potent extension of the museum. Go, girl. Further up the road, Richard Hodges, the visionary director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, is leaving his post in June of 2012.
Everybody’s talking about how Sept 23-24’s Popped! Fest in FDRPark with Girl Talk, The Shins, Panda Bear, Kreayshawn and Cults is going up against the NoLibs-based Philadelphia Film & Music Festival scheduled for September 22-25. But does no one care about the punk rock Red Bull Riot Fest East date at Festival Pier on Sept. 24 with Descendents, X and CP’s own Rodney Anonymous and his Dead Milkmen? That’s the sleeper sell.
CP's Meg Augustin put her iPod on shuffle. This is where it led her ...
1. Bon Iver “ Skinny Love”
Off Justin Vernon’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, "Skinny Love" is one of many oddly upbeat but melancholy tracks on the work. Vernon’s echoing vocals are haunting yet friendly, reflecting his long winter alone in a Wisconsin cabin that spawned Bon Iver. What great artist doesn’t get influenced by a breakup and utter loneliness in the wilderness?
2. Scissor Sisters “Mary”
These gay nightlife scene spin-offs have gained more success in pop-hungry UK than their native U.S. The eccentric band often channels Elton John in lyrics, piano influences, and costuming. This song is no different, although the ballad also seems similarly cut out of an '80s George Michael song. All the same, this pop song has been on my iTunes since high school.
3. Rilo Kiley “The Good that won’t come out”
What do Anthony Weiner, Brett Favre, and an undetermined number of high school teachers have in common? I'd like to quote the Detroit-based disco-punk rockers Electric Six (playing at Johnny Brenda's this October): "You can trip on my synthesizer / Electronic world for every boy and every girl / You can trip on my synthesizer / In the end technology, unto the world, will set us free."
This chorus is a modern battle cry, simultaneously lamenting and celebrating the dizzying freedom that comes with tech-induced omnipotence.
I hear some say, "Well, if sexting had never come along, people would have just found other ways to be creeps." I can appreciate the bitterness behind this sentiment, but you know in your heart of hearts that — while this may be true for a certain slice of the population — there are a lot of people who wouldn't have unleashed their inner sleaze bag in the old-fashioned world, simply because of the practical limitations.
What were you to do fifteen years ago? Photocopy your junk on the company Xerox and then fax it to your mistress's office? Even the most cursory cost/benefit analysis shows that this is not even remotely worth the risk. But today, I can stick a phone down my Jockeys, click two buttons and now it's on a single phone in St. Louis? I have unlimited picture texting, it would be fiscally irresponsible not to do this!
Each week, Emily Apisa puts together a rundown of book-centric events that’ll keep you “lit” like a firecracker all week long.
[ Wednesday ]
➤ Bill E. Beckwith
Though Hollywood may suggest that preserving your outer appearance as you age is paramount, I’d say Bill Beckwith has a better idea: preserve your mind. In his book Managing Your Memory: Practical Solutions for Forgetting, Beckwith explains how our brains’ memory systems function and the ways we can maintain and improve our memory as we age. In this discussion Beckwith will present the ideas from his book, so save the date. Or just to be sure, set a reminder on your phone’s calendar. Wed., June 22, 7 p.m., free, Moonstone Arts Center, 110A S. 13th St., 215-735-9600.
Found Theater Company doesn’t follow the typical formula for creating a production. "[It's a] very experimental process," says company member Max McCormack. "We don’t start with a script, we start with a question.” This year’s question: What will you do when the world ends? Explaining the process, McCormack says “the script is written by the performers and it’s all blended together to create one avant-garde production. it’s a lot of personal stories and experiences pieced together with music and singing.” With the economy and environment collapsing, and predictions of the rapture in 2012 looming around the corner, the Found delivers a product that not only entertains but helps us deal with our own mortality, providing audiences a moment to ponder life's biggest "what ifs."
Found Theater Company's latest project is “Found Sounds,” an evening of live music by acts like Mt. Joy, The JLE, Rosie Langabeer and DJ Stab + Grab that benefits their upcoming Fringe show, Event End.
Sat., June 25, 10 p.m.,$7, the BookSpace, 1113 Frankford Ave., foundtheater.blogspot.com.
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