Since this is the Music Issue, let's lead with our strengths. Prominent Philly player Chris "Pow Pow" Powell has arms like two Cliff Lees and an untouchable batting average with Need New Body, Endless Joy, Icy Demons and Man Man. (Foodie note: He helped Brian Dwyer get his Pizza Brain museum started when the two presented 2010's "Give Pizza Chance" exhibition.) With Man Man on break ("We're starting a record in April," says Powell), he's getting itchy. He'll scratch that scab at the Philadelphia Museum of Art March 2 when he debuts ADVENTUREDRUM, a multi-drum-kit idea. "Megawords fellas offered me the PMA date [Megawords is curating events at the museum] and I figured this'd be a perfect time to try it." Powell famously played with the Boredoms in 2007 in a project featuring dozens of different drummers; this Friday night, Powell's 15-piece group will do a "stripped-down" version of what he plans to do outdoors this summer. "It's a community-based project to bring together creative people — artists, dancers, musicians — who may not have met each other before." Sounds ticklish.
When the triple-A radio Non-Com convention hits World Café Live this spring, rumor has that it'll be a doozy. One, it won't be at WCL Delaware. (Sorry, nobody likes Delaware except super PACs. Not even Delaware.) Two, it'll have a slate of some of the finest Caucasian musicians in the business, like Willie Nelson, Rufus Wainwright and the exceedingly white John Mayer. Honorary Caucasoid Norah Jones will play as well, we hear.
Cheers to Cheers Elephant, Philly's soft-prog-psych kings, for their third album, Like Wind Blows Fire. They'll play it loose and fast at a release show March 2 at World Café Live with DRGN KING, Extraordinaires and Dangerous Ponies. More info on p. 18.
Pierogies don't have melody or rhythm, but they are music to my mouth and worth drumming up. Pierogi Week at the Green Rock Tavern on E. Lehigh wraps up March 4. Try the symphony of potato, cheese and sauerkraut that is the one-pound-plus Pierogi Hoagie.
Thom Nickels, Philly journo and novelist (Spore), is part of the just-started Thom & Todd Show webcast on the Mallstars.com channel. If Mulholland Drive was a talk show, it'd be T&T.
March 17 looks like the night American Idol 2011 contestant Erika Schiff will celebrate the birthday of her costume-designer/porn-star pal Gunner with a party at Voyeur. Guest performers include Kevin Aviance ("Cunty"), the Power Infiniti/Kitty Meow team (P.A.K.) and Sherry Vine. The whole shebang is meant to promote healthy sex-lifestyle choices; the Mazzoni Center is looking to host HIV testing on site.
More ice at Critical Mass.
