We are, at present, sandwiched between a gaggle of drunky-fests (this past weekend at Rittenhouse Row, Kensington, Italian Market) and Memorial Day weekend, the boozy three-day opening of the summer. This is a sober lull, and I'd like to fill it with conjecture and wobbly facts.
With everybody at Avram Hornik's Four Corners Management nailing down planks and trimming hedges so the new Morgan's Pier on Columbus Boulevard can open on time, it's nice to announce that David Pianka — Making Time boss and professional rager — is a partner, along with R5's Sean Agnew and Bowery Presents, in the riverfront enterprise. Diamond Dave will book big DJ talent when Lee Jones isn't doing his Sundae joints.
I happened on a sign taped to the front o' Fish saying the Gayborhood's top seafaring foodery was closed due to flooding. But Eater.com and folks close to owner Mike Stollenwerk and investor Evan Prochniak say the Fish heads may simply have too many smelts to fry: the new spot in Independent Hotel, the expanded Fish empire, a Cajun restau-bar at Academy House and, supposedly, a new spot just vacated by Jolly Weldon's Dueling Piano.
We've heard this before, but Philly's Wadsworth Sisters have made it to the near-final round of auditions for the third season of NBC's The Voice. They're currently rehearsing for June 12's World Café Live tribute to Levon Helm, co-starring Up the Chain, Birdie Busch, Bob Beach and Dr. Dog 's Eric Slick. In more Slick family news, axe-wielding sister Julie will release her second solo album, Terroir, in the next several months, but probably not before her work with Crimson ProjeKct (comprising usual mates from The Adrian Belew Power Trio merged with former King Crimson members) continues as the opening act for Dream Theater this summer.
There's been a rumor brewing that the crew of Rumor, everyone's least favorite Jersey Shore-meets-Skrillex-video-shoot danz klub, is looking for a spot to plant an offshoot somewhere between Columbus Boulevard and David Grasso's intended North Philly live rock club (don't ask, we don't know). Thankfully, we've heard that cooler heads have prevailed for now.
Wedding-bell season began with a bang when Heshey Schlachterman of Legendary Dobbs fame married his gal-pal of 16 years (Jennifer) at Dobbs, complete with an open bar and Kenn Kweder serenade. The unions continue as Philly Style mag man John Colabelli and Lauren O'Dorisio marry on June 2 at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago and continue June 9 when PR maven Nicole Cashman binds forever to 611's Nigel Richards at the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center. Yay, youse.
Get thee to Critical Mass for more Icepack.
