Allow me to introduce y’all to somebody you see all the time, a usually-behind-the-scenes-sort-of-chap whose b-day should mean something to you. Punk-before-you-were-punk Dennis McHugh has, in his 49 and eleven-twelfths years, designed and printed new wave T-shirts and other un-formal wear as East Coast Ghost Ltd., had a piece of the Creep Records vinyl shop, launched his black-cherry wishniak booze Vive 1977 with a clothing line to match and promoted every Jesse Malin gig ever in the Delaware Valley. Yet to you he’s that rosy-cheeked guy wearing that Apple cap — day, night, hot weather or chilled. And the motherfucker has hair! Anyway, he’s turning 50 this weekend with a June 8 benefit for Street Tails Animal Rescue at Dobbs starring Walter Lure (of Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers), Tough Shits, Paul Hyman from The Serial Killers and Beth Lejman Stack plus a June 9 soiree at Tattooed Mom with Angie Bowie reading from her new book Lipstick Legends and surely telling tall tales about her almost-secret Philly rendezvous-es of the past. Good birthday.
Staying all Philly-punk for a sec, poet/shop owner Molly Russakoff and multi-instrumentalist/Strapping Fieldhand Bob Dickie had a kid, Johnny Dickie, who grew up to be a film director. His first movie, Slaughter Tales, isn’t even out yet and the dark flick got a review from the Alternative Cinema podcast to be followed up with an end-of-June VHS/DVD release on Briarwood Entertainment. Look for his proud mom to host a screening at Molly’s Bookstore.
GuestCounts Inc. owners Barry Gutin and Larry Cohen — the gents of Square Peg — are doing a late-late brunch at their 10th and Walnut restaubar with exec chef Matt Levin on Sun., June 10, a pay-what-you-want affair for restaurant employees and their friends with all proceeds going to CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees). Look it up on Facebook. Book early.
After the heartache of a stalled Kickstarter bus-trip campaign, Joey Martini, Count Scotchula and the barely-clad lasses of Peek-A-Boo Revue won Best Troupe 2012 at the International Burlesque Hall of Fame Competition in Las Vegas over the weekend. Let them savor the victory — then ask for the cash you loaned them. Psyyych.
Longtime Philly rocker John Eddie isn’t just doing the same old music thing anymore. He’s the toast of the cruise-ship circuit, lives in Nashville, Tenn., where his songwriting credits took off (Kid Rock covered him), appears in Springsteen’s video for “We Take Care of Our Own” and owns a saloon in St. Croix called Lowlife Bar and Grill. Yet Eddie’ll still grace locals with a country-ish new CD Same Old Brand New Me and a gig to promote it, June 8 at The Blockley.
More Ice at citypaper.net/criticalmass.
