December 11-17, 2003

music

icepack

by A.D. Amorosi

So I’m spinning at Opus 251, like every Wednesday night. With water mains breaking along Rittenhouse Row, the other big thing that broke was the news that Stephen Starr snagged fine fishery Striped Bass right out of the court-controlled hands of Neil Stein, with the sole (no pun intended) bid of $1.3 million. The news roared through the room like a Kennedy had been shot. I hadn’t seen people this bug-eyed since me and mine mixed K and amber-colored crystal meth. While it’s widely known that Starr’s keeping the name and a majority of the staff to make for a speedy transition, one possible change (along with rugs and furnishings) is a new chef. That job is rumored to be going to someone at Le Bernardin, Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert’s Manhattan fishery. "I can’t confirm who yet," says Starr, who is in negotiations with both Ripert and Jean-Georges Vongerichten of Jean-Georges in N.Y.C. "But I do know we’ll be open in 60 to 90 days and that it won’t deter me from opening my other spots on time." As for Stein, he still has Rouge and Bleu, both in the reorganizing phase.… You can see a wrinkled, sinewy Iggy Pop at The Khyber, Dec. 15, if you’re one of 100 Y-100 contest winners -- it’s his first up-close here since he got his pants yanked and his member exposed by an audience member at Hot Club in 1979. You should be that excited to see Old City-expat/pianist Ted Gerike at Chris’ Jazz Café on Dec. 15.… It’s go time for The Reasons for Christmas Project’s CD, The Reasons for Christmas. On Dec. 11, local jazzbos Bob Dorough and Bobby Syvarth and pals live it up at Hillside Inn for the benefit of PATH, Pocono Area Transitional Housing (for information, call 570-223-8238).… Philly’s Trauma Queens are trading PR with their Japanese touring partner, DMBQ. While the metal act (connected to The Boredoms’ side project, 00100) plays The Khyber with the Queens on Dec. 12, an Icepack-like prick in Tokyo is getting hyped on Trauma Queen Jason Killinger. The next night, Dec. 13, The Khyber hosts Philly’s noisy, nervy lyricists, National Eye (with The Capitol Years), as Eye celebrates the release of its new CD, The Meter Glows.… Producers from MTV’s Real World are casting "women over 18" for the daytime drama Starting Over at Loews Hotel on Dec. 13. Info: 888-633-8149.… Since Helena Mojgani -- the yelling lady who had Helena’s at Front and Chestnut sts. -- now has kabob restaurant Aromatic at 113 Chestnut St., what ever happened to her old spot on the corner? The property (maintained by multiple-property owner Janice Rimmeir) was nearly leased to Ponzio’s of New Jersey for an all-night diner project. The deal fell through. Maybe Young Professionals’ Mark Simeone will take it, as I hear he and his are looking for Old City digs.… When Dirty Dave Pianka isn’t busy helping his buds, DJs Diabolic and Julian S. Process, release their naughty, sampladelic electro-hop CD, MXCD2C, at Ministry (nice "Me So Horny" meets "Wild Thing"), he’s booking N.Y.C.’s The Rapture for Dec. 12’s Making Time at 2-4 with DJs Poliquin, Justine, Diabolic and Julian.… WhoWhatWhere: Before heading to his Lights Out release party at Transit, Steve Lawler hung at 611. Alicia Silverstone was at North Star, hanging with S.T.U.N. (which one is she dating?), when they opened for Vendetta Red. Most of Korn popped into Club Risque and Whiskey Dix after their Electric Factory gig. If you saw Trekkie-like devotees at the Free Library, it was for those sexy Tolkien scholars Tom Shippey and Joyce Lionarons. Oooh, was that a Hobbit in your pocket? Ruben Studdard was spied around The Studio, popping his head out of his session with Andre Harris and Vidal Davis long enough to catch Baby Blak’s BBE Once You Go Blak release celebration there. Along with Blak, BBE’s local division signed Jaguar Wright and Roots bud Dice Raw for 2004.… Vesuvio on Eighth Street goes opera with Antonio Conte Pugliese appearing every Wednesday.… Philly’s fave trannie brothers Al and Sal host "Transpyre" at Tritone on Dec. 11 for gender-bent buds DJ Psydde D. and visualist Large Marge.… The doggone Dumpsta’ Players highlight 2003 and give out awards, Dec. 17 at Bob and Barb’s.… B-days: Along with wishing one to my moms, happy birthday to Joey Breakdown, who’ll celebrate Dec. 12 at Saint Jacks with Magin Boo, GC and Cuebik, and a shout out to Linda Ling, the Hot Club regular who just made Tritone’s Rick D. a proud, drunken uncle with the birth of Audrey Katherine. And since you must give as well as receive the funk, bring toys (not stuffed) and cash to G-Room’s Dec. 13 bash at 2-4 Club. They’ll give 10 percent of proceeds to St. Mary’s Family Respite Center (for kids infected with HIV/AIDS), as well as collecting for Toys for Tots. What’ll you get? Girls -- the company of Marion Leary and Amanda Leahy. Boys -- the sounds of DJ Summer Joy and the thought you could score with this mostly lesbian crowd. Ho ho ho.