June 24-30, 2004

music

icepack

by A.D. Amorosi

It's not even July. It's not even hot. And you're already getting sloppy. Boys in shorts with legs like celery stalks, women with flab rolled over tummy-stop tops. Outside, at the Feztival, I understand. But Making Time's time with Franz Ferdinand — this generation's fey Suede. That's what you wore? Buck up and dress up, fuckers. Then, there's you sucking face in public. With out-of-towners, no less, who like fruity drinks. (Some busty ladies of Philly's Real World carped the help at Loie for action, I hear.) How Alfie. Oh well, at least our fair city is trying. Last week The Daily Show featured Greater Philly Tourism Marketing Corp's Meryl Levitz dealing with correspondent Rob Cordry's queries ("I'm up for three days on crystal meth. Where do I go?") about its gay-tourism TV campaign. Philly Urban Family Council's William Devlin spouted forth this anti-rhetoric: "You can't build tourism around rectums and anuses." … The improv-o-licious Chance Trio hosts a release gig for Marnee Birds June 25 at Highwire Gallery's new 1315 Cherry St. digs. … While Philly architect Louis I. Kahn was honored with an historical marker placed upon his old offices on Walnut Street, his documentary-making son, Nathaniel, is busy taking on The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan. Didn't Night have any sixth sense? Rumors have Son of Kahn's documentary (July 18 on Sci-Fi Channel) telling more about M. and The Village (out July 30) than M. wants. … Jay Schwartz brings the Wire-like Yarn Mask to Tritone June 25. Yarn bassist/singer Luis Mayo is from Philly, a one-time member of Dave Brown's Drug Emporium. … WHOWHATWHERE: While Van Halen was hanging out at its Four Seasons digs last week, Sammy Hagar was noshing at the Saloon on South Seventh. Uptown, days later, Jon Bon Jovi was spied at Elephant & Castle with several Philadelphia Soul contest winners. The Beasties hung with Cypress Hill backstage at the Feztival, recalling rap's old days, and hopefully making fun of Will Smith, who was in Bryn Mawr for sister Ellen's wedding. Do Shadowboxers Cuba Gooding and Stephen Dorff work? Gooding was at Morimoto and, again, at Tragos where Dorff stopped several times to see pal Justin Zeigler. Longtime WOGL-FM high-haired jock Don Cannon found his retirement bash at Frederick's lined with guys like Charlie Gracie, Bobby Rydell, Larry Magid, Hy Lit and more. Expat Philly spinner Cosmo Baker — whose Hip House CD with DJ Ayres got nods in The New York Times — stopped at Tragos for a party in his honor DJ'd by Brendan Olkus. And despite a crowd of people in shorts, Franz Ferdinand not only sandblasted Shampoo, they hung with host David Pianka and 599 other attendees at a Fishtown warehouse (location undisclosed) until 4 a.m. Pianka's partner in the underground marketing group, Rvng Intl., Matt Werth (who now lives in NYC), is ending his eight-year experiment in cranky space-rock, Aspera, at North Star June 26. They'll be missed. Christian James ceased his Saturday residencies at Tribecca for several months of traveling DJ gigs around the country. Mike Conklin left his bass duties for The Trouble with Sweeney after last Friday's Fire gig. … Curator Gravy Thomas hosts "Easy to Blend In" at North, June 24: a camouflage-centric "human puzzle" where the fashion of Ocopelion and Danielle Tobin blend into the art of Dean Rosenzweig and Tyler Luck. Beth B provides synchronized catwalk sounds. … Drexel stuff: CoMAD dean Jonathan Estrin got nominated for the prestigious Humanitas Prize for his script for Jasper Texas. Student Bethany Watson appeared on UPN's Gimme the Mic. … PT Lovekraft brings the soothing circus synth-rock of Fuck You, Fuck Dracula to Speakeasy Cafe in Upper Darby, June 26. … Along with opening Washington Square with Swedish chef Marcus Samuelsson's sexy street food menu on Tuesday and hosting Angelina's first wine-meal pairing June 28, Stephen Starr gave a tentative date (July 20) for his 300-plus patron Continental 2 on S. 18th and dropped hints his Barclay steakhouse will feature a chef from Prime in Las Vegas upon its September opening. Yet, even Starr chefs have to do dumb things. While Samuelsson cooked at ShopRite's Atlantic City Convention Center event pairing golfers and chefs, Masaharu Morimoto instructed "Ben Franklin" on the finer points of chopsticks and sushi-making in preparation for "The Franklin Spirit" event at Japan's World Expo '05. Isn't Morimoto an Iron Chef? Couldn't he have just killed someone instead? … The boys of the huffing-hard-poppish Hilliard release their debut CD {Inside} Out with a party at Doc Watson's June 26. … While Mike DiProspero's Philly Burners hosts topless airbrush girls serving Jell-O shots, and a "Bitch beauty pageant" June 26 at Silk City, Father's Day seemed to be the dirtiest. Along with the "Urban Tantra Intensive" event at Passional, Club Kama Sutra's "Father's Day Fluffer Party" and its web-invite ("With all those peckers hard and ready, prepare to have some fun") made me wish I had kids. Not.