January 27-February 2, 2005

music

icepack

by A.D. Amorosi

Being sick for a month is a drag. Having a 102-degree fever throughout most of it is psychedelic. Every twist you conceive in your overmedicated haze collides with true blipping factoids. Chyna Doll's crinkly extended labia hover before me. Loopy Bill Cosby morphs into a wack, tongue-talking, girl-groping octopus. SpongeBob SquarePants and Abe Lincoln are gay. I see Lincoln clearly: freeing black men, cultivating a girlish mole, "log splitting." It all makes sense now. And it's so appropriate in a week where Philly's throwing its famed gay-centric Blue Ball (Jan. 28 through 30, dig). Speaking of which, way-gay hip-hop act V.I.P. 's label Collision/Collider got served papers by King, Holms, Paterno & Berliner LLP, the lawyers for Van Halen, over a violation of a service mark patent. In other words, the action is over the lettering (Eric Weis' "extremely hetero" design) on the cover of V.I.P.'s new Mad Coke EP looking a lot like Van Halen's logo. "We got a cease and desist … for unfair competition, misappropriation of commercial identity," said label boss/V.I.P. mate Andrew Ryan of an order to remove the visual from the Collision/Collider Web site. ("If we do not hear from you in an attempt to informally resolve this matter, our client has instructed us to take any and all legal action against you with respect to your use of the infringing logo," the claim continues.) "We probably won't get sued, because we took down the stuff on the site, but if they get a bug up their ass they might still do it," says Ryan. … Think V.I.P. has problems? Pepper's Ghost will open for Ashlee Simpson on her winter tour. If they don't die from embarrassment, preteens might trample them trying to get to the lip-synch queen. "This is the first real chance for Pepper's Ghost to gain exposure on a national basis," says their lawyer/manager Brad Rubens. "They've been itching to get out on the road." OK, just this once. But if they open for JoJo, they're done. … Say you want a feeding-back, Philly-style Hammond-organ trio heavier than SunnO)))? Meet Golden Brown at Tritone Jan. 28. … Not only did Philly's avant-punk legends King of Siam reunite at Bar Noir last week (in honor of Ruin) after not being a band for 20-odd years, they didn't play any old stuff. Rob, Bob, Jacy and company are back in action with new material. Also not resting on name recognition is N.J. native Kim Smith. The sister of Patti has her own hard sound to make as her new band, The Ruffles, makes its Philly debut at Bar Noir Jan. 31. … Are Final Fridays better than Firsts? Sounds like it this month, with Patou at 312 Market taking on PAPERstreet's new late Friday night hang with DJ Lucas Rivera. … Every family has shame. Psydde Delicious and Robert Brown simply drink and put it on film. That's what their Family of Shame Casting Couch event, Jan. 27 at La Tazza, is about. You suck down Jim Beam, slur and get white-trash rowdy; they videotape it for posterity. Needles Jones will be there to help the liquor go down quicker. … Mike Kennedy of Lefty's Deceiver and Mazarin drops his own odd-pop ensemble Audible's new CD Sky Signal at North Star Jan. 29 (see p. 36). The next day, Cynthia G. Mason goes live at 43rd and Baltimore's Green Line with the spooky-secretive sounds of their new MP3 "Claim," (the recording features Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes on piano and horns). Hear it at at www.spiderwomanrecords.com. … Now that Buddakan Volume 1 is out and Stephen Starr adds DJ to his resume (I kid: Starr got yesterday's faves Thievery Corporation to mix smooth tracks for a tsunami benefit CD; he's planning the same for a Continental CD), I'd like to point out some real spinners' doings. West Philly DJ RJD2's creepy iTunes track "Through The Walls" with Ric Ocasek has been up for weeks. Look to spring for King Britt to drop a new CD on Rope-A-Dope as well as unveil his remixes for Rhino Records (their Curtis Mayfield mix joint) and his productions of new tunes for Bahamadia, Lizz Fields and Lady Alma. Diplo, along with dropping a track for Verve Remixed 3, will re-release Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1, costarring M.I.A., on Jive. …

Despite last weekend's snow job, Vesuvio's second anniversary got some Philly love courtesy the Eagles' Jon Runyan and local Bachelor girl Antoinette Madonna. …

Before I mention expensive clothing, happy birthday to the most notoriously fashion-forward dad-and-son combo I know: Peter and Dylan DelloBuono. … OK, now. Charity begins with high-priced pants. That's what Smith Bros. is counting on Jan. 28 when all their city stores (as well as owner Wayne Schulick's Denim) offer proceeds from all purchases to the Red Cross for tsunami relief. YES. I'm sick of talking about it, too. But these people need money, you selfish assholes. Stop whining.