April 28-May 4, 2005

music

icepack

by A.D. Amorosi

If the new Pope scares you like he scares me — the whole End of Days thing with a German guy of Benedict-ian rule, to say nothing of those coffee-grind eye sacs — then you feel like you wanna make right with the world. Either that or I get too, too dusted watching Revelations. You don't want to go out like those guys arrested for having sex in Strawbridge's second-floor bathroom — caught with your pants down and dick out mere feet away from all that cheesy Polo clothing. (No self-respecting gay man tolerates the lesser of Lauren's lines.) You don't want to die while squared off in the sorta sordid feud WIP's Angelo Cataldi and Howard Eskin are embroiled in. (Yet, if they kill each other, one A.D. dream will be fulfilled.) Still, it's hard not to feel doomed when you go from hanging with Steve Buscemi at Mary Patel/Joe Barber's Philly Film Fest bash ("I'm glad they tailed me for so long," Buscemi told me at Lonesome Jim's screening soiree. "I've been feted in festivals before. But every other festival shows clips from Armageddon.") to watching Ringling Bros. clown Bello Nock suck down breakfast at Cereality. Perhaps the end of days is nearer than any of us imagined. … Cheeseboigie: Everyone you know now owns a Mediterranean restaurant. Manhattan-ites Pete and Nick "Avra" Pashalis go Greek when they turn Locust Street's Toto's into a grilled-fish joint by July. Several Middle East Restaurant expats turn 120 Chestnut, formerly Above the Nile, into a two-floor noshery/danceteria with the '70s strip-club name Dreemz. Chef Robert Leget-Sherman opens his Lula with Gene Lefevre, James Stephens (both also co-own Dark Horse and Black Sheep) and ex-Tangerine chef, 23-year-old Mario Pomero, May 3, at 12th and Locust. "Very rustic, very fun," says Leget of the Spanish tapas tower. Soon-to-be ex-El Vez dude Jose Garces took over the old Second and Chestnut Adriatica for his due-July Latin tapas joint. … Congrats to Joe Lekkas' Manhattan Room for letting crowds in the front and out the back for the beyond-late post-Thrilladelphia fest afterparty. … My fave local single of 2004, the evil lo-garage Eno-tronica of The Sympathizers' "Jolly Rancher," gets partnered with a dozen more like it when Jeremy Braddock's band plays Bar Noir May 2. Joining the Symps is DJ Deepak's messy live band, Thee-Punk, starring Big Mess Orchestra types. … WHOWHATWHERE: While at David Dye's World Café, Ryan Adams happened to wander toward the WCL stage where he found pals Damon & Naomi sound-checking. He did a tune, and planned to return later that eve to surprise the audience. That is, until: "He came up to me and asked if there was somewhere he could walk to get a soda," says an anonymous employee. "Said he needed to walk off the joint he smoked." After snagging a limo that brought him to Jim's Steaks, Adams returned to WCL, only to watch Damon & Naomi play through blurry red eyes. Ethan Hawke was spotted looking gloriously sullen at Bob Dylan's Borgata show in A.C. After selling out Jerry Blavat's Geator Gold show at the Kimmel ("So much money I spent on the arrangements," says Blavat. "Worth every penny."), Connie Francis, Little Anthony, Bobby Simone and Jimmy Binns hightailed it to Prima Donna till late-night. "What's this kid doing here?" asked Francis when we met. "He's 12." I fucking love Connie Francis. Blavat and crooner Al Martino returned to Prima Donna the next night. Know who else likes Italian grub? Hall & Oates, who supped at D'Angelo's after their WXPN private-member gig at WCL. While Nikka Costa could be found shopping at Decades Vintage before her Electric Factory show, MC Lyte — this is a shame — hung out at the Pathmark on 69th Street in Upper Darby for a Pantene Total You tour stop. … Prairie Dog Flesh — starring a few Bardo Pond-ers — hit West Philly's Millcreek Tavern, April 30. … Stephen Starr's most popular boites now have their own CDs: Continental Mix Tape Volume One and Buddakan Volume One, both mixed by Thievery Corporation. His favorite song? "I don't even know. I've only listened to parts. But it's all groovy." … Ten dollars to the reader who can tell me what Philadelphia couple Village People cowboy Randy Jones is referring to in his upcoming musical about socialite/prostitute Connie Crispell, a Studio 54 regular who was killed and left in a West 57th Street sublet owned by the mystery Phillyites. $200 if that couple wants me to keep their names out of my stupid column. … So you wanna do right by Pope Benedict? On April 28, Philly goes Dining Out For Life with 218 restaurants kicking in proceeds for HIV/AIDS patients. Do that. Then head to the ninth Spring Benefit for St. Mary's Family Respite Center, April 29, at the Academy of Natural Sciences. You can hang out in the Dinosaur Room sipping champagne and listening to the Peter Gaudioso Trio while your admission and cash for its silent auction goes to St. Mary's nonsectarian, nonprofit HIV/AIDS charities at 3115 Spring Garden.