Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

Forget about the Wilson bros filming here. And even though they're on South Street as we speak, forget about Lauren Graham and Jeff Daniels like the rest of the world has. And forget the piddly Hollywood-in-Philly bullshit. This is our thing: Philadelphia Film Fest 17, Fest Indies 'n' all. And I love these particular films not because they're my friends' flicks. They're my friends because they make these particular films. Trust me: You think I'd hang with Erich Weiss if he hadn't made the skuzzy nu-classic Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry, or Marc Brodzik if he hadn't lensed the diabolical Fishtown murder-hardcore-drug-decay doc Welcome to Sammytown, or Steve Sebring if he didn't make the worthy wonky Patti Smith: Dream of Life? Heck, even CP bud Mary Patel and her ex, Joe Barber's Electile Dysfunction is skuzzy by name alone — and it's fabulous. Look 'em up — phillyfests.com.

► Oh, and while he waits to throw his own film fest through Media Bureau in June, JD Clark tells me that he just finished recording an album with Chuck Treece, Fall of the City. "Chuck arranged, performed and recorded drums, bass, keys, rhythm and lead guitars to nine of my original songs," says Clark, who notes his tunes are getting airplay down undah (myspace.com/jdclarkmusic). Aussie rules!

► Two fun foodie/clubbie rumors involving out-of-towners in Philly go thusly: Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin flame/fame should be opening 10 Arts at ze Ritz-Carlton Hotel on-or-around May 20. Dino Minelli, the ex-partner and GM of Luke & Leroy in NYC who opened G Lounge with Mark Marek amicably left the G to GM at Brasserie Perrier. G is now open Thursday-thru-Sunday.

► Dark industrial guys gone wild: Jonathan Canady used to be the one-man Angel of Decay, Deathpile and art director for Relapse Records before he started drawing/painting the highly sexualized gouache pieces (here's some: art.malsonus.com) that he'll show at my Glam Gallery First Friday exhibition at 52 S. Second St., April 4, with racy photograph-ess Nicole Kristiana FitzGibbon. She just started phillyartforum.com for local critics who like to gripe about Schiele 'n' such. Another industrialist, ex-Stendhal guy/sound guy Darren Morze, is playing the PiLam bash in West Philly, April 5, with his new band I Am the Traitor. Morze is also a producer at the newly named Plan B Studios at the Spice House/old bank building on South 11th Street owned by harmonicat Paul "Wharton Tract" Perozzi. And no, Paul, I don't hate you. In fact, I'll tell the world that Plan B just recorded the last local tracks that World Blanket'll do before b-day boy Mike Pomranz moves himself and the band to NYC. The aggro-acoustic Blanket hits Tritone April 4.

► After having owned more than a few tomato-n-dough joints in Old City, Victor Fellus will open Garlic, a new high-end pizzeria at 2101 Chestnut.

► Post-apocalyptic poet Frank Sherlock turns his words from Philly to another "Tragi-magical city of the possible" — New Orleans — in his newest book, Ready-To-Eat Individual. Written with Brett Evans, the book is about Sherlock's time with Common Ground, a relief organization founded in the Lower Ninth Ward in the days after Katrina hit. "We wrote the collaborative piece, mostly on his back porch, as a documentary witness to the city in the Year 1 A.K. and the individual experiences of an outsider (me) and an insider (him)," states Sherlock in an e-mail. He reads from Ready April 13 at Robin's on 13th Street.

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► Has Passional's Mistress Midori found 3,000 square feet for her intended Rope Bondage Dojo April 19-20? We hear she tried RUBA but they said they were selling and wouldn't book nuthin'. My wrists feel unloved — ropedojo.com.

► Fripp-esque guitarist and all-around oddball (that's so a compliment) David Talento masquerades as Sweeping the Noise Floor for his new gurgling-goth-synth CD Baseline Stnf. Listen for the ooze at its release party at Germ Gallery April 4.

► Do you likey the scratch-n-sniff? Go to graveface.com and re-buy upstate PA's Black Moth Super Rainbow's Dandelion Gum now on vinyl. Scratch it and it smells like roses and fruit.

► WHOWHATWHERE: Acid Mothers Temple hit A.K.A. Records and bought out bunches of '60s and '70s American psych vinyl. Yes, vinyl. Chelsea Clinton hit Woody's, then the Continental last week. No she wasn't on a tear. She was campaigning for mom.

► Fun fact: The new building that film promoter Terry Hines & Associates moved into at 17th and Arch is Tom Knox's old campaign headquarters. Maybe they'll find money.

► You won't see Scot Sax (good) or Sharon Little 'round Sax's Open Milk, the MilkBoy Coffee open-mic, anytime soon. They're opening some Robert Plant/Alison Krauss shows.

► Philly's Prowler and Postal are but two of the acts on the groovy soundtrack CD to author Matthue Roth's Candy in Action on Soft Skull Press.

► Everyone loves Jimmy Luxury, Philly's dressed-up doyen of jazzy hip-hop, but where has he been the last three years? Recording his new record, Brentwood Estates, which you can find here (myspace.com/Brentwoodestates) first. Check out the track that G-Love played harmonica on, "Whiskey." It's a humdinger.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)