Icepack

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

by A.D. Amorosi

You must love your DJ. Like Lou Reed said of heroin (or was it Kenn Kweder?): A DJ is your life and it's your wife. That's the main reason dancer-turned-photographer Jonene Taddei is shooting a "Great Day in Philly" photo of our best DJs. In August 1958, Esquire photog Art Kane snapped 57 jazz greats for "A Great Day in Harlem." Thirty years later Taddei — a Perkasie native now in Germantown — wishes to make that same magic. She's always been about dancing. "When I was 11 I saw Beat Street and the next thing I knew I was doing the Hammer dance with my girl at Pulsations," she says. Taddei was in the Montazh dance company when she started snapping Philly's Skratch Makaniks. She shot their DJ Excel again a few weeks ago in NoLibs. "On the way home we came up with the idea — why not shoot all of Philly's DJs together?" says Taddei. On Sept. 24 at Fairmount Park's Forrest Hill Mansion (4849 N. Parkside) she and pal Kamau Stanford will get Cash Money, Jazzy Jeff, ?uestlove, Schoolly, Britt, Doz, Cosmo, Brendan Bring 'Em, Meez, Rob Paine, Mixmaster Mike Nutter and more together for one shoot. Somebody should bring a Close 'N Play. They'll need music.

► One of that photo's subjects, DJ Bobby Startup, commences his once-a-month soiree Upstairs at Glam Sept. 19. There'll be an Ed Hardy wear party downstairs at 9 and Bobby's hoping to make some-sorta rock-god thunderstorm between them. Friday after that, Sept. 26, electro DJ/Izzo buyer Michael Anderer and Socialite Scott start their monthly "Fashion Victim" bashes on Glam's second floor.

► Icepack told you years ago that The Gallery was the only place for a casino. Also told you in December 2007 that Dave Schwartz from Lit Lounge would open Kung Fu Necktie at Front and Thompson on New Year's Eve that year. I was only off by nine months. I stopped by KFN and saw how swanky and glittery a change they made from Kenzo's Penalty Box. Schwartz, Fuse Gallery NYC guy Erik Foss and James Herman forged a cool arch above a bumper pool table, crafted a mannequin-hand-and-can relief, threw up a Tupac painting and made cool sparkly booths and tables. I'll keep you posted about R5 shows in the basement live-band boite.

► It's the last dance for Jonathan Canady's brooding Angels of Decay at the Balcony Sept. 22. AoD made soul-crushing (in a good way) CDs like Covered in Scars for labels like Relapse, where Canady crafts graphic design and album cover art. His magick blood-n-sex chapbook Dangerous Meat is out. He'll celebrate Decay's demise with sad comrade/death-cabaret saint David E. Williams and the dynamic prog-manic Red Masque, whose new CD Fossil Eyes is like cramming 1,000 King Crimson bootlegs into one mystical intriguing whole.

► David Ansill celebrates his 50th b-day by reminding foodies that his late, great French-country restaurant Pif is still alive and well Sundays at his Ansill Restaurant on Bainbridge. From Sept. 18 to 20 he'll also offer a four-course $55 prix-fixe menu that should be topped with a birthday candle. Kiss the chef!

► Ask new-Philadelphia-dweller Rachael Yamagata about which festivals she likes on Penn's Landing, when she runs on the Ben Franklin Bridge and what bartender she's dating when you see her perform songs from Elephants at Johnny Brenda's Sept. 24.

HALF OFF DEPOT

Why live life at full price?

► WHOWHATWHERE: When Danny Bonaduce slapped the tar out of the Rev. Bob Levy at promoter Damon Feldman's Marple Arena boxing match Saturday, Artie Lang was in the house. So was Phil Margera who promised he'd fight another Howard Stern Wack Packer, Hi-Pitched Eric, in October. While still in Philly's Seventh Street Studio recording, R. Kelly took a break to see saxophonist Chris Potter at Chris' Jazz Café. He ate lobster and peed on no one. John Abraham from the Bollywood-in-Philly-filming flick Exclusion hit Vango's VIP regions.

► Open mic beaut/songstress Dani Mari hosts "At the Root" Sept. 20 (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.) on the roof of South Streets' Whole Foods. Root features Sine Studio singers benefiting "growth of music in children" for the Grounded in Music nonprofit.

► Is the next Stephen Starr location for a Buddakan or a Continental really Dubai? When I ate at Barclay Prime last, a little Starr-bird told me so.

► Indulge my gossamer prog-pop fascination: Renaissance's Annie Haslem lives in Bucks County where she paints, records and plays gigs like Sept. 20's show at Sellersville Theater. The gig's big since she'll play with Renaissance keyboardist John Tout (rare reunion) and her young pal Jann Klose, whose Reverie album finds the actor (who has toured with Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde)/singer getting all gospel-y.

► Da Vinci Art Alliance's champagne brunch (Sept. 21) benefits Lantern Theater Co. , features performances by Charles McMahon, Pete Pryor and Luigi Sottile and is at 558 N. 18th St.

► In Bed With's Butch Cordora's "Straight & Butch" 2009 calendar drops Sept. 22 with a signing at Giovanni's Room and VIP after-bash at 12th Air Command.

► I may give him guff for his wonton ways, his sartorial torpor and his gig — nailing sponsors for film fests. But we lurv Thom Cardwell of the Philadelphia Film Society and he'll get roasted Sept. 18 at Independence Visitor Center's benefit for City of Hope. Get tix from Harry Giordano: 800-344-8169. Mwah, Thom.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)