Arts & Entertainment

Ingredients: 4 concerts, 3 galleries, 1 gypsy band

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Published: Sep 24, 2008

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Band That Should Be on the Cover of Magnet

N.J./Del. hot lo-fi freaks Von Hayes aren't just good, they're a certain kind of good. They've got this catchy/scratchy thing going on, like a thousand bees zipping down alien lanes. Gold star for these robot boys. —Patrick Rapa

For me it's no contest. The most excellent Philly band I've heard in the CP Choice calendar year is the rustic, rocking, Dylanesque travel music of War on Drugs' full-length debut Wagonwheel Blues (Secretly Canadian). I wanna hear "Arms Like Boulders" every time I open a car door or step off a train to somewhere new. This is the sound of arriving. —Patrick Rapa

There's no shame in making an album and then playing a show to promote it. But if you're going to call it a CD release party, you'd better make it special. Sisters 3 did just that for Star Spangled, with costumes, balloons, and a stiltwalker who stripped down to a diaper and pacifier pasties during "The Soldier Song." —M.J. Fine

Despite Manayunk's historic aversion to theater, plucky Vanity House will someday plant its flag along the Schuylkill. Like last spring's ambitious Phedre and Fringe debut 12.25, December's The Gift of the Magi will run in a makeshift Main Street space while the search for a permanent home continues. —Mark Cofta

Taiwanese-born Kun-Yang Lin, creator of contemplative East-meets-West choreography, has set up shop just downastreet from the famed dueling-cheesesteaks corner on Ninth and Wharton. His Chi Movement Arts Center (1316 S. Ninth St., 267-687-3739, kunyanglin.org) operates as a rehearsal/performance space and offers classes for adults and kids in assorted dance, martial arts and mind-body techniques. —Deni Kasrel

Always rockin' the mic with fresh fly kicks, hoops and stylish jeans is MC Ethel Cee. Over the past year, she's solidified her name as a lead contender in Philly hip-hop with her cutthroat rhymes, likable personality and dope-ass flow. Don't make us wait too long for that LP, lady! —Deesha Dyer

You no longer have to climb aboard a caravan in the backwaters of Eastern Europe to enjoy the vivacity of Balkan music — hell, you don't even have to hop the Chinatown bus to New York anymore. Thanks to drummer Gregg Mervine's West Philadelphia Orchestra, we now have our own gypsy dance band, composed of a packed stage of Philly's best musicians. —Shaun Brady

I used to hate passing by The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave., 215-634-7400, thebarbary.org), with that lame classic rock shit painted on the side. The few times I was persuaded to go there, everything about the spot was pretty shitty. Then it closed down and, like a phoenix, came back all nice and fresh. Now they gots a bumpin' sound system, a great lineup of DJs and parties, reasonable drinks and a cool venue layout. Def one of the slicker underground clubs in the city. Fishtown stand up. —Gair Marking

Row houses, signage, bikes, corner bars, street art, rock shows. 222 Gallery (222 Vine St., 215-873-0750, 222gallery.com) gave us a crash course in Philadelphia, Seoul and L.A. with its "12 x 36" exhibit, in which artists were asked to capture the essence of a city in 36 shots. Philly participants Ted Passon, Dan Murphy, Melissa Farley and Randall Sellers showed the city's quirk and humanity at its finest, and it was giddy fun to compare our urban idiosyncrasies with that of two other metropolises. —Lori Hill

South Philly's Foundation mixtape magazine (foundationmag.com) knew they'd arrived the moment Lil' Wayne stormed out of an interview. The ensuing publicity helped quadruple their readership to 50,000 and score them subscriptions in every state. Their most recent 84-page high-gloss issue featured 50 Cent and G-G-G-G-Unit on the cover. The next one's got T.I. —Deesha Dyer

The lyrics on Israeli singer-songwriter Noa Babayof's From a Window to a Wall — produced by Greg Weeks and featuring the usual suspects — are deep enough to celebrate irrepressible love and wise enough to recognize that the feeling almost never lasts. Neither blinded by matters of the heart nor closed to them, the songs feel just right. —M.J. Fine

With his haunting "Knoxville Girl" drawings at Gallery Joe (302 Arch St., 215-592-7752, galleryjoe.com), Rob Matthews provided the storyboard for a murder but let our imaginations fill in the sordid details. What starts as teenagers out for a walk and maybe some drunken mischief quickly turns into something much darker. Matthews presents the cast and the scene with quiet, smart details and frosty precision. And for turning us on to the lurid appeal of old-time murder ballads, we thank him. —Lori Hill

Within 12 months, I've seen Jeb Kreager in a dress as a bachelor-party floozy (New Paradise Lab's Prom), in prison skivvies as a blank-faced killer (InterAct's Frozen), in a natty suit and a confident smile as a vapor (Theater Exile's Mr. Marmalade), and in plastered hair and stilted movements as an uproarious used-car salesman (Live Arts' The European Lesson). And with each production — to say nothing of his past — Kreager has shown the sort of remarkable, astute instincts of a master. —A.D. Amorosi

The scariest thing about Liz Rywelski is how innocent she appears (that face!). The Space 1026 artist, who masquerades as bewigged, banged, cross-eyed vixen Bonnie Showcase (Lucky Lucy Cabaret), has carried out "the art of mediocrity" to the hilt in her photos and appeared in performances throughout the city where her unbound energy and painted face (is that gold gild??) remain hidden until she springs like a lemur. —A.D. Amorosi

Guitarist Matt Davis' "City of Philadelphia, 2008" project has taken interviews with diverse Philly communities and expanded them into new compositions for his 12-piece chamber-jazz ensemble Aerial Photograph. Each piece, presented monthly at Tritone, draws inspiration from a wealth of city experiences that Davis weaves into gorgeous musical tapestry. —Shaun Brady

No offense to Hall & Oates and Boyz II Men, but when you guys played your July 4 Art Museum concerts, you were old. Over the hill. Novelty acts. And hey, it's not your fault, you were asked to perform and you did. But John Legend: artist at the height of his popularity, touting a new album and oozing sex appeal? That's doing it right. On a soggy night, soul brother brought people out for the fireworks instead of vice versa. —Brian Howard

Committed to producing serious gay theater by exploring classic literary and musical genres, Mauckingbird Theatre Co. (mauckingbirdtheatreco.org) is not only one of Philly's newest theater companies, but also its most risk-taking. Artistic director Peter Reynolds is not afraid to blur perceptions, as seen in R&J, a much-lauded reinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet at a boys prep school. Mauckingbird takes the definition of gay theater from high camp to high class. —Natalie Hope McDonald

When Warren Muller says "everything is up for grabs" for his light sculptures, you best believe him. Farm implements, tchotchkes, wheels, antiques — even a car — have all served as materials for his fanciful assemblages. Muller always sees the sunny side of life: Even a fire at bahdeebahdu, the gallery he shares with life partner RJ Thornburg, could not tamp Muller's spirit — it's moved from Old City to much bigger digs in South Kensington (1522 N. American St., bahdeebahdu.com). —Deni Kasrel

This was the year Popped! popped. The annual rock festival aimed big its second time out, booking a bunch of hot, Pitchforky bands and betting the kids would show. They did, mostly, and Saturday's huge outdoor show — with Dan Deacon, Vampire Weekend and Mates of States — was fun as hell. —Patrick Rapa

Witnessing the Roots and Gnarls Barkley rock Festival Pier was like watching the constellations align. Sweating and singing along, kicking up empty water bottles as I danced with a girl I'd just met. Each song was a sweet muddy masterpiece, every breeze like winning the lottery. Elevated trains zipped by like comets, the bridge lights sparkled like stars, the moon rose over the stage and everything was all right forever for the moment. —Patrick Rapa

From sleeping bags to an actual tent erected in one corner (as far as anyone knows, the occupants were not picked off one-by-one by an ax-wielding maniac), die-hard gorehounds commemorated Exhumed Films' 24-Hour Horror-thon's 10th anniversary in October with a daylong horror-flick smorgasbord. The event went over so well that it'll spawn the inevitable sequel this year. —Shaun Brady

Jeremiah Zagar's documentary In a Dream could have been mere fluff. Or worse, exploitation. Zagar set out to film his father, Isaiah, as he made the beautiful, cryptic mosaics that draw tourists to South Street by the busload. But confronted with Isaiah's reminiscences of abuse, brother Ezekiel's rehab stint and the betrayal that tore his parents apart, Zagar kept going and made something lovely and loving from the shards. —M.J. Fine

University City didn't always go by that name, which University City High School (3601 Filbert St.) reminds us through a lively tile-mosaic on its front steps. A solemn memorial to Black Bottom and a parable about the evils of gentrification, it depicts the area west of Penn and Drexel as a cheerful, happy neighborhood of families "until the bulldozers came." The caption text talks positively of the residents' enduring spirit, but the mural is also a glorious middle finger at the educational behemoth to its southeast. —John Vettese

Fillmore at the TLA? Ha ha, no girl. You're The TLA, straight up. Proud. Classic. Independent-ish. You don't need to take Fill's name or his mind games or his dirty hippie apples. It's time to have somebody climb up there and paint over those stupid swirls. Let's get classy together. —Patrick Rapa

So let's say you're looking to really learn something in a scholarly environment, but aren't too worried about future employability — and DeVry Online is too expensive, besides. Port Fishington's Philadelphia Institute for Advanced Study (1712 N. Second St., pifas.net) might be just what you needed, offering classes with real-world applications like speaking Mandarin, picking locks and enduring live noise rock. You might not get a degree, but you definitely won't be getting a tuition bill. —Jakob Dorof

Best Thing You Slept On

What happened? Two of the most talented DJ crews in the city, IllVibe and Skratch Makaniks came together to throw Ill Makaniks — a monthly party down at The Barbary, and somehow it flatlined. Maybe it was the weeknight, the location or just people not wanting to pay. Wait, the jawn was free. Sigh. —Deesha Dyer

The collection of 30 or so large-format images in the lobby of SCA Club and Suites in the Wachovia Center (3601 S. Broad St.) hits on the obvious Philly landmarks, like Logan Square and Elfreth's Alley, plus a few hidden gems, all rendered in glorious black and white. You'd expect photographs in a sports arena to be the level of generic usually reserved for travel postcards. But this one actually has heart — even if the Flyers box-seat crowd walk right past it every time. —John Vettese

When troubled soul Daniel Johnston played with Philly's preening popsters The Capitol Years at the Troc, the first thing you thought of their Beatles-y collaboration was "good for our boys," what with Johnston's grizzled weep adding husk to the Years' brisk sound. When Johnston and Cap Years played a second time at the Popped Fest though, you thought "good for Johnston" as his songs of horror, unrequited love and Captain America could use the boost of Shai Halperin & Co.'s blasted-off pop. Now there's word that the two will record together and that'd be fine and freakish beyond belief. —A.D. Amorosi

Athena Barat's family gathered weird Philly's finest purveyors of art (Andrea Kirsh, Sweatheart, Ryan Trecartin) to the Italian Market not to sell fruit but to create childlike magic that appealed to neighborhood elders and nouvelle hipsters alike. In one swoop, Barat's South Philly Biennial did what lots of us in that neighborhood have tried to do: Unify the area as a raw bohemian avant-garde arts center without slick gentrification. —Deesha Dyer

Broadcasting on Radiovolta since 2003, The Formula radio show has had big names like Foreign Exchange, Pharoahe Monch and Kev Brown breeze through. It isn't all about the national acts, though. Hosts DJ Primetime, Infinite and Young H also give shine to the 215, often having locals drop by for interviews and freestyle sessions. —Deni Kasrel

Woodturning is associated with table legs, salad bowls and candlesticks — stuff of the everyday. But pay a visit to the Wood Turning Center (501 Vine St., 215-923-8000, woodturningcenter.org) and what you'll see is anything but ordinary. The center — which houses a gallery, gift shop and library — is dedicated to showcasing the art of woodturning: sculptural and sumptuous objects built from expert craftsmanship. Yes, there are bowls. But the ones here are quite exquisite. —Deni Kasrel

When Kilo — singer/songwriter Ryat and friends — finally released its debut album, As Human, a month back a funny thing happened. Philly's mistress of experimental soul and ambient jazz reversed the name of her band and the record so to become As Human with its album name Kilo. For me, Kilo is Ryat and Ryat is Kilo and knowing the single-named mum of sultry space-funk, she could change it again. But with this city's best voice and most expressive lyrics, how is it she and her fellas can't get booked more often? That's not really a question — it's a demand. —A.D. Amorosi

Sure, Toni Morrison is inspiring, Anne Rice is seductive and Garrison Keillor can tickle you, but these speakers at the Free Library's Fall Lecture Series (1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org) may also prompt you to inspire, seduce or tickle someone else. Art museums used to be great pickup places, but check out the library these days and start reading between the lines. —Gary M. Kramer

Philly's thriving avant-jazz scene is limited only by a lack of venues, a fact aided by the inauguration of the Sci-Fi Philly series, which highlights a mix of local talent and touring acts — all in the upstairs bar of West Philly restaurant Gojjo, which means that screeching sax solo can be accompanied by beer and Ethiopian food. —Shaun Brady

Lots of actors do improv, but Bobbi Block believes in it. Her groups Lunchlady Doris (longform) and Tongue & Groove (realistic, serio-comic short form) showcase improvisation as a legitimate theater art that deserves recognition. A multitalented multitasker, Block performs with both groups, plus ComedySportz, working her heart out onstage and off — and making it all up as she goes. —Mark Cofta

As host of the infamous drag mafia and Tuesday Gossip nights at Bump, Brittany Lynn (also known as 6-foot-4 Ian Morrison) is one busy drag queen. When the Shampoo alum isn't pounding around the Gayborhood in her stilettos and singing live (yes, live) at nightclubs from Philly to A.C., she's hitting the keyboard at manhunt.com. Brittany and fellow drag mafia family are also available for parties and special events. Her mission statement: Fuck clowns. Hire a drag queen. —Natalie Hope McDonald

I've listened and watched while Philadelphia guitarist John Cecil Price has crafted longingly poetic/sensually ambient noise (with AKRASH), crotchety avant skronk (with Temple of Bon Matin) and even technoid porno soundtracks (R.C. Horsch's "Dirt Road" video). But his self-described "pop/surf/R&B-done hardcore" band Baptist Preachers have made some of Philly's holiest rollingest noise — jazz and jive touched by punk rock, soul and gospel. Now Deacon Johnny and the other Preachers have finally finished their debut, Nekkid, appearing at a rekkid store near you by October. —A.D. Amorosi

Theaters depend on cheap labor, but the half-dozen or so Arden Professional Apprentices are aspiring artists and administrators, too, who slave backstage and make obligatory pre-show speeches; graduate with a June showcase (always free, always fun); and start careers — many in Philadelphia, including six now on the Arden's staff. When you see a haggard black-clad young person dashing through the Arden lobby this season, give him or her a smile: That's a theater leader in training. —Mark Cofta

Sometimes you have to pack a bag to make the big money grab. Globetrotting DJs Statik, Cosmo Baker and Skeme know that. Individually, these three have traveled to over 30 countries in the last 8 months, including Hong Kong, South Africa and Finland. Represent! —Deesha Dyer

Carol Han (carolhanceramics.blogspot.com) is a potter by day and, like countless Philly artists with bills to pay, a Stephen Starr server by night. She's a busy lady: In addition to selling her wares at this year's Art Star Craft Bazaar and InLiquid's Art for the Cash Poor, she participates in a work exchange with the Clay Studio, has set up shop at West Philly's VIX Emporium (5009 Baltimore Ave., 215-471-7700) and is launching her own Etsy site in November. One look at her gorgeous hand-thrown ceramic mugs and you'll start crossing your fingers that she quits her night job. —Carolyn Huckabay

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