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ISSUE . May 7th, 2009
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Cover Story


In Bloom
Philly's neighborhood food co-ops are dreaming big.
by Patrick Rapa
Despite the grim economy, despite our reputed love for greasy steaks, despite our acceptance of the unhealthiness of everyday urban life, business is booming at Philly's food co-ops.

The Freshmakers
2009 Philly Farmers Market Guide
by Patrick Rapa
Tape it to the fridge. Bookmark the page. Buy a carrot and bite into it.

Winning Ugly
Philly's UglyRipe tomato ain't pretty, but it's pretty good.
by Patrick Rapa
The first question you have when you first set eyes on the UglyRipe tomato is ... why?


Opinion


Opinion :: Dancing with Trees
Loose Canon:
Dancing with Trees
"What we really need are more people who know how to lead."
by Bruce Schimmel
Arboreal choreography has become second nature for Mike Hardy — since the '70s, Hardy has busted up sidewalks all over West Philly and filled them with untold thousands of trees.

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"His letter includes all the catchphrases of the insurance industry about competition, anti-government attitudes, and just plain wrong assertions about what the 'vast majority' of Americans want."


News


News :: It's Alive!It's Alive!
Oh God, Council made its own budget.
by Isaiah Thompson
Like the mayor, Council proposes that we raise the sales tax by 1 percent, but for five years instead of three. Of course, without the property tax hike, the plan falls about $270 million short. Council's plan? To borrow. From the future.

A Million Stories
Overheard at the National Equality Rally | Bon voyage, SS United States | A cabbie on the lam

School Maze II
More confusion surrounding high school admissions in Philly.
by Kirstin Lindermayer
Last week, we reported on the high-stakes and often convoluted admissions process Philadelphia's eighth graders navigate to get into high school. We didn't realize exactly how convoluted this process can get.

Sports:
Andre: "You Suck, Team!"
by E. James Beale
While AI2 correctly identified some symptoms of the 76ers' struggles, he also displayed a fundamental ignorance about the underlying cause: the team's lack of a true star.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
Whether he’s been in the booth at a strip club (Cheer­leaders) or stuffed into gild and feathers Mummering down Broad Street (Golden Sunrise fancies), I’ve never known disc jockey Jacky Bam Bam to half-ass anything.

The Bell Curve
City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.


Arts


Arts :: Quantum Leap
Art:
Quantum Leap
Miro Dance Theatre uses physics to untangle the mysteries of human relationships.
by Deni Kasrel
The title Spooky Action is derived from a comment made by Albert Einstein in response to observing quantum entanglement, a curious and not entirely understood physical property whereby two subatomic particles consistently react in opposite ways.

Arts Picks:
Hysteria
May 13-June 14, $39-$55, Wilma Theater, 265 S. Broad St., 215-546-7824, wilmatheater.org.
by Mark Cofta
Hysteria imagines what might have happened in 1938 when father of psychiatry Sigmund Freud and surrealist painter Salvador Dali met.

Kaleidoscope
Mos Def in Next Day Air | Cracker's Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey | Love, Mom | Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: London's Hammersmith Odeon '75

Dance:
Walk It Out
REVIEW: Koresh Dance Co.'s ev-o-lu-tion
by Deni Kasrel
Symptoms of discontent creep in and costumes cover up more of the dancers' bodies, suggesting that the less we show, the more we repress.

Shelf Life:
Pink Slips
Under the Covers with Justin Bauer
by Justin Bauer
Miss Harper Can Do It by Jane Berentson | Alice Fantastic by Maggie Estep | Sadomasochism for Accountants by Rosy Barnes

Arts Picks:
Doppelgangers
Through May 31, Vox Populi Gallery, 319 N. 11th St., 215-238-1236, voxpopuligallery.org.
by Carolyn Huckabay
You need no convincing that doppelgangers exist — they surround you every day.

Globe Dye Works: Layers
Opening reception Sat., May 9, 5-9 p.m., free, exhibit through June 7, Globe Dye Works, 4500 Worth St., 215-288-4554, globedyeworks.com.
by Lauren F. Friedman
The work of 13 artists is spread out across nearly 8,000 square feet, offering a rare opportunity to see a variety of pieces untethered from the traditional confines of a gallery.

Art:
Domestic Exchange
Chuck Palahniuk finds his voice in Germany.
by Molly Eichel
"I haven't seen anything that has a dark, comic school shooting in it. I haven't seen anything with the Wal-Mart anal rape scene in it that's a comedy [laughs]."

Arts Picks:
Wonder Mom and Party Girl
Sat., May 9, 4-8 p.m., $10-$12, American Swedish Historical Museum, 1900 Pattison Ave., 215-389-1776, philadelphiastories.org.
by Christina Shaffer
Mark Schuster's first work of fiction explores expectations inflicted upon women — reliability, success, sexiness — and their lasting effects.

Thoroughly Modern Millie
Through June 7, $35-$42.50, Media Theatre, 104 E. State St., Media, 610-891-0100, mediatheatre.org.
by Mark Cofta
Escape to the 1920s with plucky small-town girl Millie Dillmount, pursuing a career and love in the Jazz Age Big Apple.

Nichole Canuso Dance Co.
Sat., May 9, 8 p.m., $15-$20, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 866-468-7619, nicholecanusodance.org.
by Carolyn Huckabay
"As we've grown," Canuso says, "so have our expenses. Plus, NCDC was very ready to throw a party!"

Sidi Goma
Sat., May 9, 8 p.m. (pre-show conversation, 6:30 p.m.), $25, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914, paintedbride.org.
by K. Ross Hoffman
Sidi Goma, a 12-man troupe of dancers and musicians, perform ecstatic and devotional rituals, upholding the tradition of traveling faqirs.

Crane's Promise
Fri.-Sat., May 8-9, 8 p.m., and Sun., May 10, 3 p.m., $12, Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Ave., 215-387-1911, cecarts.org.
by Shaun Brady
Martina Plag has devised a new variation on "The Crane Wife" that combines elegant puppetry with dance and just a hint of text.


Movies


Movies :: The PugilistThe Pugilist
Director James Toback talks battling his inner demons and his kindred spirit: Mike Tyson.
by Sam Adams
The two men, a portly Jew with a degree from Harvard and an asthmatic kid from Brooklyn who became the world's greatest boxer, could hardly be more oddly matched, but Toback says they instantly recognized each other as kindred spirits when they first met.

Star Trek
City Paper Grade: B
by Shaun Brady
This new rendition maintains the one thing past Star Trek films got unerringly right — the warmth and rapport of its cast.

Private Dick
Filmmaker Kirby Dick's latest, Outrage, focuses on closeted gay politicians with anti-gay voting records. He talked with City Paper a week after the movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Fest.
Bonus Web Content
"What is kind of interesting that I'm finding right now is that mainstream media is struggling on reporting on the name of the subjects that I focus on in my film. I hadn't really thought it through, but I find it fascinating and really puzzling."

Repertory Film
Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.
Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.


Music


Music :: Ultimate Sins
Hang The DJ:
Ultimate Sins
St. Vincent's Actor and Funeral Mist's Maranatha
by J. Edward Keyes
Pop quiz: On which of the following records is the lyric "With our daddy's Smith & Wesson/ We've got to teach them all a lesson" contained?

Music Picks:
Leonard Cohen
Tue., May 12, 8 p.m., $179, Academy of Music, 1420 Locust St., 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org.
by A.D. Amorosi
I have seen the future, brother, and it's Leonard Cohen.

The Ghost is Dancing
Tue., May 12, 9 p.m., $8, with The Josh and Pete Band and Wintergloves, The M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577, themanhattanroom.com.
by Christina Shaffer
TGID's sophomore album includes a fresh lineup and a dozen whimsical tunes.

The Shaky Hands
Tue., May 12, 9 p.m., $12, with The Thermals and Point Juncture, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.
by Christina Shaffer
Frustrated songs like "World's Gone Mad" are reminiscent of the sorrowful, Bush days.

Ladyfingers
Wed., May 13, 9 p.m., $5, with Saudi Arabia, Tritone, 1508 South St., 2155450475, tritonebar.com.
by Christina Shaffer
Ladyfingers woos audiences with his hiccupy vocals and spirited songs that recall the high-haired '50s.

OffOnOff
Sun., May 10, 8 p.m., with Gun Muffs and Tim Albro/Forbes Graham, $10, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, arsnovaworkshop.com.
by Shaun Brady
It takes a rare degree of unhinged aggression to be the noisier half of a group that also boasted Thurston Moore, Mats Gustafsson and Jim O'Rouke.

Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber
Fri., May 8, 9 p.m., $10, with Dr. Ketchup and Fisher, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 215-787-0488, northstarbar.com.
by Shaun Brady
Sun Ra's band of space gypsies is far from the only touchstone for Greg Tate's amorphous ensemble.

Philadelphia Classical Symphony
Fri., May 8, 8 p.m., $15, Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany, 330 S. 13th St., 215-228-2224, classicalsymphony.org.
by Peter Burwasser
The Philadelphia Classical Symphony takes a broader view of the traditional all-American concert for their season closer.

Lady Sovereign
Thu., May 7, 8:30 p.m., $12-$14, all ages, with Chester French and Hollywood Holt, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
Lady Sov is back — sans her trademark side-ponytail — picking up the pieces, manhandling guitars, sampling The Cure and evoking a Eurodance Enya.


Food


Food :: The Perfect HostsThe Perfect Hosts
Philly Kitchen Share is changing the way the city's food pros do business.
by Lauren F. Friedman
Food intended for public consumption must be prepared in a licensed kitchen, but after witnessing firsthand just how difficult it was to transition from a home kitchen to a storefront, Eli Massar had an idea: "Why don't we create a kitchen and share up-front costs with lots of chefs and bakers?"

What's Cooking:
The Week In Eats
Get Out!
by Lauren Fleming
Israeli Wine Dinner at Zahav | Bob Marley Tribute at Rum Bar | Mother's Day Champagne Brunch at Thirteen | Monday Tasting Menu at Blackfish

Frank's a Lot
Frank’s Old Philly-Style Sandwiches
by Drew Lazor
The breadth of sandwiches on offer at Frank's comes off less like a trusty one-stop between-bread shop (think Tony Luke's) than a humble curation of South Philly specialties for an unschooled crowd.

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Brew | Thai Singha House to Go | Grey Restaurant & Lounge


Agenda


Agenda :: Sex Ed
Agenda Lead:
Sex Ed
Annie A-Bomb teaches Philly how to tease.
by Holly Otterbein
When the students finally rehearsed their acts in the third class, it was clear they had absorbed at least one of Frangiosa's lessons: Be comfortable in your own skin.

Been There/Done That:
Binge & Yarn Storytelling
The art of inebriated tale.
by Lauren F. Friedman
"Last time, we went until 1:30. By then it was all binge and no yarn."

Last Chance
Catch it or Regret It
by Holly Otterbein
Salon de Filles | Bluebird | Ennesbo

Just Opened:
Fishtown Collective
by Dianca Potts
Before Will Sacksterder found a hidden wing in his father's unused warehouse, his idea of opening a gallery seemed hopeless.

In The Event That...:
You Work Out to Xanadu
Get comfortable in your gay skin with Homorobics.
by Christina Shaffer
Incorporating cardio exercises, aerobics, Jazzercise and pole-dancing into the course, Scull will teach against a musical backdrop of diva dance mixes.

Just Do It:
Mural Bike Tour
It's time to start paying attention to the art around us.
by Katie Karas
Ryan Derfler will guide attendees along the five-mile route that traverses Fairmount Park, Broad Street, Spring Garden and Boathouse Row. "The reality is that biking is the best way to see the murals," he says. "With bikes you can ride right up to them."

On the DL:
Please Don't Eat The Monkeys
Is there anything wrong with eating our closest animal relatives?
by Lauren Fleming
"There really is no excuse for this bush-meat hunting. It would be a different case if this were an essential food item for people, but it isn't — it's sold as a luxury food."


 
 
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