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ISSUE . January 7th, 2010
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Cover Story


People Who Died
2009 Obituaries
What we're doing here is taking a moment to remember a few of the less celebrated citizens of the world who helped shape it in a way disproportionate to the size of their renown — as well as some locals who dispatched their mortal coil this year.


Opinion


Editor's Letter:
Broad Jump
This year was my first Mummers Parade.
by Brian Howard
I'd always appreciated, as U.S. Rep. Bob Brady once insisted in a City Paper editorial board, that "Mummers is cultures." But what you see on TV doesn't get to the heart of it.

Loose Canon:
Hunters Among Us
by Bruce Schimmel
Hunting birds make great theater, and Wechsler says they're all over the city. Fortunately, Philly has the biodiversity and natural resources to support predators at the top of the food chain.

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"It's self-conscious and weird and makes me wonder if the writer isn't a student of the judge."


News


News :: A Million StoriesA Million Stories
When too much water rushes in — anything more than a quarter-inch — the system overflows its pipes. That means shit, piss, goldfish and whatever else you flush down the toilet gets dumped directly into the city's rivers instead of passing through waste treatment plants.

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

Man Overboard!:
Numbers Game
Homicides. Are. Down.
by Isaiah Thompson
Mayor Michael Nutter wants you to know something: Homicides are down. Down, down, down.

Non Sequitur
Letters to the editor, about whatever
The other day on TV a woman was saying there is no God, and we should not teach are children that there is.


Arts


Arts :: Well-Endowed
Re-View:
Well-Endowed
Robin Rice on Visual Art
by Robin Rice
Bonus Web Content
Seven artists' work is effectively installed in a compact space, and a striking variety of approaches and mediums suggests perennial issues relating to drawing.

Arts Picks:
The Vision of Julie Dash
Films, Tue., Jan. 12, 5:30 and 8 p.m., Ibrahim Theater at International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-895-6535, ihousephilly.org; Wed., Jan. 13, 7 p.m., Scribe Video Center, 4212 Chestnut St., third floor, 215-222-4201, scribe.org.; $10 ($22 pass for all screenings); master class, Wed., Jan. 13, 3:30 p.m., $30, Scribe Video Center.
by Molly Eichel
It was a revolutionary narrative device, by a pioneering filmmaker, who became the first African-American woman to release a film theatrically.

Kaleidoscope
Youth in Revolt | Sea Party! | All That Jazz | First Person Arts' StorySlams

Arts Picks:
Smoke, Lilies & Jade
Sat., Jan. 9, 6:30 p.m., $10 (suggested donation), Gershman Y, 401 S. Broad St., 215-828-6453, liliesandjade.org.
by Deni Kasrel
Did you know that Philly's HIV infection rate is five times the U.S. average?


Movies


Movies :: The Imaginarium of Doctor ParnassusThe Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
City Paper Grade: B+
by Shaun Brady
The story, relayed at times by hysterical gesticulations and at others by overlapping mutterings, seems as frayed and threadbare as Dr. Parnassus' timeworn sets and costumes, but is nevertheless engaging thanks to Gilliam's prodigious visual imagination.

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 :: The Sky RisesThe Sky Rises
Delaware duo The Sky Drops make a case for "gaze-grunge."
by John Vettese
It was an exciting time, Montejo says, but "I had a lot of ideas of how the band should sound, and more often than not, I was at odds with myself."

Music Picks:
Marc-André Hamelin
Wed., Jan. 13, 8 p.m., $23, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-569-8080, pcmsconcerts.org.
by Peter Burwasser
There will be Berg's beautifully mysterious Sonata, Liszt's magnificent ooze of that same musical form, a selection of the slyly dramatic Debussy Préludes, and some new music from Hamelin himself.

Camper Van Beethoven/ Cracker
Wed., Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m., $30-$40, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.
by Patrick Rapa
It's only a little strange that David Lowery's songwriting has gone from slacker-punk opuses with Camper Van in the '80s to spunky soldier psych-up songs.

Reconsider Me:
Little Wonder
Vic Chesnutt's At the Cut
by M.J. Fine
Try to think of another singer-songwriter who's been covered by Madonna and Smashing Pumpkins, or one who's been backed by jam stars Widespread Panic, alt-country collective Lambchop and psych-pop stalwarts Elf Power.

Music Picks:
The Hustle
Fri., Jan. 8, 9 p.m., $13, with Cee Knowledge and the Cosmic Funk Band, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.
by Deesha Dyer
The Hustle houses a dash of soul, heap of rock and a large dose of hip-hop.

The Strapping Fieldhands/Kurt Vile/ Home Blitz
Fri., Jan. 8, 9 p.m., $10, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, r5productions.com.
by Patrick Rapa
You're familiar with The Strapping Fieldhands, of course: They're a hardworking Philly band verging on legendary status among certain kinds of blue-collar-indie Andys.

Murali Coryell
Thu., Jan. 7, 8:30 p.m., $10, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0770, tinangel.com.
by Mary Armstrong
"People ask me why I'd take a second mortgage on my home just to make a record," says bluesman Murali Coryell.


Food


Food :: Amish MashAmish Mash
MidAtlantic's chaotically organized regional menu is akin to culinary rumspringa.
by David Snyder
Simple food should not be this complicated.

What's Cooking
Get Out!
by Drew Lazor
Seven-Course Pairing Dinner at Crossing Vineyards | Science on Tap: The Origin and Evolution of Beer | 10 Days of Old Bartholomew Barleywine | Center City District Restaurant Week

Eat The Trend
What's for dinner in 2010?
by Felicia D' Ambrosio
Felicia D'Ambrosio hand-picks what food trends should and/or will come to the fore in Philly in 2010.

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Falafel Factory | Maru Global Takoyaki | MilkBoy Coffee | Noble | Zavino


Agenda


Agenda :: How Time Flies
Agenda Lead:
How Time Flies
What two frank 19th-century English comics think of Philadelphians.
by Julia West
Bonus Web Content
If two loudmouthed Victorian women were plucked from their 19th-century England estates and dropped into 2010 America, they'd likely have plenty to say.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
Bonus Web Content
I'm having a hard time getting "Watch the Mummers Strut" out of my head.

Peer-to-Peer
Brian James Kirk geeks out
by Brian James Kirk
Bonus Web Content
Comic Book Workshops | Tesla Nights 2010 | 8Static

Agenda Picks:
Constructing Play
Through Jan. 31, free, Philadelphia Center for Architecture, 1218 Arch St., 215-569-3186, philadelphiacfa.org.
by Holly Otterbein
John Claypool wants to make it perfectly clear that he's not anti-Wii, despite curating an exhibit that celebrates its exact opposite.

Anarchy and Peace
Sat., Jan. 9, 7 p.m., $5, Wooden Shoe Books, 704 South St., 215-413-0999, woodenshoebooks.com.
by Josh Middleton
The three-part conversation will focus on topics that include an analysis of the situation in the Middle East, disturbing new trends in nuclear warfare, and what can be done locally to inspire change.

Hawthorne Yoga Clothing Swap
Sun., Jan. 10, 2-4 p.m., free, Hawthorne Yoga & Reiki, 1241 Carpenter St., 267-593-4962, hawthorneyoga.com.
by Josh Middleton
The swap will allow attendees to trade their faintly used duds for other garments, shoes and accessories.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Art Contest Viewing Party
Fri., Jan. 8, 8 p.m., free, Tattooed Mom, 530 South St., 215-238-9880, pbrart.com.
by Josh Middleton
Any medium is acceptable, whether it's poetry, painting, drawing or sculpture.


 
 
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