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ISSUE . March 4th, 2010
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Jef Lee Johnson
Philly's secret guitar hero is ready for his close-up. Are you?
by A.D. Amorosi
Everybody who's worked with him sings his praises. And everybody else has never heard of him.

Thee Phantom
A Philly MC known for pushing the envelope sets his sights on music's most serious stage
by Deesha Dyer
While his peers are hoping to book a gig opening for Lil Wayne, Thee Phantom's got his eye on Carnegie Hall.

Drink Up Buttercup
Doylestown rockers mix style with substance and go nuts.
by John Vettese
You know, if you're not paying attention, you might mistake Drink Up Buttercup for some seriously demented dudes.

RJD2
The West Philly DJ/label CEO was born a rambling man.
by A.D. Amorosi
"It's nice to not have a little imaginary devil on your shoulder anymore wondering, 'will the label like this song, or not?'"

Post Post
A local smarty-pop college band takes the plunge.
by Patrick Rapa
Every milestone is a hurdle for a young band, but philosophically there is only one question: Are you serious? Post Post is serious.



Loose Canon:
Dancing About Politics
Bodies in motion can rebalance the body politic.
by Bruce Schimmel
Personal dance in an intimate setting lets people appreciate the beauty of ideas they might otherwise despise.

Editor's Letter:
Aftershocks
by Brian Howard
When we arrived in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, two Fridays ago, weary from iteration six or seven of Philly Winter Flu/Cold 2010, we were expecting

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"Most of these people who show up to these events start all the trouble; then they get put in their place; then they want to cry. Take it like a man."



News :: A Million StoriesA Million Stories
All the news we care to print.
by Jeffrey C. Billman, Holly Otterbein and Andrew Thompson
Last week, we told you that Philadelphia received a report card informing us that our longtime subsistence on Fritos Honey BBQ Twists and purple drink has made us the very least healthy county in all of Pennsylvania.

Man Overboard!:
Proximity!
Steve Wynn and the birth of the "convenience casino."
by Isaiah Thompson
Tourists are finicky, few and far away, and Wynn knows this. This week, he announced that his Philly casino would be only three stories tall and wouldn't include a hotel. These casinos aren't for tourists; they're for us.

Sports:
Bring Back Croce
Leadership matters. Croce has it. The 76ers don't.
by E. James Beale
The 76ers didn't make a mistake when they decided to bring back a cornerstone of the 2001 championship run. They made a mistake in choosing Iverson, who recently left the team to care for his ailing daughter, instead of the natural fit — former president Pat Croce.

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



Arts :: First Friday FocusFirst Friday Focus
Lori Hill's First Friday Hit List
by Lori Hill
Scientific Researches! New Discoveries in PNEUMATICKS! or an Experimental Lecture on the Powers of Air, by James Gillray, 1802, hand-colored engraving.

Arts Picks:
Groovaloo
March 9-14, $25-$59.50, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., 215-731-3333, kimmelcenter.org.
by Emily Currier
Fresh from guesting on So You Think You Can Dance in December, the Groovaloos are breaking and battling their way to Philly.

The Rear Column
Through March 21, $22, Iron Age Theatre at Centre Theater, 208 DeKalb St., Norristown, 610-279-1013, ironagetheatre.org.
by Mark Cofta
Iron Age Theatre co-directors Randall Wise and John Doyle seem to like a good history lesson.

Art:
Work in Progress
Abstract Expressionist Neil Anderson won't stop short of a resolution.
by Bruce Walsh
Neil Anderson wakes up every morning and contemplates the texture of the ground directly under his feet.

Kaleidoscope
Seth Grahame-Smith | Book Bombs | Pierced Arrows | Man Man

Shelf Life:
Growing Pains
Under the Covers with Justin Bauer
by Justin Bauer
In Jillian Weise's The Colony, researchers gather subjects for radical gene therapy. They can mend Alzheimer's, they say, and delete a predisposition toward fat.



Movies :: M. Hulot's HolidayM. Hulot's Holiday
City Paper Grade: A
by Sam Adams
Tati's later films grew more and more despondent about the dehumanizing state of the modern world, but Holiday's fond nostalgia is unadulterated by social critique.

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 :: True Jersey
Hang The DJ:
True Jersey
Titus Andronicus' The Monitor
by J. Edward Keyes
"A More Perfect Union" contains more references to New Jersey in its first verse than the last four Springsteen records combined.



Food :: Steer ClearSteer Clear
Finding a Philly cheesesteak in Mumbai is not as hard as it sounds.
by Dan Packel
Bonus Web Content
Mostly-Hindu India, where McDonald's doesn't even offer hamburgers, is one place I never expected to encounter a cheesesteak.

Wit' Style
Two local cheesesteak shops are taking an unprecedented approach to interior design.
by Carolyn Wyman
Cheesesteak shop "design" has long referred to nothing more than where the soda pallets and cans of Whiz are stacked. But the idea that good steaks can come only from downscale digs is changing.

What's Cooking:
The Week in Eats
Get Out!
by Alexandra Harcharek
Stoudt's Beer Dinner at Amada | "Pig & Its Parts" Menu at James | Vegan Cocktail Party at Cantina Dos Segundos | Oscars Pajama Party at The Institute

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Delicatessen | Apollinare | Ro-Zu | Hawthornes | Zento Contemporary | Argan Moroccan Cuisine



Agenda :: On a Wing and a Prayer
Agenda Lead:
On a Wing and a Prayer
Swallow Your Pride follows six Wing Bowl-ers, including hometown hero Bill "El Wingador" Simmons.
by Josh Middleton
Bonus Web Content
The film spotlights various competitors qualifying for the chance to compete in the 2005 competition, but the bulk of the film chows down on El Wingador's rematch with The Black Widow, who he believes should not have won in 2004.

Peer-to-Peer:
Warning: Graphic Content
Brian James Kirk geeks out
by Brian James Kirk
Comic book artists Jamar Nicholas and Josh Neufeld use a combination of words and images as a powerful method of storytelling.

Agenda Picks:
Anti-Bestiality Educational Awareness
Tue., March 9, 10 p.m., $3, Bob and Barbara's, 1509 South St., 215-545-4511, swellco2000.com.
by Julia West
"People should avoid having sex with their pets," says Swellco & Swellco's Robert Brown. Truer words were never spoken.

Puppet Uprising's Julius Caesar
Thu.-Mon., March 11-15, 8 p.m., pay-what-you-can (Thu. preview)-$20, 267-909-2633, puppetuprising.org.
by Emily Currier
For a simultaneously schizophrenic and appetizing play, the five-company production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar fits the bill.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
My Music Issue Ice is nice because as I wrote it I sang "You're So Vain" backward while whispering David Geffen's name. I did.

Agenda Picks:
Red Bowl Bike Coalition Fundraiser
Sat., March 6, 2-6 p.m., $10-$15, North Bowl Lounge, 909 N. Second St., 215-242-9253, northbowlphilly.com.
by Julia West
Despite the recent Snowpocalypse, the Bicycle Coalition is throwing an indoor bash as a way to turn a hopeful eye to a warm, flurry-free spring.

Womyns Fest
Sun., March 7, 7-11 p.m., free, Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., 215-573-3234, therotunda.org.
by Julia West
Musical guests include folkers Victoria and the Spaeth Cadets, dance and poetry from Dragoness, southern fried rockers Dolly Trolly and a surprise, unlisted band.

David Goodis to a Pulp
Fri., March 5, 8:30-10 p.m., $10, Society Hill Playhouse, 507 S. Eighth St., 215-923-0210, societyhillplayhouse.org.
by Mandy Bee
Director Larry Withers' fascination with the writer began when he found out that Goodis was secretly married to Withers' mother in the '40s.


 
 
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