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ISSUE . April 8th, 2010
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Cover Story


The Clamorous Life
U.S. Girls' big dreams and strange adventures in lo-fi.
by Patrick Rapa
A young veteran of the music scenes in Chicago and Portland, Ore., Remy performs under the curiously plural moniker U.S. Girls. The "band" is just her and a whole mess of equipment. Ghostly and all but incoherent, her voice rises and falls beneath thick layers of distortion and snippets of white noise. There are hints and glimmers of recognizable rock conventions, but it's pretty safe to say she's not for everyone.


Opinion


Editor's Letter:
5 & 34
McNabb's departure was both pre-ordained and eternally unlikely.
by Brian Howard
As to the idea that it was folly trading McNabb to a team the Eagles will face twice a year, Beale is pointed: "I've watched him in enough big games to say I'm not afraid of him in big games. I wish him the best for 14 games a season."

Loose Canon:
Educating Rina
It's almost a parody of public participation.
by Bruce Schimmel
City Hall is charging forward with plans for street furniture, and it's surprising how little is known about what we'll be seeing, sitting in and tossing trash at for the next 20 years.

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"Dear City Paper, let me explain why you are lame."


News


News :: Going HardballGoing Hardball
Former allies are frustrated with Councilwoman Quiñones-Sánchez.
by Isaiah Thompson
Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, ENPC leaders charge, has brushed them aside and failed to deliver on a promise to help the coalition achieve its dream of obtaining vacant lots and turning them into a community-based "land trust" — a nonprofit that would own community land and give residents a say in development in the neighborhood.

Walk On
A Philly man will walk across the country. He's not sure why, either.
by Eric Pettersson
"It's not just a point-A-to-point-B thing," he says. "It's going to be a serious analysis of one person's head, when they have nothing to do but think about what they've done, what's going on, what they want to do."

A Million Stories
All the news we care to print.
by Holly Otterbein and Andrew Thompson
Note to Congress: Get on the ball, please.

Man Overboard!:
It's Say Stuff Month!
If you're going to get messy with your numbers, say it, don't spray it.
by Isaiah Thompson
Keep up the good work, say I, Steve: Say Stuff Month doesn't last forever (and Do Stuff Month is a killer).

Sports:
Blog F'in Champs
Will The Fightins become a full-time job?
by E. James Beale
Given that so many of the blogs The Fightins beat out are either run by mainstream sites or, like CSN's The 700 Level, are now officially under a corporate banner, you have to wonder how far away The Fightins is from becoming a full-time job. "Far," says meech.

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


Arts


Arts :: Talking in Maths
Art:
Talking in Maths
For multimedia artist Jebney Lewis, global warming is an equation waiting to be solved.
by Bruce Walsh
Since 2005, Lewis has been a go-to technical director for experimental theater artists like Pig Iron Theatre Co. and Thaddeus Phillips. He specializes in doing a lot with a little. But with works like the sculptural "Bifurcation, Hysteresis, Catastrophe," Lewis is finally starting to lead his own conceptual projects.

Arts Picks:
Stretch (A Fantasia)
Through April 25, $29-$48, People's Light & Theatre Co., 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, 610-644-3500, peopleslight.org.
by Mark Cofta
Susan Bernfield's Stretch (A Fantasia) is less about history than about coping with history happening around us.

Re-View:
Aura Implicit
Robin Rice on Visual Art | Emil Baumann: Paintings
by Robin Rice
Painting is a primary means of expression for Baumann. He does not title or explain his paintings, but they speak vividly to the viewer.

Kaleidoscope
The African Queen | Fat Pig | Human Barbecue | Justified

Arts Picks:
Nerve
Through May 2, $15-$25, Azuka Theatre at the Latvian Society, 531 N. Seventh St., 215-733-0255, azukatheatre.org.
by Mark Cofta
You've got to admire local actors like Leah Walton and Charlie DelMarcelle, who piece together careers doing quality work for small theater companies, sometimes with no break between gigs.


Movies


Movies :: Screen CaptureScreen Capture
The Philadelphia Film Society courts cinephiles with a free mini-festival.
The Good, The Bad and the Weird | Harry Brown | I Am Love | The Joneses | Looking for Eric | No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iversion | The Square | Tales From the Golden Age

Mid-August Lunch
City Paper Grade: B
by Sam Adams
As shimmering and insubstantial as heat haze, the first film by Gianni Di Gregorio is an evanescent pleasure, an airy morsel that dissolves on the tongue, imparting only the faintest hint of flavor.

Strange Days
Tom DiCillo's Doors documentary unearths rare footage of the Lizard King.
by Molly Eichel
Rarely seen pieces of footage elevate When You're Strange above its by-the-numbers rock-doc trappings.

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 :: Over the Wall
Reconsider Me:
Over the Wall
Jakob Dylan's Women + Country
by M.J. Fine
Jakob Dylan's got little reason to revive The Wallflowers; with his second solo album, he proves he's more than capable of bearing the weight.

Music Picks:
Univox
Mon., April 12, 7 p.m., $8, with Thinking Machines, Ornery Little Darlings and Br'er, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 215-787-0488, northstarbar.com.
by Patrick Rapa
Maybe it's that dirty garage sound offset by those mesmerizing, multi-tiered vocals (everybody sings! at once sometimes!), or maybe it's the dark, smirking lyrics.

tUnE-yArDs
Tue., April 13, 8 p.m., $12, with Xiu Xiu, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
tUnE-yArDs, the one-woman deconstructionist pop project of Oakland's Merrill Garbus, has gotta be the oddest inclusion in this year's Roots Picnic lineup.

Rocky Votolato/ Brooke Waggoner
Sat., April 10, 6 p.m., sold out; 9 p.m., $12; First Unitarian Side Chapel, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.
by Patrick Rapa
With a voice like aquarium gravel (just rough enough), Seattle singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato has made his bones singing urgent little broken-heart anthems and strumming his acoustic.

Jotto
Sat., April 10, 9 p.m., $8, with Deadly Technologies, The M Room, 15 W. Girard Ave., 215-739-5577, themanhattanroom.com.
by John Vettese
They put up a decent facade of arty, antsy dance rock, but make no mistake: Jotto has always been keen on understatement.

Aloha
Sat., April 10, 7:30 p.m., $10, with Ecstatic Sunshine, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.
by A.D. Amorosi
If Minus the Bear had a more dashing experimental streak, they'd be Ohio-born's Aloha.

Paper Bird
Sat., April 10, 9 p.m., $12-$15, with Mason Porter and Tom Hamilton's American Babies, and Wed., April 14, 7:30 p.m., $13-$15, with Tao-Rodriguez Seeger and Marc Silver, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.
by K. Ross Hoffman
The septet's A Sky Underground EP boasts a potent, passionate blend of old-timey mountain soul.

Philly Gumbo
Fri., April 9, 10 p.m., $12-$13, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.
by Mary Armstrong
Playing in Philly Gumbo was an act of love, not a career move.

Baby Dee/David E. Williams
Thu., April 8, 9 p.m., $14-$15, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.
by A.D. Amorosi
Cleveland's Baby Dee has been a church organist, a circus tricyclist, a harpist, a go-go dancer, a barkeep at Manhattan's famed Pyramid Club, a Johnson for Antony and the Johnsons and, once upon a time, a man.


Food


Food :: Pie PiperPie Piper
The pizza at Zavino is good — but it's far from the only reason to visit.
by Trey Popp
Chef Steve Gonzalez hails from Southwest Philly but has spent the last decade or so out of town. His résumé also includes Vetri, and that's the one that shows — his homemade pasta is what's really distinguished Zavino in its first few months.

Pon de ReFlay
Q&A: Bobby Flay
by Drew Lazor
Bobby Flay opened his fifth Bobby's Burger Palace location in West Philly on Tuesday. We caught up with the celeb chef earlier this week.

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Bobby's Burger Palace | Mexico on the Square | Bain's Deli | Zavino | Amis

What's Cooking:
The Week In Eats
Get Out!
by Alexandra Harcharek
Honest Tom's Birthday Party at Blockley Pourhouse | Grid Magazine Birthday Party at Yards | Beer Gone A-Rye at the Institute | Sunday Supper and Family Lore at Bridget Foy's | Sake Fest at Loews Philadelphia Hotel


Agenda


Agenda :: In Stitches
Agenda Lead:
In Stitches
A discussion by quilting superstar Kaffe Fassett kicks off a new season of classes at Spool.
by Josh Middleton
International quilting sensation Kaffe Fassett likes to stop and smell the roses. But while down for a whiff, he's evaluating those bad boys to find the colors and shapes that will arouse inspiration for his next quilted creation.

Agenda Picks:
X: The Unknown Screening
Wed., April 14, 6:30 p.m., free, Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut St., 215-925-2222, chemheritage.org.
by Julia West
The second in a series of four sci-fi screenings at CHF is X: The Unknown, a 1956 Hammer horror film in which a Scottish town is attacked by radioactive mud.

Shopping Spree
Fashion > Forward
by Felicia D'Ambrosio
Sustainability Month Kickoff and E-store Opening at Sa Va | Philadelphia Independent Designers' Market | Lecture by NY Times Design Director Khoi Vinh

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
Whee. Donovan McNabb's gone and anyone caught with 30 grams-and-under of marijuana gets a fine and no jail time. It's spring in Philly. Beee-u-t-ful.

Agenda Picks:
Philly Ukelele Jam
Sun., April 11, 1 p.m., free, Rittenhouse Square, W. Rittenhouse Sq. & Locust Street.
by Sam Kaplan
"When you pull out a ukelele, though, nobody expects anything. You can do whatever you want."

Web Exclusive
Body Awareness for Musicians
Sun. April 11, 2 p.m., free, Settlement Music School, 416 Queen Street, 215-320-2600, smsmusic.org
by Mandy Bee
Created by Australian actor F.M. Alexander, the technique focuses on posture, mind set, breathing and concentration of bodily movement.

Philly Roller Girls Season Opener
Sat. April 10, 5 p.m., $12-$20, Class of 1923 Arena, University of Pennsylvania, 3130 Walnut St., 215-898-1923, phillyrollergirls.com.
by Mandy Bee
For their long-awaited opening bout, the Philthy Britches battle the London Rollergirls.

Third Annual Philly Spring Cleanup
Sat., April 10, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., various locations, free, phillyspringcleanup.com.
by Alexandra Harcharek
After last year's successful roundup of 3.25 million pounds of trash, the Philly Spring Cleanup is back, aiming to beautify our blocks and eliminate litter.

Metro Dash Philly
Sat. April 10, check-in between 10-11:30 a.m., race at noon, $65 per person, Independence National Historic Park, Arch between Fifth and Sixth streets, frawgstomp.com/philadelphia.
by Emily Currier
Ever wanted to participate in The Amazing Race, sans the desire to leave the city? Frawgstomp Urban Racing indulges your adventurous inclinations.

Compost Matters Conference
Fri., April 9, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., $30, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., compostconference.eventbrite.com.
by Sam Kaplan
Composting advocates and local representatives from both government and the private sector will speak at the conference.

Revenge of the 1-4-5 Show
Fri., April 9, 8 p.m., $10, Tuscany Café, 222 W. Rittenhouse Square, 215-772-0605.
by Josh Middleton
"We'll still make fun of everyone, but if you're making fun of everyone no one's going to feel like an outsider."




 
 
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