Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

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Published: Apr 6, 2010

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. Not everything's rosy. But it's close. Like I noticed Walnut Street's Philadelphia Home Art Garden house-ware salon (P.H.A.G., y'all) was doing a going-out-of-biz sale. Where'll I get snazzy pillows? Online, sweethearts. They're moving their biz to thephagshop.com.

► Good-news-bad-news-good-news: Between Barkley Hendricks and Malcolm McLaren, I spent plenty of time at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts last year. I'll do so again in 2011 now that PAFA dropped conceptual designs for Lenfest Plaza, a Piazza-ish thing at Cherry and Broad designed by OLIN's David Rubin. Sadly Gina Lamm won't be there. PAFA's PR mistress leaves the gig April 9. Sob. No sob: Lamm's starting at Arden Theatre as director of PRrrr 10 days later.

► A staff meeting last week at Electric Factory found the venue's higher-ups invoking the name of Larry Magid — the booking honcho who left Live Nation in February. He's responsible for the venue and is gearing to put on concerts — like EF's first non-Live Nation show, June 6's Broken Bells gig? I hear LN'll be back doing shows at the EF by autumn.

► When multigenre genius Martin Bisi's Son of a Gun tour hits the M Room April 8, his guitarsy Howard Harrison will be doing double-duty. HH's scary pop ensemble with Marc Laurick, Yeah Clementines opens the show. YC's next appearance (April 19) finds them, Jukebox Zeroes, Beretta76, Janet Bressler, Ladyfingers and John Train covering the Stooges for American Red Cross/UNICEF Haiti charities at National Mechanics. Can't wait to hear Ladyfingers' merry maudlin rockabilly tunes? Hit Patou in the OC April 9 as they gig with luv-er-ly chanteuse Dena Miranda's The Jass.

► Mike Stollenwerk's Little Fish is closed. Building probs. Not the Fishy's fault. Stollenwork's looking at new spots for his tiny swim-food. Get the bigger stuff at his fish, 17th and Lombard.

► The funniest musician we know, Mikey "Galactic" Gallagher, springs his wack debut CD on a post Bo Burnham audience April 10 with Misstallica and Squidling Bros' Hydrogen Jukebox in tow at the Troc's Balcony.

► Starting April 9 with the opening of Shining City, Philly thespian Scott Greer will do seven performances with two theater companies in one weekend: Theater Exile's Shining at Plays & Players and Romeo & Juliet's final week at the Arden. Orson Welles did as-much in the days of old Broadway, zipping crosstown in an ambulance between theaters. Scott played Welles in It's All True (for InterAct) and won a Barrymore. If he wins one for Shining City, will Greer thank SEPTA?

►Just because he did a house show in Fishtown, don’t get used to seeing Dave Doughman of Swearing at Motorists back around here. The Philly expat’s already back in Berlin where he lives now. “I was home for one night,” he says. “Now I’m heading to L.A. Thursday to start a tour mixing Crystal Castles.” See you Aug. 18 then, when Crystal Castles, Rusko, Sinden and Destructo play Electric Factory.

➤ I just tossed my chermoula. On May 12, Michael Solomonov is bringing David Katz (of Meme) to Zahav for the first-ever collaborative chef-a-thon “One Night in Morocco.” Book now. No fezzes allowed.

➤ While he should be busy enough getting his partner Spank Rock’s due-in-2010 new CD done, XXXChange is putting the finishing touches on his production for Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke’s solo debut CD The Boxer. It’s due at June’s end with a single, “Tenderoni” (man, I hope it’s the original), to be released June 14.

➤ My CVS just got a little cooler to hang near now that its swanky neighbor, La Viet, just opened. High-ceilinged with low-hanging lamps, the new Vietnamese restaubar (1019 S. 11th) comes courtesy Bruce Cao and family. More on this soon.

➤ WMMR’s Jacky Bam Bam and Cinderella? Why it’s a match made in high-hair heaven. JBam celebrates his first anniversary as a full-timer at 93.3 at Cinderella’s Electric Factory gig April 9. I fully expect to see everyone from Cheerleaders and Empire Rock Club, and all the metal-elders from Britny Fox, LaCompte and Heaven’s Edge in attendance.

➤ If you see a bunch of graffiti artists tearing up Michael Schulson’s Sampan this Friday, don’t call the cops. He’s opening a Graffiti Bar in the back of his modAsian restaurant on 13th with graf-ers Rune and Distort doing the dirty work.

➤ Gemini Wolf’s synth-playing half, Mikronesia, won’t be home this week. After the Wolf dropped their new Rare But Serious Side Effects remix CD last week, the soundscaper will be a featured ambient installation artist during the April 8-May 8 exhibition Where It Was There I Shall Be at Nexus/Crane Building as well as acting as a composer/soundtracker for choreographer/dancer Nora Gibson’s Vested Souls at CEC starting April 9. Mikro. Take a nap.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)

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