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ISSUE . June 10th, 2010
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Cover Story


Default Lines
A landlord dropped a bomb on Kensington. It could happen again.
by Isaiah Thompson
Coyle's rise and fall raises vexing questions, both for the future of Kensington and other neighborhoods ravaged by slumlords: How could the institutions that were supposed to protect the public have failed so miserably? And most importantly, could this happen again? A City Paper investigation reveals that it could. And it will. And it is.


Opinion


Loose Canon:
Peace Heroes
Where media has failed, this museum would carry the torch.
by Bruce Schimmel
Making peace is hard. It takes planning, and it takes courage to lay down arms and search for humanity in the heart of your enemy. So, blessed are the peacemakers, about a hundred of whom assembled last weekend at Moore College of Art & Design.

Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"Though you may believe it had merit as a public health issue, it was never perceived by Council or media as such. It was a revenue grab from day one."


News


News :: A Million StoriesA Million Stories
All the news we care to print.
by Jeffrey C. Billman, Victor Gamez and Holly Otterbein
Evil has a way of going hand-in-hand with genius.

Man Overboard!:
Spill, Baby, Spill
The only thing remarkable about Deepwater Horizon is that it happened to blow up.
by Isaiah Thompson
In the next five years BP plans to increase the number of operated sub-sea wells to 320.

Sports:
(Other) Cup Crazy
Giuseppe Rossi will be watching at home with the rest of us.
by E. James Beale
Here in Philadelphia there are three (and only three) types of soccer fans. You're probably the third.

Soapboxer:
About Damn Time
The age of oil must end.
by Jeffrey C. Billman
This is our crisis, too. It's also our chance to get it right.

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


Arts


Arts :: The Writing On The Wall
Art:
The Writing On The Wall
Graffiti pioneer Darryl McCray won't let himself get forgotten.
by Emily Currier
Cornbread is a living legend in our midst, and you've probably never even heard of him.

Arts Picks:
Orphée et Eurydice
June 17-25, $40-$130, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-893-1018, operaphila.org.

by Peter Burwasser
If you like it, try tackling the three-hour-long Verdi that OCP has on tap for the fall.

Re-View:
The Next Great Reality Show?
Robin Rice on Visual Art | Bravo's Work of Art: The Next Great Artist
by Robin Rice
The subject is novel, but it's otherwise a predictable and effective formula packed with pretensions, clichés and suspense, as well as some pretty good — and some really bad — artworks.

Dance:
Caught in a Bard Romance
Pennsylvania Ballet's Romeo and Juliet
by Janet Anderson
When Pennsylvania Ballet last presented Romeo and Juliet in 2005, the leading roles were performed by Zachary Hench and Julie Diana. Five years later, the married couple are back in those familiar roles.

Theater Review:
Don't Call It A Comeback
REVIEW: Arden Theatre Co.'s Sunday in the Park with George
by David Anthony Fox
If you think there are no second acts in American lives, Sunday in the Park with George will change your mind.

Kaleidoscope
Eli "Paperboy" Reed | Pocahaunted | Or Maybe My Mother Was an American Chameleon? | How To Wreck a Nice Beach

Arts Picks:
Daydream Nation
Opening reception Thu., June 10, 6-9 p.m., free, through Aug. 21, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, 1400 N. American St., Suite 103, 215-232-5678, philaphotoarts.org.

by John Vettese
Images in "Daydream Nation" skew minimal, mysterious and evocative.


Movies


Movies :: OndineOndine
City Paper Grade: A-
by Sam Adams
If not the best (and it's certainly among them), Ondine is at least the culminating movie of director Neil Jordan's career.


Music


Music :: Access PointAccess Point
Local punk journeyman Blayer Pointdujour bares his soul.
by A.D. Amorosi
At 29, Blayer Pointdujour has lived several lifetimes inside local punk-rock circles.

Music Picks:
Mount Carmel
Mon., June 14, 8 p.m., $5, with Birds of Maya and Willie Lane, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.

by Brian Howard
Mount Carmel sound like fucking Cream.

Imelda May
Wed., June 16, 9 p.m., $12, with April Mae & The June Bugs, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, johnnybrendas.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman
Dublin's Imelda May taps an Irish bodhrán while she sings, which doesn't entirely scream vintage vixen.

One Track Mind:
Yo La Tengo
"Here to Fall"
by Brian Howard
Remixing YLT is not impossible. In the past, knob-twiddlers like Kevin Shields and Nobukazu Takemura took "Autumn Sweater" and "Danelectro 2" to new heights to new heights and wider expanses.

Album Reviews

Suite Spot:
Habeas Corpus
Serialism nearly killed the new music scene.
by Peter Burwasser
It is one of the great ironies of the art world that so many masters achieve their greatest fame after death.

Music Picks:
Allison Moorer
Fri., June 11, 7:30 p.m., $25-$37, with Tom Hamilton, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

by M.J. Fine
There's less rock 'n' roll than there used to be in new mama Allison Moorer's world.

Sally Seltmann
Fri., June 11, 7 p.m., $15-$18, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

by M.J. Fine
After two blissful albums released under the moniker New Buffalo, Australian multi-instrumentalist Sally Seltmann has shed any vestige of shyness to put out a record under her own name.

Wilsonian's Grain
Sat., June 12, 8 and 10 p.m., $22, Chris' Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131, chrisjazzcafe.com.

by Shaun Brady
Saxophonist Steve Wilson has graced countless stages and even more record dates; much easier to enumerate would be the marquees and album covers that have borne his name.

Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio
Thu., June 10, 8 and 9:45 p.m., $12, Chris' Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131, chrisjazzcafe.com.

by Shaun Brady
Beneath the homespun intimacy dwells an idiosyncratic sophistication, as they travel roads no less idiosyncratic for being unpaved.

Evans-Walter-Blancarte
Thu., June 10, 8 p.m., $10, Powel House Museum, 244 S. Third St., bowerbird.org.

by Shaun Brady
Weasel Walter's hyperaggressive jazz-noise-metal drumming has lain waste to several metropolises over the past 20 years — Chicago throughout the '90s and the Bay Area more recently.


Food


Food :: Animal HouseAnimal House
Hoof + Fin, from head to toe, has the capacity to charm.
by Trey Popp
April in Paris has nothing on May in Queen Village. Argue if you feel like it, but that will only mark your misfortune of having missed out on Hoof + Fin's patio in late spring.

La Va Life
REVIEW: La Va Café
by Drew Lazor
I'm not sure I’ve had more flavorful Israeli food, priced in this manner (everything’s under $10), in Philly.

What's Cooking
Get Out!
by Hadley Assail
Bonus Web Content
Dinner and a Movie at Bistrot La Minette | Tuesday Vegan Tasting Menu at Meritage | Loire Valley Wine Dinner at Lacroix | 2010 Art + Soul Food Festival | Sabrina's Cooking Class at La Cucina at the Market | Fifth Annual Great Chefs Fundraiser to Benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Brown Betty Petite | Cleo's Portico | A Moveable Feast | Mac's Tavern | Green Line Café | The HeadHouse |  Fond


Agenda


Agenda :: Reunion
Agenda Lead:
Reunion
Gather up your nearest and dearest: It's Philly Pride time!
by Josh Middleton
Whether you identify as L, G, B, T or just plain ol' Q, we're all members of the same family.

Agenda Picks:
Birth of Separation
Fundraising party Wed., June 16, 8-11 p.m., $10 suggested donation, 2424 Studios, 2424 East York St., 215-925-7676, 2424studios.com; screening Thu., June 17, 7:30 p.m., $10, Ritz at the Bourse, 400 Ranstead St., 215-925-7900, landmarktheatres.com.
by Marielle Mondon
Louis Mansfield and Steve Saturn wanted to make a movie. They didn't have access to untold millions nor the blessing of free time. But that didn't stop them from producing Birth of Separation, shooting on a budget that wouldn't cover a Hollywood set's craft services table.

The Lampshades
Wed., June 16, 7 p.m., $20-$25, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., 215-496-9001, heliumcomedy.com.
by Katy Bergen
When Flannery isn't playing the alcoholic sexpot Meredith on NBC's The Office, she is Kassie Chew, one-half of The Lampshades, a faux lounge act she created with Scot Robinson in the early '90s.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
From the South Philly Bar & Grill's magic cheesecake to a ?uestlove visitation at the Wach on game day, I've seen and seen Tweeted some weird stuff when it comes to good-luck totems for Flyers fans.

Shopping Spree
Fashion > Forward
by Julia West
Hero in Heels | Summer of Love 2010 | Uhuru Flea Market

Agenda Picks:
Art for the Cash Poor
Sat.-Sun., June 12-13, 1-6 p.m., free, Crane Arts Building, 1400 N. American St., inliquid.com.
by Nyidera Edwards
The 11th annual Art for the Cash Poor allows all to thrive on artistic expression and take pride, rather than shame, in our empty wallets.

Art Machine Productions KickOff
Opening reception, Sat., June 12, 7-10 p.m., free; group show through July 10, 2424 Studios, 2424 E. York St., 215-925-7676, 2424studios.com.
by Mandy Bee
"We wanted a space that could be not a shop, not a studio, not a gallery ... but a place for artistic growth and experimentation regardless of the medium."

Wizard World Comic Con
Fri.-Sun., June 11-13, $25-$50, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., wizardworld.com.
by Katy Bergen
Watch out for the Trekkies, Jedis, vampire slayers and zombies that descending on Philly this weekend.

Todd Barry
Thu., June 17, 8 p.m., $14-$16, with Mates of State and Suckers, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.
by Patrick Rapa
For a sedate, almost soothing comedian, Todd Barry plays a lot of rock shows.




 
 
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