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ISSUE . June 24th, 2010
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Cover Story


Bail Is for the Rich
Nathaniel Hayes spent 113 days in jail because he didn't have $1,010.
by Holly Otterbein
"I thought you were innocent until proven guilty. Not in Philadelphia's court system. If you can't pay no bail, you're guilty until proven innocent."


Opinion


Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"I've been doing it that way for six years and any pot, bucket or even a shoe that is sitting near a crack soon has a gaggle of worms under it, year round."


News


News :: Ahead Lies the ReckoningAhead Lies the Reckoning
Want to get serious about the national debt? Here's your chance.
by Jeffrey C. Billman
With the specter of trillion-dollar deficits lingering overhead, the pressing reality of the economic crunch takes a backseat — no matter the advice of economists, who argue that government spending is essential to economic recovery, itself a prerequisite for any long-term deficit reduction. But the debt is now a political football, and Republicans — and some Democrats — are running with it.

A Million Stories
All the news we care to print.
If you're like us — and your psychiatrist tells us you are — you were taken aback by the Inquirer's front-pager Friday announcing that SEPTA may sell the naming rights to its Broad and Pattison station to AT&T for $5 million.

Man Overboard!:
The Sentence
Fracking is safe. Fracking is safe. Fracking is safe.
by Isaiah Thompson
The industry evades these damning facts by sticking to such a narrow definition of "fracking," as to exclude whatever particular phase of the operation was responsible. And why not? It keeps the public — and the federal authorities — off its back.

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


Arts


Arts :: Key To The City
Art:
Key To The City
Philly-bred author Adena Halpern unlocks our best-kept secrets.
by A.D. Amorosi
"I do. I've always thought of Philly as a best-kept secret. If people want American history, they’re going to go to D.C. If they want a city, they’re going to go to Manhattan. What they don't know, unless they’ve visited Philly, is how incredibly beautiful and unexpectedly vibrant it is."

Re-View:
The Flame of the Youth
Robin Rice on Visual Art | Kate Abercrombie: making, joining and repairing
by Robin Rice
Abercrombie and O'Connor, far from boring, are typical of the promising younger artists whom Fleisher/Ollman Gallery has shown recently.

Kaleidoscope
Futurama | Nathan Williams' King of the Beach | Manayunk Arts Festival | The Roots' How I Got Over

Arts Picks:
Andy Warhol
June 26-Sept. 12, $15; Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 N. Broad St., 215-972-2031, pafa.org.

by A.D. Amorosi
As if presenting Jasper John's seminal Flag (1960-1966) in a single-object exhibition this summer weren't enough to satiate Pop aficionados, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts had to call in the Andy Warhol troops.

Spark Showcase
Fri., June 25, 7 p.m., $20, Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St., 215-413-7150, phillytheatretix.com.

by Mark Cofta
Six small local theater companies, curated by Theatre Exile's Deborah Block, will present new works-in-progress by area playwrights for our approval and the $1,000 prize.


Movies


Movies :: I Am LoveI Am Love
City Paper Grade: A-
by Sam Adams
Former fascist collaborators now eyeing a move toward global branding, the Recchi family is, or would prefer to be, unstuck in time.


Music


Music :: Too Much BeautyToo Much Beauty
Buried Beds dig themselves out and unleash a big, fun rock album.
by Patrick Rapa
It seemed like every time Eliza Jones and Brandon Beaver got together to make music, they'd come up with something hopelessly stark and sad. They did this one heavy-hearted folk ballad called "Camelia" that would just knock the wind out of you. Their sound was, in a word, beautiful. And it kinda bored them.

Hang The DJ:
Who's The Boss
Against Me!'s White Crosses and The Gaslight Anthem's American Slang
by J. Edward Keyes
Bonus Web Content
The new records from Florida punks Against Me! and Jersey blue-collar bar rockers Gaslight Anthem seem to have been composed, if not within miles of one another, at least within the same relative headspace.

Music Picks:
Islands
Wed., June 30, 6:30 p.m., $12, with Steel Phantoms and Active Child, Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.

by Julia West
The riffs are infectious, like something concocted by a mad scientist.

The Crossing
Sun., June 27, 4 p.m., $22.50-$25, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave., crossingchoir.com.

by Peter Burwasser
The works showed off a knack for using highly complex language in the service of very accessible and very expressive pieces.

Carolyn Leonhart and Wayne Escoffery
Sat., June 26, 8 and 10 p.m., $20, Chris' Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., 215-568-3131, chrisjazzcafe.com.

by Shaun Brady
Few phrases will send a club full of jazz devotees scurrying to the bar faster than "I'd like to bring my wife to the stage."

Men
Sat., June 26, 7:30 p.m., $12, with Sweatheart, Sgt. Sass and DJ Alex, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 877-435-9847, r5productions.

by M.J. Fine
You can't fully experience Brooklyn techno-rockers MEN unless you catch them in person.

The Shondes
Fri., June 25, 9:30 p.m., $7, with Post Post, Filmstar, Rachel Tension and DJ Lil Sis, Tritone, 1508 South St., 215-545-0475, tritonebar.com.

by M.J. Fine
When heartbreak hits, you can crumple to the floor or you can work through it. Guess which path The Shondes chose after their original guitar player left abruptly?

Floor
Fri., June 25, 7:30 p.m., $13-$15, with Gods & Queens and Javelina, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.

by Atom Goren
The first thing you learn about Floor is their "bombstring."

Holy Ghost!
Fri., June 25, 10 p.m., $10-$15, with The Rapture and Making Time DJs, Voyeur, 1221 St. James St., igetrvng.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman
They're as painstaking about their 1980s fetishism as they are in targeting that sweet spot between soft-focus songcraft and total dancefloor abandon.

Rufus Reid Trio
Fri., June 25, 5:45 and 7:15 p.m., free with museum admission of $16, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org.

by Shaun Brady
After more than three decades of beefing up countless ensembles with his tree trunk-thick tone, Reid has finally thrust himself onto the marquee.

Tim Berne's Los Totopos
Thu., June 24, 8 p.m., $12, Philadelphia Art Alliance, 251 S. 18th St., arsnovaworkshop.com.

by Shaun Brady
It can sometimes be difficult to keep track of saxophonist Tim Berne's numerous bands.

Sun Airway
Thu., June 24, 9 p.m., $10, with Ravens:and:Vultures and Eat Your Birthday Cake, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, johnnybrendas.com.

by John Vettese
The duo marries traces of Barthmus' old songwriting style with drifty, hazy psychedelic ambiences.

Sage Francis
Thu., June 24, 7:30 p.m., $17-$19, all ages, with Free Moral Agents and B. Dolan, Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-299-6888, thetroc.com.

by K. Ross Hoffman
Sage Francis has been an indie-rap figurehead for a decade, but his newest, oddest album puts an unexpected twist on that phrase.


Food


Food :: Tap ThatTap That
It's all about the beer at City Tap House, but the craft-brew haven is also serving surprisingly sharp food.
by Trey Popp
In the Land of Beer Commercials there are three immutable laws. The mountains shall be snow-capped, the streams must run clear, and the only way to drink a malt beverage is from a vessel tricked out with turbulence-inducing ridges or a color-changing logo. City Tap House fails marvelously on all three counts.

Fave the Way
REVIEW: Jay's Favorite Sushi Bar
by Drew Lazor
While it’s certainly not my number-one raw-fish palace in the city, there’s plenty to eat on the chef’s insanely affordable menu — just keep in mind your experience might vary wildly depending on the night you visit.

Web Exclusive
What's Cooking
The Week in Eats
by Hadley Assail
Meet Your Local Cheesemaker at Fair Food Farmstand | "Fish Without Fear" Cooking Class at Lu Cucina | Northern Liberties Food Tour | Dining al Fresco at the Farm | Down the Shore Dinner at Zahav

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
The HeadHouse | Call Me Cupcake | Nana Petrillo's | Tiffin | Kanella


Agenda


Agenda :: Trapper Tom
Agenda Lead:
Trapper Tom
Survivalist Tom Brown III says you can commune with the Earth without throwing away your cell phone.
by Will Stone
Getting back to nature becomes badass when a guy dubbed T3 holds the key to survival via a lethal throwing stick called an Addle Addle.

Shopping Spree:
Company Policy Apparel
Fashion > Forward
by Julia West
Christos Karabelas is privy to the fact that clothes, music and art can bleed into each other within a community, creating a site-specific urban underground culture.

Agenda Picks:
The Liar Show
Wed., June 30, 8 p.m, $10, L'Etage, 624 S. Sixth St., 215-592-0656, theliarshow.com.
by Eric Henney
As with most comedy shows, only some of the stories in Andy Christie's The Liar Show are true. Unlike most comedy shows, you get to call bullshit on the phonies.

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
SEPTA's selling the naming rights to the Broad and Pattison stop to AT&T, and the mind reels at the messy possibilities ahead for your commute.

Agenda Picks:
Jesus Phreak
Sun., June 27, 7 p.m., free, Trinity Memorial Church, 2212 Spruce St., 215-732-2515, trinityphiladelphia.org.
by Jen Rini
Jesus Phreak brings up issues that affect gays and straights, believers and nonbelievers, and links them by spirituality and faith.

Puppet Uprising Presents: Fanciness vs. The Void and Antipodal Goatlegs
Sat., June 26, 8 p.m., $5-$10 suggested donation, Emerald Street Park, 2312 Emerald St., 267-909-2633, puppetuprising.org.
by Jen Rini
Dip into a pool of dream-like theatricality, complete with singing fish, medieval-style banners and ... antipodal goats?

Picklefest
Sat., June 26, 2 p.m., free, STORAGE, 1414 S. Darien St., 215-214-9283, wedontlivhere.org.
by Marielle Mondon
"We call it a celebration of preservation."

Tertulia: Immigrants' Own Documentaries
Fri., June 25, 7 p.m., $5, Raíces Culturales Latinoamericanas, 2757 N. Fifth St., 215-425-1390, raicesculturales.org.
by Lauren Macaluso
All this crazy talk of strict immigration laws in Pennsylvania hasn't quieted Latino Philadelphia.




 
 
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