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ISSUE . September 23rd, 2010
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Cover Story


War on Drugs
Working the soundboard with mad rock scientist Adam Granduciel.
by Patrick Rapa
Adam Granduciel and the rest of The War on Drugs just got back from a session at Moog Studios in Asheville, N.C. An Etherwave-model theremin was a parting gift. While you probably won't hear it shrieking in the background of a War on Drugs album anytime, it does fit Granduciel's mad scientist/tinkerer vibe.

Dominic Angelella
How a UArts jazz student became a vital cog in the Philly rock scene.
by John Vettese
What seems like remarkable versatility to the layperson is commonplace, Dominic Angelella argues: "Almost every musician I know is as busy as they possibly can be."

Attia Taylor
A Girls Rock Philly alum makes glorious bedroom pop.
by M.J. Fine
From the first time you hear Attia Taylor, it's clear she's not quite like anyone else.

Baby Flamehead
Philly's acoustic pioneer babies reignite as wise old-heads.
by M.J. Fine
"We got compared to 10,000 Maniacs on occasion because they also had a female singer," says frontwoman Eden Daniels. "But — seriously, folks — we sounded nothing like them."

Bilal
How a soulful singer-songwriter got over and got free.
by A.D. Amorosi
Don't think of Bilal and Love for Sale as hostages. They are legends of the ether, free as birds and joyfully all over the place.

Echo Orbiter
Get the band back together or the terrorists win.
by Patrick Rapa
The reasons Echo Orbiter came back are as hazy as the reasons it left.

F/M Fest
If you plan it right, you'll have a long weekend ahead of you.
by Eric Schuman
The Philadelphia Film & Music Festival — "F/M" to the kids — spans four days (Sept. 23-26) and inhabits just about every space where a stage and sound system can be constructed.


Opinion


Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"God help a society which calls eating cow hearts and immersing oneself in fake blood 'art.'"


News


News :: A Million StoriesA Million Stories
All the news we care to print.
by Jeffrey C. Billman and Juliana Reyes
The real beauty here is that, despite the plain reality that this woman is certifiably nuts and demonstrably unqualified, the GOP faithful and party leaders are lining up behind her anyway. And if nothing else, that shows how insane our political system has become.

Man Overboard!:
Gimme Three Steps
The School District's patented way to make problems go away.
by Isaiah Thompson
It's just the kind of incident that called for the Philadelphia School District's patented technique of making problems go away in just three easy steps.


Arts


Arts :: Mauck 'Em Dead
Art:
Mauck 'Em Dead
With a hefty grant from Temple, a fledgling theater company gets its wings.
by A.D. Amorosi
When Peter Reynolds won Temple University's Provost Seed Grant, it wasn't just a gift given for services rendered.

Arts Picks:
Banned Books Week
Wed., Sept. 29, 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org.

by Eric Schuman
Every September since 1982, bookworms have commemorated how narrow-minded The Man can be by celebrating a host of damn good reads that have either been challenged or banned from public view.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Through Oct. 16, $25-$45, People's Light & Theatre Co., 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, 610-644-3500, peopleslight.org.

by Mark Cofta
The film's 35th anniversary has inspired productions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest all over the country, a nice reminder of how Dale Wasserman's play stays much truer to Ken Kesey's novel than the movie.

Theater Review:
Supernatural Selection
Ghost-Writer at Arden Theatre Co.
by Mark Cofta
Hollinger's intimate, powerful work — given a superb Arden Theatre Co. production by director Jim Christy — uses supernatural mystery to explore creative inspiration.

The Good Ol' Days
Curtains at Walnut Street Theatre
by David Anthony Fox
It's a small miracle that Kander and Ebb's Curtains ever made it to Broadway.

Arts Picks:
Days With My Father
Through Nov. 6, free, Gallery 339, 339 S. 21st St., 215-731-1530, gallery339.com.
by John Vettese
"I want to think seriously about what I can accomplish with what's left of my life."

Re-View:
Pots & Paeans
Robin Rice on Visual Art
by Robin Rice
Shows in two adjacent galleries at the PMA's Perelman Building please the eye and refresh the psyche in utterly opposing styles.

Arts Picks:
Reality Check
Through Nov. 18, $10, Brandywine River Museum, Route 1, Chadds Ford, 610-388-2700, brandywinemuseum.org.

by Shaun Brady
Observing people examining the paintings in the Brandywine River Museum's new show is more like watching visitors at a funhouse hall of mirrors than patrons at an art exhibition.

Kaleidoscope
Titus Andronicus | Nigga Files | Swans' "You Fucking People Make Me Sick" | Fourth Wall Arts Salon


Movies


Movies :: Coulda Been a ContenderCoulda Been a Contender
This year's Toronto International Film Festival lacks Oscar oomph.
by Sam Adams
By general consensus, 2010 was the Toronto International Film Festival's most lackluster year in recent memory.

Never Let Me Go
City Paper Grade: B
by Sam Adams
The understated approach to Ishiguro's (science-) fictional past absolves the movie of the need to roll out space suits and rocket cars; this is a worn world, made of metal and stone, free of technophile fetishism.


Music


Music :: Laid Back
Reconsider Me:
Laid Back
James' The Morning After the Night Before
by M.J. Fine
For a band that goes by a single man's name, James has quite a few sides.


Food


Food :: The Gang Gets ReviewedThe Gang Gets Reviewed
This article about Mac's Tavern does not contain a single milksteak reference.
by Adam Erace
If you've ever seen It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, watched the goings-on at Paddy's Pub and thought, "Man, I'd sacrifice my first-born dumpster baby to hang out there," you might be disappointed in Mac's Tavern.

Cutting Vedge
Kim O'Donnel's The Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook
by Drew Lazor
Born in Philly, raised in Bala Cynwyd and educated at UPenn, Kim O'Donnel is quite familiar with our city's intimate relationship with meat.

Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Philadelphia Chutney Co. | Hop Angel Brauhaus | Four Worlds Bakery

What's Cooking
The Week in Eats
by Rachel Burgos
Sukkot Harvest Supper with Michael Solomonov | Stephen Starr/SPTR Pop-Up Dinner | Vendemmia Festival | Food Trust Night Market | Philly Distilling at Capogiro UPenn


Agenda


Agenda :: Last ChanceLast Chance
Catch it or regret it
by Holly Otterbein
Bridgette Mayer Gallery | Bambi Gallery | Jolie Laide

Agenda Picks:
Ted Rall
Tue., Sept. 28, 7 p.m., free, Wooden Shoe, 704 South St., 215-413-0999, woodenshoebooks.com.
by Josh Middleton
There's one concept that writer Ted Rall believes has everyone concurring — the current political and economic system is two inches from busted, and there's nothing the boobs in D.C. can do to save it.

Shopping Spree
Fashion > Forward
by Julia West
The Philadelphia Collection 2010 | Shopping With An Objective | 1600 Below Vintage Open House | Taking the Streets

Icepack
Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
If Joe Paterno can come back year after year like a death phoenix in a Krass Bros. sports jacket, surely you could love this city’s favorite sports-theater-comedy The Philly Fan again.

Agenda Picks:
Elixir of Love
Sat., Sept. 25, 2 p.m., free, Italian Market piazza, Ninth and Montrose sts., 215-238-1555, operatheater.org.
by Josh Middleton
Imagine — Italian Market: The Musical!

Light and Honey
Sun., Sept. 26, 1-6 p.m., $5 donation, University City Arts League, 4226 Spruce St., 215-382-7811, theapiarycorp.com.
by Eric Schuman
In an era when magazine after magazine is meeting an unfortunate demise, the launch of a new publication is certainly a cause for celebration.

Birth of Separation
Fri., Sept. 24, 9:30 p.m., free, Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700, phillyfilmfest.com.
by Eric Schuman
If you're in need of a good freak-out, Birth of Separation should do the trick.


 
 
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