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ISSUE . March 3rd, 2011
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Cover Story


Kurt Vile
The prodigious guitar hero cleans up his act, but he ain't your savior.
by Patrick Rapa
Vile's an upbeat guy, but he does agree that Halo's got a cynical undercurrent. See lines like "Society is my friend, it makes me lie down in a cold bloodbath."

Ryat
Electro experimentalists pass the potato and go for the Gold.
by A.D. Amorosi
As album titles go, Avant Gold is pretty on-the-nose for a band like Ryat.

Brown Recluse
A prolific pop band double dips in the dark side — will they ever see the sun again?
by John Vettese
The humming organs, bright horns and jangly acoustic guitars were all recorded while the band was shut in at the South Philadelphia house shared by Meskers and Saddlemire during the snowpocalypse of February 2010.

Curly Castro
The socially conscious MC drops his solo debut. Can you deal?
by John Vettese
"I'm not ashamed to say I'm a rapper, but sometimes, rap is boring."


Opinion


Man Overboard!:
Public Speaking
The legislators had no answer. Maybe they should get one.
by Isaiah Thompson
Asked if crime has been an issue at SugarHouse, Greenberger reported that police told him "there have been no serious issues at all [at] the SugarHouse Casino." And what about "a noted pistol-whipping incident in the parking lot?"


News


News :: Making a Racket?Making a Racket?
New allegations shed light on a federal probe.
by Holly Otterbein
So far, the only solid details that have emerged center around an alleged scheme in which bar and restaurant owners were told to purchase beer from Chappy's Beer Butts and Bets, a South Philly distributor, to "curry favor" with L&I. A lawsuit expected to be filed this week, which City Paper has obtained an advanced copy of, will likely fuel that speculation.

The Bell Curve
CP's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks, we make jokes.

A Million Stories
"Not only did you not have permission to leave your cell, but you were not invited to this 'invitation only' affair, " he reprimanded himself in writing.


Arts


Arts :: Holly Otterbein's First Friday Hit List
First Friday Focus:
Holly Otterbein's First Friday Hit List
Bambi Gallery | Artspace Liberti | Slought Foundation | Space 1026
by Holly Otterbein
Candace Karch, the owner of Bambi Gallery, "won't talk shit" on Tower Investments, but it doesn't sound like they'll necessarily be exes who are friends.

Kaleidoscope
N'awlins-Style!
The Wild Bohemians | New Orleans: 1920s Mardi Gras | Mardi Gras Gala | PAFA's mask-making workshop

Arts Picks:
Photographs from the Streets
Artist talk with Ron Corbin, Sat., March 5, 2 to 4 p.m., free, exhibit through April 17, The Light Room, 2024 Wallace St., 215-765-0262, thelightroom.org.
by John Vettese
West Philadelphia photographer Ronald Corbin studies people and their environments, but not necessarily at the same time.

Swan Lake
Through March 12, $30-$150, Academy of Music, 1420 Locust St., 215-893-1999, kimmelcenter.org.
by Janet Anderson
Originally created and choreographed by New York City Ballet's Christopher Wheeldon in 2004, this Swan takes the story out of the woods and into 19th-century Paris.

Theater Review:
Gut Check
Through March 13, $25-$32, Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St., 215-218-4022, theatreexile.org.
by David Anthony Fox
Though a couple of McDonagh's more recent plays are not set in Ireland, there remains something profoundly Irish about his sensibility and style.

Arts Picks:
Pterodactyls
Through March 27, $5-$30, New City Stage Co. at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-563-7500, newcitystage.org.
by Mark Cofta
It's about dinosaurs, both literal and figurative, just before the meteor hits.

Marc Chagall
Through July 10, $8, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Perelman Building, 2525 Pennsylvania Ave., 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org.
by Julia Askenase
It's safe to say the exhilarating colors and whimsical reveries of Marc Chagall's modern-folkloric art stand perfectly well on their own.

Shelf Life:
Amber Alert
Hannah Pittard's The Fates Will Find Their Way and Sarah Braunstein's The Sweet Relief of Missing Children
by Justin Bauer
Both books hinge on children who go missing. For Pittard, it's Nora Lindell, a red-haired, golden-skinned high school junior who disappears on Halloween. For Braunstein, it seems like half her cast acts out a cascading multigenerational procession of recurring runaways and kidnapping.


Movies


Movies :: The Adjustment BureauThe Adjustment Bureau
City Paper Grade: C+
by Shaun Brady
We understand that David is destined for a greatness threatened by domestic bliss, but what that means to the grand design is left frustratingly vague.


Music


Music :: For a Limited Time OnlyFor a Limited Time Only
The Philadelphia music scene as an evolutionary marvel.
by Patrick Rapa
The Philadelphia music scene is a beast. It's given to mutation and stagnancy, as adept at wallowing in its own filth as it is at striking out to affirm its primacy.

Forever is Not So Long
Little pop giants The Bigger Lovers reunite to set the record straight.
by M.J. Fine
At the turn of the millennium, few local bands got more love from City Paper than The Bigger Lovers.

Music Picks:
La Sera
Fri., March 4, 9 p.m., $10-$12, with Tennis and Holiday Shores, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, johnnybrendas.com.
by M.J. Fine
Katy Goodman's new femme-pop incarnation pays tribute to Grandma's favorite girl groups.

Dum Dum Girls
Sat., March 5, 9 p.m., $12, with MINKS, Direty Beaches and Party Photographers, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 877-435-9849, johnnybrendas.com.
by Sean Kearney
In a genre that's been arguably overdone, the Dum Dum Girls find a way to stand out.

Sic Alps
Tue., March 8, 8 p.m., free, with Magik Markers, Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., 215-573-3234, therotunda.org.
by K. Ross Hoffman
You never know what's gonna burble up through the blanket of fuzz and reverb.

Suite Spot:
Critical Error
REVIEW: The Opera Company of Philadelphia's Romeo & Juliet
by Peter Burwasser
Yes, this critic found plenty of nits to pick (it's my job; some of the supporting cast was uneven), but on the whole, it was a delightful way to pass three and a half hours of a blustery Sunday afternoon.

The Covers
City Paper's 30 Years of Music

The Critics
City Paper's 30 Years of Music

Music Picks:
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Thu., March 3, 8 p.m., $16-$19, with Birdie Busch and The Great Unknown, TLA, 334 South St., 215-922-1011, livenation.com.
by Mary Armstrong
The Carolina Chocolate Drops' enthusiasm for Southern traditional African-American music is irresistible.


Food


Food :: Not Just (Lebanese) PizzaNot Just (Lebanese) Pizza
Herbal teas, exotic cookies and community spirit percolate at Manakeesh.
by Adam Erace
Though the pizzas are the main attraction, Manakeesh is no one-trick Arabian pony, with worthy starters and sides like luxuriously creamy hummus freckled with sweet paprika and served with a balloon of blistered, baked-to-order pita.

Portion Control:
Go Fish
REVIEW: Aliza Green's The Fishmonger's Apprentice
by Drew Lazor
There's a delightful Philly-centric current running though The Fishmonger's Apprentice, a dense and downright engrossing tool that should appeal to hardcore home filleters, or even just the casually fin-curious.

What's Cooking
The Week in Eats
by Laurel Rose Purdy
Han Dynasty at Amis Industry Night | Fishtotwn Neighbors Association Chili Cook-Off | Pizza Class at Osteria | Villa Calcinaia Wine Dinner at Davio's


Agenda


Agenda :: Dragapalooza
Queer Bait:
Dragapalooza
Sat., March 12, 8 p.m., $25-$50, Voyeur, 1221 St. James St., 215-735-5772
by Josh Middleton
Jason Joseph's leading a cast of 12 drag queens, including big-name local acts like Brittany Lynn, Alexis Cartier and Joey Josephs — the very queens who inspired him to throw on his own pair of fake tits a year ago.

Agenda Picks:
Japan Night
Fri., March 4, 5 p.m., free with $16 admission, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Ben Franklin Parkway, 215-763-8100, philamuseum.org.
by Massimo Pulcini
If you're desperate for the refreshing sights and sounds of spring, head straight for Japan Night at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

PBR Crafting Challenge
Sat., March 5, 3-10 p.m., $8, 2424 Studios Skybox, 2424 E. York St., 215-925-7676, 2424studios.com.
by A.D. Amorosi
Consider the words of the late Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet — it's "fuck Heineken — Pabst Blue Ribbon" all the way.

Ends of the Earth
Wed., March 9, 2 and 7:30 p.m., $12-$15, Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Ben Franklin Parkway, 610-649-5220, geographicalsociety.org.
by Eric Schuman




 
 
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