Philadelphia City Paper :: Icepack

Icepack

There are two late-night scenes in Rittenhouse — always have been. There're sleek spots like G and après-heurs venues Whisper and the incoming Rumor. And there're the nice-n-nasty unofficial spots like the late Bar Noir (now the Franklin ) and Pen & Pencil, a gold standard for the black-hearted and boozed-up to mingle happily. (Tangent: The Mansion was a dirtball hellhole and I don't mean that with an ironic, cool kind of detached awesomeness. 'Twas a stink pit and all those who sailed her should be glad she died an unceremonious death.) Recently, there's been an up-n-comer in the ranks, on the third floor of the other P&P ( Plays & Players ): Quig's Pub, a musty must-be for the late-night drinker. You don't have to quote Eugene O'Neill to get in, and they pour strong. With that, the dusty journalists-only haven Pen & Pencil around the corner has lost some of its shine. But now that the Philadelphia Tribune 's Bobbi Booker got added to the board of guvnahs, the party's restarting. Booker turned the Pencil out during the wake for her late beau, Freddie Sutton, in true New Orleans fashion. She'll put lead in the Pencil. Maybe they'll start pouring heavier, too.

Speaking of Bar Noir, that's where George Manney held Clutch Cargo electro-jams back in the day. DJ Bobby Startup, Manney and BN owner David Carroll are hosting one of my old-club-themed reunion nights at National Mechanics Feb. 28 to show off new Clutch Cargo tracks.

Jolly for Jolly Weldon. He's bringing Jolly's Dueling Piano Bar to one of my fave old now-vacant spaces, the Academy House on Locust. No definitive word on what he'll do with the battling 88s at Jolly's on 20th and Chestnut.

Doylestown's Justin Guarini may be sad his Broadway debut, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, was closed down, but he got another gig already in the Green Day spectacular American Idiot, starting March 1.

What evil do these two got brewing? Emilio Mignucci at Di Bruno has new cheese, a ...

Icepack

You've been so cooped up by winter's chill that you're absolutely thrilled by anything summery. Of course, hearing about a sunny forecast is better than seeing people stripped to an unreasonable amount of bare flesh in February (so not good). Now, we knew Bart Blatstein was doing some kinda Swim Club Med on Piazza Island because he kept saying so. But yay-yeah to Nicole Cashman for partnering up with Bart for the members-only Arrow Swim Club at Allen and Germantown that'll open in May. It's a cool thousand bucks to join, but they promise no kids. Hell, I'd become a Scientologist if you promised no kids. Cashman's beau, Nigel Richards, looks after its live DJ slate. (His 611 Clothes gets a space in Matthew Izzo's shop in The White Building on South 12th this week.) There'll be in-cabana massages, hammocks and a restau-bar named Chenango. Arrow's design will be executed by SL Design and Chris Sheffield.

Chef Chip Roman just opened his long-awaited Stone House in Chestnut Hill and already he's changed its name to Mica. Ask him why when you see him at WHYY's The Ultimate Chef on May 11.

Don't beat on this brat. BRAT Productions artistic director Michael Alltop just left the troupe. Amicably. He got burned out. What becomes of the punk rock DEVO musical he had planned? Check for Ice Cubes on Critical Mass. Know who else is leaving his Philly art biz enterprise? Andy Hurwitz. The recently implanted CEO at Drexel U's MAD Dragon label is going on what he calls a sabbatical. In reality, he's focusing on his law firm thing with Marcy Wagman at recordlabelinabox.com. "It was all her idea, and she was right," says Hurwitz. "The industry has changed but the practice of entertainment tech law is still stuck in the '90s."

When George Manney isn't busy planning a Bar Noir reunion with ...

Icepack

Between reigniting his legal career with Ballard Spahr, alighting his television commentator role (thanks to Ari Gold — I mean, Ari Emmanuel) and getting that columnist gig with philly.com, you haven't had much chance to miss Ed Rendell. He just won't go away. But let Tom Corbett settle in and trim away all the fun stuff that Fast Edward brought us, and you'll be throwing Rendell a few parties, pronto. Wilma Theater 's the first one in. As mayor, Ed helped settle the Wilma on the burgeoning Avenue of the Arts 15 years ago, so they're handing him a Wilma Star Award during their first-ever Theater Lover's Fête (with casino gaming tables — he'll love that) Feb. 11 at the Ormandy Ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel. Sweet.

Nick Sanfratello made your '90s, G. Now he's set to make your 21st century. Sanfratello had the original vegan World Café at Fourth and South back in the day, before donating the naming rights to WXPN. (Call David Dye and ask him!). Nick got out of the food biz, went into the bar biz and opened Philly's two wonkiest, hippest bars, Café Limbo and the Bongo Room. (Nick also sang for Red Weather, the first band ever to play Dobbs in its original incarnation before all this.) He retired for a minute. Now he's back in the all-vegan/non-GMO biz with Nick's Vegan Cafe on N. 33rd next to the John Coltrane House near Fairmount Park. He's vegan-ing traditional comfort foods such as seitan cacciatore and cheeseteaks, veggie meatballs and some fabulous baked goods (muffins and congo bars like my fave Mango Goji Berry) set to go into Whole Foods momentarily. Check Meal Ticket for more, or hit nicksvegan.com. And welcome back.

Another back-welcoming thing: Franzschubert & the Schubs play that new-fangled World Café Live Feb. 11. F&tS appearances are incredibly rare, as Ian Jarvis has moved into art directing for film ( ...

Icepack

► You can tell a lot about somebody by what they're looking forward to. Are you a Wing Bowl guy, frothing at the mouth for Feb. 4's bash at the WFC? Step away from the column. Are you anticipating this season's rush of Oscar parties with dramatic themes and costume plans? Grab an aperitif and I'll meet you at Dorian's Parlor soon after.

► First we told you Avram Hornik 's Four Corners Inc. had purchased the closed Spaghetti Warehouse to open his heart's desire: a new concert venue. Then we Meal Ticket -ed that Hornik's bud R5 's Sean Agnew was part of the deal as a co- PLCB licensee. Did this mean R5 would drop its other venues to concentrate on this one? Agnew wouldn't/couldn't say much as he'll be out of the country until April. So what of reports from the usual suspects that it'll be called Union Transfer and co-run by Bowery Presents (a booking name bandied about when Hornik was sniffing around the Jumbo in Fish-Kenzo) with a September opening? Agnew says that, as far as R5 is concerned, there's nothing concrete: "I promise that any reports involving R5 are pure speculation based on numerous what-ifs."

► Victoria Spaeth is a Spaeth cadet, and we mean that as a deep compliment. The soulful folkie is dropping her eponymous, contagious CD at the Balcony Feb. 9 with Alexis Golden Lover and Jeremy Dyen on the bill.

► Joe Grasso is excited. Not just because the Walnut Street Capital honcho's long-awaited new restaurant at 15th and Sansom, American Oak, should open by March. Grasso's also got a new culinary director/executive chef for the Oak as well as his hip steakhouse Union Trust — author/television personality Tony Aiazzi. Plus UT's beverage director, Xavier Mariezcurrena, has become the creative director of both enterprises, soon to be named under one umbrella ("But not branded or anything like that," laughs Grasso). Stay tuned.

► Oh, Germantown Avenue, we love that you're making a comebac...

Icepack

We know The New York Times recently featured Philadelphia food in a story titled "Beyond Cheese Steaks." And we appreciate the nod. But the Times came off a bit like Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes, making backdated lock-up/rehab jokes about Robert Downey Jr. Philly's well past that headline. Honestly. Call us dog-killer-lovers or losing-casino-builders if you want, but our cuisine is 21st century. Get with it.

Designer Shawn Hausman (The Dandelion, Parc) will not be doing Stephen Starr 's next immediate projects like the reconfiguring of Starr's Washington Square. No bad blood on the wallpaper here, just a different direction. Aimee Olexy of Talula's Table (Starr's partner in the new WashSquare jawn) "gravitates toward the organic, the natural," says Starr. "There won't be much change there. The space isn't that old," he jokes. "It just won't be as slick and Miami-ish." Oxley will "warm it up" and design the still-unnamed venture herself with Starr architectural stalwart Richard Stokes.

Craig Peterson, director of Live Arts ' LAB artist residency program, will now also book/direct the Philly Fringe program. Get in there, Fringies. Deadline's April 1 for bright ideas: craig@livearts-fringe.org.

L.A.'s Tim Heidecker (of Tim & Eric comic fame) should be starting filming the pair's debut flick, Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie, in February. But not before wrapping the cover art, etc., to his so-soft-rock album Heidecker & Wood (that's Davin Wood, who tours with the laughing duo). You may remember that Tim used to be from Philly and that we've seen him singing before.

Pig Iron Theatre finally signed that lease with Crane Arts, to be the flagship tenant at the 1425 N. Second St. space for their post-grad two-year Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training program. Stacks of apples await, Professor Graham Cracker.

Speaking of professors, guitar instructor...

Icepack

Since getting announced in November, it's been a quiet stroll toward publishing for Jump, journalist/teacher George Miller's volunteer-based music mag. Until now. The glossy has deadlines soon and it's due out in March. The first issue is tentatively set to feature tales like "24 Hours at The Ox" (duck!) and stories on West Philly hardcore Hennessy Youngman and Santigold's brother, Ali White. "I teach at Temple and one of my classes is entrepreneurial journalism," says Miller. "I've had publishers and indie media folks come through. We build journalism products and talk about business models. I got tired of talking about it. That's where Jump stems from."

Hard to believe it's four years ago that the Khyber/Royal Tavern guys went south of the border, literally and figuratively, by opening a Mexican restaurant on East Passyunk. They celebrate Cantina Los Caballitos' anniversary Jan. 20 with homemade lucha libre mask-making and DJ Luis Angel Cancel. Olé.

As far as long-awaited Philly coffee-table books go (OK, this is the only one, really), Larry Magid 's My Soul's Been Psychedelicized: Electric Factory: Four Decades in Posters and Photographs is a doozy. The Temple Publishing release date is May 2011 and the book — with Philly Mag 's Robert Huber compiling stuff from Magid's original Electric Factory, Bijou Café, Spectrum, Tower and the modern-era Electric Factory — features photos from Icepack's Scott Weiner, Hooters ' Eric Bazilian and a cover snap by Bobby Startup. "They sent me the galleys — it's a wild shot I did of Pink Floyd at the Spectrum during the ...

Icepack

► I normally don't go for ringing political endorsements, but let's give a shout to Philly's U.S. Rep. Bob Brady. After the horrors of last weekend's shooting in Arizona — six killed; 14 wounded, including U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was made a target not only by her assailant but by Sarah Palin 's wretched "crosshairs" ad endorsing violent rhetoric against those who disagree with her — Brady stepped in. He told CNN on Sunday that he'll introduce legislation making it a federal crime to use language or symbols that could be perceived as inciting violence or threatening members of Congress or any federal official. Thanks, Bob.

► "If GERM had died with our beloved founder, Jennifer Bates, in that dark spring of 2007, our story would be sad and little more," says David E. Williams. Bates' partner in life and in GERM, Williams moved the gallery/bookstore from Girard Avenue to Fishtown's burgeoning Frankford Avenue row soon after her passing. GERM flourished with UFO group meetings and avant-garde concerts, to say nothing of its well-stocked bookshelves. Until now. Effective Jan. 30, the mission is terminated, says Williams. What will D.E.W., the noted Goth-a-tician, do without GERM? "What else? Write more songs about Laundromat love." I know a lot of you (OK, some of you) are distressed about Robbins at Eighth and Walnut closing, but GERM's shuttering hurts more. Besides, Williams' wild hair is at least as famous as that jeweler's ridiculous beard diamond.

► One of my favorite local Victorian mansions, the old Running Press location on South 22nd, has got a foodie tenant. But not just another restaurant, thank God. Keith Wallace 's Wine School of Philadelphia will move from the Fairmount area to ye old mansion before spring. They'll hold events in the English garden, I suppose, which means I'm breaking out my Pimm's Cup cup. Running Press, P.S., is publishing Wallace's due-soon book, Corked & Forked.

► One-time CP music feature subject, interna...

Icepack

With one heel out the door and the other sand-stepping during a farewell bash with the Beach Boys (nothing says Philly like "Kokomo"), Edward Rendell is trying to throw money at this city like a virgin bachelor at a cheap strip bar. Something like $100 million from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program will — assuming Rendell can beat mean old Tom Corbett to the punch — get lobbed at some of this city's most welcome projects, if they can get matching funds and submit all paperwork by Jan. 14. Phew. Good luck to the Pavilion at Market East, the Franklin Institute, the William Way senior housing center and the long-discussed Waterfront Arts Center, amongst others. You'll need it.

Hey, Atlantic City wants some money, too. After the boost of confidence the Jersey shore got from Nucky Thompson's Boardwalk Empire, not only is AC gearing up for Restaurant Week No. 3 (Feb. 27-March 5), but plans are under way for the building of a bohemian arts area with aid (or at least a few $20 chips) from Joisey's Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

Philly expatriate guitarist Rick Iannacone ain't returning to Portland just yet. His Dec. 26 New Ghost gig with partner/sax-iac Elliot Levin (as well as the Meneses/Motzer Ottokar) that got snowblinded has been rescheduled for Jan. 8 at Tritone.

Anyone surprised that Georges Perrier isn't selling Le Bec-Fin like he promised in July 2010, raise your hand. Notalottayou. That's because you read Icepack, which predicted then that the LBF closing was more of a French threat/rouse/money hunt than an actuality. Yay, Georges.

No more Engelbert Humperdinck Keswick shows for Jen Corsilli. The soccer ma'am is AEG Live PA's regional marketing manager, now. Big shoes. Mann shoes. Ha-cha. Then there's Scott Johnston, the lion-maned filmmaker/ Peek-a-Boo Revue boss who, after nine years, will no longer sweat his ass off producing the Philly 48 Hour Film Project (ben@48hourfilm.com is the contact for y'all brave and stupid enough to take that rough gig). Why? "Because in my book i...

Icepack

My three New Year's resolutions? To start smoking again. To vote "yes" rather than CasiNO when asked because, man, I really hate that my South Philly ain't getting a Foxwoods. And to kill animals — a bag of sweet kittens, perhaps — then say I'm sorry and get a great job without worrying about remorse or consequence. Worked in 2010.

I'll call this a rumor because it ain't yet fact: It looks as if Four Corners maestro Avram Hornik is thisclose to signing a deal to turn Spaghetti Warehouse on 10th and Spring Garden (closed as of 14 days ago) into a live music venue/bar with food. Hornik fans'll remember that he tried buying the boarded-up Global Thrift on Front and Girard (once the legendary Jumbo Theater) in 2008 but was thwarted by KensFishington associations because they didn't want noise (the El is pretty quiet!) and hated that Hornik dissed Old City for being too loud (as he was part of making it so) during town meetings. So now it'll be a pasta ballroom blitz sandwiched between Polaris and Electric Factory. Oompah. Hornik's Drinker's at 19th and Chestnut also has an orange sticker on its upstairs window — is he looking to expand?

Excited to hear the 11 new tracks the reunited Dead Milkmen recorded at South Street Sounds Studio (with newest member Dandrew, supposedly called that since no one knows his name); doubly excited to hear SSSStudio owner/Milkmen producer Jeffrey W.'s new reggae/oddball jazz ensemble South Street Sounds. So to the Troc's Balcony I'll head Jan. 5 to catch up with that, Josh Winer 's equally reggae-riffic Cultureal and saxophonist David Fishkin 's post- West Philadelphia Orchestra ensemble.

While I was standing in line at DiBruno's and finding out about its new Ardmore cheeserie, I heard that Peter McAndrews will relocate Paesano's to the South Ninth lo...

Icepack

It's a blue Christmas, with the seismic shifts in the printed reality in which I live (Brian Howard and Paul Curci leaving City Paper) and the blog planet I visit (if I had 75 K I'd give it to Brownstoner). But this is my favorite time of the year despite all bitter chills. My new greyhound Django is fleet and sweet, and my fam and friends (hey Jim Suttcliffe) are dear and healthy. Jerry Blavat sends me baskets. My fave PR peeps drop off presents. The world's a merry place. Honest.

Not only did Bryan Dilworth confirm downtown's coffee shop/live music venue MilkBoy at 11th and Chestnut was set to open this winter (think March 2011), he also said that his Bonfire Booking joint (Electric Factory, Baptist Temple) would be the coffee klatch's exclusive big-ticket booker. Expect lots of eclectic shows with the locals and the nationals. Surely the band he manages, Black Landlord (currently getting lots of look-sees by top-notch agents), will dunk a doughnut in the Milk, boy.

Don't get stuck in the past. Just dip a toe in. Like weeks ago, I held a Monday bash at National Mechanics (address of the decadent electro-punked Revival) with OG DJ Bobby Startup and the boys of Bunnydrums who now make up Yeah Clementines. It was so fun and so many old-school girls-n-boys showed that on every last Monday-o-the-month I'm holding nights dedicated to Philly's back-in-the-day clubs Memphis, Vampire, Hot Club, Omni's, Kennel, East Side, Asylum, Rainbows, Love Club and more. We're kicking off Dec. 27.

Know who else is celebrating his swanky new wave/punk past? Randy Now, onetime booker of Trenton's City Gardens. He's currently hosting concerts at Bordentown, N.J.'s The Record Collector, gigging at New Hope's John & Peters (NYEve dance party with DJ Alex Vanc...

Icepack

"I know we're a little behind," laughs Heshey Schlachtermann. "But it's happening now." The "it" is the legendary South Street live spot Dobbs that Schlachtermann and his (then) pal Hank the Drag Queen bought 38 months ago. They were ready to rock it just like Nirvana, Kenn Kweder, Smashing Pumpkins, Alan Mann and Robert Hazard did in the old days, but L&I wasn't ready to give them a liquor license so they operated, kinda sadly, as an all-ages place. Dobbs wasn't meant for Sprite, man. Now Hank is out, Schlachtermann has two new silent partners from way-up in N.J., the liquor license is up ("it's nice to feel it in my hands") and the newly named The Legendary Dobbs held a soft opening last Saturday ("with oldheads and young"). The hard opening is Dec. 18 with Carfax Abbey. "It's all about the future now," Heshey laughs. It's nice to see Heshey laugh. Mazel tov.
Rumor has it that Anthony Sembello and old-school punk haven maven David Carroll (Hot Club) are readying an edgy boite on the periphery of the Rittenhouse area for an early-2011 opening. Think a gritty fabulous dive a la Guru, Bar Noir and Limbo.
You know Scott Weiner, my photog bud who contributes photos to my online Ice Cubes on Critical Mass? He's stopping by " The Art of the Beatles " art/memorabilia show at Montgomery Mall on Dec. 17. Weiner's proudly showing off a photo of John Lennon that he took outside WPVI-6 studios in 197-blahblahblah.
I was premature on the opening of Mike Stollenwerk 's glass-front Fathom on E. Girard. Its zoning hearing is Dec. 22. Stollenwerk's Little Fish (Sixth and Fitzwater) should open for New Year's Eve. Speaking of holiday dining, chef Michael Solomonov hosts Zahav's "Very Jewish Christmas" on Dec. 22 with Israeli-inflected Chinese food and '80s flicks on a big screen. For $50, he's do...

Icepack

PR peeps I love: Go get yourself a Dubonnet on the rocks — this Ice is for you, alphabetically. Peter Breslow, you're a mensch with your little client films, like the "Closer Look at PBR" you filmed on Philadelphia Bar & Restaurant chef "Red" Sauter and the thick Bigos stew he's brewing every Thursday with kielbasa, Yuengling and horseradish. Feel the burn. See the burn. Talk about feeling it, Nicole Cashman— you've been grinding the PR wheel of fortune for a long time, a silky decade to be exact. You know that I know that you know that I've been with you before the start. When you and Associates celebrate that 10th anniversary tonight at the now-shuttered Tangerine (Stephen Starr's even opening his closed-up shop for you; that's love), I'll be there with bells. Clare Pelino, you ring-a-ding Profile-r. We've known each other since we were Rittenhouse punk rock kids. Who wore the feather boa best? That's for history to decide. Now here you are all married and aiding your hubby, Koray Avci, as he opens Bella Turka at Liberty Place — selling handmade Ottoman and Byzantine-inspired jewelry and tchotchkes that you both lugged back from Istanbul. (Couples pushing gems? Tell me 'bout it: glamorosi.blogspot.com.) And Paige Wolf? After throwing last week's Pieces of Joan bash for Career Wardrobe, there you are, writing your baby book ( Spit That Out! The Overly Informed Parent's Guide to Raising Children in the Age of Environmental Guilt) and having a swell soiree for it Dec. 16 at Arcadia Boutique in the NoLibs. You PR cats deserve a big kiss.
Maybe it's just one client he swings a hammer for (as social media director of Quirk Books), but ...

Icepack

You haven't heard from Burning Brides' Dimitri Coats since 1999? That's OK. Philly's dark-eyed rawk-stah is in a punk supergroup, Off! with Steven McDonald (of Redd Kross), and Keith Morris (of the Circle Jerks and Black Flag; he's also a bobblehead now, courtesy Phoenixville's Clint Weiler's Aggronautix). Off! dropped a Vice label 4 EP box before Thanksgiving. What does their pedigree have that Brides didn't? "Two more penises and the first Black Flag singer," says Coats. "Pound for pound, I think we have more hair, too. And we have way shorter songs. Finally, no one has to listen to me sing." He misses his old friends and haunts. "Philly's changed from what I hear but Record Exchange is still around which is one of the reasons [real-life bride] Melanie and I moved there in the first place — that and the orgy scene."
In celebration of the Germantown-shot Night Catches Us' national rollout, Philly director Tanya Hamilton hosts a Dec. 5lunch and screening at AMC Loews Cherry Hill (meetup.com/reelblack).

With all the back 'n' forth checking on Mike Stollenwerk's Fathom Seafood House (200 E. Girard at Shackamaxon, looks like it'll open in days, YAY), I finally hit its neighbor The Soup Bar, the literal hot spot serving 100 varieties of broth. Anything with barley is a party on Girard.

Jammers and open mic jazz-bos take note: Bossa-jazz chanteuse Dena Miranda and her ensemble do their own showcase, welcome sit-ins and open the finale of their Swingin' Affair to all players every first Monday of every month (starts Dec. 6) at National Mechanics. Meanwhile, third Wednesdays at Tritone (starting Dec. 15) are called Avant Ascension, wherein trombonist Larry Toft and sax-man Dan Peterson do t...

Icepack

With Thanksgiving, THE season for old friends — to say nothing of hard sour drinking, the bittersweet use of coke for the first time in a year, and deep regret — begins. Embrace it. That's what Icepack will do in the coming weeks. First ol' pal on our list: Philly pop genius Bill Ricchini. That's right — genius. Sleigh bell-ringing efforts (2002's Ordinary Time, 2005's Tonight I Burn Brightly ) are uniquely ripe with Phil Spector and Brian Wilson touches, immensely passionate in their smartly literate lyricism, and feature pretty goils on their sleeve. Where'd Bill go after '05? "I tried to live the straight life but it didn't take," says Ricchini. "I spent my Saturdays at Home Depot and bought a Crock-Pot. But I had more songs in me." Yay. Those are the Baroque chamber torch tunes of his band, Summer Fiction, and its eponymous album that'll drop the day he plays Johnny Brenda's, Dec. 1. "Summer Fiction follows the story of a young girl coming of age told from the point of view of the heartbroken guys who fall for her. There's no better subject for a pop song than a pretty girl. Even better, a pretty girl who makes graves." Plus, it's as good as his previous CDs. Good to have you back, ol' buddy. (For more on the show, see Music.)

After hearing rumors about the sale of his swanky space, Walnut Street's Rum Bar, lessee Adam Kanter says he spoke with landlord Michael Singer and no one's going anywhere. "We're here to stay for some time," says Kanter. Yellow Birds for my friends.

I laughed and cried when I saw Jersey Boys, yup. Now it's your time to sob (and spend) when you hear "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" when Four Seasons Hotel, the Jersey Boys cast and Lisa Gaudio, daug...

Icepack

My ass is still dragging from the 25th anniversary Greater Philly Film Office party and the new National Museum of American Jewish History opening. That doesn't mean we don't have jelly enough for a rip-snorting Icepack. As we speak, the Valanni/Varga Bar peeps are hiring folks for their yet-to-be-disclosed club with a concept for bottle-bar service. So, 40s in brown bags? Red wine fountains? Stay tuned.
Is Tim Burton 's Dark Shadows remake with Johnny Depp (filming starts April 2011) shooting in the same Pennsylvania woods that Peter Jackson 's Lovely Bones did — or at least thinking about it?

Back in the late 1980s/'90s the boy-child A.D. created/promo'd weekends at Philly's sleaziest after-hours club, David Cohen's Revival ( Bob Denny did it before me) in Old City, where Bunnydrums, Thorazine and Akash played and DJs Bobby Startup and Rikki Lee spun to the delight of people fucking and snorting in the bathrooms. Fast forward to Nov. 22 and most of those characters' new bands (e.g. Yeah Clementines) spin/play a mini-reunion with Philabundance benefiting from our new-found respectability at the same address where Revival was — National Mechanics at 22 S. Third. (Reunions at the original space put on by people who worked there — weird concept, right, Kennel Clubbers 2009?!) If you have videos of that Revival moment, burn 'em onto DVD and we'll put them on a big screen. My eyes are watering already. And ask Startup when that Autistics LP from his punk-era band get its Rave/Up Dionysus release. ...

Icepack

Mouth breathers, last week was yours, what with Corbett and Toomey winning, and McNabb being sidelined for being, well, the same McNabb we had for years. But this week is for the smart elitists amongst us, what with several days of celebrations for the brand-new (the National Museum of American Jewish History's groundbreaking galas) and the longtime ( Greater Philadelphia Film Office's 25th anniversary), both featuring marquee-name attendees. Mazel tov. We'll talk later.

You know that I know that you know that Stephen Starr didn't take over Ansill on Bainbridge for an Italian restaurant like he was s'posed to and that namesake chef David Ansill headed to Sansom Street's Ladder 15. On Nov. 16, meat-man Ansill will have a coming-out five-course meal with seafaring Mike Stollenwerk of Lombard Street's fish at L15.

Fun fact learned at Louis CK 's Academy of Music gig: Philly saxophonist Max Gast co-wrote and performed the soundtrack for CK's Louie on FX. "We're returning in December to work on season two," says Gast.

Our lady of fabulash design, Bela Shehu, has a new women's line, NINO. "It's looking fantastic," she says. See it yourself at her fashion-studio's sample sale Nov. 18 at 621 Sigel.

Word has it the legendary Dew Inn Diner at Fifth and Girard — the last of the sensational greasy spoon breakfast-erias — is on the market. I'm heading there for toast tomorrow. Bitar's, too (at 10th and Federal), is up for grabs, apparently, but they're looking to relocate.

Two weeks ago, director Scott Johnston and Woodshop Films' Andrew Geller documented the opening of an installation by Philly comic Mike Baldwin — aka The Legendary Wid — at Baltimore's American Visionary Art ...

Icepack

When you read this, Pennsylvania will either be a free state or an enslaved right-wing robo-republic. If we're the latter, oh children of the immediate future, kill us. Take New Jersey, too. That Christie is a miserable fuck.

► Word has it that Transit , the mega-huge, mega-vacant Spring Garden club space previously landlorded over by Stephen Starr , then Billy Weiss , is being bought and opened soon for what's rumored to be an "urban clientele." Yahoo.

► Some say Philly's noisy Ugh God came from the wreckage of Rasputin's Secret Police . Some say it's the other way around, that Ugh begat Rasputin. No matter. Not only is Rasputin holding court at the Balcony late Nov. 5, another Ugh God, offshoot, Gorgeous , sets up in the same space Nov. 13.

► Chef Amy Sullivan takes the kitchen at Lucky 13 offa East Passyunk and we hear she's cooking up tough-but-tender swanky American menu specialties.

► While Safe wracks up macho testosterone film points, TLA 's present ( Thom Cardwell ) and past ( Big Pictures' Rich Wolff ) re-team starting Nov. 5 at Voyeur when the Wolff-produced/ Fred Caruso -directed/Cardwell-associate-produced Go-Go-Crazy: The Mockumentary starts shooting a dancing-boy contest in the Gayborhood. Cardwell and Caruso (they did You Can't Have It All ) ask novice-dance dudes, "How far would you be willing to go for $1,000?" while starring with Derek St. Pierre (Broadway's Rock of Ages ), porn man Jake Steel and drag mister-ess Hedda Lettuce . Production moves swiftly to Woody's and Tavern on Camac (which reminds me, ToC's top floor got a new GM, Randal Mrazik , who'll also manage its sister space, Terra ) while Wolff tends to screenings of <...

Icepack

There's true bloody good effort put into Halloween's parties. Lee Jones' "Fangbanger" with Silk City masquerading as Merlotte's looks gory, and TJ Kong's 12-hour, 12-band "Murder Show" at the Ukie is spooky. But the day belongs to Henri David and his eponymous Ball at Sheraton Center City, which is de rigueur and dressed-to-the-nines. "For a minute, peoples' costumes were getting stale," says David. "Some even store-bought." THE HORROR. Yet David noticed last year that new art school students were coming, making the ball a zestfully happy youth-quake. "I judged a costume designing contest at Philadelphia University weeks ago and felt like the pope when I walked through the door. Kids love me. So did the dean, who allowed me and his students to give him a drag makeover." Oh, Henri.
My news from Power 99's Powerhouse 2010: 1) Local spinner Diamond Kuts is now pink sensation Nicki Minaj's new DJ (nice seeing Minaj bring Drake his b-day cake and a kiss at Wells Fargo). 2) Recently ex-P 99 late-night host Golden Girl (Lisa Natson), notorious from her days with Lil' Kim, is supposedly leaving Philly for L.A. next week to film a (hopefully) syndicated talk show with her husband as co-producer. It'll be half Jerry Springer, half Wendy Williams, the latter GG once replaced on-air when Wendy returned to NYC's WBLS-FM.
Mistress of the open mic (National Mechanics, Triumph) Dani Mari does a gig where she doesn't have to listen to everyone perform first. It's the release of her passionate debut CD, Impulsive, at Connie's Ric Rac, Oct. 29.
Stephen Starr's new project won't involve vintage chandeliers, wurst or food trucks. Starr and wife January Bartle had a baaaybee, Julian, last week. Congrats, parents. One of Starr's exes, Rat's runaway chef Kevin Sbraga, previews his baby (a still unnamed or located restaurant) Dec. 9 at Azalea in the Omni Independence Park.
Philly Latino music mouthpiece El Malito and slamming MC Alien Architect unleash new pared-down ensembles (pretty much solo) at Fire, Oct. 28.
Chef Jim Coleman lost his place at WHYY's A Chef's Table, but word hazzit he's gained a big post as executive chef at World Café Live Philly and the due-soon Wilmington WCL.
At last week's Philly Film Fest (see citypaper.net/criticalmass, Oct. 22) producer J. An...

Icepack

I'm not a holy man (see any of Icepack's more autobiographical moments), but I have my God and never lost my religion. Holding the spirit close is better than having nothing at all, honest. That's why I implore all-y'all with cash to save historic Philly churches that may be lost to messy but unnecessary blight, non-occupancy and potential destruction. We're talking about the Gothic-style church at 37th and Baring in Powelton Village and Church of the Assumption on Spring Garden in NoLibs, but that's just the start. Philly has more than a few misused holy spaces. Do not lose yourself to eternal damnation. (OK, maybe a few of you can go.) Pay in, moneybags.
► Speaking of: The cost of this weekend's Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp at the Troc with Kip Winger, a Hooter and a Hudson Bros. bro is waaay over a thou. You can watch VH1's Mark Burnett reality show version. I'm not saying don't go. God wants you to rock out fantastically and jam with Grand Funk Railroad members. Just find a way to do both.
► Parting with food-faves is hard to swallow. Lacroix chef Jason Cichonski leaves his Rittenhouse digs this week (boo) with a self-owned space to follow (yay). My beloved, always empty sushi BYOB Ro-Zu on Bainbridge is rumored to be throwing in the towel. I'm wasobbing.
► 1812's Pete Pryor won't be at NYC's Intercontinental Hotel for the Oct. 25 luncheon celebrating his comedy theater troupe's National Theatre Co. Grant from the American Theatre Wing (even though only 10 theater companies will receive the prestigious award). He'll be too busy rehearsing for The Three Musketeers, The Later Years at People's Light & Theatre (starts Nov. 17). Besides, Pryor is no longer on the administrative side of 1812. "But I'm pleased as punch for Jen [Childs], and the national recognition our company deserves." And while Childs'll eat something swank that day, Pryor will have Vietnamese pho for lunch ("I love that stuff") and await the fate of the due-in-2010 film Mayor Cupcake with Lea Thompson and Judd Nelson. "The shoot was a blast. I met representatives of the Brat Pack and hung out at the beach. It felt like the '80s again, only more wrin...

Icepack

Philly, your center is showing. Better yet, it's growing. After what seems an eon's worth of renaissance tales regarding the North, West and South, the resprouting of downtown — beyond just condos — is a topic of discussion. The folks developing haute hangouts and eateries for 1200 Bank at 12th and Chestnut (DAS Architects' David Schultz, Amsterdam Billiard Club-ber Paul Giegerich) and ye old automobile dealership at 600 N. Broad (Eric Blumenfeld's spot, soon to house Marc Vetri, Stephen Starr and Joe Volpe) are feeding the beast of Center City. Not NoLibs. Not University City. Applaud.
► After the recent South Street Renaissance 40th Reunion, the reopened-without-a-liquor-license Dobbs looks ready for its November close-up. Word has owner/drag queen Hank Henry out and owner Heshy Schlachtermann bringing New York money in. The new liquor license names its applicant as "D.E. Dobbs." They're buying it from Go Figure Inc., which is Daryl Madden, owner of the place when it was Pontiac Grille. The application lists the joint as a restaurant.
► Also newsy: Paper Moon, Bill "Copabanana" Curry's old smoke-n-magazine-shop near Fourth and South, may rise again come late autumn, as a "creative computer center for artists," notes Curry, who's been integral in the Arts on South storefront program that matches struggling artisan outfits with realtors with space to spare/rent cheap.
► The LiveArts Fest's second Thursday monthly affair starts Oct. 14 at North Fifth's Live Arts Studio with "LAB Fellows" Mary McCool, Jumatatu Poe, Alex Torra and more.
► Abbondanza: While making sure Nina's Trattoria on Ninth had its grand opening weekend, I heard the long-discussed Argentine BYO 943, after a few L&I inspections and some pipe work, would be ready to roll. Word had it, too, that realtor Gene LeFevre has gone from being involved with 943 to simply being a landlord.
► If you remember the '80s, you remember Bricklin — Ian Cross and Scott Bricklin's hooting pop act that had an eponymous LP on A&M. I've ribbed the boys in the past, but on Oct. 15, Cr...