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ISSUE .
Cover Story
Radio Activism
; "Cover Story :: Radio Activism")
West Philly residents are starting a community station to wake up the neighborhood.
by Will Dean
The new WPEB will feature community
news, public affairs, music and talk, all recorded and produced by
volunteer residents. It is a rare moment for
community media, and Philadelphia media in general, as it is next to
impossible to start any kind of new FM station in a huge urban market
like Philly, much less a nonprofit community one.
Opinion
Editor's Letter:
I Want to Ride My Bicycle
Heavy pedal
by Brian Howard
A lot of ink has been spilled in these pages over the years about why
biking is so important in a city like this. The reasons range from
environmentalism to health to social justice. I won't go deeper here
other than to establish that my pro-bike stance is not (just) some
whimsical flight of fancy.
Slant:
Pay Attention!
Gas prices are high; tension between drivers and cyclists shouldn't also be.
by Stewart Dean Ebersole
Maybe you can deal with us shooting you the middle finger, or giving
your windshield a love tap, or confronting you at a signal light
occasionally because we're trying to remind you that we're unprotected
out there, and that you are just not fucking paying attention.
Loose Canon:
Got WiFi? Who Cares?
Philly doesn't need a new digital bridge. We have a great one already.
by Bruce Schimmel
What is alive — and quite well — is the noble goal behind WiFi: making
the Internet accessible to all. Though, ironically, neither EarthLink
nor WiFi's nonprofit administrator, Wireless Philadelphia (WP), can
take much credit for helping many across the digital divide.
Feedback:
Letters to the Editor
What You Say
"Officer, strap my ass on the hood o' yer patrol car and get me to a hospital!"
Naked City
Dirty on the InsideIn which our not-so-intrepid reporter attempts a cleansed and sober lifestyle.
by Meredith Lindemon
I filled out an extensive questionnaire: How do you feel about cooking?
I answered, "Fills me with rage." She tried to teach me to eat more
effectively — not in front of the TV, not at my desk, not with Marty
Moss-Coane.
IcepackAmorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.
by A.D. Amorosi
Owen Wilson: Don't make like your chunky brah and sup here constantly while lensing Marley & Me. Do your scenes at the Inky. Have a diet cola. Stay lean.
Fine Print:
Flyers vs. Penguins Retroactive Drinking Game
Running NumbersBooze away the pain, hockey fans.
by Patrick Rapa
Those freaking Penguins, man. I need a drink.
A scholarly look at the digits that matter.
by Nick Norlen
Creative economy industries? Isn't that Mafia code for racketeering?
News
(Save Some) Green GrocerDoes Acme's tax-rebate deal make sense?
by Joel Tannenbaum
The deals failed to convince many economic analysts that the
Stimulus Act would stimulate anything. Since then, though, there's been a development those analysts didn't
count on: The cost of food and fuel shot up. As a result, for many,
servicing credit card debt has taken a back seat to filling the fridge.
The Bell CurveCity Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter
When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.
Lost in Translation?An important element of microfinance was lost in the trip from Bangladesh to Philly. Maybe it can still work.
by E. James Beale
The Philadelphia Development Partnership offers the promise of
small loans, regardless of collateral or credit rating — all you have to
do to get one is take a course on small-business management and create
a viable business plan.
Two Minutes With...:
Michael Brubaker
The state senator who wanted to (further) ban gay marriage in Pennsylvania.
by Tom Namako
CP: Do you feel as though a heterosexual couple and a homosexual couple should have unequal rights?
MB: I've got to think about that one. [20 seconds of silence]Political Notebook:
Grudges
by Mary F. Patel
"The district has some of the most important neighborhoods in the state," says Larry Farnese. "I have the largest amount of gay and lesbian voters, a very large business district, the airport and the waterfront." He says he still would like to hear from John Dougherty, however. "I respect him and his union," he says.
Arts
Art:
It's Kinetic!
Can a slow-paced scrap-metal race rejuvenate Kensington?
by Joel Tannenbaum
This Saturday, the second annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby
will bring out about a dozen-and-a-half wheeled vehicles made of
disused bike parts and other found materials, racing the streets of
Kensington while the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival hums quietly in the background.
Full Exposure:
Parsing Ansel
John Vettese sees what develops
by John Vettese
You've got two schools of thought when it comes to Ansel Adams. One is that he's a master craftsman who captured the natural beauty of the United States with breathtaking panache. The other school holds that Adams is overrated and uninteresting, a guy who was reasonably skilled at cranking out innocuous, beautiful sunrises that the masses lapped up.
Theater Review:
Death and the Maiden
Eurydice explores death with insight and wit.
by Mark Cofta
Much of Blanka Zizka's stunning staging unfolds in silence, as when
Father constructs a room for his daughter using strings suspended from
balloons. His efforts to help her regain her earthly memories suggest
the potential for a meaningful life after death — an existence that's
meant to be bland and blank.
Dance:
Ways and Miens
Philadanco masterfully mixes new and old.
by Deni Kasrel
Performed to music by Bach, this piece integrates balletic formalism
with modern-based dramatics — arms splay out wide and legs leap while
bodies sweep around the stage to create a swirling vision that conveys
the pervading joy of ecstatic dance.
Opera:
Routinely Amazing
AVA harnesses the enormity of La Traviata.
by Peter Burwasser
In the large party scenes, the stage overflowed with hyperkinetic
bodies, and the garish multicolored lighting suggested that the
character of the title, Violetta, was not merely a courtesan, but an
out-and-out whore.
Arts Picks:
Pilobolus
The Happiness Lecture
Thu., May 15, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., May 16, 8 p.m.; Sat., May 17, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; $29-$46, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-6701, pennpresents.org.
by Deni Kasrel
Certain dance companies think that if the work is too accessible it surely can't be bona
fide art. Well, for 37 years, Pilobolus has proven that attitude is
balderdash.
The Happiness LectureMay 16-June 15, $46-$58, Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St., 215-985-0420, philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.
by Deni Kasrel
Happiness is "a rumination on the theater, and clowning, which
is part of my profession, and aging, and the view from an older
performer seeing these really incredible young performers."
Culture Shock:
Things That Matter To People Who Matter
Michael Jackson's Off the Wall | J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace | Manly P. Hall's The Secret Teachings of All Ages | Ye Olde 3-D Laser Crystal
Michael Jackson's Off the Wall | J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace | Manly P. Hall's The Secret Teachings of All Ages | Ye Olde 3-D Laser Crystal
Arts Agenda
Last ChanceCatch it or Regret It
by Nadia Stadnycki
Deep: New Paintings by Vincent Romaniello | Love Explosion | The Road Not Taken
Arts Agenda Picks:
Just Do It
Just Do It
In The Event That...
GalleriesPhiladelphia Book Festival
by Matt Jakubowski
Sat.-Sun., May 17-18, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., free, Free Library, Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-686-5322, freelibrary.org/bookfestival
Just Do ItMascher Space Co-op Funstival
by Shaun Brady
Fri., May 16, 10 p.m., $10, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, mascherdance.com
In The Event That...You Like to Poke Your Nose in Other People's Business
by Tami Fertig
Exhibit runs through June 28, free, Esther M. Klein Art Gallery at the Science Center, 3600 Market St., 215-966-6188, kleinartgallery.org
Galleries are usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays; please call the gallery for exact days and hours.
Museums/Exhibits
Museums and exhibits have varying schedules; please call for exact days, hours and prices.
Performing Arts
Please call the phone number listed with the venue for specific dates, times and ticket information.
Readings/Book Signings
Movies
Undead MeatGrilling Poultrygeist director Lloyd Kaufman on 35 years of Troma.
by Shaun Brady
"The zombie metaphor is appropriate because the mass media brainwashes
the public, which goes like zombies to fast food places. The little fat
kids pick up an Iron Man action figure and then buy a ticket and see
the product placement in Iron Man and then go back to Burger King and get fat and sick."
Sinning in the Rains
British dealings in India — from the perspective of the colonized
by Shaun Brady
As the film opens, Henry Moores gifts T.K. a British pistol, pretty much sealing everyone's fate from the get-go. The drama plays out in unsurprising fashion, lent the weight of high opera by Sivan's overheated eye, constantly distracted by the teeming nature enveloping this outpost of civilization.
Repertory Film
Your weekly guide to local film events, festivals and under-the-radar screenings.
Send repertory film listings to tami.fertig@citypaper.net.
Music
Plug and PlayJoshua Marcus persuaded four dozen musicians and visual artists to help Reverse the Charges.
by John Vettese
"People who have heard it so far are like wow, this is amazing, I can't believe you arranged this," Marcus says of his latest. "But I didn't
really arrange the music as much as I arranged the friends who played
on it."
Darkest Before DawnFern Knight finds their way — but they're not out of the woods yet.
by A.D. Amorosi
There's a streak of blue sky that exists on Fern Knight not found on their previous efforts. "Loch Na Fooey" and "Bemused" are about oceans and lambs. Lambs! "I wanted songs to be less dark with fewer minor chords and more major ones, less oblique lyrics and more direct narrative verses," says Margie Wienk. "I think musically a bright ray of sunshine comes through."
Hang The DJ:
This '90s Future
SoundadviceJ. Edward Keyes on Shuffle
The mid-'90s was arguably the last time American music fans
experienced what the critic Robert Christgau referred to as
"monoculture," or great swaths of people liking the same band at the
same time.
Get Out!
Uh Huh Her | Tempesta di Mare | Sci-Fi Philly | DeVotchKa | Philadelphia Chamber Music Society | KTL
Music Picks:
Liam Finn/Laura Veirs
Los Campesinos!
Brass
Wed., May 21, 7:30 p.m., $19, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.
by John Vettese
While the famous last name probably hasn't hurt his career too much,
the difference between how Liam Finn is sold and how he actually sounds is
refreshing.
Los Campesinos!Sat., May 17, 9 p.m., $10, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.
by M.J. Fine
Los Campesinos!'s punk-ass punctuation may give you pause, but consider it a blessing.
Brass
Fri., May 16, 9 p.m., $8, with Zelazowa, Captain of Industry and Metroplex, Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888, thekhyber.com.
by John Vettese
We can get hooked on songs like "The Optimist" and "Autumn Hex Signs,"
not because of the hypnotic rhythms, but because of their genuine
hookiness.
Food
Patience is a VirtùWaiting for spring pays dividends at this stellar Passyunk Avenue Italiano.
by Elisa Ludwig
Our server, a skinny-belted gentleman of the new Passyunk breed who
impressed all of us with his enthusiasm, won extra points when he
called my mother "dear."
Feeding Frenzy
Restaurants opening, closing and pending
by Drew Lazor
Zahav | Nicholas | Pita Pit
Gut Check
Potluck Café is a haven for weird foodstuffs.
by Trey Popp
Rabbit with brewer's-grain sauce was too mild to excite, and packed
with tiny, sharp bones that were a little frightening. Take care not to
precede this dish with too much of the brewer's actual brew.
What's Cooking:
The Week In Eats
Get Out!
by Dena Merlino
Eighth Annual Brandywine Valley Craft Brewers' Festival at Iron Hill Brewery | Legacy Brewing Co. at Di Bruno Bros. | 9th Street Italian Market Festival Outdoor Pasta Dinner | Beer & Pork Dinner at Osteria
Top 5:
Achievements in ABV Excellence
You Ferment For Me
by James Saul
1 Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA | 2 River Horse Tripel Horse | 3 Weyerbacher QUAD | 4 Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel Péché Mortel | 5 La Fin Du Monde
Small Bites:
Veggie Burger Special at Johnny Rockets
Little Vittles
by John Vettese
Once you wrap your head around the concept of a meatcentric purveyor
strolling arm-in-arm with animal rights activists and accept that all
you're getting is a Boca burger, take note of the good deal.
Agenda
Agenda Lead:
Dirty Talk
Shopping SpreeIntroducing the Erotic Literary Salon
by Annamarya Scaccia
"It's a great place to find out if people really like what they're
writing. They'll get applause ... they may get booed off the stage. I hope not. I don't want to see too
many tomatoes fly."
Fashion > Forward
by Monica Weymouth
Sheila Frank Trunk Show | Shmitten Kitten Art Show
Agenda Picks:
Just Opened
In The Event That...
Just Do It
What We Heart
Just Do It
CHI Movement Arts Center
In The Event That...You Own Multiple Button Makers
by Felicia D'Ambrosio
Wed., May 21, 7-9:30 p.m., $35, registration required, Coral Street Arts House, 2446 Coral St., phillysewing.org, girlscantell.etsy.com
Just Do ItRide of Silence
by Sam Tremble
Wed., May 21, 6:45 p.m. (opening ceremony), 7 p.m. (ride begins), meet
at the foot of the Art Museum steps, 26th Street and the Ben Franklin
Parkway, rideofsilence.org
What We HeartManos del Uruguay Yarn
by Holly Otterbein
$13 per scane, Vagabond Boutique, 37 N. Third St., 267-671-0737, vagabondboutique.com, manosdeluruguay.co.uk
Just Do ItYoga Unites
by Aly Semigran
Sun., May 18, 8 a.m.-noon, $10-$35, Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, 26th Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway, 610-645-4567, lbbc.org