Arts & Events: July 2009 Archives

Atlantic City

The Rx Bandits (MySpace and Twitter) played at the Theater of the Livings Arts on South Street on Wednesday. They're touring in support of their new record, Mandala (iTunes / Amazon).

       

When Phillyist decided to cover the Warped Tour, we knew we had a lot to look forward to. We're happy to say that we weren't disappointed. There was a little something for everyone in terms of both music and vendors, both of which were on full display on that sunny day in Camden. We were happy to find the weather cooperating, save for a few light sprinkles that seemed to refresh concertgoers and all in all everyone acted cool, which is always appreciated. Overall we couldn't complain. Oh, except when it came to the $4 bottles of water. That sucked a lot, as did the fact that if you wanted a lineup of the bands to carry with you, that would be $2. And if you wanted a beer, well forget about it unless you had $9(!!!) to pony up. Oh well...on to the rock!

Normally when Phillyist thinks of American Idol, we think of the likes of Kelly Clarkson and over-produced pop music. Season seven brought a little rock to the competition in the form of David Cook, whose gritty-but-pretty vocals and commercially popular cover versions of Michael Jackson's , among others, catapulted him to seemingly immediate stardom. This Friday, he'll be bringing his "Declaration" tour to the Keswick Theatre.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

I wanted to start this column with a reminder that First Friday is quickly approaching, and if you haven't ventured out into the fun and frivolity, you should give it a try. Now before you rush off to write me an angry email, lecturing me about all the problems parents with toddlers struggle, and how DARE I recommend taking an overactive two year old into a art gallery, let me say this: I understand my daughter is small enough to strap to my chest and cart around wherever I please, but I have friends. And those friends have older, and more... let's say, expressive, children. Many of them make it a point to venture out every month and check out their neighborhood's contribution to First Friday. While its true many First Friday events are clustered around Old City, with the explosion of small, hip little galleries around Northern Liberties and the Fairmount neighborhoods, most families should be able to find something in walking distance. For a comprehensive list of participating venues along with information about the artist(s) on display, check out this link. And remember! Its not all paintings and free wine samples, there are interactive welding demonstrations, multimedia displays, even movie screenings. First Friday is, as always, free for everyone, so give it a try!

Yes, we know, Phillyist is a Philadelphia cityblog. But once in a while, something related to our daily "Whiz of the Web" feature comes up that, while not perhaps immediately relevant to the city, resonates with our writers or staff. Enter "Whiz of the Web Reviews," a sometime-feature on Phillyist in which we step a bit outside of Philadelphia to let you know about something available locally, on TV or otherwise, that we thought you readers might enjoy.

If you like It's Blitz!, the new record by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as much as we do, you probably got your tickets to tonight's Electric Factory show long ago. If you didn't, we highly recommend you reconsider. With an album this good, and a reputation for an outrageously awesome live show, it's a can't miss. Have plans? Change 'em and snag one of the remaining tickets. You'll thank us later.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

In case you missed this past weekend's XPoNential Music Festival, you missed out on a lot of great music. (Unfortunately, so did we.) But luckily, many of the great artists featured at the festival are local acts who play frequent gigs in the area. And one of those artists is Bucks County's Illinois (MySpace). Just coming off a Saturday afternoon set at XPoNential, Illinois will be playing at Johnny Brenda's Wednesday night along with The Builders and the Butchers (MySpace) and The Horse's Ha.

              

As you might have noticed, we were pretty damn excited about the XPoNential Music Festival happening at Wiggins Park in Camden this past weekend. With three days packed full of music, we were more than a little disappointed when unavoidable other commitments rendered us only able to attend the Friday evening portion of the event. Still, we were able to catch a bunch of great music courtesy that evening.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

It takes a special kind of person to enjoy Daniel Tosh's comedy. In order to get the full experience at one of his shows, you almost have sign a mental waiver from the start, saying, "I believe it's OK to make jokes about pretty much anything, including but certainly not limited to: religion, sex, racism, country music, the Special Olympics, clowns, the Dave Matthews Band, etc., just as long as you make it completely hilarious."

Saturday at Festival Pier up-and-coming Canadians (read: HUGE in Canada, but just starting to get attention in the US and Europe), Billy Talent will be supporting punk veterans, Rancid, and semi-recent mainstream punk-pop crossover, Rise Against. Our first impression of the Canuck's brand new album, Billy Talent III is that it's instrumentally intriguing. There's definitely some nice guitar work and a couple of cool baselines, but unfortunately the lyrics and vocals aren't quite as strong. Luckily, we hear lead singer Ben Kowalewicz delivers an intense, high energy stage performance. And we can't wait to check a hard-hitting live version of single "Rusted from the Rain," a song Kowalewicz describes as having been built upon an "epic Soundgarden-like riff."

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Down the Shore blogger, Jen Miller, mentioned a Times article that named Wildwood as one of the 50 Authentic American Experiences of 2009. It's nice to see Wildwood get some good press. Get the full list here.

This column needs to start with a correction, just in case you didn't see the amendment to last week's baby bargains.

A couple months back, we told you about tickets going on sale for this year's XPoNential Music Festival. So did you get tickets? No? Well why the heck not? XPoNential kicks off tomorrow evening, and there is a ton of music worth catching, so it's time get moving and get your tickets—which are an absolute steal at $25 per day or $60 for a pass to all three days (with a discount for WXPN members). The event will feature 25 acts, plus a crafts village with vendors selling their handmade wares, and a Village Green where festival-goers can learn about sustainable and eco-friendly products that are the forefront of the Delaware Valley's green scene.

We are impressed not only by this pup's equilibrioception, but by his infinite patience.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

We strolled into Kung Fu Necktie at about 8:15 p.m. last Friday night looking forward to catching Audrye Sessions and Paper Route (MySpace). With the listed starting time being 8 p.m. and one band lower on the bill—initially listed as "TBD"; we found out early in the evening that the opener would be Brooklyn indie-pop outfit The Narrative—we figured that we were safe arriving a little late, that we'd catch the end of the opener's set and then be fit to rock with the bands we were really interested in catching. So we were more than a little surprised when as we walked in we offhandedly asked the bouncer, "The Narrative is on now, right?" and he responded, "No, it's Audrye Sessions."

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

        

When Reel Big Fish came to the House of Blues Atlantic City, Phillyist was pretty damn excited to be reliving those third-wave ska-punk memories of the mid-90s. We certainly weren't disappointed when RBF took to the stage and commanded their performance with all the fun, confidant, silly bravado we remembered so well. From their opening song, a kick-ass cover of "Take On Me" to the closer, their breakout hit "Sell Out," they owned the entire performance.

This one's a flashback to the 2006 PLAF.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Future screenings: None

Whether you call it post-rock or indie or electronica or progressive, there's no question that Tortoise's instrumental, synthesizer-rich music is a lot more fun and rocking than it has any right to be. I'm speaking in particular of their latest album, Beacons of Ancestorship, a solid effort from the nearly 20-year-old band. Head over to their official site and you can stream the album for yourself. Or you could just head on over to the First Unitarian Church and hear them play in person. They'll be there with Grey Reverend tonight at 8PM.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

If memory serves me right, it's been a little over two years since we first caught local pop/piano-rock outfit Fooling April (MySpace), at the WXPN Philly Locals Lonely Hearts Club Band concert. Fooling April wooed us not just with their impressive takes on some of our favorite Beatles tunes, but also with the original material from their then-newly released . And they followed that up a few months later with a killer set at the 2007 WXPN Musicians on Call benefit show.

Gregg Gethard, local funny guy extraordinaire, has got a story for you. And a video. And a song. And a few middle school geography questions. All of these elements come together in his Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Comedy Extravaganza. Carmen Sandiego was... well unless you skipped most of the 90s you probably already know what it was: A fantastically popular children's game show on PBS based on the equally popular computer game of the same name. Gregg Gethard is a bloke with his own monthly live comedy series who just happened to be lucky enough to score a slot on the show when he was in 8th grade.

When, oh when, does the new season start?

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

So after a good, long vacation, your mom-blogger-bargain hunter is back with a vengeance... and a new apartment with central air.

Phillyist has long been a fan of the Warped Tour, and this year is no exception. Tomorrow's tour brings over fifty bands to various stages in what will be a *hopefully* sunny day of rock and roll. We love going to Warped Tour because you can always bet on there being bands you know and love, as well as some up-and-comers and little-known groups to discover and enjoy. It's gonna be a great day.

So the last time we tried to encourage you to go check out Paper Route (MySpace), we had a bit of a fail, as Paper Route had to cancel the last few dates of that tour. But we shall not be foiled this time! Paper Route is back in town—for real—tomorrow night at Kung Fu Necktie. This will be our first chance to hear them play material from their debut full-length album live, and we're looking forward to seeing how well the material from their excellent album plays to an audience.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Future screenings: None

It's generally true that each film in the Harry Potter series has been better than the last—and also darker than the last. And as the series has gone on, we've not only gotten a chance to see Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley grow up before our eyes, we've also gotten a chance to see Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint grow up before our eyes—not to mention the rest of the young cast. With each film, these actors get a bit older and a bit more talented. It's especially astonishing to see how much improved Radcliffe is. Take a look back at his awkward, wooden, wince-inducing performance in The Sorcerer's Stone, and then watch how comfortable and funny and real he is in this film.

Future screenings: None

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Acclaimed author and Philly denizen Jennifer Weiner (pronounced "Winer," not "Weener"!), author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes has a new novel, Best Friends Forever, coming out tomorrow (July 14).

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

We've mentioned before that Reel Big Fish is one of the most entertaining acts in music today. The power and energy of their live show really shines on 2006's live CD/DVD , later this month.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

I'll be honest. I normally have a little trouble with war movies. When I say trouble, it's not some big moralistic debate, it's more like a bizarre phenomena in my brain that causes me to nod off whenever the subject is depicted on screen. It took me five tries to get through Braveheart without falling asleep and I don't think I've ever successfully seen Saving Private Ryan all in one sitting. Unless Jake Gyllenhaal is taking his shirt off (thank you, Jarhead), I simply have a hard time paying attention to films with bombs and guns. Well, at least when the bombs and guns are in the hands of actual soldiers. When they're in the hands of Bruce Willis as John McClane, I'm totally on board.

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

Fun around town, for $10 or less:

What happens when art historians open a boutique? Shoppers get an education while they browse. Inspired by owner Lisa Reisman Halterman's vintage poster collection, Lisa M. Reisman et Cie (1714 S Rittenhouse) features vases, perfumes, tote bags, baby gifts and interactive mystery games along with designer fabrics, jewelry, and other fine art. Now through July 31, the store also offers guests an exhibition on the lithograph, an advertising form that transformed product labels at the turn of the 20th century.

Fun around town, for $10 or less: