Results tagged “fare”

What's creepy and interesting on TV this week.

The main problem with Shakespeare is that he wrote so darn much. Any group tackling this monstrous body of work in any form is certainly in for a ride. LyricFest's "Biography in Music - Shakespeare" was a fairly successful attempt. The amount of material covered by the program - the life of Shakespeare, readings from his works, and song settings of his works - certainly presents a problem for even the most dedicated programmer. LyricFests's solution of a continuous cycle of biographical reading, play reading, and song was a bit too disjointed and detracted from the overall flow of the concert. I would have preferred a higher ratio of song to reading and more continuous singing. The readings tended to relate somewhat to the upcoming song, but it was not always entirely clear how. The repertoire was well-chosen for the most part and included a wide range of Shakespeare-setters from Verdi to Finzi. I was a bit surprised that the the most famous Shakespeare song, "It was a lover and his lass," only made it into a truncated version in a reading.

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a picture displaying the woes of cruising in a tacky limo on the streets of San Francisco.

Admittedly, when we were contacted by Fair to Midland's publicist, we agreed to cover tonight's show at the TLA (yeah, yeah, the Fillmore) without having ever heard a Fair to Midland song, owing solely to the fact that we liked the band's name. (We're big fans of "clever.") Also to the fact that we tend to be supportive of anything non-political that comes out of Texas. So we requested a copy of the band's debut CD and two tickets, and away we went.

What do bluegrass and pastry have in common? You can get a little of both tonight at the Regency Cafe in Lansdowne. Cruel Sister will be performing their blend of Southern mountain music, traditional British Isles fare, bluegrass, and American folk from 7-9 pm. The band, which takes its name from a medieval English ballad, are all former Lansdowne residents. The Regency suggests you bring a bottle of wine along with you, though they do offer some tasty fair trade coffee, which might be in order if the rains finally come and break down this heat. They also offer a light menu of the sandwich and salad variety, along with those pastries. If there's anything we like more than bluegrass, it's gotta be pastries.

The best of the internet, chopped into tiny bits and grilled for your enjoyment.

When you go to New York or Princeton, are you tired of taking the R7 to Trenton? Do you find the schedule isn’t always convenient or the train gets so delayed you miss the New Jersey Transit train? If you don’t want to risk life and limb on a Chinatown bus, there is another option that is much cheaper and runs more frequently, but the downside is that you have to go to Camden.

Holy smokes! Giant fish on the MTA, Paris Hilton in jail, then out, then in again, Al Gore, goatses, blumpkins, Matt Damon, and baby art critics! It's been a busy week across the Ist-A-Verse, and here's a smattering of what's been going on.

Films: Dead Daughters, Trigger Man, Severance, The Burglar, Ten Canoes

Dear Readers:

I recently had the following late-night IM conversation with a friend (all sic):

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to.

Tired of sifting through that same-old same-old at your local shops and malls? Get your holiday shopping done tomorrow, flea-market style. R5 Productions is hosting the holiday edition of its Punk Rock Flea Market at the Starlight Ballroom. Almost 100 tables will be filled with new and used fare, from wearable art by local artists to used vinyl and CDs. We find ourselves especially interested in table 56, which promises to be full of "kickass...

, which is not a Christmas-themed show, but which is the origin of one of our favorite holiday songs, “We Need a Little Christmas.” It does not appear to be onstage for the holidays this season, but it's not keeping us from quoting it, or putting up the image. Now, on with the listings!

Torontoist visits the site of a new Frank Gehry structure, stalks "the elusive Bahamas streetcar", and watches Tom Green get surgery.

More info here

(Kate Watson-Wallace) (Future performances sold out).

In fact, we feel that if you can't have a good time at Jolly's, you probably aren't any fun at all.


The concept is simple – Jolly's is a bar and restaurant with live piano performances. The audience is welcome, even encouraged, to make requests and sing along. (They are also encouraged to drop some dead presidents in the tip jar – a few dollars goes a long way to getting your song of choice played.) It's a little like karaoke in this respect, only in this case the whole bar is singing sloppily along, so there's less performance anxiety.
We recommend stopping in on Thursday or Saturday nights – which is when Stu Shames man's the piano. Shames is funny, personable, a little ribald, and knows how to handle a crowd. We've seen him manage some awkward situations gracefully, including drunken bachelorettes trying to disrobe him, people on Walnut Street gaping through the windows over his shoulder, and, most recently, a strange man with a Members Only jacket and a harmonica who repeatedly insisted on playing along; and all this without missing a note. And no surprise there; he's a consummate performer, a passionate music fan and one of the brains behind the Philadelphia Songwriters Project. And even though we firmly disagree with his no Bobby Darin policy, we have seen him go from Cole Porter into Bon Jovi; he's a man who knows his stuff.
Oh – another thing – if you go when Shames is playing, be prepared for at least an hour where Billy Joel requests are verboten. And we can't say we blame him.
The service at Jolly's is top notch, and the drinks are generous (if a little pricey). There's no cover however, so if you don't drink (or stick to non-alcoholic fare) it conceivably could be a cheap night out. Between drinks and the tip jar, it can get costly, quickly. When we go, we pretty much resign ourselves to the fact that we'll be spending a pretty penny (after all, we can't be frugal all the time). Since it gives us a chance to be goofy and sing at the top of our lungs in public, we consider it money well spent.
The Joint gets crowded quickly come 10PM or so, so if you want a table, we recommend you get there before 9PM, or even earlier if you want to secure seats around the piano (best seats in the house).
And for Pete's sake, think of something more original to ask for than Piano Man.
 
Jolly's Piano Joint

The Latham Hotel

17 th & Walnut Street

Photo by author

Paging Nora Jones: Please give Ari Hest a call.