Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY The N Crowd Thanksgiving Special: Improv Comedy with the N Crowd at the Actor’s Center (257 N. 3rd), 8PM. $10 The Delaware Rag: The Delaware Rag celebrates the release of their new CD at Upstairs Live at the World Café (3025 Walnut), 8PM. Also performing is The Josh Olmstead Band. $9 SATURDAY Rittenhouse Square West: Guided architectural walking tour of the Square (18th and Walnut); meet the......

We weren't familiar with Jennifer O'Connor (MySpace) when we recently received a copy of her latest release, Over The Mountain, Across The Valley And Back To The Stars. But with an album title like that, we assumed her music would turn out to be the worst kind of touchy-feely singer-songwriter crap. Luckily, we were entirely wrong. Yes, it is low-key pop from a singer/songwriter/guitarist. But it's really high quality low-key pop with fantastic vocals, clever......

We can't say we're entirely proud of ourselves for this, but we have to admit we're totally loving Black Fingernails, Red Wine, the third album and latest release from Australian trio Eskimo Joe (MySpace). Sure, it's pop. But it's also totally fun (one might even say irresistible), infectious, danceable pop rock with a New Wave (sometimes almost Depeche Mode-ish) flavor, and a piano often tinkling in the background. Download two of our favorite tracks off......

Fionn Regan Giveaway
10/1/2007-10/5/2007...

He's saying Goodbye, and you might not even know him yet. He's Ulrich Schnauss (MySpace), and he's got some shoe-gazing electro-pop he'd like you to hear. That's why he's coming to World Cafe Live tomorrow night, accompanied by Soundpool and Brooklyn dream pop band Mahogany. Schnauss' latest release, Goodbye, is a complexly layered, sweeping, dramatic, romantic piece of music. What it reminds us of the most is soundtracks: Tangerine Dream's original soundtrack to Legend; Vangelis'......

Countering all the claims that electronic music took a sharp dive in the mid to late 90's has been the continued quality of composition from producers like BT (Brian Transeau), a Berklee College of Music dropout who began his electro-dance music career working with his DJ friends Deep Dish in Washington DC on the way to earning international fame as a trance music pioneer. Though his style and production habits are constantly changing, the......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Turkish Film Festival: Thursday, November 16 – Saturday, November 18 is the Turkish Film Festival at iHouse (3701 Chestnut Street). Tickets are $7 per film. Today's offering, Facing Window (La Finestra Di Fronte), begins at 7PM. Drew Danburry: Drew Danburry plays free at Upstairs Live! (3025 Walnut Street) at 7:30PM. Word 4 Word: "Word 4 Word is an unabashed celebration of life, culture & creativity in all genres,......

Kristoffer Ragnstam (also on MySpace, natch) is playing a free show at World Cafe's Upstairs Live venue this Friday night at 7PM, and we wanted to let you know it might be worth dropping by to check him out. He's from Sweden, but you'd hardly know it when you listen to him sing on his latest EP, Do you want a piece of me. Sure, he's got a slight accent, and there's that one song......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Cindy Sheehan: Well known anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan speaks today at noon at the Free Library (1901 Vine Street) about her new memoir, Peace Mom: A Mother's Journey Through Heartache to Activism. Free Philly Metal: Local metal rockers The Violent Return, Scythe of Azrael, Divine Dissonance and Nashama play The Boiler Room (2224 North 4th Street) at 7PM. All ages. $5 Moonstone Poetry: Hosted by Justin Vitiello, followed......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Free @ Upstairs Live!: Mark Dignam and John Spillane with Josh Komorowski at 8PM. 3025 Walnut Street Soraia: Soraia, Citizens Of Contrary Knowledge, Superhero & Heavy Hand at The Khyber (56 S. 2nd Street). $8 Free Fringe: Don't forget it's Fringe season, and several shows are free. Got a frugal tip? Don't be stingy! Send it here and share the wealth!......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Comedy Showcase: "Philadelphia's Most Deadly Improv Troupe," The Ninjas, perform at 8PM at The Raven Lounge (1718 Sansom Street) at 8PM. Free Free Upstairs Live!: Chris Kasper & Friends, Upstairs at World Cafe (3025 Walnut Street). 8PM Fancy Pants Cinema: Free, weekly showcase for local filmmakers, 10PM at the North Third Restaurant (3rd & Brown Streets). Got a frugal tip? Don't be stingy! Send it here and......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Beta Hi-Fi Music Festival Kick Off: World Cafe launches their Beta Hi-Fi Music Festival and Showcase with a free evening of music, with Franzschubert and the Schubbs. 7:30 PM at the World Cafe (3025 Walnut Street). (Also, check out the Upstairs Live schedule for free performances related to the festival all week long.) Movie Monday at The Troc: This week, be prepared to be Mr. Pink (someone has......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Movies in the Park: Free screening of Way Out West in Clark Park (43rd Street & Baltimore Avenue) 9PM. The Free & Concious Concert: The Cutbacks, Stiff Middle Finger, Son of Nun, Brain Drain & Cypher:Dissident are playing The Rotunda (4014 Walnut Street) at 6PM. Presented for free by Philly Red and Anarchist Action Network (RAAN) . Animation at The Franklin Institute: As part of their ongoing......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY: An Evening with Billy Plympton: Awesome animator Bill Plympton will be onhand to screen his work at the Franklin Institute (222 North 20th Street) as part of The Franklin Institute Animation Festival. Tickets are $8, and this event is at 8PM. (The Plympton show is being listed as appropriate for ages 10 and up.) In the Franklin Institute's Stearns Auditorium. MilkBattle '06: Four high school bands battle......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Illinois: Buck County's Illinois with Adam Arcuragi, The Golden Revelry & Smoke and Whisper 9PM at The Khyber (56 S. 2nd Street). $8. 21+ BC Camplight: BC Camplight and Mieka Pauley 10:30PM at The Tin Angel (20 S 2nd Street). $8 Five Spot House Party: Weekly event with Gregg Nyce. $5 before midnight, $10 after. At the Five Spot (5 S. Bank Street) natch. 9PM SATURDAY Islamic......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: An Evening with Garrett Brown: Philadelphia native and 3-time Academy Award winner, Garrett Brown, invented the Steadicam. He'll be speaking at The Bryn Mawr Film Institute (824 W. Lancaster Avenue) prior to a screening of Rocky - the first film to implement this technology. The talk begins at 7PM, and tickets are $8.75. Music at The Church: Tapes N Tapes, Figurines and The Cold War Kids are at......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Pennypack Music Festival: Bon Jovi Tribute Band, Runaway, will be performing at 7PM in Pennypack Park. Poetry Open Mic: Uncensored poetry open mic night at Elcy's Coffee House at the Glenside Train Stations (Easton Road & Glenside Ave). 7-9:30 PM Norwalks: Philadelphia's Norwalks plays Free @ Upstairs Live! (3025 Walnut Street) at Noon. Got a frugal tip? Don't be stingy! Send it here and share the wealth!......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Shame: Pennsylvania popsters Shame play free at noon at Upstairs Live! (3025 Walnut Street). Reverberation: DJs Brown Jeff & Davis spin for Free, 9PM at The Khyber (56 S. 2nd Street). 21+ The Big Picture: A weekly evening of randomized entertainment, with the odd visual artist and a performing house band made up of interchanging musicians drawn from that evening's sign-up roster. $5. 9PM at The Five Spot......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Filter Magazine's Music Appreciation Night: A Free night of music courtesy of Filter Magazine, Making Time & R5 Productions, featuring The Walkmen, The Duke Spirit, and DJs Dave P & Adam Sparkles. 9PM-2AM at The Starlight Ballroom (460 N 9th Street). 18+ (21+ to drink). If you plan to attend, RSVP with your name and party number to rsvpPHILLY@FILTERMMM.COM Police Squad: Andrew's Video Vault presents the complete run......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Chick Lit: Local author and blogger Jennifer Weiner (Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, etc.) will be reading tonight at Kol Tzedek at Calvary Center (801 S. 48th Street) where she is Writer-in-Residence. Her talk begins at 7:30, and there is a suggested donation of $5. Josh Komorowski and Friends Featuring Joel Ackerson: Philadelphia musician Josh Komorowski hosts a free night of music at Upstairs Live! (3025 Walnut......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Taina Asili: Transformation Award winner, Taina Asili, presents Bend With the Wind, a multi-media exploration of "an Afro-Boricu warrior's fight against colonialism." This free event begins at 7:30 PM at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut Street). Kate Gaffney's TiredWired Showcase: Kate Gaffney hosts Danielle Miraglia, Joshua Heard Park & Kyle Justin Free @Upstairs Live! (3025 Walnut Street). 8PM Modern Rock Dance Party: With DJ Steve Singer at Grape Street......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Both FRIDAY and SATURDAY: The Little Prince at Penn's Houston Hall (3417 Spruce Street). $5 for adults, $3 for children. FRIDAY Free Friday at Noon Concert: at XPN's World Cafe (3025 Walnut Street). Today's artist is Josh Rouse. Admission is free, but RSVP is required. Don't Need No Thought Control?: Movie night at World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut Street) presents Pink Floyd's The Wall. Free at 8PM -......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Last Love: Psychedelic sounds from DJs Chetena, Pearl and More. Free at 9PM at The Khyber (56 S. 2nd Street). 21+ Classic Harmony: Perform R&B from decades past at North by Northwest (7165 Germantown Avenue). $10 - or $7 with a SEPTA Discount (wait - SEPTA is good for something?) Tin Angel: Anne Heaton and Buried Beds play the Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd Street) at 8:30. $10......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Free @ Upstairs Live! The John Ginty Band, Upstairs at the World Cafe (3025 Walnut Street). Free at Noon. Puppet Karaoke: For $4, you can watch puppets face off in karoke battle during the Super Shamrock Showdown. Bring or/make your own puppet and you can battle too. At the M-Room (15 W. Girard) 9:30 PM (21+) Tribute to Marley: Mystic Rebel (formerly Babylon Bus) at The North Star......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Dan Malloy: Elkins Park musician and "depressing art movie waiting to happen," Dan Malloy plays at Upstairs, Live! (3025 Walnut Street) at noon as part of their Free @ Upstairs Live! series. Starving Artists Monologue Slam!: How much do we love the idea of competitive acting? (We'll give you a hint...it's a whole heck of a lot.) Register to compete for the $25 or the $100 grand prize......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: Andrews Video Vault: This month's theme: "I Never Do Anything Twice," with The Lost One & The Brave showing back to back beginning at 8PM. Free at the Rotunda (4014 Walnut Street). The Late Night Series: Free weekly open mic event featuring poetry, drama, comedy and more. 8:30PM at Drexel University's Creese Lobby (32nd & Chestnut Streets). Upstairs Live!: Liz Longley Free @ Upstairs Live! (3025 Walnut Street).......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Eurotica: Secret Cinema presents a sexy movie double-feature at the Moore College of Art & Design (20th & Race Street): The Lickerish Quartet & The Libertine.  Admission for both features is $6, the show starts at 8PM, and we're pretty sure since they're both foreign films, you can get away with saying they're "artistic" rather than "dirty." Free Friday at Noon Concert: at XPN's World Cafe (3025......

Frugal in Philly is a weekly celebration of all things Philly that are fun, frugal (costing $10 or less) or free! Stop here each week to see what Philly's got to offer for those of us who haven't quite mastered the art of becoming Independently Wealthy (although believe us, we're trying). Featured Pick of the Week: Holidays in the Slush R5 Productions is offering not one but two all-ages punk rock shows this week at......