Save Ferris
An 80's Fundraiser for the Red Cross
Suite 450
450 N. 6th St.
Thu, 10 p.m.-2 a.m., $10 on the Walk, $15 at the door
Remember that Cubs game? Radical! How about when we stole my dad's car? Tubular! And that art museum ... that was kinda awesome. Man, our day off with Ferris was gnarly. It's a shame Bueller now needs a blood transfusion. So put on your best Ed Rooney costume and head to Suite 450 for this Red Cross benefit so we can Save Ferris. Everyone should come in costume. The theme is the '80s. The drinks will be cheap. And if that's not enough incentive, there might be some Theta girls attending too.
Radclyffe, novelist
Giovanni's Room
345 S. 12th St.
Fri, 7:30 p.m., Free
(215) 923-2960
www.giovannisroom.com
@Street Body Text 2004:Giovanni's Room advertises itself as "America's world-class lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender bookstore with all the trimmings." These good folks will be hosting Radclyffe, who has published a number of lesbian mysteries and romances. She will read and discuss her upcoming novel, Honor Guards. And you thought lesbians only made pornos. Shame on you!
The Aftermath
Filo's Restaurant & Lounge
408 S. Second St.
Wednesdays, 9 p.m., Free
(215) 238-0151
www.filos408.com
@Street Body Text 2004:If you like hip hop but don't like typical night clubs, Filo's is for you. Every Wednesday, DJ Adam Bomb, a member of the local Skratch Mekaniks crew, spins the latest underground hits, as scenesters lounge around the cozy quarters. This is a great way to spend a night blunted with your friends, especially since Adam Bomb often slips a lot of songs by local artists into the mix. If you're curious about the Philly rap scene, you should register for this DJ's introductory course. It sure beats Stat 111.
Secret Cinema: The Chelsea Girls
Moore College of Art and Design
20th and Race streets
Fri, 8 p.m., $6
(215) 568-4515 ext. 4099
www.users.voicenet.com/~jschwart
Andy Warhol made a bunch of underground films. Some people think that they are amazing. Others have the opposite opinion. But in 1967, he released 'Chelsea Girls,' his most coherent movie, which most watchers liked, even though it's still sort of wacky. Like much of his work, there isn't really a plot. Mostly it just depicts beautiful people having conversations with each other or just sitting around silently. In its own strange way, the film is absorbing, but, at three and a half hours long, it's a marathon that you may not have the stamina for.
English 135 presents:
Truth: It's What's for Dinner
Rosenwald Gallery
Van Pelt Library
Mon, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Free
For those interested in taking English 135: Creative Non-Fiction Writing, here is your chance to get a quick peek at what it entails. Student writers in the class will be reading their pieces composed throughout the semester for all to hear. Located on the sixth floor of Van Pelt Library in the Rosenwald Gallery, 14 students will present their work. Refreshments will be served. Bread will be broken, but legs and arms won't. Probably.
N.C. Wyeth House and Studio Tours
Brandywine River Museum
Route 1 and Creek Rd.
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Daily, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; $8, $5 students plus $5 tour fee
(610) 388-2700
www.brandywinemuseum.org
Widely known for his work as illustrator, N.C. Wyeth was responsible for the pictures that accompanied many of our favorite books from childhood, like Robin Hood. But these were merely side projects for Wyeth, whose true passion was landscape painting. In his spare time, he enjoyed compiling extensive collections of strange items, like empty deodorant containers and magic markers. After being educated in the New Jersey public school system, he struck out on his own. In order to pay the bills, he bussed tables, shaved monkeys and restored the neighborhood gazebo. At night he created his masterpieces. At night is also when he looked at child pornography on the internet. He is currently serving a 15-year sentence for 19 counts of auto stripping. He will be eligible for parole in 2017. In court, he insisted on his innocence. I, for one, believe him.
Barnum & Bailey Circus: 134th Edition
Wachovia Spectrum
3601 S. Broad St.
Through April 25, Tue - Sun, 7 p.m., $12 - $75
(215) 389-9543
www.ringling.com
Expect all of the high-flying, acrobatic maneuvers and silly clown antics that have made the Ringling Brothers a household name. Expect people doing cartwheels and death-defying flips through the air. Expect balloons, face paint and colorful wigs. Expect pandemonium when Jumbo the elephant stampedes through the bleachers, crushing the hopes and dreams of dozens of little children. Expect lawsuits. Expect nothing but the best. Long live the circus.
The Uneasy Chair
Adrienne Theatre - Mainstage
2030 Sansom St.
Through April 25; Tue, Thu - Sat, 8 p.m.; Wed, 6:30 p.m.; Sun, 2 p.m.; $10-$25
(215) 568-8077
This play by Evan Smith, an under-appreciated gay writer, portrays the dynamic between two individuals who, at first, seem to be unlikely friends. Still, as the work progresses, we begin to see more clearly the basis for their unique bond. The story tracks the development of the characters' relationship from stiff and business-oriented up until the two are roommates in a nursing home. All the while, Smith looks closely at American romantic values. His sharp social insight and gift for entertaining storytelling combine, as the work both pulls at our heart strings and at the corners of our mouths.
USED: New Work From Old Things
Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine St.
Through May 22, Tue - Fri, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat 12 - 6 p.m.; Free
(215) 925-9914
www.paintedbride.org
I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but, as a result of my work as one of the section editors of Guides, I am up on all the obscure art exhibits that go on in this city. And one thing that I have noticed over the course of the last several months is that the work of many artists centers around actual garbage. They go out. They look around. They pick something promising out of a dumpster. They futz around with it for a little bit, and then they put it up for sale. I appreciate this kind of work, however. Art shouldn't be restricted to specific media and all that jazz. I just think it's funny because it says something about Philadelphia, in general, i.e. the whole city is an elaborate stinky trash can. Get me out of here!
Franklin's Apprentice
Arden Theatre
40 N. 2nd St.
Through May 22, Tues-Sun, 10 a.m., $12-$28
(215) 922-1122
www.ardentheatre.org
A new play by Laurie Brooks? Yes! Just what I've been waiting for. Unfortunately, officials are being pretty tight-lipped about the plot, but I've gathered some very exciting information. The storyline apparently tracks the relationship between Ben Franklin and a bold young boy, whose wild curiosity often gets him into trouble. But soon, Franklin takes the kid under his wing and teaches him all there is to know about science. And, thanks to his mentor, the boy goes on to do great things. Now, tell me that's not a fantastic premise. I have never been more excited about theater. Not even when Kyle Madden-Peister, the acclaimed homosexual activist, published his masterpiece, "What's Up Diggity?"
Arthur De Costa
Woodmere Art Museum
9201 Germantown Ave.
Through July 3; Tues-Sat, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.; $5, $3 students
(215) 247-0476
www.woodmereartmuseum.org
For this landmark exhibition, the Woodmere Museum has collected 70 paintings by Arthur de Costa, who, at one time, served as a professor of painting at our neighbor institution, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Throughout his career, he has resisted prevailing trends in modernism, choosing to embrace Renaissance and Greek traditions instead. This, his latest show, offers a great deal of still life compositions and portraits. And like always, party favors will be issued to patrons as they leave. These include whistles, toy pistols, and small loaves of banana bread. Yum.
Radio 4/The Fever/Jai Alai Savant
North Star Bar
2639 Poplar St.
Thu, 9 p.m., $10
(215) 684-0808
www.northstarbar.com
Oh dancepunk, you seem to be all the indie kids are talking about these days. Bands like the Rapture, Liars, Hot Hot Heat and of course, Radio 4 like to make those crazy kids move their feet. Why do they all come from New York? I don't know. The point is that these bands are able to make their audiences forget their icy cold dispositions and Rock the Cashbah. The band just released a remix record called Electrify and is currently working on the follow-up to 2002's stellar Gotham! Radio 4 might not alter the music world with its somewhat derivative tunes, but at least the band will probably manage to get itself laid.
Tortoise
Theater of the Living Arts
334 South St.
Fri, 9 p.m., $14
(215) 922-1011
www.theateroflivingarts.net
Taking over the post-rock dynasty after the breakup of Slint, Tortoise has provided loyal listeners with a number of excellent albums over the years, including its standout masterpiece TNT. The band's fusion of jazz and ambient rock makes for quite the relaxing chill-out experience. Essentially, this band is like a more abstract Sea and Cake without the vocals. Unfortunately, its new album, It's All Around You, fails to offer many surprises, and lacks the sheer brilliance of the group's past works. However, the band is nevertheless a trippy treat to see live, and will not fail to deliver its sonic mastery to the audiences that crave it so badly.
Kenny Garrett
Zanzibar Blue
200 S. Broad St.
Fri, 8 p.m. & 10 p.m., $25
(215) 732-4500
www.kennygarrett.com
Kenny Garrett played with Miles Davis during the last few years of Davis' life. For this reason, jazz enthusiasts give him mad props, probably more than he deserves. Yet, since starting up his own quartet, Garrett has, if nothing else, recorded prolifically. Between 1984 and now, he has released 13 albums. Most of them are garbage, but a few have been coveted as gems. Avoiding the sentimentality of smooth jazz while experimenting with unusual rhythms, Garrett weaves the sort of accessible jazz work that can make even a tough guy smile.
Elf Power
The Khyber
56 S. 2nd St.
Sat, 9 p.m., $8
(215) 238-5888
www.thekhyber.com
Yes, another Elephant 6 band from Athens that is more than a little obsessed with Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. Except the twist here is that this band sings about things like elves, gnomes, trolls and other magical creatures that easily would be at home in any of Tolkien's books. However, the band's new album marks a recent trend among these sorts of bands, in the manner it champions a more defined and mature pop sound. Indeed, it does seem as though the group is trying to eschew its psychedelic and derivative image. The band's new album, Walking with the Beggar Boys, showcases many more pop reference points than just sunny '60s music, and shows the band really is coming into its own musically. Still, though, songs about elves are always awesome.
Cursive
Trocadero Ballroom
1003 Arch St.
Sun, 7 p.m., $15
(215) 922-6888
www.thetroc.com
Sure, this band lies somewhere on the edge between indie rock and emo, but that doesn't mean there's any shame in listening to its music. Over the years, the group has pulled as equally from bands like early Sunny Day Real Estate as they have form Modest Mouse and the Pixies, creating a unique sound that fits in comfortably in its Saddle Creek home. The band's 2000 album, Domestica, remains a classic indie rock album that is an essential purchase for anyone looking to get into Cursive. Its 2003 album, The Ugly Organ, was a respectable follow-up and shows that the band is likely to be around for quite a while.
The Apples in Stereo
The Khyber
56 S. 2nd St.
Mon, 9 p.m., $12
(215) 238-5888
www.thekhyber.com
If you are only going to see one Elephant 6 show this week, I would probably recommend checking out Elf Power over these guys. However, for some reason they have the bigger name, so a lot of people will nevertheless be drawn to the show. All this isn't to say that their '60s pop sound is not great, but more so that it really doesn't match up to the other Elephant 6 bands. Still, though, the Khyber is a cool place, and the band is above average, so you may as well check it out if you have nothing better to do.
The French Kicks
The Khyber
56 S. Second St.
Wed, 9 p.m., $10
(215) 238-5888
www.thekhyber.com
Along with the Walkmen, these guys definitely characterize the definitive NYC sound, with their accessible post-punk that seems to have all the scenesters pissing their pants in order to see them live. Why do these bands love to dress in black and smoke cigarettes? I don't know, and I don't want to know. The point is that you're not going to hear anything really new here, but you will be entertained with some catchy tunes and loud guitars. Furthermore, you can challenge annoying hipsters to fights -- I recommend smashing a bottle of Pabst through their throats.
Bootsie Barnes and His Organ Trio
Ortlieb's Jazz Haus
847 N. Third St.
Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m., Free
(215) 922-1035
Ortlieb's, which may rank as one of the biggest dives in Philly, is actually the city's most important jazz spot, as its history is intertwined with the great players of the past, the genre's benchmark artists. (I don't know any of their names but I'm damn confident that they were enormously influential.) Bootsie Barnes plays all the dives, but this one is his favorite; he's there every Wednesday with his saxophone to raise the roof with his impassioned and deft musicianship. For some real gritty, hometown grooves, this is the guy to see and this is the place see him. But do your best to dress like you're homeless, or you may be on the receiving end of some disdainful stare-downs.
