34th Annual Art & Food Festival
St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
817 N. 7th St.
Fri, 11:30 a.m.‹¨«5:30 p.m., Sat, 12‹¨«5 p.m., Sun, 12‹¨«4 p.m., free
(215) 922-9671
When I think Eastern European food, I think borscht. I don't even like beets, but that's what comes to mind. I tend to not think like everyone else, though. For example, when I thought of beets, I started singing "Killer Tofu" from Doug because I'm secretly seven years old and I miss good cartoons. So I'm sure that there's more at the festival than whatever I'm thinking about. It's the 34th year -- there has to be something else. So go find out.
145th Anniversary Celebration at the Philadelphia Sketch Club
Philadelphia Sketch Club
235 S. Camac Street
Sun, 2 p.m., free
(215) 545-9298
www.sketchclub.org
The Philadelphia Sketch Club is our nation's oldest continuing arts organization. To celebrate 145 years under its artistic belt, it'll be awarding a Philadelphia Sketch Club medal for outstanding contributions in the visual arts. Consider it the Olympic Gold medal of art: Sure, other people can run fast and jump high, but this winner is able to paint a mean landscape. A new exhibition, "Art for all Seasons," will open as well.
Artisan's Fall Festival
Unitarian Society of Germantown
6511 Lincoln Drive
Sat, 10 a.m., $10
(215) 844-1157
www.usguu.org/USGhome/Events.htm
It's that time of the year again: leaves are changing colors and the weather's getting colder (well, it would be getting colder if it weren't for that global warming). But what better way to celebrate than by buying jewelry and fine art? This weekend, 30 artists from the Philadelphia area will be selling pictures, jewelry, knitting and more. There's even a lunch to be prepared and gourmet foods and baked goods will be available (if you're tired of the food they serve at Commons). So come to the Artisan's Fall Festival; if anything, you can pick up your gifts for the holiday season a few weeks early.
The 20th Annual Philadelphia International Art Expo
Liacouras Center,
Temple University
1776 N. Broad Street
Fri‹¨«Sat, 10 a.m.‹¨«10 p.m., Sun, 10 a.m.‹¨«7 p.m., free
(215) 204-2400
www.octobergallery.com
My idea of culture is watching I Love the '80s on VH1, so an international art expo doesn't really thrill me. That's why for people like me, there's body painting! For everyone else, there are exhibits on African American art, music and film, health seminars, art auctions and panels about the music business and financial planning. I don't know why that last one is there, but still, it's important, even if what got your attention actually was body painting.
Savion Glover
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
260 S. Broad Street
Tue, 8 p.m., $30-$59
(215) 893-1999
www.kimmelcenter.org
So, Savion Glover's coming to the Kimmel Center. You know him; he's the Tony Award-winning tap dancer and choreographer who starred in Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk (and he was the guy in that Cingular commercial). This time, he's putting on an innovative tap show to classical music, which has an artist chat afterwards. So come to the Kimmel Center; it's sure to be amazing.
Travesty Dance Group -- Life Lines
Painted Bride Art Center
230 Vine Street
Fri‹¨«Sat, 8 p.m., $10‹¨«$20
(215) 925-9914
www.paintedbride.org
Travesty Dance Group ... Does it sound unusual? Well, honestly it is unusual and gripping. Life Lines presents you the derisive world of relationships, through laughter, uptight moments and lush movements. Go and experience this unconventional performance of Kimberly Karpanty, Rebecca Malcolm-Naib and Karen Stokes, which reveals provoking topics in a humorous way.
Laura Bell: "Scintilla"
Pentimenti Gallery
145 N. 2nd St.
Wed‹¨«Fri, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat, 12-5 p.m., free
through Nov. 20
(215) 625-9990
www.pentimenti.com
What do you get when you combine thoughtful deep-sea exploration with that age-old classic, Spin-Art? Besides a $35,000 bail and disapproving looks at the next PETA meeting, you could also get the unique geometric formations of Laura Bell. Hailing from the great state of Washington, Ms. Bell applies new perspective to the ordered chaos of undersea creatures. Bordering on the ethereal, Ms. Bell allows us to see the enchanting in what we formerly saw as the strange and utterly foreign.
Nancy Graves: "The Shiny Elusive Element"
Locks Gallery
600 Washington Square South
Thu‹¨«Sat, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., free
(215) 629-1000
www.locksgallery.com
Let the glaring cast assemblages in bronze and steel and paintings by Nancy Graves (1939-1995) amaze you with their fired enamel, complex color palettes and astounding sculpture, at the exhibition "The Shiny Elusive Element." Plus, both this visual feast consisting of fifteen works dating from 1984-1990, and a fully-illustrated catalogue are free to enjoy.
Veterans' Day
Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum of Philadelphia
1805 Pine Street
Fri, 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m., $3‹¨«$5
(215) 735-8196
www.cwurmuseum.org
It's tough to keep the patriotic holidays straight, so I try to think of them as siblings. Memorial Day is the perfect oldest child, revered by all. Veterans' Day is middle child, forever in Memorial Day's shadow. And Flag Day is the annoying youngest sibling that most people ignore. Now that we've got that straightened out, celebrate Veterans' Day by visiting America's oldest civil war museum, where Jefferson Davis' smoking jacket is housed and admission is free for veterans, active military duty personnel and their families.
Film Festival: Where Do We Stand?
International House
3701 Chestnut Street
Thu‹¨«Fri, 7 p.m., $5
(215) 895-6536
www.ihousephilly.org
Really, in this little microcosm of academia, Penn students rarely encounter those within the working class, and may even try to actively distance themselves from such foreign influences. While it may be a bit much to quit school and volunteer in Appalachia for half a year, the International House is showing Where Do We Stand? a documentary on one blue collar town's fight for survival in today's global economy. With any luck, the documentary should provide some interesting food for thought.
Reelblack Presents Black Caesar and Trouble Man
International House
3701 Chestnut Street
Sat, 7 p.m., $5‹¨«$7
(215) 387-5125
www.ihousephilly.org
Double feature night at the International House and it's a doozy. First the Black Caesar chronicals the cap popping of a shoe shine boy turned Harlem Godfather. Then as an encore Trouble Man features Mr. T as a troubleshooter taking care of business to the tunes of Marvin Gaye. I pity the fool! Wear your funkiest '70s style threads and you could be the winner of cool (unspecified and highly suspect) prizes. All the groovy kids will be there.
Tender Mercies
Connelly Center Cinema
800 Lancaster Avenue
Sat‹¨«Mon, 7 p.m., $5
(610) 519-4750
www.villanova.edu/culturalfilms/isn't_it_romantic.htm
Is love all you need? Is it just a game? Well, believe it or not, those wily Wildcats out there on the Mainline hope to answer your burning questions through a film and lecture series. This fall, it's centered all around that quintessential human emotion and its effect on movies. Want to see what romance looks like between a teenager and an 80-year-old? There's Harold and Maude for you. How about a fat balding man? Either American Splendor or Lost in Translation. Regardless of shape or form, Villanova hopes to explore what makes us tick, and for only $5.
The Business of
America
International House
3701 Chestnut Street
Friday, 7 p.m., $5-$7
(215) 387-5125
www.ihousephilly.org
Whartonites calm down, this is actually a movie, not another chance for you to kiss corporate America's ass. The International House is showing this film about two Pittsburgh steelworkers' conventional faith in private enterprise ... poor saps. It sounds like a good movie, but it raises moral questions about the need to provide economic opportuties to all Americans, so soulless MBAs need not bother.
Coheed and Cambria
The Electric Factory
421 N. 7th St.
Sun, 7 p.m., $25
(215) LOVE-222
Has anyone noticed how high-pitched the lead singer's voice is? Seriously. It's like the Chipmunks found a Simple Plan CD and said, "Hey, here's how we can capture the youth market again!" Coheed and Cambria, though, is a little tougher than the Chipmunks. Well, at least Simon and Theordore; that Alvin was quite the troublemaker. So for those of you who miss that show (and don't we all), here's the next best thing.
Dead Kennedys
Theater of Living Arts
334 South Street
Wed, 8 p.m., $15
(215) 922-1011
www.theateroflivingarts.net
So, the Dead Kennedys aren't some reincarnation of RFK or JFK. Weird. As it turns out, they're actually this hardcore punk band that's been around since the '70s and '80s with a sound that's a cross between the Sex Pistols and the Ventures. But I guess you have to be hardcore when the titles of your singles are "Too Drunk to Fuck" and "I Kill Children." Either way, the controversial band is playing at the Theater of the Living Arts: you don't want to miss it.
Dolce Suono
Chamber Music
Concert Series
Rosenwald Gallery, Van Pelt Library, 6th floor
3420 Walnut Street
Thu, 7:30 p.m., free
(215) 898-7552
As far as I'm concerned, the fifth and sixth floors of Van Pelt are sex in the stacks territory, but apparently there's other things that go on there (studying of course, or so I hear), but there's also a concert on the sixth floor this Thursday. Concert? In the library? Yeah, crazy stuff. It's no Destiny's Child, but I hear they can really jam on that harpsichord. And maybe if you're lucky they'll do a chamber music rendition of "Bootylicious". I don't think you're ready for this jelly...
Jon Anderson
Theater of Living Arts
334 South Street
Sat, Sun, 8 p.m., $43.50
(215) 922-1011
www.theateroflivingarts.net
Theater of Living Arts hosts Jon Anderson, the front man of British new age and progressive band Yes. A prolific songwriter and performer, Anderson displays his creative and intense work across the world and is coming to Philly to amaze his fans. Go see it. Yes.
Playstation DualPlay Presents LCD Soundsystem
Trocadero
1003 Arch Street
Wed, 7 p.m., $15
(215) 922-LIVE
www.thetroc.com
Record producer by day, hipster DJ by night, James Murphy combines forces with a live band to perform as LCD Soundsystem. Known for the past few years for catchy singles like 2002's "Losing My Edge," LCD finally released a successful self-titled album earlier this year. Murphy's mix of dance, punk and disco is replete with cowbell, '80s beats, and shout-outs to influences like Daft Punk, and is sure to be a winning combination in concert.
The All American
Rejects
The Electric Factory
421 N. 7th St.
Tue, 8 p.m., $20
(215) LOVE-222
Who are the All American Rejects -- the Princeton football team? I don't care that they won, it was a fluke, a fluke I tell you! But you know what always cheers me up after witnessing something that horrible? Emo! But that's probably because I'm from New Jersey, the sanctuary for boys who cry their eyes out over girls and then write about it in rhyme. Feel their pain, and you'll forget all about how Penn felt after the game.
The Black Keys
Theater of Living Arts
334 South Street
Fri, 9 p.m., $13
(215) 922-1011
www.theateroflivingarts.net
Electric Factory presents the Black Keys, a band of two from Ohio. The thing making them a rock band above anything else is the fever of blues that dwells at the base of rock 'n' roll. The groovy band, named as "six inches away from absolutely awesome" by the music critics, awaits you at Theater of Living Arts this Friday.
Daniel Hoffman "Makes You Stop and Think: Sonnets"
Penn Bookstore
3601 Walnut Street
Thu, 3 p.m., free
(215) 898-7595
www.upenn.bkstore.com
Do you ever look at your life and think to yourself, "I need to stop. Stop and think"? When I feel like that I often find myself at the bar on a Tuesday afternoon with two 60-year old West Philadelphian men, but maybe, just maybe, it would be better if I went to a poetry reading at the bookstore. This week I'm in luck because this Thursday Daniel Hoffman will be reading from a collection of sonnets 50 years in the making. So instead of boozing with the shady senior citizens, hang out with Daniel Hoffman for a while. Besides, you can go booze afterwards and it will still be alcoholically early.
Defending the Caveman
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
S. Broad Street & Spruce Street
Fri, 8 p.m., Sat, 5 p.m. & 8 p.m., Sun, 3 p.m., through Dec. 31, $39.50-$44.50
(215) 731-3333
This play stars local favorite Vince Valentine. I don't really know how local we're talking here -- maybe just his local street corner, cause I sure don't know
who the hell he is. Regardless, the play has been seen in over 300 cities and Becker is said to have a loyal following in the therapy community, having been seen and recommended by thousands of psychologists and counselors. I smell a Broadway hit.
Colin Mochrie &
Brad Sherwood
from "Whose Line
is it Anyway"
Keswick Theatre
291 Keswick Avenue, Glenside
Sun, 7:30 p.m., $41.50
(215) 472-7650
www.keswicktheatre.com
Sure, the game is all made up and the points don't matter, but really, when you see that lovable balding Canadian Colin Mochrie, can you really resist? Besides, as our own days become shorter, he can regale us with tales of chewing the seal fat in the Yukon twilight and other things that Canadians do on a regular basis.
