Crushing Krisis

Comic Books, Drag Race, & Life in New Zealand

Philly

Things To Do In Philly, 10/26 Edition

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Things to Do In Philly is back for good (or, as for good as any feature is around here), thanks to all of your positive feedback about my trial run in September.

As before, this isn’t a definitive list of what’s happening in Philly in the next week. Instead, it’s just stuff that I can personally endorse as sounding or being cool happening in the next week or so.

My fav photo of Grace Potter

Thursday, October 28
Who: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Details: 8:00pm, TLA, $29
Why? The scorching hot power of Grace’s set at Bonnaroo 2006 is still emblazoned on my brain and iPod. She dropped a middling poppy LP earlier this year, but surely her live fusion of alt-country and jam band could have only improved in the meantime? Do you have $29 that wants to know the answer?

Thursday, October 28
What: Pumpkin Tasting @ Hudson Beach Glass
Details: 6:30-8:30pm, 26 S. Strawberry Street, $40
Why? Do you live for seasonal brews and/or do you love the micros at Triumph Brewery? If either or both are a yes, hit this event. Yes, the $40 tag seems high, but you get a custom-blown pint glass and as many beer and appetizer samples as you can consume in two hours.

Friday, October 29
Who: Victoria Spaeth & The Spaeth Cadets / Cris Valkyria & The Opponents
Details: 10:00pm, Tin Angel, 22 S. 2nd Street, $10
Why? Vicky and Cris are two of my favorite female bandleaders in Philadelphia, and both of their last shows at the Tin were fantastic. Their bands unspool the pop side of alt-rock that’s coming back to radio, with the Opponents more electrified and the Cadets more harmony-laden. The chance to see them together at the Tin Angel late show for $10 is unbeatable.

Saturday, October 30
What: Cover band benefit for Mariposa Co-op
Details: 5:30pm, sliding scale donation from $5 (see invite for details)
Why? Want to party to rough-hewn covers of a ton of bands you love? This Halloween show dresses up local musicians as PJ Harvey, Dead Kennedys, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lady GaGa, and David Bowie, plus a lot more.

Andra Taylor at play

Saturday, October 30
Who: Andra Taylor / Andrea Nardello
Details: 10:00pm, Tin Angel, 22 S. 2nd Street, $10
Why? Andra Taylor is Arcati Crisis’s longterm folk girlfriend, merging articulate lyrics about lost film stars and dreams of a perfect country with chunky barre chords subverted for folk purposes. Andrea Nardello is a longtime friend whose songs alternate between heartfelt and funky. She’s reached a new peak of acoustic rock powers while touring behind her 2010 LP.

Sunday, October 31
Who: Matt Duke does Peter Gabriel
Details: 7:30 @ World Cafe Life, $14-20
Why? I’m going out on a limb to say this will be awesome. MadDragon Record’s artist Matt Duke has a voice the size of a house and knows when to deploy it as such (and when not to). Combine that with a one-time-only take on classic record (Gabriel’s So) and you have a show worth seeing.

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I want to make a showing at all of these, but rehearsal and El Night Owl buses stand in the way of some of them. Oh, and my tickets to the Dresden Dolls’ 10-Year Anniversary Show. (!!!!!)

As always, if you know about an upcoming kick-ass event in Philly, leave a comment to let me know!

Monday Music: The Best In Philadelphia

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I have some major musical links to unleash on you this Monday! The musicians are local to Philly, but they can rock you in any remote location due to the power of the internet.

Behold: The Best Songwriters in Philly & The Best Indie/Alternative Bands in Philly. You can spend your Monday (and many subsequent days) getting to know the eighteen artists on those two lists, all of whom are certified awesome by yours truly – both handy guides were written by me!

Now for the story behind the links.

A few weeks ago a national producer from CBS reached out to me to see if I would be interested in writing a number of “Best in Philly” posts for their newly-launched CBS Local guide to Philly. This is the mysterious “freelance assignment” I’ve been blogging and tweeting about.

It took awhile to nail down the topics I’d write, but from our first exchange it was clear that one of them would be “Best Songwriters In Philly,” and that I’d be restricted to 10 songwriters, tops.

The topic and accompanying restriction made me nervous. I have literally dozens of favorite songwriters in Philly. How could I fairly get them down to ten?

In the end I was working from a list of 20+ potential candidates to get down to a group of nine that felt right. I left off many favorites because I couldn’t explain them in 100 words, I wasn’t sure if my opinion was biased, or they simply didn’t fit with my final list – which turned out to be:

Since I have so many more words to expel about that nine and so many left-over favorites, I’m hoping to expand upon the article here at CK in fits and starts.

In the meantime, check out the CBS Local version, plus my Alt-Bands article, and these four other hyper-local music-lover guides:

Things To Do In Philly, 9/14 Edition

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Another week of my handpicked things to do in Philly!

I didn’t get to experience any my own recommendations last week, as I was pretty busy on my own with rehearsals and a gig. This week is more of the same, so I’m hoping you can attend some of this awesome stuff in my place.

The pickings are a little slim this week, but there is one main event that I strongly endorse…

Thursday 9/16
Who: Your humble author’s harmony-packing duo, Arcati Crisis
Details: 8pm @ Tin Angel, $10
Why? This is our second headlining show at the Tin Angel, and we’re splitting it with our friend Dante Bucci, a hang drummer who must be seen or heard to be believed. Oh, and he leads us by millions of YouTube view. Yeah, I said millions.

Here’s a smattering of other things to do in Philly:

Friday 9/17
What: Absinthe tasting
Details: 6:30–8:30PM, Hudson Beach Glass Philadelphia, $36
Why? Sample local licoricesque liquor avec wormwood from Philadelphia Distillery and net a Hudson Beach glass in the process – worth the price of your ticket (literally), so the green drinks are effectively free.

Friday 9/17
Who: Christie Lenee & Dani Mari bands, respectively
Details: 9pm, Rox Box, $?
Why? Christie Lenee is one of the best guitarists I’ve ever met – she can can from Ani staccato to Hendrix shred in a matter of seconds. Dani Mari is a super-friendly host of many local open mics, and her tunes are catchy – reminds me of Martha Wainwright sans the whining :)

Wednesday 9/22
Who: Caustic dance-rockers Electric Six w/local guitar hero Boy Wonder
Details: 8pm, Kung Fu Necktie, $15
Why? I admit I’m not always the hippest when it comes to rock bands. Case and point: Electric Six. I hate them, but Gina, Wes, and seemingly everyone else I know adores their ridiculously sarcastic four-on-the-floor rock. Worth experimenting on this cheap gig, especially since the underbill includes the always-strong Boy Wonder.

Things To Do In Philly, 9/8 Edition

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Last week’s things to do in Philly were pretty awesome – I should know, since I locomoted my ass out of the house to see more than half of them!

Here’s another week of personally endorsed activities around Philadelphia. Let me know if you’re headed out to one, and maybe I’ll come too! And, don’t forget about my two upcoming shows:

  • Saturday 9/11 @ Collingswood 2nd Saturday, 6pm-9pm, Free!
  • Thursday 9/16 @ Tin Angel w/Dante Bucci, 8pm, $10

    • Wednesday 9/8
    What: Askew indie rock
    Who: Dirty Projectors w/Owen Pallett
    Where: 7:30pm, Trocadero, $15 adv / $17 dos
    Why: I resisted Dirty Projectors when they appeared on best-of-year lists, but there is something undeniable about their lilting and sometimes atonal acoustic indie pop. This show is a steal, which you can definitely afford since you probably downloaded their CD from p2p.

    Friday 9/10
    What: Dozens of Philly songwriters in one room
    Who: Song Shuffle
    Where: 7:30pm, World Cafe Live, $27 / $5 for students & under 25
    Why: Want a crash course in Philly songwriters? See an almighty slew of them play one song each, which will likely yield some huge hits and unusual collaborations.

    Rocking my curly hair and an outfit from Sazz Vintage this January.

    Friday 9/10 – Monday 9/13
    What: Crazy-cheap vintage clothes
    Who: Sazz Vintage Warehouse weekend sale!
    Where: Fri 4-8pm, Sat-Mon 12-6pm, 2438 Coral St., 19125
    Why: Want to bulk up on your vintage 60s, 70s, and 80s clothing? This weekend Sazz will unlock their warehouse for a repeat of the sale that reinvigorated my blazer collection and helped me costume a period piece of theatre for under $200.

    Saturday 9/11
    What: A pair of standout Philly female songwriters
    Who: Adrien Reju, Suzie Brown, and Barnaby Bright
    Where: 8pm, Burlap & Bean in Newtown Square, $10 / $12 at door
    Why: If you insist on skipping our Collingswood gig, Adrien and Suzie are two of the most stunning songwriters Philly has to offer, not to mention adept performers and complete sweet-hearts. A bill with the both of them is not to be missed (unless you’re seeing us).

    Saturday 9/11 & Sunday 9/12
    What: Crash course in glass pulling
    Who: Hudson Beach Glass
    Where: 12-5pm by appointment, 26 South Strawberry St., 19106
    Why: Hudson is a pretty cool place to visit to begin with, but this weekend they’ll let you get hands on with the hot glass to pull your own glass flower (with the help of a trained glassblower).

    Sunday 9/12
    What: Freak folkers strut their songs
    Who: Bike Philly party w/Spinning Leaves & Ben Sollee
    Where: 9pm, Johnny Brenda’s, $12
    Why: Spinning Leaves are like some crazy bizarro ultra-folk version of Arcati Crisis (they actually resemble us, in reverse!), pairing freak-on lyrics with perfect-blend harmonies. Meanwhile, Ben Sollee is on tour with his cello on a bicycle!

    Monday 9/13
    What: Live storytelling
    Who: First Person StorySlam
    Where: 8:30pm, World Cafe Live, $10
    Why: Whether you’re there to watch or tell a tale, First Person StorySlam runs the gamut from hilarity.

    Wednesday 9/15
    What: James Brown’s reincarnated ghost from the future
    Who: Of Montreal w/Janelle Monae
    Where: 9pm, Electric Factory, $25 / $28 @ door
    Why: Forget perennial hipster darlings Of Montreal – every time Janelle Monae plays in Philly my entire social switchboard lights up like a Christmas tree about how freaking awesome she was. Observe:

    Did I catch the event you’re headed to or capture your favorite band? If not, leave a comment to let me know what I’m missing out on.

    Things To Do In Philly, 8/31 Edition

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    Here is my totally biased and personally endorsed calendar of things to check out this week in Philly.

    Let me know if you’re headed out to one, and maybe I’ll come too! And, don’t forget about my two upcoming shows:

  • Saturday 9/11 @ Collingswood 2nd Saturday, 6pm-9pm, Free!
  • Thursday 9/16 @ Tin Angel w/Dante Bucci, 8pm, $10

    • Cris Valkyria, as shot by me at the Northstar Bar, earlier this summer.


    Wednesday 9/1
    What: Amazing local indie rock!
    Who: Post Post
    Where: 7:00pm, Rittenhouse Square Park, Free!
    Why: Filmstar split a bill with Post Post earlier this summer, and Post Post blew me away. Like a cross between Built to Spill & Thao w/the Get Down Stay Down. They will NOT be playing free shows in Philly for long, so get on it now!

    Thursday 9/2
    What: 90s-esque girl rock!
    Who: Cris Valkyria & The Opponents
    Where: 8:30pm, The Tin Angel, $8
    Why: I was dumbstruck when I first heard the typically acoustic Cris with this fantastic backing band. Shades of Heather Nova, Bjork, Alanis, and Elvish Costello, among others.

    Friday 9/3 (I’ll Be There!)
    What: Gallery show opening & entrancing music
    Who: Jennifer Vessells & Dante Bucci
    Where: 5:30pm, Muse Gallery, 52 North 2nd Street, Free!
    Why: Jennifer is an amazing visual artist whose paintings I completely lose myself in; Dante is a hypnotic hang drum player who I’m splitting a show with later this month.

    Britt Miller's "Pieces of My Heart"

    Friday 9/3 (I’ll Be There!)
    What: Gallery show, drinks, & mingling!
    Who: Britt Miller, my arty partner in FAME
    Where: 5-9pm, Drink Philly Office & Gallery, 239 Chestnut St., 2Flr. B
    Why: Britt and I keep each other on the path to fame, and this is one of the many gallery shows that are on her road this year. Plus, free food and drinks. Be there!

    Friday 9/3
    What: Chunky folk riffs!
    Who: Andra Taylor supports Charlie Phillips
    Where: 7:30pm, Burlap and Bean, Newton Square, PA
    Why: Andra is one of my favorite people to split a bill with – if you share my love of Ani DiFranco and Patty Griffin you’ll adore her.

    Friday 9/3 – Monday 9/6
    What: World premiere play!
    Who: Gina & Ocelot on a Leash Theater Company
    Where: 3/4 @ 8pm & 5/6 @2pm, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, $10
    Why: My musical other half Gina Martinelli costars in Prudence, a play by one of my former directors Mary Ellen Cosaboon. I got a sneak preview of this last fall, and it’s a legitimately funny – not some freaky unintelligible Fringe-fest-thing.

    Saturday, 9/4
    What: Local CD release!
    Who: Boy Wonder
    When: 7:00pm, World Cafe Live, $10
    Why: Boy Wonder is a crazy-amazing songwriter – every one of his tunes is immediately catchy with some wicked guitar interludes. Also, one of the nicest dudes I have met in the Philly music scene.

    Saturday, 9/4
    What: Chill acoustic tunes!
    Who: Bill McConney
    When: 9pm, Myra’s Place, 615 Macdade Blvd, Collingdale, PA
    Why: Bill’s folk riffs and legato baritone voice are sometimes a dead ringer for Nick Drake, but the songs are all his own.