Victor's picks for tonight
Hopefully, you’re not toting some tween to see Justin Bieber and those wretched “Hey, Soul Sister” people-that-have-invaded-your-brain at the sold out Q102 Jingle Ball tonight in Camden. If you are, God help you. If not, some other concert options to consider: join all the Jewish hipsters at the TLA, where they’ll be celebrating the Holidays in true Jewish hipster style with Hasidic reggae rapper Matisyahu ($42); but if you think all those hipster guys need shaves and haircuts, consider the unforgivably unkempt Chad Stokes (click here to see what I mean) of State Radio semi-fame, who plays World Cafe Live ($20-$25); and local lovely Meg Baird joins the recently-recovered-from-lung-cancer British folkster Bert Jansch at Johnny Brenda’s (a steal at $15). And if you have a prog rock fan on your shopping list, know that Yes/King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford doing a little talk and then signing copies of his new autobiography at the KOP Borders starting at 7 p.m.
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Victor's Picks for Tonight
If you’re one of those Top Chef fanatics, you probably know that Top Chef All-Stars premieres tonight on Bravo, and the best place to watch will be at 10 Arts where chef de cuisine but more importantly All-Star contestant (and former Top Chef contestant) Jennifer Carroll (what’s with all the makeup?) will be on hand for the premiere party. $75 gets you a chef’s tasting based on her Season 6 favorites, an autographed cookbook, her favorite cocktail, and a little face time with Chef Jen. Go here for all of the details and to make a reservation. Elsewhere, local talent Bill Ricchini hosts an album release for his new project, Summer Fiction, which sounds pretty groovy. Check out the video for “Chandeliers” here. Tonight’s party is at Johnny Brenda’s at 9 p.m. $10.
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Save lots of money by buying today
You’ve escaped Black Friday only to fall victim to Cyber Monday, and today there are three local deals I want to tell you about. First, the Philadelphia Orchestra is offering $35 tickets to this weekend’s three-day Roman Festivals series and the following weekend’s Sibelius celebration. I just did a quick search for Saturday’s performance and found a pair of Orchestra Q seats, which normally sell for $97 a pop. Just use the promo code DEC35. And, as it’s officially the Christmas season, it might be a good time to think about getting to the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Nutcracker show at the Academy of Music, which runs through New Year’s Eve. Today only, get 25% off your ticket purchase. Use the code WEBNUT. Also note that their 20%-off sale on family four-packs extends beyond today. Finally, it’s a good day to support the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is offering $10-off any gift membership. Use the code GiftCYM. Enjoy!
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WEDNESDAY
The day before Thanksgiving is traditionally a day to do one of three things: prep for the meal you’re hosting; travel; or party hardy (or is it hearty?). If you’re cooking and you’ve procrastinated like the good friend that just called me asking where to get a turkey at this late hour, God help you. If you’re traveling, take a Xanax. But if you have limited responsibilities, some suggestions for a party: Tim and Eric at the Troc is 100% sold out but WMMR’s Gobblaroo with Stephen Lynch at the Tower is not; relive misspent youth at Johnny Brenda’s with the It’s The Years 1986 & 1987 Dance Party with DJs Bo Bliz and Emynd and host Reef the Lost Cauze though if you were always more metal than Michael, you might appreciate the triumphant return of Sabbra Cadabra, which may or may not be “the world’s greatest Black Sabbath tribute band”. They’ve been around from a time before the idea of “tribute bands” really existed, and tonight they rock the North Star. But if all that sounds just a little too fast paced for a Wednesday, there’s always crooner Michael Buble in South Philly. But if you just want to drink your face off, join the gays for the Pink Pub Crawl.
THURSDAY
But if you party too hardy/hearty, you may miss the 8:30 a.m. kickoff of the 6ABC/Ikea Thanksgiving Day Parade down the Parkway. At this point, it’s looking like cold rain, which does not a good parade make, so perhaps think coffee and slippers instead of parkas and bleachers. You’ll get a better look at co-host Cecily Tynan that way, anyway. Special guests include Kobe-ex Brandy, Justin Guarini, and Miss America. Oh, and to ?uestlove, I send you a big old Philly $#%&! for bringing the Roots to the Macy’s Parade in New York. I mean, they’ve already got Kanye.
FRIDAY
Assuming you’re not one of those 4 a.m. Target crazies (and if you are, check out Carrie Denny’s Black Friday guide here), I suggest you sleep in and wake up just in time to head to the Yards Brewing Company Open House at noon. Once you’re sufficiently giddy, a screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail is probably in order. If you didn’t get your paranoid rock fill at Roger Waters’ The Wall shows, Floyd tribute act The Machine does its annual Thanksgiving show at the Keswick, though if that seems iffy, The Hooters with Beru Revue (remember them?), local wunderkind Kurt Vile, or ‘XPN fave KT Tunstall should work. But whatever you do, don’t forget about the Christmas Light Show at Macy’s (nee Wanamaker’s), which debuts for the season.
SATURDAY
At this point, I’m thinking a trip to the movies or the theater is what you need. For the former, I’ll leave things to my colleague Aaron Mettey, who sets forth (and rates) your weekend cinematic options here. On the theater front, there is no shortage. Tickets are available for all of the following: Jersey Boys at the Forrest; the Media Theatre’s production of Annie with Wanda Sykes; Theatre Exile’s controversial That Pretty Pretty: or the rape play; and South Pacific at the Academy of Music. It may also be a good day to check out the Museum of Art for Alessi: Ethical and Radical or the Michelangelo Pistoletto exhibit. The youngins will enjoy Peanut Butter & Jams at World Cafe Live featuring KiDROCKERS, Santa’s official Main Line arrival or his appearance with Mrs. Claus at Franklin Square, or maybe a screening of The Adventures of Huck Finn in Bryn Mawr. Musically speaking, Ray Davies had to cancel his Kimmel show, but just down the street at Chris’ Jazz Cafe, Miles Davis/Mongo Santamaria/McCoy Tyner alum Sonny Fortune does his saxophone thing. Other options include the Sugartown all-gal benefit for Philabundance and Free Energy with Foxy Shazam at the TLA.
SUNDAY
Yes, of course you should regroup, do laundry, prepare for the week ahead, but I’m advocating Eagles v. Bears, the resurgence of Bilal, or – for something completely different – the blowing of the world’s largest glass ornament at Wheaton Arts.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Victor's Picks for Monday
In between fighting with the unions, wrangling with DROP, losing bets with mayors over baseball, and testifying in Harrisburg about the PHA, Mayor Nutter found time to declare today Eddie Lang Day. Who is Eddie Lang, you ask? Only the father of the jazz guitar, born Salvatore Massaro in South Philadelphia way back in 1902. He only lived to the age of 31 (complications from tonsillectomy!), but in that time, Lang defined a new sound for the instrument. Here’s a video of him doing “Wild Cat”, here’s an audio recording of Lang playing Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor, and if you need something a little more modern to go on, check out Friday’s Radio Times, where they dedicated a full hour to the guitar great. Tonight, Chris’ Jazz Cafe fetes Lang with a performance of twelve duets that he recorded in the late 20s with African American guitarist Lonnie Johnson, thereby crossing the color line. Even members of the Ferko String Band are gonna be there! Admission is $10. Call 215-568-3131 now to make a reservation, and if you’re going for dinner, don’t miss the $20 three-course prix fixe. And for more information on Eddie Lang Day, go here.
Elsewhere, it’s the Found Footage Festival at Johnny Brenda’s, a screening of Zombieland at the Troc and Metropolis at Bryn Mawr Film, and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in the Kimmel for as little as $5.
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Victor's Picks for Thursday
The Pennsylvania Ballet was founded way back yonder in 1963 by Balanchine protegee Barbara Weisberger (actually, she was Balanchine’s first child pupil). And tonight, the Ballet gets its new season started at the Academy of Music with Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, which they performed at their first show in 1963, under Weisberger’s direction. Also look for Penumbra by local dance celeb Matt Neenan and Carmen, based on the opera of the same name. Tickets start at $44 and are available here… Remember when we still believed in M. Night? Seems like so long ago. It’s been ten years since Unbreakable, which the Film Fest is screening tonight at the Prince ($12)… And finally, 80s electropunk pioneer (or something like that) Gary Numan does his entire Pleasure Principle album (featuring hits “Cars” and “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”) at the Trocadero. Here’s a clip of him from way back when… this is all, of course, assuming that you’re not going to be biting your fingernails off watching the potential NLCS clincher. We’re pulling for you, Phils!
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Victor's Picks for Thursday
Lots of artsyness and intellect this evening, folks. First up, you’ve got the kickoff of the Philadelphia Film Festival with a screening of The Black Swan, a new movie from the strange mind of Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream). Here’s the trailer if you want a taste, but basically, it’s a psychological horror film starring Natalie Portman (and some PA Ballet dancers) as a ballerina in New York. Note that the Saturday screening is sold out, so if you want to see it, get your tickets for the 8:00 p.m. showing at the Annenberg tonight (and while you’re at it, tell the Fest that their website SUCKS)… Over at the Wagner Free Institute – one of my favorite places in the city – Penn history prof John Tresch gets deep into what he calls the “literary experiments” of Edgar Allan Poe, with an illustrated lecture beginning at 5:30 p.m. This is just the kid of thing that makes me love the Wagner. Who else does this stuff?… If you want to see free theater, check out The Elastic Theater‘s free workshop production of The Word: A House Party for Jesus. From what I’ve heard, it should be fun. Let me know if it’s not (but hey, it’s free)… And the Library welcomes a familiar name and face: NPR’s Michele Norris, who is in town to promote her new memoir The Grace of Silence. If you don’t get enough of her on the radio, go listen to her talk (for free) on the Parkway at 7:30 p.m. when she’s interviewed by Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep… and if you still haven’t come out to see my band The Martha Graham Cracker Cabaret, tonight we are joined by New Zealand songstress (and accordionist!) Rosie Langabeer, who will kick things off at L’Etage around 9:00 p.m. Hope to see you there!
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Victor's Picks for Tuesday
For fancy folk, flock to Lacroix at the Rittenhouse for a wine tasting with sommelier Eric Simonis, who is showcasing the red wines of Switzerland and French Jura, whatever French Jura is (anyone know?). It’s $30 for four wines and snacks, which, I imagine, they refer to as “hors d’oeuvres”. Click here to see the wines being offered this evening… At the Arden, it’s the last $29 preview of their very, very long (well over 3 hours, I’m told) Threepenny Opera. One of the cast members just landed in the hospital (get better soon!), and I hear that the guy playing Mack is hamming it up way too much, but let me know what you think if you go. I’ll probably check it out next week once some of the kinks are – hopefully – worked out…. Speaking of opera, tonight is the annual Academy of Vocal Arts’ Bel Canto Competition, which is kinda like American Idol of the Philly opera community. That gets going at the Perelman at 7:30 p.m… and, if you happen to be waaaaay out in Downingtown and craving a good beer, get to Victory Brewing Company for the release party of Lew Bryson’s Pennsylvania Breweries, the newly revised 4th edition.
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Victor's picks for Monday
First and foremost, you should know that today is the 50th anniversary of the Etch A Sketch, which, depending on your age bracket, could be really important. I remember playing with one of these quite a bit as a kid until my parents got me a Texas Instrument 99-4A “computer” and accompanying game cartridge Parsec, which looked and sounded just like this (although this lucky fellow also has the speech synthesizer, which I was without). Anyway, I mention it only for nostalgia’s sake. Also on the nostalgia tip is Hot Tub Time Machine, which just came out on DVD and is screening at the Troc (free beer and popcorn!). Then there’s local soul diva and Roots bud Jaguar Wright (pictured) at Johnny Brenda’s. And, finally, World Cafe Live hosts not one, not two, but three events: out-there songwriter (and wife of Lou Reed) Laurie Anderson; Philly jazz head Orrin Evans in a happy hour jam; and First Person Arts with the “Criminal Intent” edition of the StorySlam. Not too shabby for a Monday.
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Victor's picks for Tuesday
Tonight, I bring you two very different coming-of-age films. First, there’s Dazed & Confused, a look at the last day of high school for a group of weed-happy kids in 1976 from Richard Linklater, who went on to direct School of Rock, Fast Food Nation, and A Scanner Darkly. It’s showing at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute at 7 p.m., and admission is $6.50-$9.50. And over in LOVE Park the Welcome America festivities continue with a free 9 p.m. sing-a-long screening of an American classic, Grease.
If you’re not in the mood for a flick – let along a sing-a-long flick – try “an intimate evening of lush electronic soul music” with Quadron, Rucyl, and King Britt in Fishtown or the second-to-last John Leguizamo performance at Suzanne Roberts (use the password WEEKENDER to score $20 tickets, which are normally $39).
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