INQUIRER: For week upon week, Coatesville-area residents wondered who was doing this to them. Who was lighting the fires that made national news, left scores of people homeless, caused at least $3.5 million in damage, and left Coatesville afraid to sleep? Was it somebody they saw on the street, somebody who stood beside them in the convenience store? Authorities said yesterday that at least nine of the 24 fires set since Jan. 1 had been the work of a 19-year-old tech student from Downingtown — nine miles away. The suspect had no reported connection to the old steel town, 35 […]
HEAR YE: Neko Case Middle Cyclone
Now playing on PHAWKER RADIO! Comes out March 3rd. She plays the Keswick Theater on April 10th. PREVIOUSLY: As of 2005, Patsy Cline’s 12 Greatest Hits sold 10 million copies. Not bad for a ghost. She got on a plane to Kansas City in 1963 — just a couple years into her newfound fame as the sweetheart of the Nashville rodeo — and never came back, disappearing into the ether of immortality like Amelia Earhart in spurs. Her ghost has been haunting American music ever since, and any vaguely countryish thrush will have to suffer comparisons. Just ask KD Lang. […]
PAPERBOY: ‘Knocked Up & Lonely In Olney’ Edition
BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: Too Many Dicks
Flight of the Conchords performs two shows at the Tower on April 18th.
THE PSYCLONE RANGERS: Tilt-A-Whirl
Damn, that guy can sing! PREVIOUSLY: Ain’t Goin’ Down TANGENTIALLY RELATED: Touch and Go Records, a pillar of the Chicago music scene and independent music worldwide, announced Wednesday that it is drastically shrinking its business, cutting ties with 20 independent labels and laying off an unspecified number of employees. “The current state of the economy has reached the point where we can no longer afford” to provide manufacturing and distribution services for the labels, including stalwarts such as Chicago-based Drag City, All Natural, Overcoat. Flameshovel and Atavistic Records; Merge in North Carolina,; and Kill Rock Stars in the Pacific Northwest, […]
GAYDAR: Golden Showers Make Nice Flowers
Madcap drag troupe The Dumpsta Players, are back this month with a geriatric extravaganza. This time around, it’s all about the gold—the golden years to be exact—and who better can throw their sassy wisdom and eye-sore pastel clothing around than the Floridian foursome: The Golden Girls, in, “Golden Girls Gone Wild!” Times are hard. The girls’ roof needs a-fixin’ but they don’t have the dough. They should’ve probably cut back on the cheesecake, huh. But since that’s not going to happen, the girls are forced to whore themselves out into the cheap and easy world of reality TV. Rose sets […]
ARTSY: Call Me Isaiah
IN A DREAM: Theatrical Trailer from Herzliya Films on Vimeo. Synopsis: Over the past four decades, Isaiah Zagar has covered more than 50,000 square feet of Philadelphia with stunning mosaic murals. In A Dream is a documentary feature film that chronicles his work and his tumultuous relationship with his wife, Julia. It follows the Zagars as their marriage implodes and a harrowing new chapter in their life unfolds. MORE Opens April 17th at the Ritz at the Bourse.
THE EARLY WORD: Headbangers Ball
[Artwork by Daniel Kent] TRANSLATION: Badmaster Records celebrates its 4th year on Feb, 26th 2009 @ Kung Fu Necktie. RELATED: Founded in March 2005, Badmaster is an eclectic homegrown music label that fosters local musicians and artists. Now on its 17th release, Badmaster continues to lend a hand to the local with an MP3 Collection of local area musicians entitled DIS-ADELPHIA planned to be released digitally on Feb, 26th in conjunction with the label showcase @ Kung Fu Necktie. The compilation will feature unreleased tracks by U.S. Girls, Birds of Maya, Satanized, My Mind, Hot Guts, Mincemeat or Tenspeed,Talk Me […]
HOT DOC: What Kind Of Man Reads Phawker?
Hi, phawker (phawker). Barack Obama (BarackObama) is now following your updates on Twitter. Check out Barack Obama’s profile here: http://twitter.com/BarackObama Best, Twitter PCMAG: Is it finally time to take the Twitter plunge? The free service that lets users micro-blog 140 characters at a time had accumulated around 1.9 million users as of December 2008, according to comScore. If you are just now jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, or are intimidated by your inexperience with Twitter etiquette and acronyms, allow us to share some Twittery tips that will make your experience easier and more enjoyable. MORE HOPE: Let The Stimulation Begin! […]
HEAR YE: The Vivian Girls
Now playing on PHAWKER RADIO! Vivian Girls open for M.Ward at the Troc Friday! VICTIM OF TIME: Behold the Vivian Girls. Just as their alluring name only became passed around mere months ago, this group of three upstart New York females have taken the noisy pop mantra and dipped it in pure gold, right out of the gate. With their debut 7″ on their very own Plays With Dolls Records label already sending out waves of panic and adoration to the outer limits of the underground pop contingent, they have become the newest breakout sirens of the New York loft-pop […]
Whatever You Put On Facebook Stays On Facebook
SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL: A number of bloggers voiced concern Monday after discovering that Facebook Inc. changed rules earlier this month regarding how it treats user content. The Palo Alto-based social networking company now says in its terms of service that it will have unending and irrevocable license to use any content uploaded to its service, according to a posting on The Consumerist blog. The story is one of the ten most talked about Monday on Twitter Inc.‘s micro-blogging service. Before now, Facebook said it would only have rights to use any content posted on its service while the user […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Five Things You Should Know About Rufus Wainright At The Kimmel Last Night
[Photo by TIFFANY YOON] 1. He’s Got Miles And Miles of Style Dressed in clingy cranberry trousers, brown sparkly shoes tied up in bows and a cream blazer with a ruby flower broach on the lapel, his flopsy bangs shorn to Hugh-Grant-in- Four-Weddings-And-A-Funeral-length, Rufus looked hale and healthy and so happy together. Noting the balcony crowd bearing down upon him from all sides, he declared: “I feel like I’m on trial…and I’m winning the case.” The jury of his peers would acquit him handsomely, awarding him two standing ovations by the night’s end. More importantly, his swooning woman of a […]
All Of This Happened While You Were Sleeping
? ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Heartless At Vesuvios, 8th & Fitzwater, w/ DJ Si Young [Photos by TIFFANY YOON/CLICK TO ENLARGE]