In honor of the mighty Richard Thompson playing the Philadelphia Folk Festival this weekend, we got the man on the horn to talk about Fairport Convention, reuniting onstage with his ex-wife/partner Linda Thompson, his new album and why he won’t be playing “Calvary Cross” at the Folk Fest. Look for it this week. Here’s a taste… PHAWKER: And you mentioned your ex-wife slash musical partner Linda Thompson. RICHARD THOMPSON: Yep. PHAWKER: You had recently performed together for the first time in 30 years; can you tell me a little bit about that experience and how it came about in the […]
Is This The End Of The Line For American Apparel?
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The change of accountants “was definitely not anything sinister,” Schey said in an interview. “It has nothing to do with them coming across evidence of fraud or anything of that nature.” American Apparel disclosed July 28 that Deloitte had resigned as the company’s accountant. The apparel firm noted that Deloitte had reported previously that the company had weaknesses in its internal financial reporting controls. The clothing firm also said Deloitte had told it that further investigations might affect the reliability of its previous audit reports and the underlying financial statements for 2009. Word of the subpoena came […]
CONTEST: Win Tix To See Jeff Tweedy
We have a pair of tickets to give away for Saturday at Philadelphia Folk Festival featuring a solo acoustic set by Jeff Tweedy. We just saw him solo at the Solid Sound Festival and boy are you in for a treat! These days we are digging Tweedy solo/acoustic even more than Wilco proper. Because we like you, we are gonna make this ridiculously easy. First reader to email us at FEED@PHAWKER.COM with the correct answer to the following question wins: What gospel legend just released a solo record produced by Mr. Tweedy? Include a cell phone number for confirmation. Good […]
SIDEWALKING: A Pile Of Barbies
Window display, Trocadero, 10th and Arch, 12:07 PM by JEFF FUSCO
ALBUM REVIEW: Slum Village’s Villa Manifesto
BY MATTHEW HENGEVELD Any hip-hop head will tell you: Slum Village ain’t no joke. The group launched the solo career of J Dilla, one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time. It also spurned the growth of Elzhi, one of Detroit’s finest emcees. But if Slum Village isn’t a joke, why are people laughing at Villa Manifesto, the group’s latest effort? Well, let’s just say that Slum Village is cursed. Here’s a recap: When J Dilla left Slum Village after Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 2, the group seemed destined to fail without its producer. However, the addition of Elzhi revamped the […]
Housing Authority Chief Foreclosed On And MIA
ASSOCIATED PRESS: A bank has foreclosed on a $615,000 condominium owned by the head of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, who earned $350,000 last year leading the nation’s fourth-largest public-housing agency. Carl R. Greene, PHA’s executive director, bought the three-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot condo in the upscale Naval Square development in 2007. He put down $215,000 in cash and took out a $400,000 mortgage, city records show. Greene, 53, stopped making payments on or around April 1, and three months later owed more than $7,500 in missed payments and late fees, according to the bank’s July 27 lawsuit. MORE INQUIRER: Top Philadelphia Housing […]
COMING ATTRACTION: Q&A With Richard Thompson
In honor of the mighty Richard Thompson playing the Philadelphia Folk Festival this weekend, we got the man on the horn to talk about Fairport Convention, reuniting onstage with his ex-wife/partner Linda Thompson, his new album and why he won’t be playing “Calvary Cross” at the Folk Fest. Look for it this week. Here’s a taste… PHAWKER: You were a teenager when you founded and led Fairport Convention? RICHARD THOMPSON: Correct, yeah. PHAWKER: Do you miss anything about those days, and are there any parts that maybe you’re glad to have behind you at this point? RICHARD THOMPSON: (laughs) I […]
CONCERT REVIEW: MGMT At The Mann
BY JAMIE DAVIS MGMT are indie’s white knight. Maintaining their cred whilst demolishing commercial radio and MTV, and the whole time managing to act like they really couldn’t care less. The first album was brilliant, the second album was still brilliant, although completely bizarre, and MGMT remain beloved by almost everyone. However, at their show Sunday night at The Mann it just didn’t seem to quite carry over. In short, I was not feeling it, and I suspect neither were they. The Mann Music Center, with it’s tight-as-fuck security and boxed in seats designed for (I’m guessing) enjoying Brahms with […]
KITCHEN BITCH: Grilling Chicken That Doesn’t Suck
BY MAVIS LINNEMANN We’ve all experienced it: You order the grilled chicken at your favorite restaurant and instead of a juicy, succulent, slightly smoked chicken breast, out comes a dry, bland, tough culinary abomination. It’s one of those menu items I avoid at all costs (even though it’s often the healthiest option) just because I’m afraid of what the final product might taste like. How do you avoid dry, tasteless grilled chicken? As cooks, we have a number of options: 1) Use bone-in chicken breasts and thighs because the bones help keep the poultry moist; 2) carefully monitor the internal […]
CINEMA: Happiness Is A Warm Gun
LIFE DURING WARTIME (2009, directed by Todd Solondz, 98 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Todd Solondz returns to the unmoored characters from his 1998 film Happiness to find them further adrift in his latest feature, Life During Wartime. Resurrecting the sisters Joy, Trish and Helen from Happiness’ parade of sad sacks, Solondz again studies characters whose lives fall disappointingly short of where they imagine. It’s Joy’s journey that gives us a tour through these tortured souls’ live. Played by the meek-voiced Shirley Henderson, Joy travels down to Florida to reunite with her mother (veteran actress Renee Taylor) and […]
CONTEST: Win Tix To See MGMT At The Mann
Hey kids, we have a pair of tickets to give away for MGMT at the Mann on Sunday! First reader to correctly answer the following question wins: MGMT sued the president of what country for misusing their song “Kids”? Email your answer to feed@phawker.com and include a telephone number for confirmation. Good luck and godspeed! UPDATE: We have a winner. Phawker reader Gabe Moldonado was the first to respond with the correct answer: France. Thanks to all for playing, and stay tuned for more concert tix giveaways.
PAPERBOY: Slow-Jamming The Alt-Weeklies
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 […]
R. CRUMB: ‘Minds Are Made To Be Blown’
ROBERT CRUMB: So, it’s early in the year 1966. I’m 22 years old and I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve just broken up with my wife Dana. She went back to Cleveland and I stayed in New York. My big career as a commercial artist was just one more cardboard cut-out dream forgotten in the dust after many heavenly trips taken on LSD. I feel like I’m back in kindergarten, it’s all new to me… I’ve been stumbling around in a delirium since I took some weird psychedelic drug… the stuff came on like normal acid… the usual […]