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icepack By A.D. Amorosi
³ READING IS FUNDAMENTAL. Celebrity is
fundamental, too — even the famous-for-Philly kind that drives locals to step-and-repeat banners and red carpets in search of flashbulbs popping in the darkness. So, what could be more fun than a gathering of area celebs speed-reading Dr. Seuss’ most colorful, tongue-twisting verses for charity? Literacy nonprofit organization First Book: Philadelphiais hosting its third annual Speed Read competition Nov. 7 at the Union League to hook up low-income families and schools with cash to buy kids their first books. Emcee and hosting duties will be provided by Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord,WMGK’s Debbi Calton and WXPN/Kids Corner’s Kathy O’Connell while TV types (Howard Eskin,Alicia Vitarelli,Jennaphr Frederick), theater people (Glen Knapp, Young Playwrights) and other notable readers will tackle Oh Say Can You Say? and other Seuss classics, as quickly as their tongues can carry them. ³ Here’s a rumor about Rumor,Sansom Street’s nightclub for lovers of uncensored Jersey Shore DVDs: Word has it that its after-hours license may move before year’s end, possibly to one of its owners’ other assets. Some portion of Rumor’s ownership has a piece of Soundgarden Hall — an 18-plus space that we hear just got a liquor license. There’s word, too, that another club entrepreneur is looking to open something big downtown. Could this have something to do with the rumored after-hours switcheroo? Mind you, the rumor came separately from two rival club operators, so this could be wishful thinking on their parts. ³ Last week we reported that Kevin Hart gifted 500 computers to the School District and the Philly Parks and Recreation Department. Now comes news that the comic’s most recent film Let Me Explain hit Blu-Ray and DVD shelves, with its soundtrack out next week. There’s no better hype for a film than a good deed. While Hart was in town, he stopped by Katt Williams’ comic-concert at the Liacouras Center on Temple’s campus. ³ I love the Gershman Y’s annual LatkePalooza and its local chef celebration of the little potato pancake as much as the next guy, but wouldn’t the spirit of competition heat things up? Yep. That’s why this year’s edition (Dec. 2, at Vie, 600 N. Broad St.) features a panel of judges — led by the Jewish Exponent’s Greg Salisbury and Philly cookbook author Hope Cohen — to assess the goods in matters of crispness and originality. ³ More Ice? See citypaper. net/nakedcity. (a_amorosi@citypaper.net) 14 | P H I L A D E L P H I A C I T Y PA P E R |
STARTING FOUR: See-Through Girls — from left: Annie Mok, Zach Webber, Perry Genovesi and Alyssa San Valentin — play their first gig at the First Time’s the Charm showcase at PhilaMOCA on Saturday. MICHAEL M. KOEHLER
[ rock/pop/community ]
LOOK WHAT THE ROOKIE DID A new D.I.Y. music program books a gig for newcomers and outsiders. By Patrick Rapa
A
t the end of this summer’s Ladyfest, Grace Ambrose and other organizers challenged each other and their audience to build on what they’d created. “We asked everyone to figure out ways to carry forward what we felt that weekend into our everyday lives, and into the punk and D.I.Y. communities at large,” says Ambrose, who also works with DIY PHL, an underground arts group/website. “I thought, what better way to do that than by giving an explicit mandate to make music to exactly the kind of people I want to see making noise and taking up space?” The result is this Saturday’s First Time’s the Charm (FTTC) show at PhilaMOCA, wherein 16 never-before-seen bands will play super-fast sets. Furthermore, because this event aims to lure new faces and talents out of the woodwork, FTTC laid down some ground rules; all bands looking for a spot on the roster have to meet two of these requirements: (1) Some members must identify as female, queer, transsexual or a person of color. (2) At least one member must be playing in a band for the first time. (3) Somebody has to be playing an instrument they’ve never played before.
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This has led to some otherwise unlikely creations, like the trumpet/guitar duo Proper Punctuation (!). Rookie trumpeter Liz Vaden, who is used to playing stringed instruments, is enjoying the challenge. “Remember learning ‘Hot Cross Buns’ on recorder? I was so proud to show [bandmate Amanda Schwartz] that I could play that [on trumpet] when she came over for practice,” she says. “Music scenes can seem a bit exclusive from the outside. [FTTC] was a great way to be able to participate without having to have the ‘right’ connections,” says Schwartz. And having the gig circled on the calendar was a good motivator. “Hopefully they won’t mind that we might only have one song ready. Don’t worry — it’s not ‘Hot Cross Buns,’” says Vaden. Post-punk outfit See-Through Girls were already playing together, but FTTC forced them to get their act together. “I’ve wanted to front a band since my cousin showed me Korn on MTV when I was 13,” says singer Annie Mok, who admits that’s not the ideal gateway to popular music. Also a writer and artist of indie comics, Mok identifies as a woman and trans. She sees SeeThrough Girls as a new outlet to express herself. “I’m in the process of dealing with internalized transmisogyny, and a lifetime of abuse conditioning. These forces implanted the message that my body and personhood is monstrous and belonging to others,” says Mok. “Singing seems especially personal to me,
“Don’t worry — it’s not ‘Hot Cross Buns.’”
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