Good Grief!

According Good Grief’s sophisticated user preference tracking algorithm, readers who enjoy fake art reviews will also enjoy Phreaking Philly’s review of Cart, a popular BYO in Old City:

Cart is a charming, unassuming BYO that offers little in the way of interior design, but bags of potato chips clipped to its industrial-nuevo structure provide a splash of color. The menu features many comfort food standards, such as a meatball sub and a meatball sub with cheese. American cheese is .25 cents more than its parmesan cousin, but it’s worth the expenditure

Fergies: Becky and Blankbaby

Everyone was at Fergies on Saturday, along with Strolling Luna and her creepy x-ray camera.

True, I wouldn’t mind losing that holiday weight, but I was thinking more like a few inches off the hips. Though I suppose that being transparent has its advantages (such as the ability to render the great Blankbaby speechless).

Last week’s BR-549 show at the TLA was pretty much what you’d expect from a concert performed by an aging hillbilly band. Much of their material is formulaic, but that’s not so bad if you like the formula. A fun night out, though I wouldn’t follow them around on tour or even buy any more of their records (and I only bought that last one because it was $2.99 in AKA’s used CD bin).

The best part of the evening by far was The Avett Brothers, who opened. It was the Avett Brothers, not BR-549, who got the show a City Paper mention, and deservedly so. The Avett Brothers lead singer had the bandanna-and-long-hair Willie Nelson (not dead!) look going on, the bass player, dressed in khakis and a white button-down shirt, looked like he was in the wrong band, and the other guy filled the role of required shaggy-looking dude. Together they played some original, energetic twang–the best kind. The band’s website has some mp3s, and you can keep an eye on their tour schedule here.

It’s a good winter for twang here in Philly. On February 12th the Asylum Street Spankers will be at World Cafe Live. The Spankers are hard to describe:

The magnificently indefinable Asylum Street Spankers began in 1994 at a booze and hallucinogen-fueled party at the Dabbs Hotel in Llano, Texas. There Christina Marrs and Guy Forsyth met Wammo. During a night spent singing and playing along the banks of the Llano River they made a pact to keep the all-night-sing-along-anything-goes spirit of that party alive.
[snip]
Since the departure of Forsyth in 1998 the band began venturing out into the wider world. Since then Christina and Wammo have pushed their ever-evolving troupe from simple country-blues revivalism toward smart, challenging music of boundless variety, sophisticated arrangements, stunning showmanship and determined inventiveness.

Not only that, but some of the band members have blogs. And they have a myspace thing (I’m still not sure what a myspace is, exactly). The Asylum Street Spankers are most entertaining, and on this tour they’re rejoined by Guy Forsyth, who is helping to promote the Re-Assembly DVD.

Finally, Fred Eaglesmith is playing the Tin Angel on Friday, February 10th. I’m not an official Fredhead, but this Canadian twang-ish singer/songwriter puts on such a fun show that I’m thinking about braving the dreaded Tin Angel to see him again.

The new Good Grief! mix of the week celebrates all of these happenings:

1. Avett Brothers - Kind of in Love
2. Fred Eaglesmith - I Like Trains
3. BR-549 - Georgia on a Fast Train
4. Avett Brothers - Moving
5. BR-549 - Out of Habit
6. Asylum Street Spankers - Trippin’ Over You
7. Fred Eaglesmith - Steel Guitar

Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer contained a story about three advertising agencies that were asked to bring Benjamin Franklin into the 21st century. The first effort, by Gyro Worldwide Advertising, is a sad attempt to highlight Franklin’s “bad-boy side:”

So, if [Franklin] were around today, he’d plow all that cash he made from inventing stuff into his true passion - the ladies. We think he’d have his own bawdy men’s magazine, called Franklin, complete with curvey photo spreads such as “Hotties of the Revolution,” and articles on “How to be a Playa at the French Court.”

Please. For once, Philebrity’s wrath has a well-deserved target.

Another firm created FISH, a Franklin-Is-Still-Here secret society complete with faux street art and a forum: FishAndVisitors.com. Members have spotted Franklin all over the city, from the basement of Drexel’s library to the Standard Tap. Sure, the whole thing is just for shits and giggles, but considering the recent bad press around Sony’s fake graffiti ads and Coke Zero’s phoney blog, I’m not sure I’d hire this agency.

Today’s the big day, when Philadelphia (and the rest of the US?) celebrates the official 300th birthday of Benjamin Franklin. Philly is a Franklin town: we have the Franklin Parkway, the Franklin Institute, Franklin Court, the Underground Franklin Museum, the University of Pennsylvania, and maybe even Ben Station.

As part of the “Philly’s Got Benergy“* campaign, the National Constitution Center has been featuring Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World, an exhibit that contains documents from every phase of Franklin’s life and many artifacts that have never before been shown publicly. I enjoyed the entire exhibit, especially the JibJab-esqe animated re-creation of the night that Franklin and Sam Adams shared a bed on a business trip and bickered over the open window. Why isn’t this gem on the Internet?

The details of Franklin’s diplomatic skills are also fascinating, especially the image of him appearing at the French court in his fur hat. And there’s a copy of the very first Poor Richard’s Almanac. And a list of Franklin’s many pseudonyms (e.g., Fart-Hing, Anthony Afterwit). And much, much more–something for everybody.

The exhibit is $14, which includes admission to the Constitution Center proper.

* Philly’s Got Benergy? Did we learn nothing from the You’ve Got a Friend in Pennsylvania debacle?

Technorati Tags: franklin, benfranklin, philadelphia, philly

Er? On Craigslist it’s April Fool’s Day instead of Friday the 13th: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/rfs/124999234.html

[via Fishtown.us]

UPDATE: 700 Club is also for sale! I love how you’re supposed to ask the bartender for information during normal business hours.

What the hell is going on with the Philadelphia City Paper’s I Love You, I Hate You? I still peruse these reader-submitted rants over cereal, but the section ain’t what it used to be. I’ve said that before, but this time I really, really mean it. Admittedly, I am biased towards the former Love/Hate editor, who ensured that all entries adhered to the word limit, threw in some recurring characters just for fun, and issued the “duck you fuckboats” proclamation every spring. I miss his work.

Also, why aren’t the Love/Hates online? Say it’s a temporary glitch, City Paper! Now I have to go to the basement, dig through the recycle bin and TYPE some very important entries that everyone should see. A few weeks ago, someone wrote the following:

N’EASTIES-
To the fugly sluts who come downtown and skank up Old City-get back to Bustleton, ladies! You’re not wanted, all you do is make nice places nasty with your tight knock-off Guess “outfits” and heinous hairdos. Yes, hairdos, only Northeast skanks “do” their hair and wear “outfits.” Stupid girls, you think you’ll come to Philly and find a man? You think you’re Philly but you’re really just embarrassing.

Last week’s paper printed a response:

RE N’EASTIES-
Listen up hipster: the Northeast is a part of Philly. It’s the part that pays our taxes and gas bills on time. I’m sorry if you’re all broken up about Northeasters entering into the sacred preserve of Center City residents, but I’m afraid you’ll have to get over yourself. We live here too, and have been making this city work since back when your skinny ass wouldn’t have been caught dead in Northern Liberties or Manyunk. So if any of us are included to drink an overpriced beer in a trendy neighborhood, then we’ll do so. You might find us “embarrassing,” but it’s your snobbery that is the true embarrassment to our shared city.

The responder makes some good points. Snobbery towards our fellow Philadelphians is silly and counterproductive and only distracts us from the real threat across the bridge. Let’s keep our priorities straight, people.

Hooters

Technical aside: after years of uploading pictures to Typepad, Snapfish, Ofoto, and Flickr, I decided to embrace Flickr for all photo sharing and printing needs (under username Bendystraw).

This picture right here of the sinking Hooters boat is my most viewed stand-alone photo. I have a good idea about which tag attracted the attention, which just goes to show that they can upgrade the Web to 2.0, but people are still people.

The Hooters boat eventually sank and disappeared.

After logging ten years in Philly and the surrounding ‘burbs, I finally dragged my caffeinated self down to Broad Street and the annual New Years Day Mummers Parade, where men wear sequined feathers and open container laws take a holiday break. After walking South from City Hall, cold and without drink, some familiar faces at Broad and Tasker were a welcome sight. Their apartment was like a beautiful oasis stocked with cheese, chili, and beer.

Mummers are a great way to test out a new Christmas camera, and there are more shots on Flickr. Happy 2006!

The first house above belongs to a couple on my block—let’s call them Bert and Mildred. The second house is mine. Bert, whose lights are likely inspired by frequent visits from his nearby grandchildren, kicked my ass in holiday decorating, but mark my words—I will hit the post-Christmas sales, collecting blinky bulbs, animated reindeer, inflatable Santas, and every other bargain bit of garishness. Bert is going down in ‘06.

I did like this year’s tree, however.