icepack

by a.d. amorosi

If you weren’t busy celebrating mass at Shampoo (thank Dan Contarino for scapulars) or roller blading through Phil (Five Spot) Cohen’s party for radio mistress Leanne Curtis at his church in Camden over Easter, you just weren’t blaspheming. Heathens! Anyhow, there was plenty to get golden-idol frothy about. Like WDAS’ surprise India Arie performance at Brave New World (everything Nelly Furtado wishes she was) or bumping into a cigar-waving Don King and the soon-battling Felix Hernandez and Roy Jones at Jimmy Binns’ World Boxing Association soiree at da Bellevue. (Fun fact: Binns is a partner in the very soon-to-be-finished Globar.) As long as we’re talking about who’s in town, Erykah Badu and Common hung and performed at last Tuesday’s Black Lily. Emmett’s Mark stars Tim Roth and Scott Wolf were at Bar Noir (as were 76ers GM Billy King and author Bobby Simone ) all accidentally celebrating owner David Carroll’s b-day. (Look for Carroll — along with turning Tuesday into bar industry night with host Allan "Get Offa There" Lane— to start building Bar Noir’s next-door neighbor TOAST any second.)…

Speaking of idols, there was Eve, hair matching her red leather, rehearsing with her Saturday Night Live musical director James Poyser and his Axis studio band at Delaware Ave.’s RPM Studios, prepping for last Saturday’s show. Rumor: Eve playing live at Gasoline April 28, Penn Relay Weekend?…

Looks like King Britt and Dozia are looking to move Back2Basics from Shampoo (where it was cancelled last Monday) to somewhere different for the first week of June. Sounds like there’s dissatisfaction on both sides of the fence: club and spinners. Meanwhile King’s busy remixing Silent Poets, United Future Organization, Q Burns, Si Se, and The Philadelphia Experiment with Uri Caine, Christian McBride and Ahmir Thompson. Lest anyone think rambling Roots drummer Thompson is far from the Roots fold, Philly’s finest hip-hop unit will close the TLA/Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema May 6 with a gig and screening of Brooklyn Babylon which they scored and which stars Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter.…

The construction on the corner of Third and Arch? We hear it’s Black Banana’s previous owners having fun.…

Chef Guillermo Veloso (he of Miami’s urbane Cubano restaubar Yuca) will head up Cuba Libre’s kitchen.…

Look for KatManDu’s summer season to be a return to the regal club-fuckery of yore when ad whiz/promo hot shot Domenick V— former Kat busboy/ barback — heads up an underground-lite lineup of dance nights including his own house events, Jack Boogie’s soft-core hip-hop nights and other appropriate live gigs (from acid jazzing Gato Barbieri to Jamaican Dave booking reggae).…

With security concerns on South Street high, it ain’t surprising to hear about surveillance cameras. What is surprising is the rumor that cameras were installed inside a bar on South and that owners of the establishment watch goings-on in their living room. Can you name that bar?…

The renamed Aspera (no more Ad Astra) debut the name change April 24 at The Khyber with no shortening of their languorous tunes.…

Is the renovation of Dave’s Bar (plus adjoining fronts along Spring Garden) a Philly Real Estate project?…

Evolution on April 21 gets together with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for LIFE, a fundraising party meant to create awareness amongst club-kid types. A Versace/DKNY fashion show, footballer Bobby Taylor, the 76ers dancers and DJ Rob Lee will be on board to help. Contact Maria Cucciniello at 215-985-3990 for sponsorship info.…

Former Roi guitarist McGowan (where’s the solo CD?), Todd Young & his Rock Band, Debra Stillwell and DJ Ben Morgan will perform with puppets at the Clark Park Summer Music/Arts Festival benefit April 19 at Kellianns (44th & Spruce). Bring money. After opening for Chamber Strings, Cordalene plays The Fire April 20 with McGowan. After that they finish their EP at Indre and 501 Sound (the home of bandmember/Y100 guy Jim McGuinn ). Our fave couple Schoolly and Jennifer just had a baby girl Jordan Dream Weaver over the weekend. Congrats.…

Now the bad stuff: While we were busy mourning the death of local legendary host David Grossman (he of Film Forum fame), two punk rock items came across my desk. One was that Frank Black And The Catholics got robbed of equipment — ’50s- and ’60s-era Fender Telecaster guitars, Vox amps, two pedal steel guitars, a 1972 Fender Precision bass — outside an EconoLodge in Lester, PA. Trailer and all. Info? Sightings? E-mail jillian@war.com. But nothing’s worse than the loss of Joey Ramone, gangly punk godfather who died on Sunday. Anybody who’s ever worn a leather jacket, slammed hard into someone else on the dancefloor or watched too many midnight screenings of Rock ’n’ Roll High School owes Joey gratitude and prayers.