October 19–26, 2000

music issue

Space Walk

Tenacious d: Rick D. has his moment of Zen at Bennie’s. photo: Scott Weiner

by a.d. amorosi

It’s a quiet night on Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy. The karate studio’s kicking, the Maytag Laundry’s bubbling. When Betty Ann Fellner, executive director and co-owner (with husband David) of the Sedgwick Cultural Center opens her door, she and the space are beaming with energy. It’s been that way since 1928 when the ornate building with the baby blue doors opened its nearly 16,000 foot room (with alternating 25 and 45 foot high ceilings) to a movie viewing public.

Though from 1965 till 1995 (when the Fellners bought it) the building was a storage space for the Naval Yard, the center’s always been a totem of neighborhood pride. It was built by locals to enrich the neighborhood with its startlingly beautiful sconces, art deco ceilings, archways, chandeliers and back-lit stained glass. Along with providing programming space for the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, The Gershman Y and the Meridian Collective of Performance Reader gatherings, this week will bring Black Swan — Greg Martino’s experimental music once-monthly series — to the gorgeous crumbling theater. Minimalist sound/video artists Chris Rice, Ian Nagoski and Thomas C. Moore will make throbbing music to fill the cavernous room on October 20, while November 17’s show features Toshi Makihara’s group and Dave Forlano’s Plankton Trio with Dave Champion and Catherine Pancake.

"Originally my husband wanted to put a Mazda dealership here," laughs the exuberant Betty Ann. But when Mazda wasn’t interested, the Sedgwick became their mission. They sold their home, moved atop this amazing structure to serve Philadelphia, Mt. Airy and its environs, fueled by "the challenge of creating a cultural center, run by small committee to create something that’s sophisticated."

That seems to be what drives Martino, a former manager of classical musicians. "One of the first things Betty Ann said was, ‘Well, who would you like to bring here?’" he remembers. "This was very inspiring." He immediately booked violin/guitar duo John Blake and Steve Giordano. "The concert was a huge success, with a great neighborhood, funky vibe. I was hooked." Since then Martino’s brought in Michael Carson, dancer Nicole Canuso, musicians like Byard Lancaster, Elliott Levin and Spoken Hand.

But Black Swan is an attempt to create a regular, ongoing experimental series to showcase new works, up and coming artists and established artists who are working on projects. "I hope to be as open as possible in booking it," explains Martino. "I want to encourage interested people to guest curate an evening, and once artists are booked, they should feel free to suggest other people to perform on the bill."

So far it’s working. Percussionist Toshi Makihara is serving as the Sedgwick’s artist-in-residence this year. But it’s the input of Sedgwick volunteers that makes it a community center. Poet Sandy Crimmins, a primary volunteer, is also performing at the first Black Swan.

The aim of the series is to encourage the neighborhood to see some of the best and riskiest performances in the city, right in their own backyard. "We have talented, disturbed people in our midst and we all should be keeping an eye on them," jokes Martino.

But the Sedgwick isn’t the only building in the city experiencing a revival. Here are some others.

Bennie’s

It’s painted brothel-red and has little disco balls along the tiny stage, black tiled bars and ’60s-style cut-glass hanging lamps. It’s across the street from its sister club, Bob & Barbara’s. It’s B&B owner Jack Prince’s red’n’black-lacquered baby. So why put it right across the street? Bartender/booking guy Rick D. explains: "With B&B having such institutions as Nate Wiley, we figured Bennie’s could have more freedom to stretch, to relax. Though it’s overused, this’ll be a ‘lounge’ in the truest sense of the word." Relax? With B&B’s extended drag series here on Fridays and Saturdays? Yes. figures D., who is bringing in DJs like Malcolm doing electro-funk and old jazz/soul DJ Phil Sumpter as well as bands like the After Dinner Mints, Gentleman 4, Jazz Juniors and the delightful dramatic Brothers Suggarillo doing German cabaret.

Dos

Go upstairs at Pizzeria Uno on Head House Square, past posters from Fiddler On The Roof and silent Chaplin films, and you’ll find that Ed Jones’ Budzilla Productions — the booker at Doc Watson’s — has opened Dos (Spanish for two). It’s a dusky brick and wood live rock bar with an emphasis on the local boogie-down. While the mix of bands on Dos’ simple stage goes from the avant (Bilenky Cycle Works) to the punky (Junkyard Angels) to the clunky (Dirty Vicars), the swinging-door saloon also features amenities like a pool table and darts.

Bishop’s Collar

Along with North Star, this Fairmount Ave. alt-country joint turns the neighborhood into the shebang it should be. With its tap room ambience and live performances that are mostly free, think of the Collar — run by brothers Frank and Jeff Keel and Megan O’Neil — as a Standard Tap without the venison.

The Fire

Dan McShare of Aunt Pat is making this cool dank space at Fourth and Girard’s Philadelphia Bar and Grille into an fucked-up folkish Firenze or a Tin Angel with punk rock, biker bar attitude. Like the Collar, Fire’s primary raison d’être is as a tap room — check the long mirrored bar stained by cigarette smoke. But with acts ranging from raw sax player Darly Ray Jenkins to the mod-ish rock of the Phobes to Mike Roi’s theatrical soul-folk, the blaze goes beyond the smoke rings on the ceilings.

Motion

We haven’t seen all of what new owner Jim Millspaugh — the man who turned Chestnut Cabaret into Fubar — is doing to the place formerly known as the under-21 dance emporium Space. But we do know that with Imri Jonas who, along with Mark Hickton and Jeff Heart, will be booking and spinning, it should be OK. The Oct. 20 opener is The Caffeine Tour 2000 from electro-dance’s keenest label with DJs Micro, Frankie Bones, John Debo, X-Dream, James Christian and Nebula 9 spinning and playing live for the under-21 crowd downstairs. Meanwhile, the metal-fenced balcony — an over-21 loft complete with, ta-da, a new liquor license — will feature local spinners. Plus Motion says they’re going for safety and friendliness as they’ll be able to hold 2,500 people comfortably in five separate sound and lighting environments. And they’ll have over two acres of secure, on-site parking, perfect for attracting youthful suburban electronic music enthusiasts.