Icepack

Amorosi on the news, nightlife, gossip and bitchiness beats.

by A.D. Amorosi

I'm starting to feel bad for you. In the last few weeks, you've had more un-rad surprises than that one episode of Lost where the Puerto Rican chick from Girlfight and Titus' fiancé got offed within seconds of each other. Yea, that was cold. Now your Gilmore Girls are gone. Your Copa Miami dropped out with your Copa Too to follow. Then there's El Wingador's To-Go. It went. To these things I say, "Don't let the door slam your fat ass." Though you may have liked them (really? El Wingador?), they just weren't my bag. One bag of mine is dropping away, though. And while not surprising, it's still pretty effing sad: The Pontiac and the Barbary, two once-proud (OK, sorta proud) music spaces, may be over if all rumors are correct. We tried calling. No one's answering. But in both cases, reports close to respective representatives have the first club/bar selling to a clothing store concern and the other wrapping up its live music program due to internal financial headaches with one of its employees. If true, the first thing you're saying is, "Did these places still have music?" They did. The whole Gang Green and World Famous Crawlspace Brothers scene came from the Barbary. Pontiac? Hmmm. They tell me the burgers were primo. And it used to be JC Dobbs, South Street's legendary live space. Maybe they're not totally done � even if they have been for a while. Celebrate 'em anyway: They're both cooler than Copa Miami and Copa Too. Besides, Doc Watson's is open again and Jen Hess is booking music there. You'll call her now, won't you?

► Silk City's opening in June, and everyone concerned has a favorite look. One of Silk's designers, Scott Johnston, took time out from fake-feuding with Puppet Karaoke-r Alex Strang and working on big production numbers for his Peek-A-Boo Revue (Vegas, baby, and that Miss Exotic World competition the 'Boo is entered in) to tell me he enjoyed making the mosaics in the six bathrooms. "Thematically speaking, there's Space Chicks, Marvel Comic Villains and Moby Dick," says Johnston. That's fine. What Johnston didn't tell me â€â€� feuds-wise, that is â€â€� is that his buddies Felix Diaz and Bill Horton are angry at each other. Why? We hear it's 'cuz this terrible twosome of Philly filmmaking monsters â€â€� longtime friends and collaborators â€â€� will each be holding their own individual fests, The Terror Film Festival and The Big Bang Film Festival, during the same week of October. And we hear neither is happy with the other for doing so. And now, I'm mad at Johnston for not telling me.

► John "Train" Houlon and Kenn Kweder â€â€� Helsinki Productions â€â€� are throwing a Bob Dylan's b-day bash May 24 at Smokey Joe's on 40th and Walnut with what they hope is 66 singers (Beretta 76, Mia Johnson, Cowmuddy are in), one for each year. If they can't get 66, Kweder's going to do 40 Dylan tunes. That said, on June 4 at the Balcony atop the Troc, Kevin from Northern Liberties (the band) is having a b-day bash for himself with Pony Pants and Buck Gooter from Virginia. Kweder will sing 40 Northern Liberties songs there.

► Joe "Squirrel" Carrasquillo from The Pier at Caesar's Eleganza tells me that he's helping his old pal/clothier Anthony Bird open a new men's clothing store on 18th between Sansom and Walnut. This brings Bird back to his Sansom Village roots when he had Todd Rundgren green tips at the bottom of his spiky glam mullet.

► New jobs: Everyone's fave Channel Chaos comic, Jon Duncan, is promotions director for Skin Radio AM 1340, as well as doing on-air stuff. Respect-a-ble. Mike Zaleski isn't just some crazy Peek-A-Boo guy. He's got a promo concern from which he'll send out listings for all your "classic, foreign, cult, experimental" film 'n' esoteric theater needs. And that'd be? Phillyscreenings@gmail.com. I need. And along with doing karaoke at El Bar on Sundays, the Khyber on Tuesdays and helping her pop do The Girls of Karaoke Calendar 2008, Sara Sherr's booking stuff at Tritone in addition to her Sugar Town nights like May 26's Girls Rock Philly benefit with Baptist Preachers and Lot Six's Shooting Ropes band.

► WHOWHATWHERE: Michael Nutter and Gamble & Huff made surprise visits to the Ninth Street Italian Market Festival (take that Trenton Avenue Arts Fest off Norris-Dauphin) and guess who sang "Bad Love"? Sike. DJ Jazzy Jeff did an in-store at F.Y.E. for his The Return of the Magnificent newbie. And I bet he didn't even remember it used to be Tower. Ruff Ryder DJ/producer Swizz Beats previewed some of his One Man Band Man tracks at Larry Gold's The Studio on North Seventh. And when Jerry Blavat isn't busy dancing at yon Bandstand studios at 46th and Market, he can be seen talking with Law & Order scribe William M. Finkelstein for that AMC channel rock 'n' roll mini-series for Freddy DeMann.

► Rap-rawkers Shovelhook have a date for their new CD (September), and the band's Holt bros will premiere rough tunes at the Balcony May 29. They'll share the bill with Chris Sulit of fellow Drexel L Cast label charges To the Moon. I mention this 'cuz Drexel has yet another label, along with Mad Dragon: New digital label D3, whose debut band, Josh Craft's The Bee Team, will do its Bright Eyes-y stuff May 25 at World Café Live.

► In a 2007 of sad passings, few will touch me like that of Jennifer Bates. The Germ Gallery + Books owner, painter, gun nut, Townwatch group leader, patriot, secret experimental music maker (I know the name she went under, too â€â€� but I'm sworn to secrecy) and paramour of not-so-secret experimental music maker David E. Williams, passed away last week after a long struggle with leukemia. David will keep Bates' space open. He and I shared a long conversation about Bates the other day, the contents of which I will forever hold dear. There'll be a memorial for her June 2 at West Laurel Hill Cemetery's Conservatory. Igne Natura Renovatur Integra.

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)