Things That Matter To People Who Matter

Once | Camberwell Now | Mill Creek Farm | Plan Philly

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Published: Dec 11, 2007

Once

A few months ago, I went to the Ritz to see a movie called Once. I was a little apprehensive at first because it was labeled as a "musical," but I thought I'd give it a shot. Wow, I am so glad I did. It was such a wonderful movie and the soundtrack is amazing (I went out and bought it that night). In a nutshell, it's about an Irish street musician and a Czech woman who meet, make music together and fall in love, but it's not all that easy. I've been recommending the movie to everyone I can and whenever I have a solo gig, I always play "Falling Slowly" from the soundtrack.

Camberwell Now

Although I've been listening to Camberwell Now's recorded output for almost two years, their music always sounds as fresh as the first time I heard it. Fronted by ex-This Heat drummer Charles Hayward, the band created one album, two EPs and a few miscellaneous tracks during their brief existence, from 1982 to 1987. Their best songs combine my favorite musical elements: driving, unorthodox rhythms; pulsing, machinelike bass; droning, fractured loops and warm yet dissonant melodies. They were a band that made both smart pop music and sonic collages that were forward-thinking and progressive without making the bloated gestures typical of such virtuosic musicians.

Mill Creek Farm

What's better than fresh produce from a local farm? Fresh produce from your own neighborhood! At 49th and Brown streets sits Mill Creek Farm, an idyllic oasis that grows chemical-free fruits and vegetables to supply local stores and farmers markets. I love dropping by to stick my hands in soil, to relax while weeding, planting peas or picking blueberries. Buying food from Mill Creek makes so much more sense than paying for the gas it takes to bring collards from California. Plus I've been making pies from sweet potatoes that are larger than a small dog. Yum.

Plan Philly

I consider Plan Philly to be the ultimate art piece for this city. It's based on one of the founding principles of William Penn: Every citizen should have access to the waterfront. The project, helmed by PennPraxis, is all about taking a seven-mile stretch of the Delaware River waterfront and trying to integrate it into the rest of the city — by extending the street grid to the river and by adding recreational spots and businesses. This is a chance for Philadelphia to be more of a world-class city than it already is, along with making the riverfront into one of the best visual areas in the city.

 

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