I don’t want to create a riff traffic jam. By the time Mystery Science Theater 3000 turned off the lights in 1999, Joel Hodgson had already been long-retired from the world of B-movie riffing. He went on to write for…

In which she laughs at fart noises and plays the North Star. Okay, I promise this is my last Ida Maria post for awhile.  

A whole bunch of footage from this show, shot in the Zapruder style, just turned up on YouTube. Here’s “50 ft. Queenie.”    

He was standing very still, but my hand was shaking. Photo | Patrick Rapa This set is finished, by the way. Maybe it’s the suit (complete with vest!), but Paul F. Tompkins even sounds like a good guy when he’s…

Photo: Daniel Koh | More Photos You can be snide all you want about rock bands hiring orchestras to back them for certain albums/tours — Tom Scharpling says it stems from a vain desire to prove “songs” are really “compositions”…

She looks so hard on the dance floor. She does the smoke detector. I love Rilo Kiley. Love ’em. But this new album, I dunno… Let’s go track by track. 1. “Silver Lining” The open with prefabby beats that’s supposed…

COVER STORY Top 20 Spectrum Moments The Building Wanted Blood by Patrick Rapa   print email reply Published: Nov 3, 2009 Jim Horwat You could call it a bad omen that the roof blew off the five-month-old Spectrum during the…

COVER STORY Winning Ugly Philly’s UglyRipe tomato ain’t pretty, but it’s pretty good. by Patrick Rapa   print email reply Published: May 6, 2009 Michael T. Regan Longtime Philly produce kingpin Joe Procacci had no reservations about naming his flagship…

MUSIC . Music Picks Jenny Lewis Wed., Oct. 1, 8 p.m., $25, Keswick Theatre, 291 Keswick Ave., Glenside, 215-572-7650, keswicktheatre.com. by Patrick Rapa   print email reply rss feed Published: Sep 24, 2008 Rock/pop Look, we’re all complex organisms, full…