Reminder that Chelsea Tavern lets you eat for free on any Sunday within your birthday month.

(No, I'm not connected to Chelsea Tavern in any way.  I just think it's a nice deal).

Say your birthday is in February - you can go into Chelsea Tavern with a friend on any Sunday in February and get a free entree, free appetizer, or free pizza, just as long as your friend also orders something.  It's basically a buy-one-get-one-free deal.  Plenty of other restaurants have run birthday promotions, like Caffe Gelato, but usually they require you to go to the restaurant on your actual birthday to take advantage of the deal.  And sometimes the place where you'd be happy to go any any ordinary Sunday or Tuesday night is not necessarily the one place you want to be on your birthday, and I like that this deal gives you some options, in that regard.

Dr. Dog fans: the March 24th Electric Factory date is now sold-out.

Tickets are still available for the March 25th date.  Purling Hiss is opening on the 24th - they haven't announced the 25th's opener yet.

For anyone interested in volunteering with a Delaware-based bike project:

In the past I talked a lot about the Wilmington's Urban Bike Project (I should probably check into what they're doing these days), but now there's also a Newark Bike Project.  They've already got a lot of activities on the books, from a bike sale to basic maintenance classes, but they're in need of more volunteers:

"There will be a meeting in regards to volunteer opportunities and to form committees next Tuesday, February 21th at 7:00pm in Gore Hall, room 116.

There are a number volunteer roles that need to be filled at NBP; among these rolls are Bike Mechanics, Bike Drive Coordinators, Education Squad, Bike Clinic Club, Web Master Faction, Bike Sales Outfit, etc.

If you are interested in leading or cont...ributing to any of these endeavors, or have ideas about other roles to help support NBP, please come! You're encouraged to bring friends and others who may want to get involved with NBP. Our needs range from time donated to fix bikes all the way to administrative tasks like seeking out and writing grants.

Thank you to everyone who has made the first week of our Basic Mechanic's Training class a success! We hope to continue offering programs like this and further community classes on all things related to biking in Newark.

Thank you in advance, this project requires a lot of coordination between us all!"

Y-Not Radio needs your support.

I'm re-posting this because Josh Landow is a really nice guy. 

 "As other stations are now bombarding you with non-stop requests for your money, I thought that now would be a good time to remind you that Y-Not Radio, as a truly independent organization, needs your help too. Unlike the others, we're not going to beat you over the head with it... in fact, we're never going to stop our normal programming in a desperate plea for dollars! But, fact is that we do ne...ed to ask for your financial support on a much smaller level. We're not a big operation, but we do have bills to pay in order to keep bringing you the best indie and alternative mix in Philly and beyond. In January we had to pay our annual Soundexchange royalty fee of $2000. That pretty much cleaned out our funds, so we need to replenish in order to pay the other $400-$500 in other monthly expenses we have. That's where you can help by making a donation. Of course we never want you to walk away empty handed, so we're offering up new albums from Dr. Dog, Of Montreal, The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, and more as thank you gifts to anyone who donates $25 or more. Thank you as always!"

Here's the donation link: http://ynotradio.net/donate

Y-Not started out, of course, as Y-100.  Then they lost their station and morphed into the much smaller "Y-Rock on WXPN" (although the quality of music improved a lot at that point - less corporate-approved  mainstream rock, more indie).  Then they lost their WXPN connection and now operate as an internet radio station out of an apartment in Philly, with a very small staff.  But they're putting out really good music at this point, and have emerged as champions of local music. 

The Great Backyard Bird Count is happening this weekend.

You may have noticed by now that I don't just catalogue local shows and movies - I like very, very nerdy things like bird-watching, too.  And I like to share such very, very nerdy things with you.

The objective of the GBBC is simple: tally up the birds you notice in your backyard over a three-day period (this weekend), submit your results by March 5th.  Click on the link for more info.

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

This weekend, 2/17-2/19:

General Events:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday 2/17:

• Kennett Square Outdoor Winter Market.. 1st & 3rd Fridays of the month. 2-5pm. 
• Constellation Hike at White Clay Creek State Park.  7pm at the Carpenter area off of New London Rd.  Important: Call (302) 368-6900 by 3pm to register.
• Showings of Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films and The Interrupters (brought back to this theater for the 3rd time this year - someone please tell them it's playing on TV12 all the time now) at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films
• Classical: Pyxis Piano Quartet at the Delaware Art Museum (2nd show added after Thursday's show sold-out).  7:30pm.  I don't know the ticket price or program - call 302.351.8538 if interested.
• Day one of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday 2/18:

• $1 admission to Hagley Museum every Saturday in February and March.
• Sustainability Movie Series at Newark Natural Foods: Farming Forward, "a positive and inspiring look at sustainable farming in Minnesota". 4pm, free.
• Showings of Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films and The Interrupters (again) at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films
• Day two of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday 2/19:

• As of Friday, the News Journal is calling for 2-4 inches of snow at some point today.
• Free admission to Brandywine River Museum, 9:30-noon (every Sunday, at least for now).
• Newark Co-op Winter Farmers' Market (every other Sunday starting 2/5). 10-2pm, E. Main St (indoors, in the space next to the Co-op).
• Silver Screen Sundays at the Delaware Art Museum: 1934's Treasure Island. With an introduction by the film critic for Out & About Magazine. 1pm, free.
• Basic bike maintenance class at the Newark Bike Project: Drive Train and Derailleurs. 1-3pm. More info.
• Showings of Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films, The Interrupters, and (ballet) Caligula at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films
• Portlandia: The Tour, at the Trocadero - see the Sunday band column for more details.
• Third and final day of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Band shows:

Friday 2/17:

• Mean Lady, Atlas, and Tail at Mojo Main. 21+, 9pm, $5.
• Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society (a kind of Philly supergroup) performs Fleetwood Mac's Mirage album, and more.  With Pete Donnelly (of NRBQ and The Figgs). Johnny Brenda's, $10 (this may sell-out). Ticket link.
• Zola Jesus and Meg Baird (of Espers) at Union Transfer.
• The Citizen Cope show at the Queen is sold-out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday 2/18:

• David Johansen (New York Dolls) at Arden's Gild Hall. $25. Ticket link.
• Delaware's East A.M. at Milkboy Cafe in Ardmore. $10.
• Otis Day and the Knights (best known for his appearance in Animal House) at the Blockley.
• Tric Town presents at Mojo 13: April Mae & the June-Bugs, Disgruntled Sherpa, Couples Only, and Butterscotch Grim.  I'm not familiar with any of these bands, but I know that if you're going to find any interesting, non-frat-rock original bill in Delaware, it's usually going to be a Tric Town show. 21+, $6, 9pm.
• The 2nd Citizen Cope show at the Queen is also sold-out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday 2/19:

• Possible snowstorm.
• Portlandia: The Tour at the Trocadero. Featuring the creators "performing live music,presenting sneak-peek clips from the show's second season and sharing personal anecdotes about the creation and inspiration of Portlandia".  Songstress St. Vincent has made an appearance at some of these tour stops.  There are 2 shows. The 8pm show is sold-out, but as of this writing, tickets are still available for 10:30pm, and they're $30. http://www.ticketfly.com/event/90817/
• Atlanta's O'Brother, with Junius (which Rolling Stone called a perfect blend of The Smiths and Neurosis) and "progressive post-rockers" Val De Val, at the North Star Bar. All ages, 6pm, $12.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming: Zee Avi at Milkboy Philly next Fri., Islands at the FU Church next Fri., Spinto Band at JBs next Sat., Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Queen 2/29, The Walkmen at Union Transfer 3/3, Magnetic Fields at Union Transfer 3/7, Mike Birbiglia at The Grand 3/8, moe. at the Electric Factory 3/9.

Dear dedicated Grammy watchers: a gentle reminder that just because you don't know a band doesn't mean they're not doing well for themselves.

So there's this big controversy on the internet about Bon Iver turning down the opportunity to perform live at the Grammy awards.  They had good reasons, which I won't get into, but criticism from internet commenters seems to boil down to:

"Wah, I have hundreds of fans and don't want to have thousands of fans, wah".
"Well if these guys want to continue playing in their garage, that's their problem".
"Good luck continuing to be complete unknowns".
"I want to give them this advice: you gotta play things like that to be seen by Industry People, man!  You'll never get known if you aren't seen by the Execs!"
"This guy will be sorry next year, when he's working in an IT department and realizes he missed his Big Break!"

You get the point.

And I'm not a Bon Iver fan (nor do I have anything against them).  But seriously?  Bon Iver is doing quite well for themselves without the help of the Grammy-watching masses.  They sell out 6000 seat stadiums.  They make a living playing music.  Though (obviously) not a household name in the mainstream, they are at the top of the heap in the indie music world.  They don't have hundreds of fans, nor thousands - they have hundreds of thousands of fans.  They don't need to pick up fans who are tuning in for Nicki Minaj and Katie Perry.  They're not going to be working in IT next year because they've made a good living for several years, just touring, selling albums, and (most likely) having their music placed in films and tv.  And yet these idiots on the internet always equate "band I've never heard of" with "band nobody else has ever heard of".  It's funny, but also a little maddening.

WSTW's Hometown Heroes award winners have been announced:

Artist of the Year:                  Angela Sheik

Album of the Year                  The Peace Creeps – Time Machine

Best E.P.                                Ike – The Little People, Church and the Steeple

Song of the Year                     Brett Talley Band – Contagious

Best Band                               Bullbuckers

Best Male Artist                      Jason Min

Best Female Artist                   Angela Sheik

Best New Artist                       June Divided

Best Lead Singer                     (TIE) John Faye (Ike) – AND – Katie Dill (Mean Lady)

Best Guitarist                          Brett Talley (Brett Talley Band, Ike)

Best Bass Player                      Dustin Frohlich (Mad-Sweet Pangs)

Best Drummer                         Jamie Briggs (Brett Talley Band)

Best Pianist                             Joe Trainor (Joe Trainor Trio)

Best Horn Section                   Bullbuckers

Best Live Act                          Bullbuckers

Best Rock Song                      June Divided – Bullet

Best Hip Hop/Rap song           Da Rezarekt – Bang Da Bricks

Best Alternative Song               Mean Lady – Lonely

Best Folk/Americana Artist       New Sweden

Best Comedy Album                Todd Chappelle – This Is Ridiculous

Producer of the Year                Ray Gagliardino

Best Collaboration                    Battleshy Youths/Em McKeever/The Paper Janes – A Diner Club Christmas

Best Venue for Music               World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington, DE

Best Concert/Music Event        (TIE) Shady Grove Music Fest & Wilmo Rock Circus

Best Music Video                     June Divided – Bullet

Most Requested Song              Bonnie Lee – The Sun Is Gonna Shine

Message from Cool Springs Farmers' Market:

"IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN! The Cool Spring Farmers Market is now accepting applications! Not only will we be bringing back the wonderful fresh fruits, veggies, baked goods, meats, and hot meals that made our market so popular last year, but we are also diversifying to bring you other products! Vendor space is filling up fast, so call Hayley at 302.658.4171 or hschmittinger@westendnh.org for your application today!
See you at the Cool Spring Farmers Market!
THURSDAYS MAY 3rd- OCT 25th from 4pm-8pm"

Worst headline choice on Delawareonline.com this week:

"Sweets For Your Sweet: Baking VD Cookies".

People will really clap for these cookies.  Get 'em before they're gonorrhea!

Weekday events of note, 2/13-2/16:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday 2/13:

• Steve Schirripa, who played Bobby 'Bacala' on The Sopranos and is currently in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, is giving a free talk at UD at 7pm. More info.
• Movie Monday at the Trocadero: Super, starring Rainn Wilson from The Office (though I always think of him as the creepy boarder from that one season of Six Feet Under).  21+, $3.  Doors at 6:30, show at 8, arrive before 7 and get a free beer and popcorn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday 2/14:

• Black History Month Film Series at Theatre N: 1989's Tap, starring Gregory Hines. 7pm, "suggested donation" of $5.  http://www.theatern.org/Films/2012/February-2012/Tap-(1989)
• Newark Bike Project is holding their first movie night, with a showing of 1986's Rad Racing. 7:30pm, free, bring your own snacks and blankets. 318 S. College Ave., Newark.
• Movie Tuesday and V-day celebration at the Trocadero, with a screening of Blue Valentine, story contest, and more:

  "Come hang at the Troc for a love/hate/apathetic Valentine’s Day fest! We’re celebrating the best of the holiday with free candy grams, arts and crafts, dating horror stories, and more! Share your worst dating stories & win a prize! Email: TrocVday2012@gmail.com. The top stories will be read after the film! COSTUMES ENCOURAGED. $3 gets you in and goes towards a drink."

  21+, doors at 6:30, show at 8, tickets at the door, $3. http://www.thetroc.com/events.php

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday 2/15:

• 4W5 Blues Jam at the Queen. 7pm, free.
• Free show Wednesdays at Mojo Main: Megan Bentley, Katie's Got Guts, and Fenris. http://www.mojomain.com/calendar . 21+, 9pm, no cover. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday 2/16:

• A poetry/story-telling night at the Queen: "Local and regional artists perform dramatic stories of love and life using a unique blend of poetry and songs backed by a live band and DJ. Hosted by SuiteFranchon. Featuring the Best Kept Soul Band." More info.
• Documentary at Theatre N, with Q&A with film-makers afterwards: Concrete, Steel and Paint, about prison inmates working on mural art projects with their victims' families, in an effort to foster forgiveness and personal growth. http://www.theatern.org/Films/2012/February-2012/Concrete,-Steel-and-Paint . 7pm, $5.
• Mates of State at Johnny Brenda's, with East Hundred and Sean Bones. All ages, 8pm, $15.
• Karaoke at Mojo Main. 9pm, free

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming: Mean Lady / Atlas / Tail at Mojo Main Fri., Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society plays Mirage at JB's Fri., David Johansen at Arden's Gild Hall Sat., Otis Day at the Blockley Sat.

This weekend, 2/10-2/12:

General Events: Sorry, I didn't have a ton of time this week to finish this. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday 2/10:

• Art Is Social event at the Delaware Art Museum. 8-11pm.  $5 admission, $1-$3 drinks, free beer and wine tastings, DJs, open galleries and exhibits, and other fun stuff.  Snow date is Feb. 24.
• Showings at Theatre N of Largo Winch and Oscar Nominated Short Films. http://www.theatern.org/Films

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday 2/11:

• $1 admission to Hagley Museum every Saturday in February and March.
• Showings at Theatre N of Largo Winch, Oscar Nominated Short Films, and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. http://www.theatern.org/Films

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday 2/12:

• Free admission to Brandywine River Museum, 9:30-noon (every Sunday).
• Showings at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Band shows:

Friday 2/10:

• Bob Marley birthday celebration at the Queen with Spokey Speaky, The Splashing Pearls, and more. Ticket link.
• Decent local music at Mojo Main: Robot House, Easy Pyramids, A Reckless Daring, and East AM. 9pm, $5 at the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday 2/11:

• Peek-a-boo Revue's Valentines Show at the Queen Theatre (burlesque). Ticket link.
• Spontaneous Underground and Universal Funk Order at Mojo Main. 9pm, $5.
• The Philly-based Work Drugs open for Umphrey's McGee at the Electric Factory. Ticket link.
• UK's Cate Le Bon with Pete Stewart (of The Creeping Weeds) at Kung Fu Necktie. 8pm, $10.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday 2/12:

• Some of the guys from Newark's legendary punk band Boy Sets Fire are playing in a band called I Am Heresy, at the Trocadero Balcony. All ages, 7pm, $10.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming: Mates of State at Union Transfer Thurs., Mean Lady / Atlas / Tail at Mojo Main next Fri., Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society performs Mirage at JB's next Fri., Zola Jesus & Meg Baird at UT next Fri., Otis Day at the Blockley next Sat., Portlandia: The Tour at the Troc 2/19, Zee Avi at Milkboy Philly 2/24, Spinto Band at JB's 2/25, Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Queen 2/29.

Mark you calender for Friday's Art Is Social event at the Delaware Art Museum.

I haven't made it out to one of these yet, but they look like an awesome time and only happen once every few months:

"Save the date for the next Art is Social party at the Museum (Friday 2/11), this time with more galleries open, featuring our Howard Pyle exhibition! Pirate customes are encouraged, so stop by the Museum to have a look at the exhibit yourself if you need some inspiration.

$5 admission and $1-3 drinks, FREE beer and wine tastings, DJs, and other fun surprises you'll hear about later--so save the date!

P.S. also, save the SNOW date of Friday Feb 24th, same time, in case that four-letter-word alters our plans!"

So, a while back, when Union Transfer was an impending new venue,

I speculated on the effect this large club would have on similar-sized venues like the TLA, Trocadero, and the Electric Factory.  I've just spent this morning reviewing the late-winter schedules for these clubs, and my verdict is: while the Trocadero and the Electric Factory have no real noticeable depreciation in the quality and number of their shows, the TLA is another story.  It's like they've responded to Union Transfer's booking ability by turning their focus almost entirely to the hardcore and tween market.  In all of February and March, there are only one or two shows that are worth publicizing on this blog.  That's pretty sad.  I remember walking past the marquis on South Street, 10 years ago, and noting that every night featured a different major indie rock band.

Maybe it's not sad - maybe it's just their way of surviving this overload in music venues.  But I hope the TLA doesn't entirely lose the flavor of the shows that made them a strong presence in the area for decades.

Heads-up for fans of the IFC show Portlandia:

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are taking the show on the road and stopping at Philly's Trocadero on Sunday, February 19th.  I'm giving you a heads-up now because there are two shows, and the early show is already sold-out.  If you want tickets to the 10:30pm show, you'd better get on that.

It's all ages, costs $30+, and phenomenal songstress (and guitarist for Sufjan Stevens) St. Vincent has been known to make an appearance at some of the tour stops. 

"Portlandia: The Tour" will feature Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live) and Carrie Brownstein (Wild Flag, Sleater Kinney),the co-creators,writers and stars of IFC’s Portlandia,performing live music,presenting sneak-peek clips from the show's second season and sharing personal anecdotes about the creation and inspiration of Portlandia and its variety of eccentric characters."

http://www.ifc.com/shows/portlandia/the-tour

Weekday events of note, 2/6-2/9:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday 2/6:

• Jack's Mannequin with Jukebox the Ghost at the TLA (yes, they played over the weekend, this is the 2nd show). Ticket link.
• Movie Monday at the Trocadero: Resurrect Dead, which is a documentary about those mysterious Toynbee tiles you see implanted in the asphalt on many Philly streets.  I've heard it's really good. More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1787791/ .           21+, $3.  Doors at 6:30, show at 8, arrive before 7 and get a free beer and popcorn.
• Note: Movie Mondays at the Kennett Flash have been temporarily discontinued - maybe they'll bring it back when the weather is more reliable.
• Adam Arcuragi at Kung Fu Necktie, with Ports of Call and Golden Bloom. Ticket link.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday 2/7:

• Screening of A Raisin in the Sun at Theatre N, part of the Black History Month Film Series. But seriously - see this 1961 classic starring Sidney Poitier because it's a good film, and it's only $5.  7pm, Theatre N, $5.
• Classical: the Harlem String Quartet performs a chamber work by Mendelssohn in the Gold Ballroom of the Hotel DuPont, French pastries and champagne provided. Oh.  I see.  It's $55.  Total blue blood event.  Oh well. See the Wednesday column for more affordable chamber music. Info.
• The Darkness at the Trocadero, with Foxy Shazam. Ticket info link.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday 2/8:

• Bob Mould (Husker Du) at WCL Philly. Info link.
• 4W5 Blues Jam at the Queen. 7pm, free.
• Classical: It's Debussy's 150th birthday, so several Music School of DE's staff will be performing an evening of his works.  $10, 7pm. Info.
• Pete Donnelly (of The Figgs and NRBQ) residency at Milkboy Philly, with Pawnshop Roses and Gift Horse. http://www.milkboyphilly.com/event/84451/
• It is not a free show Wednesday at Mojo Main, rather, it's some rock-meets-hip-hop night, if that's your bag: http://www.mojomain.com/calendar

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday 2/9:

• A good bill of local female singers at the Queen Theatre: Little Invisibles, Angela Sheik, Laura C, and Katie Dill.   Info link.
• Screening of The Color Purple at Theatre N.  This is a benefit for the Christina Cultural Arts Center.  7pm, $10 (still cheaper than the Naaman's Rd. theater).
• Original frat rock on the bill at Logan House.  9pm, free. Details on FB.
• The Queers (New Hampshire pop-punk band formed in 1982) and The Ataris at The Barbary (Fishtown, a block from JB's). http://www.r5productions.com/event/79619/
• Karaoke at Mojo Main. 9pm, free

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming: Sold Out- the Sharon Van Etten show at JB's on Fri.  Not yet sold-out: UK's Cate Le Bon at KFN Sat., Mates of State at UT 2/16, Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society at JB's 2/17, Zola Jesus & Meg Baird (of Espers) at UT 2/17, Otis Day & The Knights at the Blockley 2/18, Portlandia: The Tour at the Troc 2/19, Zee Avi at Milkboy Philly 2/24, Spinto Band at JB's 2/25, The Walkmen at UT 3/3, Magnetic Fields at UT 3/7, Mike Birbiglia at the Grand 3/8.

Classical fans, or just people who want to impress a date by pretending to have high-brow tastes:

The Delaware Symphony is presenting a performance by the Harlem String Quartet next Tuesday, Feb. 5th, and if you buy tickets today or Saturday, you can get a $10 discount.  It would make a good date night: the Gold Ballroom is the swankiest room in Delaware (some say the East Coast), you get the whole macaroons and French pastries treatment, and the music program isn't so bad, either.

From their email:

CALL 302.652.5577 TO ORDER TICKETS FOR THE HARLEM STRING QUARTET AND RECEIVE $10 OFF EACH TICKET WHEN YOU MENTION

 CODE  HSQ$10OFF!

 

Please join us

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 8 PM for the 

Champagne Chamber Series Performance at the

 Hotel DuPont Gold Ballroom

 

Delaware Symphony musicians join the Harlem String Quartet in a performance celebrating Black History Month! 

 

Come hear an ensemble that the Cincinnati Enquirer writes is "bringing a new attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing, and intelligent."

 

The program features Mozart's Quartet in D minor k.421, Chick Corea's The Adventures of Hippocrates, and Mendelssohn's Octet for strings in E flat major, Op. 20. 

 

As always, the intermission features a wonderful array of desserts, champagne and coffee by the Hotel DuPont.

 

To purchase tickets, call 302.652.5577; information at delawaresymphony.org.

 

The Champagne Chamber Series is sponsored by DuPont.

Craigslist ad of the week:

"I'm trying to rehome one kitten and one dog.

Kitten: $20

Dog: $50

Both together: $75"

Ahhh - Delaware math at its finest. 

This weekend, 2/3-2/5:

General Events:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday 2/3:

• Free Lunchtime Live show at the Queen.  Noon. More details.
• Kennett Square Outdoor Winter Market.. 1st & 3rd Fridays of the month. 2-5pm. 
• Wilmington Art Loop. 5-9pm.  Click here for a PDF guide to the loop, including exhibits and transportation options. 
• Dan Akroyd will be making an appearance at the Total Wine in Claymont, and will be signing bottles of his Crystal Head vodka (priced $10-$100).  4-6pm.  Would make a great gift for that one brother-in-law who you never know what to buy for...
• Showings of the Ryan Gosling film Drive, and Addiction Incorporated, story of one of the most influential whistle-blowers of all time, at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films
• Movie night at the Queen Theatre: Groundhog Day (good choice, and I love that they're trying to do movies, given the venue's history.  Support this so they keep it up!). $3 craft beer specials. Doors at 7, show at 8, $5.
• Blast at the DuPont Theatre. $35+. Info.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday 2/4:

• Dog owners: there will be a vaccine and micro-chip clinic at the Stanton SPCA this Saturday, 9-11am.  http://www.delspca.org/services/vaccine-clinics
• Showings of the Ryan Gosling film Drive, and Addiction Incorporated, story of one of the most influential whistle-blowers of all time, at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films
• $1 admission to Hagley Museum every Saturday in February and March.
• Blast at the DuPont Theatre. $35+. Info.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday 2/5:

• Superbowl Sunday, and it's Patriots vs. Giants, for those who don't care if Tom Brady gets his beautiful, cheating face smashed in.  I'm a fan of the Manning family of football players, so... go lil' bro!
• As such, Theatre N will be broadcasting the super bowl for free, and it will be catered by Rick's BBQ (good to see he's still around.  Remember when he had cafes in N. Wilm. and S. Newark?).  The movie is free, the buffet is $19, and will include pork or brisket sliders, wings, ribs, hot dogs, and a lot of sides.  Alcohol, as always, will be available in the theatre, with a $2 Yuengling or Miller Lite special.  The festivities start at 5pm. 
• Showings of the Ryan Gosling film Drive, and Addiction Incorporated, story of one of the most influential whistle-blowers of all time, at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Band shows:
And I apologize for the Philly-centric-ness of the list this week.  I try to keep a healthy balance, but there were just more interesting shows up north this time out. 

Friday 2/3:

• Stallions and several other local bands at Mojo Main (once again, I've heard really conflicting info on who's playing Mojo Main this weekend, mainly in the form of bands announcing line-ups that don't jibe with with MM has listed.  I tend to believe the bands, but it makes me feel iffy about reporting any line-up at all.  True, the online calendar is an improvement over when I was a young musician cutting my teeth on the East End stage, and the only way to tell who was playing was a big calendar pasted to the wall.  But seriously - in this age, if you want to be taken seriously as a rock club, you need to keep your calendar updated and full of info.  (Frankly, the old wall calendar was more reliable).  If you post a band's bio and it's a jokey ramble that says nothing about the music they play (like one of the bands listed for this weekend), give your own little synopsis of the music, or at least a good link to a video.  It's not that difficult - dedicate a couple of hours a week to it). 9pm, $5.
• White Birds (formerly Drink Up Buttercup) with Univox at Kung Fu Necktie, $8+. Ticket link.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday 2/4:

• Brown Recluse at Milkboy Philly. Ticket link.
• Jack's Mannequin and Jukebox the Ghost at the TLA. $43+.  There is a 2nd show on Monday.  Ticket link.
• Hezekiah Jones opens for midwestern songstress Samantha Crain at Kung Fu Necktie, $10+. Ticket link.
• Jedi Mind Tricks at Union Transfer. $20+, all ages. Ticket link.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday 2/5:

• Classical: Serafin String Quartet at the Queen Theatre.  Noon, $15-$20.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming: Bob Mould at WCL Philly on Wed., Sharon Van Etten at JBs next Fri., gypsy jazz at the Queen next Sat., The Summer Set at UT next Sat., Cate Le Bon at KFN next Sat., Whitest Kids U Know at the Troc next Sat., Adam Ant at the Troc 2/14, Mates of State at UT 2/16, David Johansen of the New York Dolls at Gild Hall 2/18, Otis Day at the Blockley 2/18, Islands at the FU Church on 2/24, Spinto Band at JB's 2/25.

New indie rock festival announced for Bethlehem PA at the end of March, includes a Newark band.

Bethlehem, PA, located about an hour and twenty minutes north of Philly, is home to a large arts organization called ArtsQuest that hosts several notable festivals throughout the year.  The largest of these is MusikFest, a multi-genre festival held every August since 1984, which in recent years has featured pretty much every classic rock and top 40 act that has ever toured in the summertime - from the Steely Dans and Jethro Tulls to the Selena Gomezes and Maroon 5s. 

But not everyone is clamoring to see even the biggest of these bands, so, seeking to fill a growing demand for non-mainstream rock, ArtsQuest has introduced a new indie rock festival called Nowadays Fest (I know - puzzling name).  It will take place on March 30th and 31st.  For their inaugural year, Nowadays Fest will feature indie acts Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., RJD2, We Are Scientists, Sun Airway, Strand of Oaks, Jukebox the Ghost, Ambassadors, Xylos, Caveman, Bleeding Rainbow (the former Reading Rainbow), and more. 

There is a lot of Pennsylvania represented amongst the non-national openers, sure, but Delawareans might be happy to note that one of the opening acts is Mean Lady, featuring Katie Dill, who used to be in the popular local band Diego Paulo.  This is a pretty big score for Mean Lady, and they are one of the finer Delaware bands that the festival could have chosen.  Let me be clear: I am not friends with - nor have I ever met members of - either Mean Lady or Diego Paulo.  I'm just intrigued by what I've heard from them so far.

You can read more about the festival, the rest of the line-up, and ticket prices here: http://www.artsquest.org/festivals/nowadays/