Building a Broken Mousetrap

Philadelphia Weekly

February 6, 2008

PW's Picks For The Week

>>Clogosphere

Building a Broken Mousetrap

Thurs., Feb. 7, 7pm. $5-$7. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. www.ihousephilly.org

When Dutch punks the Ex visited New York’s Knitting Factory on the third anniversary of 9/11, the city was feeling more than a little colicky. The ignoramus-packed Republican National Convention had just quit town after steamrollering local civil liberties. The stench of tear gas and fascism lingered. Filmmaker Jem Cohen didn’t think twice about his plans that night. A director who makes documentaries about music as resistance culture, Cohen captured a sonic shitstorm of raw energy on 16 mm stock as the Ex—buzzed by the anger—tore through an incendiary set. Cohen then interlaced the stage action with footage of the anti-RNC protests to create Building a Broken Mousetrap. It screens with Smells Like Teen Spirit, an eight-minute video of Patti Smith covering the Nirvana classic. Which will, of course, be either the coolest or the crappest thing ever. (Joshua Valocchi)

Northern Liberties Winter Music Fest

Philadelphia Weekly

February 6, 2008

Opening Riff
Northern Liberties Winter Music Fest

by Joshua Valocchi

Winter Wonderland

The opening night of this year’s Northern Liberties Winter Music Fest includes a nod to the good ol’ days in the form of a bluegrass jam featuring Mason Porter and the awesomely named Wissahickon Chicken Shack. Comprised of eight mostly classically trained musicians, the Chicken Shack represents a fun outlet and musical escape of sorts. Apparently toiling away at Curtis for hours on end isn’t as much fun as turning that violin into a fiddle and trading Bach and Mozart for Bill Monroe.

Night two boasts seven acts for a paltry $8 (as opposed to the poultry $8 for the Chicken Shack night), and features the headlining one-two punch of Cowmuddy and Devin Greenwood. Having worked with each other extensively in the past, Greenwood and the Cowmuddy kids are almost guaranteed to contribute to the festival feel with a few guest spots and sit-ins peppered throughout their respective sets.

The third night of the festival rolls in hard with nine acts, thus lowering the evening’s per-band cost below 90 cents. Along with the ridiculously low music-to-money ratio, Wednesday also offers attendees the chance to check out cuts from the Victor Victor Band’s newest release Chatterbox as their festival set doubles as a CD-release party. The married duo take the White Stripes route, with Danielle handling drums and keyboards while husband Jamie takes on guitar and vocal duties. No word yet on whether they’re actually divorced or brother and sister. Or both.

Admittedly, the first three days are just the tip of the Winter Music Festival iceberg. When all is said and done, more than 40 acts will have graced the Fire stage over eight days, continuing a cold-weather tradition while proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sun., Feb. 10, 6pm. $8. Through Feb. 17. With Cowmuddy, Devin Greenwood, Chase Pagan + Victor Victor Band. The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave. 267.671.9298. www.iourecords.com/thefire