Plant Music Is Here Just In Time For Summer

Way back on April 13th, the folks at Data Garden presented Data Garden: Quartet, “a plant-controlled audio composition” at Megawords at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. How did the plants make the music? “By converting the physiology of the specimens into data, the plants [performed] quadraphonic audio compositions in real time. The very presence of museum goers [affected] this performance, resulting in a unique composition from moment to moment.” Yeah, we don’t understand it either, but we know that it’s really cool.

You probably missed it, but now you can listen to those plants anywhere you want. The Data Garden: Quartet album is available for digital download over here. Unfortunately, we missed out on the, “hand-made seed paper with screen-printed album art and download code on reverse side,” that could actually be planted in the soil and sprout blue lobelias. We’re pretty bummed about that, but at least we still have the tunes.

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UPDATE: Jonathan Papelbon Seems Confused

We’re really starting to like the guy, and he’s really starting to like us, but Jonathan Papelbon seems a bit confused: In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, the new Phillies closer said that Philadelphia reminds him of Paris. Now, Papelbon has never actually been to Paris, but he has seen it in some movies. Pap told SI, “Philadelphia has a cool feel to it, man … It’s a vibe that the city produces. It makes you feel like you are in Paris. I’ve never been to Paris, but I’ve seen it in a lot of movies. I think [Philadelphia] is going to be a great place to live.” He continued, “When I walk down the street [in Philadelphia], everyone is nice. They say hi, and then they let you do your business … In the other city, the people get up in your face a lot more and want to talk about baseball, the team and how you are going to do. It’s more easy-going in Philadelphia.”

We happy you like it here Pap, and we really like nothing more than when someone shit talks another city in comparison to ours, but Paris? And the Paris of the movies? Unless the dude is talking about Taken, we’re not sure what he sees. And as for the people being easy-going towards him? Just wait until you blow a few saves, that’ll change. But hey, we’re glad you’re here.

Update: On second thought, maybe he was just thinking of this.

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Dept. Of Old Grudges: Let’s Hope That Barrier Can Contain Them

The few, the proud, the Barnes protesters; fighting the good fight outside today’s press preview.

We’ll have our impressions of the new Barnes later this week.

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Captain Freeshit: Win Tickets To See Justin Townes Earle At The TLA Saturday Night!

In a time when most children with famous fathers are starring on the show Girls, Justin Townes Earle is putting his name out there by making some truly remarkable music. Dude’s had it pretty rough so far (with addiction, multiple rehab stints, and a not-so-great relationship with said famous father, Steve Earle) but has turned some of the shittier turns of his life into great folk/soul/rock music, most recently on this year’s Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now. Plus, it’s got nothing to do with his music, but dude is 6 foot 6, which blows our minds. Justin is playing the TLA with support from Tristen this Saturday night, and we have tickets to give you. To enter to win, email ihopeiwin[at]philebrity[dot]com with “LOOK THE OTHER WAY” in the subject header. You’ll automatically be subscribed to the forthcoming new Philebrity Reader weekly newsletter and win chances for other exclusive free stuff.

Oh, and don’t forget that you could also possibly come swimmin’ with us, for free, the night before.

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Noontime Nuggetz: Market East, “Elena”

Here’s the newest clip from Philebrifaves Market East, next slated to play May 24th at North Star Bar.

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This Moment In Parties: Is Silent Disco The Best Disco There Is?

If you ask us, we’d say no, for we subscribe to the Whit Stillman view on such things. However, one cannot deny that we live in a time where simply throwing a dance party with music just no longer seems like enough. There’s the Cat Face Party, the Rebel Bingo party, the ’70s rollerskate party, to say nothing of flash mobs, pillow fights, and the dreaded cuddle party. But now, at long last, The Silent Party has come to Philadelphia:

At a Silent Event, rather than using a traditional speaker system, live music is broadcasted and picked up by specially designed wireless headphones worn by the audience. Those without the headphones hear no music, giving the effect of a room full of people dancing to silence. People watching is half the fun!

The effect, as you can see in the video at right, is one of mass tone-deaf headphone singalongs, which we must admit is more sweet and funny than it is soul-killing or dumb. The Silent Disco hits the Blockley tonight, and we also have to give that venue some credit, too: While the rest of us have been whining about how there’s no new kinds of fun out there (have we?), The Blockley has just been all like, “You want your roller-rave crazy-shouty-bingo-on-headphones fix? We have you covered!”

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The Way We Live Now: Neighborhood Mouth-Breathers So Desperate To Gamble What They Don’t Have, They’ll Try Anything

Good morning, Philadelphia! Say hello to “Internet sweepstakes cafés.” They’re already in you.

Whatever it is, it’s a new business model popping up across the United States. Like the store run by Fante and Carvell, they are called Internet sweepstakes cafés. [...] Wherever they are, they operate in strip malls, often near low-income areas.

The growth in Internet sweepstakes cafés has brought numerous calls for regulation. State legislatures across the country are scrambling to change laws. Prosecutors are struggling to use existing laws to shut them down.

Unlicensed gambling is generally illegal in the United States, but there is wiggle room. Simply offering games of chance doesn’t break the law, the sweepstakes industry says. One test is whether a player pays to play the game. In the case of the Internet cafés, operators sell time on a computer or long-distance phone cards. Buy time on a computer and you get free entries into a sweepstakes.

In that sense, the industry argues, the sweepstakes are no different than playing the McDonald’s Monopoly contest — buy a burger, play the game.

Next thing you know, they’ll find a way to make meth out of non-alcoholic beer!

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Mural Arts To Allow Crazy Dutchmen To Bathe Germantown Ave. In Electric Color

What you see above is the result of what happened when the Dutch artist duo known as Haas & Hahn (government names: Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn) were allowed to go the favelas of Rio de Janeiro and go wild with color. The results made art news around the world, and illustrated the duo’s mission statement, which is to “facilitate community-driven urban interventions with paint, working to shift the perception of what the outside world has of people and place, while bringing positive attention to often-disenfranchised communities and neglected spaces.”

You can see where this might could go: North Philly, to be precise. This afternoon, Jane Golden of the Mural Arts Program, the artists, the Mayor and more will gather at the corner of Germantown Avenue & West Huntingdon Street to announce “Philly Painting,” which will see Haas & Hahn work with the local community to visually transform the 2500-2800 blocks of Germantown Ave. For more info, check here.

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51st Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival Lineup Announced

As is the case every year, Philadelphia folk scene legend Gene Shay emerged from his record stacks, saw his shadow, and thus, it was decreed! The Philadelphia Folk Festival shall ramble on! For its 51st annual outing, the Festival will take place as usual in Upper Salford Township (near Schwenksville), this year from August 17th through the 19th. Performers this year include:

Debo Band – Mary Chapin Carpenter – Voices of the Wetlands – Little Feat – John Hiatt and the Combo – Steve Earle and the Dukes – Lucinda Williams- Wanda Jackson – Paul Thorn – Strand of Oaks – The Wooden Sky – The Secret Sisters – City & Colour – Red Clay Ramblers – Lori McKenna – Mark Erelli – The Holmes Brothers – Mary Gauthier – Mike Cross – Comas – Tracy Grammer – Arborea – Chris Bathgate – Brother Sun (featuring Pat Wictor, Joe Jencks and Greg Greenway) – Roosevelt Dime – Pokey LaFarge – The Gypsy Hombres – Chris Kasper – Griz – Spuyten Duyvil – Zach Stock – The Great Groove Band – Gene Shay

Not exactly household names, but then again, PFF is about VIBES, kids, and real talk: This is a lot easier on one’s body than, say, PEX, and it’s a consistent that the RV/camping scene at PFF could be the inspiration for a TV show called Pimp My Campsite. Plus, there is always the off-chance that this year, there could be a Lucinda Williams/Wanda Jackson drinking contest, which would have to be epic. More additions to the lineup will be announced as the dates draw closer, and tickets are on sale now.

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Captain Freeshit: Win Guest List Action For You And Your Friends At Our Pool Party With Nick Waterhouse This Friday Night!

As we mentioned a little while back, Underwater Moonlight, our Friday night pool party series, will be back this season at the newly redone North Shore Beach Club! Our party series kicks off this Friday, May 18 with a special DJ set from internationally acclaimed neo-Motown dude Nick Waterhouse and then heats up again on June 1 for some awesome Beer Week nonsense we’ve got cooking. Here’s the catch, though: Because space at the pool is limited, this party is RSVP only and you will only be able to find out about the invite by following us on Facebook or Twitter. So by all means, let us join our social media in holy matrimony for the sake of having fun together.

BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE. We’re giving away a party pack — 6 GUEST LIST SPOTS, for you and your peoples — for this Friday’s event, and you should totally enter. We discovered last year that Underwater Moonlight is great for birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, cheering up people who just got dumped/fired/divorced/pregnant/whatever, and so forth. In short, water plus booze plus tunes plus friends always equals good times. So to kick it off, let’s do this right and grant a whole little party a good ol’ time on the ol’ Cap’n. To enter to win, email ihopeiwin[at]philebrity[dot]com with “TWISTIN’ BY THE POOL” in the subject header. You’ll automatically be subscribed to the forthcoming new Philebrity Reader weekly newsletter and win chances for other exclusive free stuff. The winning party will be notified by Thursday morning. Good luck!

And after the jump, the newest clip from Nick Waterhouse. Enjoy! (more…)

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This Evening: Resident Aliens

>>> The Spinto Band (pictured) enter into week two of their month-long residency at Kung Fu Necktie tonight with Nightlands and Via Audio. It’s all to promote their new LP, Shy Pursuit, you see, which you can check out above. Do.

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Alright, Who’s The Wiseass Who Asked Jay-Z About Gay Marriage On The Art Museum Steps?

Ah, it was CNN. And though Jay has his heart in the right place on this for sure, we fundamentally reject the notion that asking Jay-Z about gay marriage is a legit thing for an outlet like CNN to do; for Jay-Z’s coddled celeb opinion barely matters here (as evidenced by the fact that later in the same interview, he basically ‘fessed to not really knowing who or what Mitt Romney is). They really should have asked Freeway instead. [h/t Colorlines]

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And Now, Today’s GOOD NEWS: Hunting Park Named A “Frontline Park” For Urban Park Excellence

City Parks Alliance; an independent, nationwide membership organization solely dedicated to urban parks, has named Hunting Park a “Frontline Park” for the month of May. The naming of frontline parks is done to, “promote and highlight inspiring examples of urban park excellence, innovation, and stewardship across the country.” Catherine Nagel, Executive Director of City Parks Alliance, said, “We selected Hunting Park for recognition because it exemplifies the power of partnerships to create and maintain urban parks that make our cities sustainable, safe and vibrant.” Leroy Fisher, President of Hunting Park United, said of being named a frontline park, “Hunting Park is a testament to the power of community partnerships to transform not only the park, but the surrounding neighborhood.”

The CPA also praises the Hunting Park Revitalization Project, an initiative led by the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to “create a safe and well-maintained park space that will provide a place for healthy recreation for children and families, bring neighbors together and serve as a catalyst for larger neighborhood renewal.” Stage One of the revitalization brought a new community garden, farmers’ market, two playgrounds and a brand new baseball field.

So there you have it: The world is not totally made of shit. Have you got some good news? If so, send it to tips[at]philebrity[dot]com with “GOOD MOTHERFUCKING NEWS!” in the subject header — we’d love to hear about it.

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For University City’s Heart & Soul Public Piano Project, We Beg You Not To Play Any Billy Joel

From June 7th to the 17th,, “University City District will orchestrate [Ed. note: Orchestrate, get it?] an interactive public art exhibition featuring eight artist-decorated pianos on sidewalks and in parks and public spaces throughout University City.” Eight artists will be transforming the pianos into art (Terry Adkins, Joe Boruchow, Justin Duerr, Melissa Maddonni Haims, The Heads of State, Kali Yuga Zoo Brigade, Katie Holeman, and Thom Lessner), and the instruments will then be scattered in public spaces throughout University City, where musicians of all backgrounds are invited to share their creativity through impromptu public performances.

We just ask one thing: No Billy Joel. Please. You’ll find us sitting at one of the pianos, playing John Cage’s “4’33″.”

Check back here soon for a map of the piano locations.

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Attn. Artists: PhilaMOCA Wants To Display Your David Lynch-Themed Art

It seems we’re not the only ones lamenting the loss of the Eraserhood. In honor of an Eraserhead mural currently being added to PhilaMOCA‘s exterior, the people at PhilaMOCA are hosting Eraserhood Forever: An art show of Lynchian proportions. The only thing they need is your David Lynch-themed art.

The show will open on July 13th (with music, amusements, perfomers, and art), and PhilaMOCA is asking for Lynch-themed/inspired submissions from artists of all disciplines. To submit your art, PhilaMOCA asks that you send digital files or photos of submissions to curator Chip Schwartz (at chip[at]philamoca[dot]org). Links are preferred for six or more entries. The submission deadline is June 29. This could get real weird real quick, and we’re all for it.

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Noontime Nuggetz: The New Barnes Foundation, Constructed In Just Under 4 Minutes

Check it out: Director Thomas Bugaj made this (slightly eerie, vaguely Koyaanisqatsi-ish) time-lapse clip of the construction of the new Barnes on the Parkway and has released it just in advance of the new building’s opening. It’s definitely worth a look. Additionally, we have a programming note: Check in with us on Thursday for Joey Sweeney’s notes on the new Barnes.

Previously: Inga Saffron: New Barnes Strangled By Parking?

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Jay-Z Plans To Invite His Wife, The President To Made In America Fesitval

Since 70% of the artists are booked, but we don’t know any of them yet, it’s time to get speculatin’: In an interview with Rolling Stone where the interviewer hinted at inviting a certain POTUS along for the first Made In America festival, Jay said:

Ah, yeah, that guy. I’m gonna try. I’m gonna tell you guys right now: I’m gonna give him a call and I’m gonna try to get him to perform – do a little rendition of Al Green – but I doubt it. I think that opens up the political season. He’ll be so far into helping the world that he probably won’t have time, but I’m absolutely going to ask him.”

And on the matter of his wife, Beyoncé, Jay said, “I tried to put it far enough away that she’d have a little gap in her schedule, so hopefully that works,” which seems like an odd thing to say since they’re married. Can’t he just call her up? Ask her at home? Kanye and Kim can watch the baby.

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Readers Fwd: We Never Knew How Much We Loved Gold Foil Jumbotron Art Until Just Now

This makes me miss that giant scoreboard in lower right center field at the Vet circa 1980-1983:

If Sugar House used these icons in a slot machine, I might actually visit.

Best of all, you can buy artist Peter Chen‘s gold foil originals here.

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PSA: Protest Plan By Aging White Man Nobody In Philadelphia Knows To Turn PA Into A Giant Prison Today At 4PM

Cots will line the street outside of the Prince Theater (1412 Chestnut St) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, while Governor Corbett speaks inside as part of the annual Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce “Conversation with the Governor.” Demanding a “people’s budget,” each cot will compare the contentious $685 million plan to expand Pennsylvania’s prison system with alternative uses for these funds, namely restoring the hotly contested cuts to education, medical assistance and essential services.

[...]Protest organizers are further calling for an online mobilization to demand an end to all prison expansion and restore funding to education and social programs by tweeting these demands to @GovernorCorbett using the hashtag #pabudget.

More info available at Decarcerate PA.

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