Philadelphia Weekly

�Musical Guests

Club d'Elf

In stark contrast to their fellow Massholes, Club d'Elf tend to keep to themselves. Despite hailing from the same area code as the majority of the insufferable Red Sox Nation and the resurrected Celtic Brigade, d'Elf regulars rarely go on the road looking to make noise in other cities. Purveyors of a unique meld of world jazz and tribal hip-hop, Club d'Elf have inundated downtown Beantown with their musical mastery for years while shunning the rest of us in a fashion that borders on self-sabotage. Stemming from a side project helmed by late Morphine frontman Mark Sandman, d'Elf originated as a revolving cast of musicians proudly including the likes of John Medeski, DJ Logic and Joe Manieri. Now a consistently evolving ensemble, Club d'Elf mesmerize Bostonians with a seemingly eternal bimonthly residency at the legendary Lizard Lounge, infusing elements of post-funk and smart turntablism into loose jazzy foundations. Bassist and bandleader Mike Rivard plays conductor and conjuror, leading his sonic soldiery through seamless transitions that leave genre boundaries faded and decapitated. Joining Rivard's assault squad, G. Calvin Weston's bombastic beats and Mat Manieri's bowstrung feats duel before the backdrop of this all-too- exclusive engagement. (Joshua Valocchi)

�For Cineastes

Orpheus

As the Transformers 2 shoot hijacks Philly and vicinity, it's important to remember the best special effects aren't always giant robots from outer space with tens of thousands of moving parts, only a fraction of which are remotely discernable to the human eye. Sometimes it's a dude passing through a mirror made of not glass but liquid mercury. Such charmingly practical and way, way cool-looking F/X are available in Orpheus, one of the too few films by surrealist renaissance man Jean Cocteau. This 1950 whatsit brings the Greek myth, about a musician failing to rescue his wife Eurydice from death, to postoccupation Paris. Now a middle-aged poet, Orpheus (Cocteau's former lover Jean Marais) descends into the underworld, represented here by blitzed ruins and featuring people walking backward in slo-mo. Less tied down by narrative than Cocteau's beloved 1946 take on Beauty and the Beast, it's the director's cinematic highmark--and another quirky offering by NoLibs' Lawn Chair Drive-In, Philly's oldest, best and most awesomely eccentric summery outdoor movie series. (Matt Prigge)

�Cattitudes

The Cat's Meow: 40th Annual CFA Cat Show

Don't even try to deny it--the only thing more adorable than the meowing puffball hauling your hungover ass out of bed the day after Fourth of July is a room full of them out in Delaware. You, friend, are a cat person. Sure they're arrogant, aloof and demanding, but who can resist an eye-batting kitty? These pets could bring down presidents. Look for longhaired and shorthaired cats in a veritable rainbow of colors and breeds, and a whole division of kittens, purring stakes in the hearts of even the most cynical of Philly's hipsters. There's also a possibility of the latest madness to consume cat shows: the agility course. Think of it as an obstacle course meets steeplechase meets horse show, full of felines that actually follow directions. The cuteness quotient will be so high you'll tear up as soon as you walk in. And if that doesn't get you, the cat dander will. (St. John Barned-Smith)

�indie spirits

Fourth of July Dance Party

Pardon My Freedom

As my girl Emma Goldman once said, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be a part of your revolution." Sadly, our revolution was led by a bunch of straight white guys concerned more with taxes and tea than dancing and debauchery. Two hundred thirty-two years later we're injecting joy and ecstasy into our nation's birthday right here in our nation's birthplace. After the barbecues and backyards, head to one of these two dance parties for some indoor fireworks. In Fishtown there's the aptly titled Fourth of July Dance Party. This one features some of the best party starters around: punk rappers Yah Mos Def, the sexed-up pop of Sweatheart, rockers Renegade (their farewell show) and the DJ stylings of Russ Alexander of Rock Tits fame. In Center City there's something for the dance music heads, as the Excess party presents Pardon My Freedom. Resident DJs Andy Pry of the Rapture's Throne of Blood label, Meg E. Mitch and Darklord, plus guests Lil' Zack and Bushy will bring you the best house, disco and electro in the rave cave known as Medusa's. Whatever your choice this night, be proud to be an American. (Jack Schonewolf)