Philadelphia Weekly

Chain and the Gang play Tuesday at Space 1026.

Wednesday September 16

New Directions Chamber Brass
The Avant Ascension series eases into its second year with a set from this genre-oblivious unit, which is led by trumpeter Thomas Madeja and happens also to include AA co-curator and trombonist Larry Toft. What a stark lineup: two trumpets, two trombones and two percussionists. If you’ve heard Spirit Moves by Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy band, you’ll note a family resemblance here—a mix of precision jazz and slippery groove, with graceful semi-classical melody abutting rock-and-soul snarl. Tihda Vongkoth’s marimba and vibraphone add a layer of textural shimmer and fleshed-out harmony. Also on the bill: Elliott Levin and Charles Cohen, two of Philly’s veteran boundary-pushers, on sax and electronics respectively. David R. Adler
9pm. $5. With Elliott Levin + Charles Cohen Duo. Tritone, 1508 South St. 215.545.0475. tritonebar.com

Finding Oz
Seventy years ago Judy Garland immortalized herself by murdering two witches. The film was The Wizard of Oz, an adaptation based upon an already iconic children’s book by Lyman Frank Baum. Author Evan Schwartz stops by the Gershman Y to read from his new book Finding Oz, a sweeping examination into the life of the prolific and eccentric Baum. Lewis Carroll may be the king of quirky allegory, but the Baumer was no slouch either. Which elements of the surreal Oz books were intended as political and religious satire and which were simply trifles of an absinthe-induced haze? Was the Wicked Witch of the West inspired by Baum’s own mother-in-law, a staunch women’s rights leader? Schwartz leaves no poppy field uncombed in his pursuit of the man behind the curtain. P.F.M.
7pm. $10. Gershman Y, 401 S. Broad St. 215.545.4400. gershmany.org

Making Comics: From Idea to Print
If there’s an Eisner-shaped hole on your mantelpiece, now is as good a time as any to start honing your sequential art skills. The good folks at Pterodactyl (pictured), a local creative projects space, are opening up their doors for a series of two four-week courses on the creation of comics. The end goal is a class anthology, but each week students will also work on improvisational exercises exploring various drawing styles. Instructor Pat Aulisio (founder of the Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con) and a series of guest creators will cover all the basics of character design, layouts, drawing and bookmaking. In the second course sequence, the focus shifts to the printing process with Photoshop demos and Xerox instruction. If comics aren’t your bag, the studio also offers courses in screen printing, sewing, sculpture and, awesomely, bone art. Paul F. Montgomery
Wed., Sept. 16, 6pm. $100-$120. (Part I runs Sept. 16-Oct. 7. Part II runs Oct. 14-Nov. 4.) Pterodactyl, 3237 Amber St., fifth fl. 215.501.7158. pterodactylphiladelphia.org

Thursday September 17

Arcadia Second Anniversary
Being environmentally friendly occasionally means collecting compost, wearing functional shoes to traipse through your sustainable vegetable garden and forgoing scraping the dirt from your nails during a three-minute spin through the shower. It can also mean, thanks to Ali McCloud at Arcadia Boutique, wearing organic cotton dresses and printed bamboo blouses while lounging around the house sniffing soy candles. Celebrating two years of promoting this eco-chic way of living, Arcadia’s throwing a party. Enjoy free food, booze and music along with a trunk show featuring accessories made in developing countries spanning the globe. Additionally, local artist Todd Marrone will host his exhibit “Hanging Jackets”—made from old albums—and guests can leave with a custom (and reusable!) tote bag. So take an extra minute and scrub away that dirt—who says eco-friendly can’t be glam? Emily Freisher
6pm. Free. Arcadia Boutique, 819 N. Second St. 215. 667.8099. arcadiaboutique.com

... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
End of the ’00s lists are sure to unearth the nearly forgotten greatness of Source Tags and Codes, Trail of Dead’s landmark 2002 album which reintroduced to indie kids the prog ambitions (and instrument-destroying frenzies) of the Who and the feedback-drunk mayhem of Sonic Youth. Pitchfork gave Source Tags a “10,” calling it “everything rock music aspires to be.” The rest of the aughts, however, were not as kind to Trail of Dead, who were marked by wildly uneven albums, interpersonal conflicts and label difficulties. The wilderness years are over, though, with The Century of Self. The band’s first post-Interscope album returns to greatness, piling epic walls of guitar sound onto arena-sized rock anthems. Jennifer Kelly
8:30 p.m. $12. With Secret Machines. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. r5productions.com

Dead Meadow
Grooviness is so overrated. Who really wants to get groovy anymore? It appears Dead Meadow are, like, totally getting groovy. Daily. So groovy, in fact, that they had to go and move to L.A. a few years back. Groovy card fully punched. I guess D.C. seemed so much more, uh, proletarian. Their music? Psych, drenched heavily in textural swells and guitar wankistry of the highest order. Yeah, hippies are really awful people, but occasionally they spout out stuff this strong and all is forgiven. Almost. There truly is a fine line between clever and stupid. Dead Meadow just tends to know on which side to fall. John Cramer
9pm. $10. With Brother JT + Robes. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684. johnnybrendas.com

Friday September 18

Bike Part Art Auction
Can you name the greatest machine of the modern age? The train? The supercollider? Bah! Try the humble bicycle. The graceful shape of the double-triangle with two circular wheels is the most energy-efficient mode of transportation, inspiring visual artists from Duchamp to Wyeth. The creative eye can turn a bike into a metaphor for the doomed ambitions of the youthful American Dream or a big metal bug. But the creative eye can be a fickle thing. Local artists, tinkerers and loopy DIYers have cobbled together a collection of objects d’arte made from cogs, forks, spokes and those tiny little spindles that hold chain links together. The Bike Part Art auction will benefit Neighborhood Bike Works, a West Philly outfit that teaches kids to make bikes—real bikes, the kind you can use to ride around town with your friends—from spare parts. Stick around for live music, refreshments and innovative welding. Peter Crimmins
Fri., Sept. 18, 7pm. Free. Studio 34, 4522 Baltimore Ave. 215.387.3434. neighborhoodbikeworks.org

Saturday September 19

Philly Oktoberfest
Although October isn’t for a few weeks, Philly holds its second Oktoberfest on the same day the traditional Munich one begins. The original was a commemoration of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria’s marriage in 1810, and the annual celebrations since then have always begun the third weekend in September and climaxed on the first weekend of October. A ticket gets you into the castle-like armory at either 1 p.m. or 6 p.m., wherein lies a promised land of unlimited samples of various beers from Germany and American craft breweries. There’s a variety of ticket prices: $15 for the selfless designated drivers, $40 ahead of time, $50 at the door and $75 for the VIP pass, which gets you in an hour early for free food and first beer dibs. Don’t try to bribe your teenage cousin into being your DD, though: 21 and over only. Emily Guendelsberger
1pm and 6pm. $40. 23rd St. Armory, 22 S. 23rd St. 215.751.8381. phillybeerfests.com

Sophie B. Hawkins
If she’s a name that doesn’t ring a bell, think again. It’s 1995. Eighth grade is passé and high school is around the corner. The summer is full of pool parties and foam noodles and adult alternative radio piped over the loudspeakers, and Sophie B. Hawkins’ “As I Lay Me Down” is the soulful slow-swim song that all the cool kids make out to. If that doesn’t bring back memories, try to recall that song from ’93 with the line that sounded an awful lot like “Damn, I wish I were your loooover—I’ll fuck you til the daylight comes….” Oh my yes, that’s also Hawkins. She’s also done a lot since the early ’90s, but honestly, do we care? Katherine Silkaitis
9pm. $20-$22. With Sisters Three. The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave. 267.671.9298. iourecords.com/thefire

Victim
Just this year the Jim Carrey comedy I Love You Phillip Morris ran into difficulties nailing distribution, likely because his character is in love with another man (Ewan McGregor). And yet in 1961 the then-biggest star in Britain, smirking (and semi-closeted) pile of suave Dirk Bogarde, starred in Victim, playing a character with a gay past. And this, six years before the Sexual Offenses Act, which criminalized homosexual activity, was overturned. That social shift was, in part, thanks to Victim, which wraps the hot-potato issue in the guise of a thriller in which Bogarde’s happily married barrister is at the center of a blackmail plot involving an incriminating photo of him with another bloke. The next year Hollywood would feature its own gay blackmail plot in Otto Preminger’s Advise and Consent, but Victim beat it to the punch and actually used the word “homosexual”—a cinema first—to boot. Matt Prigge
7pm. $5-$8. International House, 3701 Chestnut St. 215.387.5125. ihousephilly.org

Seth Meicht and the Big Sound Ensemble
Though Seth Meicht lives in New York, he maintains close ties to his native Philly, spending the past five years in Odean Pope’s Saxophone Choir. For this homecoming gig he’ll showcase his latest project, which was warmly received in June at New York’s annual Vision Festival. The lineup is stellar: saxists Meicht, Darius Jones and Charles Evans; trumpeters Herb Robertson and Aaron Meicht (Seth’s brother); trombonist Steve Swell; bassist Adam Lane and drummer Mike Pride. Big Sound? Uh, yeah. Bet on controlled chaos with an oblique compositional logic. The show’s being documented for release on the CIMP label, so go add your whoops and hollers. D.R.A.
8pm. $10 (free for UArts community). University of the Arts, Caplan Center, 211 S. Broad St., 17th fl. 800.616.ARTS. bowerbird.org

Ramona Falls
Named for a trail on Oregon’s Mount Hood, Ramona Falls is the solo voyage of Brent Knopf from the tricky Portland trio Menomena. Knopf’s Barsuk-issued debut Intuit is more straightforward than his work with that band, though there is certainly a wealth of flickering layers. (Makes sense, considering 35 guests show up on the album.) The man’s thin, climbing vocals and penchant for folk-flecked indie-isms makes Ramona Falls feel like an unearthed Michael Stipe solo record, minus the jigsaw lyrics. It’s pop above all else, putting Knopf’s voice on lucid display while a cavalcade of instruments shuffle in and out of earshot. Doug Wallen
7pm. $10. With Brian Bonz. Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St. 215.291.4919. kungfunecktie.com

Rock ’n’ Roll Flea Market
That old Led Zep T-shirt starting to wear thin? Searching for the perfect Black Sabbath belt buckle? The Rock ’N’ Roll Flea Market seems like it might be a good bet to renew your allegiance to Jimmy Page or share your enthusiasm for Ozzy. Members of rock’s pastier-skinned subcultures, beware: you might catch some rays at this combination flea market and music festival. There will be two stages set up at Jefferson Square Park in South Philly, so you can rummage used record bins to the sounds of Dick Valentine from the Electric Six, Philly’s Victor Victor Band and plenty of other acts. Who to thank for such a harmonious partnership? Good timing, really. The festival was set, and the flea market folks were looking for the right spot. And let’s be honest—what’s more rock ’n’ roll than finding an opportunity to tie in some merchandising? Dan Packel
9am. Free. Jefferson Square Park, between Third and Fourth sts. and Washington and Federal sts. jeffersonsquarepark.org

Sunday September 20

Feria del Barrio
Most people get their Latino spice fix via Chipotle binges but at Feria del Barrio you can add some authenticity to your repertoire. The fifth annual Latino arts and culture festival will celebrate Philadelphia’s lively Latino presence. Located at the city’s Centro de Oro, the Feria features vendors, artists, singers, dancers and performers. Along with food and artisan vendors, local community agencies provide health and educational information, including a blood pressure checking station. And what would a Latino celebration be without dancing? Taller Puertorriqueño marketing director Yolanda Jimenez-Colon warns, “make sure to bring your dancing shoes to have a good time.” Incorporating all facets of Latino culture, the Feria will feature many native Latino dances, including salsa, meringue and tango. Rebecca Greenfield
12:30pm-6:30pm. Free. El Centro de Oro, N. Fifth St. between Lehigh and Cambria aves. 215.423.6320. feriadelbarrio.webs.com