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Pictured: Asteroid Number 4 – Playing at Johnny Brenda’s tonight

FRIDAY

Magic: The Gathering Standard Constructed Tournament
Redcap’s Corner, 4040 Locust
If you read the title of this and know what it is, the rules are here. If you are thinking “This looks like it’s for nerds but I am still curious” then try here. 7pm.

Asteroid #4, Like A Fox, The Sounds of Kaleidoscope
Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N Frankford
Triple threat of fuzzy, blazed Philly pop. Myspaces linked. 8pm, $10

Dutty Chutney with M-Ski, Mandip, Rahsaan, Aseem
Fluid Nightclub, 613 S 4th
South Asian versus Jamaican styles. 10pm, free until midnight, $5 after. $2 brews and $3 wells until midnight.

SATURDAY

The Shakedown with Rob Paine and Willyum
The Barbary, Frankford and Delaware
The ancient no-fail Philly deep house night. 10pm, $5.

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Dubbed “Philadelphia’s greatest cultural export” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rennie Harris Puremovement is back in their hometown this month for the world premiere of 100NakedLocks.

This sci-fi hip-hop show is set in a desolate future, but the dancing is anything but bleak: rather than bemoan their fate, the 100 survivors left on the planet create a futuristic hip-hop of highly-charged, boundary-breaking movements unlike anything you’ve seen before.

The last time Rennie Harris and his world-famous troupe performed at the Kimmel Center, all three performances sold out.

Check out the show on Friday night and stay for the post-show artist chat and the networking event for art-lovers at Cadence Restaurant’s K Lounge, hosted by the Kimmel Center’s new young professionals’ community, Forte.

Rennie Harris Puremovement
100NakedLocks (World Premiere)
Friday, February 20, 2009 at 7:30pm
Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm

Perelman Theater
260 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA”Ž
(215) 790-5800

This Monday, February 23rd, Merck has generously covered the admission for the first 1,000 people to enter into the National Constitution Center, which will also include their new exhibit America I Am. That’s a saving of $17.50!

There is a lot to do at the Center. Enjoy the 17 minute live narrated show Freedom Rising which celebrates “We the People.” Take the Oath of Office and make every day Kids Day. Sign the Constitution and have your certificate of authenticity emailed to your inbox.

And with America I Am, go and learn how African Americans have left an everlasting imprint on our country. Learn the story of the Buffalo Soldiers, glee at the “Godfather of Soul” James Brown’s concert gear and pay respects to the heroes of the Underground Railroad.

Come leave your own imprint on history. We’ve only just begun!

Free Admission to the National Constitution Center
This Monday, Feb 23rd
First 1,000 People / Doors Open @ 9AM

National Constitution Center
525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 409-6600
www.constitutioncenter.org

What could be a better story than telling your as yet unborn children, “Dahling, your father and I met at this divine little cocktail party hosted for young professionals at the Kimmel Center after an inspiring performance of Rennie Harris Puremovement. Our eyes met over my gimlet and it’s been smooth yachting ever since.”

No, the Kimmel Center’s Forte isn’t a singles group but since that’s kind of how I see everything these days, I’ll say that I’m sure it’s a fabulous place to meet some hot cultured singles. But even if you’re not in the market for love, Forte is an ideal group for those of you looking for professional and social networking opportunities.

Okay, so what is Forte, you ask? It’s an informal group that gets people aged 21-40 together for pre-and-post performance cocktail parties, and other assorted events, usually in the K Lounge on Tier 2. Live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar provide some conversation starters for guests not quite confident in their ability to impress someone by chatting all classical music and whatnot. Some upcoming performances given the nights of Forte parties include Rennie Harris Puremovement’s 100NakedLocks on February 20th, Bang on a Can All-Stars with Glenn Kotche from Wilco on February 28th, and Conga Kings & Tiempo Libre on May 8th.

Registering as part of Forte gets you discounted tickets, on top of giveaways and exclusive artist meet-and-greets. All you do is buy a $33 performance and party ticket by typing the promo code FORTE when you buy your ticket online. But please, do learn what a gimlet is before you go.

Forte at The Kimmel Center
260 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-893-1999
www.kimmelcenter.org/forte

Fleisher Art Memorial’s sanctuary is a magical space to experience live music, so the announcement of a new series of monthly solo piano performances there is great news for Philadelphia music fans. The series, called the Philadelphia Solo Piano Festival and presented by Pianoculture.com, will provide listeners with unique opportunities to hear solo performances by world-class jazz artists.

This month’s performer, Junior Mance, has been playing jazz professionally for over 60 years, joining Gene Ammons’s band before his twentieth birthday. He went on to play with a litany of jazz greats including Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dinah Washington. At 80, he is still going strong, releasing multiple new albums under his own name each year.

Producer Genevieve Luce explains the appeal of Fleisher’s sanctuary: “With a small room that accommodates only 100 people, it’s as intimate as being on stage with the musicians. There’s a magic that happens when the musicians and audience interact in a small space that cannot happen in larger concert halls and other venues.”

With the intimacy of a small club, the respect-for-the-music of a concert hall, and the spirituality of a chapel, Fleisher’s sanctuary might just be the perfect space for a solo jazz piano performance.

Junior Mance at Fleisher Art Memorial’s Sanctuary
Saturday February 21, 2009, discussion with artist at 7 p.m., concert at 7:30 p.m
www.pianoculture.com

Fleisher Art Memorial
719 Catharine St, Philadelphia, PA
www.fleisher.org

Post by Jacqueline Rupp

Wanna have some fun and feel good about it? Well if you are a sports fan, and a hockey fan in particular, there’s no place better place to be than at the Wachovia Center this Sunday for the Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival.

This indoor festival has all the makings of a traditional carnival: prizes, games of chance, clowns, music and balloon-but with a decidedly hockey theme. You can soak a player at the dunk tank, get your photo snapped with Lord Stanley’s Cup and shoot goals against Martin Biron and others. Players like Carter Richards and Briere Gagne will be on hand for photos and autographs and you can also meet Flyers fan favs from the past. For Flyers fans this is a great opportunity to meet and greet the players you cheer!

While at the party be sure to try your hand at a little Guitar Hero and Dance Revolution and take a chance to win cool stuff, namely a Harley Davidson Sportster! Last year the carnival took in approximately $700,000 that was all donated to area charities such as children’s health research and community-based organizations.

The party gets started at 1:30 P.M. and runs until 6:00 P.M on Sunday, February 22nd. General Admission tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and under.

Wachovia Center
3601 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
(800) 298-4200
www.flyerscarnival.com

Walking up the narrow steps of the Christian Street apartment with my five fellow audience members, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the one-man show we were about to see. Once the six of us were seated in the tiny disheveled apartment, we had a couple of minutes to take in the scene and breathe in the slightly funky smell before an alarm clock went off and Jason rolled out of bed.

Anthology Project’s ”Jason,” conceived and performed by Thomas Choinacky, is a quick peak into the worst morning of a man’s life “” the one after his estranged wife (the infamous Medea) murders their children and his beloved. Compounding matters, Jason seems to have drunk himself into oblivion the night before, and has a monster hangover.

There isn’t a lot of action in the play, which focuses on Jason’s emotional state, but it does have some humorous moments among the gloom, including a never-ending bladder-emptying and strange deliveries of decidedly modern children’s toys.

This is not your typical theater experience; it’s extremely intimate “” you’re never more than about 5 feet from the performer, thoroughly immersed in his life and environment, and witnessing him at his weakest and most raw. The show is a nice change of pace from your spacious theater with comfy chairs, and at a mere 30 minutes and $5, it fits nicely into a Monday evening. Plus, it has a killer soundtrack.

Anthology Project presents Jason
2047 Christian St, Philadelphia, PA
7 & 8 pm, February 23rd and March 2nd
Tickets $5, email Rachel@anthologyproject.org

Recently, National Geographic’s Traveler launched I Heart My City, a simple survey asking readers to talk about why they love their home.

If you hop on over to the blog, you can spot an entry from a certain enthusiastic Philadelphian, our very own Albert Lee. Give it a read, we’re proud of him.

Albert Lee @ National Geographic Traveler
blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2009/02/-my-city-philly.html

Post by Jacqueline Rupp

Remember plodding your way through the Greek classics in freshman lit? We promise The Seven isn’t going to be anything like that! Performed by the Temple Theater Department, this off-Broadway play throws new life into at least one of those old Greek classics. Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus might seem a long way from the struggles of urban life, but playwright Will Power thinks otherwise. His interpretation of the Aeschylus drama turns a classical Greek tragedy into a story for modern times.

Using the legendary Greek Oedipal curse, “The sins of the father are visited upon their sons,” Power sheds new light on the inner-city tragedies happening today. Known as a “Hip Hop theater specialist” Power is not only a playwright, he’s also an award-winning actor, rapper, and educator. And with The Seven, Power brings high drama to a new generation with a production packed full of musical harmonies, rap rhythms and slam poetry. Don’t miss the street-wise dialogue and killer hip-hop moves unlike anything seen in the theaters of Ancient Greece.

The show began earlier this month and will run through Sunday, February 22nd.

Tickets run from $20 for general admission to $15 for students and seniors and can be purchased online at Brown Paper Tickets or by phone at 1-800-838-3006.

For more information please visit Temple’s Theater Department.

Temple University Tomlinson Theater
1301 W. Norris Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
(215) 204-8414
www.temple.edu/sct/theater

There is now a new option to try fine dining for an affordable price… it’s called lunch! Whether it’s a business meeting, a romantic one-on-one, a friend or family occasion or simply the desire of treating yourself with great food, Lacroix at Rittenhouse offers an opportunity to taste Chef Matthew Levin’s sophisticated cuisine without breaking the bank.

The $24.00 3-course lunch includes taste buds delights such as a Warm Butternut Squash-miso Soup, perfect for those cold winter days, Orzo Macaroni and Risotto, that will leave your stomach satisfied, or for the more traditional among us, a Giant Buttermilk Chicken Nugget with 3 dipping sauces. They’re also adding a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage. No wonder why they call it the “Appetite Stimulus”!

Lacroix Restaurant
210 West Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 790-2533
www.lacroixrestaurant.com