Ring in the new year with MSTRKRFT at the Electric Factory

Trying to find the best shows going on next month, but are too overwhelmed by how many choices are out there? Just missed getting tickets for that Lady Gaga show, and need another one to compensate? Here’s a Look at some November shows that might just be a little too good to pass up! And note, while this list primarily features Philadelphia, it showcases bands who are currently touring the country. So if you like what you hear, then you might just want to check their websites and see if their coming to a stage near you!

Gil Mantera’s Party Dream December 1st at Johnny Brenda’s

The term “80s retro” gets thrown around a lot these days. It’s easy to marginalize acts such as M83, Ladyhawke, Neon Neon, and many others as part of a trend, nothing more. Even though these acts are consciously hearkening back to bygone days, the “retro” marginalization doesn’t fit. I say that they are part of the rebirth of a musical aesthetic– these artists are not simply copying the sound, they are furthering it. Gil Mantera’s Party Dream’s second album, Dreamscape, is a significant addition to this movement. The formerly happy hardcore duo has become a synth-rock trio with an expanded and matured sound: Party Dream has dyed their moody, danceable pop ballads in the dark and beautiful power of the electronic art rock of old. -Consequence of Sound. With Sweatheat and Pony Pants.
Gil Mantera\'s Party Dream
Tickets
Elmo’s Wish

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists December 2nd at First Unitarian Church

From R5 Productions Website -

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
Yippeee! Ted Leo And The Pharmacists are back! Ted Leo, former leader of the criminally overlooked D.C. mod-pop outfit Chisel, with his pick-up band the Pharmacists (members of Nation Of Ulysses, The Lapse and Young Pioneers), continues on his unique pop trajectory, somewhere between the jumpy caffeinated pop of his old outfit Chisel, the mod emotion of the Jam, the kick ass rock of Thin Lizzy and the perfect pop of old Elvis Costello. Super smart and sentimental (especially the lyrics: wry and clever, but heartfelt and really unique), but playful and infectious at the same time. First Philly show in a loooonnnggggggg time!

The So So Glos
The So So Glos…play slurry, ’70s-style revolt/party punk that melts into reggae. Brooklyn
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Tickets
Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?

Ghostland Observatory December 4th at The Trocadero Theatre

Ghostland Observatory is not a band, but an agreement between two friends to create something that not only heals their beat-driven hearts, but pleases their rock ‘n roll souls. Taking the working man’s approach, Ghostland Observatory spend countless hours in their south Austin studio. They have released two albums in less than a year, and have moved audiences from coast to coast with their live performances and unique style

Ghostland Observatory is the duo of front man Aaron Behrens and producer/drummer Thomas Turner. Behrens’ vocal style and stage performances are unique and uncompromising, and he has drawn early comparisons to Freddie Mercury and Prince. Turner is heavily influenced by electronic artists such as Daft Punk, Laurent Garnier and Green Velvet, as well as rockers such as The Animals, David Bowie, and The Clash. With their spectral blend of electronics, drums, guitar and vocals, they have emerged with a sound that is the culmination of past influence and present inspiration, and can only be described as BALLSY.
Ghostland Observatory
Tickets
Sad Sad City

El Vez and Los Straitjackets December 4th at World Cafe Live

El Vez is the stage name of Robert Lopez, a Mexican-American rock and roll artist, who performs and records original material and covers classic rock songs. Mixing the styles of Elvis Presley and many other American rock artists with his own Latin-American heritage and music, he is known for expressing revolutionary views through his the satire and humor in his songs.

El Vez is known for his high-production value, frenetic stage show, which features two backup singers/dancers (the Elvettes), numerous on- and off-stage costume changes, and between-song monologues mixing humor and political activism.

Lopez’s main persona and style is very similar to Elvis Presley, as his stage name suggests. However, he is not strictly an Elvis impersonator; on his recordings and in his live show, he covers many non-Mexican artists, such as John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, T. Rex, Queen and the Beatles.

Los Straitjackets is an American instrumental rock band that formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1988. Originally comprising guitarists Danny Amis (formerly of Raybeats) and Eddie Angel and drummer L. J. “Jimmy” Lester under the name The Straitjackets, the band split up soon after forming and reunited as Los Straitjackets in 1994 with the addition of bassist E. Scott Esbeck. Esbeck left the band in 1998 and was replaced by Pete Curry; drummer Jason “Teen Beat” Smay replaced co-founding member Lester in 2005. The band has released eleven studio albums, two collaboration albums and three live albums.
El Vez
Los Straitjackets
Tickets
En El Barrio
Tempest

Schoolly D and Bahamadia December 7th at Johnny Brenda’s

Jesse Weaver Jr. (aka Schoolly D) changed the course of hip-hop history as a pioneer of Gangsta Rap. He fused hardcore beats with explicit and gritty narratives about urban life in his home-town of Philadelphia. Schoolly D paved the way for the likes of Ice-T and Notorious B.I.G., among others with such songs as “Gucci Time”, “Saturday Night” and “P.S.K. What Does It Mean?” His music has been heavily sampled over the years, by such artists as The Roots, Jennifer Lopez, Lil’ Wayne and by the Chemical Brothers in their 1997 smash “Block Rockin’ Beats”. Younger fans may know Schoolly’s work from the Cartoon Networks’ wildly successful Aqua Teen Hunger Force, for which he crafted the legendary theme song and contributes voice-overs.

Bahamadia is a Philadelphia-born hip hop artist, a DJ who later became an MC. As a member of Gang Starr Foundation, she released her critically-acclaimed debut album entitled Kollage in 1996. The album featured production by Guru and DJ Premier of Gangstarr. Kollage was followed in 2001 by BB Queen, an EP release. Bahamadia is a respected lyricist in hip hop and is known for her silky, subdued monotone delivery. More recently, Bahamadia has made guest appearances on tracks by artists including Talib Kweli, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Jedi Mind Tricks and Planet Asia, and through her association with the Philadelphia hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs. Her latest album, Good Rap Music, was released in 2006.
Schoolly D
Bahamadia
Tickets
King of New York
Uknowhowwedu

Fanfarlo and Freelance Whales December 10th at Johnny Brenda’s

From the R5 Productions Website -

Fanfarlo
This band is going to be huge (they already sold out Kung Fu Necktie in advance). Hailing from London, they have been winning over audiences for years with a charming brand of indie pop-folk. Led by Swedish songwriter Simon Balthazar, Fanfarlo was formed in 2006, and soon began touring and steadily releasing new music. In 2008, the group headed to the studio to record their first full-length album – Reservoir, was released earlier this year. The band’s style of indie pop feels familiar (Arcade Fire & Beirut) and yet very new. In addition to the normal lineup of drums, bass and guitars, the group employs an array of instruments ranging from keyboards and mandolin to horns. Get on the bandwagon now!

Freelance Whales
Oh shit – Internet hype alert! Freelance Whales found one another in late 2008, amidst a strange amalgam of unfamiliar instruments, and precariously composed pop songs. Using whatever musical gadgets they happened upon (mostly harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums, waterphone), the five members worked at crafting songs with interlocking rhythmic patterns, lush textural layering, and an engaged group-vocal energy. Freelance Whales can be spotted in the streets and humble venues of New York City, and have just released their first full-length record, Weathervanes, independently. The band’s sentimental and heartwarming pop-folk brings to mind the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Le Loup and Ra Ra Riot.
Fanfarlo
Freelance Whales
Tickets
Outsiders
Generator

The Slackers December 20th at the Theatre of Living Arts

The Slackers are a New York City band, formed in Brooklyn in 1991. The band’s sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz. The Slackers’ notability is credited to their prolific career, tours of North America, Europe, and elsewhere, and signing to notable punk label Hellcat Records.

Self Medication, their latest release (2008), brings this unifying eclecticism to a new level. “Everyday is Sunday” evokes equally Joe Gibbs-era reggae and the Kinks. “Don’t you want a man” has a loping groove somewhere between Bob Marley and the Meters. “Stars” is pure unabashed Beatlemania while “Don’t Have To” evokes Elvis and Rockabilly. As the band matures you can’t tell anymore where the reggae ends and the rock begin. It’s become the Slackers.
The Slackers
Tickets
Married Girl

Lotus and MSTRKRFT December 31st at the Electric Factory

MSTRKRFT (pronounced “Master-craft”) is an electronic music group from Toronto (The Beaches), Ontario, Canada who are signed to Last Gang Records. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler formerly of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P (Alex Puodziukas) formerly of the Mississauga electropop group Girlsareshort. Al-P was also the producer for Death from Above 1979s album You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine as well as several of (Jesse’s former band) Black Cat #13’s records. The duo has been close friends, as well as work partners, for a long time. MSTRKRFT also produced Die Mannequin’s first EP, How to Kill, and Magneta Lane’s second LP, Dancing With Daggers.

Lotus is known for concerts in which a complex light set up is used and their use of varying set lists that employ frequent group improvisation. The concerts are often recorded by amateur engineers (tapers) and posted online for others to listen to. The band has undertaken a number of tours and have performed at festivals including Jam on the River (Philadelphia, PA 2007 and 2008), Wakarusa (KS 2005, 2006, 2007), and the Rothbury Music Festival in July 2008 and 2009.

The band has performed several themed shows. On October 31, 2008 at the TLA in Philadelphia the show was billed as “Live Fast Die Young: the 27 Conspiracy”. Each of the 5 members dressed as a rock star who died at the age of 27 (Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, Pigpen, and Jim Morrison) and the show featured covers by each of the respective bands. On Dec. 31, 2008 the band performed a show that included robot themed covers including Styx – “Mr. Roboto”, Alan Parson’s Project – “I Robot”, Flaming Lips – “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots: Part I”, Radiohead – “Paranoid Android”, and Daft Punk – “Robot Rock”. On Oct. 31, 2009 at Sonar in Baltimore the Halloween show was presented as “Protein Pills in the Labyrinth”. The band members dressed as different David Bowie characters (including Ziggy Stardust, Thin White Duke, and Jareth) and played “Under Pressure”, “Fame”, “I’m Afriad of Americans”, “Space Oddity”, “Let’s Dance”, “Rebel, Rebel”, “Suffragette City” along with original Lotus material.

To kick off 2010, Lotus is planning a New Year’s run beginning on December 29 at Mr. Small’s Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA. The band will be ringing in the new year with fans and friends the The Electric Factory in Philadelphia, PA!
Lotus
MSTRKRFT
Tickets
Spiritualize
Street Justice

For all the talk after Oprah Winfrey announced she will be shutting down her TV talk show on September 9, 2011 and launching OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network — 2011! Have you made plans for two years from now, and have they gotten you world headlines? — and who will follow her as the Queen of Afternoon TV, my newly-launched Twitter obsession leads me to ask a different question: Not who will follow Oprah, but whom she follows.

Oprah has 2,655,360 followers on Twitter; she only follows 17. Here they are (in order from latest to earliest addition):

iamwill
Will.I.am from Black-Eyed Peas
Location everywhere all the time
Bio i.am.will…and all the other i.am’s are jockin’ my style

DrOz
Dr. Mehmet Oz | New York, NY
Bio I’m a surgeon and frequent Oprah guest, about to launch my own TV show about health.

maryjblige
Mary J. Blige | Universe

LisaErspamer
Lisa Erspamer | Chicago
Bio Co-Executive Producer, The Oprah Winfrey Show

JennyfromMTV
Jenny McCarthy
No bio, but latest Tweet: Do you think Kermit the frog has a higher chance of catching the swine flu cuz he’s doing a pig or do you think his immunity built up?

QueenRania
Rania Al Abdullah | Amman, Jordan
Bio A mum and a wife with a really cool day job..

RealHughJackman
Hugh Jackman | Sydney
His latest Tweet: Just met with Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon and First Lady Margarita. They were both incredibly interesting, warm and inviting. 10:14 PM May 25th [Look, he's busy on Broadway

kingsthings
Larry King Live | LA

jimmyfallon
Jimmy Fallon | New York, New York
Bio Snork

SheriSalata
sheri salata | beautiful chicago
Bio: Executive producer, Oprah

THE_REAL_SHAQ
Shaquille O'Neal
CLEVELAND/EVERYWHERE
Bio VERY QUOTATIOUS, I PERFORM RANDOM ACTS OF SHAQNESS

ev
Evan Williams | San Francisco, CA, US
Bio: CEO of Twitter [This is very Oprah of her, connecting with the top guy]

TheEllenShow
Ellen DeGeneres | California
# Bio Find Ellen’s monologue, celebrity photos and videos, games, giveaways, how to get tickets and more on The Ellen Show website.

kinggayle
Gayle King
Bio Gayle King is Editor at Large of O, The Oprah Magazine and host of The Gayle King Show on Sirius/XM.

GStephanopoulos
George Stephanopoulos | Washington, DC
Bio ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent and Host of This Week

mrskutcher
Demi Moore

aplusk
ashton kutcher | here
Bio I make stuff, actually I make up stuff, stories mostly, collaborations of thoughts, dreams, and actions. Thats me.

Kutcher wrote a Tweet that many of the other Twitterers whom Oprah follows retweeted:” Let’s send Oprah 4 million hugs today! RT @Oprah: Big Day….tune in my tweet friends.”

Others describe Neil Patrick Harris as the child prodigy TV star of “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and the 36-year-old star of “How I Met Your Mother” and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”; the cameo psychopath of “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle”; the hot host of both this year’s Tony Awards and this year’s Emmy Awards; openly gay icon and role model; the surprisingly accomplished thespian, the Broadway star of “Proof” and “Cabaret” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Assassins.”

But Neil Patrick Harris has a different description of himself: “act some. Dig variety acts, Pixar, puppets, theme parks and great meals.”

That is his bio on his new Twitter account, ActuallyNPH (or as we in the know put it @ActuallyNPH), an account he started on November 16th with the following witty Tweet:

“My first tweet, peeps. I apologize in advance for my slow learning curve. Nice to (sort of) meet you. It’s amazing how quickly 140 charac”

Within hours, he had tens of thousands signing up to follow him. Now three days and only a few more Tweets into Neil Patrick Harris’s excellent Twitter adventure, he has attracted more than 130,000 followers and been “listed” almost 5,000 times. (He himself just follows ten Twitters, including MrPenn from Penn and Teller and Rainnwilson — who has 1,645,492 followers but that’s after 2,142 Tweets — a pioneering Twitterer.)

As of this writing, Twitter novice Neil Patrick Harris has written 23 Tweets demonstrating that he actually is the witty guy that he appears to be, although I have to say, not above promotional and self-promotional 140-character patter. As he says, he lives in “Hollywoodland.” And now Twitterland.

Here is what he’s written so far (I’m putting this from oldest to newest, the exact opposite of the way they do it on Twitter)

My first tweet, peeps. I apologize in advance for my slow learning curve. Nice to (sort of) meet you. It’s amazing how quickly 140 charac
4:02 PM Nov 16th from web

Felicia Day is popular. She mentions me and Twitter and Kablammo! http://yfrog.com/15aklrj
7:05 PM Nov 16th from Twitterrific

Holy Pete, so many responses! Thanks, gang! I’m still trying to figure out which button does what..! And this 140 character limit is craz
10:11 PM Nov 16th from Twitterrific

‘Morning. Reading backlog of responses and sipping coffee. How many times should one tweet per day? BTW this character limit hokum is pis
11:03 AM Nov 17th from web

[from alwaysmix]: 这位先生 @ActuallyNPH 你太搞了 你的140 charater limit真的要笑死我了

@alwaysmix : Ah, perfect. Thanks. I totally get it now.
11:13 AM Nov 17th from web in reply to alwaysmix

Prfkt. Thx 4 L th advyc evry1. This s a way ezr way 2 cmuNik8. Un42n8ly, itz takn me 3 hrz 2 ryt, but itz much pre4d 2 gtn cut off lyk i u
12:08 PM Nov 17th from web

On set. Best guest star EVER! The entire cast/crew was super stoked. No one more than me: http://yfrog.com/0w5ostj
6:13 PM Nov 17th from Twitterrific

Ok. So. Now that I’ve figured out this 140 character stuff, get this – Tim Gunn bursts out of his room, walks right up to me and says, “Ne
8:17 PM Nov 17th from Twitterrific

Alright, alright. I’m done with the ‘140 character’ running gag. Sorry, it makes me laugh. But as my wise father Ron always says, “Know w
11:26 PM Nov 17th from web

HIMYM’s 100th episode musical number. Dance steps by Glee’s prod/choreo Zach Woodlee. Cool. Watch me point at him: http://yfrog.com/3nbrocj 10:41 AM Nov 18th from Twitterrific

So many super cool responses. A thousand thanks everyone. This is fun. No more 140 character hulabaloo, though. Even I am beginning to ti
1:19 PM Nov 18th from Twitterrific

@Sigafoos – Best idea ever. Do it. Go on. Do it. Everyone’s doin’ it. It’s the cool thing to do.
2:22 PM Nov 18th from web in reply to Sigafoos

HIMYM’s 100th episode musical number. Dance steps by Glee’s prod/choreo Zach Woodlee. Cool. Watch me point at him: http://yfrog.com/3nbrocj
10:41 AM Nov 18th from Twitterrific

So many super cool responses. A thousand thanks everyone. This is fun. No more 140 character hulabaloo, though. Even I am beginning to ti 1:19 PM Nov 18th from Twitterrific

@Sigafoos – Best idea ever. Do it. Go on. Do it. Everyone’s doin’ it. It’s the cool thing to do. 2:22 PM Nov 18th from web in reply to Sigafoos

Filming dance numbers is taxing!! When watching at home, you forget there were 1,420 thousand takes. I just slipped and nearly broke my co
6:34 PM Nov 18th from web

That @broslife is one handsome devil..! Ah, if only I was… oh wait. 12:02 PM Nov 19th from Twitterrific

At Good News for Kids Gala, honoring my great friend Becky Baeling. She is amazing, as is the Phoenix House organization. Well played, Beck! 10:01 PM Nov 19th from Twitterrific

Listen gang, not all of these teets will be for comedy. Sometimes I have actual things to say. Charity is important. I’ve always said, “Nev
10:30 PM Nov 19th from Twitterrific

Oops. Tweets. W. t-W-e-e-t-s. My bad. Teets are different. They are ALWAYS used for comedy… Apologies.
10:51 PM Nov 19th from Twitterrific

Is asking you to cast a vote for an award show cheesy? If so, we never had this conversation. If not, I would sure dig a vote for this ye about 11 hours ago from Twitterrific

COUGH! COUGH! people’s choiceCOUGH! awardCOUGH! Sorry, must be allergies… about 11 hours ago from Twitterrific

Feeling much better. Wait… ah, Ah… AAHHhttp://www.peopleschoice.co…!! Oops. Anyone have a tissue? about 6 hours ago from Twitterrific

Stacey Keibler guesting on HIMYM. Hot, funny, and talented. I must say, she’s a real quintuple threat. http://yfrog.com/333eaj about 5 hours ago from Twitterrific

Make that @stacykeibler, guys. She just reprimanded me. For spelling her name wrong, not for my pointing at her teets. about 4 hours ago from Twitterrific

This according to just about everyone that had anything to do with the events in the book.  Seems Mrs. Palin is not consistent with facts in her book; she said last year in an interview that the family had a vote to decide on her taking the nomination, but on Oprah she said the opposite, which is the same as on the campaign trail.  Only now many campaign officials involved with the situations are starting to speak up.  Even the infamous woman at the center of wardrobe gate – Lisa A. Kline (no relation to the L.A. clothing store) – who gave her first interview to the NY Times this week, wants to set the record straight.

Not only does Mrs. Palin go rogue on the facts, but she goes rogue while explaining her facts and plans for America in interviews for the book, calling other policies on Barbara Walters ass-backwards.  She said ass-backwards in a Barbara Walters interview discussing policy! (Honestly, if it was a choice between her and Bush, I would take Bush. He never introduced policy to make women pay for their own rape kits.)

She argues (what I think she calls going rogue) that the November 23rd, 2009 cover of Newsweek is sexist, and I would like to agree but she is just so #^%$# that it is beyond any ism because she is beyond any ism.  If you were a serious person you could be dealt with seriously, but all bets are off with Palin.

I can’t believe I’m about to humor her by discussing this claim of sexism but here goes: can you be a proud former beauty queen contestant and complain when looks are used to measure you?  Maybe you can, after all it was years ago and even so who cares what someone does in their youth as long as it isn’t illegal, so that could easily be  argued.  However no one trudged out Elizabeth Doles youthful pics as part of any serious discussion of her merits. But it was Elizabeth Dole, a serious minded woman. Other serious minded women don’t take glamour, pinup like photo shots in their quest to be national political candidates, which introduces them to the world stage.  Her shoot was insulting – not because she took a pretty pic, but her photo shoot was beyond that.  It was pandering – and women, most of all, know it. So no, you can’t now cry sexism. Tsk, tsk.

So Mrs. Palin, kinda like you break it you buy it, you take it you deal with it.  Remember that fatal blow to the Dukakis campaign Mrs. Palin?  The photo of him in the tank looking really, really fish out of water. Once taken, people can run with it.

Ass-backwards, maybe? But those be the rules of this game.

There’s an old tale that comes to mind when I think of this whole cover issue. A long time ago, a man hatched an evil scheme to get everyone to hate his enemy and kill him, thus making him the leader of the land. However at every step his plan backfires, and the rope he hung for his enemy is actually the one that holds his fate.  It sucks when a plan backfires, but it’s even more painful when it’s by our own hand.  Neither that story nor Mrs. Palin’s cover photo is ass-backwards. It’s called justice.

If nothing else, Mrs. Palin offers women a good opportunity to discuss amongst each other what we are doing with our lives and our power.  And that, as a favorite women of mine says, is a good thing.

Sarah Palin has book tour dates across most of the U.S. through early December, though Los Angeles is not yet scheduled.

New Moon is to open across the U.S. on November 20th, and the L.A. Premiere happened Monday night to immense throngs of fans and tight security. So tight that Kellan Lutz, the beloved vampire from the film reportedly had a hard time getting into the after-party with a friend.  Shoulda shown the fangs.

For all its hoopla and fan fare however, the films premiere was not without its drama – which seems to be a franchise trend.  So actually, let me go back and catalogue some of the movie series evolving drama’s.  First there was news that Catherine Hardwicke, the talented director of the first-film-in-the-franchise Twilight (and other amazing movies) would not be returning for (AKA was nixed from doing) New Moon.  It was leaked they didn’t want her, which was countered with ‘what’s up with that she is really talented and the movie came out great in the end’, but she was out.  And while Chris Weitz as director was in, it still made the franchise seem, well, bumpy.  Then there were the stars hooking up drama – which wouldn’t have been anything if KS hadn’t had a beau at the time (true or not, it was still all the talk.)

But this last tib-bit is the carry over to the premiere of New Moon. The red-headed vampire-ette of the first two movies, Rachelle Lefevre, was not re-signed to do the third movie – which means she was booted – and Bryce Dallas Howard, the actress with the uber-Hollywood father, was signed to play the part in the third movie.  Signed! So not only had it been in the works for a while (ouch) but many people knew.  More bumpyness.  Most everyone who saw the first one liked Lefevre, but after the second finished shooting and contracts were made for the third, she was out.  Summit Entertainment said that she had signed to do another movie that conflicted with the shoot schedule, which Lefevre said was not true.  Bottom line she was out…cut to months later and the U.S. premiere, and the actress opted not to attend, tweeting: “2 fans at the premiere: w/ Honey in hospital & being fired from Eclipse tonight was just 2 emotional 4 me & I couldn’t manage it.” And yes, Honey is her dog.

Oh, and to keep it full circle, reports have Catherine Hardwicke stating that Howard was her first choice for the role, but at the time she turned it down it was too small for her.

I can’t wait to get back to the vampire drama!

Some have called Jamaica’s mightiest record producer, the one and only Lee “Scratch” Perry, a madman. He may be one reggae’s longest-lived patron saints, but he also managed to drive Bob Marley out of his stable of recording artists, clash with The Clash over the production values of “Police and Thieves” and, not least, burn his own recording studio down to rid it of “unclean spirits.” (They don’t call him “The Upsetter” for nothing.) This winter, a precious few US audiences will have the chance to witness Perry walk the border between madness and genius live on stage.

Ever the eccentric, Perry’s live show as every bit as surreal as the dozens of singles and albums released under his multitude of pseudonyms since the early 1960s. Expect sound system antics de rigueur, the most unintelligible stage banter this side of Shane MacGowan and, of course, and that drop…drop…drop dub beat.

Dude lives all the way over in Switzerland these days, so pocket tickets while they’re still $25 a pop. Check out Perry’s handful of U.S. dates below:

Sunday, December 13th: New York, NY @ HighLine Ballroom

Monday, December 14th: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

Wednesday, December 16th: Park City, Utah @ Star Bar

Friday, December 18th: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

Saturday, December 19th: Oakland, CA @ Town Hall

Sunday, December 20th: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst

To check out more groundbreaking goings-on in arts and culture, keep up with the CultureMob blog or follow us on Twitter.

What are good shows to see on Broadway, especially during the holiday season? I suppose this is the obvious question to ask anybody who sees a lot of theater, even though the answer really depends on your taste.

Looking at the list of shows that have opened this season so far that I have seen, here are some recommendations

If you are looking for an old-fashioned tuneful musical: Finian’s Rainbow

If you like to see great choreography: Burn The Floor, Memphis

For a humorous musical, I liked bad-taste humor of “The Toxic Avenger” which announced that it is closing January 3rd to go on tour. (scroll down near the bottom of article linked to, which is my review of six different shows Off-Broadway)

If you are looking for a thought-provoking play, I suggest one that is Off-Broadway (though in the Theater District):
Anna Deavere Smith’s “Let Me Down Easy,” in which she re-creates her interviews with 20 people including feisty former Texas Governor Ann Richards and Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who talk about their bodies, their health. It is running through December 6th.

A lovely little play for anyone who has ever taken a theater class (but not just them) is
also Off-Broadway (and also in the Theater District) Circle Mirror Transformation It is supposed to run only through November 21st, but it has been extended several times already.

For those who are interested in discovering a fresh new voice in the theater, try Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays at the Public Theater.

Note 1: I am only talking about shows that opened up this season. There are several wonderful shows from past seasons that are still very much on the boards, including (but not by any means limited to) In The Heights and Next To Normal. (You don’t need me to recommend the hits that are impossible to get into, or at least impossibly expensive).

Note 2: There are five more shows opening up before Christmas, several of which look promising.

Take a look at my updated list of shows for the Broadway season 2009 – 2010

Join my New York Theater Facebook page or follow me on my New York Theater Twitter page

There was a time when “Jewish comedian” was redundant. A good sign this is no longer true is that they are now the subject of a lecture series at the 92nd Street Y, given by Columbia University professor Jeremy Dauber. The one on Lenny Bruce occurred in October. The professor will speak on Woody Allen on November 19th and Mel Brooks on February 16th, 2010. . These are the comedians ”who make us think deeply as we laugh heartily.”(The comedians will not be present, except in spirit)

It doesn’t mention on the Y’s Web site what Professor Dauber is a professor of. The Columbia site says he is the Atran Associate Professor of Yiddish Language, Literature and Culture (A.B., Harvard, 1995; D.Phil., 1999). Question for Professor Dauber: Do Mel Brooks and Woody Allen know Yiddish? (I bet the answer is yes and no).

Bob Dylan will be playing the latest (and possibly last) leg of his current tour at the United Palace Theater in New York at 7:30 p.m. from Tuesday, November 17th to Thursday, November 19th. Prices are $59-$129.

Some eight million viewers watch “Glee” every Wednesday night on Fox, but that really doesn’t get at the phenomenon the show has become; it’s not just the numbers, it’s the intensity of the Gleeks, especially those who are also musical theater fans. Even the New York Times is in on it, writing about Glee watching parties and discussion groups, even among the casts of Broadway shows, including “Bye, Bye Birdie” and “Jersey Boys”

The first season DVD is on the way, but a “Glee” album has already come out, “Glee: The Music, Volume 1″ (how many albums are there from “Grey’s Anatomy”?).

The official Glee Facebook page has more than 800,000 fans. The official Glee Twitter account has 61,244 followers.

But the individual actors — and their characters! — have their own fans and followers.

As of this moment, the Twitter account of Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) has 16,385 followers,
Mark Salling (playing the football player Noah “Puck” Puckerman) has 35,452 followers, Chris Colfer (who plays the gay diva Kurt Hummel). has 40,069.
Lea Michele (Rachel Berry), 46,038 , Corey Monteith (the football quarterback Finn Hudson, 52,697.

I couldn’t find an account for Matthew Morrison, who is the ostensible star of the show, although he does have a Facebook page with 2,271 fans. Weirdly enough his character Will Schuester also has a Facebook page and it has five times more fans. Likewise, Colfer has said he gets so much fan mail addressed to his character Kurt that he calls the fans the Kurtsies.

Unsurprisingly then, it’s not only the cast that has Twitter accounts, their characters have them too, also with tens of thousands of followers. Sue Sylvester, the Glee-hating cheerleading coach played by Jane Lynch, has her own Twitter account (22,010 followers) with Tweets like “I’m tired of waiting for a Scott Bakula vehicle worthy of his talents” and “I once pulverized my own gall stones by yelling at them.”

Morrison (or his publicist) keeps a Glee video diary

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