Philly, Best Of

After spending a few years in Philly while studying at Temple University, I've come up with my own random list of Best Ofs for Philadelphia in the form of 'Top 3's". Most likely, your favorite one that I missed was number 4. Sorry in advance.

Concert Venues
1. Trocadero - Awesome architecture. In China Town. Egg drop soup after!
2. TLA (Theatre of Living Arts) - Right on South Street. Feels small, but is a big venue.
3. The First Unitarian Church - Remember when your band played in a church basement? This is it. And I've seen some unbelievable shows while being 5 feet from them. And they sell used vinyl...

Restaurant in Chinatown
1. Pho Cali - Best Pho ever. Cheap, delicious, excellent service, great bubble tea smoothies!
2. Banana Leaf - delicious Malaysian cuisine!
3. Wong Wongs - Really not much better than the rest of the stuff. But Wong Wong's is a fantastic name.

Brunch Places
1. Sabrina's - The Italian Market location is bangin'. So good. Makes for an awesome date.
2. Fitzwater Cafe - Not an extensive menu, but the food is amazing and fresh.
3. Temple Rainbow - On Temple's campus. Best Sunday morning breakfast 5 minutes from my house. With a sign on the window for 'Waffle', you know it's good.

Places to People Watch
1. Rittenhouse Square - Especially when the weather's nice. Great people walk around, perform, look like their dogs, etc...
2. The Broad Street Line Subway - From Jesus preachers to people passed out, definitely interesting characters...
3. Liacorus walk - The main walk on Temple's campus is packed with benches up and down both sides. Makes for great anonymous staring.

Temple University Food Trucks
1. The Crepe Truck - $5.25 for an amazing crepe (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) and a drink. Open late.
2. Eddie's - Best hoagies. Great bread, friendly people, cheap cheap cheap.
3. The Green Truck - Great salads. Fresh ingredients, great menu. Long wait at times though...

Philly Foods
1. Soft Pretzels - Philly's soft pretzels are amazing. Great breakfast with a cup of coffee.
2. Rita's Water Ice - Good stuff. Not quite Graeter's ice cream in Cincinnati, but it's surprisingly incredibly refreshing.
3. Tasty Cake Butterscotch Krimpets - Mmmmmm

Cheesesteak Places
1. Jim's - On South Street. Chopped.
2. Geno's - The way the whiz seeps in. Oh man.
3. Tony Luke's - Just has some awesome bread. Great pork sandwich too...

Monsters of Folk @ The Academy of Music 11/9

It was fittingly titled, "An Evening with Monsters of Folk". Sitting on the balcony in antique red-velvet covered chairs looking down on My Morning Jacket's Jim James, M. Ward, and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, I couldn't help but be blown away by a spectacular performance. Not only was the concert unique and a ridiculous show of musicianship, but the crowd itself was unlike any I've ever been a part of.

Being in Philadelphia's Academy of Music, when I first sat down, I had to check myself that it was okay for me to be wearing a ratty corduroy jacket and sandals. The chandelier and cupids on the ceiling seemed to dictate otherwise. But amass the slew of skinny jeans and berets, I was reminded that this wasn't the symphony. Yet as the show began, the crowd treated it like it was - a modern symphony of new music and new arrangements of familiar favorites.

But even cooler than the aura of formality between cheers and jeers was the reality of incredibly mixed fan bases. With My Morning Jacket being a sort of psychedelic folk, M. Ward being a rocky folk, and Bright Eyes an indie/emo folk, Monsters of Folk brought in three huge and intense fan bases. And since each artist played some of their own songs (solo and as collaborations), virtually no one knew every song that was played - making for an awesome feeling of solidarity in not knowing what was coming next.

As for the show itself, Monsters of Folk played for two hours with an ever-growing energy that transitioned expertly from simplicity to piercing peaks. "Slow Down Jo" and "Dear God" were amazing (except for Oberst's part on "Dear God". I'm a little bias, but that guys voice seems to detract from how great Jim James and M. Ward sound together.). And on top of Jim James's haunting falsetto oo's, an ever-present slide guitar, and an infusion of percussive guitar, the group's live sound was original, refined, and consuming.

To feel the three folk-influenced acts separately and together in the same show was absolutely amazing. I felt myself going 'wow' after almost every song. And accompanied by a light show that projected stunning shadows on the curtains, it was all I could do but sit and stare. In fact, the one girl who stood up to sway to one of her beloved Conor Oberst's solo songs was told to "Sit down. Sit the Fuck down!" The only acceptable standing was for the unanimous and instant standing ovations.