Americana

I'm going to admit something here. Ready? When it comes to classical music, I can be unsophisticated. Okay, that wasn't so hard. Now I can unclench my stomache. So why, you ask, would the author or a cultural blog admit to simple taste? Because sometimes simple can be good.

Take Thursday night's Philadelphia Orchestra performance, for example. Called "American Postcards," the bill featured only pieces by composers from the grand old U. S. of A. Now I know several of you officianados are probably choking on your palate cleansers right now. "What?" you cry, "No Russians?!" But hear me out. Sometimes - or most times - pieces have mass appeal for a reason: because they're moving and accesible. Thursday night's performance at the Kimmel Center highlighted this fact, often overlooked in salon circles.

The program opened with Berstein's Overture to Candide. We all know it. We all love it. But does that mean hearing a well-executed rendition of it is trite? Quite the opposite. It's deliciously satisfying. The same goes for Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. Honestly I could listen to it from this moment until my last breath and never grow tired. So I may be a little biased. (My friend and I actually got into a fight during the concert over which one of us Gershwin would be more likely to date were he alive today. Totally me.) But let's be honest - he's a crowd-pleaser, and with good reason.

For their final piece, the orchestra performed Sousa's "Star and Stripes Forever." Hold your cringes, you purests. This is a damn good piece of music, and Thursday night's was honestly the best performance of it I've ever heard. The Kimmel Center's occasionally stuffy audiences were actually clapping to the beat enthusiastically and gave a standing ovation. And can I just say a word for Sousa? So marching bands have become uncool (unless your Nick Cannon, who was cool even while appearing in Drumline, but lost it when he married Mariah Carrey). But this stuff is America. My Grandpop still talks about how moved he was going to watch Sousa perform live at Willow Grove Park. Sousa is American music history, and guess what? He's also pretty cool to listen to. members of the classical inner circle. I'm not even too proud to clap along. Take that, members of the classical inner circle.

But before you unsubscribe to my blog, don't worry. Tomorrow I'll be reviewing Yo-Yo Ma.

Summer in the City

It took me a full day to recover from the Kimmel Center's Summer Solstice festivities - a full day! But when a celebration lasts from 3 in the afternoon until 6 a.m. the next morning, it tends to hit your pretty hard. But it is so worth it.

There were events for everyone from toddlers to yuppies to octogenarians. Funny how I find my interests falling into all three categories. I'll just provide a few highlights. The Swaray African Safari Ensemble performed in the Kimmel Center lobby with impressive energy. Few people could resist the urge to move to their music. The only strange aspect of their performance was that I looked away one moment and the next moment they had African dancers on stage in Vegas showgirl outfits. African dancers? Yes. Gaudy sequined bikinis? No. Next time don't distract from the theme, guys.

Philly native rock band The Brakes seemed thrilled to be performing in the impressive space of Verizon Hall, and they played with the ingenuity and enthusiasm to prove it. It was refreshing to see such a humble group of guys perform in a big-time concert hall, and the acoustics certainly did their indie/blues sound justice. Culture Vulture will definitely be keeping her eyes on these guys for future performances.

There was also a Guitar Hero death match, er, competition in Verizon Hall. The fact that it looked incongruous on the same stage as the Philadelphia Orchestra made it a little bizarre, but no less fun. Let me tell you, too, this competition was fierce. I saw a 12-year-old boy break a grown man with the flick of a wrist. Tensions ran high, but luckily there were no hard feelings.

On the Hamilton Rooftop Garden, which you have to visit if you've never gotten that close to the Kimmel Center's skylight ceiling, the incredibly strong women who comprise Shofuso Taiko performed traditional Japanese drumming. It was almost a dance as well as a musical performance, and the women were all in perfect unison. After the performance they offered a brief taiko workshop, in which I participated. Taiko is just a little bit harder than I anticipated. Let's just say I may have been singled out for extra help by the instructor.

Into the night, DJ Spinderella of Salt-N-Peppa fame (yes, as in, "Let's Talk About Sex") span dance tunes in the Perelman theater-turned-club. It was a little awkward at first grooving to hip hop in the same space where I usually listen to cello soloists, but I quickly adjusted, and judging from the packed room so did everyone else.

Although I didn't quite make it to the drum circle at dawn (I was going to improvise and somehow play my body), I definitely feel I got my money's worth out of the event. With my longest day of the year well-spent and the pagan worship checked off my to-do list, I feel entirely satisfied.

Overload

Culture Vulture has been on vacation for a few weeks, but fortunately I'm back in time for this culture-packed weekend. Here's a weekend preview - I dare you to pack it all in.

Tonight, and every Thursday night for that matter, at 8 pm Good Dog Bar (http://www.gooddogbar.com/dogbar.com/) has their Quizzo competition with Johnny Goodtimes. Here's your big challenge: see if you can beat Culture Vulture's team. It's really hard, seeing as we came in second to last place last time. And yet we keep going back, because that's how strong the pull is. Tonight we're shooting for third to last.

Friday night should be an exceptionally good Art After 5 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (www.philamuseum.org/artafter5). Amina Figarova, whose cross-cultural influences have made him one of the best jazz pianists of our time, will perform from 5-9 pm tomorrow. Of course there will be the usual wine and gallery wandering, but somehow I imagine it will be difficult for many to tear themselves away from the performance.

Also starting Friday is the Popped! Philadelphia Music Festival (http://www.poppedphiladelphia.org/), with the Kickoff Party starting at 8 pm at the Trocadero. Vampire Weekend, a new if somewhat over-hyped band for whom I have a soft spot, is headlining on Saturday at Drexel, and the line-up continues on Sunday at World Cafe. This festival is only in its second year, but hopefully with support it will become a permanent part of the Philadelphia festival scene.

Last, but certainly not least, is this Saturday's Summer Solstice Celebration (www.kimmelcenter.org/solstice), one of the Kimmel Center's biggest events of the year. This is an all-day, all-night affair, with events ranging from live music and dance to a guitar hero competition to a drag show. At dawn there will be a drum circle, but it's BYOD (bring your own drum), so come prepared. Because honestly, what Summer Solstice would be complete without a little pagan ritual?