Arts

Design­ing a Ren fest spe­cific­ally for a big-city audi­ence has meant do­ing some things dif­fer­ently. For starters, its cast of per­formers boasts not just a merry im­prov troupe of knights, jug­glers and tav­ern wenches …

Physiological psychologist Marcia Pelchat works at one of Philadelphia’s unique scientific institutions: the Monell Chemical Senses Center, the world’s only independent research nonprofit dedicated to the study of taste and smell. PW asked Professor Pelchat—who’ll be speaking at two Philadelphia Science Festival events this month—“Perceptions of Flavor” on April 23 and “Beer Chemistry” on April 26—to explain...

On March 29, 1988, an album that propelled two kids from West Philadelphia into the stratosphere of international fame was released on Jive Records: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper. Their debut LP, 1987’s Rock the House, included the mild hit single, “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble,” but...

The sixth annual emerging-artist show is extra loud this time around.

The U.S. should invade hell and kill God.

I’ve never liked Morrissey. His band the Smiths all but wrecked Brit alt-music in the 1980s. And then there was his penchant for dodgy statements about race and ethnicity. “Reggae is vile,” he sniffed. “Obviously, to get on Top of the Pops these days one has to be, by law, black,” he whined. He...

  I’ve never liked Morrissey. His band the Smiths all but wrecked Brit alt-music in the 1980s. And then there was his penchant for dodgy statements about race and ethnicity. “Reggae is vile,” he sniffed. “Obviously, to get on Top of the Pops these days one has to be, by law, black,” he whined....

  Roots, “Don’t Feel Right” There’s a moment that passes at the beginning of the Roots’ new single, just as the bare drum intro gives way to a forceful cluster of snippeted samples, which should let fans of the band breathe easy. On the heels of their less than impactful The Tipping Point, the...