Jesse Todd and Wes Pickell drop by to discuss Art @ Sophi. This friday's freshest event in the city. Also new music by Diagram and Sleeping Kings of Iona. Get down with the South Philly scene on this week's Worst Music You've Ever Heard: Episode 40.
Click here to download the show.

Played on the Show

1. Diagram - Forget Where Things Come From
   
2. Sleeping Kings of Iona - Organ ´ Song
   
3. Diagram - Remember The Days

• Wes is it Pickle or Pick-ell?
  
• Art @ Sophi is young, hip, and cool.
  
• Jessica says "Old City is Old!"
  
• The Compound 's House Shows
  
• Art @ Sophi is free. Lots of cool art and music.
  
• The Sophi girl Logo!
  Remember The Day Links
  running time: 23:24 : : : file size: 22.2 MB
  click here to see this show's insert photos
  Jesse Todd : : : Wes Pickell

Once again you two have brought in a great set of guests and played a wonderful show. I loved the track by Sleeping Kings of Iona and I am of course a massive fan of Diagram.

The compound sounds similar to the old 43 Norfolk warehouse I used to live in. Part home part venue. dig it...

After listening to this podcast, i really wanted to go to this show... but I have work. Ughhhh.

I don't get it, no one from south philly goes to these shows, college kids go to these shows, infact these shows are alienating to anyone who is actually from south philly. Jesse isn't from philly, and most of the people who show up are college students who are not from philly. So I don't get it, aren't you making south philly another old city? something you guys all seemed strongly against?

it just seems like a pretenious thing... especially the graffitti in south philly, south philly was one of the biggest anti-graffiti law pushers... and you will probably have artist who again, are not from philly but the burbs or college student.
I just think if you are so concerned with south philly you go and get people from the neighborhood and ask them what they want to see and hear

Jessica - Thanks for the criticism. I am taking your comments very seriously and have been thinking of ways to reach out to the community. I will discuss my ideas with the rest of the Sophi crew.

Seth and Jessie - Thanks for having us on the show!

i think that jessica's comments invalidating sophi based on the fact that the kids aren't actually from south philly really ignores a central part of what south philly actually is.

there are very few people in south philly who are actually from the area. there are twelve different immigrant asian populations alone, all speaking their own languages, along with a new wave of albanians, mexicans and the, now, second generation italians. south philly is an area that is made up of multiple communities, and now there is an increasingly thriving artist community. what's wrong with that?

don't get me wrong. i understand the history of what happens in philadelphia when (mostly white) artist kids move into a neighborhood. hopefully the kids that are down there feel responsibility to keep that history from repeating itself.

it would be great if sophi teamed up with other local organizations for its events. it would do a lot to bridge the communities of south philly together - something that is long overdue.

I agree more with jessica than I do with the second person, it seemed more that she was saying that the people who attend and run these shows are not from south philadelphia. I mean if you are going to break it down, no one is from south philadelphia, unless they are native american.

I have known jesse for a while, and he is a nice guy, but my opinion, the interviewer was making this seem like this whole art movement is to move old city to south philadelphia. (which seems in a year or two it will just be as bad and allienating) I mean the whole idea of bringing art to an area without discussing this with the residents who have lived their for their whole lives and calling it a movement doesn't make sense because it isn't a movement unless everyone is envolved? You can't just have people who think they know what is best for everyone do everything. That is the same mentality of colonist.... etc. (that is extreme but even the person above this comment mentioned other cultures, which I am sure are not being represented)
It appears that artist just want another day to hock their merchandise. I was told that there were paintings at this shin-dig for 5,000 dollars!!! How many people in the south philadelphia area can realistically afford that? And the people of 12th street who just had their house spray painted on weren't so enthusastic about graffiti that day.

I guess the inerview wouldn't have bothered me if you just called it what it is, first friday continued.

I also haven't seen any evidence of this movement going into the community and trying to get people who are not normal gallery goers out to these events, except wheat paste, which I love wheat paste, but again this is putting someone elses artwork into an area that it doesn't belong....

this could be a great idea and I am excited to see that there was a comment in response to rethink the sophie strategy....

also look at the Bboy Barbque, which invites the WHOLE neighborhood out, feeds them, and then shows them artwork.....

good luck