The holidays are here, and Shop Penn has a variety of events and contests planned to help you “Eat, Shop, and Be Merry” this December.
The holidays are here, and Shop Penn has a variety of events and contests planned to help you “Eat, Shop, and Be Merry” this December.
• Days of Deals returns on December 2-13 with 12 days of sales and giveaways
• Days of Deals returns on December 2-13 with 12 days of sales and giveaways
• Voting for the Shop Penn Holiday Window Decorating Contest runs from December 4–13
• Voting for the Shop Penn Holiday Window Decorating Contest runs from December 4–13
• Visit shopsatpenn.com for a list of all Holiday Happenings
• Visit shopsatpenn.com for a list of all Holiday Happenings
Shop Local. Shop Penn.
Shop Local. Shop Penn.
WE ARE(n't) PENN STATE
Compared to the screams of other colleges' football fght songs, Penn's silence is even louder.
In Photos: Days in a Daze
What life is like as a Penn student in December.
Weaving Through Bike Lanes and Legislation
These are the steps advocates and city ofcials are taking to prove cycling infrastructure after a dangerous year for cyclists.
40 The Fresh New Faces of Philly Jazz
As the genre ages, it's only getting younger.
14 16 The Flip Side of Fixer Upper Are home makeovers and house fipping reality TV as glamorous as we think?
Murder on the Menu
An analysis of the true-crime genre, from desensitization to delectable meals.
FEATURE
From internet trends to breakout albums, Street brings you the best of the year.
ON THE COVER
Eclectic and colorful, Street celebrates all the bits and bobs of an anything-butstraightforward year.
By Wei-An Jin
The 'S' in 34th Street stands for serendipity— philosophizing on the beginning of the end
The rituals of my college years have been marked by a familiar march between the Quad, Van Pelt, Fisher Fine Arts Library, College Hall, the pool, Harnwell College House, the Stroffice. These days I seem to live at the Stroffice. But one year ago, in the fall of 2023, I said goodbye to Street as I set off to study abroad. Thousands of miles away and five hours ahead of the magazine, my relationship to the publication, I thought, had petered to a quiet end. When the opportunity arose for me to return as Editor–in–Chief, my mind whispered to itself: “What’s meant to be will always return to me.”
The opportunity to be the Editor–in–Chief of 34th Street Magazine has been the joy of my college years. It’s difficult to overstate my love for everything this publication has brought into my life: purpose, friendship, belonging—and hope.
In my bittersweet contemplation, I am continuing a tradition in honor of my predecessor, Walden Green, and in the spirit of our Best of 2024 issue, I am dedicating my final letter from the editor to my favorite 34 moments at 34th Street Magazine.
1. Being inspired by my forever Street Goss Associate Kate Ratner to join Street.
2. Exploring Philly alone for the first time for my first Street article, “Table for One.”
3. My first Street editor Arielle Stanger (aka Strommy) editing my first article on Zoom over my tiny phone screen.
4. Visiting the Stroffice for the first time to pick up my Street Staffer of the Week $5 Saxbys gift card.
5. Photographing the Faye Webster concert while recovering from a concussion.
6. Every prod night run by Walden Green, but specifically the one when we sat on the floor listening to Being Funny In A Foreign Language for the first time at midnight.
7. DP Banquet, January 2023—Irma and her martini glasses.
8. Being Assignment Edz with Kate Ratner and having meetings with our little Staff writers (lovely Jules Lingenfelter especially). Kate, I’m forever listening to our Spotify Blend playlist.
9. Zooming in to my EIC interview from England.
10. The first night of production as EIC, Walden (Straddy) and Arielle (Strommy) icing us. Catie and I getting sprinkled in candy hearts.
11. OLD STREXEC X NEW STREXEC SUSHI BOAT @ OCHATTO—the night my BYO photography career started and of Catie and Walden’s makeout.
12. Night of Strexcitement, spring 2024. A night that I,
and my couch, will never forget.
13. Love Issue launch at Smokey Joe’s Sink or Swim on Valentine's Day. Yes—the one where I got booed by the crowd.
14. Zine–making with Norah, the night I gained a new family.
15. Moscato–gate.
16. Inaugural Street Sessions show at Smokes’! 17. Walden’s EOTM at Abyssinia and every meeting of the minds prior.
18. Penn 10: Penn Pivots (Wei–An, my partner in Street crime) 19. Street Party! Three generations of EICs reuniting and getting a record–breaking number of writer applications. 20. The hourlong edz interview with Hannah because we just couldn’t stop talking.
21. The entire fall 2024 Street edz board, you have been my dream team and give me so much hope for this publication. Fiona, Hannah, Jules, Nishanth, Sophia, Naima, Stella, Jean, Insia, Isaac, Kate, Catie, Wei–An, Norah.
22. Night of Strexcitement, fall 2024. (“You’re going to tell mommy on me!?”)
23. To Strouse (Hannah, Jules, and Norah) for keeping our reputation of being the coolest, best, most social publication alive.
24. Conversations about God over lemon blueberry French toast.
25. Street Twitter, but in particular, Street live tweeting the 2024 presidential debate (aka the real spin room is Strouse).
26. “What’s wrong? Is it his jacket?? Is it his sandwich?? Seriously, what’s wrong?!!!” – Kate Ratner
27. All–Staff meetings!!! And seeing everyone come to our prod nights for edits :)
28. Shooting the 2024 Dining Guide cover with Jean and Wei–An. (Oh how good that bread tasted after four hours of styling and shooting photos.)
29. Wei–An and I leaving the office at 4 a.m. trying to finish dining guide #Phily.
30. Every time we handed out issues on Locust to begrudging passersby.
31. Living off Shee Yuan Chinese catering prod–night dinners and Nerds Gummy Clusters forever.
32. Every bubble mirror selfie we took in a post–midnight daze.
33. Our all–female 140th Board Strexec. Everything we’ve accomplished is because of all of you.
34. Nov. 19, 2024. Last prod ever. Your sweet messages and smiling faces.
Alana Talbert, Anissa T. Ly, Christine Oh, Daniya Siddiqui, Talia Shapiro, Gemma Levy, Sophie Barkan, Parin Keerthi
Staff Writers
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Diemmy Dang, Eva Lititskaia, Jack Lamey, Jasminda Madrid, Kate Hiewon Ahn, Kayley Kang, Lila DuBois, Logan Yuhas, Priyanka Agarwal, Sadie Daniel, Sameera Singh, Will Kelly, Maddy Brunson, Caitlyn Iaccino
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Land on which the office of The Daily Pennsylvanian stands is a part of the homeland and territory of the Lenni-Lenape people. We affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold the DP and the University of Pennsylvania more accountable to the needs of Indigenous people.
The Land on which the office of The Daily Pennsylvanian stands is a part of the homeland and territory of the Lenni-Lenape people. We affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold the DP and the University of Pennsylvania more accountable to the needs of Indigenous people.
CONTACTING 34 th STREET MAGAZINE
If you have questions, comments, complaints or letters to the editor, email Walden Green, Editor–in–Chief, at green@34st.com You can also call us at (215) 422–4640.
CONTACTING 34 th STREET MAGAZINE
If you have questions, comments, complaints or letters to the editor, email Natalia Castillo, Editor–in–Chief, at castillo@34st.com You can also call us at (215) 422–4640.
Former Street Design Editor, Marketing Chair for Penn Q&A (Penn Queer and Asian), English tutor with Penn’s Graduate School of Education, Lead Character Designer for Pencilbite Studio, Member of the Carriage Senior Society
Collin Wang (C ‘25) radiates passion and confidence in all walks of his life. From his love of visual art and design to his diverse academic pursuits, he is constantly exploring new ways to add meaning and excitement to his life. No matter what he is focused on at the moment, he is constantly dedicated to helping those around him both within Penn and beyond. From just a brief conversation with Collin, it is evident that he is a force of light, wisdom, and entertainment for all of those around him.
Can you tell me a little bit more about your journey with deciding what you wanted to major in?
I am in the College of Arts and Sciences and very recently decided to major in psychology after a long journey of constantly switching my major. My time at Penn has been filled with lots of exploring, experimenting, and trying new majors such as neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, linguistics, and many others as well. I came into Penn originally thinking I would explore biology, public health, or art. But when started taking new classes, I began to break out of my bubble and explore new areas. In high school, you only take so many classes, and then you get to college and realize you can explore anything in which you are interested. I don’t think this experience is unique to me, and I am grateful that Penn has provided me with the opportunity to explore different spac-
EOTM
Collin Wang
Street's former design editor refects on his love for visual art and the importance of queer spaces at Penn.
BY TALIA SHAPIRO
Photos by Jean Park
es. Now, let’s just hope I can graduate in time! But for me, Penn is not where my exploring will end. I still have so many things I am interested in.
What was one class that made you realize you wanted to study psychology?
I took abnormal psych, where we discussed different mental illnesses. I had taken many different neuro classes before, but this was finally the perfect mixture; it was human–centered while still being scientific and empirical. For so long, I had been good at science, but I was bored of chem and bio. I wanted to try something new. I also recently took a class called
“Asian American Gender and Sexuality,” which was a mix of anthropology, sociology, gender studies, and more, and I realized that there are so many things that are interesting, and they can all be connected. I can choose to major in one thing but really be able to explore so much more.
What has been your favorite extracurricular activity thus far?
I have loved all of my extracurricular activities. They have all allowed me to be social, meet new people, and explore my interests. I love Penn Q&A because it allows me to socialize with students from different backgrounds. We also do differ-
ent social events and mixers with other affinity groups. I also love being a member of the Carriage Senior Society because it, too, allows me to be social and meet students that are similar in certain capacities but so different in other realms and from different backgrounds. Everyone just wants to have fun and be social. For both of these clubs, I also get to work on marketing and design, creating posters and flyers. I also loved my time on 34th Street working on the design team. I joined as a first year second semester and started working on design and illustrations. After my first year, I became the deputy design editor and loved being more involved. There are many
queer people on the design team as well, so that has also been an amazing community. I then became editor where I created a new vision for the magazine, revamped the templates, created a more standard look, and changed the layout. I loved working on a team and being able to learn from my peers and show them the ropes at the same time.
Can you tell me a little bit more about your experience being queer at Penn?
I am definitely not alone in saying that when you go to college, you have a clean slate. No one has any preconceived notions of who you are and you get to tap into your more authentic self. If people want to assume something about you, then let them. At Penn you meet people from many walks of life and personalities, and even if they are queer, they express it in different ways. Being queer is not always at the forefront of my mind, but I love the idea that I can express myself here and explore my identity. Penn was a new chapter for me and the first time I could have social connections that are somewhat predicated on the fact that they were all, at the very least queer. It is the first time you get to choose your identity and tap into it.
It is clear that you are quite a creative person. How do you express yourself creatively?
I love visual arts, but definitely shy away from working with words. I love to draw, and I can be alone for hours looking at and connecting to people’s visuals, drawings, and designs. My emotions and brain just work through looking at visuals. My gears begin to turn when I am looking at art, and I begin to think about putting things together, why someone chose to put certain things together, and what would other people see based on what I see they like already? For example, I love looking at Pinterest and synthesizing what is aesthetic, what people find appealing ,and why someone may feel that way. I guess that is probably the psychology major coming out of me. When I work on a design or a
drawing, five hours can pass, and I think it’s been 30 minutes. I enter the flow state and only after do I realize that I’m hungry or dehydrated. I love that feeling. I have had times when inspiration has struck at midnight and I will work until 5 a.m., never once thinking about the time.
How did you originally find this passion?
I have been drawing since I was a kid. You know how every parent has boxes with their kids’ old artwork? Well, my work is in crates stuffed to the brim that fill the garage. When I got to Penn, my interest blossomed when I joined new clubs and started making posters and flyers. I began to love it even more, and people realized that I was good at communicating visually, creating community, and making information accessible for all through art. I would say this is really where my passion developed most.
What are some challenges you’ve faced while at Penn?
As I mentioned, academically, I was not settled for a while. This was challeng-
ing, especially at a place like Penn where everyone seems to have it all figured out. But, news flash … no one really does. It is OK if you don’t have it all figured out. Students should reckon with the fact that it is normal to not have direction and not have shame in it. Don’t let any indecisiveness hold you back, and sometimes it is actually better to not have one definitive plan or answer.
After being involved with so many activities and groups on campus, what’s next for you after Penn?
I do not know exactly yet, but I am leaning towards working in the therapy and counseling space. I love working with and talking to people. I think I am a very good listener, and I love to understand people’s perspectives and emphasize with them. I also love working with kids as they are so impressionable, and I feel I could make a real difference. I am also of course considering design and illustration, maybe something like art therapy to combine my interests. k
Soundtrack to your life: “Flower Boy” by Tyler, the Creator
If you could travel anywhere, where would it be: Tour all 50 states of the United States
Hot take: Cats are better than dogs
Comfort food: Chunky peanut butter
Favorite Philly food spot: Don Barriga
There are two types of people at Penn … those who are going to my wedding and those who aren’t.
And I’m hopefully going to my own wedding.
Weaving Through Bike Lanes and Legislation
The steps advocates and city officials are taking to improve cycling infrastructure after a dangerous year for cyclists
BY ANNA O'NEILL–DIETEL
Photos by Jean Park
Philadelphia’s bike infrastructure has long been a contentious issue. Ask any cyclist, and they’ll relay stories of weaving in and out of bike lanes due to stopped vehicles, dealing
with aggressive drivers, and navigating streets littered with potholes and broken glass. But on Oct. 24, Philadelphia’s City Council unanimously passed a bill that expands and increases fines for vehicles in bike lanes and could mark a turning point in protecting cyclists.
Philadelphia is one of the worst cities for cyclists, with a cycling fatality rate greater than that of New York, Boston,
I'm like a little dog begging for treats around nerds gummy clusters
San Francisco, and Chicago. In 2023, ten cyclists died in fatal traffic accidents, the most cycling–related deaths in the city since 2019.
The new bill, introduced on Sept. 5 by Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, came after a high–profile cyclist death and pleas to improve cycling infrastructure over the summer. Amidst the calls for a more bike–friendly city come concerns from various stakeholders: businesses that require loading zones, long–term residents who call for traffic–calming measures and better maintenance, and cycling advocates who feel there is much more work to be done for safer rides.
The “Get Out the Bike Lane” bill amends Title 12 of Philadelphia’s traffic code, imposing fines on vehicles not only parked in the bike lane but also those briefly stopped. Title 12, which went into effect in 2013, allowed drivers to stop for up to 20 minutes to unload or pick someone up before the Philadelphia Parking Authority could fine them.
It’s possible for cars to pull into these lanes as most bike lanes in Philadelphia are denoted by paint, with only a handful protected by plastic flex rods. While the waist–high rods are meant to prevent
vehicles from idling or parking in bike lanes, their flimsy nature allows vehicles to still enter. Chris Gale, the executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, a 501(c)(3) cycling advocacy and education organization, explains that the flex posts were meant to be a temporary solution until the city could install permanent bollards and cement pills. He attributes the city’s reluctance to replace flex posts with cement barriers to increased maintenance costs and the commonly held belief that the posts were sufficient.
Introducing cement bike lanes was galvanized this July by the death of Barbara Friedes, a pediatric oncologist. Friedes was biking in a bike lane protected by flexible barriers on Spruce Street when a drunk driver plowed into the lane.
Philadelphia cyclists find that bike lanes are not fully protected. Ethan Plague (C ‘25), a staffer at the Daily Pennsylvanian, bikes along Spruce to his 10:15 a.m. class. Typically, he has to pass at least four cars that are in the bike lane. In Philadelphia, cyclists have to navigate a host of vehicles such as delivery trucks, ride shares, and moving vans in the bike lanes. When Ethan sits down with Street, he has several recent scapes on his face from a cycling accident that protected
bike lanes could have prevented. A bus that stopped in the bike lane forced him to maneuver around it. His bike wheel got stuck in the groove of trolley tracks lining the middle of the street, bucking him off of his bike and face–first onto the asphalt.
“I prefer streets with bike lanes. That just makes me feel more safe,” says Ethan.
Protected bike lanes are just one change Ethan wishes to see in bike infrastructure and culture in Philly. However, Ethan is doubtful about how much protection bike lanes with plastic flex rods can offer. He voices frustration about electric bikes using bike lanes, bikes or scooters that go the wrong way, and aggressive drivers, especially those who speed through red lights.
Sage Eanet (C ‘25) has a similar experience biking in West Philadelphia. Living a 30–minute walk from some parts of campus, they often bike to class or the grocery store. While they enjoy biking, cars stopped in bike lanes can disrupt their rides. “I don’t think I’ve ever biked down Spruce and not had to weave around double–parked cars,” they say.
In fact, they also were in a bike accident when an Amazon truck was double parked in the bike lane. Their wheel got stuck in the trolley groove, and they were thrown from their bike onto the ground. Sage explains that no one was on the road and that they were able to walk away from the mishap in OK physical condition. “Those sorts of things are just not my favorite,” they say with a laugh.
A large network of Philadelphians and Penn students cycle recreationally. Andrew Gray (C ‘25), president of Penn’s Cycling Club, is a serious triathlete. His advice for biking in the city? Get out.
“I would always recommend leaving the city if you’re going to bike, just because the city is not optimal for biking,” he says. Andrew often leaves the city for a loop near the airport which is seldom used by motor vehicles. In regards to cycling in the city, he says riders need to compartmentalize risk. “There’s a cer -
tain point [where] you just have to not care about certain risks, or minimize the prevalence of that risk in your head in order to get good practice [in] and enjoy it.”
Making Philadelphia safer for cyclists is no easy feat. Several city departments, such as the Department of Streets and the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems are involved in maintaining and updating streets. They devote budgets and time to maintaining aging roads along with developing new bike infrastructure. These departments are invested in keeping residents safe even if swift improvements aren’t visible.
Megan Ryerson, a professor of city and regional planning and electrical and systems engineering at Penn, often works with city departments to make streets safer for cyclists. “Every time I meet city officials from any of these offices, they get it. They get it to their absolute core. They know what needs to be done. They know the on–the–ground experience.” Ryerson, who is also the UPS Foundation Chair of Transportation, explains that projects can stall when officials run up against budget restraints when trying to create new lanes or improve existing ones. Additionally, concerns of business owners advocating for loading zones and parking can prevent the implementation of new bike lanes.
Still, Ryerson supports the Get Out the Bike Lane bill and views bike lanes as a vital part of urban infrastructure. In her own research, she’s found that beyond reducing bicycle crashes, serious injuries, and deaths, bike lanes can significantly reduce the cognitive load and stress cyclists experience while commuting. Recently, she was the lead author of a study collecting biometric data, such as eye tracking data, from cyclists riding in Philadelphia’s streets. “You’re just able to focus on the task at hand, rather than constantly maneuvering,” she says. Ryerson sees the impact of bike lanes in her own personal cycling trips around the city. “When I’m in a protected bike
lane, I’m calm, everything’s calm. When I’m out there mixing with traffic, it’s more intense, and you can just feel it.” She describes the Get Out the Bike Lane bill to make stopping in bike lanes illegal as “an excellent idea.”
“Right now, if a bike lane isn’t protected, it is effectively a loading zone. And as a cyclist, you are just weaving in and out of traffic to get around vehicles parked in the loading zone. … It creates so many conflicts with drivers and cyclists, and effectively renders a bike lane non–functional,” she says.
In addition to the proposal to prevent stopping in bike lanes, Ryerson hopes to see policies that create designated loading zones—as deliveries and ride–share cars still need space to stop—as well as traffic calming techniques, such as speed bumps and the narrowing of lanes, that
I prefer streets with bike lanes.
That just makes me feel more safe.
protect cyclists and pedestrians alike.
Cyclist safety is inextricably linked to pedestrian safety. Philadelphia has higher rates of fatal pedestrian accidents than other major cities. On the same day as Friedes’ death, two pedestrians were hit in Philadelphia. In the afternoon, a woman was hit while crossing the street in Germantown, leaving the scene in critical condition. That evening, Christopher Cabrera, a 38–year–old man, was fatally struck by a driver under the influence of drugs while waiting to cross the street in Kensington. Many of the same traffic–calming measures, such as lower speed limits, speed bumps, and roundabouts can benefit both cyclists and pedestrians. Investing in better signage, well–maintained streets, and initiatives to prevent drivers from operating vehicles under the influence of drugs and al -
cohol also reduces the risk of accidents. While infrastructure to slow traffic has benefits for pedestrians and cyclists alike, bike lanes themselves have become a heated symbol of gentrification and displacement. Bike lanes can signal to residents that a community has the attention of elected officials and developers, indicating that it is an attractive neighborhood worth investing public and private dollars in. The result is that infrastructure improvements can serve as a sign to long–standing residents—specifically those who are disadvantaged—of rising rent and displacement, rather than as something meant to serve them.
Gauthier explains her approach to road design is informed by concerns from long–time residents in her district calling for safer streets, as well as the recent calls for improving bike infrastructure.
Following the death of Cabrera and Friedes, the Bicycle Coalition, Philly Bike Action, and other cycling advocacy groups brought a petition to City Hall on Aug. 15. It had three demands: permanent concrete barrier protected bike lanes on Spruce and Allegheny streets, replacement of “NO PARKING” signage with “NO STOPPING” along bike lanes, and the end of the legacy practice of allowing cars to park in bike lanes on weekends. The petition had over 6,000 signatures and 4,000 comments. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration did not formally accept the petition when the protesters hand–delivered it to Philadelphia City Hall, with Philly Bike Action calling it a cool reception in a public statement.
Parker faced criticism for her response to cycling advocates, while city administrators felt their work on safety was not getting public recognition. The Bicycle Coalition and the city’s managing director organized a September event to update residents on Parker’s approach to bike safety, which includes evaluating the implementation of concrete pillar protected bike lanes.
Gale explained that after conversations
with the administration, “Now we’ve got a commitment from the managing director and the mayor’s chief of staff and the mayor herself to pay attention to this. We also have the attention and commitment from key council members.”
For Gale and the Bicycle Coalition, the Get Out the Bike Lane bill addresses one of the August petition’s demands, representing important progress for bike safety. He says, however, the PPA, which is tasked with enforcing fines, is going to need to be visible and active in imposing a fine on vehicles in bike lanes. “We want everybody in the region to be able to get to their intended destination safely regardless of how they choose to use the street,” says Gale.
In a city known for drivers who speed through red lights—and which averages more than 100 DUI arrests per month— vehicles stopping in bike lanes is just one of many risks cyclists in Philadelphia have to navigate. Others believe the increase in fees for parking and illegalization of stopping in bike lanes will not be enough to deter drivers.
“I don’t think people are going to care. They’re going to park in bike lanes regardless,” says Andrew. “I think it just allows the enforcement arm of the PPA to get more money from drivers.”
As a recreational cyclist, he finds the most meaningful initiatives toward bike–friendly infrastructure to include making designated passageways just for bikes, such as Philadelphia’s weekly closure of Martin Luther King Jr. drive for the public to use recreationally or the car free roads through Central Park in New York.
Cycling advocates and politicians agree that there is much to be done to improve cycling infrastructure. Two of the three demands in the August petition—to install concrete pillars along bike lanes and to end the legacy practice in which the Department of Streets grants parking permits to places of worship to park cars in bike lanes—have not been met. There is movement toward installing permanent pillars, with full support from key city officials like Gauthier, and Parker’s administration has promised to evaluate the initiative.
The Bicycle Coalition continues to advocate for bike–friendly future—with an emphasis on improving infrastructure beyond Center City and West Philadelphia—their education initiatives, and statewide legislation that can make cycling safer and more accessible. “Every Philadelphian, regardless of their ZIP code, should feel safe and should be able to travel the streets of Philadelphia safely,” says Gale.
While cycling in the city still has its risks, it is the preferred—and sometimes only—means of transportation for thousands of Philadelphians. For Ryerson, she feels safest and most empowered when biking with hundreds of other people heading home from their Penn jobs. “I love leaving on my bike around five o’clock with all the doctors, the nurses, the staff, the students, grad students, and professors. We’re a platoon. We cannot be missed,” she says. “The more of us who are cycling, who are out there walking, who are out there taking transit, who are just out there engaging with the system, we’re more of a force.” k
WE ARE(n’t) PENN STATE
Compared to the screams of other colleges' football fight songs, Penn’s silence is even louder.
BY MAREN COHEN
Photo by Alex Fisher
Three weeks ago, Penn football opened its season with a game against Colgate, but strangely, I knew only three people who attended the game—two of whom left during halftime. They didn’t leave because Penn was losing—in fact, by halftime, the Quakers had a significant lead—the problem was there was no excitement around the game and no sense of energy in the crowd, especially among current students.
There is an electric feeling that comes from a college football game: It’s the colors unfurling across the stadium, the smell of spilled beer wafting through the autumn air, and, most importantly, the singing of your
college’s fight songs. In response to these anthems, the crowd will sing louder than the blare of the band’s brass instruments, roaring so rowdily that the music played over the speakers drowns beneath the weight of the crowd's unified voice.
If you think about colleges with soaring football cultures, the first thing that comes to mind is the music: The twang of “Rocky Top” has become synonymous with the University of Tennessee, “Dixieland Delight” can’t be thought of without envisioning a screaming crowd at a University of Alabama game, and you can’t picture the winding roads of West Virginia in “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
without that road ending up at a tailgate at the University of West Virginia.
Of course, Penn has several anthems: Written in 1897 and 1898 respectively, “Hail! Pennsylvania” and “The Red and Blue” are classic Penn traditions which resonate especially strongly with alumni. These beloved favorites have great meaning for generations of past Penn students, but our generation of Penn students doesn’t feel the same connection to these songs. At sports games, current students mumble and mess up the words as they sing “Hurrah for the Red and the Blue," while alumni sitting next to them proudly know the lyrics by heart.
The connection we feel to the thousands of other people in the crowd when these fight songs play has a science behind it. The nostalgia felt—and the anticipation of future nostalgia—is heavily triggered by music. “When you're listening to music that you really like, brain circuits involving parts of the brain called the amygdala, ventral tegmental area, and the nucleus accumbens come online,” Daniel Levitin says, a neuroscientist at McGill University who released a book on the science behind music and evoking emotions last month. These parts of the brain work to process emotions such as energy, memory retrieval, and pleasure, Levitin says in an interview with NPR.
Music is more than just a trigger for the production of your own brain chemicals, because that process is occurring for everyone else in the stadium as well. “Neurons in the brain even fire with the beat of the music, which helps people feel connected to one another by literally synchronizing their brain waves when they listen to the same song,” Levitin says. In these big college football stadiums, the thousands of people standing shoulder–to–shoulder shouting the same lyrics are internally on the same wavelength. This shared connection from the music creates an amplified atmosphere of community among everyone in the stadium.
These fight songs don't need to be tethered to traditions from a century ago—many schools are more known for their unofficial fight songs than their official ones. The University of Wisconsin has adopted House of Pain’s '90s hit “Jump Around” as their unofficial fight song ever since 1998. From the instant the first note of the song starts, it sets off a reflex in everyone at the game: People shriek and raise their hands with excitement, the stadium rocks up and down like a trampoline, and everyone chants the chorus as it echoes through Madison. “Kernkraft 400” can be heard playing in the smallest crevices across the United States, and you are certain to hear people chanting “We are Penn State” at any local bar.
So, if Penn is serious about wanting to boost the attendance and energy at its games, why not adopt a newer fight song in addition to "The Red and Blue?"
It’s not as if we lack the talent: We have a booming DJ culture present on campus and students who are passionate about a great variety of music. We could take a song such as Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom” and add a Penn–inspired spin on the lyrics, as other schools have done in the past, or even create a new song directly related to Penn. Rapper and Penn alumnus Hoodie Allen's (W '10) satirical song “UPenn Girls,” as well as the freestyle he performed while a student at Penn, could be great starting points for this.
The spectacle of Penn football games relies not just on the grandeur of Franklin Field, but also on our ability to fill this historic stadium. After all, it's the people surrounding you that make these games so memorable and spellbinding. Lucky for us, we have a huge stadium—we just need to start reviving it. k
"I
realized existentialists just have too much time on their hands. Like, girl, just do your fucking homework."
The Flip Side of Fixer Upper: HGTV and Gentrification
Are
home
makeovers
and house flipping reality TV as glamorous as we think?
BY DIEMMY DANG
Photo Courtesy of Kate Hiewon Ahn
Since its inception in 1994, HGTV has made a name for itself by popularizing a genre of shows that mix reality TV and home renovation. Successful programs like Fixer Upper and Love It or List It —which follow charismatic duos on their journey to renovate dilapidated houses—have garnered loyal, almost cult followings. The channel has mastered a formula for viewership which blends aspirational, farmhouse–chic design with just the right amount of witty banter and practical advice. This combination has allowed HGTV to become a cultural hallmark, influencing everything from real estate to home decor.
While for many, HGTV is synonymous with DIY projects, luxury kitchen installations, and exposed brick motifs, the reality of its influence on the home and real estate space has more problematic implications. Beneath the channel’s promotion of house renovation specifically house flipping—wherein “flippers” revamp properties to resell—lie questions about the communities that are priced out and displaced by these practices. In this context, HGTV’s wholesome before–and–after
home reveals give way to a broader conversation about loss of affordable housing and American gentrification.
Flip Or Flop , which ran on HGTV for ten seasons, is at the center of dialogue surrounding the channel’s contributions to the culture of gentrification. The series features formerly married couple Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall, who, following the real estate crash in 2008, began flipping homes in Orange County, Calif. Each of the show’s 30–minute episodes follow the start–to–finish process of buying, renovating, and selling a neglected home in an up–and–coming area. At the heart of Flip or Flop is the profit; every episode ends with a segment that reveals how much money El Moussa and Hall earn (or lose) from their house flip. Many of the show clips that HGTV posts to its YouTube channel feature titles like “Risky House Flip HUGE profit” and “The Most Profitable Flips of Season 9.”
The majority of the properties that El Moussa and Hall buy are foreclosed homes, meaning the crux of the show rests on the couple’s capitalization off of the housing crisis. The neighborhoods
that the couple focuses on are primarily “on the rise” gentrifying areas of Orange County such as Santa Ana, which is historically home to Hispanic and Latino families. It’s important to note that the foreclosure crisis hit Black and Hispanic communities at higher rates than white communities, bringing into question the ethics of a show which capitalizes off of the economic hardships of predominantly minority neighborhoods.
Studies have shown that house flipping can accelerate gentrification by driving up property values and displacing residents. El Moussa found himself directly accused of promoting gentrification after evicting residents from their rent–controlled apartments in North Hollywood. The evictions are meant to make way for the development of a new housing complex in which El Moussa’s investment company, TEM Capital, is highly involved.
Another HGTV power couple at the heart of discussions on gentrification are Chip and Joanna Gaines of the massively popular show Fixer Upper . The couple, who run the remodeling and design business Magnolia Homes, have built an empire
that goes far beyond home renovation. Since Fixer Upper first aired in 2013, the Magnolia brand has grown into a national phenomenon which includes its own furniture and Target home decor line, known as Hearth and Hand. Additionally, the Gaineses have launched a television network—Magnolia Network—multiple books, a cookbook, and a magazine—Magnolia Journal.
Maybe the most significant testament to Chip and Joanna’s influence is the way that they’ve transformed their home of Waco, Texas into a tourist destination. In Waco, two enormous silos serve as the focal point of a wonderland of everything Magnolia—multiple boutiques and shops, a bakery, cafe, restaurant, and hotel, all of which are owned by the Gaineses. Magnolia’s influence on Waco is undeniable, especially as it employs more than 750 people in the Texas town. Beyond that, the couple has continued to expand Magnolia throughout Waco by purchasing a CrossFit gym—which was turned into the coffee shop Magnolia Press—a museum, a 6,700–square–foot stone castle, a Karem Shrine building, and a Presbyterian church.
Although the “Magnolia effect” has undoubtedly made Waco much more economically vibrant than it was ten years ago, some residents are wary of which communities are the ones benefiting from the wave of new development. “Development has a ripple effect, and I don’t want to see gentrification where people are displaced from homes their families have had for generations,” Nancy Grayson, former “Wacoan of the Year” and school superintendent, tells Baylor Magazine .
“There are so many old preconceptions of East Waco—that it’s dangerous, that it’s whatever,” Cuevas Peacock, a community organizer with Grassroots Community Development, tells Buzzfeed News. “I feel safer in East Waco than anywhere in town. I feel more empowered in East Waco than anywhere else. Which is why whoever is doing the development there, they need to be intentional. These communities, they’re used to being left out. It takes time to get people to trust that it might be different this time.”
Cultural commentary on the moral gray area of reality TV and house flipping empires appears in the Nathan Fielder and
Emma Stone comedy series The Curse
The show takes the questionable ethics of home improvement TV and magnifies it through the kind of satire and cringe comedy that Fielder is known for. It follows a newlywed couple as they struggle to bring sustainable housing to the town of Española, hoping to turn their work into an HGTV series called “Flipanthropy” along the way. Melanie McFarland writes for Salon: “‘Flipanthropy’ is essentially ‘Fixer Upper’ with a comically massive injection of white guilt paired with saviorism.”
The Curse holds up a mirror to the moral complexities that lie beneath the surface of HGTV’s feel–good programming. It asks the kinds of questions that residents of gentrified neighborhoods have already been asking: Who truly benefits from property improvements and house flipping? How can we balance economic revitalization with the preservation of community identity and history? Can renovation for profit genuinely coexist with the wellbeing of the longtime residents of the neighborhoods in which it takes place? Or are these HGTV shows simply promoting “Flipanthropy"? k
Murder on the Menu
An analysis of the true–crime genre, from desensitization to delectable meals.
BY KAYLEY KANG
Design by T Fong
Although TikTok is known for its niche spheres of entertainment, one of the up–and–coming circles contains a particularly curious duo: a giant bowl of tteokbokki and a discussion of the violent crimes of the world’s most infamous serial killers. If your little heart desires further mind–numbing content to drown out a turbulent midterm season, switch tabs to YouTube for an ASMR–whispered rendition of a murder case that is tagged “very disturbing!!!” to lull you to sleep. As absurd as it sounds, this is what’s come to define the Internet’s evolving true–crime scene.
The true–crime haze and hashtag in mainstream social media is fairly recent, but still concerning. Spotify podcasts, Netflix documentaries, and dramatized television adaptations of some of the most disturbing crimes in human history has gifted its significant fanbase with a desensitized, morbid fascination for all things gory.
However, the origins of true crime tell a different story. True crime observed its humble beginnings in the 1500s when British au-
thors produced works that reported on capital crimes. Coupled with the circulation of crime pamphlets, ballads (orally delivered verses of grisly criminal acts), and woodcuts that depicted the gruesome acts themselves, a strong captivation for this darker side of humanity was cemented.
In an effort to generate profit, traveling peddlers began to sell printed versions of popular ballads with outrageous titles that were highly exaggerated to generate wide appeal. Described as the “Elizabethan equivalent of supermarket tabloids,” the circulation of these stories marked a rapid change and development in true crime as a genre.
Then, in the 20th century films and books on true crime garnered large audiences. Along with the turbulent acts of this period, during which various political figures were assassinated, crime seemed to be the center point of the public’s attention. From 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde to the infamous 1965 novel In Cold Blood, true crime content evolved from a way to spread information to a form of mass
media entertainment.
Unfortunately, seemingly harmless detective work and an urge to uncover the terrifyingly intriguing shadow of human nature has led us astray. The Internet’s obsession with sensationalist stories and its need to churn out content that appeals to an audience of wide, shifting interests may have been what birthed the concerning combo of true crime and mukbangs— videos in which creators consume copious amounts of food.
Content creator Rotten Mango and her videos are almost a rite of passage in the world of true crime. A true true–crime junkie will know Stephanie Soo and her unique approach to the scene through delicious, mouth–watering platters of different cuisines on a backdrop of her detailed narration of haunting murders.
TikTok user Breanna Heim has also made a name for herself in the world of social media by posting “true–crime GRWMs.” In layperson's terms—for those who are not chronically online—her content revolves around videos of her doing makeup as she relays deep dives into the
minds, lives, and crimes of serial killers.
While the initial reproduction of murder cases was a concern alone, add a cutesy bright–pink Rare Beauty blush or trendy Buldak fire noodle to the frame and we’re left with an ethical dilemma. Just how far can we push the boundaries? Was there even a boundary in the first place?
Overconsumption and constant exposure creates the perfect grounds for this alarming lack of reaction to real–life horror stories, leading to mass desensitization and a lack of empathy and respect toward death. Not only does this harm victims of such violent crime and breach privacy concerns, but it can also facilitate the spread of misinformation or large entities profiting off these stories in the process. Movies with dramatized reenactments of terrible deeds in human history waters down the weight and significance a case could have to families of victims and others affected by the violence. These individuals must essentially relive a horrifyingly traumatic experience while others use it to plan out their next
But, on the other side of this realm of popular media, the desire to understand potential threats—in order to avoid them—could be seen as a valid reason for giving in to the “click-baity” thumbnails that describe appalling acts difficult to even imagine. It provides an opportunity to process fears in a safe environment as its enjoyers watch “justice” being served. Internet sleuths sometimes actively participate in helping to continue investigations on “unsolved mysteries” that others have abandoned, aiming to bring a sense of closure to those impacted. Take Sarah Turney for example, who—with her podcast titled Voices for Justice—helped uncover and document the disappearance of her sister. True crime itself may not be the problem insofar as we don’t turn it into something it shouldn’t become.
Is it ethical? Have we lost sight of its purpose? What are the consequences? These are just some of the questions we must consider as we choose to actively engage with and navigate this ever–changing landscape. Don’t be so
quick to swear off true–crime forever, though. After all, old habits die hard. Let’s just learn to be a bit more critical of the next brain–rotting TikTok that befalls our For You Page highlighting a frighteningly scrumptious feast on fear. Shouldn’t we—at the very least—lose our appetite? k
I didn’t realize Penn was Ivy League and I was walking around and was like, wait
Halloween costume.
Best Of 2024
Street's Favorite Internet Trends of 2024
BY 34TH STREET MAGAZINE
Design by Insia Haque
What do beat–up Birkins, Clairo shade, and polycules have in common? Personally, I don’t really know, but they’ve all shown up in my feed in the past hour. Honestly, I feel like I’ve gotten whiplash from my For You page over the past couple of months. It seemed we were all just doing the “Apple” dance, and now we’re baking apples in order to emulate our inner Rory Gilmore. And yet, while chaotic, it seems like the 2024 internet has a place for everyone. Indeed, while the world may be wide, the self–acclaimed big backs are wider. It’s brat. And demure. And it can be consumed in over–or–under three bytes. No matter what you are searching for—from mukbangs to mommy vloggers—the internet really may have it all. Because we’re really just trying to find someone to match our freak, after all. So, without further ado, and with warm regards from our For You page to yours, Street would like to take you on a journey through our favorite internet trends of 2024.
Stella Lee, Style Editor
years of chunky Dr. Martens wedges and leather loafers, we’re embracing the resurgence of this timeless classic. Whether you’re dressing up jeans and a T–shirt or desperate to ditch your heels for date night, a trusty pair of flats are worth the investment. This year, your favorite fashion girls have been sporting ballet flats in every season—embellished mesh flats for the spring and summer months, red suede and satin in the fall, and black patent leather in the winter. My personal favorite are the Circus NY Zuri Strap flats, available in a whopping 21 color options. Who said ballet flats are for the barre only?
Kate Ratner, Assignment Editor
Gone are the days when designer purses were tucked away in dust bags, only to be taken for a spin on special occasions—or at least it is for the girls following the Birkin–ifying trend. Jane Birkin, style icon and owner of the first Hermès Birkin bag, used her bags for functionality and style, often decorating them with charms or scarves while stuffing them full of all her belongings from lipsticks to cigarettes and journals. In 2024, the style of eclectic bag accessories caught on and “Birkin–ifying” your purse became the new it–style. Some internet influencers went so far as to break in brand new bags to make them look “lived in” despite being taken freshly
out of the box. This style and purse usage was once intended to emphasize a slower consumption of fashion by using one’s purse day–in and day–out until the end of its lifecycle. However, of course, in the trend cycle of our modern age, this beat–up Birkin “look” and accessorizing style has become another means of overconsumption and unoriginality. While folks could be charming their bags with trinkets and ribbons already in their homes and closets, it has become an excuse to buy new accessories and to beat up perfectly good purses straight out of the box.
Natalia Castillo, Editor–in–Chief
Ballet Flats
Polycules
I probably have, like, five total friends. But 2024 was the year I learned people were hanging out with 20 romantic partners (thank you, New York Times polycule profile). The questions are endless, but namely, how do you have the time? In the middle of the loneliness epidemic, it feels like there’s a select few people hogging up all the love. Once reserved for free–love hippies and utopian communes, polyamory has become increasingly mainstream, with polycules cropping up across the internet and in our suburbs (if you’re looking for secondhand embarrassment, check out the mom memoir that dropped this January, More: A Memoir of Open Marriage by Molly Roden Winter). With its own jargon (main, nesting partner, solo polyamory), even the most confused of us will be forced to consider the ways we conceptualize long–term relationships. As Tyler, the Creator said on Chromakopia, “See, monogamy, that shit not for me.”
Norah Rami, Digital Managing Editor
Day in the Life videos
You know you’re old when you experience the old version and new version of a trend. For the 2016 YouTube girlies, you’d know that every major YouTuber had a vlog channel where they documented their life. Nowadays, we have “Day in the Life” videos. These routine–style videos have been a staple on every For You page (or Explore page, for Instagram loyalists). There is something so interesting about being thrown headfirst into a random Los Angeles single girl’s day off from modeling, a city corporate girl, or even a fellow Penn student’s life. As for why we don’t scroll away after two seconds, it may be an authentic, behind–the–scenes look at general life or aspirational lives, but ultimately, it always chucks down to the No. 1 rule of social media: Does it bring me some sort of entertainment or educational value? And these videos seem to always do.
Valeri Guevarra, Style Beat
Hear–Me–Out Cakes
If you thought that doing baby gender reveals through cakes was weird, what about exposing your deepest, darkest romantic desires instead? An innocently decorated cake is adorned with increasingly shocking images of celebrity—human or not—crushes. When it comes to the aptly named Hear–Me–Out cakes, lit erally nothing is off limits. Friends watch agog as certified hotties like Nick Wilde, Mr. Clean, and Gill the fish from Finding Nemo are added to the heaping mound of forbidden fantasies. The end result is a much–needed reminder that beauty real ly is in the eye of the beholder. So, bring your friends, a grocery–store cake, and cardboard cut–outs of the objects of your own ethically questionable desires. Even if your friends do judge the deepest fan tasies of your id, at least it's presented in cake format. Nothing helps knowing that your friend is attracted to an animated fish like the edible consolation of a deli cious dessert.
Stella Lee, Style Editor
BRAT
Indie pop–star Clairo released her highly awaited third studio album Charm this July, smack between BRAT summer and election–anxiety autumn. Clairo shade is the nebulous idea that if you’re doing anything other than listening to, talking about, or supporting Clairo, aren’t you shading her a little? Charm was released July 12. The very next day, Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Butler, Pa., quickly displacing Clairo on list of trending topics on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter—massive Clairo shade. Barack Obama snubbing Charm off of his annual summer playlist—Clairo shade. Could Charm not save Ben Affleck and Jennifer
Lopez’s marriage? Could Katy Perry be subliminally messaging Clairo to die? And isn’t the twink falling through the skylight at the Bushwick lesbian party on Clairo’s birthday the ultimate attention–seeking, Charm–distracting, icing–on–the–cake example of Clairo shade? Truly anything and everything could be Clairo shade. Street is no exception— we’re all shading Clairo a little right now, because why are you reading this round up instead of our very own review of Charm?
Andrew Lu, Style Beat
I knew it was a BRAT summer when my 9–year–old sister asked me if I knew what the “Apple” dance was. I, like many others, had Charli XCX’s new album on repeat for weeks. For the first time in a while, it felt like the internet was collectively celebrating an album release: the iconic "360" music video, the riveting lore behind "Girl, so confusing," Addison Rae in "Von Dutch."
Yes, BRAT was Charli XCXs new album, but it became so much more than mere
music. It was a cultural shift that advocated for messiness and chaos, away from the clean–girl aesthetic and quiet minimalism. My frizzy hair underneath black wraparound sunglasses, “I love NYC” baby tee, and black smudged eyeliner: so BRAT. The judgment–laden eye rolls when I wax poetic about the scorching heat or diet culture or misogyny: again, so BRAT
Zaara Shaf Style Beat
Clairo shade
Street's Best Albums of 2024
BY 34TH STREET MAGAZINE Design by Wei-An Jin
In 2024, Philadelphia radio has been dominated by two types of content—Eagles highlights and the same three election ads aired ad nauseum on every station. Amid such distractions, it’s hard to separate the signal from the noise—but why rid ourselves of the noise that fills our lives at all? After all, 2024 has been a banner year in music, from industry veterans finally breaking into the ultra–mainstream (you know exactly who I’m talking about) to new acts shaking things up deep underground. Whether you’ve had a BRAT summer or a Cold Visions year (a phrase I just invented—pass it on), Street has you covered with all the highlights from this year’s music scene.
Nishanth Bhargava, Music Editor
Kaho Matsui scrutiny portrait
Kaho Matsui’s emo ambience, recently brought from Portland, Ore. to Philly, is intensely indoors—the kind of stewing that emerges from a day stuck in your bedroom, as your direct surroundings sink their teeth deep into your consciousness, and your memories woozily distort them. In her avant–folk sketches, peeking sunlight is symbolized by a rich collection of bright guitars and distant howling, and a train ride home is a wall–to–wall metallic screech. Couched in it all is a soft spoken–word: pages and pages of diary entries, revelations of an identity forged by another.
Matsui’s April offering, scrutiny portrait, is an opus of sorts: a gentle foraging in acoustics to come across an incalculable closeness, a thousand unsent letters, and the occasional end–of–the–world exhalation. It’s the most strikingly personal record of this year, whose domestic pangs and strums unearth an exceptional landscape and whose lyrics should be breathed in like particulate.
“Well uh, I hope you like my mix–tape,” Malcolm Todd says unsurely at the end of “Earrings,” the first song on his new, dreamlike collection of smooth guitar riffs and R&B vocals, replete with head–bumping drums and electric keys. Sweet Boy , Todd’s debut album, came out in early April and is a modern sensation that I’ve had on repeat ever since, serving as my summer album without a single skip. Toying with bass lines, snare drums, and an ear–melting voice, the rhythms in this album take shape in a way never seen before, leaving listeners addicted to its distinctly fluid sound. Revolving around a messy breakup in which Todd is attempting to get over a past lover, the core of this album is a frustrated scream of
“I’m fucking trying, but I can’t move on,” though it doesn’t shy away from having fun with its tunes. In songs like “Rodrick Rules,” an unbelievably catchy and energetic rhythm is coated with lyrics like “I lost you but maybe now I won / I’m gonna guitar solo now / I don’t—I don’t think it needs—/ I’m gonna guitar solo now / Don’t do it,” followed by a 30–second guitar solo that leaves listeners smirking from the bickering that preceded it. This stupidly boyish creativity and how it interacts with the vulnerability of Todd’s lyrics on this album easily made these 16 heartsick songs my album of the year.
We're on a man ban right now.
Will Cai, Music beat
Maren Cohen, Music beat
Malcolm Todd Sweet Boy
4.
Tyler, The Creator Chromakopia
Move aside, Taylor Swift—Adrianne Lenker is the true Tortured Poet, the bona fide sad girl, the unparalleled beacon of devoted suffering. In her fifth studio album, the Big Thief frontwoman shows us once again that she is absolutely no stranger to the kind of heartache that absolutely guts you. The stripped–back production is classic Lenker; her last two albums are also instrumentally sparse, but the direct–to–tape recording here is a totally different animal—and my god, she loses none of her artistic finesse. The static, slow paced piano of the album opener “Real House,” the combination of staccato and palm–muted pickings in “Already Lost”: They all form an arrested tenderness. Her lyrical ability, transportive and sincere, is just as touching. In 12 tracks, she takes us to places of painful remembrance, stitching together a bruised portrait of childhood, singing on the sort of “lost” feeling you can’t quite put your finger on.
Bright Future is a testament to simple storytelling, stubborn proof that true vulnerability is soul–spun. Forming gospel from a string of scattered chords and a slant rhyme—many try, few succeed. For Lenker, it’s second nature.
As someone who has seen Tyler, the Creator perform live twice, bought several of his records on vinyl, and frequently buys clothing from his company Golf Wang, putting this album on this list may seem a little biased; I might as well be the fan he talks about on “Colossus.” However, Tyler’s recent album Chromakopia is an emotional rollercoaster that will have you both shaking ass and crying on the floor. This is an album of growth: As Tyler hits 30, he pays homage to the sound of his Odd Future days while also showcasing his musical and personal development. Tyler has never been this vulnerable in his music before—even albums like Flower Boy and IGOR that discuss private aspects of his life pale in comparison to Chromakopia. Tyler samples older, foreign music while keeping the same synth production that he’s known for, pairing it with hard–hitting lyrics about familial struggles, relationship issues, and … getting sticky? The album is a fantastic balance of good vibes and raw coming–of–age storytelling, and it’s something that everyone should experience.
Jett Bolker, Music beat
Sophia Mirabal, Music beat
1.
Adrianne Lenker Bright Future
Waxahatchee Tiger's Blood
About a minute into “Right Back To It,” the lead single on Katie Crutchfield’s 2024 album Tigers Blood, Crutchfield and fellow Southern rocker MJ Lenderman croon out, “You just settle in / like a song with no end.” It’s a perfect ten seconds that also encapsulates the entire album, which unspools and unfolds into a gorgeous, meandering journey with no end in sight. Tigers Blood is Crutchfield’s fourth album as Waxahatchee, and the first after doubling her audience with 2020’s Saint Cloud. Yet unlike what many indie songwriters do after hitting a certain level of acclaim and fame, Tigers Blood eschews typical reinvention in favor of refinement. It’s also an album full of restless energy. “I get ahead of myself / Refusing anyone's help,” Crutchfield laments on the aforementioned “Right Back To It.” Her songs are rarely linear, moving between images, observations, and conversations with a keen eye. The easy road beckons, but Crutchfield won’t take it. In this spacious and warm record, Crutchfield gives herself the time to chart her own paths.
Catie
Sorrentino, Print Managing Editor
1.
MJ Lenderman Manning Fireworks
Every generation needs a voice to channel its angst. These pained anthems have ranged from the country ballads of Johnny Cash to the snide musings of Pavement (or even the emo ragers of My Chemical Romance). With MJ Lenderman’s newest project Manning Fireworks, the littles agonies of the 2020s have finally found their spokesman. Manning Fireworks is both a submission and a triumph—on every track, Lenderman opines upon the daily miseries that characterize his life, from his need for emotional intimacy on “Wristwatch” and “Joker Lips” to the alienation that comes with losing someone you love on “Bark at the Moon.” In totality, however, these songs transform into an exaltation of the beauty of striving to live, a tension expressed perfectly on the bombastic “On My Knees”—“Every day is a miracle / not to mention a threat.”
Manning Fireworks draws from country, indie, and alternative influences to
Remi Wolf Big Ideas
Remi Wolf’s music bookended my college experience, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Big Ideas is Wolf’s sophomore record, following her 2021 release Juno Three years later, the Palo Alto, Calif. native continues to blend funk, disco, and bedroom pop for sensory overload at its finest. Big Ideas is theatrical and whimsical—an amalgamation of neon colors, flailing limbs, and chirping animals, accompanied by guitar solos and brass instrumentals. When Wolf is struck by an outlandish intrusive thought, she doesn’t hesitate to share it: “You’re so heavy, I’m horny / And I’m not worried about the
flesh out its twangy but robust sound. These charged instrumentals serve to further complement Lenderman’s phenomenal songwriting talent, which is the real highlight of the album. The strategic vulnerability of Lenderman’s lyrics are precisely what make him so cool—his colorful lyrics cut deep, reflecting your own experiences back at you in ways you could never have conceived. Drifting perfectly from the jangly indie of “You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In” to the crowd–pleasing country rock of “She’s Leaving You” (the most powerful rendition of which I heard at a rest stop on the N.J. Turnpike), Manning Fireworks reveals Lenderman’s genius because of how powerfully it reflects upon struggles that everyone can understand. While anyone could have written these songs, no one else did.
Nishanth Bhargava, Music Editor
sound,” she belts on “Toro.” While “Cinderella,” “Pitiful,” and “Slay Bitch” are quirky danceable anthems, Wolf slows down on “Motorcycle,” “Alone in Miami,” and “Cherries & Cream” to reflect on her mental health, her journey to sobriety, and the beauty of her solitude. “Just the Start” is a Kimya Dawson–esque reminder that there is nothing wrong with staying up a “little later talk[ing] about art and wine.” Maybe, à la “Kangaroo,” the Cabernet could save us all!
Kate Ratner Assignments Editor
Xiu
Xiu
13”
Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips
I Got Heaven
Mannequin Pussy has always been angry—what else would you expect from Philly’s punk–leaning indie rock sweetheart? But in their fourth studio album, I Got Heaven, the band is at peak emotional intensity, growling with their teeth bared, face burning hot, and passionate emotions in constant flux.
The record hits the ground running with “I Got Heaven,” one of the best title tracks and openers of recent indie rock. Mannequin Pussy grounds their themes in the body; there’s no higher power to look towards for answers. The body is where lovers can find respite from the storm outside, though beware, as the storm is also inside. Missy Dabice’s voice— which seamlessly shifts from soft singing to a guttural screaming that could kill—is the glue of the record, vocalizing the unruly but yearning lyrics throughout. It’s songs like “Loud Bark” that strike
In spectacular chrome and seafoam green, the illustrious art–rock band Xiu Xiu’s 17th album 13” Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips proposes an outsider take on glam rock for the esoteric. Coming off their twisted and dense Ignore Grief, the band utilizes their newest member, former Devo drummer David Kendrick, to return to their roots in guitar–based music. They use his pop sensibilities on songs like “Veneficium,” which has an opening lick so sticky it could be used as easily in a Mazda commercial as a witch meeting in the woods. You even have the lead single, “Common Loon,” which sounds like a garbled karaoke cover of David Bowie played on broken speakers. Its whimsy gets captured in a music video performed by the zany,
this balance and plant I Got Heaven among the greats of this year’s releases. Mannequin Pussy has a “loud bark / deep bite,” but underneath is much uncertainty and hurt. More melodic songs like “Nothing Like” or “Softly” sneak in melancholic lyrics about giving so much of yourself for a partner that it leaves you gutted. Fans of the band’s more hardcore sound can be satiated with songs at the latter end of the tracklist, like “Aching” and “OK? OK! OK? OK!” which, to be frank, fucking rips, thanks to Missy and Bear Regisford’s horny yelling. I Got Heaven explores both a rage and love that is primal, all–consuming and contradictory. It’ll eat you up until you’re ravaged and limping, with nothing but blood on your hands.
Hannah Sung Features Editor
incredibly talented Philly local McDazzler. The tracks are crazy, but they’re catchy. It’s a new balance for the band, unreached since Angela Seo first joined the group. You never lose sight of what makes Xiu Xiu, well, Xiu Xiu—arcane songs titled like “T.D.F.T.W.” (The Devil’s Forgiven That’s Why) and lyrics as heart wrenching as “I have done almost nothing right / my entire adult life / but having dared to touch the fire with you / breaks the chain of my being nothing too” (from “Arp Omni”). It’s weird music attempting to reach normal people, but getting caught up in the wonder of making noise.
Logan Yuhas Staf writer
1. Mannequin Pussy
Street's Favorite Film & TV of 2024
BY 34TH STREET MAGAZINE
Design by Janine Navalta
2024 has certainly been a year for film and television! Coming off the heels of a historic joint strike from both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America, the industry has been in a somewhat shaky place for the past 12–and–some months. Still, audiences have been fed with a bevy of delicious cinematic treats, from Apple TV originals to Palme d’Or winners to solid, good–old–fashioned seasons of quality comedy writing. Personally, I’ve found my own way with entertainment this year, journeying to Cannes and Los Angeles, and searching for that static buzz of excitement that comes with good television in Philly and New York. In an overwhelming senior year, it’s been nice to know that I’ll always have my friends on my TV set by my side. And if you’re looking for something to engage you, distract you, or just show you the many multifaceted ways that humanity gets depicted on screens small and large, let Street recommend this year’s best offerings. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I hope 2025 brings many, many more things to argue about, fawn over, and watch and rewatch again.
Isaac Pollock, Film & TV Editor
La Chimera
The best film I saw this year was, without a doubt, Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera . With Josh O’Connor playing a sleazy Indiana–Jones–type grave robber surrounded by a band of Italian misfits and Isabella Rossellini, bringing all her usual Isabella Rossellini charm as his ex–mother–in–law, this movie has talent in spades. The film is so beautifully shot and constructed that it’s stayed in my mind every day since seeing it earlier this year. It’s one of those movies that works on every level. Do you just want a fun little caper through the Italian countryside? Perfect. Or maybe you’re looking for a treatise on Italy’s inability to move past its roots in antiquity as society literally becomes a series of ancient ruins—you can have that too. This movie cements Rohrwacher as one of the most talented, most vital voices working in international cinema today. I can’t wait to see what she does next, but in the meantime, you should take a journey with her to some Etruscan ruins and see what you find.
Aden Berger, Film & TV Beat Writer
Kinds of Kindness
Kinds of Kindness by Yorgos Lanthimos is a film that leaves you with two pressing questions: “Was that profound or did it just gaslight me?” and “Am I now emotionally unavailable, or was that just the movie?” In true Lanthimos fashion, nobody’s sure if they’re laughing or spiraling and existential dread looks chic. This film, a twisted meditation on what it means to be “kind,” came off like a self–help seminar written by Kafka and hosted by a nihilistic stand–up comedian. This triptych fable of deadpan dialogue, uncomfortable pauses, and unsettlingly symmetrical compositions reminded us that nobody captures emotional constipation quite like Lanthimos. Visually, the film was a feast—a Wes
Anderson color scheme mellowed out on Valium, complete with the discomfort of a family reunion but stylized enough to make it feel artsy. Lanthimos’ world is a blend of sharp tailoring, hauntingly beautiful interiors, and the persistent sensation that everything is too expensive to touch but too melancholic to admire. Kinds of Kindness is less a guide to being good and more a master class in making us question if we ever really were—and by the end, you’ll feel like you just got therapy from a very expensive, slightly unhinged mirror.
Kate Cho, Film & TV Beat Writer
Challengers
Finally, Hollywood is sexy again! Challengers’ claim to fame this summer may have just been as “that tennis throuple movie," but for me, Luca Guadagnino’s latest film delivered the messy, lovable, and straight–up manipulative characters I’ve been waiting for. Sure, you’d be hard–pressed to find anything directed by Guadagnino that I haven’t been in love with, but for Challengers, it’s difficult to deny that the performances by Mike Faist, Zendaya, and Josh O’Connor are what truly make the film. For non–sports fans like myself, the characters’ all–consuming love for tennis will make you want to hit the courts. As for the romance, audiences have seen enough love triangle plots to last a lifetime, but Guadagnino tells us what sets this one apart. “All the corners
touch,” he says, referencing a three–way kiss that wasn’t in the original screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes. The film’s flashbacks to the trio’s thorny (and sexually charged) past ooze with early aughts nostalgia: Juicy Couture, warm beer, and all. The cherry on top is the Grammy–nominated original score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which seamlessly bled the thwack of the ball with the film’s long, pining shots. My tennis skills have yet to improve, but Challengers has left me with one single question—where’s the decade–long, devastating bisexual throuple to ruin my life?
Eleanor Grauke, Deputy Copy Editor, Features Beat Writer,
and DIS Stafer
Cuckoo
NEON put out two or three big horror movies this year (Longlegs, Immaculate), but Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo easily takes the cake for the best contribution to their catalog. Following a pretty standard slasher trailer, I went into the film knowing nothing about the movie except for Hunter Schaefer’s presence as the leading role. However, my middling expectations were exceeded and I was met with one of the most innovative films in recent years. Singer turns what would have been a run–of–the–mill thriller into an avant–garde fusion of body and psychological horror. Without giving away too much, Singer toys with our temporal expectations using savvy time–looping edits, keeping the viewer trapped in the scene and in their seat. Schaefer’s leading performance as Gretchen, a melancholic American teen trapped in rural Germany after her mother’s sudden passing, anchors the film’s constant state of suspense and surreality. Her energy is matched by Stevens’ chilling portrayal of Herr König, Gretchen’s eerie manager at a vacant Bavarian hotel. Cuckoo might not have found its way onto every horror fan’s screen, but it’s certainly my pick for scariest movie of the year … sorry, Longlegs
Kyle Grgecic, Film & TV Beat Writer
Constellation and Sunny
Apple TV consistently puts out some of the highest quality shows, and this year was no exception. This year, the standouts were Constellation and Sunny. Constellation is an international sci–fi where an astronaut returns home and discovers that not everything was as she expected. Constellation keeps you on your toes and is one of the best executed science fiction TV shows ever made. If I say anything beyond the fact that the writing, acting, and technical elements are stunning, I risk spoiling it for you, and that takes out all the fun. Sunny is a masterpiece by Rashida Jones. After the disappearance of her husband and son, protagonist Suzie (played by Jones) receives a companion robot and the two seek to uncover the truth around her family's disappearance. The show is a beautiful portrayal of grief. Jones takes a break from her typical comedic roles and gives an extremely compelling performance. If you are a fan of extremely well executed media that keeps you on your toes, these shows are a must–watch before entering 2025.
Bea Hammam, Film & TV Beat Writer
Only Murders
in the Building, Season Four
Every Tuesday for the past two months, I’ve found a routine of sitting down to watch season four of Only Murders in the Building after attending my 10:15 a.m. class. This season, Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) work together to investigate the murder of Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), Charles’s stunt double. While this mystery is under investigation, a movie production is underway where everyone on the production team—in addition to those in the building—becomes a suspect. From the celebrity cameos to the shocking plot twists, Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez have outdone themselves once again. The creative cinematography, specifically in the episode “Blow–Up,” puts the audience in the shoes of the detectives
and makes for an immersive watch; the episode is told with documentary/reality TV–style camera work. The jokes are clever and witty, and there are constant surprises throughout each and every episode. The season also leaves audiences with a cliffhanger that we have yet to see, with a possible connection between two different mysteries. Although the show is a murder mystery, it’s perfect for anyone who wants a cozy and entertaining watch. The next season’s answers have yet to be uncovered, but the one thing that I know for sure is that I will make sure to leave time after my 10:15 a.m. class next year to reunite with the residents of The Arconia.
Sophia Leong, Film & TV Beat Writer
Smiling Friends, Season Two
I first saw a clip of Smiling Friends on Tiktok in April this year. I must have watched the entire thing, because from there my algorithm made sure I got to see a clip nearly every day before I finally decided to check it out. As it was airing, I tuned into every one of the 12–minute episodes that aired each Sunday. Reminiscent of the “so random!” humor I remember from 2014, Smiling Friends season two maintains the consistent quality of season one. The show follows Charlie (Zach Hadel) and Pim (Michael Cusack), two employees of Smiling Friends, a charity that is committed to making their clients smile (whatever that means), and their wacky adventures with an array of truly weird clients. Aside from our two protagonists, we have the other employees of Smiling Friends, show stealers Allan (also Michael Cusack), a monotone–voiced tall
red thing, and Glep (also Zach Hadel), a small green thing that speaks gibberish. We also have the Boss, who exists exclusively to unnerve and confuse you in the best way possible. When it comes to comedy in adult animation, I often find an over–reliance on crassness with both subject matter and language. Smiling Friends season two is so refreshing because of its blend of absurd, borderline dreamlike plots in each episode that do not rely on profanity and offensive jokes to make you chuckle. This show’s creativity shines through in everything from its animation to its dialogue. If you want to feel like you are watching somebody’s colorful fever dream, I highly recommend Smiling Friends.
Ria Rege, Film & TV Beat Writer
Anora
She was an erotic dancer. He was the son of a Russian oligarch. Can we make it any more obvious? That’s the premise of Anora, the new dazzling fairytale–gone–wrong from indie director Sean Baker. Anora (Mikey Madison), or Ani, as she prefers to be called, is a sharp–edged and fast–talking erotic dancer from Brighton Beach who is swept off of her feet when Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the heir to loads of Russian money, pays for her girlfriend experience and quickly drops a ring on her finger. But this Cinderella story quickly lurches off path when Vanya’s family hears of the runaway couple and demands that they end their marriage. Anora may seem like a modern fairytale that just happens to star strippers and Russian goons, but when it runs up against the unrealistic parameters that fence in our fantasies of love and money, it bursts through them and keeps going. Baker is in full command of his extensive powers here, shifting seamlessly from rom–com to screwball comedy to moments of brutal honesty that hit like a punch. Anora is a film about the limits of the American dream—equality, opportunity, capitalism—but it’s also a story about the limits of a relationship built on those principles. Midnight always comes for Cinderella.
Catherine Sorrentino, Print Managing Editor
The New Look
For what takes itself to be a somber docuseries, Apple TV’s The New Look is a campy take on the story of Christian Dior and Coco Chanel in World War II. The former, played by Ben Mendelsohn, gets to be a constantly biting–his–nails lispy gay guy designing beautiful and innovative clothes while trying to protect his sister involved in anti-Nazi Paris resistance. The latter is … well … Coco Chanel, played by Juliette Binoche, slinging one–liners galore as she navigates an affair with a British fascist, the downfall of her business, and her general descent into craziness and obscurity. The limited docuseries gets rounded out by a sepia overtone and juicy hourlong episodes. There’s a revelatory visit to a mental hospital, a hilarious drunk cousin, and a string of over–the–top French accents that leave more laughing than understanding. Still, the show does a good job addressing the evils of antisemitism and concentration camps in interesting ways, relying on novel angles—whether that’s Chanel being brainwashed into firing the Wertheimer brothers or the PTSD of Catherine Dior once she’s emancipated from Buchenwald. My favorite part, however, is the soundtrack, boasting covers from the likes of Perfume Genius, Florence Welch, and Lana Del Rey. If you need an escape to Paris that isn’t Emily, take a watch.
Logan Yuhas, Staf Writer
Despite being a huge nerd for Pixar movies, I wasn’t raised on them—the first time I fell in love with a Pixar movie was Inside Out when I was ten years old. There’s something very special about having been the same age as protagonist Riley when I first got to know her as a character, and now, being a college–aged adult, as I watch her begin to grow up. Both Inside Out films feel real in a way that many animated movies do not; beyond the cute, quotable characters and the cartoon suspension of disbelief, Riley is a real preteen girl with real middle school problems. Like its precursor, 2024’s Inside Out 2 attributes imaginative visuals to abstract concepts; the stream of consciousness as an actual river, puberty as a demolition zone, and, most notably, the tangible construction
of beliefs into a larger sense of self. While these creative and intentional choices were written with attention to research in child psychology, they retain the original film’s ability to affect audiences of all ages; the introduction of new characters like Anxiety and Envy (and their complex cross sections with the simpler emotions we recognize) can give any viewer slightly silly, yet very helpful explanations for personal moments of particular emotional turmoil. For a film all about maturing and development, it’s fitting that Inside Out 2 goes even deeper into the workings of the brain … and I guarantee it’ll leave you thinking for a long time after it’s over.
Jackson Zuercher, Film & TV Beat Writer
Industry, Season Three
Another year, another stressful HBO show about morally corrupt rich people with sexual problems that would send Freud to an early grave for me to rave about! Industry hit the scene at a steady walk and has escalated over the course of three seasons to a manic, coke–fueled sprint, barreling through the messy and substance–filled lives of young investment bankers in London. The writers went to the Veep and Succession school of making all of the extremely evil, extremely hot main characters just compelling enough that you think they’re going to make the right decision this time, yet realistically nasty enough that it’s never a surprise when they don’t. But it’s not its great characters, talented actors, or overwhelming–in–the–best–way sound
design that makes the first three seasons of this show so good—it’s the way it’s been allowed to grow. We may have lost some gems along the way (RIP blue–haired Gus [David Jonsson], too busy screwing a high schooler and becoming a Tory shill to come back for season three, I guess), but Industry’s steady ascent over time has been incredible to watch. And, quite honestly, it’s something that is in short supply these days, with streaming services canceling shows after one season left and right. Just like a successful stock market, Industry has, with a rare chance to breathe and grow a fanbase over time, shot up. Or something. I’m not in Wharton.
Isaac Pollock, Film & TV Editor
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Take It to the Streets What to Do in Philly This Month
This month: ballet, basketball, lots of light shows— and more to explore.
Going to college in Philly, we’re so often bombarded—on social media and IRL—with seemingly endless options for how to spend our free time. So I’m delighted to announce that Street has done the hard part for you: We’ve rounded up what we think are the can’t–miss events for the month. If I’ve done my job right, there’ll be something in here for every one of our readers, no matter what you like to do with your weekends.
Catherine Sorrentino, Print Editor
Dec. 7: Big 5 Classic @ the Wells Fargo Center
Whoever wins, this year’s Big 5 Classic sure to be a slam dunk. This year sees Penn go up against Villanova, Drexel, LaSalle, Saint Joseph’s, and Temple for basketball supremacy, and whatever little school spirit you have left after Homecoming should go towards supporting our Quakers. Why does the Big 5 Classic have six teams? You might just have to go to find out.
Tickets start at $30, 2 p.m., 3601 Broad St.
Dec. 7: Deck the Alley @ Elfreth’s Alley
Dec. 3: Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time @ the Wells Fargo Center
What is the holiday season without Mariah Carey? If “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is your monthlong earworm every December, take the BSL to NRG Station on Dec. 3 for an evening of lights, Christmas cheer, and a vocal range for the ages.
Tickets start at $39, 7:30 p.m., 3601 Broad St.
Dec. 3-8: RockyFest @ Various Locations
The iconic movie that calls Philadelphia its home has ingrained itself in the city’s culture. Rocky and his ensuing films have themselves become reason to celebrate, and that they are. This year marks the 48th annual RockyFest. From a bus tour to themed ice skating, this five–day festival offers all things Rocky for all kinds of fans.
Various prices and times, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.
Dec. 6–8: The Nutcracker @ the Miller Theater
Yes, maybe the last time you saw The Nutcracker was when you were a kid. But
don’t we all need a little escapism this holiday (finals) season? Escaping back into the Sugarplum Fairies, Toymakers, and Mouse Kings of days gone by might be the ultimate cure to the monotony and terror of a late–night library session. So book a ticket, and for at least two hours, let that organic chemistry homework float away.
Tickets start at $49, 6:30 p.m. on Friday, 6 p.m. on Saturday, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Sunday, 250 S. Broad St
Dec. 6–8: PAX Unplugged @ the Pennsylvania Convention Center
Do you like to gather magic? Do you prefer your wizards by the coast?
PAX Unplugged at the Pennsylvania Convention Center has all your gaming needs covered. From Dec. 6–8, roll some die, do some roleplay, and get your nerd on with all the other tabletop gamers in the city. From LARPing workshops to Matt Mercer, every gamer can find something fun.
$5 with student ID, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy
Celebrate Christmas on the oldest residential street in Philadelphia! See elves peaking through windows, doors, and more as you are surrounded by Christmas lights. Carolers and other performers will provide holiday cheer through holiday music!
Tickets start at $26.50, 2–7 p.m., 124–126 Elfreth’s Alley.
March 20: KWH Speakeasy Open Mic Night @ Kelly Writers House
Come down to the Kelly Writers House for an open mic night that welcomes all kinds of readings, performances, spectacles, and happenings! Whether you’ve just finished an award–winning essay or you’re part of a modern dance troupe, Kelly Writers House welcomes all.
Free, 7:00 p.m., 3805 Locust Walk
Dec. 10: Suki Waterhouse with Bully @ Franklin Music Hall
Maybe you’re a fan of her nostalgic lyrics or her swooney, old–school vocals. Maybe all you know is that she married Edward from Twilight and once read Lolita to a twice–her–age Bradley Cooper in Central Park. Whatever your entryway into the universe of Suki Waterhouse was, it's time to make the pilgrimage to Franklin Music Hall to hear her dulcet tunes.
Tickets start $38.50, 8 p.m., 421 N. Seventh St.
Dec. 21-22: Messiah @ the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
The Bible—who has time for it? Though read ing the Gospel is a struggle, hearing it sung is far, far easier. Handel’s Messiah adapts the King James Bible for the stage, bringing to life all our favorite characters from Isaac to Isaiah. The oratorio is just as relevant as it was 300 years ago—don’t miss your chance to see it just before this Christmas.
Tickets start at $77, 7 p.m., 300 S. Broad St.
Through Dec. 24: Christmas Village in Philadelphia @ LOVE Park and City Hall
Once a year, City Hall transforms into a winter wonderland. Booths decorated like gingerbread houses line the streets, as people bundled up in their sweaters and mittens to traverse the cold to look at homemade trinkets and wares. Escape the stressors of your daily life while sipping hot cocoa and listening to holiday classic tunes. Free, 12 p.m., 1500 Arch St.
Through Dec. 31: Lit @ Main Street
In this light display competition, over 50 businesses are committed to getting Manayunk lit. Take a stroll through the area to see all the creations and even take a chance to vote on who’s done it best. Free, 5:30 p.m., 4418 Canal St.
Through March 2: Blue Cross RiverRink Winterfest @ Penn’s Landing
If the Hallmark Christmas fantasy is your vibe, then this pocket of holiday serenity is not to miss. There is nothing like the winter chill and first notes of Mariah Carey’s classic holiday hits to convince you that you can, in fact, gracefully glide along the ice. There are plastic penguins for the balance–challenged skaters among us, hot chocolate to combat the cold, and plenty of garlands and decor to put you in the spirit.
Tickets start $6, 5 p.m., 101 S. Christopher Colum bus Blvd.
The Fresh New Faces of Philly Jazz
As the genre ages, it’s only getting younger.
BY LILA DUBOIS
Like a shofar cry from the furthest end of the room, breath hits brass. Just one note, guttural, and the crowd falls quiet.
It’s an early autumn Saturday night in Center City, and a storm has caught people by surprise. With the outside coming down quick and heavy, the inside of a club just off Sansom hangs in a humid sort of haze. It’s a mixture of wet coats, wet hair and halffull vodka tonics, all condensed and stewing in the heat of close bodies and a thermostat set to spare no expense. Going-out hairdos have been left smeared across foreheads and dripping slick down necks.
And so considering the conditions outside, whether planned or not, everyone who enters Chris’ Jazz Cafe tonight is suddenly very happy to be here.
If just for the fact of the roof or the good–looking hostess, one gets the feeling the club was made for nights like this. Hunkered in with a drink and a date, the beer has never felt crisper and the company never warmer—or, in fact, younger. It seems the jazz club as much as any other, maybe one hosting a DJ and pulsing with 808s, will suffice for a night on the town.
The band begins to play.
On Saturdays nights—or Sunday mornings, depending on how you take a near–midnight start time—the jam is the main attraction. Jazz musicians from around the city turn up weekly and without fail, taking to Chris’ open stage after long days of work, school, or paid evening gigs. Here, the music isn’t concerned with money, the gray matter of sheet notations, or anything else: It’s just fun.
It is this, the music, that has kept Chris’ afloat for 34 years, the longest continuously running jazz club in Philadelphia
history. Momentary gods of sounds and form, the musicians arch and twist and bellow out melodies in the way only jazz allows, raw, disconfigured to the brink of dissonant perfection, and with a swing to boot.
Now, the trumpet player reels on a bluesy riff, and then the drummer switches the groove. No one speaks, and no one misses a beat.
Seventy years ago at a club like this, it might have been John Coltrane up there, longtime Northern Philadelphia resident and member of the African American musician’s union, Local 274. This was when the organization was still based at the Clef Club—that is, before it was absorbed by 1960s desegregation efforts into the white union. It could’ve been Nina Simone too, another hallowed Clef Club member, taking to the stage either as piano prodigy or equally impressive crooning the likes of “I Loves You Porgy,” “Sinnerman,” and “To Love Somebody.”
It might also have been Dizzy Gillespie or Louis Jordan, before they moved to New York City. Or some native–born Philadelphian—saxophonist Jimmy Heath, organist Shirley Scott, drummer Butch Ballard, or iconic trumpeter Lee Morgan. But tonight, there’s no Simone, Ballard, or Morgan. Tonight, the man with the trumpet is a 19–year–old engineering student at Drexel University, Aleko Nicolacakis. He’s not the only one that doesn’t quite fit the jazz stereotype—perhaps one of a cool old guy, well dressed and lips pursed as if in a perpetual state of saxophone. To Nicolacakis' right, another Drexel student rips guitar. Two saxophonists from Penn wait in the queue just off stage; students who have bussed in from suburban col-
leges—Villanova, Haverford, Swarthmore— populate the audience. On bass is a junior at a local Philly high school. Interspersed among them are Chris’ regulars, musicians, mostly men, in their late 20s or 30s or 40s. They wear denim dress shirts and Eagles hats, or slacks with Jordans. Nicolacakis has on cargo pants and Timberlands.
Looking around, the audience rides slightly askew the trope as well. These are not jazz connoisseurs, they’re young white–collar professionals. They’re millennials on Tinder dates. They’re fairly racially diverse, and almost all are of comfortable economic means—at least comfortable enough to pay the $15 cover fee and a $100 check for a few rounds of drinks.
Expectations aside, there’s a certain, undeniable reality here. It’s a Saturday night in Philadelphia, and Chris’ Jazz Cafe is full.
Jazz—at
Chris’, in Philadelphia, and in cities around America—is changing guards. Rather than simply dwindling out and dying off, as the popular narrative goes, it seems the form is actually just being taken over by a different breed: the young.
Take Nicolacakis, a 3rd–generation Greek kid born and raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles who discovered jazz watching the children’s television shows Little Bill and Sesame Street. At the behest of his mother, he took up classical piano lessons from a woman down the street, and so it was only later, in the hands of a well endowed public school system, that Nicolacakis finally found the trumpet. Playing through his local middle and high school jazz bands (and good ones at that—Agoura High School having sent players to Julliard, The New England Conservatory of Music, and Philadelphia’s own Temple University), he fell in love with the form. In 2021, he won Outstanding Soloist at one of the premier high school jazz band competitions, Essentially Ellington. They’d never had a Nicolacakis, he laughs: “They butchered my name, [the announcer] couldn’t even get through it.” Nicolacakis' family caught the bug, too. Now they go see acts back home in down-
town L.A. and hit Chris’ on each trip back east. Both younger siblings, Kostaki (15) and Chloe Sky (13), play in their school bands too.
As for the family dog? It’s Dizzy. That is—Dizzy Gillespie Nicolacakis.
During the week, Nicolacakis interns down at the Navy Yard. But for those who make a living out of jazz here, the weeks consist of teaching, gigging restaurants and weddings, session freelancing, and tutoring private lessons—really, it’s anything they can get their hands on. Jazz is not exactly known for its lucrative or steady income; being a musician, in Philadelphia and elsewhere, is not for the faint of heart.
This is particularly true when there are college students and other young non–career musicians who will play gigs for next to nothing. Whether naive to pricing or simply eager to play, they’re driving prices down.
Even so, a unique sense of investment in the youth still reigns supreme among the more established players in the area. Arriving at Chris’ for the first time as a freshman, Nicolacakis remembers nerves being met with only encouragement from the regulars. “I turned around and apologized, and they were just like, ‘What? Why are you apologizing? We’re just having fun here.’”
Should we Greek exit? I mean Irish goodbye
This youth support manifests within organizations of institutional jazz as well, like in youth programs at the Clef Club, no longer home to the jazz union of Coltrane and Simone, but still a thriving center for jazz education, performance, and preservation of Black American culture in Philadelphia. Taking the Benjamin Franklin Bridge 20 minutes over the Delaware River
into New Jersey, Jamal and Nasir Dickerson have been dubbed “Black education gurus” for their leadership at the Unity Community Center. Aimed particularly at young Black people in Camden, the Center provides high quality training in music composition, history, and martial arts. Deservedly so, they boast one of the best jazz band programs in the state. Programs at the Kimmel Cultural Campus and with the Philadelphia Youth Jazz Orchestra serve to bolster jazz education as well.
But for the broader public, those passing knowledge less pedagogically, Nicolacakis still confirms: “It’s super close–knit, really easy to make friends with everyone. Even though it’s small, everyone is super interested in bringing in more people.” He has even recognized fellow Chris’ jammers elsewhere in the city, once stopping at a construction site on his way to class, where he recognized a familiar face and a boombox blaring “Watermelon Man.”
Back at Chris’, someone calls “Nardis.” Uptempo. Even the young players, especially the young players, know the standards like this one. They’re students of the genre who, in place of growing up in its heyday, have studied hard to know the canon, to understand the music as if it were truly their own. Tonight’s players may not have known Lee Morgan or Butch Ballard or that superstar mid–20th–century moment of the Clef Club, but they do know “Nardis,” they know the etiquette of soloing and of keeping rhythm, and, most of all, they know how to play their instruments—and damn well at that. At least, as well as any of the old heads with whom they share the stage tonight.
Nicolacakis is no different. It’s clear how well he knows the piece from how widely his solos deviate from the song’s prescribed verse and chorus. His chest fills and he veers and swerves across the momentary universe of sound, coming up for air only to plunge further into a solo melody completely of his own creation. To truly understand a song in jazz is to know how to interpret it—to not just copy but be in conversation with it, taking in a melody only to spit it back out in a won-
derfully rebellious and personal new way.
Perhaps for younger people, part of jazz’s particular allure is this spontaneity, the intrinsic draw to a form so ostentatiously authentic as to be, at times, imperfect, and always momentary, notes sung without hard copy backup, dissolving into cigarette smoke and club goers’ hot breath as soon as they are sounded.
It is also a naturally social endeavor, requiring musical conversation between players and audience members alike. A census conducted by the Jazz Audience Initiative found that a majority of jazz audiences prefer shows in informal settings, like clubs or bars, and that this preference was even stronger in young people. After all these years, jazz has survived as this communal act, this radically pure synthesis of humanity and sound.
Or as Nicolacakis puts it: “Jazz is special because you don’t need a conductor or anything like that. You just need someone who is confident enough to count off. And then you just let it roll.”
The players are sweating, the varied effect of stage lights and musical exhilaration visible on foreheads and brows, furrowed and focused.
The audience is an assorted lot of tapping feet and bobbing heads, the stage’s wailing horn and bass slap a welcome third party to conversations along a sliding scale from friendly to flirty (jazz being a particular romantic asset in the latter).
It’s this scene, the energy and ambience of the music, for which the crowd is really here. As opposed to the players, the audience’s comprehension of the musical technicalities at play seems low or average at best. That much is clear in some of the more offbeat snaps, variant claps, and questions like, How do they all know what to do? and What’s this one called? in reference to a Billie Holiday version of “All of Me.” With the exception of a few aficionados, most in attendance here enjoy jazz without knowing, or needing to know, what’s going on.
Maybe one doesn’t have to be an expert to feel the groove and be moved to dance or
laugh or tear up. One doesn’t have to know scales and modes, the chord chart discrepancies between editions of The Real Book or what it means to swing a beat, to enjoy the fruits of all these things. Maybe it’s less about understanding the music than it is about simply enjoying it. Maybe it’s just about coming in to escape the rain, only to realize the brilliance of Chris’ on a Saturday night.
Still, as an appreciation of jazz is shared by more, and particularly the young, the question of its roots becomes once again pertinent. With context, historical knowledge, and technical know–how no longer an implicit requirement for jazz fans, how does this informational base get passed on? In favor of face–value enjoyment, is something else left behind, jazz culture rendered simply the next casualty of gentrification and time?
In the immediate sense, though, it’s an impossible question to answer, a future not visible in the lowlight glow of the club.
There is something to be said about the complete and utter devotion these young players have to the jam tonight, to the purity of the sound and the weekly ritual of it all. These kids aren’t old heads, and they can’t be. But despite it, they’ve all become diehards in their own way, educated, talented, and motivated enough to carry on not just quality jazz, but hopefully also a reverence for the rich history and system of human roots that gave it to them. So ultimately, if Chris’ crowd and it's players tonight are any indication; if the work of the Camden Center, the Clef Club, and the rest have anything to do with it; if the census stats or the Nicolacakises' dog Dizzy can be taken as any sort of sign, it’s believable that jazz isn’t dying. It’s believable that it is being taken up by a new generation of devotees, of passionate, active participants rather than passive inheritors. There is no mystery here, there is a plain and evident truth: Jazz in Philadelphia is only getting younger.
In Photos: Days in a Daze
What life is like as a Penn student in December.
BY JEAN PARK
by Jean Park and Derek Wong Design by Erin Ma
So much happens in a year, but how much of it do we truly remember? How much do we even want to remember? And what memories will linger, no matter how hard we try to forget?
Attending endless coffee chats, churning out pages upon pages of writing, and somehow finding time to catch up with friends amid it all—everything becomes one blur.
The days blur together, and one starts to lose track of the moments that once felt important. In 2024—especially this fall semester—I’ve been burned out, just pushing to make it to the year’s end. But this feeling of trudging forward isn’t unique. As the weather cools, finals loom, and clubs wrap up, these photos are a reflection of everything I’m feeling right now.
Here’s to a brighter new year and fresh memories. Yet, I know that by this time next year, I’ll probably find myself in the same place all over again.k
Photos
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