Musical duo Matt and Kim are a force to be reckoned with. The musical powerhouses have captured the attention of music listeners across the country, and have recently performed at Philadelphia’s Electric Factory.
Matt and Kim have performed at a multitude of music festivals, including Coachella and Lollapalooza. Known for their infectious indie and dance beats, their concerts are high-energy and fun.
The duo has returned after their year-long tour hiatus after Kim sustained an ACL injury.
“The other night in Columbus, I started getting watery eyed on stage because I was just like, we’re back, we’re doing it, it feels good,” band member Kim Schifino says.
Their sixth studio album is expected to be released on May 4th, 2018.
Band member Matt Johnson says, “It is interesting when you’re trying to write from like a therapeutic standpoint of ‘I just want to write about this so I stop thinking about it’ or get it off my chest.”
Make sure to check out their upcoming album, Almost Everyday, and their music on YouTube.
London may not be known as the city of love, but the Underground knows how to keep the romance alive.
Aside from Big Ben, London Bridge, and the London Eye, “Mind the Gap” is a London staple and a phrase that can be heard all over the city’s underground tube network.
Within London, there are two hundred and seventy tube stations, but only one plays one of the original recordings of the phrase by late actor Oswald Laurence.
Oswald Laurence was a British actor who never rose to fame on the stage, but made his mark in the late 1960’s as the voice behind the notable passenger warning. The London Underground used his voice across the city for decades until public announcement systems gradually began to take over. Eventually, Embankment station was the last to use his voice until they also phased it out.
Mr. Laurence’s wife, Margaret McCollum approached the Transport for London in 2013, and asked for them to restore his voice after his death, just so she could hear him again.
“Sounds good to me, sounds good to me, I love the idea that there’s a story behind the voice,” says Londoner and public speaker, Simon Bucknall.
Platform 4 of the Northern Line at Embankment station is currently the only location that continues to use Mr. Laurence’s iconic voiceover.
Saint Patrick’s Day is this Saturday and the city of Philadelphia is hosting plenty of events to encourage everyone to get involved in the celebrations.
Those looking to enjoy the historical side of Saint Patrick’s Day can join Mayor Jim Kenney at the Irish Memorial in Old City where a ceremony will be held to commemorate those who left difficult times in Ireland for a better life in America.
The ceremony is set to start at 11 AM and will include a wreath laying and a changing of the flag.
Irish Memorial in Old City, Philadelphia
Thrill seekers will have the opportunity to spend Saint Patrick’s Day at Laurel Hill Cemetery where the telling of Irish tales will give people insight of the heritage and accomplishments of those souls that have passed.
The tours are set to start at 1 PM and drinks and food will be provided to those in attendance.
Partygoers will also have their way of celebrating by attending the over 30-year-old tradition, Erin Express pub crawl.
Pubs are set to open as early as 7 AM with Express busses running every 15 minutes from 11 AM – 6 PM.
Erin Express stresses that tickets are not needed for this event as people have been tricked to pay in the past.
“Don’t be fooled by imitations, the official Erin Express has and always will be a free event!”
The city of Philadelphia encourages everyone to enjoy the holiday safely and responsibly.
Tourists in Philadelphia visit the Reading Terminal Market, but what can travelers find in London? Borough Market is one of the most popular tourist attractions located at the Southwark end of London Bridge, and has existed in various forms for nearly a millennium.
The exact start date of the market’s beginning is unknown, but has a history that dates all the way back to the year 1014.
As London’s oldest existing market, Borough offers street food from across the globe as well as British and international produce. The market is bustling with visitors from all over the world and each year attracts over 16 million people.
Jill Wattron of Texas explains why she enjoys coming to Borough Market.
“I just love the atmosphere about it, honestly,” says Wattron. “I love farmer’s markets.”
Borough is a place that appeals to a global community. Not only do people from across the pond come to London to visit the market, but from other parts of Europe as well.
Pamela Melotti, a 10-year Borough Market employee from Italy, shared a little bit about her product called “drunk cheeses.”
“Well we do drunk cheeses, they’re all aged or refined with alcohol. They’re all Italian so made with red wine, white wine, beer, sweet wine, so they’re quite a niche product, unique cheeses,” she says.
A must-see for locals and tourists, Borough Market is a place defined by its diversity and ever-growing nature.
The Broad Street Run is a race that brings 40,000 people to the city of Philadelphia each spring. If you’ve ever seen this 10 mile-race, you may have noticed matching Temple t-shirts on quite a few participants. Runners wearing these shirts are part of the Temple Runs Broad team.
The team is a combination of what used to be separate Temple Police and Temple Risk Management teams. Professor McCloskey of the Fox School of Business initiated their coming together.
McCloskey told Temple Update “The origin of our team was Risk Management students and Temple Police, then it was Fox students and police. Then last year we really started to pull in students that were outside the business school, and we also started to pull in employees that were outside of the business school.”
All team members are required to make a $20 donation. However, every penny earned goes towards the charity of choice for each year’s fundraiser. The overall fundraising efforts are ran by the business school’s fraternity, Gamma Iota Sigma. Fundraising efforts are ran year round through different bake sales and event opportunities, with the Broad Street Run being the most lucrative event.
McCloskey emphasized how the charities chosen each year are small local charities that can really benefit from such a significant donation. This year, all donations will be benefitting a charity that is special to the Fox school. Senior Fox student, Tina Rybak, is managing the fundraising portion of the team, and explained a little more about this year’s charity choice.
“Our charity of choice is Michael’s Giving Hand. They’re a local Philadelphia charity. It’s named after Michael Donatucci, who had taken his life a few years ago. And we had selected this charity because we recently had an alum who took her life, and we’re doing this in honor of her,” Rybak stated.
Although all of the money made is donated to Michael’s Giving Hand, additional donations provide perks for members of the team. Runners running with this team receive:
1 Ivory Ella tech shirt with the Temple Runs Broad team logo on it
Free parking on Temple’s campus the day of the race
Transportation from Temple’s campus to the start of the race, and transportation back to Temple after the race
Access to the post-race barbeque hosted by Temple Police after the race
Guaranteed entry to the race (even if being denied a spot in the lottery)
Special bib/gear pickup on Temple’s campus prior to the race.
Last year’s Temple Runs Broad team shirt
The company Ivory Ella that donates all of the shirts is owned by two Fox alums. Their company values philanthropy very highly, for a portion of all of their regular purchases are donated to Save the Elephants. Prior to their donation, Temple Police was providing shirts to their team. Temple Police also provides the transportation for runners, as well as hosts the post-race barbecue.
Temple Police Captain, Eileen Bradley, who has been running the race for 19 years is in charge of all of the benefits that Temple Police provides. When asked what food to expect from the race, she said they provide “hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, corn on the cob—we have everything! We feed everyone who runs with us and their families!” Captain Bradley is also responsible for getting runners a spot in the race if they don’t get one through the lottery.
Last year, the team had 250 runners and raised over $6000. McCloskey expressed that each year the team continues to grow, and they are really trying to get the word out to everyone at Temple University this year. “Anyone that’s affiliated with the university, or is a student of the university, alum, works, or is just a friend of the university, we’d love to have you on the team,” McCloskey stated.
If you’re interested in running with Temple’s team, there are two simple steps to follow!
Between February 1st and February 16th, you must register as an INDIVIDUAL in the race lottery. You can find that link here.
Send an email to templebroadstreetrun@gmail.com expressing your interest in the team and be added to the list. From there, they will send further instruction on payment and gear pickup times.
Owls are everywhere… even in a Tony Award-winning rock musical!
The Wilma Theater is putting on the musical of a lifetime, Passing Strange, a story of a rebellious young black man as he journeys to Europe in search of something “real.” The music takes center stage as the audience travels from gospel-soaked South Central LA, through psychedelic Amsterdam, to militant Berlin and back. This incendiary musical is a rowdy salve for turbulent times: a young punk screaming in defiance of the void, with a thrilling onstage band.
Temple students might see some familiar faces in the Wilma’s electric musical.
Lindsay Smiling, a member of Wilma’s HotHouse company, plays a variety of wacky characters as the settings change in the show. Smiling goes from playing the eccentric choir director, Mr. Franklin in Los Angeles, to laid back, free hippie, Joop in Amsterdam, to stern Nowhaus member, Hugo in Berlin.
Temple students might remember Savannah Jackson in her role of Reggie during in the adored production of Kristoffer Diaz’s Reggie Hoops from Temple Theater’s 2016-2017 season.
In Passing Strange, Savannah Jackson also goes through a character journey. The Temple student starts the show playing “choir girl next door,” Edwina Williams, and concludes it as Sudabey, an avant-garde filmmaker. Jackson’s role as Marianna, a hippie the main character, “Youth,” encounters in Amsterdam, is a gift to the show. Her vocals in “Keys” echoes through the theater and solidifies her stunning capabilities as both an actress and musician.
From January 10th through February 18th, The Wilma Theater is showcasing Passing Strange.
“I think that it evokes goosebumps when you are listening to it because it has a lot of spacey sounds, but it’s really like heartfelt. So I guess it’s for…I would say an experimental mind,” says Xilomen.
Xilomen is a Bell Tower Records artist from Chesapeake, Virginia who recently released her new album, Black Mamba Part 1. Music fans gathered at the album release party hosted by Bell Tower Records at Pub Webb.
“I’ve been making music for a long time and I figured it would be a good platform to get my music out to…I guess a larger audience,” says Xilomen.
The album is part of one of two. Xilomen was inspired by one of her favorite dancers for the album title.
“His name is Laurent Bourgeois from the collective. I went up to him and told him you inspire me and everything. He sees my tattoo, one of them, and he grabs my arm and says ‘Black Mamba.’ I’m going like, ‘what does that like even mean?’ But it has some kind of significance to him,” says Xilomen.
Black Mamba Part 1 is available now on the Bell Tower Music Bandcamp here.
Christmas is almost around the corner. Being it’s mid-December, most big box stores are selling out quick when it comes to common gift items. Well, good news if you are in Center City, make a trip down Dilworth Park, and JFK Plaza where the Made In Philadelphia Holiday Market and Christmas Village in Philadelphia have both been located since a little before Thanksgiving this year.
The Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market has made it’s return to compliment the long-time annual Christmas Village in Philadelphia. Every year, this event attracts local, national, and international shoppers with it’s vintage outdoor Market look. “I’ve enjoyed the international aspect of this event every year because people from all around the world are circulating,” says long-time small business owner Sheikha Maryam. Sheikha has been participating in the Christmas Village in Philadelphia since its inception.
Food, handmade jewelry, soaps, and lotions, are just some of the stuff that popped up at this year’s Made In Philadelphia Holiday Market. It’s the perfect event to bring children, and even your future parents-in-law. “I would actually recommend this place to everyone I know,” says Ron Salam, a tourist and shopper, who was visiting the city of brotherly love for the first time. Ron was there with his fiancée’ and her parents.
The Christmas Village in Philadelphia will be running until Christmas Eve this year, and the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market will conclude it’s annual run in Philadelphia on January 1st, 2018.
Japanese animation, or anime, is a large part of the country’s culture and a significant influence for many American students looking to study abroad.
Studio Ghibli is one of the most famous and popular Japanese animation studios around the world. The studio, which created popular movies like Howl’s Moving Castle
and Spirited Away, even has its own museum in Mitaka, a city in western Tokyo.
To celebrate Thanksgiving weekend, some TUJ students visited the museum to learn more about Japanese animation.
Jade Davis, a junior journalism major told Temple Update she’s been watching Ghibli moves since middle school.
“They’re just really heartwarming and they have something that I feel American animated moves lack, and they’ve just been so amazing, and I’m really happy to be here,” says Davis.
Junior film major, Chineme Aniagba, says she is another huge animation fan.
“That’s one of the reasons why I came to Japan,” says Aniagba. “And I haven’t seen a lot of animation places, but this is like the place, and I really love that.”
Eight of Studio Ghibli’s films are among the 15 highest-grossing anime films made in Japan, and five of the films have received Academy Award nominations.
Local musicians performed on Sunday with broken instruments to shed light on funding for musical education.
Funding for musical education in the Philadelphia school district has decreased since 2007.
Over $1 million were given to the district for musical education, since then the budget has declined to $50,000 for the entire District. Schools do not have the funds to buy or even repair broken instruments. When an instrument is damaged, the school district cannot afford its repair, putting the instruments away in storage. This problem lead Robert Blackson, Temple’s contemporary director and Sarah Beimiller, the assistant director to come up with Temple’s Symphony For A Broken Orchestra. Which are artists from the community collaborating together to play damaged instruments.
“We collected over a thousand broken instruments from the school district and went and recorded all of the sounds that the sounds those broken instruments made. David Lang composed a piece based on those broken instruments,” Beilmiller shared.
The piece that David Lang composed gave the instruments life and new ways to use them. The piece was very profound, emphasizing that although the instruments are damaged, they are still valuable. With the help of Found Sound Nation, a nonprofit that helps bring music to inner city schools, over 350 volunteers and students played the broken instruments to help raise money to repair these instruments, and donate them back to the school district.
Ginger Smith says, “We thought it was a perfect opportunity to give back to the institutions that have also grown us.”
Temple contemporary will continue to collaborate with professionals to fix these instruments for the students of the Philadelphia school district.
