While PREIT and Market Street’s soon-to-debut Fashion District dropped information on the entirety of its shops, restau-bars, and amenities yesterday, one location caught the attention of locals just by sending out a list. City Winery Philadelphia announced its first 36 shows and put tickets on sale (citywinery.com/Philadelphia).
The New York City-based City Winery is the brainchild of Michael Dorf, the man who founded the avant-everything Knitting Factory live venue and record label in the 1980s. With its mix of acoustic rock and folk, art rock, soft punk, cabaret, R&B, and mixed-up jazz, funk and hip hop, the adult-oriented City Winery is more akin to, say, World Café Live than a Fillmore, something less for kids than for parents and millennials on the older side. It helps that Dorf emphasizes more adult pleasures such as dining and drinking fresh wine (they’ll make their own wine there, hence the name).
With the Trocadero gone and the Hard Rock never truly revved up for live shows, Dorf’s 36,000+ square feet footprint (at a cost of $8 million) makes City Winery Philadelphia the only game in (down) town – the sole Center City music venue. While that is great for CWP, it is embarrassing for Philly.
While City Winery Philadelphia opens with a September 30 show with singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, look for events with rock photographers Mick Rock and Henry Diltz (October 8: Behind the Lens), blues singer Tyrone Wells (October 9), a Ukelele Tribute to The Boss with Jim Boggia in City Winery’s intimate The Loft (October 12), alterna-country giants The Flatlanders (November 16), soft hip-hopper Dwele (November 30) two night with Los Lobos (December 15 and16) and a pre-NYE jam with Philly R&B vocalist Musiq Soulchild (December 26).
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