Attention Philadelphia! If your penchant for brotherly love has recently morphed into a desire for designer-ly delights; don’t despair, you’re still in the right city. A sterling opportunity to quench that fresh thirst, although briefly, has presented itself in the form of a wondrous pop up shop courtesy of the fine folks (and our friends) at Oh Joy! and URBN. Indulge yourself in a fine array of precious paper and print goods that are sure to be a compliment to even the shoddiest of penmanship. The whole shebang kicks off tomorrow, July 9th, at 11:30 at URBN Building 543 on 5000 S. Broad Street on the Urban Outfitter’s campus and lasts a scant three hours ’til the clock strikes 2:30. Plan accordingly and don’t miss out, because shops don’t just pop-up out of the ground like this too often.

Philadelphia often spits out something unconventional and intriguing. Bahamadia the whispering lady rapper, G-Love the hipster-ahead-of-his-time, and a band like no other called Black Landlord. I started hearing their name around town a few months back from a few heads gushing about their killer live shows and now there’s a full album to be had. The nine-piece band includes everything but the didgeridoo and gives an instrumental style like a funked out Soil & Pimp, with vocals laid down by founder Maxx Stoyaoff-Williams. Clever, funny, and inherently heavy, Addicted to Distraction kills it in every respect. In regard to album cover, I preferred the pimped out Redd Foxx on their myspace page, but I can see why they went another way with it.

Amidst the dead-til-friday strip of bars in Philadelphia’s Old City, one store front boosts its allure with searing pink. Smak Parlour is the brainchild of Abby and Katie, two Philly girls whose aptitude for design brought to life their vision of girliness. The duo claims they found inspiration from the old school Barbie wardrobe; not hard to believe when you walk into Smak Parlour. In a domain of pink, a pallet of gaudy flare is harnessed to create designs that embody the Abby and Katie’s expertise, self-professed as all things vintage-inspired, girly, fun and flirty. Smak Parlour is at 2nd and Market Streets in Philly.   

If you’re in Philadelphia this weekend, there’s one party happening that trumps any ordinary night out. For its third year DJ Tritton’s Zombie Butt Touch is moving from the underground warehouse to a major venue: the 941 Theatre. Tritton’s own team of make-up artists will zombify every party-goer willing to rock like the dead. Dance to a dozen DJs spinning everything from dubstep to psytrance. Notable acts include Native State’s KiloWatts and lyricist Amagine for a project called Super Galactic Expansive. This is one of those parties that will set the tone for the rest of the summer. Let’s go nuts.

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Upon first glance, the Abakus Takeout site might seem like the place to order General Tso’s chicken and some pork fried rice. Dig a little deeperand you’ll find that it’s the blog and online store based out of Philadelphia’s Chinatown that deals in exclusive kicks and an array of sweet apparel. The site has some hype gear; everything from retro Air Jordans to Ghetto Rock tees. We’ll take a little from column A and a little from column B.

The Philadelphia Phillies have not won a world series since Jimmy Carter’s final days in office, but the way their fans whine about it you’d think Ben Franklin had yet to invent bifocals the last time someone with a P on their hat hoisted that Commisioner’s trophy above their head. While the Philly Phanatics have nothing on fans of the 2004 Red Sox, 2005 White Sox or those poor Cubbies when it comes to championship droughts, some of the faithful fans in the City of Brotherly love have figured they’re just about due to drink that sweet, sweet nectar of victory. In honor of the Phillies ascent to the ‘Fall Classic’, Philly based apparel company UBIQ has designed “Reverse The Curse” tees and beanies to bolster fans and finally banish the bogus curse of Billy Penn. The items are available at UBIQ retail locations and their online store. As a Mets fan, I say, “Go Rays!”

[ED NOTE: As a Sox fan, I say go Phillies.]

If you’re in Philly September 2nd, hop over to the 8th Street Lounge for the Philadelphia installment of Sneaker Pimps– live art and sneaker customization by ‘Grang High’, as well as a few DJ’, — it looks to be a fun party. I’d think about going if I wasn’t off on a secret hunting trip across the Atlantic next week! More to come on that soon…