{"id":859,"date":"2009-03-11T10:04:30","date_gmt":"2009-03-11T15:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hightwo.com\/ht\/?p=859"},"modified":"2009-03-11T10:04:30","modified_gmt":"2009-03-11T15:04:30","slug":"reviews-adam-arcuragi-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/reviews-adam-arcuragi-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviews – Adam Arcuragi"},"content":{"rendered":"
Author: Joey Sweeney
\nSource: Philebrity March 2006
\nLink to this article<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n
\n

Hi. I\u2019m here today to tell you about my friend Adam Arcuragi<\/a>. I would tell you all about him anyway, but the reason I\u2019m telling you now is that tonight, March 10, is the CD release party\/show for his self-titled debut album on High Two Records. I will speak more about that album in a moment, but first let me tell you about Adam. Adam Arcuragi is the man who single-handedly brought the phrase \u201cKick it smooth like dolphin pussy\u201d<\/a> into the Philebrity lexicon. He\u2019s kind of a genius that way. But he also has been, as often as not, my partner in crime. One time, we smoked a LOT of weed and moved my girlfriend: He showed up wearing, I kid you not, a to-the-letter replica of the Brazilian soccer team uniform, complete with a terrycloth headband that made his hair pop out like Beaker. (This later earned him the nickname \u201cAlbino Celery.\u201d) We folded my girl\u2019s princess-and-the-pea style mattress in half and could not stop laughing for two hours. Once we were done, we laid on the grass out front of the house while girl and her mom made us grilled cheese, wondering what the hell was wrong with us. When those grilled cheese came out, we swore it was one of the happiest moments of our lives.<\/p>\n

Debauchery, heartfelt feelings, analysis and mp3s, all after the jump.<\/p>\n

Another time, someone convinced us to go pick up a keg in the middle of the night in South Philly and then take it to Northern Liberties. Adam said he hadn\u2019t been drinking, so he could drive. When were almost back to NoLibs, I was like, \u201cMan, that\u2019s incredible that we\u2019ve all been hanging out since like 6 o\u2019clock and you are stone cold sober! What gives?\u201d Adam very calmly replied that he was on Ecstacy. I think that was the same night I got carried away and licked his neck on the dancefloor at Making Time, and he didn\u2019t even punch me in the face. Not even once! This is not to convey to you that Adam is a craven drug fiend \ufffdor even tolerant of sexual harassment on the dancefloor \ufffdbut more to let you all know that he is a fun, and funny, guy. He\u2019s also very handsome. There\u2019s no real getting around that.
\nBut there is more to it than that. Adam is also one of the most in-touch-with-Jesus dudes I know, and not in the creepy Sufjan Stevens way, but more in the Bob Dylan way. Jesus and the saints and the sinners and the Bible all pop up in Adam\u2019s songs again and again. This used to give me pause, but eventually I realized that Adam has this weird thing where he likes to put myth into pop songs, because it\u2019s kinda been there all along anyway. I think seeing Adam and Norman Greenbaum on a double bill might be one of the coolest things ever.
\nI was the first person, I believe, to ever write a newspaper article about Adam Arcuragi, and motherfuckers, know this now: I will also be the last. (I\u2019ve forwarded a copy of this to the Inky\u2019s obit department should he or I meet an untimely demise.) Back then, Adam was working on his debut album. This was, I believe, in 1999. A few months ago, he was still working on it. The track listing had changed almost entirely, like three times over. This is, I believe, because Adam is working on another plane. His slightly longer career as a poet taught him long ago that the devil is in the details and that killing one\u2019s darlings is perhaps the most noble thing an artist can do. Now that the album is done, I (and a lot of other folks) can tell you: It was worth the wait. The day after Adam got the finished CD back from the label, him and Dryw Scully appeared at my window. They scared the shit out of me. Also, I was sick as a dog. But once they came in, we all drank tea and listened to the whole album and my illness lifted like a wussy fog. It\u2019s that good. Here\u2019s a song from it. It\u2019s one I like a lot.<\/p>\n

Adam Arcuragi: \u201c1981\u2033<\/a> [mp3]<\/p>\n

Going back through my iTunes, I have also found a treasure trove of Adam\u2019s various demos and earlier stabs at what would become his new record. I found some amazing stuff, and I\u2019ll share two of those earlier tracks with you. I am doing this because they\u2019re great, of interest to us today, and also, because I happen to know that Adam lives on a teacher\u2019s meager salary and no way can afford the 15-man legal team it would take to get me from pulling these off the Philebrity server.<\/p>\n

Adam Arcuragi: \u201cChange My Name To David\u201d<\/a> [mp3]<\/p>\n

This is the first recorded song I ever heard of Adam\u2019s. I bought it on a CD-R the night we met. For some reason, Adam recalls that I told him my name was \u201cJoe.\u201d We both think this is funny, but for different reasons.<\/p>\n

Matt Pond PA & Adam Arcuragi: \u201cDon\u2019t Believe Anything You Read\u201d<\/a> [mp3]<\/p>\n

This song, obviously, was a collaboration with Matt Pond PA. The first line of it goes, \u201cPhiladelphia is sick of itself and everything that\u2019s here; I read the papers, that is the case.\u201d I love that line. Matt Pond once saved me from drowning by pulling me out of a riptide, but this piece is not about Matt Pond. Deal with it.
\nWhat this is<\/em> all about, friends, is that my friend Adam is a fucking genius and beautiful man. He\u2019s also a giant pain in the ass, but I promised not to talk about that. Mostly, what I wanted to let you know about is that he\u2019s got this record, and listening to it is like crossing the finish line of a seven-year long marathon and finding that on the other side of the flag, you are greeted by sixteen vestal virgins. Adam is the miller, and he\u2019s telling his tale. He and I both implore you: Skip the light fandango.<\/p>\n

Adam Arcuragi\u2019s record release show takes place tonight at Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany (330 S. 13th St.). Adam will be backed by his full band and joined by special guests, the tremendously talented Like Moving Insects and Bing Ji Ling\u2019s little brother, who is called \u201cSmokey.\u201d Show is at 8 and is $7. For more info on Adam, consult High Two Records.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This entry was posted \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\ton <\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author: Joey Sweeney Source: Philebrity March 2006 Link to this article Hi. I\u2019m here today to tell you about my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_eb_attr":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[66,47,69,50,60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adam-arcuragi-artists","category-artists","category-ht006","category-releases","category-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","acf":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/adam-arcuragi-photos-from-philebrity-party\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":0},"title":"Adam Arcuragi photos from Philebrity party","author":"Daniel Piotrowski","date":"January 3, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Philebrity.com has posted pics of Adam Arcuragi and friends at Philebrity's Christmas party on Dec. 22 at Johnny Brenda's. Photos by Lisa McHenry","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Arcuragi"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Arcuragi","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/adam-arcuragi-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":700,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/adam-arcuragi-shot-x-shot-at-sxsw\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":1},"title":"Adam Arcuragi & Shot x Shot at SxSW","author":"Daniel Piotrowski","date":"March 4, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Join High Two at South by Southwest Music Festival Adam Arcuragi and Shot x Shot to perform at SxSW. Adam Arcuragi Thursday, March 15, 12 p.m. 606 7th St. (across from Beauty Bar\/Red 7) [Free show] Saturday, March 17, 12 p.m. Cream Vintage\u00a0 (2532 Guadalupe St) [Philebrity\/MoveToPhilly party, more details\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Arcuragi"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Arcuragi","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/adam-arcuragi-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":711,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/sxsw-2007-wrap-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":2},"title":"SxSW 2007 wrap-up","author":"Daniel Piotrowski","date":"April 2, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"We had a great time in Austin; thanks to all of you came out to see Shot x Shot and Adam Arcuragi. See you next year. Adam Arcuragi performing at the Philebrity\/MoveToPhilly SxSW Jawn, as captured on video here. Shot x Shot congregate between their four shows outside the Independence\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Arcuragi"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Arcuragi","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/adam-arcuragi-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hightwo.com\/keeper\/010_14.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hightwo.com\/keeper\/010_14.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hightwo.com\/keeper\/010_14.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":866,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/reviews-adam-arcuragi-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":3},"title":"Reviews – Adam Arcuragi","author":"admin","date":"March 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I don't know much about [Adam Arcuragi], but I found myself putting in [his] CD in my player over and over again.\" -Bob Boilen, NPR's all things considered Link to this article","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Arcuragi"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Arcuragi","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/adam-arcuragi-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":673,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/adam-arcuragi-on-city-paper-cover\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":4},"title":"Adam Arcuragi on City Paper cover!!","author":"Daniel Piotrowski","date":"October 12, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Adam Arcuragi is featured on the cover of the new Philadelphia City Paper. This week's is the annual Music Issue and music editor Patrick Rapa has written perhaps the best article to date on the man we call Adam Arcuragi and the album he calls \"quite possibly, the best album\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Arcuragi"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Arcuragi","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/adam-arcuragi-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":871,"url":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/reviews-adam-arcuragi-9\/","url_meta":{"origin":859,"position":5},"title":"Reviews – Adam Arcuragi","author":"admin","date":"March 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"\"'1981' feels like the song of the century.\" -Patrick Rapa, Philadelphia City Paper, Mar 16, 2006","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Arcuragi"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Arcuragi","link":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/category\/adam-arcuragi-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hightwo.net\/two\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}