Showing posts tagged Philadelphia

The wine has made it easier

In August of 2002, a Philadelphia band called The Bigger Lovers issued their second full-length album, Honey in the Hive. When it came out, I wrote about it for my college newspaper because it’s magnificent. I wrote more about them in the years that followed, played guitar in bands that performed alongside them, drank innumerable glasses of beer with the band, and befriended member Scott Jefferson.

This September 8th, The Bigger Lovers are performing Honey in the Hive in its entirety in Philadelphia (tickets). Download the whole album for FREE (this week only).

In May of 2003, in a wooded region of Fishtown, Philadelphia that borders the Delaware River, a 15-year-old local girl named Justina Morley baited her then-boyfriend Jason Sweeney away from public view with promises of sex. Instead of an intimate exchange, three other young men sprang from the brush and pounced on Sweeney, swinging a hatchet and a hammer, and throwing big rocks at his face and head. He was beaten to death. I wrote about this murder, the news coverage of it, and a grisly, graphic novelization of it called Fishtown for PopMatters. View high resolution

In May of 2003, in a wooded region of Fishtown, Philadelphia that borders the Delaware River, a 15-year-old local girl named Justina Morley baited her then-boyfriend Jason Sweeney away from public view with promises of sex. Instead of an intimate exchange, three other young men sprang from the brush and pounced on Sweeney, swinging a hatchet and a hammer, and throwing big rocks at his face and head. He was beaten to death. I wrote about this murder, the news coverage of it, and a grisly, graphic novelization of it called Fishtown for PopMatters.

More than one murder daily

Philadelphia crime reporter Morgan Zalot (@morganzalot) tallies a horrid seven hours in the city that pushed 2012’s murder rate to more than one daily.

“
With a homicide rate ranked the worst of the country’s 10 biggest cities, Philadelphia far exceeds the national averages for both the number of homicides and the percentage accomplished with a gun.
“How Two Photojournalists Are Taking on the City’s Gun Crisis,” Tara Murtha, Philadelphia Weekly