But the DJ Made Me Do It!: Hands and Knees

by kristina weise

When the infamous Silk City Lounge shut its doors three weeks ago, the news of such a tragedy even reached me in Manhattan. My distraught Philadelphian friends called to inform me that our college staple, our once quintessential drinking hole (deemed as our own personal playground), was down for the count. A night of belligerence and bliss, dancing and debauchery, settled nicely at Fifth & Spring Garden Streets seemed to always offer exactly what we needed at the time: music, the dance floor, and an ungodly amount of social lubrication, better known as alcohol.

When one of your all-time favorite bars closes indefinitely, you can’t help but feel a loss. You might not be able to remember most of the weekend hours spent dancing like a maniac, sweating to The Cure, or witnessing four feet in one bathroom stall (perhaps even being an active participant yourself.. don’t judge!), but you can never forget the instantaneous pleasure wave that swept over your body as you let the pulsating music penetrate your entire being. God bless the DJs.

So when I heard that musical masterminds Ian St. Laurent and John Redden were taking their luscious mix of sounds and tricks to The M Room (aka: The Manhattan Room), well, it even made this New Yorker jealous not to be back in the city of brotherly loveliness.

Creatively christened, “Hands and Knees,” this Friday-night party will have you on exactly those body parts once 2 A.M. strikes. Spinning rock ‘n roll, indie, Britpop, 80’s, electro, and new wave, St. Laurent and Redden will whip you into a universal intoxication faster than your cocktail. The meager $5 cover gets you free PBR from 10-11 P.M., $2 Vitaminwater & vodkas from 9 P.M. till close. And if you think it doesn’t get any better, keep your drool cups accessible because the host of the night is none other than the tantalizingly talented Jonathan Sorber.

Sorber is known throughout the local Philadelphia fashion scene as one of the most sought-after and rising photographers. When he is not shooting for stores such as Smak Parlour, Passional Boutique, or The Mood, or covering fashion shows for Heatherette and Chesters Ghost, Jonny can be found gallivanting around the city, capturing partygoers’ most salacious and slightly inebriated moments.

If you want to ignite your night and saturate your soul with sins and sounds, “Hands and Knees” will keep you asking for more while simultaneously begging for mercy. My advice to you is to keep a defibrillator at arm’s length. St. Laurent, Redden, and Sorber are a deadly combination that will whip you into such a Friday-night frenzy that Saturday may just become obsolete.

Needless to say, the faint of heart need not apply here.

Hands & Knees, Every Friday night, The M Room, 15 W Girard Ave.(Frankford & Girard), Philadelphia, Pa 19125, 215.739.5577. Sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, Puma, Vitaminwater.

Additional information:
www.myspace.com/getonyourhandsandknees
www.myspace.com/TheManhattanRoom
jsorberphotography.com

Kristina Weise is a freelance fashion/music/entertainment journalist. She can be contacted at kweise31 at hotmail dot com