This Friday night, allow yourself to be carried back in time to the days when the movie-going experience always included live music accompaniment. The silent film from 1920 features Douglas Fairbanks portraying the romantic, swashbuckling Zorro, but this special evening will feature an original and live score by West Philadelphia Orchestra member Brendan Cooney, who’s taken his blend of silent classic films and new exciting live music on the road under the name “Not-So-Silent Cinema.”

“I try to bring together players from different corners of the music scene who don’t usually play together to create unique musical collaborations,” says Cooney, who told Metro reporters that this project is a “faux Latin-flamenco-tango-mariachi ensemble.” “The film’s full of adventure, bravura and romance, so I wanted the music to capture that, but also be a little over the top.” Cooney’s band brings together several mainstays of the West Philadelphia music scene including Patrick Hughes, Alban Bailey (Octomonkey), Josh Machiz (TJ Kong & the Atomic Bomb), and Nezih Antakli.

Catch “The Mark of Zorro” this Friday, April 13, at 8 p.m. at The Rotunda (40th and Walnut). $10.

– Emma Eisenberg

Reminder: This year’s first GO WEST! Craft Fest will be held on Saturday, April 14, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at The Woodlands (40th & Woodland).

This will be the biggest Craft Fest yet – fifty of Philadelphia’s finest artisans will present their handcrafted wares like jewelry, ceramics, clothing, accessories, home accents, edibles, knitted & crocheted items, cards & paper goods, all-natural soaps & bodycare, terrariums, teas, toys and more. Also, don’t miss live entertainment by Sour Mash, Jay Sand of All Around This World, and TinyCircus by Tangle Movement Arts. Complete details and the list of vendors can be found at: gowestcraftfest.blogspot.com.

Note: The Fest will be on the lawn near the entrance, set apart from the actual cemetery. Rain date – Sunday, April 15.

In honor of the birthday of Paul Robeson, an acclaimed actor, concert singer, lawyer, athlete and social activist, The Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library presents two programs in collaboration with the Friends of the Blackwell Library and the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

On Saturday, April 7, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. two biographical films will be shown: “Speak of me as I Am” and “Paul Robeson, Tribute to an Artist.” Refreshments will be served.

On Tuesday, April 17, at 6:00 p.m. there will be a lecture by Frances Aulston, Founder & CEO of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance-Paul Robeson House. A reception will follow.

A series of panels depicting various stages of Paul Robeson’s life will be on display for both programs.

The Lucien E. Blackwell Regional Library is located at 125 South 52nd Street (corner of 52nd and Sansom). For more information call 215-685-7433.

This Saturday, March 31, St. Mary’s Church at 3916 Locust Walk is hosting 2012 Band Extravaganza(!), a fundraising concert to support instrumental music instruction at Lea Elementary. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Penn Jazz, the 2012 High School Honor Band and Play On, Philly! are among featured performers. See the flyer below for more details.
 

Canadian haute rock band Young Empires has recently stopped by Sweetgreen at 40th & Walnut to present the restaurant’s first “Sweetlife” music session. The guys seemed to enjoy their short stay (and Sweetgreen salads). See snippets from their live set and a brief interview below.

Sweetgreen’s Sweetlife sessions were launched earlier this month and already featured two bands giving free performances. There will be some more great bands coming through West Philly soon. Keep an eye on our Events calendar for announcements.

Young Empires sweetlife session from sweetgreen on Vimeo.

Thanks to the joint efforts of several community organizations and over 300 volunteers, residents of the 3800 block of Aspen Street in Mantua are getting their homes improved and their block beautified.

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The volunteers and vendors, who are providing repairs to 20 homeowners on the block and working on greening and beautifying the block, will get together this Saturday, March 31, at the Green Block Party Open House. The open house will be held from 10:00 a.m.- noon and will include the house tours to see improvements in progress. There will also be an opportunity to learn more about healthy homes, meet the program partners, and hear local leaders and residents speak. Update: If it’s raining the open house will be held at the Mantua Community Improvement Committee building, 619 N. 35th Street – between Mt. Vernon and Haverford.

The project is carried out by the Green Block Build Collaborative, a coalition of community organizations including Philadelphia LISC, Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, The Partnership CDC, and a wide variety of other community partners. It is also supported by Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Green Block Build strategy is to improve low-income households, block-by-block, house-by-house by building on the strengths of each partner organization. Each home on the block will receive multiple critical repairs or energy efficiency upgrades, energy assessments, education around home health issues, and financial education. Other home improvements include the installation of green and cool roofs, rain barrel installation, the removal of allergy and asthma triggers such as mold and dampness, weatherization improvements, and overall greening.

The projects are designed to specifically meet the needs of each homeowner. For example, one homeowner with physical handicaps will receive repairs to his home that make the bathroom, backyard, and other rooms more handicap-accessible.

Once the renovations are complete, Drexel University will conduct an analysis of the program’s impact.

“Lord have mercy, we’ll enjoy living in our neighborhood again!” said Barbara Hall, the block captain, when she learned about the Green Block Build Program, “This has given me so much hope.”

See more, including photos, on Plan Philly.