Connie's Ric Rac

Connie's Ric Rac For all booking inquiries: [email protected] The Ric Rac has been a mainstay in the Philly scene since it's inception in 2006.
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Connie's Ric Rac is an event venue located on The 9th Street Italian Market in South Philadelphia, presenting local and regional music, comedy and performing arts. It's underground, DIY atmosphere has drawn the likes of prominent Philadelphia artists such as Amos Lee, Joe Jack Talcum (Dead Milkmen), Black Landlord, as well as national act comedians Matt Besser (Upright Citizens Brigade), Ali Faran

akian (Pit Theatre, NYC) and the quickly rising Chris Gethard. why we are here
It's simple - we love music, art and comedy. We're proud to play host to a variety of forms of entertainment, whether it be a burlesque circus show, punk rock karaoke, or a night of acoustic singer songwriters. Our main product is on the stage, not in our refrigerators. On any given night you can catch the hottest emerging artists in the Philly music and comedy scene. We are also known for presenting events such as Johnny Showcase & The Left Lucy Cabaret, Dead Flowers' Smoking Gun R***e and genre specific showcases. how we got here
Back in the day, Connie's Ric Rac was a shop owned by Connie Tartaglia with a variety of curious objects; really more of a "bric-a-brac". Her and husband Joe "Joe Brown" Tartaglia were Italian Market lifers who always had a fine appreciation for the arts, which were passed down along to their two sons, Joe Brown, Jr., and Frankie. With the explosion of the internet and companies like eBay in the late 90's, Connie sold out her entire inventory by the early 2000s. The building sat vacant for a while, and there were plans for a laundromat......

"The windows and doors were all boarded shut
And the storekeepers had closed their shops up
There wasn't anyone left around
Except for these guys
Who had guitars, and they had drums
And other instruments of wondrous sound"

Plans for the laundromat were thwarted by Joe Jr. and Frank when, along with childhood friend Pete Pelullo (who is in the construction business), built a stage, a bar, and with that Connie's Ric Rac was reborn. At the time, Frankie had just moved back to South Philly after living for several years in New York City's Lower East Side. While working at Alltrue.com, he met and formed an acoustic folk rock duo with colleague Rob Ogus. They splashed on to an emerging Philadelphia acoustic singer songwriter scene and quickly made a name for themselves. Even though the initially opened as a BYOB (and in great part contributing to it's awesome vibe), The Ric Rac became "the spot" to many of the areas up and coming musical artists. Many enjoyed late night jam sessions at Connie's, escorted back by Frank and Joe after Discount Heroes shows and open mic performances. Frankie had also been performing comedy throughout the years, and many of his joke-making and sketch-performing cohorts also began called Connie's home. High profile national acts such as Hannibal Burress (SNL, 30 Rock), and Toddy Barry (Comedy Central, Flight of The Conchords) put the Ric Rac on the comedy map, and has hosted troupes such as Philly Improv Theatre (PHIT), The Sixth Borough (to which Frankie was a founding member), Bedtime Stories (Gregg Gethard, Chris' brother!) and Ministry of Secret Jokes (Doogie Horner). After operating for 4 years as a BYOB, The Ric Rac expanded it's capacity and began serving bottled beer, wine and spirits. To this day, we continually strive to provide the best and most enjoyable experience to everyone who comes through our doors, including performers, guests, VIPs and staff. Plans for a kitchen next door are presently being executed and the opening is scheduled for early 2014.

You will be missed.
11/29/2022

You will be missed.

He was celebrated as much for his endless originality, sweet nature, and out-going personality as for his openness about the struggles of living a creative life, and his encouragement for others.

10/20/2022

NOT FOR NOTHING screening at the Philadelphia Film Festival, October 19 - October 30.

06/16/2021
BLACK LIVES MATTER. Connie’s is in full support of the protests and demonstrations going on in Philly all over the world...
06/05/2020

BLACK LIVES MATTER. Connie’s is in full support of the protests and demonstrations going on in Philly all over the world. It is time for our black brothers and sisters to feel safe and loved in the country we all call home, not constantly having their lives threatened simply because of their skin color. Because we have been closed for 3 months due to COVID, we aren’t currently able to make monetary donations, but we are all busy signing petitions, making phone calls, protesting on the streets with our city, and doing whatever else we can to help in this fight for justice. Please check the link below for local/national organizations to donate to, local/national petitions to sign, and other local and national resources. We love you ❤️

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1C9OROjpraSj-Mtp5leqop9ij5Kfx5ikmvYjvyPSuJZc/mobilebasic

04/23/2020

Our very first virtual open mic is happening LIVE right now on Instagram!! Come hang out with us and host KT Feeney!

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday 4/22/20, on Instagram live for a new experiment: our first ever Connie’s Ric Rac Virtual Ope...
04/21/2020

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday 4/22/20, on Instagram live for a new experiment: our first ever Connie’s Ric Rac Virtual Open Mic! The sign up list went out last week and filled up fast. Even though we can’t be together in person right now, we’re excited to keep this community inspired, creating, and connected. 🎸⭐️🎤 So stay home and stay safe because we’ve got a great night of music, comedy, and performance art planned for you tomorrow, including sets from (in order of appearance): our host KT Feeney, Jo Stones, Bern, Tara Hernon, Kelly Ruth, Nat Freaner, Reese Florence Coran, David J, Matty Klauser, Jawn Wooders, and other surprise guests! We are hoping that if you enjoy the show and can afford to help out, you donate to support the Connie’s staff who are out of work because of COVID-19. See you tomorrow in our stories for Open Mic Night!

Link to donate:
https://linktr.ee/helpconniesstaff

We miss our amazing community of musicians, poets, comedians, and artists who show up every Wednesday to bare their soul...
04/16/2020

We miss our amazing community of musicians, poets, comedians, and artists who show up every Wednesday to bare their souls on stage at the Connie's Ric Rac open mic night. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we have closed indefinitely and there is no way to know for sure when we will be able to open again. So, we are so excited to announce: a "virtual" open mic night fundraiser on Connie's Instagram Live hosted by the fabulous KT Feeney!

More info and the signup form can be found on the link below. We hope you'll join us for a fun night with your favorite staff members and open mic goers!

We miss our amazing community of musicians, poets, comedians, and artists who show up every Wednesday to bare their souls on stage at the Connie's Ric Rac open mic night. However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Connie's has closed indefinitely and there is no way to know for sure when it will be a...

It was announced today that the mandatory closure of "non essential" businesses will continue indefinitely. If you are a...
03/22/2020

It was announced today that the mandatory closure of "non essential" businesses will continue indefinitely. If you are able, please consider donating any amount to our staff relief fund - any donations will go directly to our staff members!

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Connie's Ric Rac has closed indefinitely as ordered by the gove… Kat Stein needs your support for Help Connie's Ric Rac Staff

Due to the spread of coronavirus and show cancelations, we will be closed for the next few days. Please keep checking ou...
03/15/2020

Due to the spread of coronavirus and show cancelations, we will be closed for the next few days. Please keep checking our social media pages for updates. It is a tough time financially for those in the service industry, including our bartenders, sound techs, and bouncers. We are sharing the staff’s Venmos to encourage those who may be able to help relieve some financial strain to do so. We hope to see you very soon, but in the meantime, please stay healthy! ❤️

03/14/2020

Unfortunately tonight’s show has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns and will be rescheduled to June 12th. We will be closed for the rest of the weekend, but as of right now still plan to open for our St. Patrick‘s Day show on Tuesday. Stay healthy!

Address

1132 S 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA
19147

Opening Hours

Tuesday 5pm - 2am
Wednesday 5pm - 2am
Thursday 5pm - 2am
Friday 5pm - 2am
Saturday 5pm - 2am

Telephone

+12158455700

Website

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