Agenda

Bobby Zankel doesn't need a 14-piece ensemble in which to make dense horn charts fly or dynamic rhythms pounce. Itsy-bitsy California indie project Cryptacize is slowly turning into an actual band. This may be the closest you'll come to someone who was discovered by Randy Jackson. Brian King and David Prowse always meant to make their garage rock outfit a trio but never got around to finding a lead singer. Three albums and a few children later, Aja and Fatin still possess that true love of soul and self that you've been reading about in City Paper for almost a decade. Whether singing in English, Spanish or Portuguese, Magos Herrera's expressive voice bridges language barriers through pure emotion. There was probably a time when it seemed that Sonic Youth might deconstruct rock music into nothingness. Witch Hunt is pissed off. That they manage to channel it into some furious, glorious music is some kind of public safety miracle.

It's been 233 years since the historic bickering among the 13 colonies about declaring independence in "foul, fuming, fetid, foggy, filthy Philadelphia" (some things never change). Each of Gary Miller's eight rakes, installed outdoors at the Schuylkill Center's Brolo Hill Farm, corresponds to a major element in William Hogarth's painting series A Rake's Progress. Some of the Philly phenomena they've discovered: It's the only place where the phrase "John Wanamaker's giant organ" isn't creepy. Francine Shore has brought together a diverse group of colleagues of different ages and professions and whose passion transcends mere hobby.