THE SHOWDOWN: American kids can't get enough

POSTED: Monday, October 10, 2011, 1:00 PM

Filed Under: Music The Showdown

Brian Wilensky highlights this week's sure-bet live shows.

Monday: “Vampire” by Philly’s Dani Mari is a steamy and dangerous song that sounds like she actually may have been bit. But definitely not by some sparkly Hollywood vampire. This tune is complete with finger cymbals and a mesmerizing organ part, that sounds like it just stepped out of a Turkish bath. 8 p.m., free, w/ Adam Cristian Gregory, Alec Stewart, Rev. TJ McGlinchey, Michael Ronstadt & David Trotta, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 215-787-0488.

Tuesday: Acid Baby Jesus’ self-titled debut (which comes out today) of psych-punk stomp-alongs from Greece clang and echo in that overly distorted, needle-in-the-red sort of way. They make that lo-fi, PBR-and-a-mustache thing American kids can’t get enough of seem acceptable. 9 p.m., $5, w/ Faux Slang, Black Mamba Beat & Ttotals, Little Bar, 736 S. 8th St., 267-639-5233.

Wednesday: Folk singer/songwriter Langhorne Slim puts on a live show that’s simple. He’s just a bandleader with an acoustic guitar and enough energy that it seems to power the rest of the band. His November 2009 show at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster was one I won’t forget; especially the part when he crooned “Diamonds and Gold” to the front row, sitting on the front of the stage. 8 p.m., $15, w/ Dan Mangan, Union Transfer, 1024 Spring Garden St., 215-232-2100.

Thursday: The calming simplistic piano pieces and synth-tape music of Hans-Joachim Roedelius is like a soundtrack for a dream sequence put to life. His music from the '70s sounded a little more like interplanetary mountain traversing was a source of inspiration. Bring your friends you stopped hanging out with because they started taking too many psychedelics. 8 p.m., $10, w/ Xambuca, M Room, 15 W. Girard, 215-739-577.

Friday: John McCauley, frontman of Deer Tick, likes to chew on sandpaper, or so his voice suggests. It may be one of the raspiest in indie/folk rock right now, but he knows how to make it work even on a tear-jerking ballad like “Goodbye, Dear Friend” from last year’s The Black Dirt Sessions. 8 p.m., $10 for UPenn students, $15 for public, w/ Fun., Harrison Auditorium, 3260 South St., 215-898-4000.

Saturday: Avery Sunshine’s got soul. Her band settles into a pocket, the room fills with smooth R&B and the fireplace burns brighter while you move closer on the couch to your girl. The deal has been sealed, thanks, Avery. 7:30 & 10 p.m., $20, Warm Daddy’s, 1400 S. Columbus Blvd., 215-462-2000.

Sunday: The sparse, yet lush and endearing acoustic folk of Sidi Toure is straight from Mali. He sings in his native language and the voice he brings to his latest album, Sahel Folk, is one of a man who has experience, who has traveled and has more world knowledge than we’d know what to do with. 7:30 p.m., $10-$30, Calvary United Methodist Church, 801 S. 48th St., 215-724-1702.

(brian.wilensky@citypaper.net)

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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