THE SHOWDOWN: The day is going to be a little bit brighter

POSTED: Monday, September 19, 2011, 1:00 PM

Filed Under: Music The Showdown

City Paper music critic Brian Wilensky gives you the rundown on a week of live music.

Monday: Still have Fuel’s Top 40 radio hits stuck in your head and you’re ready to pull your hair out because of it? Yeah, these guys are still kicking, a little bit. Keep pulling. 8 p.m., $20, Dobbs, 304 South St., 215-501-7288.

Tuesday: Fool’s Gold songs come in two flavors these days: English and Hebrew. Lead Singer, Luke Top, chose his native tongue, Hebrew, on earlier cuts before switching over to English. It’s simple, uplifting and it sort of feels like the rest of the day is going to be a little bit brighter after hearing it. 7:30 p.m., $12, w/ AM & Shawn Lee, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919.

Wednesday: The Kyuss lineup has changed plenty of times throughout their long run. What hasn’t changed are the words “stoner rock” or “desert rock” posted anywhere you see their name, which for this tour is Kyuss Lives!. Start practicing your power stance. 7 p.m., $27.50, w/ The Sword & Monstro, Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-6888.

Thursday: The prog-free jazz-rock explosion of Many Arms is chaotic, seemingly fragmented and improvised at times. Other times it’s not improvised. Don’t bother trying to figure out who is doing what, just listen to them as a whole. 9 p.m., $5, w/ Heavy Medical & Le Singe Blanc, JR’s Bar, 2327 S. Croskey St.

Friday: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals play their own version of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” That’s probably just because she’s named Grace and Grace Slick is also named Grace. Except this new Grace is even easier on the eyes. 8 p.m., $25, w/ Sam Roberts Band, Electric Factory, 215-627-1332.

Saturday: You probably know him as the drummer for Medeski, Martin and Wood but Billy Martin is his own man, too. He could drum the shirt right off your back and then grab a bunch of hand percussion and things you didn’t know could be played as percussion and untie your shoes without leaving the stage. Bill Evans (not the dead piano player), a sax-blower who worked with Miles Davis and Philly’s G. Calvin Weston will be sitting in, as well. 6 p.m., free, w/ Jay Sand, The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., 215-573-3234.

Sunday: Murder by Death sounds like it's been down every open road and is finally starting to step off the beaten path. That folk-rock vibe that everyone strives for but few accomplish like Murder by Death may come from the Dust Bowl-era voice of Adam Turla or Sarah Balliet’s cello on every track. 7 p.m., $15, w/ The Sparklers & The John Byrne Band, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400.

(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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