THE SHOWDOWN: The most surprising of all

This week's lineup includes The Mutaytor @ The Blockley, Jake Shimabukuro @ World Café Live and the New Connection @ North Star Bar.

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THE SHOWDOWN: The most surprising of all

POSTED: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 1:00 PM

Wednesday: Combining the past and future can make for a great movie plot, but The Mutaytor do it with music. Part electronic dance symphony, part rollicking ragtime troupe, the group fuses pounding synthesizers with traditional acoustical instruments for a whimsically anachronistic sound. In addition to their music, The Mutaytor features a variety of circus-esque performance artists, often including trapeze, fire dancing and contortion. It’s a multisensory experience several disparate centuries in the making. w/ EZ Almighty & Coyote, 9 p.m., $8-$10, The Blockley, 3801 Chestnut St., 215-222-1234.

Thursday: Every musical instrument has, make that needs a champion. I don’t mean someone who plays it better than anyone else (though that is often the case), but someone to show off the device’s capabilities and encourage others to try playing it for themselves. For the ukulele, the virtuosic Jake Shimabukuro is that champion. Originally a viral video sensation, the Hawaiian musician has become an international sensation. His renditions of well-known rock and pop songs are breathtaking, and his original compositions demonstrate the ukulele’s often overlooked range. w/ Ilo Ferreira, 7:30 p.m., $32-$45, World Café Live, 30th St. & Walnut St., 215-222-1400.

Friday: Reggae-sweetened rock is something that’s guaranteed to bring a smile to any face. The New Connection continue the legacy of bands like The Police and latter-day Specials by crafting a tasteful yet fun mix of the tropically smooth and the jaggedly punk. With their reputation rising thanks to a newly released album, The New Connection is a local band to keep an eye and ear on. w/ Spring Standards, Lightninging & Evergreen, 9 p.m., $10, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., 215-787-0488.

Saturday: Bill Callahan is far from your average folk singer. Originally releasing his primitive home tapes under the cryptic moniker ‘Smog,’ Callahan began to flesh out his sound when he switched to his proer name. Even in his more recent ventures, Callahan has been known to take a decidedly unprogressive route to creating his music. Antique, worn out instruments, simple melodies and repetitive lyrics are all cornerstones of Callahan’s vision of Americana. Callahan’s latest, Apocalypse, was released earlier this year on longtime label Drag City. w/ Hidden Rituals, 9 p.m., $14, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684.

Sunday: Veterans of the Warped Tour, California’s RX Bandits continually mix things up. Their most recent announcement, though, is perhaps the most surprising of all. In the spring, the Bandits revealed that this tour would be their last. Though they insist that they aren’t exactly breaking up, the band’s future lies shrouded in uncertainty. Whether they continue to function as a studio-only band or dissolve entirely, check out the Bandits while there are still Bandits to check out. w/ Maps And Atlases & Zechs Marquise, 6:30 p.m., $20-$29, TLA, 334 South St., 215-922-1011.

(eric.schuman@citypaper.net)

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