THE SHOWDOWN: A bazillion themes

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THE SHOWDOWN: A bazillion themes

POSTED: Monday, September 13, 2010, 6:00 PM

Filed Under: Music The Showdown

Monday: Brooklyn's Woods could not have picked a more befitting band name. Breezy harmonies, psychedelic instrumentation and simple melodies make for one hell of a campfire feel. Their latest album, At Echo Lake, was released in May on, appropriately enough, Woodsist Records. If Woods' music alone isn't enough to transport your mind to the great outdoors, arrive early for a set from Espers' Meg Baird, who's also got the mellifluous forest-dweller thing down quite well. w/ Birds Of Maya & Meg Baird, 8 p.m., $5, Kungfu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919. Tuesday: Broken Social Scene might've pared down their lineup for their most recent record, but their sounds are still plenty big and ambitious. Though Forgiveness Rock Record has already been shoved aside by other 2010 releases, the album's eclectic material lends itself to an unforgettable performance. Or, in this case, pair of performances. Fear not, you who didn't get in on this sold out show, as the band (as well as openers The Sea And Cake) will be performing again at the TLA on Wednesday. A sleepover with the Canadian powerhouse collective sounds fun, but unlikely. w/ The Sea And Cake, 8 p.m., Sold Out (Wednesday show $25), TLA, 334 South St., 215-922-1011. Wednesday: Even if you've witnessed of Montreal's concert spectacle before, odds are that Kevin Barnes will have a whole new experience to mess with your mind this time around. False Priest, of Montreal's tenth full-length, comes out the day before this show, so you can be sure that a lot of the new material will make its way into the set. On tour with of Montreal is Janelle Monáe, who might steal the show if Barnes isn't careful. Monáe, whose debut LP, The ArchAndroid, ropes in about a bazillion themes and musical ideas, also makes some appearances on False Priest, so on-stage collaborations shouldn't come as a surprise. w/ Janelle Monáe, 8 p.m., $25, Electric Factory, 421 N. 7th St., 215-627-1332. Thursday: Local favorites Illinois have a kind of unsteady presence. They'll release an EP, disappear for a while, emerge with a multimedia project, disappear again and so on. Their latest presentation is a deluxe edition of the sprawling The Adventures Of Kid Catastrophe, now expanded to 20 songs and a complete short film. The songs on Kid Catastrophe range from folksy ballads to electronic-fueled rockers, so be prepared to be impressed by their sharp-turning skills. This might even turn out to be a showcase of new material, another reason to catch this increasingly elusive group in action. w/ Electric City & AKUDAMA, 9 p.m., $10, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684. Friday: A bevvy of folk-inflected folks (several of which from our own fair city) will gently invade the stage at Johnny Brenda's on Friday. Of particular interest are Hezekiah Jones and Birdie Busch, two of Philadelphia's brightest stars in the roots-rock spectrum. Not only do they both have new music out right now, but those records (in Birdie's case, a bona fide 45 RPM) are out on some pretty swell independently-owned labels: Birdie's Everyone Will Take You In is on Philadelphia's Be Frank Records, and Hezekiah Jones' Bread Of Teeth is on Calgary's Yer Bird. Also of note is The Welcome Wagon, a husband-and-wife gospel pop team whose links to Sufjan Stevens made their album one of the most delightful surprises of 2008. Bring your swaying clothes, 'cause this is gonna be an easygoin' kind of night. w/ Andrew Rose Gregory, 8:30 p.m., $10, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684. Saturday: When Sea Wolf released their sophomore album, White Water, White Bloom, last year, it was clear that a little too much power was given to producer Mike Mogis. Alex Brown Chirch's delicate vocals were shoehorned into a Bright Eyes-lite mold, and the new songs collapsed under the weight of string section after string section. Luckily, we can always go back and re-fall in love with Church's debut, Leaves In The River, or catch this solo acoustic performance, where the songs can take on new, more intimate structures. w/ Patrick Park & Sera Cahoone, 9 p.m., $12 - $15, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St. 215-787-0488. Bonus Saturday!: If you've listened to albums by The Cramps, The Gun Club and Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, then you've heard the guitar work of Kid Congo Powers. No longer a sideman, Kid Congo has taken on a righteous solo career with his group The Pink Monkey Birds. Last year saw the release of Dracula Boots, Kid Congo's second LP. It's a smattering of garage, funk and surf with a fun-loving, often humorous tone. Also performing is Creepoid, one of Philadelphia's fastest-rising bands. Their hazy, fuzzy country inflections recall the same kind of Americana as several of Kid Congo's projects. w/ Creepoid & Boog, 7 p.m., $10, Kungfu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919. Sunday: Members of metal bands often have a mythical, almost superhero aura about them. While that veneer can make for some great entertainment, it's refreshing to have the human side peek through every once in a while. This April, Montreal's Despised Icon announced that its members are going to pursue other projects, including starting families and launching new careers. To celebrate their deathcore legacy, the group is throwing one last hurrah of a tour, which is sure to draw from all points of their short but influential career. w/ Misery Index, Revocation, The Air I Breathe & Rivers Of Nihil, 7 p.m., $13, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 215-563-3980.

creepoid

Posted 2010-09-14 18:40:58

the show is on sat.....

Eric Schuman

Posted 2010-09-14 21:56:17

Thanks for catching that...check above for a bonus concert!

creepoid

Posted 2010-09-15 17:21:22

no problem. 





creepoid.bandcamp.com

Posted by Eric Schuman @ 6:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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