THE SHOWDOWN: A heart-shaped box of chocolates for your ears

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THE SHOWDOWN: A heart-shaped box of chocolates for your ears

POSTED: Monday, February 14, 2011, 6:00 PM

Filed Under: Music The Showdown

Monday: Honestly, what's more romantic than an intimate evening with a cool jazz soundtrack? Legendary saxophonist and jazz theory teacher Larry McKenna will play two sets alongside vocalist Mary Ellen Desmond and dynamite rhythm section. Seeing as how so many of jazz's finest moments deal with affection of one sort or another, this is sure to be a heart-shaped box of chocolates for your ears. 7 p.m. & 9 p.m., $20, Chris' Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215-568-3131. Tuesday: There's a musical trend that I think might be contagious. It's most common in veteran bands with long, celebrated catalogues: Playing an album (usually the band's best-loved) in its entirety. Aussie mood-wavers The Church aren't just one-upping those nostalgists; they're three-upping them. At this show, the guys will play three complete albums from three different eras in their career: 1988's breakthrough Starfish, 1992's Priest=Aura and their most recent release, 2009's Untitled #23. 8 p.m., $35 - $37, Trocadero, 10th & Arch Sts., 215-922-6888. Wednesday: As record producers go, they don't get much more independent than Martin Bisi. In his 30 years of knob-twiddling, he's made records with experimental luminaries like Herbie Hancock and Sonic Youth. More recently, he worked with cabaret-punk duo The Dresden Dolls for their 2004 debut. Dolls drummer Brian Viglione joins Bisi for a night of the producer/musician's own progressive psychedelic sounds. w/ The Red Masque, The Love Club & Dan Malloy, 8 p.m., $10, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St. 215-787-0488. Thursday: Imagine that you're planning a record release show, but find that two other bands are also releasing records around the same time. Leave it to hometown baroque-folkies Hezekiah Jones, Up The Chain and Joe D'Amico to extend musical olive branches to create a conglomerated album release party. Sets from all three acts will rely heavily on the new material which, despite its newness, boasts an instantly-engaging air of familiarity and comfort. w/ Chris Bathgate, 8 p.m., $17 - $22, World Cafe Live, 30th St. & Walnut St., 215-222-1400. Friday: After spending a few months bringing their feel-good tunes to the rest of the country, Free Energy return home to warm our hearts and give our sweatbands a chance to emerge from the laundry. Still riding high from their 2010 debut, the guys have indeed been working on some new material to keep things fresh. But seriously, the dozen or so songs the fellas have been sharing for the past year or so are such fun that bopping to them will never grow old. w/ The Postelles & Sweatheart, 8 p.m., $10, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 215-563-3980. Saturday: If there's anyone out there who's capable of carrying on the folk troubadour torch, it's Dan Bern. In fact, Bern's been carrying that torch since the late '90s, and his reputation (and discography) has only grown since. His last few records were live releases, capturing his freewheeling concerts for the ages. He also penned the songs for the biopic goof "Walk Hard," showing his versatility beyond mere Woody/Bob/Bruce revivalist. w/ Common Rotation, 7:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m., $22, Tin Angel, 20 S. 2nd St., 215-928-0770. Sunday: British roots punks the Mekons are putting the finishing touches on a new album for later this year, but leader Jon Langford still has plenty of mileage to get from his side project, Skull Orchard. Joined by his Bloodshot labelmates, Langford and Skull Orchard headline this night of booze and blooz. Langford's eclectic influences shine on Old Devils, Skull Orchard's 2010 release that came after a 12-year absence. It ain't quite punk and it ain't quite country, but somewhere beautifully in between. w/ Eddie Spaghetti of The Supersuckers, Whitey Morgan and The 78's & Lydia Loveless, 7 p.m., North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St. 215-787-0488.

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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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