THE SHOWDOWN: Time to get your prog on

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THE SHOWDOWN: Time to get your prog on

POSTED: Monday, July 19, 2010, 6:55 PM

Filed Under: Music The Showdown

A concert a day keeps the doctor away.

Monday: Hailing from the same home state of such as legendary acts as Prince, Bob Dylan and The Replacements, come St. Paul, Minn. rap duo Eyedea & Abilities. These guys — long-time friends of EL-P, Atmosphere and Aesop Rock — have been plugging away in the hip-hop underground since the early '00s, combining Eyedea's quick-witted rhymes with DJ Abilities' elaborate beatmaking. w/ Kristoff Krane, LTC & Educated Consumers, 8 p.m., $13, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 215-563-3980

Tuesday: It appears that one of the Lilith Fair's original leading ladies, Natalie Merchant, has not made the 2010 bill (or has yet to confirm). What's the deal, Sarah? Fret not, Philadelphians. You can still catch Ms. Merchant on her own when she plays the Merriam Theater tomorrow night. And if she does become a last-minute addition to the Philly Lilith roster (say that five times fast), you'll get to see her share the stage with McLachlan herself and out-there, neo-soul rising star Janelle Monáe. 8 p.m., $40-65, Merriam Theater. 250 S. Broad St. 215-893-1999.

Wednesday: Hey there, Rush fanatics! It's time to get your prog on. In preparation for the arrival of these '70s rock giants to the Camden waterfront, re-live this classic Freaks and Geeks clip when Nick Andopolis rocked out to his heroes on that 29-piece drum set — dry ice and all. 7:30 p.m., $35-150, Susquehanna Bank Center, 1 Harbor Blvd., Camden, N.J., 856-365-1300.

Thursday: If you're in the mood for some bluesy folk from a veteran musician, head on over to the Keswick Theatre to hear multi-instrumentalist Levon Helm. Helm grew to fame as drummer and vocalist in The Band — Bob Dylan's backing musicians when he went electric — and continued to have a rich career thereafter. After overcoming throat cancer, Helm has released even more albums. His most recent solo effort, Electric Dirt, won the first-ever Grammy for best Americana album. A resilient musician, indeed. w/ The Wood Brothers, 7:30 p.m., $39.50-59.50, Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave. 215-572-7650.

Friday: Get a double-dose of homage to emotive British rock geniuses. Start the evening with some sentimental lyrics, crooning and dynamic guitar courtesy of The Sons and Heirs (a Smiths/Morrissey tribute band). Later in the evening, things should get more inscrutable and moody — with some hypnotic synths thrown in for good measure — when you hear headliner and Radiohead tribute band Meeting in the Aisle. 9 p.m., $10, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.

Saturday: Nora Whittaker and supporting act Lili AÃ±el do a bit of everything. From jazz and blues to country and pop to hip-hop, you can't quite pin down the styles of these Philly singers. Take the opportunity to see the two soulful genre-sweepers on the same night. 8:30 p.m., $10, Puck, Printers Alley, Doylestown, Pa., 215-348-9000.

Sunday: By the end of the week, it's just time to dance. Go see DeadMau5, that prolific Canadian DJ/producer who sports the semi-creepy and warped Mickey Mouse-style mask, . There'll surely be enough throbbing house beats to make you forget the workweek. Happy Sunday. w/ Dave P. (Making Time) & Pex/Playloop DJs. Electric Factory, 421 N. 7th St., 215-627-1332.

Marc Steel

Posted 2010-07-19 14:08:44

Tuesday at the Tower is Widespread Panic. Jimmy Herring = a demigod. And I had no idea Rush was coming. Looks like I'll not be seeing them again.

Posted by Julia Askenase @ 6:55 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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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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