February 27th, 2009
This Weekend In Shows
Tonight:
Singer-guitarist Ben Kweller, who’s been making indie-rock and indie-pop since he was 13 (he’s 27 now) brings his new country/roots-rock sound to the TLA tonight. Check out our “Review the Reviews” with Kweller in this week’s PW. He’s joined by opener the Watson Twins — Jenny Lewis’s one-time backup singers who’ve embarked on their own country/folk/pop career with 2008’s Fire Songs. The Twins were excellent the last time they came around these parts, opening for Billy Bragg at the Keswick Theatre, so consider getting there early. Also on the bill is Jones Street Station. Show starts at 9pm; tickets are $23. Meanwhile, former Drive-By Truckers singer-guitarist Jason Isbell comes to World Cafe Live with his backing band, 400 Unit. They’re in town in support of their new album, the aptly if boringly titled Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. Their soulful alt-country should be anything but boring, however. Get there early because the much-buzzed-and-blogged-about indie-country rockers Deer Tick opens. Show’s at 7:30pm and tickets run $19-24.
Saturday:
Bang on a Can All-Stars + Glenn Kotche
Sat., Feb. 28, 7:30pm. $19-$32. Kimmel Center, 260 S. Broad St. 215.893.1999. www.kimmelcenter.org
Bang on a Can strives to push classical music into a modern, interdisciplinary arena, where genre distinctions matter little. The Bang on a Can All-Stars is a subunit, like a shuttle craft, touching off encounters with guest musicians of all types, including jazzers Don Byron and Daniel Kelly. This week they unite with Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, whose solo projects (including 2006’s Mobile) have an abstract, hypnotic, percussive quality reminiscent of Steve Reich. It’s not the first such ambitious undertaking for Kotche, whose “Anomaly,” commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, premiered in 2007. Like fellow Wilco-ite Nels Cline, he’s a rocker and a seeker, with one foot deep in the avant-garde. (David R. Adler)
John Hollenbeck
Sat., Feb. 28, 7pm and 9pm. $12.50-$25. Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. 215.925.9914. www.paintedbride.org
One of jazz’s most provocative drummer-composers, John Hollenbeck stormed Philly not long ago with his mind-altering Claudia Quintet and Tony Malaby’s Cello Trio. His “Big Ears” residency, an innovative winter series sponsored by the Bride, is about to wrap up, and this week’s 19-piece large ensemble gig is part one of the send-off. Marshaling the resources of top New York improvisers, Hollenbeck conjures a world of bustling eclecticism, driving rhythm and tone poetry, captured beautifully on his 2005 OmniTone release A Blessing. On March 6 he returns to lead a handpicked Philly group in “The Philadelphia Compositions,” a set of new works inspired by the Big Ears experience. (David R. Adler)Also, a whole slew of other acts are coming through town tonight. Among them: Tapes ‘n Tapes at Johnny Brenda’s, but that show’s way sold out; suave loungetronica duo Thievery Corporation at Electric Factory, with an opening set by Philly’s always stellar DJ Rob Paine (8:30pm/$35); metal freaks Cradle of Filth at the Troc (7:30pm/$26); and Rasputina singer-cellist Melora Creager on a solo outing at the North Star (9pm/$12).
Sunday:
Alela Diane
Sun., March 1, 7:30pm. $12. With Blitzen Trapper. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 866.468.7619. www.r5productions.com
Mid-twentysomething California-bred folkie Alela Diane is loosely affiliated with the so-called New Weird America movement, mostly because of her long-standing friendship with Joanna Newsom and Mariee Sioux. But there’s nothing particularly weird or freaky about strumming simple yet affecting chords on an acoustic guitar; singing about cuckoos, forests, fireplaces and lives that are “buried in snow”; or warbling warmly and wistfully with an assured voice that occasionally recalls Joni Mitchell. So no, you don’t have to listen while sitting on horse blankets or bring crystals to this show. Diane’s songs are still plenty magical, though, and she can cast musical spells with the best of ’em. (Michael Alan Goldberg)
Juana Molina
Sun., March 1, 8pm. $25-$35. With Oorutaichi. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. www.worldcafelive.com
Juana Molina has toured the U.S. in the past, but always by herself, relying on her own soft voice, acoustic guitar and a variety of digital aids to get her songs across. This time, however, the Argentinian actress-turned-songwriter brings a full band to help interpret her music. That’ll be key as she plays from the densely textured Un Día, out since late 2008 on Domino. The fifth album in 13 years, Día is built on driving rhythms and striking vocal counterpoints. The new material is less like singer-songwriter epiphanies and more like ecstatic, multicultured celebrations—and sure to expand to fill the room. (Jennifer Kelly)
