Philadelphia Weekly

The Burlesk Brunch is Saturday.

Wednesday September 9

Matthew Sweet + Susanna Hoffs
Matthew Sweet made his mark in the 1990s with Girlfriend, and Hoffs in the mid-1980s with ubiquitous power-pop anthems like “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Manic Monday.” Yet when they got together in 2006, the two focused on the 1960s, covering decade-of-love standards like the Who’s “The Kids Are Alright” and Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” in their Under the Covers, Vol. 1. A 1970s-centric Vol. 2 followed this year, focused on power-pop, but with a surprisingly wonderful take on Yes’ “I’ve Seen All Good People.” It’s not too early to start lobbying for the 1980s edition, so if you go, put in a word for “Sixteen Blue.” Jennifer Kelly
7:30pm. $30-$40. World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St. 215.222.1400. worldcafelive.com

Late Night Cabaret
Until two seasons ago, one of the highlights—­and arguably the very heart—of the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe was the Late Night Cabaret, which played host to thousands of festival-goers and performers who wanted to grab a cocktail and enjoy free live performances in between shows. It was the place where local and nonlocal talent could come out and be seen, and where Fringers could get to know one another and perform excerpts from their work. This year the Late Night Cabaret returns—without affiliation to the festival—offering 16 nights of totally free events and featuring live musicians, dancing and more. Also back is the Late Night Open Stage where any local artist wishing to increase visibility can perform between 10pm and 11pm. It’s totally free. And totally awesome. A.K.
Through Sept. 19. For a complete schedule and lineup go to myspace.com/evilolive3000studios

Thursday September 10

Mix Tape Speed Dating
Note to the everyone who chuckled upon reading the press release trumpeting Mix Tape Speed Dating: time to update the prescription in those buddy hollies cause you are soooo short-sighted, brah. Rebranding the lowest watermarks of a corporatized mainstream mating ritual like speed dating as “indie” by playing various subgenres (“Alternative,” “Emo/Pop Punk” and “Grunge”) of ’90s music in the background is brilliant. Clearly, there’s a market of would-be lovers who—though triple-whammy blessed with youth, the raging desire to fuck and a belief in the “cool” and “hip”—are still lonely deep down, still long to commodify their dissent. Forget all that ’90s business about the illusion of over-the-counter countercultural revolution and listen closely to the death rattle of authenticity. Or Pavement. Whichever’s louder. Tara Murtha
7pm. $5-$8. Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5999. thekhyber.com

The Atomica Project
Man, the mid/late-’90s were just stellar for urban sophisticates. By day, you settled into your Aeron chair at the dot-com and watched the value of your stock options go higher and higher. And by night, you trucked your Kenneth Cole shoes and Kate Spade bags over to the nearest dimly lit velvet lounge, sunk into a padded sofa, sipped your expensive vodka tonic and let the moody, cinematic trip-hop of Portishead, Massive Attack and Hooverphonic wash over you. In today’s economy, you’re poor and miserable and can’t even find a job at Burger King, but you can go listen to the blunted beats, jazzy grooves and pensive female vocals of Chicago trip-hop revivalists the Atomica Project and remember the good ol’ days. M.A.G.
9pm. $8. With Quintero. Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215.238.5888. thekhyber.com

Nicholson Baker
Anyone who can wring a novel out of five minutes of stream-of-consciousness impulses and observations (The Mezzanine, most famously) and phone sex (Vox) is pretty experimental—The Mezzanine practically inventing the whole long footnote device popularized by David Foster Wallace. The problem with literary experimentation is it has a much lower success rate than, say, culinary or sexual experimentation. But Baker uses a gentle hand, unraveling smart, angular premises with finesse that doesn’t feel too contrived. In the latest, The Anthologist: A Novel, Baker takes on the persona of a rambling poet babbling his way through everything from theories on iambic pentameter to what inanimate object he’d like to be (a canoe or “some kind of tree tumor that could be made into a zebra bowl”) to wondering why he is almost pathologically procrastinating writing the introduction to his latest poetry collection. t.m.
7:30pm. Free. Free Library, 1901 Vine St. 215.686.5322. library.phila.gov

Naked Raygun
And the alt-rock reunions keep on rollin’: The latest, for your show-going pleasure, is the highly influential ’80s Chicago outfit Naked Raygun—one of the very few bands that’s made infamous hater Steve Albini jizz his Dickies. Led by singer Jeff Pezzati, the ever-mutating lineup churned out loads of noisy hardcore, post-punk and power-punk for a little more than a decade before splitting up in the early ’90s. There’s been a few one-off reunions since, but now Raygun’s back together full-time and getting ready to issue a series of 7-inch recordings, some of which you’re certain to hear at this show, their first in Philly in 20 years. Michael Alan Goldberg
Thurs., Sept. 10, 8:30pm. $12. With Paint It Black, Shot Baker + Brain Handle. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 267.295.2710. r5productions.com

Friday September 11

A.A. Bondy
After fronting hard-charging rockers Verbena for nearly a decade, A.A. Bondy consecrated his solo career with 2007’s American Hearts. His reedy vocals wavered over straightforward folk-blues strum singed around the corners with dark foreboding. A loping country swing lurked like a stalker imbuing a gothic air, particularly in reverb-soaked moments such as “Rapture (Sweet Rapture).” His latest, When the Devil’s Loose, continues down this shadowy trail, as the pace slows and keyboards contribute to the music’s spooky lurch. The vibe is stronger, if not as immediate as American Hearts affectless austerity, a little like the Cowboy Junkies drunk on moonshine, trudging through backwoods brambles on a dark moonless night. Chris Parker
7:30pm. $10. With Dave Godowsky. Kung Fu Necktie, 1248 N. Front St. kungfunecktie.com

Freaks of Nature
People go to the Mütter Museum to “see the freaks,” as curator Anna Dhody says, but they often leave wiser and more aware, knowing it’s more than just a sideshow. There might be no better place, then, to hear author Mark Blumberg discuss his new book, Freaks of Nature: What Anomalies Tell Us About Development and Evolution. As Blumberg explains in the book, the anomalies and freaks we gawk at in the Mütter help highlight the complexities of evolution and biology. The developmental mechanisms that evolution works by have a certain flexibility inherent in them. From an evolutionary point of view, freaks are perfectly natural products of individual development, and their extra limbs or second head are simply the result of alternative developmental paths. Most of Freaks is available to read via Google Books, so get a taste. If you get hooked and need the full text, you can pick up a copy—and get it inked—here. Matt Soniak
6:30pm. Free. Mütter Museum, 19 S. 22nd St. 215.563.3737. collphyphil.org/mutter.asp

Roman Candle
Formed by brothers Skip (vocals/guitar) and Logan Matheny (drums) in 1997, North Carolina’s Roman Candle make rootsy indie rock with a healthy admiration for the bright, ultra-melodic power-pop tradition of Big Star and at least a few toes dipped in the vintage Southern “college rock” tradition of the dB’s and Pylon. Rounded out by Skip’s wife Timshal on Farfisa and Jeff Crawford on bass, Roman Candle got their big break several years back when then-Denver Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce discovered the group and signed them to his label, Outlook Music. At this show, they’ll tackle songs from the new Oh Tall Tree in the Ear, Roman Candle’s most splendid and engrossing album yet. M.A.G.
9pm. $10. With Caves of Mercury + the Levee Drivers. North Star, 27th and Poplar sts. 215.787.0488. northstarbar.com

Laurel and Hardy’s Pardon Us
Unlike its serious and lurid brethren, prison comedies, for some reason, don’t tend to fare that well; see the fitfully amusing Let’s Go to Prison or Rob Schneider’s DTV big slammer rape yukfest Big Stan. Indeed, Pardon Us, the first feature-length vehicle for Laurel and Hardy, has a bit of a checkered history. Originally to be another two-reeler lampooning the recent Wallace Beery prison saga The Big House, the film wound up with far too much footage—so much that famed comedy producer Hal Roach decided to make it the team’s debut long player. Alas, previews yielded lukewarm reviews, demanding reshoots, a name change (from The Rap) and recuts. (Not left on the cutting room floor: a blackface gag!) The end result, which sent the pair into the big(ger) leagues, will be screened, for meta kicks, in Eastern State Penitentiary, as part of Secret Cinema’s annual prison stint. Matt Prigge
8pm. $8. Eastern State Penitentiary, 2124 Fairmount Ave. 215.236.3300. thesecretcinema.com

Saturday September 12

Burlesk Brunch
Why rely on caffeine for your morning jolt? Brunch on your eggs and toast at North Third this morning, where Burlesk-n-Beyond kicks off its Philadelphia festival. The hipster haunt, known for some moderately scandalous decor, will be hosting a bevy of risque fun including free goodies, a photo exhibit by artist Chris K. and a screening of American Shaft. Be sure to whip out your thigh-highs, as patrons are encouraged to come in full Betty Paige attire. In return, Chef Peter Dunmire will be offering cleverly named—and accordingly tasty—brunch dishes. Afterward, head over to Woodshop Films for a live taping of karaoke show Talent Quest followed by a video shoot for Corn Mo and .357 Lover (costumes still on, of course). It’ll be a jammed-packed, glitter-filled time, for sure—but let’s not forget the most important meal of the day. Just don’t let your boa get stuck in the eggs benedict. emily freisher
Sat., Sept. 12, 11am-3pm. Pay as you go. North Third, 801 N. Third St. myspace.com/evilolive3000studios

Murs
Boss. President. It doesn’t matter what you call him. What’s clear is the cat’s got authority. Not rep built on bullet holes, or whack back-story courtesy Jason Blair. He’s been born on backs with packs, with piercing vision, lyrical precision and perspective absent cataracts. From booty rap to witty slaps and science-rific tracts, MURS appears the jack mostly likely to jump, sort of the left coast counterpart of Talib Kweli, as evidenced by his lean vibing flow and preference for low-riding soul. He recently collaborated with Slug on their third FELT release, and with Warner Bros. backing last year’s campaign, MURS for President, he’s heading into the Atmosphere (level) of underground success. C.P.
9pm. $12. North Star, 27th and Poplar sts. 215.787.0488. northstarbar.com

Crossing the Line
Whether it’s the chlorine or the brine, there’s something about water that brings out the douchebag in all of us. We dunk. We splash. We cheat at Marco Polo. Even when on serious naval expeditions, sailors love their shenanigans. This afternoon Penn State folklore professor Simon J. Bronner, who chronicled such aquatic tomfoolery in his book Crossing the Line: Violence, Play, and Drama in Naval Equator Traditions, offers tales of horseplay on the high seas. Sailing over the invisible line of the equator is as good an excuse as any for hazing your bunk mates. Replace a frat boy’s paddle with an oar, and you’re on the right track. Bronner recounts the time-honored hijinks of seamen in drag prodding each other with tridents. Take in a lively lecture of nautical naughtiness and find out just how many ways cabin fever can send a man overboard. Paul F. Montgomery
2:30pm. Free with museum admission. Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Columbus Blvd. 215.413.8655. phillyseaport.org

Sunday September 13

Alt-Comic Convention
Screw Superman, Batman and whatever other froufrou comic heroes you’re used to reading about. Alt-comics lovers need not shlep themselves to conventions in Maryland or New York. Now they can check out some homegrown Philly ’toon talent at this week’s first-ever alt-comics convention at the 941 Theater. “We want to shed light on Philly,” the birthplace of alt-comic ubermensch Robert Crumb, says comic convention organizer Pat Aulisio. He’s already snapped up more than 30 Philadelphia-area artists—included PW contributor Hawk Krall (pictured)—to present. Expect tentacles, strange and fantastic creatures, and crazed story lines including Jessica Weiss’ Geezerville, Cheri Stevens’ Pictures of Crying Children and Lance Simmons’ Kensington Death Urge 1. Show up in costume and get a discounted ticket. St. John Barned-Smith
Sun., Sept. 13, noon-6pm. $3-$5. 941 Theater, 941 N. Front St. 215.235.1385. 941theater.com