Philadelphia Weekly

Gogol Bordello

Sat., March 1, 8:30pm. $20. With Skindred. Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St. 215.627.1332. www.livenation.com

I don't care how jaded you are--it never gets old seeing a bare-chested grown man in neon-green-and-black striped tights crowd-surfing atop a bass drum. It's not just that gangly, mustachioed Gogol Bordello ringleader Eugene H�tz is the dirtiest, sexiest gypsy-punk this side of Johnny Depp. It's also that his cartel of multigenerational, transglobal ruffians creates music that appeals to the hedonistic schizophrenic in all of us--hard-edged, heart-wrenching ballads and three-minute pop deviants, spurred on by Old World fiddling and accordion-slinking; throaty, bilingual wailing; '70s punk percussion; and crude, over-the-top theatrics fueled by equal parts hysteria, nostalgia and vodka. (Caralyn Green)

Men

Tues., March 4, 8pm. $10. With Hey Willpower. North Star, 27th and Poplar sts. 215.787.0488. www.northstarrocks.com

Not a total departure from the riot grrl/electro-dance days of Le Tigre, bandmates JD Samson and Johanna Fateman have taken on a new project that's more reminiscent of '80s no-wave, Baltimore club and crunk. Since their new gig is a DJ collaboration called Men, the disparate genres they combine all seem to work at the drop of a hat. With no label, no album and only two tracks posted online, they'll probably make their set straight-up DJ--but hey, you can make requests via their MySpace page. Maybe they'll play some Bikini Kill. (Katherine Silkaitis)

Bong Hits for Jesus

Thurs., Feb. 28, 9pm. $8. With Sneak Across the Border With Apogee + Audiophyle. North Star, 27th and Poplar sts. 215.787.0488. www.northstarrocks.com

Jesus does not seem to have an opinion on record about cannabis, but that didn't stop Joseph Frederick from holding a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" aloft for TV cameras at a 2002 Olympic torch relay stop, getting kicked out of school and arguing his First Amendment rights all the way to the Supreme Court. (He lost.) Nor did it stop this Jerzadelphia aggresso-rock-punk-metal band from borrowing Frederick's inimitable phrase, forever ensuring the band's name would be cooler than the band. Songs like the grinding, Peter-Gunn-on-amphetamines "Crack Baby" and the emo-melodic "Within an Inch" show some promise, but admit it, you're really going just for the T-shirt. (Jennifer Kelly)

YMD

Fri., Feb. 29, 10pm. $5. With Pink Skull. Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave. www.myspace.com/thenewbarbary

It sounds like the start of a joke: Two hardcore kids start a rap group and rhyme about everyone from Arthur Miller to Maximillian Colby. Throw in a rabbi and the pope and you've got something. Oh, but YMD (formerly Yah Mos Def) ain't no joke. Melding punk's energy and tempo with rap's swagger and beats, the duo have become one of the city's most exciting groups on the strength of their irresistible music and incendiary live shows. This show celebrates the release of their long-awaited new album Excuse Me, This Is the Yah Mos Def. (Jack Schonewolf)

Christopher O'Riley

Fri., Feb. 29, 7:30pm. $26-$36. Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce sts. 215.893.1999. www.kimmelcenter.org

If you've been jonesin' for some high-caliber piano performances, Christopher O'Riley is your man. The classically trained pianist (and NPR contributor) has interpreted tunes by Elliott Smith, Nick Drake and Radiohead for solo piano, and released four albums showcasing the results. His musicianship is more Rachmaninoff than Billy Joel, but his covers provide a unique way of hearing some classic tunes we've become almost inured to--Radiohead's "Black Sun," for example. Since Smith and Drake are dead, and Radiohead tickets are a scalper's wet dream, this is your best chance to get your fill of all three. (K.S.)

New International Satan

Sat., March 1, 9pm. $8. With Reno Subject With Mayoon + Brackets & Arrows. North Star, 27th and Poplar sts. 215.787.0488. www.northstarrocks.com

Hailing from Exton, a mall-scarred wasteland just next to West Chester, the memorably titled trio the New International Satan have been together only since last summer but already have an album--Bring Your Gun--under their suburban belts. Happily smudging piss-take bar rock, rumbling punk and smartass power-pop, the guys sing over spidery reverb about stapling their hands together ("Sticcatolator"), taking aim at robots that look like zombies ("Brains and Wires") and dealing with bloody gore (the horn-kicked "A Hot Mess"). Not every song works--"Smash and Grab" is a wobbling misfire--but the band's weedy juvenilia is more fun than it has any right to be. (Doug Wallen)

Cadence Weapon