Philadelphia Weekly

The Friggs

If you were too young to catch all-girl garage plunderers the Friggs in their '90s heyday, surely you heard their appropriately titled tune "Shake" in a little movie called Superbad. That and other woefully out-of-print slabs of Go-Go's-gone-bad greatness have been united at last on the singles collection Today Is Tomorrow's Yesterday on Pittsburgh's fabled Get Hip label, which inspired a round of reunion gigs. They should bolster interest in guitarist Palmyra Delran's October-due solo EP She Digs the Ride, and maybe even her Friggs-ish band the Santa Marias. Either way, the Friggs' surf-damaged, fuzz-happy anthems are always welcome, especially on a well-chosen bill of like-minded peers. (Doug Wallen)

Monacy

West Chester, Penn., is no hotbed for musical experiment. In fact, up to now, the town's main export, record-wise, has been the mall-punk chart-hoggers of CKY. Monacy, a laid-back, funk-jamming fivesome, may not put this bustling metropolis on a level with Portland or Austin, but it can't help but up the ante a little. Monacy will be busting out the organ-humming, bass-heavy grooves from their Intensely Casual EP and recording a video for Comcast. Expect a funky, Phish-crossed-with-Dr. John-type vibe. (Jennifer Kelly)

Regeneration Tour

An observation: The Reaganomics of the '80s prioritized the financial success of the few over the many, yet on their own, each of these acts-- Belinda Carlisle, ABC, A Flock of Seagulls, Human League and Naked Eyes none of which have made a mint since the Reagan years--could hardly draw a crowd at a state fair. Put 'em all together, however, and voila! It's a "package tour." The triumph of the many over the few? Socialism? Blasphemy! Or complete poppycock, perhaps, but now that the retro allure and kitsch value of '80s music has been mined to the point of numbness, there's little left to ponder. (Michael Alan Goldberg)

Missing Palmer West

Ben Smith explored sumptuous piano-based pop for years in West Chester's underrated Wise & Foolish Builders, and he's at it again with Missing Palmer West. It's every bit as dreamy as you'd expect, especially on "God Knows I'm No St. Paul," a typically ruminative Smith gem that name-drops Bela Legosi, Carl Perkins and Phantom of the Opera. Think of it as a long overdue sequel to Wise & Foolish Builders' memorable "Hollywood Wouldn't Lie," another wistful ode to pop-culture myth-making. If this is what Missing Palmer West's upcoming album is going to sound like, count us in. (D.W.)

The Meatmen

Put simply, if during my junior high years my mom would've found me in possession of an album titled Crippled Children Suck, I would've been grounded for sure, and possibly hauled off to a psych evaluation as well. So if I wanted to hear Michigan hardcore provocateurs the Meatmen's so-over-the-top-crude-and-offensive-you-couldn't-take-it-seriously songs like "Camel Jockeys Suck," "Tooling for Anus" and "One Down Three to Go" (an "ode" to John Lennon), I had to listen to the '80s WPRB hardcore/punk radio show Decline and Fall. Now that I'm an adult, I can go see the reunited Meatmen without fear of reprimand. I wonder if it's still funny. (M.A.G.)

Dirty Dozen Brass Band

The social resonance of New Orleans brass bands post-Katrina shouldn't need elaborating. The Dirty Dozen are now honorary members of Hip-Hop Nation, showcasing Chuck D, Guru and others on their 2006 street-band remake of What's Goin' On. Powered by five horns and a back line of sousaphone, guitar and drums, the band dips into trad repertoire like "John the Revelator" but also extended workups of James Brown's "Super Bad," underlining groove as a concept that spanned the 20th century. The message: Protest, absolutely, but let the good times roll. (David R. Adler)

West Philadelphia Orchestra

Only a couple years old, West Philadelphia Orchestra has made a name around town for its lively, engaging interpretation of gypsy music. With upward of 13 members, WPO draws upon its members' backgrounds in jazz, classical and rock to put its spin on the sound of Romania, Serbia, Hungary and Macedonia. Playing both traditional and original tunes, WPO combines elements of Jewish wedding celebrations, Eastern European folk dances and some Albert Ayler/Peter Brotzman free jazz. The lurching accordion, impassioned vocals and moaning fiddle will make you want to laugh, cry and dance your pretty little heart out. Think Gogol Bordello, but born and raised in West Philadelphia. (Katherine Silkaitis)

Herculaneum

Chicago is home to one of the world's most vibrant avant-garde jazz scenes, with bands like Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra, Mike Reed's Loose Assembly and this capable unit, a project of drummer-vibraphonist Dylan Ryan. Herculaneum's 2006 calling card is Orange Blossom, a title that does little to prepare you for the rhythms and dissonant horn harmony of Ryan's tunes. But even the barbed-wire Chicago bands have their mellower sides--check the clarinet-vibes textures of "Fuzball in Valhalla." While the studio lineup features trumpet, trombone, alto, bass and drums, the live version squeezes in guitar and additional sax. Gina Ferrera is slated to open on "avant West African xylophone." (D.R.A.)

Don Caballero

Is Damon Ch� an alien communicating futuristic technology through a language of intense rhythmic equations we experience as jaw-dropping rock? The Don Cab drummer's syncopated backbone and facility with odd time signatures helped cement the Pittsburgh outfit as leading lights of the '90s math rock movement, with Ch�'s supple sinew conveying increasingly angular, unresolved melodies. They split in 2000 after 10 years, but Ch� completely reconstituted the band five years ago, and last week released their second disc since reuniting, Punkgasm. The arrangements are knottier than nice, with beefy guitars in more muscular entangelements, as Don Cab II solidifies around the new lineup. It's worth admission to see Ch�'s rubbery limbs jet. (Chris Parker)