December 02, 2015

Listen up: weekend concert picks

From Underground Arts to TLA

By Jay Balfour
PhillyVoice Contributor

Thanksgiving can leave you feeling guilty and gluttonous about all that food (and drink) you downed. Most of us spend the holiday weekend lounging around the house regretfully: watching football, eating leftovers, moving slowly. And while it’s tempting to just coast through December in the same fashion, at least there are plenty of things going on around the city to lure you out of that food coma. Take a look at our picks for this weekend’s best concerts and club nights around Philly below so you know where to dance off those holiday pounds.

Thursday, Dec. 3rd

All Natural featuring Justin Jay: Rumor

Justin Jay is coming up fast. The youngest artist on Claude VonStroke’s esteemed Dirtybird house label, Jay is capping off a world tour in support of his fittingly titled "Mom, I Graduated!" EP. Now that he’s out of school maybe Justin will upgrade from that dorm room studio, but with a handful of successful EP’s already under his belt, there’s probably no need. Patrick Richards will kick things off with an early set.

Doors 10 p.m., free entry

Friday, Dec. 4th

Tokimonsta, Anderson .Paak, & Two Fresh: The Foundry (The Fillmore)

Los Angeles beat scene veteran TOKiMONSTA (a.k.a. Jennifer Lee) brings her eclectic mix of sounds to the second-floor club at Philly’s still-buzzing Fillmore venue this Friday. Lee brings along bringing Anderson .Paak, the breakout soul singer featured prominently on Dr. Dre’s recent opus, and Mad Decent duo Two Fresh. This billing has sold out venues in Boston, New York City, and Brooklyn this week, so definitely get up on the Foundry show before the outta-towners swoop in.

Doors 11 p.m., Show midnight, $17.50

Curren$y: TLA

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with Curren$y, a constantly grinding independent rapper from New Orleans. Years ago you might have caught him alongside Lil Wayne down in The Big Easy, and then there was the true-to-form Wiz Khalifa alliance, but the Jet Life ringleader has always been his own man. This Friday Curren$y releases his Atlantic Records debut, "Canal Street Confidential," and he’s ringing in the drop-date with a blowout at TLA.

Doors 8 p.m., Show 9 p.m., $27

The Bounce w/ DJ Emynd & Bo Bliz: The Barbary

Eight years is a long time to maintain a monthly event. Usually deejays and promoters get bored and move onto other things. But DJ Emynd and Bo Bliz have stayed at it, and this Friday the duo celebrates another milestone in their nearly decade-running First Friday event: The Bounce. Leading up to 2007 the guys were bouncing around (get it?) the city throwing raucous BYO events before settling down with their monthly hip-hop, dirty South, and dancehall night. Thankfully they found their place and never left.

Watch a profile of the event here.

Show 9 p.m. to late night, $5 before midnight

The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die: Union Transfer

The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die are fresh off the September release of what is no doubt their most accomplished album to date, an emo tour de force and renaissance. Now that the album, "Harmlessness," is out in the world, the eight-piece outfit is touring it around, smartly partnering with St. Louis band Foxing in the process. On Friday the bands fill up Union Transfer with all those same feelings.

Doors 7 p.m., Show 7:30 p.m., $16

Bondage & Discipline, The Morelings, & Likers: Ortlieb's

Bondage & Discipline are promising a big 2016 for fans. For now the Philly pop trio has kept fans busy chewing on singles like this year’s “First Kiss,” a characteristically ethereal pop number, and little pop-up shows. This weekend B&D will be joined by fellow locals The Morelings, who have just revisited their 2014 EP for a new video. Watch The Morelings’ “Too Far” here and hit up Ortliebs on Saturday for some decidedly dreamy vibes.

Show 9 p.m., $10

Saturday, Dec. 5th

Rebirth Brass Band: Underground Arts

The Rebirth Brass Band screams New Orleans. It’s even deeper than that: they rep the Tremé, a neighborhood synonymous with brass. Rebirth released a follow-up to their Grammy-winning "Rebirth of New Orleans" album last June, and in the process the 30-year old band proved they’re still roaring along. On Saturday they play a doubleheader at Underground Arts, which means you have two chances to tune in, though we wouldn’t blame you for hitting both shows.

Doors 8 p.m., Show 9 p.m., $25

Doors 10:30 p.m., Show 11:30 p.m., $25

Argot Release Party: Profund Music N Art

Local producer Maxine & Cleo just dropped a new EP called "Mad Blanc" via Chicago imprint Argot. It’s a stepping out moment for the Philly (via Kansas) house technician, and the four new tracks find him doubling down and trying new things at once. (There’s a side for the club deejays and a side for the zoned out listeners at home.)

Listen to clips of the EP here and head over to the newly-opened Profund Music N Art shop on Saturday for the release party.

Show 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., free entry and drinks

Rich Medina: Franky Bradley’s

Rich Medina is one of Philly’s quietist legends, the type of encyclopedic deejay you can trust with almost any genre. Medina built his name up in New York, but Philly is home. And since he’s always on the road, it’s nice to see him kick off a new monthly engagement for the local crowd. On Saturday Rich returns with a second installment of a new event called HOME, a haven for rare grooves, house classics, and plenty more. This one is not to be missed.

Show 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., $8 at the door

Sunday, Dec. 6th

Deerhunter: Union Transfer

Deerhunter has been around since 2001, but things really got started about a decade ago. Since then the Atlanta indie rock outfit has released a handful of albums, most of them full of masterful and weird pop-rock. Their latest, October’s "Fading Frontier," mines the same feeling as their best work, which is to say it actually feels...different. It’s hard to imagine a better place to soak it up than Union Transfer.

Doors 7:30 p.m., Show 8:30 p.m., $20

Darwin Deez & Charly Bliss: Boot & Saddle

Darwin Deez found his stride with his own brand of indie guitar pop in 2010, a style he’s apparently committed to fully with the release of his third album, "Double Down." Deez is currently playing the new album out on a national tour and has brought upstart quartet Charly Bliss along for the ride. Catch up on "Double Down" while it’s still fresh and tune into Charly Bliss before the rest of the world catches wind.

Doors 8 p.m., Show 8:30 p.m., $12-14

Jay Balfour
PhillyVoice Contributor

Read more Music Concerts Philadelphia The Fillmore Philadelphia Union Transfer Theatre of the Living Arts Events Underground Arts The Barbary Franky Bradley's