June 08, 2016
Royce Da 5’9 is a veteran Detroit rapper with a wildly winding career trajectory: he came up alongside Eminem, released a hit single produced by DJ Premier, went to jail for a year at a creative peak, joined a rap supergroup as a second act, teamed up with Em and DJ Premier again for separate full-length albums as Bad Meets Evil and PRhyme respectively. And now, for the first time in a while, Royce is back on his own with a new album and another project on the way. Tonight he brings his brimming catalog and Queens emcee Grafh to Underground Arts.
Show 8 p.m., $15
Yoni, a well-established alt-rap and indie rock guy, produces for the emcee David Cohn, who raps under the name Serengeti. “Testarossa” is the group’s latest release, a loosely narrative-driven record that finds the pair’s collaboration more fully fleshed out than ever before. Tomorrow night Yoni & Geti bring their traveling show to Philly with a performance at Union Transfer supported by openers Tall Tall Trees, a banjo-friendly singer-songwriter trio, and Geology.
Doors 7:30 p.m., show 8:30 p.m., $15, all ages
King Khan & the Shrines are hard to pin down. They’re a squirmy band with eclectic tastes and talents and a historically shifting lineup. Their leader, of course, is King Khan — a Canadian-born Indian based in Germany who has helmed several side-projects, recorded alongside Wu-Tang Clan rapper GZA, and is best known for his wild onstage antics. While his youthful exuberance has been tamed by the years, fans can expect Khan and company to bring an energetic set of garage rock and soul to Underground Arts tomorrow night.
Doors 8 p.m., show 9 p.m., $15
Aesop is known for a baritone that carries a finicky and complex vocabulary. Homeboy Sandman is a purposeful avant-garde rapper, perpetually off-kilter but always on point. Together the disparate artists joined up for a one-off EP earlier this year before releasing splendid late-career solo albums of their own. This tour without a doubt offers one of the most compelling indie-rap bills of the year, and both have plenty of ground to cover on stage at Union Transfer.
Doors 7:30 p.m., show 8:30 p.m., $18-20, all ages
Philly punk quartet Mumblr celebrates the release of “The Never Ending Get Down” at PhilaMOCA on Saturday. The album, a follow-up to 2014’s “Full Of Snakes,” releases officially tomorrow but can be streamed now via a recent Stereogum premiere. The all-ages release show, which invites Philly’s own Amanda X and Mannequin Pussy along for the ride, promises a free CD copy of Mumblr’s new record for the first 50 guests.
Doors 8 p.m., show 8:30 p.m., $10, all ages
Kristian Matsson, who performs under the stage name The Tallest Man On Earth, released his fourth full-length record last May in “Dark Bird Is Home,” continuing a career of inward searching indie. Mattson is a serious songwriter and an affecting singer, a combination that has earned him a cult following since the release of a self-titled debut EP in 2006. This weekend the Swedish songwriter stops by TLA with Polish singer Basia tagging along as an opener.
Show 9 p.m., $28
New Zealand comedy folk duo Flight of the Conchords, stars of a genius but short-lived HBO series 2007-2009, has reunited for an American tour. The pair will share the bill with their “Flight of the Conchords” co-star comic Arj Baker.
Doors 6 p.m., show 8 p.m., $25-50, all ages
