Best shows in Philly this week, with Wild Hearts Tour, Brandi Carlile & Allison Russell and 8 more

1. Wild Hearts Tour. This tour brings three of the most compelling indie songwriters working today to the Skyline Stage of the Mann Center on Friday. They all have new music out. Angel Olsen’s excellent Big Time is the Asheville, N.C.-based singer’s most country-flavored collection of deeply felt songs yet, stepping up musically while navigating coming out as queer to her parents and the world. Sharon Van Etten’s We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong is a big, glossy, winning rock record that doesn’t shy away from bombast. And Julien Baker’s new three song B-Sides is an an estimable addendum to her arresting 2021 album Little Oblivions. Quinn Christopherson opens. $50.50, 5:30 p.m., 8/19, Skyline Stage at the Mann Center, 5201 Parkside Ave., manncenter.org.

2. Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The South African choral group founded by Joseph Shambala in 1960 gained world renown when their luxurious vocal sound gave shape to Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland. The five-time Grammy winning ensemble have carried on since the 2015 retirement and 2020 death of Shambala, and are now led by four of his sons. $45-$55, 8 p.m., 8/19, City Winery Philadelphia, 909 Filbert St., citywinery.com/philadelphia

3. Buddy Guy / Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The closest the great Buddy Guy is getting to Philadelphia on his current tour is this show at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, Pa. It’s a terrific double bill, with the 86-year-old Louisiana-born guitarist paired with Mississippi up and comer Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Guy’s new album, The Blues Don’t Lie, is due next month. Its first single, the protest song “Gunsmoke Blues” with Jason Isbell, shows he hasn’t lost any of his bite. $57-$65, 8 p.m., 8/19, Penn’s Peak, 325 Maury Road, Jim Thorpe, Pa, pennspeak.com.

4. Brandi Carlile / Allison Russell / Celisse. Brandi Carlile’s prominent presence as a country-leaning folk-rock singer-songwriter continues to grow, as cofounder of the Americana supergroup The Highwomen and the force that made the surprise return of Joni Mitchell to the Newport Folk Festival last month happen. She’s touring behind last year’s In These Silent Days. Opener Allison Russell’s stellar debut Outside Child told an emotionally harrowing story with grace and topped my list of 2021 albums. Rising guitar hero Celisse is worth arriving early for. $35-$159.50, 6:30 p.m., 8/20, TD Pavilion at the Mann Center, 5201 Parkside Ave., manncenter.org.

5. Ardmore Rock N’ Ride. This all-day free music festival accompanies a tour de Ardmore bike race. It takes place on three stages, each within a stone’s throw of the Ardmore Music Hall. Yacht rock band Boat House Row top one slate that also includes folkies Hoots & Hellmouth and soul men Arthur Ross & the Funkitorium. Rock and roll band Mo Lowda & the Humble, who are just out with their mellowed out Lily Pads EP, top the bill on a stage at Suburban Square, where Cabinet and Great Time also perform. Scott Metzger, Andy Hess, and Josh Dion play the after party inside AMH at 9 p.m. Free, 1 p.m., 8/20, 23 East Lancaster Ave., Ardmore ardmorerocknride.com.

6. La Luz. The Los Angeles quartet of guitarist and songwriter Shana Cleveland, bassist Lena Simon, keyboardist Alice Sandahl, and drummer Audrey Johnson share a certain retro sensibility with producer Adrian Younge, though he has tended to work with R&B and soul acts and the La Luz aesthetic grows out of an affection for 1960s surf- and garage-rock and girl group sounds. The collaboration worked on La Luz, the band’s fourth and first self-titled album. Ghost Funk Orchestra opens. $22, 7:30 p.m., 8/24, PhilaMOCA, 531 N. 12th Street, philamoca.org

7. Scott Weiner benefit. If you haven’t seen photographer Scott Weiner at a show in Philadelphia, you’ve likely seen the entertainment and news photos he’s taken for various local outlets. Weiner is suffering from a chronic illness and his daughter Mariel Weiner has organized a Sunday afternoon benefit at 118 North in Wayne to help pay his medical bills. Local musicians include Kenn Kweder, Don Van Winkle, Richard Bush, and Skip Denenberg. Michael Tearson hosts. $20, 4 p.m., 8/21, 118 North 118 N. Wayne Ave. Wayne, 118northwayne.com

8. Peaches. Canadian feminist electroclash provocateur Peaches — born Merrill Nisker — is on tour celebrating what was meant to be the 20th anniversary of her 2000 album The Teaches of Peaches, which contains her signature song, a timeless classic whose profane title cannot be printed here. Kalifa opens. $30, 8 p.m., 8/23, Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., utphilly.com.

9. Kathleen Edwards. Kathleen Edwards is living proof that you can quit your job, become a barista, and when it feels right, go back to your old job again. Edwards ditched music after her 2012 album Voyageur and opened a cafe called Quitters in her hometown of Ottawa. In 2020, she returned refreshed with her album Total Freedom. With Matt Sucich. Free, 7:30 p.m. 8/24, McLaughlin-Norcross Memorial Dell, 1214 S. Park Ave., Haddon Heights, haddonhts.com.

10. The Decemberists. Colin Meloy leads the Portland, Ore., folk-rock band to North Broad Street for a twice rescheduled show on the “Arise From the Bunkers” tour. It’s the first time on the road for the historically minded band whose name is an intentional misspelling of a 19th century Russian revolutionary sect, since touring for their 2018 album I’ll Be Your Girl. Opener Jake Xerxes Fussell is a marvel. $35-$79, 8 p.m., 8/25, The Met Philly., 858 N. Broad St., themetphilly.com.