Music critics' picks
POP . . . plus Blond-haired, blues-rockin' singers don't come any more firey and iconic than Dana Fuchs, preaching the gospel of soul and inspiration. The go-to woman for movie and stage shows that need a hot mama, Fuchs played the very sexy Sadie in the cinematic adapt
POP . . . plus
Blond-haired, blues-rockin' singers don't come any more firey and iconic than Dana Fuchs, preaching the gospel of soul and inspiration. The go-to woman for movie and stage shows that need a hot mama, Fuchs played the very sexy Sadie in the cinematic adaption of the Beatles catalog, "Across the Universe." And of all the belters out there, producers of the off-Broadway show "Love, Janis" chose Fuchs to imbue the personality and sound of Janis Joplin. Spawned in the other Wildwood (a rural town in Florida), Fuchs grew up on her older sibling's classic rock band, the '70s-'80s funk and crossover classics of Ray Charles and Hank Williams that her parents played on the record machine and also the Lord-praising music she sang (and still does) in the local First Baptist Gospel Choir. Another talent spotter who's given her a big leg up is Fuchs' guitarist and song-writing collaborator Jon Diamond, who's also toured with kindred spirits Joan Osbourne and Debbie Davies.
World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 8 tonight, $16-$21, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.
- Jonathan Takiff
HIP-HOP
Just weeks after their sold-out World Café Live show, the Hustle is back on a Philly stage along with Brooklyn-based band MetroSonics for what's sure to be another great performance. Highlighted by the voices of MC Kuf Knotz and singer La Ru, the Hustle combines complex lyrics and beautiful melodies for a unique, soulful sound. While the Philadelphia-based group's songs touch topics ranging from love to hometown pride, the constant is positivity and good vibes. Lead by MC Paul Josephs, MetroSonics offers up politically tinged hip-hop for the masses dissatisfied with the same old mindless fluff. The group is currently performing to support their upcoming debut album, Focused Fire, which will be released next week on February 5th.
Tin Angel, 20 S. 2nd St., 10 tonight, $10, 215-928-0770, www.tinangel.com.
- James Johnson
ALTERNATIVE
Pretty Things Peepshow is a vintage-style, traveling burlesque road show that ranges from 1930s, Gypsy Rose Lee-inspired numbers to rockabilly, with fire-eating and sword swallowing in between. In their down time, the members (from as close as New York and as far as Vancouver) give pinup classes in select cities. If the Pretty Things seem familiar to you, it wasn't just a dream. They've appeared on the Warped Tour, Ozzfest and inmusic videos for 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Probot, the metal supergroup that boasted the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Motorhead's Lemmy as members.
The Balcony, 10th and Arch streets, 10 p.m. tomorrow, $10-12, 215-922-LIVE, www.thetroc.com.
- Sara Sherr
JAZZ
The title of Charlie Hunter's latest CD, "Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid," will surely be met with eye-rolling recognition from empty-pocketed fellow musicians. But the prolific guitarist packs the album with the sort of musical camaraderie that will remind them why they undergo long van rides to empty clubs owned by unscrupulous proprietors in nowhere towns. Hunter's trademark grooves and electric-eel fretwork are here married to a rollicking horn section for a celebration inspired by the late trumpeter Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy ensemble. That section will be represented in Philly by trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, joining Hunter and drummer Eric Kalb, whose resume boasts stints with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and the Lounge Lizards, hinting at the genre-bending funk-jazz they'll be whipping up.
World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 9 tonight, $19-$21, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.
- Shaun Brady
CLASSICAL
Pianist Richard Goode has remained at the keyboard summit for a generation, with his complete Beethoven sonatas a constant revelation. He's teaming with the brilliant young pianist Jonathan Biss for a two-piano recital that has been lauded wildly on tour in the U.S. and Europe.
This remarkable collaboration will include some magnificent but rarely heard music, beginning with Debussy's "En blanc et noir" and his arrangement of Schumann's Six Canons. Beethoven is essential here, and they're playing the four-hand version of the Grosse Fuge. Stravinsky's compressing of his quirky Balanchine ballet "Agon" for 20 fingers comes next, and the finale is Schubert's stirring Fantasy in F Minor, a perfect challenge for these two masters.
Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce streets, 8 p.m. Thursday, $23, 215-569-8080, www.pcmsconcerts.org.
- Tom Di Nardo