This Weekend’s Concerts: Tobacco, Strapping Fieldhands, Northern Liberties Music Festival, + more

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

Ever find yourself listening to Black Moth Super Rainbow‘s Dave Fridmann-produced, analog-synth-heavy 2009 release Eating Us and think, “This is all fine and dandy, but what this album really needs is more distortion. And even more drugs.” If so, BMSR frontman Tobacco‘s latest solo release, Maniac Meat, is for you: 16 tracks of synth-saturated, groove-oriented, acid-trip electronica that saunters through the dancier side of psychedelic music. Tobacco performs with Junk Culture and Dreamend at 8 p.m. at First Unitarian Church; tickets are $12.

Also playing: Lelia Broussard + Bess Rogers and Allison Weiss at 10:30 p.m. at Tin Angel; tickets to the 21+ show are $10.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

Fans of the current crop of lo-fi revival acts can pay their respects to Strapping Fieldhands, the Philadelphia quartet (formerly a five-piece) that—along with bands such as Pavement, Guided By Voices, and The Grifters—was one of the early progenitors of the genre back in the ’90s. The band performs tonight in continued support of the re-release of its 1994 debut, Discus—voted one of the top ten albums never heard of by Spin. (And if you haven’t seen the video from the Shaking Through session the band did at Miner Street Recordings earlier this year, make sure to check it out.) Strapping Fieldhands performs with The Doozer and U.S. Girls at 7:30 p.m. at Kung Fu Necktie; tickets are $8.

Also playing: After stuffing yourself with all-you-can-eat ribs during A Full Plate’s Rib Cook Off at the Northern Liberties Music Festival, pick up a bottomless beer cup and take in local acts such as Black Landlord, Blood Feathers, The Friggs, and more. The performances begin at 5 p.m. at Liberty Lands.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

Philly folk duo The Spinning Leaves performs with bike-riding, cello-playing, Sub Pop recording artist Ben Sollee as part of his “Ditch The Van Tour 2010”; members of the Bicycle Coalition Of Greater Philadelphia will be on hand during the show, which also serves as the after-party for the organization’s Bike Philly ride. The Spinning Leaves perform with Ben Sollee at 9 p.m. at Johnny Brenda’s; tickets to the 21+ show are $10-$12.

Also playing: The Bang On A Can Marathon, featuring performances by Keepers Of The Chaos, Bang On A Can All-Stars, Asphalt Orchestra, and more at 2 p.m. at World Cafe Live; tickets are $25.