The unofficial cover art to Birdie Busch's unofficial instrumental album Oh You Who Believe, which was released in 2011 (unofficially)

By now, you can probably tell that we’re devout fans of the local music-and-film showcase Tuesday Tune-Out, held every week at PhilaMOCA. Some of the best music minds in Philly have curated this thing so far – Herbie Shellenberger of Pet Milk and Black Circle Cinema; Fred Knittel from Folkadelphia; fellow bloggers and local music enthusiasts The Deli, The Swollen Fox, JUMP Philly and Bands in the Backyard. It’s totally good company, a great event that enriches the city’s music and arts scenes, and we’re super excited to join the ranks by curating the month of January.

We’ll begin January 8 with an exciting solo set by Dr. Dog drummer Eric Slick, continue on January 15 with some funky noir-hop from Zilla Rocca, present an improvisatory instrumental set from Birdie Busch and Carl Cheeseman on January 22 and conclude on January 29 with a rare solo performance by Frances Quinlan, frontwoman of Hop Along. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. at PhilaMOCA, 531 N 12th St., are all-ages, with $5 suggested donation for admission. After the jump, get details about each show with links for more information.

January 8
Eric Slick

Best known as the drummer for Dr. Dog, Eric Slickis a longtime Philly multi-instrumentalist and frequent musical collaborator who also performs with Ape School, Norwegian Arms, Paper Cat, Lithuania and more.

For his Tuesday Tune-Out, Slick will perform a live / improvisatory set to “Primal Essence,” a film he’s preparing specifically for the event. The interactive short follows a day in the life of Eric Slick, and will blur the lines between film and live performance.

Short opening sets will be performed by Capillary Action and one more TBD, more information (and RSVP) at the show’s Facebook Event Page. Below, watch a Madoff Productions drummer profile on Slick.

January 15
Zilla Rocca

Philadelphia MC Zilla Rocca built a name for himself in 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers, a rap duo that creatively sampled tracks from Espers, The Velvet Underground, Neil Young and Elliott Smith.

His solo work moves in a more mysterious direction. Self-described as “noir-hop,” Zilla samples funky tracks and aggressive beats, mixed with clips from hardboiled detective films from the 1940s and 50s. He followed up last year’s Nights and Weekends EP with the new Party Like Villains, and was most recently seen collaborating with fellow rappers Curly Castro and Has-Lo in The Wrecking Crew, which released a Wu-Tang Clan homage called Wu-Tang Pulp this fall.

After his set, Zilla will screen a darkly comedic 2005 thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. For more information (and to RSVP), go to the show’s Facebook Event Page. Below, watch the music video for “Full Spectrum.”

January 22
Birdie Busch and Carl Cheeseman

Over the past ten years, Birdie Busch (http://birdiebuschmusic.com/) has proven herself a standout among Philadelphia’s vastly talented pool of folk-inspired singer-songwriters. Her songs are honest, whimsical, yearning and uplifting, and her arrangements on albums like 2008’s Penny Arcade and the new Birdie Busch and the Greatest Night are stunning.

Less known about Busch is her improvisatory, freeform side. The new album was largely born out of jams with her longtime backing band, and back in 2011 she recorded an album of instrumental compositions with versatile guitarist Carl Cheeseman.

For this very special Tuesday Tune-Out appearance, Busch and Cheeseman will improvise a live score to a film TBA, more information (and RSVP) at the show’s Facebook Event Page.

Below, watch a home-recorded video of Busch performing “Penny Arcade.”

January 29
Frances Quinlan

As frontwoman for Hop Along, Frances Quinlan writes haunting, expressive, vaguely surreal songs matched perfectly with punk-infused instrumentation and her striking, singular vocals.

The band’s full-length release Get Disowned was, in the humble estimation of this curator, the best album of 2012 – it’s music resonates just as easily for listeners who like a challenging narrative and unconventional arrangements as it does for those who want a good poppy hook to rock out to.

For this installment of the Tuesday Tune-Out, Quinlan will perform a rare solo set, testing new Hop Along songs out for the first time, digging into the band’s back-catalogue and hopefully dropping one of her trademark covers.

Following Quinlan’s set will be a screening of a 1950s Fellini movie that one of Hop Along’s early songs was named for. For more information (and to RSVP), go to the show’s Facebook Event Page. Below, watch Hop Along performing “Young And Happy!” at Death By Audio earlier this year.