Hiss Golden Messenger | photo by Graham Tolbert
7 concerts to see this week, including Hiss Golden Messenger, Deer Scout and more
All things musical tend to wind down towards the end of the year, and concerts are no exception. Or maybe we’re so wrapped up in the #XPN2021 countdown that all other activity seems secondary. In any case, there are a handful of great shows to check out this week — not as sprawling as last week’s 21-concert roundup, but maybe that’s not a bad thing?
Tuesday 12/7: Hiss Golden Messenger / Rosali at World Cafe Live
This one’s a bit of a repeat for us, since we told you about this terrific double-header tour’s first regional date in Central PA last week. The videos that indie-folk singer-songwriters M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger and Rosali have posted in the time since look astounding, and we can’t recommend enough listening to Hiss’ Quietly Blowing It and Rosali’s No Medium and getting thee to the show. // 8 p.m., $26, AA // TIX + INFO
Wednesday 12/8: Zeek Burse at World Cafe Live
Singer-songwriter and generally charismatic person Zeek Burse plays his last Philly show of 2021 this Wednesday at The Lounge at World Cafe Live. An alum of the XPoNential Music Festival, Zeek’s music is an uplifting mix of funk and soul, with flourishes of etheral electronic pop — particularly on his dreamlike single “The Room” — and with singer-songwriter Noel Scales joining him, it’s a show to hit you in the feels. // 8:30 p.m., $10, AA // TIX + INFO
Thursday 12/9: Sixteen Jackies at Underground Arts
Hostile Architecture is the latest EP from offbeat Philly band Sixteen Jackies, who mix retro-rock with a horror flick aesthetic. Jody and the band have hit the hometown show circuit hard since the great reopening, and they’re fitting in one more gig for 2021 this Thursday when they play Underground Arts with Cosmic Guilt and Party Muscles. // 9 p.m., $12, 21+ // TIX + INFO
Friday 12/10: The Wonder Years at The Queen
Philly pop-punk turned modern-rock vets The Wonder Years just announced a massive tour for 2022 where they’ll be celebrating the belated tenth anniversaries of their albums The Upsides and Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing. That kicks off in February, and comes to Philly for two dates at The Fillmore, but hometown fans with a means of getting to Wilmington don’t need to wait half a year to see their faves; TWY will bring a less album-specific show to The Queen this Friday. // 7 p.m., $40, AA // TIX + INFO
Friday 12/10: Deer Scout at The Pharmacy
Singer-songwriter Dena Miller returns to Philly this Friday to bring her indie-folk project Deer Scout to The Pharmacy with local folks Ellen Siberian Tiger and as well as Laura Wolf and Horse Divorce. In addition to all these artists being notable names in indie / DIY spheres, they all mention animals in their band name — and we just could not resist urging you to see the Deer Wolf Tiger Horse show. Deer Scout will release their next album in 2022, and from what we’ve heard, it’s divine; read Miller’s recent interview with Jane Lai here. // 8 p.m., $10, AA // INFO
Saturday 12/11: Stars at World Cafe Live
Toronto indie band Stars have been a reliable source of uplifting pop for two decades, and though it’s been four years since we last heard from them (on 2017’s There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light) we’re positively pumped that they’re on tour and headlining the Music Hall at World Cafe Live this Saturday. Bonus points for opener Kevin Devine. // 8 p.m., $31, AA // TIX + INFO
Saturday 12/11: Max Swan at MilkBoy
Over the past several years, Max Swan has traveled from a saxophone sideman to a party-minded composer and band leader to a multi-hyphenate singer-songwriter and future-pop star. His new record Slow Jail dropped earlier this fall, and he’s played a handful of regional shows in support of it, beginning at Sellersville Theater, and the latest being this Saturday night at MilkBoy. Janel and Jon Smith open. // 8:30 p.m., $12, 21+ // TIX + INFO