Live Music

Elio Villafranca

With his brilliant technique, melodic gift and maturing profile as a composer, pianist Elio Villafranca embodies today’s youthful wave in Afro-Cuban jazz. He’s a New Yorker now, but when he came to the U.S. from Cuba in 1995, he chose Philly, developing deep ties to the scene here while racking up experience with the likes of Jane Bunnett, Pat Martino and more. No carpetbagger, the dreadlocked Villafranca has been lighting up the Bride with inspired music since 1999. Now he returns with an octet and a program he calls Cuban Incantations. For world music truly deserving of the label, with African, Latin and European echoes, look no further. (David R. Adler)

Plaid

Since 1991 Plaid’s Ed Handley and Andy Turner have been breathing new life into the tired idiom of electronic dance. Known as much for visually rich video collaborations as for music, a Plaid performance is always sure to be an absorbing experience. On this tour Plaid will mount the production of their work with video animation artist Bob Jaroc. Will you get two guys tweaking laptop knobs? Sure. But you’ll also be treated to a visual backdrop that lends itself to the immersive and melodic quality of the music. (John Cramer)

Dark Horse & the Carousels

Casting garage-y shadows over rugged power-pop riffing and a hard-bitten mod bop, Philly’s Dark Horse & the Carousels join their friendly rivals the Tough Shits in opening a fuzzy portal to decades past. “Party at the Castle” opens like a close cousin to “Jailhouse Rock” but dirties itself with splintered guitar chaos, whereas “Crazy” is a hand-clapping, foot-tapping gem by way of the Raspberries that also gets scorched by a killer solo before it’s through. These guys are celebrating the release of their self-titled album with a set in the Rock Tits room at Making Time, which should tell you they’re a damn sight cooler than most young throwback bands. (Doug Wallen)

Baby Dee

With a high, trembly voice pitched somewhere between male and female, transgendered performance artist Baby Dee, often self- accompanied on piano or harp, borrows as much from church music as Weimar cabaret or vaudeville. Her rendition of the hymn “Idumaea” was one of the highlights of Current 93’s Black Ships Ate the Sky. Still, she isn’t afraid to descend into bawdiness, singing about big-titty bee girls, and childhood roughhousers doing the “dance of diminishing possibilities.” Seeing Baby Dee live is as much about the stories as the songs—heartbreaking, funny, surreal intervals as a harp is tuned or a song put into context. (Jennifer Kelly)

Supersuckers

They may not write the most insightful lyrics—“She used to be pretty, but now she’s just pretty fucked up”—but as the self-proclaimed Greatest Rock ’n’ Roll Band in the World, Supersuckers don’t need to worry about such trivial matters. Led by frontman Eddie Spaghetti, the group plays straight-up rock ’n’ roll, though not the kind Chuck Berry had in mind. It’s raucous, inappropriate and loud. But the group isn’t a novelty act—over their two-decade history, they’ve recorded for Sub Pop, Interscope and Koch. And of course, playing Eddie Vedder’s birthday party is worth loads of street cred. (Katherine Silkaitis)

Lupe Fiasco

Chicago native Lupe Fiasco is like the defiantly offbeat art-house flick that somehow manages to rake in $200 million at the box office. Like some sorta nerd-rapper, he’s way into skateboarding, George Orwell, comic books, Tom Waits, Japanese blue jeans and sociopolitics. He’s down with concept albums too. His latest The Cool is a richly textured perils-of-streetlife morality play that includes in its cast of characters an undead gangsta. And yet, like his pal/collaborator Kanye, Lupe’s managed to sneak inside the perimeter of mainstream Jay-Z-land. How? He’s got mad style and charisma, and owns a stage like the best of ’em, prowling and bounding across it while launching his nimble, conscious rhymes over slammin’, crowd-pleasing beats. (Michael Alan Goldberg)

Spinto Band

Man, it’s been for-ev-er—or two and a half years—since the Spinto Band released Nice and Nicely Done. The Wilmington, Del., boys, adopted by Philly, have certainly played the heck outta that jangle-pop album, both across the States (touring with the Arctic Monkeys and Art Brut) and abroad (like, Sweden and Japan kind of abroad—not just Canada, where your girlfriend lives). It’s time, though, for new music. Moonwink, recorded in L.A. with Dave Trumfio (My Morning Jacket, Wilco, OK Go), is all wrapped and ready—cross your fingers—for a summer release. For now, a U.S. tour with the Whigs and a SXSW stint will suffice. (Caralyn Green)

Mika

The sprightly cover art for Life in Cartoon Motion pretty much announces the aural aesthetic inside: It’s as if Rainbrow Brite vomited after a breakfast of Skittles, Lucky Charms and a hit of XTC. Brimming with “Up With People” chirpiness and squirming to wriggle out that octave-scaling falsetto, Mika arrives at your doorstep like a gay Jehovah’s Witness peddling power pop. (And, by the way, “Happy Ending” would not sound of place on gospel radio.) Yes, he’s vocally indistinguishable from Freddie Mercury; yes, his gushy camp is essentially biting the Scissor Sisters. But if you can’t get up for this faaabulous self-affirmation, you’ve got a cold and vile heart. (Michael Serazio)