Also this issue: The Big Con Why Philadelphia bands play the CMJ festival. -Patrick Rapa Tropical Impressions Caetono Veloso tells the truth. -A.D. Amorosi suitespot -Peter Burwasser on Classical Back to Basics Which in The Divine Comedy's case means less rock, more baroque. -Sam Adams Flute Awakening -Peter Burwasser Right On Time -Sam Adams Catherine Irwin -Sam Adams Kim Richey -Sam Adams

November 7-13, 2002

musicpicks

Smokey & Miho

Smokey Hormel and Miho Hatori have been, respectively, the go-to gutbucket guitarist and the giddy synth-artiste for Tom Waits, Beck, David Lynch, Sean Lennon and Hatori's Cibo Matto. This fine pedigree makes for one seemingly twisted, yet seamless, teaming as they go it alone on their self-titled, five-song EP. Like bits of Cibo's Viva! La Woman and Beck's foray into tropicalia, Smokey & Miho offer a duskier two-person take on the Afro-Brazilian samba sounds of Tom Jobim, João Gilberto and, in particular, Baden Powell -- the guitarist whose 1966 rarity, Afro Sambas, became S&M's working model (as well as the name of their record label). Throughout their languid but gutsy EP -- lucid, screw-loose tunes like "Summer Rain," "Blue Glasses" and "Ocean In Your Eyes" -- S&M maintain a lovely dedication to the classic bossa nova era's finest, ficklest sounds, and they find their own taut, new musical way into the sandy-shore sound with a prog-samba, flamenco-informed funkiness that's original and delectably oblique.

Thu., Nov. 7, $10, with David Garza, The North Star, 27th and Poplar sts., 215-922-LIVE

—A.D. Amorosi