August 14-20, 2003

music

Soundadvice

Get Out.

Langhorne Slim

Though he affects the pose of a turn-of-the-century busker (or, alternately, Blue Valentine-era Tom Waits), Langhorne Slim thankfully sounds less like one more blue man singing the whites than Jack White working over the early Bob Dylan catalog. If the 22-year-old Langhorne native seems to lay the schtick on a bit thick, the songs on the self-released Slim Picken's suggest that they'd stand up even without the porkpie hat.

— Sam Adams

Thu., Aug. 14, 8:30 p.m., $8, with She-Haw, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0770.

Adrian Legg

Talented Brit Legg dazzles audiences with a category-defying and charmingly personal mix of folk, country, jazz and classical guitar stylings. While his rapid-fire picking is amazingly fluid, Legg's also damn funny, working the room with the wit that earned him a side gig as a commentator for NPR's All Things Considered.

— Nicole Pensiero

Sat., Aug. 16, 7 p.m., $18, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0770.

Suffrajett

The fuzz is thick on Suffrajett (In Music We Trust). Thick like skin. And Simi's voice is glass, sharp enough to pierce the skin but too substantial to pass through. It gets caught in Jason Chasko's chunky hooks. It glitters. And it'll cut those who try to dig it out.

— M.J. Fine

Sat., Aug. 16, 9 p.m., $8, with Graze, The Hissyfits and Pilot Round the Sun, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St. 215-238-5888.

Ben Taylor Band

Vocally, Taylor sounds like his famous dad, but the son of JT and Carly Simon has his own musical style, something he calls "neo-psychedelic folk funk." The nature-lovin' Ben fills the catchy songs on his debut, Famous Among the Barns, with images of sunshine, water and even ganja. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

— Nicole Pensiero

Wed., Aug. 20, with Eliot Bronson and Thu., Aug. 21, with Rich Price, 8 p.m., $12-$15, The Point, 880 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, 610-527-0988.

The Boston Pops

Oh-so-dreamy conductor Keith Lockhart is coming to town, with some musicians or something. OK, fine, it's the Boston Pops, who are deservedly world-famous for more than just being led by the man every mom wants her daughter to marry (too bad he's taken). Keith and co. will be performing music of the baby-boomer generation, including Carole King and Paul Simon.

— Debra Auspitz

Tue., Aug. 19, 8 p.m., $20-$58, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 52nd St. and Parkside Ave., 215-893-1999.

British Sea Power

Dressed in standard-issue WWI uniforms, BSP will embarrass the heck out of blasé types at the Khyber with their earnest effort. They'll adorn the stage with leaves and antlers before harnessing all their eccentric, off-to-the-front vigor to deliver brewing, infernal rock, one part Pixies to two parts Barry Adamson, in the face of skepticism. "It starts with love of foliage," they sing, "and ends with camouflage."

— Juliet Fletcher

Sat., Aug. 14, 9 p.m., $8, with Steadman, Asteroid No. 4 and Persona, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.