August 21-27, 2003

music

Soundadvice

Get Out.

Caterpillar

Officially, this jangly pop four-piece called it quits in '98 when singer/guitarist Mike Lenert, perhaps inspired by the then-groundbreaking Jurassic Park film series, left Philadelphia to pursue a career in archaeology. But once or twice a year, Lenert comes back to town and gets down with the old band. (Which means they play more than Mazarin.) —Patrick Rapa

Sat., Aug. 23, 9 p.m., $7, with Photon Band, Suffacox and Taggart, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.

The Can-Am Connection

Technically proficient and well-schooled in the art of humanizing grandiose rock, The Can-Am Connection invokes Radiohead's ambitious arrangements and The Smiths' sympathetic imagery on the brand-new The Bridge Between EP. It's a big, loud, cymbal-crashing, key-pounding sound, but its lyrical concerns are not so lofty that you won't identify. —Patrick Rapa

Fri., Aug. 22, 9 p.m., $7, with The Situation, Pattern is Movement and Dragon City, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888.

DJ Dan

The West Coast beat-blazer, known for his sweet and cuddly personality, dazzled glowsticking ravers in the 1990s with his candy-coated techno and breaks. San Fran's DJ Dan returns with his In Stereo mix-CD (Kinetic), taking us back to the good ol' party days when raves were fresh and colorful. He continues to funk up our dancing asses with filtered rhythms, heavy bass, funky guitars and high-energy samples. —Sean O'Neal

Sat., Aug. 23, 10 p.m.-10 a.m., $15, with Cozmic Cat, Funky Mike Alba and Josh the Ghost, Emerald City, 460 N. Second St., 215-413-2500.

Tori Amos

More than nine months after hitting the road to support Scarlet's Walk, Tori Amos hasn't run out of surprises. Heartbreaking songs that turn up just once. Improvs about her toddler. Sets that cluster songs beginning with the letters C and S. Three songs about Neil Gaiman in one night. Unlikely covers. (Recent ones include U2's "Running to Stand Still" and Dan Fogelberg's "Song from Half Mountain.") Get your fix now, because she won't be back for a couple of years. —M.J. Fine

Tue., Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m., $39.50-$45, with Ben Folds, Tweeter Center, Mickle Blvd. and Riverside Dr., Camden, N.J., 215-336-2000.

Aimee Mann

Despite an Oscar nomination under her belt and various record-label hells behind her, Aimee Mann's still got plenty of unhappy endings to sing. Last year's icy yet dulcet Lost in Space (SuperEgo) delivered treatises on addiction without so much as a trapdoor to a brighter place. —Michael Pelusi

Sun., Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m., $28-$32, Keswick Theatre, Easton Rd. and Keswick Ave., Glenside, 215-572-7650.

muMs

Prepare to get your ears bent when muMs -- a.k.a. "Poet" from HBO's Oz -- comes to town. He'll be previewing his new jazz/soul-backed spoken-word album, Strange Fruit. The Bronx-born actor, poet and activist honed his skills at the famed Nuyorican Poet's Cafe. His verse is devoid of the stereotypical, annoying coffee-shop antics. Remember his poem, "Kidnap the President's Wife"? 'Nuff said. —Ainé Ardron-Doley

Wed., Aug. 27, 7 p.m., $15, with X-CLU-CIF and K.D. Morris, Zero 27, Red Room Lounge, 720 Arch St., 215-321-4323.