Kaleidoscope

When it comes to lyrical vignettes of the 215, Birdie Busch is tops. Her debut had "South Philly"; 2007's ab fab Penny Arcade had "Huff Singers (North Philly)"; and her new 7" on Be Frank Records, Everyone Will Take You In, is entirely Philly-themed. She covers The Soul Survivors and extols Devin Greenwood's dearly departed Honey Jar Studios. Though not directed specifically at Mr. Vento, "Joey" speaks of changing neighborhoods filled with red, white and green flags, entreating the stubborn old-timers not to be "so macho." Best line: "Don't get so stressed about that 20-year-old hipster in your nonna's house dress she bought at a thrift store." Brilliant.

—John Vettese

Some of the best podcasts have that "crazy loner in a basement" feel, but nobody breathes anger and sweats neurosis like comedy veteran Marc Maron. WTF (wtfpod.com) is a biweekly brain spiral — a series of too-personal anecdotes and the occasional flash-flooding rant. And then he brings out the guests, usually other comedians who try to sneak in a few jokes as the whole thing dives into madness.

—Patrick Rapa

For an artsy, experimental project, On Fillmore — at the Art Alliance on Wednesday (July 14, arsnovaworkshop.org) — can get downright goofy. On last year's delightful Extended Vacation (Dead Oceans), the instrumental duo — bassist Darin Gray and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche — stretched out beyond the subdued vibes/percussion/upright-bass interplay and near-ambient tone of their earlier works, interspersing a handful of spooky drones, a bewildering array of animal noises and, at one point, what sounds like a drunken marching band.

—K. Ross Hoffman

Choosing subjects and then keeping them at arm's length, Philly photographer Ruth Savitz is able to study how people and their environments relate. They wear parkas and rush across snowy Broad Street in a backlit blur. They perch on Swann Fountain lit by Parkway lampposts, quizzically checking the City Hall clock. They are tiny specks of workers in the eerie iridescent green of a Second Street construction site by night. The CP Photostream (citypaper.net/photostream) regular is currently showing "Dark and Light" at Bonté (130 S. 17th St.) through Aug. 12. It makes a good game: Find the people, they're in there somewhere.

—John Vettese