Does Pete Rose deserve to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? Fuck yeah! Does Pete Rose like to gamble? Sure, but what does that have to do with his accomplishments as a baseball player? I guess “Charlie Hustle” will have to settle for a documentary scored by Guided by Voices’ Robert Pollard for now. Yeah, he’d rather be in Cooperstown, but we hope that this photo helps to ease your case of the Mondays a bit. Well, at least it does for us. (Photo by Charles Sotto, CEI Sports Inc.) – The Deli Staff

Child of the Girls Rock Philly program, Attia Taylor has since taken what she’s learned from her first band Oak Oak Okay which she started in GRP and has used her Mac and condenser mic to work her way into The Deli’s DIY heart. Rocking futuristic keyboard loops, synth twists, and echoey metallic vocals, her track “Mad Scientist” is reminiscent to Thomas Dolby’s 80’s new wave hit, “She Blinded Me with Science” – blended with a little Feist chill-wave. With self-described “music you can dance and cry to at the same time”, you could be candy-flipping in a packed warehouse or at home alone in your underwear, and still have the same intimate and exhilarating listening experience. Well, you could also listen to it in a packed warehouse in your underwear. But do you really want to be “that guy”? Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, FREE, 21+ – Katie Bennett

 

When I first listened to Free Energy’s debut album Stuck on Nothing, I was cruising around in my station wagon ingesting the joyous cassette, yes – cassette, and beating my poor speakers within an inch of their lives. I chose this setting for two reasons. Firstly, it is home to the last living tape player in my possession. Secondly, it is nearly impossible to listen to this music without desiring a wind-blown face. Their tunes are so completely purified and unself-conscious that it begins to seem as though these Bill and Ted spirited time-travelers somehow inherited all the secrets of the world and after much deliberation settled on, “Fuck it, let’s just rock ‘n roll!” They are the perfect older brother that will let you smoke his cigarettes, but won’t buy them for you before you are 18. He’d let you take sips from his tall boy while you watched him and his band perform some timeless amalgamation of good time songs filled with lots of love. The band kicks-in the album’s front door with the anthemic “Free Energy” carried by tasty dueling guitar licks and explosive drums. Paul Spranger sings with confident ease while the rhythmic dudes carry the energy of the song with just enough cowbell. The record seamlessly transitions into the mild tempered boogie “Dream City” with its beautiful hooks which highlight James Murphy’s endlessly creative and deliberate production. The snares that become handclaps and blissfully juvenile backing vocals contrasted by silky horn sections create a subtle, indefinable style present in all of their songs. The body of the album blasts through highlights like relatively downbeat, Strokes-esque “All I Know” that manages to implement a string section and bongos over their electric guitars and still keeps that effortless feel. “Psychic Lightening” pulses with good vibes equal to Nick Lowe’s Jesus Of Cool, and dare I say The Stranger era Billie Joel before they show off their musical mastery in blissfully poppy rock songs that ooze with Thin Lizzie influences such as “Light Love” and “Hope Child”. These boys certainly don’t shy away from their influences, yet they still managed to record a fully contemporary feeling album that shows creativity and progressiveness is not always about implementing the newest technology and following the newest trends, but rather utilizing the lessons of the past and making them relevant and new again. Physical copies available May 4, 2010 and released digitally on March 9, 2010.  – Adam G.

So has it been a while since you’ve seen The Swimmers? You remember them from back in the day when The Fire was their stomping grounds. You were around for the multiple times they released Fighting Trees so you know what they’re about. Right? Well, People Are Soft will surely change what you thought that you knew about The Swimmers. Yes, their pop catchiness will still get them on XPN, but along the way they’ve decided to take a journey through their 80’s new wave collection creating some infectious tunes that will get your eye-glass wearing head bobbing uncontrollably with nostalgic approval. They’ll be sharing the stage tonight with fellow XPN friendly rockers East Hundred. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ (Photo by Dawn Walsh) – H.M. Kauffman

For a band that’s just 2 years shy of being around for 20 years, Mondo Topless has not missed a beat. And when you toss in the re-emergence of the garage punk sound that has been brought on by younger bucks like Tough Shits and The Midnight Beat, Philadelphia could not have a better predecessor that’s still going on strong! Mondo Topless has recently been hard at work on their first new album since 2006’s Take It Slow, and tonight the band is finally ready to have you Freaking Out with its lo-fi, guitar-fueled rock celebration. They’ll be joined by another classic throwback band in The Three 4 Tens, who have been rocking their 60s fetish since the summer of ‘97. The band has formed a tight knit bond with the likes of The Asteroid #4, whose bassist Gregg Weiss offered to release Throw Back Move on his label Lounge Records. And they have even opened up for The Who. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Frankford Ave., 8pm, $8, 21+ – Bill McThrill