Though you might not see stories about the devastation from Hurricane Sandy and the people that it affected frequenting your news channels and programs as often as they once did these days, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t people still struggling out there to piece together their lives. This evening Tin Angel will open its doors for a showcase to benefit Union Beach, N.J., which is the hometown of Philly Weekly’s Tara Murtha who will be hosting the evening along with local storytelling funny lady Juliet Hope Wayne. Below are words from Tara about the place where she grew up and why you should come out tonight to show your support.

“Union Beach is a small town less than two square miles that on the edge of Raritan Bay in Monmouth County, N.J. The unique conditions of Hurricane Sandy caused the bay to surge, punching over 100 houses out of existence. Many other homes were ruined and all were damaged. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go to a fund set up by the township, as well as one special family: the Smiths. Ray Smith built his house with his own hands. The hurricane ruined the house and like many other Union Beach families, he did not have flood insurance. Thank you for keeping these families in mind during the holidays. Union Beach may not be a boardwalk tourist town, but it is home to many good, struggling, hard-working people like Ray.”

Performers who will be donating their time and talents for the night will include The Doublewides, Foxhound (Chris Kasper & Kiley Ryan), Joey Sweeney and Suzie Brown as well as special guests to be announced. Tin Angel, 20 S. 2nd St., 8pm, $10, All Ages – H.M. Kauffman

This past Friday night four Philly bands came together to end the world with a bang, or deny the prophecy of the Mayans rather. Norwegian Arms were also celebrating the release of their debut LP, Wolf Like a Stray Dog, a collection of folk-y, fun tunes written by mastermind Brendan Mulvihill during his time spent in Siberia. Introducing the night was Night Panther, a groovy four-piece that sounds like a sexier version of a 1950’s sock hop. They played some sweet electric guitar riffs and boogied down in their dapper outfits to thumping electro sonic blasts. Following their performance was ex-Armchairs Andy Molholt’s project, Laser Background, a band so different and unique that their sound could only be described by the soul of their kazoos and rockin’ guitar work. A big excitement of the night, besides the release of the new Norwegian Arms LP, was the return of Pattern is Movement to Johnny Brenda’s stage. Drummer Chris Ward and keyboardist/vocalist Andrew Thiboldeaux threw down a slew of deep, soulful grooves with a modern day experimental twist. The audience seemed thoroughly ready for the next PiM album to arrive. 2013 is going to be a huge year for the dynamic, bearded duo. Last but not least, Norwegian Arms had everybody bobbing their heads in approval of their set that included songs from the album, another new original and a cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You.” It was a special evening of music at JB’s with plenty of positive energy bouncing around the room. You can check out our pics from the night HERE. (Photo by Rachel Barrish)