Homebred indie folk outfit, Papertrees, has quite an impressive pedigree of local players. An ever-emergent concept of sorts, Papertrees started with singer/songwriter/guitarist Allison Polans’ lissom fingers and ended up with some notable scene vets as part of its core: Phil D’Agostino (upright bass), Alec Meltzer (drums/percussion), Carl Cheeseman (electric guitar), and Nate Gonzalez (organ/keys/accordion). (Polans can also notch out Andrew Lipke and Deirdre Loughridge as former playmates.) And these guys and doll are also doing time with other revered local outfits like Hezekiah Jones, The Spinning Leaves, and Wes Mattheu & The New Way Down, to name a brief few. Really, it’s a royal family of musicians cooking up jazz-infused speakeasy folk for rainy days and sleepless nights – graceful, distending arrangements that both bustle and drift underneath the feet of Polans’ tenderly rich intones and disenchanted librettos. They recently took a hiatus from performing live (the December 9th show at The Ox was their first since September) but are back in full force and gracing the rostrum at Uni City’s The Blockley tonight with local cohorts Toy Soldiers, Levee Drivers and The Lawsuits.With Toy Soldiers’ fiery blues-rock, Levee Drivers’ boots-kickin’ rock ‘n’ roll, and the Lawsuits’ complex Americana, this bill will definitely keep you warm indoors while the crisp, bitter snow blankets the world outside.The Blockley, 3801 Chestnut St, 8pm, $5 adv/$7 door, 21+ (Photo by Will Connelly)
Other places to go if you’re not afraid of snow…
Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Val de Val CD Release Party w/The Atomic Square and Restorations
Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) SAT Mature and Split Red, SUN Metroplex and Conversations With Enemies
North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) SAT Groovement, SUN The Strange Heat and Papyrus Like You
The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Sounds From Atlantis, SAT (Early) Kite Party, (Late) Alien Architect
M Room (15 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Razorblade Skin and Workhorse 3
Tritone (1508 South St.) FRI Starving The Tsunami and Galaxies, SAT The Midnight Beat and Mondo Topless
Tin Angel (20 S. 2nd St.) FRI Shannon Pelcher
Highwire Gallery (2040 Frankford Ave.) SAT Anahita and A Stick & a Stone
World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI (Downstairs) Among Criminals Album Release w/ Tsunami Rising, (Upstairs) Dutch and Kuf Knotz, SAT (Very Early) Peanut Butter Jams & KidROCKERS w/Reading Rainbow and The Shackeltons, (Late) Cheers Elephant Album Release Party w/ Nico’s Gun, The Fleeting Ends, The New Connection
The Blockley (3801 Chestnut St.) SAT Sonni Shine & the Underwater Sounds
Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9th St.) FRI Nicos Gun
The Barbary (951 N. Frankford St.) SUN Halo of Snakes
The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) SAT The Synth Sircus and Dan Malloy
The El Bar (1356 N. Front St.) SAT Vintage Kicks
The Station (1550 McKean St.) SAT The National Rifle, Univox, Vitamin Cheese