Finals are done for most of you collegiate types and it’s just in time for the summer weather. There are way too many good shows for this weekend so there is no reason why you shouldn’t be extending Cinco De Mayo! Well, tonight at JB’s was originally planned to be Grandchildren’s CD release party for Cold Warrior on Green Owl Records, but the release date has been pushed back for remastering and an additional track. It’s looking like an August or end of July drop date now. Lucky, we have TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb ready to share their latest work (we think?). We received an advance copy of a few tracks, but no word on even a title. However, we did learn that they are a “cracksmoke band of scientists who found God in the middle of the night going South in the passing lane on Rt. 81.” They’ll also be joined by Ernest Jenning’s Skeletonbreath (featuring members of O’Death, Grandchildren and The Woes) and W. Philly buddies/lover of the ladies The Chimeras. We really can’t imagine this not being a good time. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+

 

More fun stuff this weekend…

 

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) SAT Slo-Mo featuring Mic Wrecka w/ Frog Holler and The Wallace
Brothers

 

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) SAT Leather

 

North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI Like a Fox SAT New Motels and The Rebel Yell

 

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) SUN Flux Capacitor

 

M Room (12 W. Girard Ave.) SAT Giant Mind, SUN Lillie Ruth Bussey

 

The Khyber (56 S. 2nd St.) FRI Alright Junior and Big Terrible
 
Tritone (1508 South St.) SUN Tongue Sculptors

 

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) SAT Kidrockers w/Power Animal

Blockley Pourhouse (3801 Chestnut St.) FRI Bells Bells Bells, SAT Bodega

 

Danger Danger Gallery (5013 Baltimore Ave.) FRI Mose Giganticus

 

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SAT Schoolly D

 

Mar Bar (200 S. 40th St.) SAT Prowler

 

Murph’s Bar (202 E. Girard Ave.) SAT Experience Kef

 

The Institute (1126 Green St.) SAT Block Shock Block Party w/Post Post, Swift Technique, Instamatic

Kidrockers are back in town for their last show til the Fall. We love the idea of bringing the parents and the kiddies together for some good times and music. I’m also glad they took my advice about adding Power Animal to bill, whose People Songs was The Deli’s April CD of the Month. Too bad I neither have any children or the ability to wake up early enough for the show, but it’s a moot point since I’m writing about this show as I’m enjoying some free booze on my international flight to London. They’ll be joining Harper Blynn whose release Loneliest Generation (Baby Jackal Records) was produced by David Kahne (The Strokes, Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney) and Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Kaki King). J. Blynn is also a former curly-haired hometown choir boy so you’ll get a chance to welcome him back. Come on parents – this is your chance to prove to your kids that you were actually pretty cool once. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 12pm, $13/$44 family for pack, All Ages (Ages 3-13 recommended; adults must be accompanied by a kid and vice versa) – Q.D. Tran

It’s First Friday again, and it should be damn beautiful out tonight. But do you really want to deal with the annoying yuppies in Old City as you search around for some free booze? If your answer is not really, then head over to Two Percent to Glory for their “First Friday Vintage Bonanza” where they promise a night of heavy boozing and browsing. Ryat, who did spectacularly in our most recent and fiercest poll to date, will be providing some airy electronica for your enjoyment. DJ Frosty will also keep the party movin’ into the wee hours. Don’t forget to grab yourself or a loved one a little somethin’ somethin’. Two Percent to Glory, 1817 Frankford Ave., 8pm – Late, Free, All Ages (Photo by Jackie Bayne) – H.M. Kauffman

If you’ve been wondering why our charts have been looking a little funny the past couple weeks, it’s because our programmers have been working hard to make improvements on the site and work out the system’s glitches. Check out the lower left hand corner of the charts, and you’ll see a new feature that we are very excited about. Have you ever peeked at our lists and wondered “why the fuck is my band not in here”? Well, maybe it’s because we don’t know about you yet, but it can also be that we are swamped on this end and sometimes updating our databases gets lost in the shuffle. Now, if you click on Join Charts, you can add your own band to our charts! See – we’re not hipster, elitist, assholes like you might have thought. We welcome everyone to use the many DIY features that we offer such as our Open Blog and Events Calendar (on the right hand side of our site) that we have for you to promote your projects. Yeah, this new feature is one less thing for us to worry about which fuckin’ rocks! Just in time because I’ll be taking my first vacation in long time tomorrow. Heading to Brussels and Amsterdam for a lot of fine beer drinking and even finer legal weed smoking. Thanks to the magical powers of the internet I will be hopefully checking in with you on a daily basis, but I make no guarantees. Cheers! – Q.D. Tran

Does anyone else think that we need a new album from Pony Pants already? Well, I guess that I’ll have to settle for a raucous live performance tonight at their home away from home Danger Danger Gallery. Dress appropriately or wear nothing at all because with The Ellis Brothers’ monster guitar riffs and Emily J.K.’s adrenaline-filled lyrical wit and wisdom over plenty of seriously hot beats, they’re bound to leave you a sweaty mess (and this fuckin’ humidity certainly doesn’t help)! Danger Danger Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave., 8pm, $5 – $10 donation, All Ages (Photo by Brad Quartuccio) – H.M. Kauffman

 

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