Lights splatter across the walls, adding just the right ambiance for the latest Random Tea Session with Little Strike, a.k.a. Tamar Dart. Programmed percussions propel "Whose Side" forward as Dart’s vocals effortlessly expound thought-provoking lyrics, enhancing the senses. The feeling is palpable with this one. Little Strike will be performing her last show in Philly for a bit on Thursday, December 10 at Ortlieb’s, helping Dogs On Acid kick off their Winter tour with Year Of Glad. However, you can also be in her music video for "Come Out Alright," which will be directed by Kyle Brown Watson and shot on Saturday, December 12 at A-Space Anarchist Community Center. Free pizza, drinks, and fun will be provided.

Ground Control Touring celebrated their 15th Anniversary yesterday  at Webster Hall in NYC. The showcase matched up a slew of artists for collaborations throughout the night on the venue’s three stages. Check out Kurt Vile, Kim Gordon, Steve Gunn, and Jarvis Taveniere (Woods) bringing the rock ‘n’ drone for a cover of The Velvet Underground’s "Sister Ray"! (Photo by Ground Control Touring)

A few months back, Pat Finnerty’s musical, The Lid, had a three-night run at Underground Arts. Finnerty and the Full Band seem to have an affinity for creating memorable tunes that canvas a wide range of musical stylings, serving as humor-rich commentary. Inflected with a British accent to breakup the monotony of the norm (and also as a nod to the influence of the British Invasion), Finnerty’s knack for tapping into sonic zones serves as a familiar jumping off point, which when injected with his personality is refreshing. Will Gross-led musical vehicle A Locomotive kicks things off with crisp breezy folk narratives. The earthy, roaming folk-rock of The Josey Dears retains road-weary warmth with the chill of a night that looms as the sun sets. Ortlieb’s, 847 N. Third St., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita

Weed-lovin’ trio JANK’s latest release Awkward Pop Songs is laced with energetic, melodic power pop that instrumentally vents in controlled explosions, emotively bursting at the seams and begging the volume to increase. The trio finds the give and take of personal grooves that increase into unrestrained jams, injecting playful aspects in the process.  You can catch them at Stone Cold Castle on January 10. (Photo by Anna Ladd)

Below is a new music video from Waxahatchee, a.k.a. Katie Crutchfield, for the irresistible, lo-fi ditty "La Loose," off her latest LP Ivy Tripp (Merge/Wichita). It was directed by Naomi Yang (of Galaxie 500/Damon & Naomi), and used the rural landscapes of Virginia and West Virginia as its backdrop. Yang shared, "’La Loose’ is a song of love and longing, though dark at its edges with feelings of ambivalence. I wanted the video to be a visual equivalent to the song lyric, "a charming picture of hysteria in love" — a spinning emotional kaleidoscope of desire and rejection, adoration and anger, hope and despair. For this reason I set the video in mirror-twin locations: an abandoned, haunted amusement park and a thriving farm out of a beautiful dream." Crutchfield has been taking a break from touring due to health issues that were affecting her voice, which led to the cancellation of of her most recent European tour (most of the dates were with Kurt Vile); however, she’ll be back on the road once again next month with Sleater-Kinney. (Photo by Scott Murry)

You gotta love a track named "Rollerdyke"! And the fact that it rocks as well should get you through this hump day. You’ll find the single on Queen of Jeans‘s forthcoming self-titled debut EP that will be released on January 22 via Third Uncle Records and Super Fan 99 (UK) on cassette and vinyl. They’ll also be celebrating its release on Saturday, January 30 at Kung Fu Necktie. (Photo by Kelly Kurteson)

Fitting nicely on the Burger Records roster, garage rockers The Whips recently dropped their new full-length album Roots Rock Element, whose title holds true as a descriptor. The band features Far-Out Fangtooth‘s Joe Kusy and The Tough Shits‘s James Horn. The group already has plans to release another album this January via Philly indie label Suicide Bong Tapes. They’ll be rockin’ ‘n’ a rollin’ this evening at Ortlieb’s alongside like-minded brethren Brooklyn’s The Mystery Lights and locals Los Calzones. It’s a Tuesday night bill for the kids who too cool to show up school and work tomorrow. Ortlieb’s, 847 N. 3rd St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Alexis V.

As rain continues to saturate the area, absorb Glass Cannon Films’s video for Dewey Decibel‘s "Screwface Dub" (featuring Drusef), found on the recently released Sub Cult EP. The Pat Murray-directed video displays the tragic results as the consequence of "Burning the candle at both ends." However, the video suggests that in the wake of sadness, a glimmer of hope and light remains.

Sean Huber (Modern Baseball, Steady Hands) and Will Lindsay (W.C. Lindsay) have been teasing us the past few weeks with tracks ("Passing Through Wales" & "Wathering Bell") from the debut album of their new project Vicky Speedboat. Well, they released the six-song EP Two Years No Basement this past Friday, and you can stream the record in its entirety over at Brooklyn Vegan. So start your engines!