Locals Rosetta will be helping Fight Amp celebrate their new release Birth Control at The Barbary tonight. Rosetta, an intricate, alluring hybrid of metalcore, sludge, doom and gossamer space-rock, are humble dudes with an incomparable sound. I’ve taken to avoiding "epic" as a descriptor as much as humanly possible, but sometimes you are bludgeoned with a ten-minute leviathan like "The Determinism of Morality" or "TMA-3," and few other adjectives will get the job done. Rosetta are always cerebral (self-labeled “DIY nerds”), but never tedious, with crunching riffs and soaring atmospherics in abundance. A look at their social media reveals an onslaught of ecstatic fans proclaiming their devotion (with one going so far as to say that they’ve filled the Isis-shaped void in her heart), whether they’re playing shows or not. Coming at you from a different end of the spectrum are Ape!, grunge-loving stoner metalheads with a fondness for guitar acrobatics, Dridge, a New York sludge/drone outfit with sepulchral odes given joyous titles like "Black Vomit," and finally Fight Amp, one of New Jersey’s most beloved post-hardcore enthusiasts, bringing the sound of classic 90s to close out the night. The Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave., 6pm, $10, All Ages – Alyssa Greenberg

Sometimes music is constructed around a setting; certain instrumental tones seem to project cinematic imagery. Mike Bruno and the Black Magic Family conjure a dark mysterious folk sound – one that lures the listener into a great abyss in search of the truth that lies beyond the void. Each song performed by the revolving door of the Black Magic Family Band leads the listener further into the thick of it. Orchestrating a dynamically haunting atmosphere created by a wide array of instruments including a Theremin, guitar, harp, various woodwinds, etc. This band pulls you into their ongoing narrative, sending chills up your spine and looking over your shoulder. Mike Bruno and the Black Magic Family Band will open for the psychedelic harmonies of Boston trio Quilt. Bay Area native’s The Fresh and Onlys headline the evening at Johnny Brenda’s. Merging harmonious west coast pyschedelia with a touch Americana and New Wave, this group can lead you anywhere, but the trip will certainly be memorable. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10 – $12, 21+ – Michael Colavita

With the frosty chill entering Philly’s night air this week, it just makes sense to me to hunker down in the Side Chapel of the First Unitarian Church tonight for a performance by Bad Braids. The wintry psych-folk project of Megan Biscieglia carries me away to an isolated, drafty old cabin on a mountainside yet still provides a warming comfort that somehow allows me to brave the loneliness and frigid calm as the winds howl for me to join the pitch black night. Sounds like feel good music, right? Well, perhaps to some as will headliner Cold Specks, a.k.a. Al Spx, who’ll also set just the right mood for a much-needed evening of contemplation. First Unitarian Church – Side Chapel, 2125 Chestnut St., 8pm, $10, All Ages (Photo by April Heliotis) – Alexis V.

 

More things for your entertainment this weekend…

 

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI Low Cut Connie, Adam & Dave’s Bloodline, SAT Mike Bruno and The Black Magic Family

 

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI Tin Horses, Nona, Amanda X, SAT A Life Once Lost, SUN (Upstairs) Watery Love, Birds of Maya

 

North Star Bar (2639 Poplar St.) FRI The Breaks

 

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) SAT (All Ages) The District, (Late) Former Belle, SUN Hezekiah Jones

 

The Trocadero (1003 Arch St.) SUN The Mahlors

 

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SAT Dave Steel Blues Band, SUN Rusty Cadillac

 

The Legendary Dobbs (304 South St.) FRI (Downstairs) Thee, Idea Men, The Standing Cinema, Venice Sunlight, Marc Lancaster, (Upstairs) Full Blown Cherry, SAT Bohemian Sunrise CD Release Party w/Griz, Lupe Garu, SUN Herostreet

 

Triumph Brewery (117 Chestnut St.) FRI Natural Selection, SAT The Looseleaf Trio

 

PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12th St. Philadelphia) SAT Animal Style

 

The Barbary (951 N. Frankford St.) SUN Rosetta, Ape!

 

Milkboy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Willpowerless, Moonstriker, Terrible Friends, SAT Lefty’s Deceiver, Karl Hendricks Trio, JJL

 

Ortlieb’s (847 N. 3rd St.) FRI Ron Gallo, SAT Coco Sol, Blaq Mel

 

The Blockley (3801 Chestnut St.) SUN Mont Brown w/Pace O Beats

 

The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) FRI Gina Ferrera, Twyndyllyngs

 

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Curt Chambers, Rowboat Casino, Phil La Placa, SAT Sinphonix, Telequanta, Fanatastic Planet, A Victim of Good Times, Bohka, Sara B

 

Motel Hell (Please contact one of the acts or the venue for more info.) FRI Backwoods Payback, Black Cowgirl, Ape!

 

Moonbase Nix (Please contact one of the acts or the venue for more info.) SAT Girl Scouts, Bratcore, Bleeding Fractals, Callow

 

Young Statues just premiered a cover of Billy Bragg’s “A New England” featuring Tigers Jaw’s Brianna Collins via Spinner. The song will appear on their forthcoming release The Covers EP, which will be available on December 4. (Photo by Mitch Wojcik)

 

Tin Horses demonstrate a remarkable acuity for dusty, bluesy rock that’s polished in all the right places and rough around the edges in all the others. Complex arrangements are set against plaintive lyrics, a departure from leading man Kiel Everett’s usual sound when he’s laying down bombs for his other project Purling Hiss. The band’s work shares the polished veneer of the Hiss’ sullen "Lolita," but that’s where the similarities end. Tin Horses are achy, wistful and immediate, while Purling Hiss are engrossed in a psych-infused haze. This is a bill packed with new iterations of local area acts. NONA contains members of adored West Chester pop-punkers Spraynard, while Amanda X boasts the femme fatale part of Bandname. They’re joined by Austin’s The Young, who have managed to fly surprisingly low under the radar whilst being impossibly catchy. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., $10, 8pm, 21+ (Photo by Q.D. Tran) – Alyssa Greenberg

Low Cut Connie occupies the stage tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. With the recent release of their sophomore album, Call Me Sylvia, the quartet have developed a reputation for they’re back to basics boogie style rock ‘n’ roll. The sound does incorporate various essentials of the classic rock/Chicago-style blues vibe. However, the most important aspect may be the gritty up close and personal nothing-to-hide mentality, which the group implores. Pianist/vocalist, Adam Weiner (formerly known as Ladyfingers), can lead an up-tempo New Orleans-style boogie track, and then flip the script to country-folk saloon-style blues and everything in between. Along with Birmingham, England transplant, Dan Finnemore, smashing the skins, this band isn’t retrograde; it’s fundamentally pure taking a true heart and soul approach. Whether it’s the smooth down-home boogie of the keys, the chunky garage-style guitar riffs, or the vocals which have that worn deep-down-in-the-chest blues/soul vibe, these songs have that relatable aggressively fun edge – pissed off yet playful. Adam & Dave’s Bloodline will also be opening the evening playing music with a folksy, stripped-down garage aesthetic that maximizes the tried-and-true combinations of swift painted-stroked guitar uniting them with an unassuming rhythm section capable of pushing into high gear at any moment. The pair of bands may jog your musical memory. But, the appeal doesn’t lie in turning back the clock; rather, in playing music that captures raw unfiltered emotion in its prime state. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9:30, $10 – $12, 21+ (Photo by Ben Morse) – Michael Colavita

Les Professionnels recently dropped a new music video for the title track of their forthcoming EP Move!, which will be released November 13 via CNNSSR. It features remixes from Lushlife, Psychemagik, Eliot Lipp (Pretty Lights) and Pete Herbert. The video was directed by Memory Lab. Les Professionnels’ release party will be held tomorrow night November 9 at Kung Fu Necktie with a special guest DJ set from Vacationer.

Local quartet Dreambook takes distorted echo-in-the distance guitars and drums, which in their methodical sonic construction, supports the hazy space that their sound intends to explore. The vocals are sung in somewhat sacred tones through thick chimerical clouds. They’ll be opening tonight at Johnny Brenda’s for San Francisco’s Tamaryn who is fresh off the release of her second album On Tender Signs (Mexican Summer) with its similar plain harnessing alluringly beautiful vocals with cosmic guitar work. Fellow Bay Area natives Young Prisms round out the bill bringing their own twisted mix of melody, keys, and spiraling guitar. Johnny Brenda’s 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10 – $12, 21+ – Michael Colavita

Below is a new music video from Roots collaborator (who has contributed to their last four albums as well as Black Thought‘s Money Making Jam Boys project) Greg Porn for his track “The World Is Yours,” which premiered yesterday via Vice. It was directed by Treezy, and is the first single from his upcoming mixtape Amerikin Junkie that is currently scheduled to come out in January.

 

Check out a rediscovered track from Birds of Maya’s Vol. II called “Which Side Are You On?” that had been “sitting on a dusty shelf in a Kensington basement since its completion in 2006,” which they just shared via Testostertunes! The psych rock power trio will be playing a free show this Sunday upstairs at Kung Fu Necktie with Watery Love.