mewithoutYou are gearing up for two very intimate and special holiday shows as a treat for the hometown brethren who have been supporting them since their inception nearly a decade ago. Tonight they perform at The Barbary for an all ages show before playing a 21+ extravaganza at JB’s on Thursday. While core members of the band have generally stayed the same, the sound has evolved drastically since the start. The band has, and continues to be capable of creating scathing musical arrangements with biting lyrics, but with their third album Brother, Sister released back in 2006, they began to explore their musical horizons creating a softer, more pensive side to compliment their aggressive post-hardcore beginnings. Throughout the band has been carried by Aaron Weiss’ hyperactive spoken-word delivery of his natural and naturalistic poems. With the release of 2009’s It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright, Weiss almost exclusively displays his charmingly imperfect singing that radically shifted the sound of mewithoutYou. Over the 10 years of their existence, the band has evolved from bare bones ferocious rock group to orchestrated folk ensemble. These holiday shows should be a great time to see mewithoutYou’s versatility and experience the polarity of their ever-changing sound. Time will tell what their next release will sound like, but until then, come out to one or both of these very intimate shows. Hopefully you already have your tickets already because both events are completely SOLD OUT. The Barbary, 951 Frankford Ave., 6:30pm, Sold Out, All Ages; Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, Sold Out, 21+ – Adam G.