It's the same damn thing every week. I'm enjoying my paper, drinking black coffee, reading every snarky article with glee, and then I get to the the concert listings. Well Goddammit, I think. Goddamn them for coming on tour, that week, this the week I am completely broke. And as I say this every week, I think to myself, if I had those photographs, I would totally be able to extort Bill Gates. Yes, ruining that man's successful life would I'd never have to worry about money, or actually earning money, ever again. And that, my friends, that is my beautiful dream.

IF I COULD BLACKMAIL BILL GATES...

Saturday, November 7: Avi Wisnia with Julie Gold at World Cafe Live, 8pm

I saw Avi Wisnia play earlier this year at a bar in Center City. It was a pretty stripped down set, just a keyboard, a horn, and a sweet TLC cover. Wisnia channeled "No Scrubs" with relish, hitting those high notes, a genuinly fun way to introduce himself to a Saturday night Philly crowd. The man he revealed is a deft storyteller, playfully recounting tales with clever snide. His skills on the keyboard are tight, evoking a Latin sound. He's playing at World Cafe Live, Saturday at 8pm, with Grammy Winner Julie Gold. This promises to be a chill night of bossa nova keyboard and crafty word play. 

World Cafe Live
3025 Walnut St.
215-222-1400
www.worldcafelive.com

Tuesday, November 10: Raekwon at First Unitarian Church, 8pm

WU TANG REPRESENTING! Raekwon's got that dirty dog style that is irresistable to punk ass white boys like myself. Most of the Raekwon tracks I got are on the Wu Tang albums or Ghostface, but check your "Fishscale", and you'll see his name pop up alot. And he brings it. Grit, man, Raekwon brings the gritz. Tickets on sale for the bargain price of $262. Sweet.

The First Unitarian Church
2125 Chestnut St.
www.r5productions.com

Saturday, November 14: Philly Laptop Battle at North Star Bar, 9pm

After spending the greater part of my afternoon judging tourists who think posing at with the Rocky statue is going to the Art Museum, I'd wander my over sized jeans down to the North Star Bar. There, the drinking would begin, and because I'd have gotten there way too early, I'd be good and wasted as I watched DJ's set up for the Philly Laptop Battle. Getting the laptop out of the bag. Finding an open outlet. Hooking it into a speaker. Testing that speaker. When one loves music as much as I, every moment of the concert process is a joy to behold. This is exactly the kind of event that sends me back to my college apartment in 2001. Mixing sounds and speeches, beeps and bumps, all in the name of 'adversary'. This could be either really fun or I will be completely drunk. Maybe both.

The North Star Bar
2639 Poplar St.
215-787-0488
www.northstarbar.com
www.phillylaptopbattle.com

Wednesday, November 25: Meeting in the Aisle & Bowie: Ziggy Returns at The Khyber, 8pm

So, there are two camps. Actually there's about 87, but for sake of argument, lets just say there are two. The first one firmly believes that cover bands are what's ruining music, shunning originality, embracing mediocrity, generally speaking not good. The second camp thinks there should be more cover bands, or more bands doing covers anyway. It takes alot of skill to learn how to play a song almost exactly as one hears on album. The step after that is making the song your own, and making your own songs. A good cover is a great thing. Of course, most of the time, covers are kind of mediocre. Thanksgiving Eve, we're getting some Radiohead and Bowie. Oh, the things to be grateful for this year.

The Khyber
56 S. 2nd St.
215-238-5888
www.thekhyber.com