Tonight’s Concert Picks: Heyward Howkins with Birdie Busch at PhilaMOCA, Kelly Hogan at World Cafe Live, Anais Mitchell at Johnny Brenda’s, Dangerous Ponies at The Blockley and Mark Eitzel at North Star Bar
Two outstanding Philadelphia singer-songwriters are taking up residence in PhilaMOCA tonight. Birdie Busch is gearing up for the release of her latest effort, the earthy / spacy LP Birdie Busch and the Greatest Night, which is available on CD in January (and via Bandcamp now). Also on the bill is Heyward Howkins, whose dusty folksy debut The Hale and the Hearty was one of the year’s best slices of Philadelphia-area music. The all-ages show begins at 8 p.m., tickets and information are available at the venue’s website. Below, check out what Howkins has in store for the followup LP he’s getting ready to record – a tune called “Praline County.”
Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Kelly Hogan performs tonight at World Cafe Live. A longtime backup singer for Neko Case, Hogan released her country-tinged LP I Like to Keep Myself In Pain this year, which features songs written for her by the likes of M. Ward, Stephin Merritt and the late Vic Chesnutt. Tickets and information on the show are available here; below, watch Hogan performing “Haunted” at her NPR Tiny Desk Concert.
Chamber-folk singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell returns to Philadelphia tonight to perform at Johnny Brenda’s with Cuddle Magic, the Philadelphia / Brooklyn psych collective that occasionally acts as her backing band (but not tonight). The 21+ show begins at 9 p.m., more information is available here. Below, watch the music video for “Coming Down” from Mitchell’s breathtaking 2012 album Young Man in America.
Philly pop purveyors Dangerous Ponies play their last show of 2012 tonight at The Blockley in University City. They open for Reptar and Rubblebucket, and will showcase a bunch of new songs that will be on their next full-length, due out in 2013. The 21+ show begins at 8:30, tickets and information are available here. Below, watch a video of the Ponies performing at a costume party.
WXPN welcomes Mark Eitzel, lead singer of San Francisco cult favorites American Music Club, to the North Star Bar tonight. Eitzel is touring behind Don’t Be A Stranger, his 2012 release on Merge Records. The 21+ show begins at 8 p.m., more information can be found here. Below, listen to “I Love You But You’re Dead” from Don’t Be A Stranger.