Philly country outfit Morning River Band perform at Kung Fu Necktie upstairs tonight.  When we last heard from the no-frills Americana four-piece they were appearing on Folkadelphia to perform a few songs off of their 2011 effort Between the Ocean and the Blues.  Since that time, Jeffrey Fields and his bandmates have been holed away in Gradwell House where they worked with Steve Poponi and Matt Weber to record their upcoming record To Suzie, slated for a release on May 21st.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Quiet Hollers can be found here.  Below, stream “Drinking Blues No. 2 (Drinking in Heaven with George Jones)” from their Folkadelphia appearance.

• Drinking Blues No. 2 (Drinking in Heaven with George Jones)by Morning River BandDownload

ECOMOG will share their sharply crafted hip hop with fans at The Trocadero Balcony tonight.  Always the innovators, the Philadelphia-based trio of Entity, Tonik and Epidemic have released a number of non-traditional albums including one that was comprised entirely of Kanye West samples (2009′s 808s & ECOMOG) and another that referenced and sampled several decades of television favorites (2010′s As Seen on TV).  ECOMOG jumped into the spotlight once again earlier this month with “Who Will Survive In America?” – stream and download the track below.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with Kim Jong Ill, Killer Whale and Milton can be found here.

All the way from Japan, Acid Mothers Temple headline Johnny Brenda’s tonight.   The unconventional psych band has released dozens of records and has appeared in many configurations and off-shoots over their 15+ year career with an ever-changing cast of musicians anchored by founder Kawabata Makoto.  Orbiting the styles of noise rock, ambient rock, space rock and all things freak rock Acid Mothers Temple will release In Search of Lost Divine Ark in May via Important Records.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show with Tjutjuna can be found here.  Below, watch the band perform “Pink Lady Lemonade” during their 2011 Johnny Brenda’s appearance.

On hand we’ve got Wilmington folk-rock powerhouse New Sweden (pictured), alums of the Key Studio Sessions (download their appearance here) and two-time winners of Tri-State Indie’s Delaware Indie Band of the Year award. I caught their recently revamped lineup at South by Southwest last month, and their live set is smokin’ as ever. Expect some new material, a modest amount of fiddle and ample hooting and hollering from these folks.

Also on the bill is vocal force of nature Ali Wadsworth. You’ve seen her collaborate with many players in the roots scene – her old band Unlikely Cowboy, Toy Soldiers, Good Old War, Fantasy Square Garden, Aaron & the Spell and the list goes on – but her forthcoming solo debut is something just about all of those folks are anticipating. It is being recorded with prominent Philly producer Bill Moriarty, features Wadsworth singing music written by many of her friends in the scene, and is sure to be great.

Last but certainly not least is Joey Sweeney and the Long Hair Arkestra. Aside from his day gig running the city news and culture blog Philebrity, Sweeney has made a formidable return to the stage this year – he first performed as a teenager in the 90s, and went on to front The Trouble With Sweeney and others until about 2006. After a hiatus of about a half-dozen years, he began to make moves with his rock outfit Arctic Splash (including a Christmas Key Session), threw a 40th birthday celebration that reunited all of his old bands, and now is gearing up to release Long Hair, a long-in-the-works solo album exploring the more introspective side of his songwriting. For this show, Sweeney will perform with The Long Hair Arkestra, a band about whom we don’t know a ton, but we’re psyched to hear them play all the same.

The concert takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lenfest Plaza at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 North Broad Street. Admission is free, but space is limited, so RSVP now at the XPN website.

Below, watch an acoustic performance of New Sweden’s “Mama,” watch Ali Wadsworth covering Beck’s “Eyes that Say I Love You” at the Song Reader show, and watch a trailer for Sweeney’s “Long Hair”

The Great Unknown are also celebrating a record release tonight over at Johnny Brenda’s.  The local five-piece are setting forth So Strange and Loud into the physical world, following the album’s digital release last May.  With reflective melodies and intricate arrangements, the The Great Unknown strive to make connections with their audiences both through live performance and recorded material.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with KC Jones and Ali Wadsworth can be found here.  Below, stream “The Laws of Energy” from So Strange and Loud.

XPN welcomes Martin Sexton to The Landis Theater tonight.  The singer-songwriter is a quintessentially American musician, blending a variety of traditional playing styles including country, rock, gospel and R&B.  Following up his 2010 LP Sugarcoating, Sexton released his Fall Like Rain EP last year.  Both efforts come after his commercial breakthrough with 2007′s Seeds, which debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart.  Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with The Alternate Routes in Vineland, NJ can be found here.  Below, watch Martin Sexton perform “Can’t Stop Thinking ‘Bout You” with John Mayer.

Dave Hartley continues his busy start to the year with a Nightlands show at the Arden Gild Hall tonight.  The solo project of the War on Drugs’ bass player, Nightlands released its sophomore effort Oak Island last week.  The album fuses Hartley’s affinity for mystery and sci-fi with rollicking melodies and percussion, creating layer upon layer of rich textures through overdubbing and tape machine manipulation.  Hartley spoke with ArtInfo recently to share some of his recording techniques and tricks; read the full interview here.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show with School of Seven Bells can be found here.  Below, watch the video for “I Fell In Love With a Feeling.”

Moving forward to 2013, KC Jones released the full-length Sounds From the West just last week.  West takes Jones’ sound in a new direction, moving from the electronic pop of lead track “So Sad” to the rock-structured “Hiding Behind Glass.”  Named for Andrew Wyeth’s painting “Christina’s World,” West “follows a singular journey through the disconnect of life in a time of social and political strife.”

KC Jones will play Johnny Brenda’s on Saturday, February 2nd with The Great Unknown (celebrating the release of So Strange and Loud) and Ali Wadsworth.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.  Stream “I.O.U.D.” from Sounds From the West below and download the name-your-price album on Bandcamp here.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s Chameleon Club will be hosting the punk/orchestral group World/Inferno Friendship Society. The Brooklyn based circus punk outfit, fronted by Jack Terricloth, currently has seven active members including guitar, bass, alto saxaphone and piano. This all ages event will also feature the New York alt-country group O’Death. Check out the short documentary for World/Inferno Friendship Society below. For more information on the event visit the Chameleon Club page located here.

Philadelphia rock group Kalob Griffin Band will be playing his annual holiday concert at World Cafe Live. Along with the Americana rockers will be Toy Soldiers, Sean Hoots (from Hoots and Hellmouth) and Ali Wadsworth. Below is the video for their song “The Winter Blues” which was filmed throughout one day in Philadelphia. For more on Kalob Griffin Band, read The Key’s interview here.

Brooklyn lo-fi/garage group The Babies will be headlining a show at Kung Fu Necktie. The band will be supporting their newly released album, Our House on the Hill. This 21 and over event will also feature the Brooklyn punk rock band Swearin’ who has been touring the country with Canadian indie-rock group Japandroids. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Feelin’ a little country? Catch Philly singer and songwriter Ali Wadsworth as she graces City Hall tonight with her blues-infused ensemble as they perform new music to be released on her upcoming solo album. Wadsworth, who previously sang in Goldiebox and Unlikely Cowboy, is currently competing on this season of NBC’s The Voice . Tonight’s show is free and starts at 5:30. Listen to the new singles ”Where Is Your Love?” and “All Due Respect” below.

Melodramatic black and white war paint will make a glorious return to the tri-state region tonight as KISS and Motley Crue rock the Susquehanna Bank Center. Smear on some eyeliner and join the KISS Army as the band celebrates their latest album, Monster, due out October 16^th.  The two bands, who launched THE TOUR 2012 in March, will be performing tonight beginning at 7 p.m. Below, watch KISS playing “Detroit Rock City” at The Spectrum in Philadelphia circa 1987.

West Philly folk collective On The Water will open for Frontier Ruckus tonight at Johnny Brenda’s. On The Water, who released their EP Anchor last November, have been playing shows back in Philadelphia hometown since the conclusion of their 30-day The Motorcycle Castle Tour across the United States. Check out the track “An Elephant’s Memory” from Anchor below.

Finally, happy 30th birthday wishes are due to Philly guitar player, songwriter and producer Ross Bellenoit! He celebrates tonight with a show at Fergie’s Pub, also featuring Good Night Texas. and The Really Cooks. The free show starts at 10 p.m., Fergie’s is located at 1214 Sansom Street in Center City.

Powerhouse Philly singer Ali Wadsworth just released two rocking new songs from her forthcoming full-length solo album, just in time for her free show at City Hall tomorrow. The songs feature Tim Arnold of Good Old War on drums, Jaron Olevsky of Amos Lee on piano/organ, Toy Solders’ Dominic Billett on congas and percussion, as well as fellow local musicians Phil D’Agostino on bass, and Dan Schwartz and Joe Bisirri on guitar. Below, listen to Wadsworth’s new tracks and, if you like what you hear, make sure to RSVP for her City Hall Presents performance tomorrow night. The show runs from 5:30PM to 6:30PM at the Mayor’s Reception Room (City Hall, Room 202). RSVP ahead here, as seating is limited.