Last Call at the Downbeat (4/5-4/13, Red Room at the Society Hill Playhouse):  Learn about Philadelphia’s jazz scene in the forties with this staged retrospective of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.  Watch a short video about the play from show producers Jazz Bridge below.

Prima! Rufus! Judy! (4/21, Verizon Hall): Rufus Wainwright reprises Judy Garland’s return to the stage with selections from her 1961 Carnegie Hall performance.  The evening will begin with excerpts from Wainwright’s own opera Prima Donna.  Watch Wainwright perform “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” below.

SENDMSG (4/12, Perelman Theater): Tech-saavy musician and DJ Dan Deacon celebrates the first email, sent by Ray Tomlinson in 1971.  Deacon has created an audience-participatory evening that will feature smartphone technology.  Watch a trailer for Deacon’s free interactive app below.

Songs in the Key of Life (4/14, Verizon Hall): Robert Glasper presents a Stevie Wonder Tribute with his band and special guests, re-imagining and reflecting on the work of Wonder with new arrangements and compositions.  Watch Glasper perform Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady” with Derrick Hodge below.

The Arc of Curiosity (4/5, Rose Recital Hall, University of Pennsylvania):  The invention of ENIAC at Penn and the computer’s subsequent influence on both electronic and instrumental music forms are explored in this multimedia concert, opened with a talk by the composers.  Below, listen to John Chowning’s Stria (part II of the program).

In addition to the many featured performances throughout PIFA, there are over fifty free concerts and events happening in the Time Travel Plaza.  Some highlights include:

The Hundred Acre Woods with Brooke DiCarlo (3/28, Philly Night)
Andrew Lipke with Travel Songs (4/4, Philly Night)
The Heat Run with Sharon Katz and the Peace Train (4/11, Philly Night)
Robert Drake (4/12, 80s Night)
Talain Rayne with Lucy Stone (4/18, Philly Night)
Cold Fronts with The Swinging Foxes (4/25, Philly Night)
The Fleeting Ends with WC Lindsay (4/26, The Future)

Tickets and information for all events can be found here.

XPN welcomes Jeff Mangum to the Strand Theater.  The reclusive frontman of indie leaders Neutral Milk Hotel announced plans for a final tour this past fall, stating a desire “to play to all the silver citizens dwelling in citys [sic] that he has yet to sing in.”  Following the dissolution of Neutral Milk Hotel in 1998, Mangum continued to make periodic solo appearances and released the live LP Live at Jittery Joe’s.  Though his elusiveness is certainly intriguing, its Mangum’s poetic lyrics and sincere delivery that keep his shows selling out in seconds.  Tickets and information for tonight’s show with Tall Firs in York, PA can be found here.  Below, watch a live video of Mangum performing “Oh Comely” from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea at Penn’s Irvine Auditorium.

XPN welcomes Rufus Wainwright to the McCarter Theater in Princeton, NJ.  The singer-songwriter continues to tour in support of last year’s Out of the Game full-length and will be performing a special solo acoustic set tonight.  Though songwriting is his primary craft, Wainwright has branched out to work in other artistic media over the years including film and opera - elements of which are discernible in his charismatic and sometimes dramatic stage presence.  Tickets and information for tonight’s all-ages show with Lucy Wainwright Roche can be found here.  Watch the video for “Out of the Game” featuring Helena Bonham Carter below.

Philly outfit Cheers Elephant play Johnny Brenda’s tonight.  The upbeat rock band released their third record Like Wind Blows Fire last May.   Growing up in the Philadelphia area, the band was exposed to local scene anchors Dr. Dog and The Teeth during Cheers Elephant’s formative years.  That exposure, both to the style of music and work ethic of the two bands, has definitely informed Cheers’ psych rock / pop sound, though they make it their own with hints of Arctic Monkeys-like Brit alt-pop.  Tickets and information for tonight’s 21+ show with The Explorers Club and Honeychurch can be found here.  Below, watch the video for “Doin’ It, Right.”

Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford

At another record release show, folk-rock six-piece Kopecky Family Band take over MilkBoy Philly tonight to celebrate their first full-length Kids Raising Kids.  Though not a biological family, the Nashville collective has been making music together since 2007, building a strong following thanks to non-stop touring and down-right fun live shows.  Tickets for tonight’s get-together are $10 here.  Doors will open at 8:00 p.m. with Marigolds and Juston Stens and The Get Real Gang kicking things off at 9:00 p.m.  Check out the video for the infectious “Heartbeat” below.

XPN Welcomes Rufus Wainwright to The Pullo Center at Penn State York.  The son of musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle returns to Philadelphia after entertaining XPN fans at Penn Park last May for the XPN Listener Appreciation Free at Noon, which brought the 2012 Non-COMMvention to a close.  Shortly before, Wainwright released his most recent album called Out of the Game, which was produced by Mark Ronson.  Tickets for tonight’s show with special guest Lucy Wainwright Roche are $48 here; doors open at 7:30 p.m. for the all-ages performance.  Below, watch the video  for the title track to Out of the Game (featuring Helena Bonham Carter).  You can also listen back to Wainwright’s set at WXPN’s Non-COMMvention in May via the XPN Media Player here.

If you haven’t checked out this month’s Tuesday Tune-Out series at PhilaMOCA yet, now would be a great time to change that.  Curated by The Swollen Fox, the series continues tonight with a set from local Americana/folk band The Lawsuits followed by a screening of a surprise movie.  The Lawsuits will be releasing an acoustic EP called Numbers soon; you can check out a video for “Fine Quality (Coffee Flour Sugar Tea)” below.  Admission for tonight’s all-ages event is $5 at the door.  Music begins at 8:00 p.m.

Durham, North Carolina’s Des Ark will perform at the Goldilocks Gallery above Morimoto tonight.  The project of one-time Philadelphia resident Aimée Argote, Des Ark released its sophomore LP Don’t Rock the Boat, Sink the F*cker on Lovitt Records last year.  Argote sings about “awkward subjects” in a straightforward and confident way, connecting with her audiences by breaking silences.  Tonight, Argote will perform with The New Trust and Xanax.  Tickets are $8 for the 9:30 p.m. show; for more information, go to the event’s Facebook page.   Watch a live video of Des Ark performing in Boston below.

Track listing via Amazon.com
1. Sleigh Ride [fun.]
2. Wonderful Christmastime [The Shins]
3. Baby, It s Cold Outside [Rufus Wainwright featuring Sharon Van Etten]
4. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) [Paul McCartney]
5. (Everybodys Waitin For) The Man With The Bag [Black Prairie featuring Sallie Ford]
6. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day [The Civil Wars]
7. Green Grows The Holly [Calexico]
8. We Need A Little Christmas [AgesandAges]
9. Thats What I Want For Christmas [Holly Golightly]
10. May Every Day Be Christmas [Irma Thomas with Preservation Hall Jazz Band]
11. Blue Christmas [Heartless Bastards]
12. Santa, Bring My Baby Back (To Me) [Eleanor Friedberger]
13. Its Beginning To Look Like Christmas [Fruit Bats]
14. Señor Santa (Mister Santa) [Y La Bamba]
15. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel [Punch Brothers]
16. What Are You Doing New Years Eve? [The Head and the Heart]
17. Auld Lang Syne [Andrew Bird]

If you missed out on scoring tickets to the now sold out Frank Ocean show at Union Transfer, fear not; there are myriad opportunities for you to get your music fix tonight.

Let’s start with Boston country/jazz-types Mornin’ Old Sport, who’ll be shacking up at PhilaMOCA along with a whole slew of good-time folky songsters. Also playing are local acts Liz & the Lost Boys, On the Water, and Joshua Alvarez. Admission is on a $7-10 sliding scale; show starts at 8. Listen to “Katie” from Mornin’ Old Sport’s forthcoming album below.

Singer-songwriter extraordinaire Jackson Browne will be plucking strings and crooning verses at the Academy of Music. Opening up the show is folk-and-fiddle hero Sara Watkins, whose latest album Sun Midnight Sun came out earlier this summer. Tickets are available here starting at $40. Stream “When It Pleases You”– from Sara Watkins’ latest album — below.

Rufus Wainwright and singer-songwriter Josh Ritter were scheduled to appear at the Festival Pier tonight. The show has been postponed, and a new date will be announced soon. Wainwright is touring to promote his latest album, Out Of The Game, out on Decca. Below, watch the video for the title track from Wrainwright’s Out Of The Game, featuring actress Helena Bonham Carter.

Rufus Wainwright photo by John Vettese

Rufus Wainwright performed last Saturday, May 19th, at the WXPN Non-COMMvention listener appreciation Free At Noon at Penn Park. You can listen to the entire performance here. WXPN welcomes Rufus back to town on Wednesday, July 25th, to the River Stage at Penn’s Landing. Go here for tickets and more information about the show.

Wednesday, May 16
8:00 PM – The Key Studio Sessions Live with Graham Alexander, Find Vienna
10:00 – Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

Thursday, May 17 Free At Noon
Noon – Joseph Arthur
12:30 – Citizen Cope

The NPR Music Stage
8:30-9 – Father John Misty
9:35-10:05 – Beth Orton
10:45-11:25 – The War On Drugs
12:05-12:45 – Polica

Friday, May 18 Free At Noon with Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson

The NPR Music Stage
8:30-9 – Diego Garcia
9:35-10 – Nada Surf
10:40-11:10 – Good Old War
11:50-12:30 – J.C. Brooks & the Uptown Sound

Saturday, May 19 – Listener Appreciation Free At Noon from Penn Park:
12-12:20 – Dex Romweber Duo
12:25-1:05 – Rufus Wainwright
1:15-1:45 – Sons of Fathers
1:55-2:25 – Elle King
2:30-3 – Nick Waterhouse

Photo compliments of the artist

Rufus Wainwright and Josh Ritter are playing the River Stage at the Great Plaza on Wednesday, July 25th. You can listen to Wainwright’s album, Out Of The Game (which was produced by Mark Ronson and comes out on May 1st) here via NPR Music. Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10am. Go here for tickets and more information about the show.