Now to make up for my cranky weekend listings, a story from Pike Creek Roasterie. Also, Fresh Thymes is hiring:

From Pike Creek Coffee Roasterie:

"Yesterday a woman came into the shop and prepaid for the next 26 customers' coffees, in memory of the victims of the Connecticut shooting. The 26 people who received free coffee after she left were touched by her generosity."

From Fresh Thymes Cafe in Trolley Square:

UPDATE: The below was an old post (thanks, Facebook and your strange ways of prioritizing posts!), and it seems they've already hired someone.   From what I can gather, the mother half of this mother-daughter business duo has retired and returned home to Illinois, possibly to take care of a relative.  The daughter has chosen to continue the business, with some part-time help.

"I am hiring at Fresh Thymes Cafe! I am going to give this a shot by myself and hope to find a really great staff. Looking for enthusiastic, energetic, and folks who love wholesome food to help. This is part time work and Saturdays are a must. Please e-mail me freshthymes4@gmail.com if you are interested. Let me know why you would like to work at Fresh Thymes, any job experience, and your favorite fruit and veggies. You are also welcome to pop in and hand it to me in person. Look forward to seeing you soon :o)"

This weekend, 12/28-12/30:

Sigh.  If my tone is a little cranky, it's because I'm up way too early and my entire house smells like feet and I don't know why. 

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FRIDAY:

General Events:

• Fresh Friday Market, Nemours Plaza, 11th & Tatnall. 9-5pm.
• The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Wilmington Drama League. 8pm, $10-$17. 
• Showings at Theatre N: Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters and Save The Date. http://www.theatern.org/Films

Concerts:

• Long-time Wilmington band Montana Wildaxe at the Queen Theatre.
• Fat Daddy Has Been and Echo Mission at Kelly's Logan House. 9pm, $5.
• 3 local band bill at Mojo Main: Our Wrecked Machine (no info, no links available on this headliner), My Name Is Drew (guys, get yourselves a better promo shot), and Nomads OK,  "Blazing, fuzzed-out Philly Indie Rock/Post-Hardcore". 9pm, $5.
• 5 local band bill at Kennett Flash, headlined by The Hundred Acre Wood.  Benefits a youth center in Kennett.  8pm, $10.
• The Gerald Chavis Band at the Nomad Bar. 9:30pm.
• The Hold Steady at Musikfest Cafe in Bethlehem.  $22-$25. (Playing Philly Sat.)
• The Roots at House of Blues, A.C. $30-$40.

~In Philly~

• Gov't Mule and Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds at the Tower, 1st of 2 nights. $32-$38.

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SATURDAY:

General Events:

• Showings at Theatre N: Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters and Save The Date. . http://www.theatern.org/Films
• Final performance of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at Wilmington Drama League. 8pm, $10-$17.
• "Clean comedy" night at the Queen Theatre.  8pm, $30-$35.  More details.
• Jazz jam session at The Nomad Bar at 9th & Orange. Every Saturday, 4-7:30pm, FREE.

Concerts:

• YNOT?, Kuf Knotz, and Alyssa Lee Lewis at the Queen Theatre. $13-$15.
• A New Dakota and The Hold-Up at 1984. 8:30pm. Small or no cover.
• Jazz vocalist Kelli Vale at The Nomad Bar. 9:30pm.
• del.AWARE anniversary show at Kelly's Logan House, with Keep For Yourself, Shutter, and Disaster Committee. 9pm, $5-$10.
• Los Festingos at Kennett Flash.  By way of description, we are told: "Los Festingos is a local quintet that is sure to impress." Well okay then.  8pm, $10.
• 6 band bill at Mojo Main, headlined by local metal band Daimonic Grey.  There's no info on the other 5, so I have to assume they're all complimentarily hardcore-ish, i.e. no surprise twee band stuck in there.  If that makes any difference.  7pm, $5.

~In Philly~

• The Hold Steady at Union Transfer. $22.
• RJD2 at the TLA with 3 other bands. $20.
• Little Feat at the Scottish Rite Auditorium. $29-$47.
• Gov't Mule and Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds at the Tower, 2nd of 2 nights. $32-$38.
• Dark Star Orchestra (and I know Delawareans like their Dark Star because they've played the Grand about 90 times.  Also: don't ask me how, but I accidentally saw a couple of these guys in their boxer shorts one time) at the Electric Factory.  $25.

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SUNDAY:

General Events:

• Showings at Theatre N: Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters and Save The Date, and Opera in Cinema: The Magic Flute. http://www.theatern.org/Films   Note: starting January 1st, Theatre N will raise their prices for the first time in over 10 years - by 1 dollar.  I'm a little bummed, but I can't blame them, and the films will still be a bargain at $6-$8.

Concerts:

• The War On Drugs with Arc in Round at Johnny Brenda's (also playing there NYE).
• At Kennett Flash: Nicki Bove (typical Kennett Flash fare in that she's a singer-songwriter who grew up in the suburbs of Philly, went to Berklee, lives in L.A., and is going to be a contestant on The Voice next season).  8pm, $15.

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Upcoming: Plenty of NYE concerts to choose from -

Rusted Root at the Queen. Sin City Band at Mojo Main. An Earth Wind & Fire concert film at Theatre N. Schooly D at Ortlieb's. Boy Sets Fire at the Note. Jane's Addiction at H.O.B. A.C. Nico's Gun & El Malito at Milkboy Philly. Ben Arnold at Steel City Coffee. The War On Drugs and Purling Hiss at JB's.

Other than that, very little going on next weekend except maybe Sun Airway at JB's on Saturday.

This weekend, 12/7-12/9

~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRIDAY:

General Events:

• First Friday Art Loop in Wilmington.
• Fresh Friday Market, Nemours Plaza, 11th & Tatnall. 9-5pm.
• Showings of A Late Quartet (Christopher Walken, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener as members of a bickering string quartet) and Chasing Ice at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films

Concerts:

• The Honey Badgers, folk duo from Newark, at LOMA Coffee, during the Art Loop. 6-8pm, free.
• Jeffrey Gaines at the Queen, upstairs. $24
• Dreamkillers and Origami For Addicts at Kelly's Logan House. 9pm, $5

~In Philly~

• XPN Free at Noon show: Rachel Yamagata, at World Cafe Live Philly.
• Later Rachel Yamagata plays a $16 show at the First Unitarian Church.  By the way - if I ever type "FU Church", that's not me being cute - I mean the First Unitarian Church.
• "A very special secret show" at the North Star, booked, I'd assume, by DE native Andrew Miller of the Tric Town shows.  I'm intrigued, anyway. Clashing Plaid and Mercury Radio Theatre open. $10
• Philly band Creepoid opens for Black Moth Super Rainbow and Casket Girls at Union Transfer. $15
• Legendary Lancaster Americana band Frog Holler (I mean seriously - I haven't seen much about these guys in 8 years, but they were once pretty popular in the area) at Johnny Brenda's.  $10
• Regrettably sold out: area funk band The York Street Hustle plays a holiday spectacular at WCL Philly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SATURDAY:

General Events:

• Showings of Home Alone (free matinee), A Late Quartet (Christopher Walken, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener as members of a bickering string quartet), and Chasing Ice at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films
• Jazz jam session at The Nomad Bar at 9th & Orange. Every Saturday, 4-7:30pm, FREE.

Concerts:

• Eilen Jewell at WCL at the Queen, upstairs. $11
• Sonata Arctica at The Note in Lancaster. $25
• Ben Arnold at Burlap and Bean in Newtown Square. $15
• Ra Ra Riot at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster. $17

~In Philly~

• Japandroids at Union Transfer. $16 (I love that some shows there are surprisingly cheap.  Also, alternatively, you could see NY punk band Japanther at Underground Arts.  Still scratching my head over why so many bands rip off other bands when naming themselves).
• Transistor Rodeo at WCL Philly upstairs. $7
• Work Drugs at Ortlieb's Lounge on 3rd St. in NoLibs (formerly the long-established Ortlieb's Jazz Haus.  They've expanded into other genres but have kept the appealing David Lynch vibe). With 2 other bands and a DJ. $10
• Smashing Pumpkins at Susquehanna Bank Center. $25-$65
• The Johnny Cash Show at the North Star Bar. $10.  More info.
• Carbon Leaf plays a holiday show at World Cafe Live Philly. $21
• Note: The Who sold out at Wells Fargo Center (nyuck nyuck).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUNDAY:

General Events:

• Showings of A Late Quartet (Christopher Walken, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener as members of a bickering string quartet), Chasing Ice, and two interesting short films (see below) at Theatre N. http://www.theatern.org/Films

• Ed. pick: Also at Theatre N today: Showing of classic French children's film The Red Balloon, from 1956, and Plastic Bag, an 18 minute film voiced by Werner Herzog and directed by Ramin Bahrani, which "traces the epic, existential journey of a plastic bag searching for its lost maker, the woman who took it home from the store and eventually discarded it. Along the way, it encounters strange creatures, experiences love in the sky, grieves the loss of its beloved maker, and tries to grasp its purpose in the world."

• Showing at the Kennett Flash: Beasts of the Southern Wild. Doors at 7, show at 7:30pm. $5
• "In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive..."

Concerts:

• Blackmore's Night at WCL at the Queen, downstairs. $42-ish.  This is the rescheduled show.
• New Found Glory at the TLA. $28

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Slew of big shows upcoming this week, especially Wednesday and Thursday!

Mates of State at JB's Mon. Solange at UT Wed. Thurston Moore at Space 1026 Wed. Matisyahu at the EF Wed. Nada Surf at the FU Church Wed. Of Montreal at the Troc Thurs. The Killers, Tegan & Sara at SBC Thurs. Antibalas at UT Thurs. Band Of Horses at the EF Fri. Polyphonic Spree at the Troc Fri. Raul Malo at the Queen Fri. Trictown December w/Tithonus & more at Mojo Main Fri. Misfits at Crocodile Rock Fri. Concrete Blonde at WCL Sat. Ape School at KFN Sat. Dan Bern at the Tin Angel Sat. Loudon Wainright at the Queen Sat. Strand of Oaks at JBs Sat.

Next week is definitely the week to find time to see a show or two, because from the 16th through Christmas, there's very little going on as far as big touring shows.