This weekend, 12/7-12/9

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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. 

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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).

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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

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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.