Also this issue:

In iPod He Trusts
DJ Botany 500 inserts his brain into a little white box and rents it out.
-Patrick Rapa

Angelo Cho
-Peter Burwasser

Best to read it every week
-Patrick Rapa

Ed Harcourt
-Andrew Parks

Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
-Peter Burwasser

Erin McKeown
-Nancy Armstrong

Tiësto
-Sean O’Neal

Kathleen Edwards
-Nicole Pensiero

June 12-18, 2003

musicpicks

Electric Six

by Paul Burress

Now that everybody wants to get their rocks off again, a slew of bands have rediscovered rock's good ole standby: a Les Paul and Marshall amp set to stun. Adding some rock pomp and disco-diva demeanor to that equation, the Electric Six not only salute those who are about to rock, but they want them to shake what their momma gave them as well. Formerly known as the Wildbunch, this ramshackle quintet may hail from the same state that gave us the Stooges and the MC5, but the Six are more in tune with fellow Detroit dum dum boys and girls like the White Stripes, Grand Funk Railroad and Madonna. After catching the attention of Jack White (he sings on the "Danger! High-Voltage" single), the Six got swept up in the Stripes jet stream in England. With the UK press behind them and all their ducks in a row, the band's debut Fire (XL Recordings) seems ready to blow up like the Godfather in States. Only one question: Is the hype actually worth the product? Well, actually yes and no. Envision the yin and yang of Andrew W.K. crooning "Do You Think I'm Sexy" while opening up a Kiss concert or a merging of Powerman 5000. Surely the Electric Six has at least one or two novelty hits in them besides the Men Without Hats ode "Synthesizer" and frat rock "Electric Demons in Love."

Thu., June 12, 7:30 p.m., $33.50-$36.50, with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Robert Hazard, Keswick Theatre, 291 Keswick Ave., Glenside, 215-572-7650; and Fri., June 13, 8 p.m., $10, with Waxwings and The Vexers, Balcony at the Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-LIVE.