Never, ever forget that the famously sp-sp-sputtering Devo/Death From Above 1979 sound of An Albatross is a Philly-made one. Their speedily delivered flex-and-jerky punk kiss, blood-splattered screams and driven-fast Farfisa flicker is but one more part of a hometown historical skronk that started with the Stickmen and prayerfully won't ever end. Not if the equally frenetic, doubly local Shark! Shark! has any say. Out-of-towners Child Abuse and Genghis Tron don't slow for no one either.

Sun., Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m., $8, with Shark! Shark!, Genghis Tron and Child Abuse, First Unitarian Church, 22nd and Chestnut sts., 866-468-7619, www.r5productions.com.

Now on the rebound from the hepatitis C that sidetracked his career (and inspired a tribute album, Por Vida, to help with his medical bills), the always enchanting and often uncategorizable Alejandro Escovedo is touring with the same acoustic quartet that dazzled 'em at the Kimmel Center when he opened for Los Lobos in October. Called a "poet of the ordinary event," his deep and mindful storytelling should be offset nicely by the razor-sharp wit and catchy pop-rock of opener Amy Rigby.

Sat., Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m., $23-$28, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.

South Jersey native Sara O'Brien has had a busy coupla years: Her catchy, self-described "folk-rock-blues-pop" earned her a sturdy fan base in Athens, Ga. (where she lived for many years), she's raised more than $150,000 for breast-cancer education/awareness (via BreastFest.org, founded in honor of her late mother), and, last summer, she survived a devastating house fire by jumping out of a second-floor window onto a trampoline. You can hear all about it when O'Brien and band perform songs from her new album, the appropriately titled ode to resiliency, Trampoline.

Sat., Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m., $10, Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St., 215-928-0770, www.tinangel.com.

They're sensitive singer-songwriters concerned with matters of the heart, but these two Philly guys merge their soulfulness with some real backbone. In fact, both of their new albums—Witmer's Are You A Dreamer? (produced by Innocence Mission guitarist Don Peris) and Francis' Strong Wine & Spirits (with Devin Greenwood at the helm)—are notable for their lack of navel-gazing. Instead, both men, with their distinctly different vocal styles, reach their audience with outward-looking, yet intimate story-songs that veer between delicacy and boldness.

Fri., Jan. 6, 7:30 p.m., $12, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.

With Laguardia long gone, Josh Ostrander and Greg Lyons have teamed up with former CKYer Vern Zaborowski to form Eastern Conference Champions. The resulting sound ranges from four-on-the-floor rock-outs to morose and melodic keyboard ballads. Sure, they sound a whole lot like a certain British band that rhymes with "shady oat bread," but you can't deny their tightness and energy.

Fri., Jan. 6, 9 p.m., $8, with Get Him Eat Him, The War on Drug, and Kurt Vile, The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 215-238-5888, www.thekhyber.com.