Chicago trio Baby Teeth specialize in upbeat, “brainy” pop/rock in the vein of Fountains of Wayne or Ben Folds, but with a slightly grittier, decidedly ’70s rock vibe. They hit one out of the park this year with the lead-off track from their third record, Hustle Beach, a no-holds-barred Springsteen/Hold Steady pastiche called “Big Schools.” It’s an over-the-top ode to Middle American collegiate nostalgia — complete with cowbells, “oh-way-oh” backing vocals and a misty-eyed piano break — that somehow turns sincerely affecting by the end of its mini-epic five-and-a-half minutes.

Give it a listen here.

Check out their live performance on a public access kid’s show here:

Catch Baby Teeth, led by the goofily energetic Abraham Levitan (f.k.a. Pearly Sweets) at World Cafe Live tonight, opening for Ann Arbor’s My Dear Disco.

Tue., Aug. 4, 8 p.m. $11. with My Dear Disco, World Cafe Live Upstairs, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

For those about to rock…

So, we held that haiku contest wherein the winner (i.e. our favorite) poet gets the xBox 360 Guitar Hero: World Tour complete band game. After reviewing all the entries, and eliminating all the ones written by people who actually write for City Paper, we reached a consensus. More than the others, one haiku seemed to capture the mood of both the contest AND the Guitar Hero experience:

Oh, Dream Theater
I’ll never tell anyone
That I like your songs

—Mel

Now, to accept this as a true haiku (5 syllables — 7 syllables — 5 syllables), Mel is asking us, I believe, to pronounce “Theater” as “The-uh-ter” like some snotty New England dowager. And we are also being forced to accept “I’ll” as one syllable, which seems weird to me, since the way I say it, it’s two. But, Copy Editor Carolyn Huckabay looked it all up and confirms that Mel’s syllabication is correct…

So, come on down, Mel! The game is yours!

After the jump, our other favorite Guitar Hero haikus. (more…)

Don’t know what to do with yourself this evening? We got you covered.

Tonight The Zambonis and other appropriately fun-loving bands will pay tribute to Atom & His Package, the lo-fi pop-punk alter ego of my buddy Atom Goren, who these days rocks with Armalite, writes for CP (both so infrequently as to make me mad) and plays a selfless, hardnosed style of street hockey.

Tonight, Mon., Aug. 3, 9 p.m., free (I think). with The Zambonis, Math the Band and The Emotron, National Mechanics, 22 S. Third St., 215-701-4883, nationalmechanics.com.

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Photo | John Vettese

Head over to our A&E blog Critical Mass to take in John Vettese’s damage report on this weekend’s muddy, rain-soaked All Points West festival in North Jersey. More reporting and photos are on the way.

Okay, we’ve had this Xbox 360 Guitar Hero: World Tour Complete Band Game just sitting around the office for months. It’s time somebody played it. Will that somebody be you? Maybe. We’re giving it away. To enter the fray, just write us a haiku about one of the bands featured in the game. Submit them in the comments below. We’ll pick our favorite when we feel like it, probably Monday. Enter as often as you like.

NOTE: You must be able to come by the office in Old City sometime and pick it up. No way we can ship this monster. Also, the game is unopened so it should be fine, but don’t come crying to us if some pedal is scratched or whatever. You’re winning it as-is.

Here’s the line-up:

311 * 30 Seconds To Mars * Airbourne * The Allman Brothers Band * Anouk * The Answer * At The Drive-In * Beastie Boys * Beatsteaks * Billy Idol * Black Label Society * Black Rebel Motorcycle Club * blink-182 * Blondie * Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band * Bon Jovi * Bullet For My Valentine * Coldplay * Creedence Clearwater Revival * The Cult * Dinosaur Jr. * The Doors * Dream Theater * The Eagles * The Enemy * Filter * Fleetwood Mac * Foo Fighters * The Guess Who * Hush Puppies * Interpol * Jane’s Addiction * Jimi Hendrix * Jimmy Eat World * Kent * Korn * Lacuna Coil * Lenny Kravitz * Linkin Park * The Living End * Los Lobos * Lost Prophets * Lynyrd Skynyrd * Mars Volta * MC5/Wayne Kramer * Metallica * Michael Jackson * Modest Mouse * Motörhead * Muse * Negramaro * Nirvana * No Doubt * NOFX * Oasis * Ozzy Osbourne * Paramore * Pat Benatar * R.E.M. * Radio Futura * Rise Against * Sex Pistols * Silversun Pickups * Smashing Pumpkins * Steely Dan * Steve Miller Band * Sting * The Stone Roses * Stuck In The Sound * Sublime * Survivor * System of a Down * Ted Nugent * Ted Nugent * Tokio Hotel * Tool * Trust * Van Halen * Willie Nelson * Wings * Zakk Wylde

Let’s go!

Don’t know what to do tonight? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Don’t know what to do tonight? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

I Now Pronounce You

Now listen, we’re not usually the type to get excited about reunion tours. We like them about as much as we like every other type of reunion — family reunions, high school reunions — which is to say, not at all. But we’ve heard time and time again from friends and critics that Yes is worth seeing live. Plus, they come with Asia. Here’s what Lester Bangs said about them back in 1970:

Yes fare much better — a fine, developing group. Their sound seems to be a mix of several of the most currently popular approaches, notably Crosby, Stills and Nash (vocally) and Vanilla Fudge (instrumentally). Unlike the Fudge, they have a sense of style, taste and subtlety, and the record is a pleasurable one, if a bit familiar-sounding. Their version of the Byrds’ “I See You” is especially nice … this is the kind of album that sometimes insinuates itself into your routine with a totally unexpected thrust of musical power.

A close second for tonight’s Night Moves is the ROOT cocktail competition over at Silk City that Lauren Fleming previewed in her What’s Cooking column.

Tue., July 28, 8 p.m., with Asia, $45-$95, Tower Theater, 69th & Ludlow sts., Upper Darby, 610-352-2887, tower-theater.com.

Philly Boy Roy is more than a booster full of local pride — he’s a missionary spreading the good news of Philadelphia to all foreign lands. Here he is at Merge XX, the 20th anniversary festival for the beloved North Carolina indie
label, talking to Mac from Superchunk.

Photo | Michael T. Regan

CP photographer Michael T. Regan did such a bang-up job with his shoot for current cover girl Amanda Blank that we told him we wanted more. After the jump, read behind-the-scenes info on the shoot and check out a slideshow of outtakes.

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Don’t know what to do tonight? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

photo by Margaret Weigel

After the dissolution of Mission of Burma, tape looper Martin Swope and guitarist Roger Miller joined with Erik Lindgren and Rick Scott to form Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, adding jazz elements and a classical structure to their post-punk sound. While the nucleus of the band has changed throughout the years, their most recent release Dawn of the Cycads (Cuneiform) collects their first three releases with Miller re-joining the band on tour for the first time since 1989.

Sat., July 25, 7 p.m., $10, with Make a Rising, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.

Courtesy of Rosalie Kicks

The one upside to rain? This adorable new logo.

Way back in June, I wrote about the second annual Cupcake Bandit Film Festival:

The Cupcake Bandit’s having an identity crisis: An ineffective villain with a sweet tooth, CB doesn’t know if he’s chosen the right career path. His existential crisis is the crux of Rosalie Kicks’ short film Pinheads!, shot around her South Philly home and a Manayunk bowling alley. This is the fest’s second time around, featuring short films; performances by local bands like Twenty30 and Dark Horse; and, of course, its titular confection: Kicks promises cupcakes by Flying Monkey, Bethlehem’s Vegan Treats and her very own kitchen.

But the gods didn’t look kindly upon Philadelphia that weekend and the film fest needed to be re-scheduled. Rosalie shot me an e-mail letting me know that the rain date is this Saturday, July 25 at Jefferson Square Park, with tunes from 5-8 p.m. and films from 8-11 p.m.

Cupcake Band Film Festival rain date, Sat. July 25, 5-11 p.m., free, Jefferson Square Park, Washington Ave. between 3rd and 4th streets, banditfilmfestival.com.

Don’t know what to do tonight? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Local up-and-coming prog-rockers Agent Moosehead are playing tonight for free, which is quite the treat. Guitarist Chris Dopollito’s whimsical, intricate compositions are extremely dynamic, frequently bouncing between more time signatures than most people’s brains can keep up with. They’re performed by a four- to six-piece band (depending on whether or not horns are present) whose chops are sharper than a pair of antlers. Stop by and you may even get treated to some of their Nintendo-inspired music, as well.

Mon., July 20, 10 p.m., free, National Mechanics, 22 S. Third St., 215-701-4883, nationalmechanics.com.

Don’t know what to do tonight? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Two summers ago, I went to what I believe was Fountain Green. DJs were playing electronic music in Fairmount Park, visuals were being projected onto a huge white screen, and people passed incense around (not a euphemism, swear). It was all very beautiful. And then, suddenly, it stopped. I figured somebody got busted or something. Well, apparently not (or they’re outta jail), cause something very similar is back — tonight, local DJs modesta, John Schenk and radere will be spinning electronica outdoors in Fairmount Park, free of charge, with visuals by Andres Eduardo. Call me a hippie dippie, but that sounds whoa.

Every Thu., 9 p.m.-1 a.m., free, Fairmount Park, Kelly & Fountain Green drives, rizumu.us.

Several weeks ago Phish announced they would be holding a Three Day festival over Halloween weekend, but they didn’t announce where it would be. Instead they put up a map of the United States and slowly began eliminating states.

Strong rumors emerged that the fest would be held at the Coachella fair grounds at Indio, California. Many people started booking flights and rooms.

Then yesterday California was lifted off the map by four animated hot air balloons, causing all sorts of confusion.

Well as it turns out, Phish is still up to their sneaky ways. Zooming out from the map (in Firefox hit control-minus, or on Mac hit command-minus) and you’ll see California floating above the United States waiting, seemingly, to be placed back on the map.

Since no other state has remained behind it seems this is the first full clue as to the festival location.

UPDATE

Sooo…. um. They updated the map again tonight. Seems it was just a flash file version situation. Being a web person…. I’m gonna just back out of the room slowly now.

But I still say they are brilliant MF’s. All the frenzy over the location for weeks now is a prime example, I just bricked this call. D’oh.

After California Has Been Ballooned Away

Zoomed Out : California Floating