Music critics' picks

The garage-rocking dudes of Mooney Suzuki are turning back the odometer again on their new "Have Mercy" album. Tunes like "99%" and "When It's Gone" have a loose, retro-blues rockin' feel that evokes Steve Miller and Dan Hicks - and all the doo-wop dudes that those jokers ripped off. Lyrics are equally whimsical. In "Rock and Roller Girl" they wisely counsel her, "You'll never be older than dinosaur bones, and you'll never be older than the Rolling Stones" (so keep rockin', honey). And in the vaudeville ragtime celebration to "Good Ol' Alcohol" they weigh drink's merits to almost every other intoxicant under the sun. Once pronounced the nation's top garage-rock band (in a 2002 "It" list in Entertainment Weekly) and beloved by a huge cult, the New York-based Suzuki has had some troubles. Their old record label folded, then internal conflicts sparked the departure of original guitarist Graham Tyler. Sharing the bill here, Philly's fiesty, female-fronted and likewise evocative of things past Beretta 76, plus Paper Trigger and Dark Romantics.

Khyber Pass, 56 S. 2nd St., 9 tonight, $10, 215-238-5888, www.thekhyber.com.

- Jonathan Takiff

Bala Cynwyd native Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn isn't your typical singer-songwriter. The one-name singer's work for K Records in indie-rock hotbed Olympia, Wash., with collaborator Phil Elverum of the Microphones runs the gamut from childlike whimsy to sophisticated Liz Phair-like confessionals to statements on sexual politics and war. Her music has taken many different turns, even dabbling with Klezmer. "Share This Place," Mirah's latest with her band Spectratone International, continues the Eastern European influence. Benjy Ferree and the Ballet open.

First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 7:30 p.m. Monday, $10-$12, all ages, 267-765-5210, r5productions.com.

- Sara Sherr

Femi Kuti, son of famed Afro-beat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, was long in his father's shadow playing in his father's band, Egypt 80. Fela's 1997 death forced Femi into the limelight,and for the most part he's lived up to the hype.

His 1995 self-titled debut set the stage with several hits. 2001's "Fight to Win" also received critical praise despite Femi's risky inclusion of American rappers Mos Def and Common to garner urban-crossover appeal.

World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 7 p.m. Thursday, $30 and $40, 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

- Damon C. Williams

Judging by the dance moves on display at a recent concert in the park by Buckwheat Zydeco, Chestnut Hill could use a little taste of Harlem. How better to infuse that spirit than with the music of Cab Calloway, the iconic figure of the Cotton Club and Savoy Ballroom?

The Cab Calloway Orchestra, led by the Hi-De-Ho man's eldest grandson, C. Calloway Brooks (complete with white zoot suit and feathered chapeau), is in the midst of celebrating its namesake's centennial, which officially lands on Christmas Day. And it's safe to bring the kids - none of them will have any idea what "Minnie the Moocher" is about. (Rain location: Springside School, Willow Grove Avenue and Cherokee Street.)

Pastorius Park, off Germantown Avenue, Chestnut Hill, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, free, 215-248-8810, www.chestnuthill.org.

- Shaun Brady

To begin its 21st season in Doylestown, the Lenape Chamber Ensemble offers visiting ensemble the Calder String Quartet, named after sculptor and mobile artist Alexander Calder and a resident quartet of the Juilliard School, where all four members won fellowships. Their interesting program: Mozart's K.590 Quartet, Dvorak's Op. 81 Piano Quintet (with Lenape pianist Marcantonio Barone) and "Arcadiana" for string quartet by hot British composer Thomas Ades.

Delaware Valley College, routes 202 and 611, Doylestown, 8 p.m. tomorrow, $12-$15, 610-294-9361.

- Tom Di Nardo