Music critics' picks
While he may still be hanging in the basement with the "Shop Vac" on, spacey pop geek Jonathan Coulton (a former software writer) has a rich and amusing fantasy life. Coulton imagines his control of robots and bionic girls in "The Future Soon," welcomes visitors to his space station at "Chiron Beta Prime," gets possessed (and murder-lized) by a "Creepy Doll" and traces the trail of Norsemen to "Ikea," where "Billy the Bookcase says hello." "Some of it's funny but a lot of it's not," cautioned Coulton of the work. Take, please, his autobiographically minded "Code Monkey" and tale of a self-loathing "Tom Cruise Crazy." The singer/songwriter doesn't mind comparisons to They Might Be Giants, Loudon Wainwright III and "other musicians you really love." But who among them has also fashioned an earnest, acoustic cover of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back"? Opening the night, Paul and Storm.
POP ... plus
While he may still be hanging in the basement with the "Shop Vac" on, spacey pop geek Jonathan Coulton (a former software writer) has a rich and amusing fantasy life. Coulton imagines his control of robots and bionic girls in "The Future Soon," welcomes visitors to his space station at "Chiron Beta Prime," gets possessed (and murder-lized) by a "Creepy Doll" and traces the trail of Norsemen to "Ikea," where "Billy the Bookcase says hello." "Some of it's funny but a lot of it's not," cautioned Coulton of the work. Take, please, his autobiographically minded "Code Monkey" and tale of a self-loathing "Tom Cruise Crazy." The singer/songwriter doesn't mind comparisons to They Might Be Giants, Loudon Wainwright III and "other musicians you really love." But who among them has also fashioned an earnest, acoustic cover of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back"? Opening the night, Paul and Storm.
World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St., 7:30 p.m. Monday, $30-$42, 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.
- Jonathan Takiff
HIP-HOP
Multiplatinum, Grammy Award-winning singer Lauryn Hill made a name for herself as the standout member of the hip-hop act the Fugees, alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras Michael. Her first album as a solo artist, 1998's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. But Hill became disenchanted with the industry, entering a self-imposed exile from 2000 until 2003, when she released the acoustic album "MTV Unplugged No. 2.0." While not as critically praised, the album did find commercial success. She briefly reunited with the Fugees from 2004 to 2006. Hill is preparing to release her long-awaited second studio album while also continuing to tour.
House of Blues, 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J., 9 p.m. tomorrow, $42.50, $52.50 and $62.50, 609-236-2583, www.hob.com.
- James Johnson
ALTERNATIVE
Rock-'n'-roll pirate and Motorhead leader Lemmy Kilmister is profiled in the documentary "Lemmy." It follows the now 65-year-old's long and storied life, from working as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix to his time in space-rock band Hawkwind to forming punk-metal pioneers Motorhead in 1975 and going nonstop since then. The band is beloved worldwide and some famous fans stop in to testify: Slash, Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters), Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order), wrestling superstar Triple H, Alice Cooper, Mick Jones of the Clash, C.C. Deville of Poison and many others.
Trocadero, 10th and Arch streets, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, $8, 215-922-LIVE, www.thetroc.com.
- Sara Sherr
JAZZ
Saxophone great Odean Pope has been most often seen at the helm of his mighty Saxophone Choir in recent years, but a string of fine recent releases have found him wielding his powerhouse sound in more traditional group settings. Three discs released in the past 12 months have found Pope sharing the front line with his fire-breathing peers: fellow Philadelphians Bobby Zankel on "Fresh Breeze" and Marshall Allen on "Universal Sounds," and James Carter on the justly hailed "Odean's List," which features an all-star lineup. In Cheltenham, he'll be accompanied by longtime collaborators George Burton (piano), Lee Smith (bass), and Craig McIver (drums).
Cheltenham Arts Center, 439 Ashbourne Road, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, $5-$10, 215-517-8337, www.jazzbridge.org.
- Shaun Brady
CLASSICAL
A dramatic pair of musicians take the stage in the upcoming Philadelphia Orchestra program. Making his orchestra podium debut is Italian maestro Fabio Luisi, principal guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and designated director of the Zurich Opera. He'll lead Weber's Overture to "Die Freischutz" and Franz Schmidt's emotional Fourth Symphony, a virtual finale to the Austrian romantic period. His soloist is the sizzling-hot pianist Helene Grimaud, whose performances always have an improvisational quality of music-making on the spot. She's chosen the passionate Beethoven Fourth Piano Concerto, guaranteed to receive a dramatic and freshly realized interpretation.
Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce streets, 8 p.m. Thursday and Feb. 5, $39-$125, 215-893-1999, www.philorch.org.
- Tom Di Nardo