SEVEN IN SEVEN
Welcome to Seven in Seven, where we look at shows coming to the region over the next week. As always, whether your musical tastes are rock ’n’ roll, jazz, heavy metal, R&B, singersongwriter or indie, there will always be something to check out.
Here are seven of the best on the docket for the week of March 3:
1
The Beths — Friday at Union Transfer
New Zealand quartet The Beths return in support of their third LP, “Expert in a Dying Field,” which houses a dozen jewels of tight, guitar-heavy songs that serve as an incandescent collision of power-pop and skuzzy indie. The band wanted to make an album meant to be experienced live, for both the listeners and themselves, one that was fun to hear and to play — in spite of the prickling anxiety throughout the lyrics about the fear of change and struggle to cope. The record is an extension of the same sonic palette The Beths have built across their catalog, with all the pop hooks embedded in incisive indie rock that also happens to kill in a live setting.
2
John Lodge — Saturday at The Keswick Theatre
To celebrate the 55th anniversary of The Moody Blues classic “Days of Future Passed,” bassist/singer John Lodge wanted to do something special. The band had embarked on a U.S. tour in 2017to celebrate the 50th but stopped touring shortly afterward. Lodge
wasn’t finished, though, and he’s decided to play the groundbreaking progrock album in full, along with a selection of classic hits by the Moodies. The new version he’s presenting is centered around how Lodge sees the album 55 years later, which in a way reflects his own life that has “passed” to date.
3
Kings of Thrash — Sunday at Midtown Arts Center and Tuesday at Ardmore Music Hall
What do you do when you’re no longer in a prestigious metal band, having been fired by the singer and frontman in charge? Link up with others of the same ilk and perform said band’s music, of course! That’s what bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Jeff Young are doing with their Megadeth pedigree, performing in their entirety the outfit’s thrash watermarks “Killing Is My Business … and Business Is Good!” as well as “So Far, So Good … So What!” Ellefson and Young stay true to material not performed live by Megadeth proper in several decades, along with the spirit of the era that launched the thrash genre. And as a bonus for metal fans, the union is coming to the region twice: Harrisburg on Sunday and Ardmore on Tuesday.
4
Softcult — Tuesday at
The Foundry
6
Black Violin — March 9 at The Kimmel Center’s Miller Theater
Made up of twin sisters Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn, the Canadian grunge/shoegaze/dream pop/indie duo Softcult have been making waves since forming in 2020. Cheekily dubbing themselves as “music for mall Goths,” the material released by the pair is anything but a joke. Unafraid to tackle such hotbutton topics as misogyny, sexism and female empowerment, singer/guitarist Mercedes and drummer Phoenix are a rarity in a musical landscape filled with triteness and sugar-coated nonsense: They actually have something to say. Late March will bring a new EP from the group, “See You in the Dark,” and the crowd at the Foundry can expect to get a healthy preview of the fresh cuts.
5
Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew — Tuesday at The Keswick Theatre
Original Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison and noted touring musician Adrian Belew bring their “Remain in Light” tour to the Keswick, in celebration of the band’s iconic 1980 record. Accompanying them in performing songs from this monumental period of Talking Heads history will be a powerhouse band, including former members of Turkuaz, Julie Slick on bass and Yahuba Garcia-Torres on percussion. Harrison and Belew first reunited to perform material from the LP at the 2021 Peach Music Festival with Turkuaz on the heels of the 40th anniversary of the release of “Remain in Light,” marking Harrison’s first live performance since 1996.
The Black Violin Experience Tour showcases twotime Grammy-nominated, classical-meets-hip-hop duo Black Violin, brought to life by Kev Marcus and Wil Baptiste. During the show, the pair invoke a mystifying musical fusion of classical sounds and exhilarating hip-hop beats, resulting in a concert performance that boldly merges centuries of music with an aim to unite audiences with a message of hope and possibility. Fans can expect to be immersed in a sound that transcends categories and celebrates ingenuity and ambition, proving anything is possible.
7
Soraia — March 9 at 118 North
Having recently toured and played shows with the likes of Joan Jett, Hayley and The Crushers and more, Philly rockers Soraia kick off the tour to support their latest album, “Bloom,” with a hometown show at 118 North in Wayne. “Bloom” builds on the themes established throughout the band’s career. Their first studio album, 2017’s “Dead Reckoning,” featured songs defining where they stood from the viewpoint of where they’d been, while 2020’s “Dig Your Roots” was all about accepting who and what they are. “Bloom” is about letting go of all these things and finding that new place — musically, as a group and as individuals.