Frances Quinlan steers pop-rock trio Hop Along into Union Transfer this evening. Their album Get Disowned stood out as one of the finest local releases of 2012. Hop Along unleashes Quinlan’s versatile emotive vocal style, coupling it with a musical sensitivity befitting the moment. Digging in and pulling up there sleeves when necessary, or laying back and playing it simple, these three definitely have a knack for discovering the beauty amid a disaster. There’s a transparent grittiness in both the lyrics and the music it wears that can transform these songs into anthems or better yet battle cries. Hop Along will be opening alongside the pop-rock fortress of A Great Big Pile of Leaves for recently reunited South Jersey emo outfit Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start, who are celebrating the 10th anniversary of and nothing is  #1. Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., 8:30pm, $15, All Ages (Photo by Andee Wells) - Michael Colavita

We swung by Johnny Brenda’s this past Saturday for the sweet bill with Hop Along, Secret Mountains and DRGN KING. There were a lot of familiar faces from the local music community gettin’ down. DRGN KING came at us with some heavy guitar riffs courtesy of leading man Dominic Angelella, which were also intertwined with his anthemic pop hooks. The big surprise of the evening was Brendan Mulvihill’s hidden talent on the electric guitar. We already knew that he could tear it up on the mandolin, but his guitar and keyboard work fit quite naturally for his first outing with the band. Baltimore’s Secret Mountains rolled into town requesting the lights be dim to set the mood for their dark, psychedelic rock with plenty of grooves reminiscent of Portishead. Lead vocalist Kelly Laughlin’s powerful wails teetered back and forth between art-rock and radio-friendly pop vocals. Hop Along closed out the evening with a rollicking set that got the entranced audience moving. Frances Quinlan’s rambunctious yet achy vocals and unique, storytelling lyrics were the standouts of the performance that had the crowd cheering for more. You can check out our pics from the evening HERE.

The basement of the First Unitarian Church was, up until last year, a lively, eclectic magnet for eccentric, brownbag-holding music enthusiasts multiple times a week. Most of its events, and thus its colorful traffic, have been detoured by R5 Productions up to the instant hot spot Union Transfer. Last month though, Hop Along and co. filled up the beloved spot with sweat, beer, and most importantly, feather-ruffling, exclamatory pop-rock, with some harp thrown in for good measure. Hop Along were celebrating the release of their fantastic, already understated LP Get Disowned, which you can grab your copy now via Hot Green Records (the label run by the Algernon Cadwallader dudes, who also were responsible for the recording of the album.) This Saturday night, they will be downsizing in capacity, but certainly not in talent when they take over Johnny Brenda’s for the evening. The band is coming back home after a short stint on the road, so expect a congenial time to be had by old and new friends alike... Hop Along alum - and musical man around town Dominic Angelella) - will be bringing his latest venture DRGN KING along for the ride, who will be pumping out paranormal-rock jams. What began as a studio pet project for Angelella and Ritz Reynolds has becoming a rollicking five-piece, with the recent addition of Norwegian Arms’ Brendan Mulvihill on guitar (this will be his debut show with the band). DRGN KING are getting ready to release their debut record Paragraph Nights, so expect some previews from the highly-anticipated release. Rounding out the bill are rad Baltimore-based and Dan Deacon affiliated woozy pop experimenters Secret Mountains, who will be the subject of an upcoming Shaking Through episode. Come enjoy these local favorites and their out-of-town guests for what should be an intimate yet exhilarating evening. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, 21+, $10 - Adam G.