You have a chance to see two gems (as in “a person or thing considered to be outstandingly good or special in some respect”) of the West Philly music scene in an intimate setting Friday night. Musicians Joshua Marcus and Emily Bate are combining for Sweet Sound of Music at Studio 34 (4522 Baltimore Ave.) beginning at 8 p.m. The suggested donation for the show is $8 and sweet teas and simple infused syrups are on the house.

Here are Emily and Joshua’s backgrounds (from the Studio 34 website):

Joshua Marcus

Joshua Marcus lives in Philadelphia, PA and has produced nine recordings under different bands and monikers in the last nine years, including Fan of Friends. This spring Marcus will release his newest recording, Reverse the Charges, on Chicago’s Contraphonic and Philadelphia’s High Two record labels. Joshua is currently working on a collaborative project to produce a folk recording dealing with current U.S. social and environmental justice struggles.

Emily Bate

Emily Bate’s spent 10 years performing, recording and touring, and singing sweetly about complicated things. She’s released three full-lengths and an several EPs. She is one half of the drag cover cabaret band Gender Mountain, with Dave End, and plays with lots of other buddies in West Philly. On this special occasion, expect some ukulele shredding, fingerpicked electric guitar, and big singing.

Sometimes when a handful of musicians with similar tastes and passions find each other, magic happens. So it is with The Oscuro Quintet, a collection of musicians who have come together from diverse backgrounds to form what might be Philadelphia’s first tango ensemble. It probably won’t surprise you to know that the group has abundant West Philly connections – four out of five members live here.

Formed in 2006, the quintet includes accordionist Shinjoo Cho, pianist Thomas Lee, violinist June Bender, guitarist Alban Bailly and bassist Ben Blazer. Together they have played a number of performances in recent years while pursuing other things (Lee, for example, is a doctoral student in perceptual science at Penn and Bender studies at Temple).

Now the group is ready to release its first record and it needs a little help. They have decided to try to raise enough money online to cover the costs of mastering the recordings, designing the album and CD manufacturing. This is a rare chance to be a patron of a unique musical ensemble for as little as $5.

Go to Oscuro’s Kickstarter page to contribute. There are premiums as well. For example, a $25 donation gets you a reserved copy of the CD. Fifty bucks gets you a CD and a free tango lesson. There is a bit of urgency. They need to raise $5,000 by June 17. They are already about halfway there.

Here is their Kickstarter video.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is one of Philadelphia’s most venerable institutions. Many of us know people who work there, we pass it often on bike, bus or car, but probably very few of us have been inside. Well, in steps philly.com to provide a little glimpse into what goes on there.

The story is a blow-by-blow of the 24 hours that three reporters spent inside the hospital talking to medical staff, patients and others.

We’re really late on this, but we wanted to get it on the record. Some may have seen the burned-out taxi on Chester Avenue between 45th and 43rd last week. A power line came down on the cab at about 11 a.m. on June 1. We heard about the incident but didn’t think much of it until we saw the photos.

The taxi burst into flames and the emergency personel folks basically had to watch it burn until PECO showed up to turn the power off. Nobody’s fault, but some pretty interesting pictures. Phil Forest has a series of photos of the whole thing going down.

Today’s dog is Leo, a 3 – 5 year old male “blue” pit bull terrier. Leo is currently being fostered through ACCT, the city shelter of Philadelphia.

When Leo first arrived at the shelter as a stray, he was severely emaciated, lethargic and coughing. With lots of TLC, gradually increasing meal sizes and medical attention, Leo has a new lease on life.

He loves attention, especially tummy rubs. He also enjoys long walks, although he has some knee problems in his hind legs. According to the shelter vet, Leo should be restricted to leash walking and may need more intensive treatment later in his life.

Leo interacts very well with other dogs and is very friendly with people. He is housetrained and knows the command “sit.” He’s currently working on “down” and “stay.”

All members of the household must meet Leo prior to adoption and an in-home visit may be required. If you are interested in adopting Leo, please contact: westphillyfoster [at] gmail.com. The adoption fee is $50.00, which includes the neuter surgery, vaccines and microchip.

Thursday is the food festival Night Market Philadelphia, which will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the corner of 39th and Market streets. This night market, a celebration of local food vendors and ethnic and gourmet restaurants, will have a Philly Beer Week twist.

The previous edition of the festival in South Philly drew enormous crowds and caused a few pretty big lines, which called for necessity for more vendors for future night markets. So this time, event organizer The Food Trust is bringing over 30 street food carts and restaurants, including Guapos Tacos, Nomad Pizza, with its traveling wood fired oven, and Little Baby’s Ice Cream. The event will also feature music by local bands, street performers, and crafts.

Finally, the event is part of Philly Beer Week and the West Philly pub The Blockley will set up a beer garden at 39th and Market with a fine selection of craft brews from Victory, Yards, Troegs, Rogue and Brooklyn.