The critically acclaimed Ten Spiders returns to the Reading club Saturday night, and it should be a great show.

Ten Spiders consists not of a bunch of arachnids, but rather, four excellent musicians. Steve Cahill plays bass and sings harmonies (and contributes to the songwriting). Chris Cotter, also of the ska and reggae band Diatribe, plays drums. Mark Unruh, sporting no less than a degree in classical guitar and trumpet, plays guitar for Ten Spiders. Maria Cahill plays banjo and sings. She is also the “primary songwriter” of the band.

Ten Spiders hails from the Philadelphia area. It is an acoustically oriented rock band whose music has a unique, intricately simple and emotional appeal.

There is a definite groove here, the bass providing a cool layer over which the emotional voices and innovative guitar work can collaborate in a sort of dance. Meanwhile, the banjo grounds it all down, allowing the music to sort of root itself in a long and storied tradition.

And the drums are exactly what drumming should be a drive to the groove without ever getting in the way of it. The drums and the bass work well together (as, of course, one would hope), making for a very good rhythm section.

Maria's voice is not exactly diva material, but its passion makes up for what it may lack in octaves. Indeed, she uses it in a sort of apathetic emotional appeal, as if she's too emotionally involved to allow it to show. It works. There is a sense of sadness, joy, fear and resignation that washes over her lyrics when she sings, and it certainly feels genuine. That's a rare thing.

Their debut CD is called “Midnight Snack” (a reference to the band's name, since they claim that “over an average life span, most people will eat 10 spiders in their sleep”), and garnered deserved critical acclaim and radio play. Indeed, Ten Spiders has appeared on numerous radio and television shows, including college and NPR shows.

This is a very good band, well worth checking out. At their worst, they're a good jam band. At their best, they're capable of transcendence over such labels.

For more info about Ten Spiders, check out http://www.tenspiders.com/.

The Steve Pepper Band opens for Ten Spiders Saturday at the Brass Lantern.

Also appearing Saturday night is a very good blues band with a bit of a twist. V.I.H (Victory in Heaven) plays some rocking blues with a Christian message, and they will be appearing at Showcase Station to celebrate the release of their new CD.

The band consists of some formidable musicians Larry Baudoin (drums and vocals), Frank Ciambra (bass) and Sterling Koch (guitar and vocals). The guitar work deserves special mention Sterling is a brilliant blues player, and his playing (like that of all the best bluesmen) raises some repetitive songs to a much higher level.

Indeed, V.I.H. reaches heaven with its music as much as with its message. These guys know how to jam out the blues. For more info on V.I.H., check out http://www.vihband.com/.