Hump...Day || October 25, 2006

We here at DdHQ would like to remind all of our readers to back their data up on a regular basis. Thankfully, we didn't suffer a computer crash today, but a good-sized plume of smoke--and $70 spent on replacing our PC's faulty power brick--reminded us this morning how precious our data can be. So get some burnable discs handy, folks...

Speaking of crappy computers, BlogSpot will have a scheduled outage this afternoon; luckily, our tech bureau in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, configured Dd to stay up even when that site's down, so assuming our good friends at We Shot JR fall victim to the outage, here's tonight's local concert rundown.

Gypsy Tea Room: Decemberists. I'm not keen on this show's whopping $20 price, so I don't blame anyone for finding cheaper entertainment for the evening, but the band's new album is just about exciting enough for me to splurge.

Ridglea Theater: Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Will Scheff, The Blow. Not much cheaper ($16), but certainly more value for the buck. Jenny Lewis, of course, is the acting phenom from 1989's The Wizard ("Get the star, Jimmy!")...or the lead singer of Rilo Kiley, depending on who you're askin'. Expect the tweener crowd to gobble her up, but that doesn't mean your older ass won't be charmed to death by her Emmylou love affair as well. Will Scheff is the songwriting genius behind Austin post-folksters Okkervil River; he's that rare songwriter who packs as much power by himself as he does with a band, though if you hate his polarizing voice, his solo sets won't win you over. Portland, OR duo The Blow is responsible for one of the year's best EPs, Paper Television, a 30-minute hunk of "I'll be 14 forever" bedroom pop full of sweet, Rilo-style singing, intriguing drum loops and unbelievable hooks, but if the duo doesn't have a backing band, prepare for an underwhelming live set.

Rubber Gloves: Peelander-Z, The Undoing of David Wright. The former is a Japanese punk band that milks its Engrish schtick for all it's worth...yawn. The latter, well...I'm not ready to recommend Denton's Wright just yet--seen 'em twice and I'm not hearing or seeing any of the genius that the JR posse sees. But if you're crazy about post-apocalyptic new wave (think Big Black or even Ministry with a dash of modern dance-punk), this band understands you.

Barley House: Rock Star Karaoke Finals. $300 will be awarded to whomever does the best version of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK" for the trillionth time. Or, hey, you could also ogle Barley's SMU fake ID crowd. It's up to you.

Fallout Lounge: DJ Johnny Murder, aka John Freeman. Expect the sounds of screaming children and chainsaws juxtaposed with J-Pop and bands like Asscancer.

Boy, what's with these busy Wednesdays as of late? People have to wake up on Thursdays, you know. -SM