So last night I finally summoned the strength to leave the comfort of my home and check out The Bug Nasties, something I've been threatening/promising to do for over a year since first getting to know Brother James and Vic during the Damned Damned Damned debacle. They were awful good, tight as a fist and loose where it counts, not bad for four guys even older than I am. I had a great time and really must remind myself to leave the house more often. Opening was a band that the kids are gonna love, Shorthand For Epic. Big 21st Century hooks that normally would irritate me, but luckily the bandmembers are all ugly as sin (the four-eyed guitarist's beard/bandanna combination alone is enough to crack a hundred backstage coke mirrors) so I really dug it. Nice work.

Tonight I'm going to see Mr. Harvey Danger perform the Nelson Sings Nelson show ... best known as the pen behind big hits like "Lump," "Birdhouse In Your Soul" and "Another One Rides The Bus," tonight Harvey's going to be appearing as his "Sean Nelson" character (the hapless indie-rock sad-sack first introduced through a series of satirical Stranger articles and kept alive on improv comedy stages around the city), regaling the audience with a selection of songs by the late, great Ricky Nelson. I say it's about time ... I've been a Ricky Nelson fan since childhood, and most hipsters are unaware of his contributions to rock and roll. "Hello Mary Lou," "Travelin' Man" and "Poor Little Fool" are all top-notch pop songs backed by session players stolen from Elvis recordings, and Nelson's eventual shift to a more countrified sound paved the way for artists like Gram Parsons, the Eagles, Beachwood Sparks and Garth Brooks. I applaud Harvey's keen insight and can't wait to hear what he does with "Garden Party."