Last things first if you’re into Devo (and if you’re not, why read this blog?): there’s a free The Beginning Was The End book event tonight at the OTR Stillhouse, courtesy of our friends at the Mercantile Library.

Details and the free registration link are here. I’ll see you there – I’ll be the guy wearing the Energy Dome.

Let’s take a gander at the music shows coming our way.

Tomorrow night, catch Mom Jeans at Bogart’s

Thursday:

• Colin Hay is coming all the way from the Land Down Under to the Taft Theatre
• Brandy Clark and Hayes Carll play the Ludlow Garage
• Less Than Jake (no relation to Better than Ezra) plays Bogart’s
• Too Many Zooz (more like too many z’s) plays Madison Theater
• Bumpin’ Uglies and Bikini Trill play Madison Live

Friday it’s time for a Come to Jesus session. Jesus Jones, that is, at Ludlow Garage.

On Saturday, Alex Salcido of The Harmed Brothers plays Camp Springs Tavern, and the Madison Theater hosts the jam band Spafford. (No relation to Susan Stafford, the original letter-turner on “Wheel of Fortune.”)

Blues dude Noah Wotherspoon plays the Rabbit Hash General Store’s “Sunday Music Behind the Stove” series on 3/21 – music starts at 2:30.

Breaking news: this coming Monday, we’re shutting down our music blog.

Beach Fossils are at Bogart’s next Tuesday, 4/2 with Nation of Language.

TC Superstar plays a free show at MOTR next Wednesday, 4/3.

I really hope their band name is a tribute to T.C. the true superstar of “Magnum, P.I.” (apologies to Larry Manetti).

Shows next Thursday, April 4th:

• Raul Malo of The Mavericks brings his amazing voice to Ludlow Garage
• Chicago Farmer & the Fieldnotes play Southgate with Joe’s Truck Stop
• Camp Springs Tavern hosts their bi-weekly Bluegrass Jam

On Friday, April 5th:

• William Fitzsimmons plays Southgate
• The Rabbit Hash String Band will be at Plain Folk Café in Pleasant Plain, OH
• Badfish (a tribute to Sublime… or to gas station sushi) plays the Madison Theater

Ludlow Garage hosts Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam on Saturday, 4/6.

The Tillers play the Rabbit Hash Music Behind the Stove series on Sunday, 4/7.

Supremely talented singer/songwriter John Moreland plays Ludlow Garage on Thursday, April 11th.

That same evening, Brothers Osborne play the Mike Brady.

Hot Ticket Alert!

The Violent Femmes are playing the old Annie’s on Friday, May 17th. Not only that, but they’re playing their first two albums cover to cover!

Get yer tix here.

And come November 3rd, Drive-by Truckers will be bring their Southern Rock Opera Revisited Tour to Bogart’s. Let there be rock!

Tickets for that gig go on sale to the general public on this Friday.

Podcast Promo/Hot FREE Ticket Alert!

If you’re old enough to remember the 1990s, and if you’re even slightly into music, and you appreciate great writing, you really owe it to yourself to check out the 60 Songs That Explain the ’90s podcast.

Rob Harvilla, a senior staff writer for The Ringer, spends each episode breaking down a single song from the ’90s. Actually, he spends about half of each episode on a series of digressions, often about his time growing up in northern Ohio in the 90s, before finally getting to the featured song. And the digressions are great – brilliantly written, completely engaging, and typically hilarious… and the humor is usually self-deprecating.

Rob’s written a book to accompany the podcast, and he’ll be talking about both at the OTR Stillhouse on Friday, April 26th. Better yet, list member Jay Stowe will be conducting the interview!

It’s yet another freebie from our friends at the Mercantile Library. Sign up here. (Unfortunately that event is the same night as the Guided by Voices/Wussy show at Madison Theater, so I’ll have to cut out early to get across the river in time for Wussy’s set.)

Speaking of Wussy…

They’ll be playing a trio house concert (Chuck, Lisa, Mark) at Casa de Dubbatrubba on Friday, May 10th. If you’re keeping score at home, this’ll be their third home show at my home. Much to my utter delight… and my wife’s ever-increasing odds for sainthood.

Hot tunes

Waxahatchee’s new album Tigers Blood is fire.

The album’s songs got their live debut during a club show at the Empty Bottle in Chicago – check out some clips in this Stereogum article. (Hat tip to list member Joe Sampson for the link.) And here’s an interview with Katie Crutchfield in Pitchfork.

Cleveland’s own Dave Hill is right up there with Rob Harvilla on the writers-who-are-hilarious-and-musically-inclined scale. (Check out his books Parking the Moose, Tasteful Nudes and Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore for proof.) Dave’s also a musician, and his band Valley Heat has a rockin’ new single out.

Here’s to Music Moms

I’m not a fan of The Facebooks, but I loved this post from Buffalo Tom bassist Chris Colbourn (and the comment from his bandmate Bill Janovitz):

(Hat tip to list member Lisa Collins for bringing it to my attention.)

Here’s to the faithful departed

R.I.P. Karl Wallinger (The Waterboys, World Party) and Eric Carmen (The Raspberries, cheesy movie soundtracks).

Video above courtesy of list member Todd Butler.

Album Cover of the Week(s)

Nothing says “raising hell” like a crewcut, a sports coat, and a piano singalong.