THUR 5/14: Bike Party, Rock, Pop, Folk

I'm pretty psyched, because I'm headed out for my first Zipcar trip. Wish me luck that I don't abandon my mother somewhere in Western Mass today...

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THUR 5/14

6pm to 9:30pm
Commuter Open House and Block Party
at Cambridge Bicycle Shop, 259 Mass Ave, Cambridge (between Central Sq & MIT)
FREE

As part of Bike Week, Cambridge Bicycle Shop is having a little shindig. Among the refreshments, door prizes, raffle, and friendly staff; there will be a "Best Commuter Bike" Contest. So feel free to swing by on your way home and show off your sweet ride.

When I've been in there, they usually have had someone ask about a commuter bike. Besides the bike courier crowd, they are nice to average riders (like yours truly).

Proceeds from the raffle benefit the LivableStreets Alliance.

THUR 5/14

7pm
Melvern Taylor & His Fabulous Meltones
at Toad, 1912 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Porter Sq)
FREE

Maybe it's me, but I haven't seen Melvern Taylor playing around Boston as frequently as he used to, and I love the breezy, old-time acoustic swing of his ukulele and band. If you go, don't hesitate to tell him how much you enjoyed it, because it truly warms the spirit of the performer.

The late show is quite good too -- One Happy Island is doing a Thursday residency in May and makes joyful racket, but I didn't listen to the other bands: The Tartans and Very Truly Yours.

THUR 5/14

Wye Oak (11:45pm), The Pomegranates (10:45pm), Hands & Knees (9:50pm), Mr. Sister (9pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$9

After missing that Dan Deacon was sold out yesterday, I double-checked this morning; tickets still appear to be available for a friggin' awesome indie-rock show. (Maybe more Bostonians do want to dance these days...)

There's something about Wye Oak's sound that makes me think this might have been how shoegazer music would sound like if My Bloody Valentine was from Appalachia. The guitar-drums duo hails from Baltimore, and the music swirls and crunches in a wonderful way. The Pomegranates (from Cincinnati) are addictively good pop outfit that could be described as sweet, tangy, juicy, and multi-layered like the delicious purple fruit. It gets even better with the compelling voice of Mr. Sister and the pleasantly skewed drum 'n twang of Hands and Knees.

THUR 5/14

9:30pm
Will Dailey & The Rivals, Air Traffic Controller, Jon Robert
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$10 / 18+

It's a night of poppy-folky rock anchored by Will Dailey & The Rivals and and two other local singer-songwriters. Will Dailey wears the tag of "singer-songwriter" better than most, thanks to his amazing voice that rings like a soulful bell. HIs other great talent is writing thoughtful songs; they express all sorts of emotions about topics beyond love. When I spoke to Will, he seemed a genuinely good guy too.

Former Naval air traffic controller Dave Munro has crafted some tasty power-pop I catch myself humming after I hear it on WERS. Jon Robert might be better than I think, but I had a hard time getting past the overproduced recordings that seem to be groomed for teen-pop John Mayer fans.