A couple heads up ...

Hey y'all: I was so busy with finishing up the SxSW diary and then also the cover story on Eclipse Records this week that I didn't get to write any hot tickets, so I wanted to call your attention to two things happening this week that will be awesome.

1.) Birdmonster @ The Varsity on Fri., Mar. 23. I caught these guys by accident the first time around when they just happened to split a bill with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin at the Nomad. Live, they were simply an explosion of manic energy, putting on one of those stage shows you wish every band could bring. Since then, they've risen up a bit in the national estimate, hence their headlining slot at The Varsity. They've been playing them on 89.3 The Current and their album, No Midnight, stands up well next to their show, full to the brim with post-punk energy. Despite all the drive, they manage to be tuneful and sharp, plus epic in their own fuzzy way. You better go. 8 p.m. 18+. $10. varsitytheater.org and birdmonster.com.

2. Friendly No One release show for ex's for i's at the Uptown Bar on Fri., Mar. 23. Friendly No One are a terrific group of guys. I had the pleasure of hanging out with them one night while they worked on a side project called Crossing the Atlantic that has yet to be released, but I got to hear at least one of the songs from this EP. Their last full-length was mostly composed of tight and poppy stabs of punk-flecked goodness that sounded a good bit like indie rockers Cold Water Flat, but this new EP shows them stretching out a bit, incorporating drum loops and keyboards, and even whipping up a credible Tom Waits impression on "Boat." Kudos to bands who keep you guessing. Speaking of which, also slated to appear are Kill the Vultures, ex-Vox Vermillionaires Company Inc., and the awesomely named Quebecois Wheelchair Assassins. Lemme know when you find the samizdat, you crazy assasins de fauteuil roulants. 9 p.m. $5. 21+.

And be sure to check out Ice Palace with Beatrix Jar and Original Mark Edwards at the Nomad tonight. I'm finally going to get to check out the Minneseries in person, and I'm pretty damn psyched.

Also, I'll be on Homegrown this week with Cloud Cult, and I'll be guest hosting all by myself next week on Homegrown when Low visit the studio.