Too tight to squeeze in ...

So we had a ridiculous flood of Hot Tickets this week for the print edition, but there are a couple shows I wanted to call your attention to because they sound, frankly, awesome.

Firstly, on Sat., Apr. 21, Afternoon Records is having a fourth anniversary blowout, and when I say blowout, I mean BLOWOUT! That means not one, but two shows, both All Ages, the first at 3 p.m. and the second at 8 p.m. And the lineups. Afternoon Records doyen Ian Anderson has stepped up his game over the past year, diversifying and deepening the AR roster beyond the fractured math-punk leanings that the label was known for in the early days to include everything from the folk/roots of Haley Bonar t the punk/doo-wop of God Damn Doo Wop Band and this showcase is going to feature them all. You can see the full lineups for both shows right here on Afternoon Records' website. It's going to be hard to pick a moment to duck out for some crispy orange beef at Shuang Cheng, but I'd circle the part of the program from 8 to 10 p.m., which will feature recent signees We All Have Hooks for Hands, soon-to-be blown up Mouthful of Bees, the Black Keys-meets-White Stripes-in-a-power-outage-knife-fight bluegrass and folk of A Night in the Box and the darkly melodic and deceptively complex pop of Ela. Maybe they should have tailgating starting at noon in the parking lot over on 5th.

Also of note is another showcase of sorts, the first edition of Revival Show, a new night of acoustic roots music hosted by The Get Up Johns at the Turf Club. I can't say exactly what you should expect, except that Josh Wenck from The Get Up Johns says the show "embraces the style of an old-time tent revival meeting while requiring only that the audience pay the price of admission ($5) and not that they get right with God." Well, thanks goodness for that. I'm ready for a night of old-timeyness, complete with "prayer benches and a rough-hewn pulpit," but I don't know if I'm ready for salvation just yet. For the series' debut, The Get Up Johns have enlisted Charlie Parr, Mike Gunther & His Restless Souls, The Ditchlilies and Molly Maher & Her Disbelievers. Back when House of Mercy was holding events on the Old Stage at the Turf, they were always a fun time, and I expect much the same from Revival Show. More info at turfclub.net. OK, you know what? There's not really more info there, but I feel obliged to put the venue's website.