THE SILENT YEARS
(12:15 AM / MAGIC STICK)
Happy, poppy, radio-friendly but not cliche. Plugged-in Vampire Weekend without the I-Want-To-Be-Jamaican. Josh Epstein’s songwriting is beautiful, yet simple. Enjoy.

PRUSSIA
(12:00 AM / MAJESTIC CAFE)
There’s something about how lead singer  looks. Maybe a little crazy. Thank god it comes through in the music. Slightly 60s psych pop/rock, punish, a little shoegazy, at times doowoppy, and lots of other made-up descriptive music words. These fellers play a lot, and it’s obvious in their musical progression of the past three years.

THE FRUSTRATIONS
(11:45 PM / MAGIC  STICK)
Loud, noisy, thrashing. “Heavy” (pure) punk with enough distortion and reverb to make Thurston Moore smile. Somewhere in the midst of all the chaos and temper tantrums, song structure comes through. Thoroughly enjoyable, if you can tolerate ear bleeds.

SILVERGHOST
(11:15 PM / MAGIC STICK)
Beauty and the beast. Except neither Marcie Bolen nor Deleano Acevedo seem to be beastly in any way. Perhaps alien? Synthy and electric, very catchy and listenable. Also, so much better than boyfriend/girlfriend duos out of Detroit in the past.

LETTERCAMP
(11:00 PM / MAJESTIC CAFE)
One of Detroit’s newest and freshest sounds, very much a dance-y indie electro-poppy mess. Led by cutie-pie and Cleveland expat Liz Wittman, this land-of-the-misfit castoff crew from other notable bands (do your own research) puts together one unique live show. It is nearly impossible to keep from, at the very least, tapping your toe to music you most likely have never heard before…but won’t soon forget.

KOMMIE KILPATRICK
(10:45 PM / MAGIC STICK)
Flint’s answer to the VFW-hall styled rock deconstructionism of hardcore yore – this 20-something-quintet moved down to Detroit to bring their guttural, spasmodic and speedy punk cacophonies to our spoiled ears. Kommie Kilpatrick’s like some nitrous-spurred sparking rusty lawnmower rattling round some dim cinder block basement; fast, fun, three-chord tumultuousness, hold on for dear life.

MARCO POLIO AND THE NEW VACCINES
(10:15 PM / MAJESTIC CAFE)
So. Fucking. Strange. The loyal fan base that these boys have collected is impressive. The amount of fancy, whimsical, and sometimes garbage-y props involved in this live show can be intimidating to say the least. There doesn’t seem to be a normal individual in this band, and thank god. Twisted and creepy synth-work, loop-heavy, beep-beep-boop-boop, minimally-enjoyable guitar work, and the most mad scientist-sounding vocals this side of Oz.

SISTERS OF YOUR SUNSHINE VAPOR
(10:00 PM / MAJESTIC CAFE)
Loud, infectious, echo, delay, and reverb driven psych rock, the kind that howls, feeds back, throws punches, and oozes from all corners.

THE SATIN PEACHES
(9:45 PM / MAGIC STICK)
Fucking ridiculous. Just on looks alone, these guys win everything. The universe. They win the fucking universe. Everything about this band is fun. Their sound is polished and, although classic rock-ish, it’s not dated…at all. The intricate guitar work and vocals are both very fresh and now. It is a chore to not enjoy a live show by these maniacs.

JESSICA HERNANDEZ & THE DELTAS
(9:15 PM / MAGIC STICK)
The sigh of relief is due to the arrival of a real folk singer and decent backing band. Detroit is in dire need of something pretty and unplugged. There will be no “singer-songwriter” references, or use of the word “chanteuse”, just a general statement and appreciation of a beautiful voice and basic musical accompaniment.

OLD EMPIRE
(9:00 PM / MAJESTIC CAFE)
The lazy yet collective melodic approach to vocals, upbeat multi-instrumentation, and fun factor make this a surprisingly good live act. It’ll be so exciting to see white people clapping and attempting to dance to yet another poppy, surf-y, almost-Americana band. That was truly meant with the utmost sincerity. People will have a good time witnessing this band.

THE DRAGS
(8:45 PM / MAGIC STICK)
Young by indie standards, their catchy sound is incredibly earnest and evocative of…not to sound cliche…a very New York sound. Polished and radio-ready, they have very professional-looking photos on their Myspace page.