I think my right thumb is sprained, my feet are so blistered I limp, and there are huge bruises all over my shins--a nice little combo of injuries sustained from a weekend of nonstop Northwest music at the Capitol Hill Block Party. Most of my morning-after pain can be attributed to the final band of the weekend, the Spits, who closed out a marathon of performances Sunday night by getting the crowd so rowdy people were throwing lit firecrackers at them (and Wayne, their drummer, lit his cymbals on fire until the club staff put a stop to it). The floor was a wrestling pit of drunken punks who were falling all over each other with delight--and why wouldn't they be elated? These same people had to be up earlier that same day to see Saint Bushmill's Choir, Zeke, and D.O.A. (who were stalled at the Canadian border forever but finally made it in, just in time) and got an extra little boost when Tyco Party crammed a synth punk set in after the Girls took the stage.

I said it already, but the best part about the Block Party was seeing so many great local bands from so many genres. From El Vez and Maktub to Pretty Girls Make Graves, Epoxies, and the Presidents of the USA (who came out in mullet wigs), along with Vera Stage bands like Doomsday 1999 (awesome power metal) and Display (a young, very excellent Wire-sounding act) and the Divorce--not to mention all the great Bad Juju acts--the crowd's response was overwhelmingly positive. Some non-music highlights: One young woman proposed to her boyfriend during Visqueen's set (he said yes), and the Catheters stopped mid-set to announce to one lucky young man that his wife had gone into labor.

The Cramps flew Makers drummer Jim Chandler down to L.A. last weekend to try out for the band, and it looks like he made it. One of Seattle's nicest musicians will join the good ol' swamp punks on their European tour, and I can't think of a sweeter, more dedicated fan more deserving of the gig (the guy has Cramps tattoos on his forearms).

In some not-so-good news, the RC5 have decided to call it quits, due to bassist Jason Freeman going to school full-time. I saw them play last week at Chop Suey (where the sound for rock shows has improved immensely), and they sounded tragically good. Catch one of their final shows at the Lobo this Friday, July 18, with the Heart Attacks and the RA4.

On Monday, July 7, I caught a local band with a lot of promise called the California Casuals at CoCA. They had a 16-year-old girl who affects a heavy-metal growl strutting around a cacophonous mix of hardcore and dance punk. Their set was a little sloppy the night I saw them (I believe it was only their third performance), but you could hear the potential for great shows down the line.

And there's gonna be a fun little rock 'n' roll booze cruise on the Lady Mary coming up on August 15, with Hint Hint, Tourist, and Problem with Heroes. More info on the "I Sunk Your Battleship" event coming closer to the date.

jennifer@thestranger.com