Speaking of celebrating excess, I'd yet to meet a band that aspires to be the next Mötley Crüe until last weekend at the Crocodile, when I met Alex Karchevsky, the singer for local act Murdock; he even owns old video footage of the Crüe from back when the size of their hair competed with the size of their egos. Murdock is a high-energy, hair metal/hard rock hybrid. Live, Karchevsky executed a backwards handspring and nearly spent more time in the audience than he did on the stage. Even though the crowd was pintsized that night, the band put on an animated performance--including a cover of ZZ Top's "Tush" that one friend enthused was like watching a "stadium show packed into a small club." Murdock would definitely do well with an arena-sized fan club.

If you're looking for good arena shows coming up, Bumbershoot recently announced its lineup, which, along with the Pixies and Nas, includes Public Enemy, Built to Spill, Nancy Sinatra, the Walkmen, the Killers, Drive-By Truckers, Death Cab for Cutie, Bebel Gilberto, and much more, including tons of local acts in various genres. (Although I'm equally excited about comedian Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live fame, who's performing there as well.) And, finally, no drum circle to speak of.

jennifer@thestranger.com