I hope all you young bands got your demos to the EMP, because the extended deadline for the annual Sound Off battle of the bands officially closes Thursday, December 1. At last count, over 70 entries had already been received, and with the usual last-minute rush, the competition is sure to be high this year. If you procrastinated, you can find an application and entry information at www.emplive.org, but you'd better hurry. The tournament-style battle won't begin until February, but a listening panel starts narrowing down the choices this month. As soon as the nine finalists are decided, I'll be sure to let you know.

Perhaps a bit more timely, though, is this weekend's show with San Francisco's Scissors for Lefty. The quartet are usually found creating really danceable indie pop in their bedrooms, but they're taking the show on the road for a few dates up the West Coast, including a stop at the Paradox on Saturday, December 3. The band's lo-fi sound has tinges of the Cure, the Strokes, and Grandaddy, which has earned 'em stage time with impressive acts like Mary Timony, Pedro the Lion, and Black Heart Procession. For those who like to prepare for such things, you can check out a handful of tunes at www.scissorsforlefty.com. Or, since you were probably going to attend anyway, and because the Saturday Knights and Marlo are also on the bill, you could just go and be pleasantly surprised. The show starts at 8:00 p.m., and costs $7 at the door.

And here's a little heads up for next week: On Thursday December 8, Vera hosts its annual Bring It/Screen It event, where all are welcome to bring something to Vera's Silkscreen Studio and screen with your choice of new Vera logos. Great designers like Andrio Abbero, Jacob McMurray, Jesse LeDoux, Devon Varmega, Don Clarke, and Ellen Forney have created one-of-a-kind designs, and for only $5 you can slap 'em on any article of clothing your little heart wishes. T-shirts, fanny packs, underpants—you bring it, you screen it. But if you don't have something on which to slather paint, you can still get in on the fun—Vera will supply you with the design and shirt for $15. The Silkscreen Studio will be open from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and seeing as how its Silkscreen classes always fill up months in advance, it's sure to be busy, so I'd get there early.

And speaking of Vera, the venue is also hosting its annual craft bazaar next week, just in time for holiday shopping. For it to be a success, the staff has put out the call for all local crafters, artists, and fashion designers to come sell their goods, so if you make something worth buying, you can reserve a half-table for 10 bucks or a full table for 20. The only stipulation is that everything you wish to sell has to cost under $30. Vera's Bizarre starts Friday, December 9 and goes through Saturday. E-mail verasbizarre@gmail.com for table reservations or for more information. recommended

Need more? You can hear my personal picks for the week on 107.7 The End every Friday at 8:30 a.m.

For all-ages listings, see page 74.