Popscene, San Francisco's weekly indie happening, sold out its 10th anniversary show simply on the promise of a "ridiculously special" headlining act. The mystery artists?

An eclectic crowd filled New York's Crobar last night to watch Moby and the Roots perform at a Hurricane Katrina benefit, sponsored by the civic action group MoveOn.org. "It's remarkable what [MoveOn has] been able to accomplish," Moby told SPIN.com.

New York City-based the Walkmen played to a packed house at the Hi-Tone in Memphis, TN, playing songs from A Hundred Miles Off and their all-covers album, Pussycats Starring The Walkmen, a track-by-track recreation of Harry Nilsson's 1974 Pussy Cats album.

As the seven members of Beirut bounded down the Spin staircase, decked out in sunglasses and bandanas, screaming shout-outs to themselves, and clutching various brass instruments, they looked more like a deranged version of your high school marching band than the next big thing. Beirut's old-world sound was delivered with youthful execution and showed off their talent and diversity.

With babes, booze, and bloodshed, it can only mean one thing: Rock'n'roll. Last night's four-band lineup, with headliners As Tall As Lions kicking off their fall tour, turned New York City's Knitting Factory into one hell of a launch pad. Nakatomi Plaza, a prog-rock band reminiscent of a younger, harder Coheed and Cambria, opened.

"We’re going to have a good night of singing and dancing," promised Nate Ruess, the Format’s lead singer, and he wasn’t just saying that.

Despite a broken collarbone, Dirty Pretty Things' frontman Carl Barat swaggered with style across the Bowery Ballroom stage last night, representing his roots by cradling his arm in a British flag sling.

After one of the most grueling heat waves of the summer ended, New Yorkers were ready to get back outside and enjoy the summer sun. This past Friday evening, legions of smartly-dressed concertgoers came out to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sonic Youth, and Blood on the Wall at Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool, a massive, once-abandoned public pool.

The Rentals haven't had a hit single in the U.S. since Bill Clinton's first term in office, but they still managed to fire up the motley crowd at the venerable Nightclub 9:30 in Washington, D.C. The band have reformed after a five year hiatus with the promise of a new album, but the current tour is serving largely as a celebration of their past.

There is nothing sweeter than watching a shaggy haired hipster wearing tight tapered black jeans ferociously participate in a game of dodge ball or take a flying leap down a giant slip n' slide.