- Despite some rumors that Wilco would headline Shiner's annual Bocktoberfest, the event's main act is...Godsmack. Well, yeah, that's pretty much the same as Wilco. We just feel sorry for the Old 97's, who seem to be the only good act on the bill. Ask for a keg in your rider, guys. By the way, the 97's will warm up for Shiner with a 10/13 gig at Stubb's. - Speaking of drinking, Kinky Friedman... more ›

Apart from its satisfying lead-off single, "Blue Orchid," we're not really feeling "Get Behind Me Satan," the new album from Detroit's White Stripes. While the songs are catchy enough, they are undone by deliberate idiosyncracies, such as a distinct overreliance on the common household xylophone and an odd Appalachian fetish. Take "The Doorbell," for example. This has an appealing, schoolyard kind of a beat, and might be a good theme song for a sitcom... more ›