The Hebrew Hammer fronts a band from Indianapolis

This is Jim, your final extrawack! guest blogger. Before I get to the real substance of this post, I should say Erin Go Bragh. I hope you enjoy a nice cool (not cold) Guinness as you celebrate the snake beater holiday. Here in Indianapolis, we dye the Canal green, drink green beer, and have a parade with lots of guys in kilts playing bagpipes. So I suppose that we celebrate St. Patrick's Day like just about every other large city in the United States.

We also have an often overlooked music scene. It's certainly not Austin or Montreal. Hell, it's not even Omaha. But it is what it is. It is certainly trying to get noticed with events like the Midwest Music Summit, which gets bigger and better each year.

One of the Hoosier State's best musical assets is Secretly Canadian. After allowing the world to hear great artists like Jens Lekman, the Bloomington label continues its run of excellent musicians with David Vandervelde, who recently released his first full-length album, The Moonstation House Band. Vandervelde, who is from Chicago, has been dubbed a latter-day Marc Bolan by critics. I can certainly understand where they're coming from, as the new album's lush sounds evoke shades of T.Rex circa Electric Warrior. Secretly Canadian has kindly offered up the first two tracks on the album for public consumption:

"Nothin' No" mp3
"Jacket" mp3

Stream The Moonstation House Band at David's official website.
Buy the album from Secretly Canadian.

Vandervelde will appear at Luna Lounge on April 21 and at Pianos on April 22.

I really miss the Clash. I still haven't gotten over the fact that Joe Strummer is gone. As a result, I have a huge soft spot for bands that borrow heavily from the Only Band That Mattered. One band falling squarely into that category is Indianapolis' Those Young Lions. The band released a self-titled EP last year on local label Affirmation Records after the members joined forces upon splitting from other Indianapolis bands. Their shows are always packed with kids desperate for noisy, boozy rock after getting their fill of sensitive-guy indie pop. I will be seeing the Lions tonight at my favorite local club.

Sample the wares:

"Showdown" mp3
"Trainwreck Times" mp3

Buy the EP from CD Baby.
Watch the ultra-low-budget video for "Trainwreck Times" and see if you don't think that frontman Tony Beemer bears a strong resemblance to Adam Goldberg.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Musical Family Tree, which is a diamond mine of mp3's from Indiana bands. Recommended listening: Gentleman Caller.

Finally, a thanks to Bob for letting me take over the shop for awhile.