The Evens (Ian MacKaye/Amy Farina) Tonight @ Notsuoh (or Hey, There’s a Surf Movie…)

Yep, thanks to those crazy I Heart U people, tonight @ Notsuoh you can go witness the awe-inspiring, floor-punching hardcore fury of ex-Minor Threat/Fugazi guy Ian MacKaye’s new band with Amy Farina (ex-Warmers), The Evens.

Okay, okay, I take it back — going by the songs on the band’s Myspace, there won’t be much in the way of hardcore fury, really, unless you really think acoustic guitars rock hard. The Evens is MacKaye (guitar/singing) and Farina (drums/singing) getting a little quiet in a K Recs, Northwestern mellow-indie kind of way, and from what I’ve heard, they’re not bad. Fans of Fugazi or MT may be a bit thrown off by the lack of electric-ness in the instrumentation, but the songs are still fairly tense and urgent-sounding, even still.

Oh, and the video on their Myspace for “Vowel Movement” is pretty awesome — I think I’m gonna have to show it to my three-year-old & see what she thinks. In fact, the other night Danny Jonx had asked me if I’d be taking the midget to the show tonight (got a prior commitment, unfortunately), ’cause supposedly MacKaye’s new focus is on music that’s accessible by everyone, including kids. I’m told the band doesn’t play “Vowel Movement” live, though, and I think my kid might get bored with some of their stuff (if I put anything quiet on in the car, she sulks and says, “this isn’t a rock song…”), so your mileage may vary on that front.

If you’re up for it, hit downtown tonight at 8PM sharp — the band plays smartly at 8:30PM. And they’re the only name on the bill, so if you’re late you might feel as stupid as yours truly once did when he finally got his ass out to see The Smoking Popes just in time for the final chorus of their final song (and the one I really came to hear), “Writing A Letter.” (Don’t be me, people. Being me is not good.) Also make sure you bring $5 with you, or you will have wasted at least that much in gas driving to downtown for no damn reason. You can maybe leave the ID at home, though, ’cause it’s all-ages.

And Now, Option B:
Of course, if you read all this and say, “That ain’t Fugazi! Fuck you, MacKaye!,” before angrily smashing your keyboard against the wall of your padded cell and pleading with the nurse for more cigarettes, you may be comforted to know that you have options. For example, you could also head on up to the Aurora Picture Show at 7:30PM to check out the H-town premiere of surf flick One California Day. I know zero about the movie, but I’ve been to a few surf movies in my day, and it’s always been a blast. And the Malloy bros. are in it, among others, so the surfing’s gonna be good.

NOTE: One California Day isn’t displayed on the Aurora’s calendar, so you might wanna call ’em before going (the no.’s on their Website, linked above). Again, to avoid the gasoline-wasting & all.