Let's begin with a mighty congratulations to our good friends Will Dailey and Senor Happy, both of whom have been signed to a resurrected CBS Records. Mr. Dailey was the head honcho of local hotshots Mappari, who had a huge hand in getting Scamper up off the ground here in Boston, and Senor Happy is glued together by the drumming of our lovemonkey producer Tom Polce. The full press release is here; for this space, suffice it to say that some ten million people were witness to Senor Happy's "Love If You're Real" on a recent episode of The Ghost Whisperer, which is apparently a "television show." They'll be at the Abbey Lounge on January 4, with none other than the long lost Spaceshots. Zow!

As for Will Dailey, stay tuned for the New Years stuff below, my pithy sugarplums, for I am not done sending out congratulations. Those boys in the Bon Savants (whose "Between the Moon and the Ocean" has officially taken the crown as my favorite song ever out of Boston) are right now, as we speak, one of the featured bands on the front page of the social networking friendmachine megalopolis Myspace, which I'd venture will net them somewhere in the neighborhood of 13-gazillion new "friends" and lots of comments reading omgz i <3 u guyzes music!!!!! thx 4 tha add!! come to denmark plssssssss!!!!111:: kthxbye! In glitter. Nice work, boys.

The parties really begin on Sat Dec 30 this year, with The Charms, Muck & The Mires, Red Invasion, and The Killer Abs at TT's and Harris with The Brett Rosenberg Problem at the Middle East up. Looking for people to smooch at those shows? The answer, in both cases, is Big Phil.

And now, the big event! With my usual utter disregard for these poor people's relationship status, sexual leanings, and/or desire to be violated by my readers...

Sunday December 31, 2006

• Middle East Down:
  (This show has its own Myspace page. Life is getting pretty stupid.)
  Bang Camaro, Hooray For Earth, The Snow Leopards
  who to kiss at midnight (m): Rod VanStoli (Bang Camaro choir) and Noel Heroux (HFE) in a filthy three-way thing
  who to kiss at midnight (f): Heidi Saperstein
  
  
• Middle East Up:
  Will Dailey & the Rivals, Pete Kilpatrick Group, Jay Leona
  who to kiss at midnight (m): Will Dailey, natch. He's very pretty.
  who to kiss at midnight (f): The hot drunk girl in the front row swooning over Will. You know the one.
  
  
• TT the Bear's Place:
  Porsches On The Autobahn, Cassette, Sidewalk Driver
  who to kiss at midnight (m): Tad from Sidewalk Driver, but only if he draws on his hairless pate with lipstick. Otherwise, one of them PotA hipsters.
  who to kiss at midnight (f): Kate from Sidewalk Driver
  
  
• Great Scott:
  The Campaign For Real Time, Big Digits, Boston League of Women Wrestlers
  who to kiss at midnight (m): Lee "Big Game" Bronson of C4RT, whilst whispering sweet nothings about Scamper in his ear. He loves that shit.
  who to kiss at midnight (f): The girl in B.L.O.W.W. in a cheerleader uniform. Enjoy it while it lasts, because she's going to knock you to the floor like Batman knocked Wesley Willis to the floor. He was being such a jackoff.

And hey, don't forget Kay Hanley doing her requisite TT's night on January 3.

That'll wrap her up for the year. If you're near Albany on Dec 23, I'll probably be at Valentine's to see The Rudds. Thanks for a boffo 2006; I'll see YOU chumps LATA.

I've been a naughty elf. I got a wee lazy and didn't have a new Scene waiting for you as December burst in through our doors, all full of Arctic winds and Starbucks holiday blends, and now I've missed a serious pile of sweet shows. I suppose the Bon Savants (two night CD release for the long-awaited Post Rock Defends the Nation this past weekend) got enough press in all the local papers that getting overlooked in my corner of the internerd didn't herald the end of their rock careers. Bully for them.

I am also sad to have not plugged the first show of Sleep Tight XMas Night, a series of benefit shows for Rosie's Place, the Pine Street Inn and Toys For Tots, put together by Mike Nastri of Harris. Alas, plenty of shows remain! Hit em up and do something useful with your money for once. Links for all the bands can be found at sleeptightxmasnight.com, saving me a lot of pesky html.

• Tues Dec 5 @ Great Scott
  Anderson Comedy Troupe, Baker, Why Twist the Hair, the Self Righteous Brothers
  
  
• Weds Dec 6 @ TT the Bear's Place
  The Motion Sick, Those Who Wait, Do You Still Hate Me (ex garrison/Jejune), the Penultimate
  
  
• Weds Dec 6 @ Great Scott
  8mm Fuzz, Lifestyle, Appomattox, Jupiter Sunrise
  
  
• Thurs Dec 7 @ Middle East Upstairs
  Wild Zero, Noble Rot (CD Release), Cocked n Loaded, Night Prowlers
  
  
• Fri Dec 8 @ Middle East Downstairs
  Sad Wings of Destiny, We're All Gonna Die, the Humanoids, Cortez
  

We Are Scientists have gotten slightly bigger since they opened (opened!) our EP Release at the Middle East in August 2006. Don't believe me? Head to the Middle East down on Thursday the 7th and see for yourself.

This Friday, OK Go returns to the Avalon, this time for Mix 98.5's holiday party. While they continue to skyrocket to fame, I've been demoted to doorcheck. Please hold your tickets face up, barcodes out. Scissor Sisters headline.

This Saturday The Plan brings us The Information (new lineup! new songs!), The Vershok, The Daily Pravda and Taxpayer. That's at Great Scott, and man alive is that a good show.

Our boy Jon Gorey is at the Sweetwater Cafe in the Alley on Thursday the 14th. Ask me why Jon is "almost as good as boobs" sometime.

The Abbey hosts The Noise's 25th Anniversary Holiday Bash on the 16th with The Rudds; across the river, The Lemonheads are at Avalon. It really was a shame about Ray, you know.

Currently on serious repeat on the iPod: "Starlight" by Muse

I'll wrap this one up early -- like your Christmas present, you cheeky monkeys! But I'll be back come mid-December to tell you your New Years plans, with the return of my beloved who-to-kiss-at-midnight recommendations! Hooray! For Earth!