Two thousand Nate, babies. This is the year we bring back the word "dame."

It's also the year that begins with all sorts of acoustic awesome. Monday evening, Jan 7, brings us the hot acoustic twist of David Mirabella and Aloud's Jen & Henry at The Other Side of the Bear at TT's. And on Tuesday, Jan 8, those bright-eyed and mop-topped lads in the Mystery Tramps are unplugging and showing off their mad speed skillz at the Paradise Lounge.

Meantime, O'Brien's is trotting out all our old Rumble 06 friends, with Appomattox on Tuesday and We're All Gonna Die on Wednesday.

And it's totally a Lizard Lounge-tastic weekend, with Casey Desmond on Friday and Will Dailey on Saturday.

Oh, and look! The decidedly unpalatable craphouse known as Emergenza is back, and has devoured and defiled the Middle East upstairs for most of the month. Booo pay-to-play. Booo shitty bands. Booo keeping me at Avalon too long this past June, and piling on to what was already to a glorious disaster at Chez Diggity. (Chez Diggity is my brain.) Booo Nikki and Paolo.