A sea of hipsters Hey Jack White, you think there are no hipsters in Nashville (as you told the Onion A.V. Club last week)? You should have been at The Ryman last Wednesday for indie luminary SUFJAN STEVENS—precious dresses, skinny jeans and ironic T-shirts as far as the eye could see. Stevens has an endearing, awkward charisma—speaking with a shy, boyish charm and clapping for his own musicians. They deserved it. Wearing khaki uniforms and silk butterfly wings, his indie-rock orchestra sounded brilliant, creating lush, satisfying walls of sound. And who knew he was that good-looking? For the encore, he abandoned the bells and whistles and returned to the stage in plainclothes, with only a guitarist and SHARA WORDEN (a.k.a. MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND, who had opened with a set of moody, theatrical rock that showcased her wonderful voice). Saying he felt honored to be playing “in a place they’ve been making music for over a century,” Stevens sang his last two songs un-miced, inspiring nothing short of reverence from his followers. Schizo-pop We could handle keyboards, guitar, bass, violin, sampler and a weird egg-shaped rattle thing, but when BOUND STEMS’ JAMIE PORCHE reached into her black bag last Wednesday night at The Basement and stuck a recorder in her back pocket, for her seventh instrument of the night, things were officially out of hand. “She pulls out a tuba, and I’m out of here!” a friend quipped. Playing with a joyful pandemonium quite rare in the indie rock world—on a stage covered in faux ivy, no less—this Chicago quintet were frenetic, busy, rarely hooky but foot-tapping nonetheless. Led by frontman BOBBY GALLIVAN, they specialize in ambitious songs that jump from pretty pop to ear-singeing distortion. Though the crowd was a bit thin—apparently Internet buzz just ain’t what it used to be—that didn’t seem to bring them down. Hopefully next time Porche will bring that tuba.... Gay strippers, stoned pets As promised, the marquee outside Exit/In last Friday read, “Puppet Show with Comedians of Comedy.” The PULL THE STRINGS PLAYERS opened with “ONE BROWN FINGER: THE SAGA OF MC HOMOCYDE,” a heart-warming rags-to-riches tale of a young gay stripper who rises to the top of the hip-hop world only to be man-handled by his nemesis, Half Dollar, into sleeping with Tara Reid and jeopardizing his career. These local puppeteers, who also moonlight in indie-rock bands—so much irony...can’t remember how to feel—let loose a barrage of pop culture references (Peyton Manning: gay? Tara Reid: a whore?) and got the packed house warm, and moist, for the upcoming comedians. First up was MORGAN MURPHY, a lanky woman with a Sideshow Bob mop and nonchalant delivery. She made fun of a rabid PATTON OSWALT fan’s Koala shaped backpack: “That’s OK for now, but someday you might want to think about a future...with a man.” Next up was BRIAN POSEHN, whose tall, blond, bald, nerdiness has turned up in movies and TV for years. “We have a Basset hound,” he said. “You know how your dog is supposed to look like you? Well, mine does. He looks kind of angry and stoned all the time, and he hates Avenged Sevenfold.” We hate Avenged Sevenfold too! Like the comedians before him, Oswalt (of King of Queens fame) was refreshingly relatable. He joked about the Batman Begins premiere, where, surrounded by beautiful Hollywood stars, everyone leered at him like he was a “bridge troll who somehow got out because someone couldn’t answer his three questions.” It’s not the heat—it’s the mediocrity I LOVE YOU BUT I’VE CHOSEN DARKNESS nailed their dark, romantic Goth schtick Sunday night at Exit/In with a droning that echoed and richocheted in all the right ways. For a band who shrewdly cull the best slumbering, abrasive basslines and kaleidoscopic guitar parts from Bauhaus, Joy Division et al., it’s a shame the songs aren’t better. Fans of Faith- and Pornography-era Cure may be temporarily intrigued, but the band’s regurgitation is all formula and no magic, overlooking one essential ingredient of their forebears: hooks. Oh, and image. The band may have chosen darkness, but they greet it in polos and relaxed-fit jeans. We liked headliners SHE WANTS REVENGE better when they were called Interpol. Gold soundz XAVIA NOU, cellist in LYLAS and The Golden Sounds and half of the Australian duo BROTHERSISTER, treated The Basement to a solo performance Thursday night. Not that she didn’t bring any friends. In-demand rhythm section HANDS OFF CUBA joined her onstage for a few tunes at the end of her set. Cuba (SCOTT MARTIN and RYAN NORRIS) have been popping up all over town recently, backing up Cortney Tidwell and appearing on Lambchop’s new record. KURT WAGNER himself was there to support the boys, along with ’Chop’s London pals, THE CLIENTELE, who mentioned they were in town recording. Nou played a stellar set that switched from cello to piano, and after being joined by the boys, the show segued into a full on Hands Off Cuba show, where Martin’s dynamic drumming set the pace for the band’s treasure trove of sounds and samples. Strippin’ it down Now that he’s been swindled and distributed, JUSTIN EARLE is heading back to basics, performing as a solo acoustic act and hosting the “For The Sake of the Song” series at The Basement. Inspired by the title of a Townes Van Zandt song, the monthly event will feature Earle and his invited guests, who will leave their bands at home and let their songs speak for themselves. This month’s edition, on Thursday, Sept. 14, includes AMELIA WHITE and MATTHEW RYAN. The next installment, featuring GARRISON STARR and NIELSON HUBBARD, takes place Oct. 25. Admission is a mere $5. Takin’ it off Thursday, Sept. 14, at The Boro, Murfreesboro’s most offensive band, the irreverent BOO BOO BUNNY, celebrate 10 years of singing about doin’ the nasty. Ladies willing to indulge the Bunny with Catholic schoolgirl uniforms won’t pay a cover, but will pay with their dignity. This is, after all, a band who, back in the day, sent a record off to the printing press, only to have it rejected for obscene content. But really, any group with songs like “She Licked My Balls” isn’t going to let a little thing like censorship get in their way. Fitting, then, that the show also celebrates their fourth record, The Fist Ammendment. Get your Acts together ACTS MUSIC HALL, a new multipurpose venue, has teamed up with the Scene to host a benefit for MUSICARES, which provides aid to musicians struggling with the financial burden of health problems, old age and other obstacles. The lineup includes SHAWN BYRNE, LYNN MANDERSON, ROBIN BALL, TODD BRADLEY and SIN CITY SOCIAL CLUB, featuring ROBERT REYNOLDS (The Mavericks), ED TOTH (Doobie Brothers), AL PERKINS (The Eagles, Emmylou Harris) and special guests IK BEN, JUSTIN EARLE, ELIZABETH COOK, TIM CARROLL, LAUREN LUCAS and more. (Ball and Bradley, who front the band Radiodaze, relocated to Nashville earlier this year.) Owned by HOWARD HUDGINS (who played bass with Jerry Lee Lewis and Ricky Nelson among others) and managed by the aforementioned Bradley, Acts Music Hall is a converted 1930s Baptist church outfitted with Pro Tools recording gear along with a full PA system, amplifiers and drums, so artists rehearsing there can just come plug and play. Acts is at 3315 Charlotte Ave. For more information, call 292-9192. Email Avenged Sevenfold jokes or examples of bad Interpol ripoffs to thespin@nashvillescene.com.