But that doesn’t mean Middle Tennesseans who long for the days of Hyerpercolor hairdos, X-Files episodes and Oval Office blowjobs will have to identify with Bangles and Boomtown Rats hits while they live in the now. Because on that upcoming August Monday, the Summerland Tour — a nostalgic revue of ’90s alt-rock footnotes featuring Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Lit, Marcy Playground and headlined by Everclear — hits Bridgestone Arena.

But as far as shows between now and Monday go, we're actually looking at a pretty fine spread. Tonight you've got Pierced Arrows with Bad Cop and more at The End, AyeVee at 12th & Porter, How I Became the Bomb with Colorfeels and Norm at The High Watt and more. Saturday you're looking at OBN III's with Useless Eaters and Cy at The End, Nobody's Vault but Mine featuring Dex Romweber Duo, Black Belles and more at The Base"Internet Superstar"ment and plenty more. There's even some action on Sunday. Have a look at the rest — compiled by Adam "Internet Superstar" Gold — after the jump. Let us know what we missed, and have yourselves a festive and safe weekend.

Well, it's happening. Justin Bieber is returning to Nashville. When he appeared at Bridgestone back in August of 2010, we wondered just how long it would be "before he hits puberty, his voice gets too mannish for the average mini-van soundsystem, and we've all abandoned him for the next pretty young shiny object of our affections." The joke's on us, it would seem, as the Biebs remains a force to be reckoned with. Sure, he lost the impish haircut, and his voice — which you can hear on his recent, Mother's Day-released single "Turn to You" after the jump — has grown to sound kind of like that of Tracy Chapman. Even so, the Biebs has over 20 million Twitter followers, and according to Wiki, "his popularity on Twitter at one point accounted for three percent of all Twitter related traffic, with a Twitter employee commenting that 'racks of servers are dedicated' to Bieber." Also, his recent single, "Boyfriend," debuted at No. 1 in 32 countries ... which is terrifying in its way.

Anyhow, if you're in JB's fan club, then you almost certainly aren't reading this, but you can pre-order your tickets for Bieber's Jan. 18, 2013, appearance at Bridgestone Arena today beginning at noon. There's also an American Express pre-sale starting tomorrow, with general on-sale beginning June 2 and ... oh, hell. There are loads of details. Just read them after the jump.

That all started to change with bands like Devo and The Cramps — they knew that rock ’n’ roll, at its core, wasn’t no high-falutin’ music, so if you were going to mix in science fiction, why not go for the pulpy exploitation strain — Arthur C. Clarke and rock operas, no; Roger Corman and rock 'n' roll, yes!

That brings me to the New Orleans band/multimedia traveling show known as the Consortium of Genius, or C.O.G. for short. This motley crew has been making mad-scientist rock since 1996 with a revolving crew of misfits with names like Dr. Milo Thaddeus Pinkerton III, drumbot, Dr. Ivan Stroganoff, Experiment F13, Lab Tech Remy Dee and Dr. Zaemon Abdul Siddhartha Mohammad Achmell Tutmos Abram Ali Hermes Odin Mahatma Dahali Martin Luther Hussein Kali Rocka Babu Haghighi III (but he’ll answer to “Dr. Z”).

My, how time flies. Are bands that peaked in 2003 already starting to mount comebacks and embark on reunion tours? The Hives played Coachella’s main stage last month. On the other hand, early-Aughts, one-hit-wonderfully Australian Iggy Pop apers Jet called it quits this year. Perhaps they should’ve thought ahead and taken off into the sunset halfway through the last decade. That’s what The Darkness did. In 2006, the campy-by-design band of British longhairs — who likened themselves to either a “gay AC/DC” or a “straight Queen,” glamming it up in spotted leotards, leather pants, Gibson Les Pauls and guitarmonies like every night was either 1973 or Halloween — crashed and burned when rhapsodically bohemian frontman Justin Hawkins left to pursue quitting cocaine and alcohol. Hawkins either wholly and successfully rehabilitated himself or totally relapsed, as The Darkness is back to relive (or at least finish) its 15 minutes of fame. The (surprisingly) test-of-time-standing, inescapably infectious 2003 fluke hit “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” was perhaps the single most unsubtle song of its day — but it was also undeniably great. So, give in and get nostalgic for a band that was already inherently nostalgic for the ever-relevant sounds of campy ’70s rock. —ADAM GOLD

Nice one, Gold. That show will run you about $30 to see. Fellow contributor Matt Sullivan wrote a little something on Black Tusk with supporters Haarp, and here's that:

Your plan for this Monday evening may be to see the art-rockin' stylings of Ms. Annie "St. Vincent" Clark at Mercy Lounge. And if so, good on you — it'll likely be a hell of a show. But if your taste skews a bit more toward the trippy, verbed-out, psychedelic stylings of garage-scene luminary Ty Segall and his new pals White Fence — or anyway, if that's at least what you're in the mood for tonight — then The End is your place. Contributor Marissa R. Moss penned a Critic's Pick for us, and this is how it goes:

There are quite a few sides to the fuzz-loving, lo-fi, garage-raging, stuck-in-an-echo-chamber Ty Segall, who hails from California and packs enough surfy reverb to sound like it too. He’s released several solo records and seemingly countless splits and EPs with as many bands, several of which are unabashedly thrashy, with influences like Television, The Stooges and The Standells. Most recently, he played with psychedelia and George Harrison-inspired plucks on his mini-album, Hair, a collaboration with the ’60s-loving Los Angeles outfit White Fence. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean he’s gone soft: I’ve previewed his upcoming June release as Ty Segall Band (the gentleman is prolific) and it’s full-force, blow-your-windows-out loud and so crunchy you’ll break your teeth and your ears. Segall is touring with White Fence but performing separately — the night will begin with the latter’s trippy reverb head-trips and end with Segall’s trippy reverb head-bangs. If that all just sounds like a headache, remember: No pain, no gain. —MARISSA R. MOSS

OK, so the pick indicates that Ty and White Fence will play separately. But how about that above performance vid? Think there will at least be a little taste of what Segall's been brewing up with the Fence? Guess you'll have to show up to find out. Local punk rockers Useless Eaters and Cy Barkley open up, and $10 will get you in.

Yes, there's what we technically classify as a "shit-ton" of great shows going on this weekend — from Lee Ranaldo, Fool's Gold, the East Nashville Underground Fest and Everydayfest to Umbrella Tree, Ttotals and Mayhem doing Controversy. And we ran it all down for you in our weekend round-up. But if you survive until Sunday, there's a strong gathering going on at Drifters in Five Points that ought to pique the interest of vintage bike aficionados and rock 'n' roll fans alike.

In addition to some bitchin' pre-1984 motorcycles, the Ton Up soiree will also feature performances from the following: stuck-in-the-'60s, laid-back and groove-oriented psychedelic Cream faves Ranch Ghost; punk rocker Cy Barkley's grungy, less-Sex Pistols, more-Dino Jr. rock outfit King Karl; eardrum-bursting, slacker ethos-embracing, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion-on-a-bath-salts-binge, hard-boozin' rock 'n' roll outfit The Ultras S/C (nee The Black Faces); record-spinnin' Sparkle City contributor DJ David Bermudez; and the only act I'm entirely unfamiliar with, the damn-near-impossible-to-Google Double Barrel. The bands in question — at least, the ones I'm familiar with — are pretty much the sonic equivalent to a faceful of exhaust fumes and a rough-knuckled sock to the kisser from your brawny biker step-dad. Just about right.

There's a Facebook event page, if that's what you're into. Happy weekending, and play it safe out there.

Anyway, some super decent shows going on this weekend. Tonight you've got the Lee Ranaldo Band with Wooden Wand and PUJOL at Mercy Lounge, Fool's Gold and Fly Golden Eagle next door at The High Watt, the East Nashville Underground fest on 12th Street, the Strange Feelings thing at Dino's and more. Tomorrow you're looking at Everydayfest's shows at Brick Factory and The Zombie Shop with Dirty Dreams, No Regrets Coyote, Fox Fun, Reid Magette and more, Umbrella Tree's release at Exit/In, Mayhem doing Controversy with Dez Dickerson at The High Watt, the second day of the East Nashville Underground fest, Ttotals with Mom and Dad at Dino's and plenty more. There's even some good action on Sunday, what with the Ton Up show feat. The Ultras S/C, Ranch Ghost, King Karl and more. Have a look at the rest — compiled by Adam "His Majesty" Gold — after the jump. Let us know what we missed, and have yourselves a regal weekend.