I am occasionally asked by the very few who read this blog or my stuff in The Reader what's hot these days. My answer for the last few months has been Lincoln's Eagle*Seagull, a band to which I just posted a feature story about (read it here). My first question during our recent interview (which they drove all the way from Lincoln to do -- I was touched!) was the traditional "stupid question": What in hell does your name mean, and why the cock-a-doody asterisk (which is a pain in the arse to type)? The answer to the first half is in the story, the answer to the second was never really given. It had something to do with Google and the Internet. However if you type Eagle*Seagull into Google these days, the top result is a model airplane website, followed by a site selling decorative mobiles. For God's sake, get rid of the asterisk!

What didn't make it into the story? Frontman Eli Mardock's reticence to explain, read and/or publish his lyrics, though he says he takes great pride in them. When I asked him what "Your beauty is a knife I turn on my throat" means, he hum-hawed. "I get self conscious about my lyrics when I see them printed out," he said, avoiding the question. "Poetry is supposed to look good on the page. Song lyrics are about the song. Seeing any of my lyrics makes me cringe." Fair enough. I guess it just means we need to listen to the songs more closely, and that ain't such bad thing.

Tonight Eagle*Seagull opens for Neva Dinova and Sarah Benck & The Robbers at Sokol Underground, which means you must get there at the stroke of 9 p.m. You will not be disappointed. As good as their CD is, their live show is much better and really does deserve comparison to The Arcade Fire, whether the band likes it or it. $7, 9 p.m.

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