I've noticed that Mondays and Tuesdays have become much more quiet in the past few months. It seems like clubs are booking fewer and fewer shows Sunday through Tuesday, which is probably a good idea. I don't know about anyone else, but I rarely am able to go to shows on Sunday and Monday nights as I have deadlines that wake me at 5 a.m. the following morning.

Anyway, speaking of shows, there are a number of CD release parties that are getting scheduled through the end of the year. Consider this an early head's up:

-- The Third Men will be celebrating the release of their debut full-length, Boost, tomorrow night at The Waiting Room with The Black Squirrels and Adam Hawkins. As I said in this week's issue of The Reader:

It's one of the most balanced CDs I've heard this year. Remember the old days when you bought a record fresh from the record store shelves, took it home and then were pleasantly surprised at how well the first three songs just fell into place one after another? You get that same feeling with the opening triumvirate of "High" "Happy as Larry" and "What a Day (to Call it a Day)" on Boost. The album is one pop gem after another, with no one song reaching the 4-minute mark. The production -- recorded by frontman Pat White and mastered by Doug Van Sloun -- is pristine. This CD is a long time coming, and I'm happy it made it out in '07.

-- Got an email from Greg of Lincoln band Strawberry Burns this morning saying that his band will be celebrating the release of its third long-player, Clam Diggers Peach, Dec. 15 at Box Awesome (which is garnering a buzz as maybe the best venue in Lincoln these days) with Gamma Goat, Dean the Bible, and Tenth Horse. I haven't heard these guys since their debut in 2003 (review here).

-- Last but far from least, I got an email from Steve Bartolomei saying that he will be celebrating the release of the long-awaited Mal Madrigal double-album Dec. 22 at Slowdown. I've been hearing from various sources about this record for what seems like years. Well, looks like the long wait is over. The hook with this one is that it will only be available on vinyl. If you don't have a record player, you better get out there and buy one. You'll be happy you did (They make great Christmas presents, by the way).

Tonight at Slowdown Jr., it's Canadian garage punk duo The King Kahn & BBQ Show with Omaha's own garage punk legends, Box Elders. Leather jackets are not optional. I'm told the Box Elders (featuring Dave Goldberg and the McIntyre Brothers) are about to release a new 7-inch in the very near future -- yet another reason to buy a record player. $8, 9 p.m.

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