First, intern Brendan Greene-Walsh's series of CD reviews continues (and will continue for the next week). Here's his latest:

Fucked Up, The Chemistry of Common Life (Matador) -- Fucked Up is a band known for its antics during live shows. Mosh pits, bodily injury and general chaos are all commonplace elements. After listening to this release, I can completely understand. The band needs this madness to distract from the fact that their music is just not that good. Attempts to steal from real punk, their song structures and guitar parts come off as phony. The vocals sound like Cookie Monster is trying to squeeze a watermelon out of his throat. I’m not sure what that means, but if you take a moment to make a visual of that, you will understand what I’m getting at. Rating: No -- Brendan Greene-Walsh

Tim Sez: The vocals aren't so much Cookie Monster as an Andrew W.K. rip -- over the top, slightly out of control, in your face. But not Cookie Monster -- that term is forever reserved for the vacuous metal-esque goon-rock bands that litter high-NRG Nickelback stations (in Omaha, 89.7 The River). Fucked Up isn't "goon," and you would never confuse it with metal or, really, even punk (though it is loud and obnoxious). This is spaz rock in that AWK-vein. Overbearing and sometimes annoying, it's best served in small doses. That, along with odd tangents like space instrumentals "Golden Seal" and "Looking for God," that owe as much to Pink Floyd as anything punk, are enough to make this worth checking out. Rating: Yes.

'Tis the season for benefit concerts, and there's a slew of them in the coming days/weeks, including two tonight.

The Saddle Creek Bar is hosting the Homeless for the Holidays benefit featuring No Blood Orphan, Beat Seekers, Two Drag Club, Beta Minus, Sleepy House, FreeJack and Rock Paper Dynamite. No idea of the order. Show starts at 7 and your requested donation is $5, which will go toward the Sienna Francis House.

Meanwhile, The Waiting Room tonight is hosting the Christmas for Pine Ridge a.k.a. Lash's Toy Drive featuring The Mercurys, The Filter Kings, Black Squirrels and Korey Anderson. Admission is $10 or a new unwrapped toy. 9 p.m.

Not feeling generous? Check out the free show at Slowdown Jr. featuring Darren Keen, Anniversaire and Thunder Power. 9 p.m. Note that they changed the one-way roads on the east and west side of the Slowdown compound. Both streets are now two-way, which means you no longer are forced to take a left when leaving the Slowdown parking lot (yay!). The owners tell me that the on-street parking along 14th Street will remain forever and ever.

Tonight at The Bemis Underground it's Nebraskafish Rising III featuring Capgun Coup, Flowers Forever, Yuppies, Stdz and Adam Robert Haug. Show starts at 10 and is $5, and they're giving away a keg of beer to boot.

The benefit shows continue Saturday with night two of the Lash LaRue Toy Drive, this time at Mick's featuring Michael Campbell, Vago and Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies. Rules are the same: $10 or an unwrapped toy gets you in the door. Show starts at 8.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr., it's another free show, this time featuring Jake Bellows (of Neva Dinova) and Landon Hedges (of Little Brazil). Show starts at 9 p.m.

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