Ed note: We're reposting this to remind all you sweethearts the big comedy / music fest is TONIGHT! If you can't make it (there *are* other great shows tonight), make sure to check out the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society website to find out more about this worthy cause.

“Defriending Cancer” is not just a good idea but an excellent comedy and music benefit coming up. The night is hosted by comedian Todd Barry and features some of his funniest colleagues, like Neil Hamburger, Eugene Mirman, Tig Notaro, Natasha Leggero and Tim Heidecker (of “Tim and Eric” fame). It also features music from James Mercer of The Shins and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. The event takes place Thursday, February 11 at the Moore and the money raised benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Tickets can be obtained here.

The host, Todd Barry, is one of the funniest comedians I’ve ever seen perform. His rare intelligence and droll delivery always make for a hilarious time. He's also a great actor, appearing in films like the critics' favorite, The Wrestler. I spoke with him by phone about the event, what we can expect next Thursday night and about his experiences as a comedian opening for a loved rock band.

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This Thursday's benefit show for Haiti at the Moore Theatre is chock full of twangy and alt goodness to the highest degree and features a slew of thoughtful bands set to take the stage: The Maldives, The Classic Crime, Memphis Radio Kings, Mike Herrera (MxPx), and Vince Mira. Rumor has it there will also be an auction!

If that's not your style, get on your cell phone and text 'Haiti' to 90999, and then head over to one (or more if you've got the bus pass) of these fine shows. There's more than one tempting me:

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I’ve always been wary of this whole “bands reliving their former glory by hitting the stage again 20 years later” fad, because I feel like I saw all the people I wanted to then, and I don’t need to see them again now, when they could potentially destroy my fond, nostalgic memories of some awesome show I saw when I was 16 and totally in the moment.

However, when Devo’s Freedom of Choice album came out in 1980, I was only 9 – just a wee bit too young to have seen them live, and since TIG was lucky enough to be able to attend both shows (ChrisB was at Sunday night’s Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo!)  I thought it would be fun to see them play FoC in its entirety now. Thankfully, I was right.

Look, there’s no denying that the original members of Devo ARE old. But god bless ‘em, those guys still put on one hellova rockin’ show, full of spectacularly defining 80s synth-pop “new wave” sound, lots of signature choreography, and of course, some amazing keys and guitars.

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The question of the night was obvious: Are we not men?

Of course the answer was: We are Devo.

Sunday night at the Moore Theater was packed for Devo, the remarkably-influential new wave band from Akron, Ohio who was playing their debut album from 1978: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo from beginning to end. The following night they are playing their album Freedom of Choice in its entirety.

When my friend and I had gotten to the Moore, the place was packed and full of people anxious to see the band. A very large number of people were wearing the trademark “energy dome” hats (which were sold at the merch table for $30 and I bet they sold a ton, including one to my friend; $17.99 on Amazon). Strangers were approaching one another and asking “are we not men?” and I (over)heard more than a few people boast of dressing as Devo for Halloween the previous weekend. This was a crowd very excited to see this band.

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Grizzly Bear had what appeared to be a very subtle stage setup. About 50 glass bottles hung suspended from T-poles, a few were also scattered across the front of the stage. Very Tennessee Williams. Members of the band ambled on and offstage without a care in the world as the audience found their seats in the very crowded Moore theater. The room was so abuzz with anticipation, it was as if Sunny Day Real Estate wasn't playing across town or something. A drugged out dude danced up and down the aisles. Just prior to the start, Victoria leaned into me and said "This is gonna be awesome!".

And indeed it was. Dan Rossen's amazing and eerie voice filled the room on the first notes of "Southern Point" as the stage lights segued from red to yellow to purple. Big jangle on the guitar, although the sound was a bit muffled at first. Four-part harmonizing flawless, nice distortion on guitar, great buildup and sustain on drums. Rossen's voice rose pure and perfect over it all. The tension-filled song was a great way to begin Grizzly Bear's flawless set. Oh!  All the little jars burst into light on the final note.

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We love it when bands play their biggest, most influential or most popular album from beginning to end, of course, but what about the bands that have recorded more than one? If you're Devo, maybe you'd play one influential album, say Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo on one night (maybe November 8) and the other, say, Freedom of Choice (maybe November 9), with both at the Moore. Sounds reasonable enough to me.

We have pairs of tickets to each show to give away to lucky TIG readers. All you need to do is mail us at tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before 9am on Tuesday, October 27 with "AreWeNotMen?" or "FreedomOfChoice" in the subject line (you can enter for both shows but please send separate e-mails and no spaces, either, please) and include your mailing address in the body of the e-mail so we know where to mail the tickets. Optional (but it won't improve your odds): include alternate answers to the question "are we not men?" in the body of the e-mail. The winners (one pair per show) will be notified shortly thereafter and have the tickets mailed to them.

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It's been a little bit of a rough go for me, as it has with many people, to get past the band name "Monsters of Folk." Really. Partially because it's just bonkers, and partially because the "folk" part conjures up old James Taylor reels and campfire sing-a-longs. And beards. But the roster has been the trump card thus far, boasting members of Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, and the gorgeous, prolific stylings of M. Ward himself. Take him, Conor Oberst, Jim James, and Mike Mogis, add two parts swooping red velvet curtains and one part spectacular sound system, stir, and you've got a band that's so good -- well, they could call themselves "Banana Eating Spaceships" for all anyone cares. This particular combination of frontmen from a cross-section of such notable indie bands does indeed a blissful sound make, strangely named or not.

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So...Grizzly Bear...Are you going?  You bet your ass I am!  Count this as one of my most highly recommended shows this fall. I have been waiting for months for this Friday's show and am quite literally bouncing in my seat in anticipation. I've seen Grizzly Bear play live several times and each show has been nothing short of staggering. Each and every band member is so full of talent and heart, and every show I've seen has contained one or more jaw-dropping elements in which I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

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I like Mika. He's puts heavy emphasis on both the "glam" and "pop" in glampop. I do have to admit that I was a little jealous last year when my very smart friend Deborah Barnard reviewed his sold the hell out Valentine's Day show at the Showbox Sodo and wrote:

While the performance plowed through most (if not all) of the songs off his debut album, Mika's vocals were impeccable — despite a sheepish apology mid-show for having a cold. With the way his voice clearly hit the high, soaring notes that were scattered throughout the song list for the night, though, you wouldn't have noticed otherwise...

For the finale, despite being sick, Mika bounded back on stage. We just didn't know it at the time. The first song was done behind a large white scrim to the tune "Teddy Bear's Picnic" and had band members frolicking into a wolf-induced orgy by the end of it; Mika emerged at the end, tearing off his wolf-head. The final song of the night, "Lollipop," involved girls in Alice in Wonderland dresses dancing with suckers bigger than they were; at the end of the song, confetti and balloons streamed down on the audience like a New Years Eve countdown.

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As we located our seats at the beautiful Moore Theater Thursday night, my friend turned to me and said "If anyone starts chanting 'Keane! Keane! Keane! Keane!' I'm totally leaving. I'll bet we're in for at least one session of overhand clapping in unison too." It's easy to be cynical about Keane at this point in their career, as they're not revered in indie rock circles as much more than Coldplay-lite (and Coldplay is pretty damned "lite" already, right?). But you know what? I think Hopes & Fears was a damned fine record and I don't care who knows it.

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