Friday night's The Physics / Caves / Cancer Rising / Emeralds show was the first landmark show of my summer. The weather was perfect for a show last night, wasn't it (tell me more, tell me more)? A little on the cool side but it made Capitol Hill (where King Cobra is located) very peaceful. And speaking of King Cobra, man, Jason and Joel are booking some mighty cool shows at what I think is the sweetest new joint in town.

Caves are truly stylish, intricate, openly ambitious in their arrangements, and update some retro-indie sounds of the last few years with the energy and vivacity of the Blakes. Not a huge amount of originality but it hangs together beautifully. The Physics are very good, if not great, rhymers who drop a lot of 206 references (and unabashedly display their influences on their sleeve). Emeralds didn't work for me at all, but I am not a lover of neo-dinosaur rock.

So why was it all such a great show? Cancer Rising came out and got the booties moving of what seemed a mostly female crowd (!!!) with a ferocious energy and fan-love that must have been the reason they were reported to be on fire at Sasquatch. They have gotten so busy, so unifying, so captivating as a four-piece (fronted by Larry and Josh; DJ work by Tyler; hey what's the other rhymer's name? He was totally amped and super-fun to watch) that even after getting in at 5 AM I had to write this review up to share about the show by 10 AM the next day. The time has come for Cancer Rising: If you need a new (under)dog with the same deep joy for jamming and connecting, and the somewhat polemical dryness (on record, at least) and very-slick music of Blue Scholars doesn't pull you in, then go see Larry and his brothers for some gutbucket fist-pumping hip-hop,.