If Ariel Pink isn’t your thing, then consider checking out Iowa’s favorite sons, The Poison Control Center tonight at the High Dive! Think of it as Pavement with gymnastics. I’ve seen these boys a bunch (including last night in a 200 sq ft basement in Olympia) and they are absolutely one of my favorite live bands. You can hear me gush for about a minute straight on our latest Imaginary Mixtape about how much I love this band.

No two shows are the same, but last night’s set included a crowd surfing guitar player, tons of guitar solos played upside down candle-stick style (see above), and lots of rolling on the floor and doing the splits. I just wish I’d brought a camera. Of course, tonight they play on a stage, but as you can see in this below video, that doesn’t make much of a difference. If you’re looking to thrash around (with Salmon Thraser opening, no less!) with a giant grin on your face, I’ll see you at the High Dive.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWXG9fCIcKQ]