Aaron Spransy knows a thing or two about Midwest Manners. The Wisconsin native has been settled here in Boston for some time now, playing around town as guitarist for indie-pop melody makers the Fatal Flaw, but his own musical vision recently crystallized with SINNET. His two-mikes-and-a-laptop bedroom project — which he admits was born during more isolated and “less employed” days— has now evolved into a full-fledged band.

When the House of Blues opened on Lansdowne Street in 2009, much was made of the chain venue’s roots in Harvard Square. Three years later, live music on a grand scale is returning to the Cambridge neighborhood.

Bowery Cambridge, an extension of the New York concert booking agency that operates Royale under Bowery Boston, will announce as early as next month THE SINCLAIR, a planned 10,000-square-foot multi-level live music venue and eatery at 50 Church Street, the site of the former firehouse-themed restaurant and nightclub Phatt Boys, which shuttered in 2006.

It always seemed more than a coincidence that the name "Don Cornelius" rang with echoes of "Don Corleone." Sure, Corleone was a fictional mob boss, while Cornelius was the real-life host of Soul Train. And, yes, Corleone sat in a dim room dotted with cigar boxes and leather furniture, while Cornelius had a neon soundstage filled with young people bouncing to the newest dance music.

JACK'S MANNEQUIN isn’t just a brand name or a band moniker, it has become a person in Orange County, California’s Andrew McMahon. From his 2005 diagnosis of and battle with leukemia McMahon became more than just a catchy vocalist with some really delicate prose. He became a fighter, and his war with cancer became a backdrop to some pretty intense albums.

As the most hyper-nostalgic generation of music listeners in the history of recorded sound, its about time we all start actively acknowledging our sentimental feelings about 2009: a year when chillwave artists around the world were starting to find each other on Tumblr, amidst the larger-ranging Gen Y International Blog-Pop Underground that was reaching its height.

Of Monsters and Men are at Brighton Music Hall on April 7

On Sale Now

French Fries + Bambounou | February 25 at the Brighton Music Hall | $12 | On sale @ ticketmaster.com

Atlas Sound + White Rainbow + Carnivores | March 8 at the Paradise Rock Club | $15 | On sale @ ticketmaster.com

Odd Future | March 21 at the House of Blues | $30-$45 | On sale @ livenation.

2010: The year the Dirty Dishes released their self-titled EP.
2011: The year everyone pegged the Dirty Dishes to blow the fuck up.
2012: The year the Dirty Dishes blew the fuck up.

Yesterday the artsy Boston rock quartet posted a new single, "Hush," and the seductive track is just screaming for national attention.

Was just on WFNX a few minutes ago, talking about a few bedroom pop tracks that have been showing up with regularity on my Boston Accents playlist. After Dom created "Living In America" on the strength of a computer program, a pink paisley guitar and his beautiful musical mind, one-man-jams are all the rage. We guess.

^{Photo by Tim Bugbee. Click for more photos.}

All reported eccentricities regarding TOOL's live show -- and Maynard James Keenan's general distaste with having people look at him -- were largely confirmed for myself about the midway point of Saturday's sold-out TD Garden affair.

Amidst a barrage of lasers and fuck-all end-of-days imagery, I pulled out my trusty Flip Cam, hoping to capture some audio/video accompaniment for the sake of your blog reading enjoyment.

Seven years is just way to long for a Shirley Manson dry spell.

Revered '90s alt-rock hit-makers GARBAGE finally revealed deets on their upcoming fifth studio record -- Not Your Kind of People drops May 15 on their own STUNVOLUME label, and it's the band's first since effort 2005's kinda spotty Bleed Like Me

Feeling frisky and festive on this easy Sunday evening in late January, and tonight’s playlist is an eclectic mix of experimental weirdness and Boston beats. Got a bit bedroom-y pop-minded at the beginning, then it just turned into whatever. See you next Sunday for a Super Bowl edition of BOSTON ACCENTS – maybe we’ll only play Bostonians who have since moved to NYC to salute the battle between the Patriots and Giants.

Some sweet Class of 2012 double-dipping going on tonight around town, as ANIMAL TALK kick-off a sold Thursday night rock show at T.T. The Bear's Place in Cambridge (with BrownBoot, the Future Everybody, and Blackboard Nails), while over a few friendly bridges CAMDEN put down the telephones and headlines a glitzy affair at Allston's Great Scott (Daily Pravda, Cooling Towers, and Paper Snakes in tow).

TRABANTS were never ones to play by the rules. A year ago, the surf-rock collective led by former Ketman maestro Eric Penna released its debut record in the middle of January, eliciting bitter yearnings of distant-memory frolics down on the Cape. Now, Trabants spit in the face of Old Man Winter once again before Penna heads west to Los Angeles, where we hear the surf is a tad healthier than what’s found at Revere Beach.

Death Cab for Cutie are at the Wang on April 21

On Sale Now

Eoto | February 9 at the House of Blues | $5 | On sale @ livenation.com

Nat & Alex Wolff | February 14 at the Brighton Music Hall | $12 | On sale @ ticketmaster.com

Dub Police + Trolley Snatcha + Subscape + D1 | February 26 at the Paradise Rock Club | $15 | On sale @ ticketmaster.

Eleven months from now, when everyone's busy trying to one-up each other with their Best of 2012 lists, two records that got the release party treatment on the same Saturday night in late January should be among the rare consistencies in everyone's Top Whatevers.

This weekend, melodic pop-rock trio BUTTERKNIFE drop new EP Do The Needful, which will be available for free at the Middle East in Cambridge, and across the mighty river Charles fast-rising Americana act COYOTE KOLB unveil United State at Great Scott in Allston.