Last spring, when future FNX New England Product host Dave Virr wanted to celebrate the 6th anniversary of his "British Accents" show, he got members of the Halogens and Baby Strange together for a one-off, just-for-fun project: an Oasis tribute band called, appropriately enough, Faux-Way-Sis. They killed, but then something even more interesting happened: they all realized their common influences and formed an actual band, the Luxury

Go ahead, try not to get choked up while watching this shit. Also, so true: they do have good hair. We've gotten used to Mission of Burma being a band again. What we can't get used to is Mission of Burma on MySpace.

Starring: Roger Miller, Clint Conley, Peter Prescott, Steve Albini Jr., Sonic Youth, Mark Kates, Shred, Moby, a young Joyce Kulhawik, and that dude from Christmas who was in Combustible Edison.

The Mules! The Mules! The Mules! As promised: an acid-washed garage punk mating call from these retard-psych troglodytes, who record for the awesome label/collective Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts (also home to Tunnel of Love, Wildlife, and a new EP by Stephen Brodsky and Ramona Cordova, all of which just showed up in the mail today.

Located in the same Inman Square complex as the Pino Bros tattoo empire, Traktor7 is known to grizzled old bastards like OTD as one of the last outposts in Boston of firebrand dont-give-a-fuck punk rock n roll. (They're also the most download-friendly label in town.) We imagine the "kids" "today" cocking their head slightly and wondering what the hell all the racket is about.

Anyone who’s listened to Dinosaur Jr.’s latter-day albums (or was around to see the pre-Dino hardcore group Deep Wound) knows that alt-rock guitar hero J Mascis is also a pretty decent drummer. Following last year’s Dinosaur reunion tour, he got back behind the kit with WITCH, his new band with long-time pal Dave Sweetapple and Kyle Thomas and Asa Irons from the Vermont-based, Devendra Banhart–collaborating avant-folkies Feathers.

When Thurston Moore signed a deal with Universal to distribute his Ecstatic Peace label, veteran bullroarers BLACK HELICOPTER found themselves -- alongside labelmates Sunburned Hand of the Man -- as Boston's newest, and most unlikely, major-label artists. It couldn't happen to a cooler bunch of guys.

Honeypump message-boarders threw a hissy when Protokoll disabled the download function on their MySpace page last week, in advance of the Allston post-punk band's signing a singles deal with an undisclosed UK label. OTD, though, is all about second chances. The Protokoll dudes checked in from SXSW to share the best track from their 2005 EP (take that, MySpace!): morbid frontdude moaning like the second coming of the second coming of Bela Lugosi, while an undertow of lighter-than-Air synths leavens the mood from garish to damn near sweet.

Yowza. Alexa Ray Joel, the spawn of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, plays Great Scott on Monday, March 27 [click here for details]. Here's her MySpace page: don't get your hopes up, there's no music on it. But she does, apparently, play the same instrument as her dear ol dad. Boston's own piano man, Ethan Kreitzer, opens the show with his band Lincoln Conspiracy -- who, as we won't let anyone forget, are less than one degree of separation from the Bravery

This public service annoucement brought to you by the best damn bubblegum-metal band in Waltham.

DOWNLOAD: Damone, "Out Here All Night" (mp3)

Bring 'em Home Now: a concert to benefit Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War
March 20 at Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC
Michael Stipe
Peaches
Fischerspooner
Rufus Wainwright
Devendra Banhart
All photos (c) Christopher Kontoes

[Our friend, photographer Christopher Kontoes, filed this report from NYC last night; from top: 1&2) Devendra Banhart throttles imperialist sharpies, microphone; 3) Martha and Rufus Wainwright; 4) Peaches; 5&6) Conor Oberst

Bring 'em Home Now: a concert to benefit Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War
March 20 at Hammerstein Ballroom, NYC
Michael Stipe
Peaches
Fischerspooner
Rufus Wainwright
Devendra Banhart
All photos (c) Christopher Kontoes

[Our friend, photographer Christopher Kontoes, filed this report from NYC last night; his friend, Springfield native and former Miracle Legion dude Mark Mulcahy, was one of several folks -- Rain Phoenix, sister of River, was another -- who joined Michael Stipe onstage for an epic anti-war concert at Hammerstein Ballroom.