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Last Thursday the indie rock gods were smiling upon our ‘lil town when they dispatched TV on the Radio to appear at the Spanish Moon. But the daunting prospect before me was the opening act, Celebration, an act I’ve both lauded and lambasted in this very column. I still maintain their self-titled debut is a great album, a singular one in a sea of ever increasing homogeneity that is overtaking the rock scene. But their Gas Food Lodging was so haphazard and unfocused that I swallowed my praise. Thursday night proved that their original performance was basically an off-night because the band rocked it. Their weird mix of new wave funk and tribal propulsion shot sparks into the crowd. Singer Katrina Ford is the unlikeliest rock star, looking something like a young Queen Elizabeth II possessed by Mick Jagger, stalking the stage and issuing cold ’80’s declarations like Siouxsie Sioux never really could get to. But it worked. At first the issuance of “We wrote this number at the beginning of the Iraq war, and were hoping we could’ve removed it from our set,” before their closing number “War” was a touch ham-fisted, but for the fire with which it was delivered. I had a feeling they had it in them.

TV on the Radio, however proves to be a more problematic act for me. I get the feeling that I am supposed to love this band, in that there seems to be nary a bad word to be whispered about them in the indie rock world, but to be honest, I don’t really get it. Everything is lined up just right, the right influences, the good mix of studio ingenuity and soul on the their albums, but to me it sounds like they are trying to push the alterna-soul of Peter Gabriel through the colander of current reserve, basically transforming their Sledgehammer into a rubber mallet. The opening number held great promise for me, a big hard stomping slab of soul rock, making me want to pump my fist in the air, but it wasn’t until the final number that I felt that again. While talking about it with a friend that attended, I think I figured out what stuck in my craw: they are not quite Oingo Boingo. Oingo Boingo gets put on the same retro display-shelf as “fun” bands like the B-52’s but like them, had a revolutionary bent to them, mixing a myriad of complicated genres like ragtime and jazz and world music into a punk context that succeeded. And I feel like TV on the Radio are on the same trajectory, yet can’t do the same thing. To me, the bulk of their set sounded like the same groove, the same beat repeated with two compelling vocalists, who, instead of building tidal force with their insistence on singing in unison, reduced their deluge to a trickle. There was enough there in their live show to keep me interested, but not excited. Maybe it’s a sign of the times – the same can be said about most movies and TV shows, but I still am hoping for a q-beam to come blind me in this ever-increasing sea of Christmas tree lights.

Rockin' Tabby Thomas took to the stage, flanked by Rudy Richard, Oscar Davis, James Johnson and a slew of other local blues legends, at a packed Phil Brady's Monday night for the start of Blues Week. Tabby has had a rough stretch over the last couple years, and it was great to see him back up on stage again, dishing out the greasy swamp boogie only he can cook up. The other highlight of the night was John Lisi's smoldering guitar work, which cuts through the air like a Ginsu. Everyone from Mayor Kip Holden to some Italian backpackers were there soaking up the living heritage up on stage.

HERE IS YOUR ITINERARY, ENJOY YOUR FLIGHT

Tue. April 26: The Terms and the Benjy Davis Project kick off Studio Live @ the Varsity tonight.

Wed. April 26: Lil Ray Neal and members of the Neal family will be appearing at Buddy Stewart's Rock Shop on Acadian. Lil Ray Neal, longtime guitarist for Bobby "Blue" Bland, is the rare combination of vituosity and charm, and should not be missed.

Thur. April 27: Texas songwriting legend Eric Taylor puts in an early appearance at the Red Dragon. Madison WI's Rainer Maria bring their rendition of turbo-charged emo/not emo indie rock to the Red Star with 2CV, who delivered a fantastic set at Spanish Moon last week. Florida jam rock band Mofro return to SoGo with their 15 kinds of vintage keyboards (last time through, they had a Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Hammond organ all going at once) and Jamie McClean from Dirty Dozen Brass Band in tow. Lousiana blues legend Tab Benoit will be one of the hosts of the Slim Harpo Awards at Phil Brady's

Fri. April 28: Breaker 1-9 will throw the honky tony into the mix at Chelsea's. Biloxi metal acts Love Story's End and Recovery Period with set things ablaze at the Darkroom, with Fred Weaver, This Night Will Burn and the Venditos

Sat. April 29: Gregg Wright brings his lethal blues guitar to Phil Brady's. Bensin appears at North Gate Tavern