X-Mas at Ye Ol' Grog

Most venues book Christmas shows stuffed with the year's leftovers — hodgepodge bills put together at the last minute, with a stripped-down staff working a nearly empty room. But the Grog Shop's annual Christmas bash has become a local fave — a booze-filled bonanza that helps music fans forget their troubles and/or families on a day when they most likely need to most. This year's concert features a quartet of bands on the alcohol-stained menu. The Duvalby Bros. serve as the evening's appetizer — a soothing aural brandy made up of shoegazing guitars, epic vocals, and just a touch of molten minor chords. Roué packs plenty of angsty sounds (hostile drums, punk guitars) that burn like a vintage whiskey. Machine Go Boom buries sharp pop craft beneath quirky innocence and lots of yelping glee. Its keyboard clatter is perfect for hopping up and down while under the influence of a sudden beer buzz. Finally, the Short Rabbits splat fast and sloppy — like a warm can of PBR. They're also the ones most likely to send you home with bruises you probably won't remember in the morning. Merry Christmas.