Merry Christmas from Karen, plus cool show this Saturday

Here's a repost from the folks in I Was Totally Destroying It (above). They're playing a benefit show this Saturday for a friend who inspired one of their songs. Here's what they sent out earlier today on Myspace: Merry Christmas Eve, y'all- We need all the support we can get at this one, so please join us at the benefit this Saturday for our friend Conrad Zaborowski. If you've heard our album you've heard the track "Conrad"- this was written late this past spring, right after Conrad was in a terrible car accident, sending him into a coma for months. Conrad is now awake and doing astonishingly well, but he and his family have massive medical bills that will continue to pile up over the years to come. Please come out and by doing so you will be donating to this good cause. We play first, early, so be there at 8, this will be a quick show- watch the 3 great bands and head out on the town and enjoy the end of the year with your friends... SATURDAY DECEMBER 29 -Ships -Will Donegan & The Apologies -I Was Totally Destroying It @Cat's Cradle 300 E Main St Carrboro, NC 8pm. $6/$8. All Ages.

Check out Polynya

NOW LISTENING TO: The self-titled debut by Polynya, a new pop/electronic band from Chapel Hill that includes, among other folks, local artist/musician and Girls Rock Camp founder Amelia Burch. Very sweet girl/boy vocals and happy pop guitar riffs turn unexpectedly tough and ominous. I don't see any shows listed on their Web site, but I'm looking forward to seeing them when they do play again.

Suburban Sweethearts last night at Slim's

Suburban Sweethearts lived up to my expectations last night with a short, but raw, set that included a few covers, including one by Bob Seger. Joe told me the name of the Seger tune, but since I know almost nothing about Seger, I don't remember which one it was. Since I had to work at an ungodly hour this morning, I didn't stick around for The Loners. Here's the video of Suburban Sweethearts. I started off on the stairs at Slim's, but too many people kept walking in front of me. I went downstairs and tried to stand behind the band, but from that angle I could only see Lucius' back, so I moved again to right in front of Joe. (see more photos).

My top CDs for the year

I know everyone in the world has already released their top lists, but I generally like to wait just in case something comes out in December that wows me. OK, that's not true; I'm just lazy. Here's my list, with a few short notes on each. 1. Band of Horses -- Cease to Begin. No other CD affected me like this one this year. I absolutely love Ben Bridwell's voice. 2. Dungen -- Tito Bitar. I love the flute that comes in and calms everything down after the guitar freakout -- and that's just in the first song. 3. Midnight Movies -- Lion the Girl. Dark and psychedelic. Imagine if the Velvets were based in Los Angeles rather than New York, and hung out with the Manson Family rather than Andy Warhol. 4. Golden Dogs -- Big Eye Little Eye. Perfect, winsome pop. Check out "Construction Worker." 5. M.I.A. -- Kala. If for no other reason than the Clash sample, and suddenly controversial gunshots on "Paper Planes." 6. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings -- 100 Days, 100 Nights. I truly couldn't care less about Amy Crackhouse, but I'm glad her success is shining a spotlight on this truly deserving singer and her fabulous backing band. 7. The Lonely H -- Hair. Queen-inspired classic rock from a bunch of Seattle area teenagers. Imagine what they'll be capable of by the time they they turn 30. 8. Art Brut -- It's a Bit Complicated. Witty Britpop that, for my money, were even better than Hold Steady on this year's tour. 9. Justin Townes Earle -- Yuma. The son of Steve Earle, and named after Townes Van Zandt, Justin has a lot to live up to. Based on this CD, I think he'll do just fine for himself. 10. Pontiak -- Sun on Sun. Swampy, angry blues rock. A nice follow-up to their excellent "Valley of Cats."

Suburban Sweethearts with The Loners tomorrow night!

I don't need to tell you about The Loners, who just might be the most beloved band in Raleigh (and deservedly so), who will be at Slim's tomorrow night. But you most likely don't know about the opening band, Suburban Sweethearts, a new band with Joe Yerry from The Bleeding Hearts, Lucius from The Greatest Hits and Sir Arthur & His Royal Knights, and Erik Sugg (Dragstrip Syndicate), who, I have repeatedly said, is one of the best guitarists in this area. Erik knows raw, MC5-style rock, and Joe Y himself described this band to me as "Hellacopters-meets-MC5", so you should make a point not to miss it. I will be there, despite the fact that I have to work the following morning at 4:30 a.m.