British boys love to rock, and The Maccabees are no exception. Last night I caught their sold-out show at Mercury Lounge and enjoyed the guitar riffs of another new wave of Englishmen. I’ve always been a huge fan of The Cribs and The Rakes -- also from England. The Maccabees’ tunes, I’d say, definitely fall within a similar vein. I invited one of my editors from BlackBook, and friend, Miss Eiseley Tauginas, to come with. Eiseley met me out front of Mercury around 8:30ish; we grabbed drinks inside and watched the boys' performance.

The duo that comprise Minnesota band Now, Now, Every Children may be barely older than twenty, but Cacie Dalager and Brad Hale have been playing together since high school, when they would meet after marching band practice to write songs. They posted the tunes on MySpace and gained a following before even playing a show. After two EPs -- Not One, But Two and In the City -- the band’s full-length debut Cars comes out July 9 on Afternoon Records, and it's already garnering praise from critics for its broody minimalism. You can catch Now, Now Every Children May 4 at Mercury Lounge, but first Cacie tells us about being detained in France and wanting to be best friends with Hermione in our inquisitive but not always grammatically correct, Pop Quiz.

At Williamsburg's Zebulon last night, I enjoyed a Rolling Rock in the cheery company of Awesome New Republic and was told to add Richard Fariña's Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me to my summer reading list. At some point, Brian Robertson, the reticent half of ANR, meekly said, "I have a fear of oranges." Michael Hancock, his chattier compliment, on the other hand, offered me a little chorizo and explained, "I'm like the monkey of the band and [Brian]'s the super-producer, the magician." He also owned up to the fact that before their single "Birthday," emerged on Perez Hilton with Gossip Girl's own Queen B on vocals, he had no idea who Leighton Meester was.

So you've been under a rock for the past few months. With all the ills of the world, it's tempting to keep company with sow bugs and earthworms, shunning the harsh light of reality. I don't blame you. Only now you're staring at a nearly insurmountable quagmire of MP3s that you haven't yet begun to scale. And that's just since this January. And that is your fault, because most people seeking oblivion at least remember to take their iPods. But things like this ought to help you get your bearings. If you're in need of a live musical reprieve but find Lady Gaga too much of an eye- and earsore, head down to Manhattan's Mercury Lounge tonight. There, Angus & Julia Stone promise you an excellent time, in support of their latest album, A Book Like This.

“I want to eat you all up!” said Aja Volkman at the Highline Ballroom last month, before leaning over and sucking on the outstretched fingers of a female fan in the front row. An intrepid performer, the frontwoman for Nico Vega slips easily from husky, wide-eyed purring to evoking Zach de la Rocha, if he wore lingerie on stage and had a face like a porcelain doll. The band’s eponymous debut album, produced by Linda Perry (Pink, Gwen Stefani) and Tim Edgar (Early Greyhound), was released earlier this month and Aja, Rich, Dan will be back to New York on Monday, opening for the Von Bondies at Mercury Lounge. But first, Aja tells us why you shouldn’t have sex on the sun and more in our Pop Quiz.

You've probably heard the effervescent indie pop ditties of The Submarines countless times already, perhaps on an errant episode of Grey's Anatomy or more probably, on iPhone commercials. You may even remember the Magnolia effect of a past Nip/Tuck finale which employed the band's "Brighter Discontent" as its watchword. Says band member Blake Hazard of seeing it all play out on the TV screen, "It was very surreal, seeing the song reinterpreted that way. You write your song and you have your own intentions, but then it goes out into the world. You hear it in this completely different context. [It's] totally fascinating and surreal. They did such a cool job taking a lot of lyrics literally and transposing them into the show. I guess the director Ryan Murphy heard the song on the radio and had this moment where he got the idea to write it into the season finale." Currently they're on the road supporting their latest effort Honeysuckle Weeks. Tonight they play Manhattan's Mercury Lounge. And tomorrow night, Brooklyn's Bell House. But of course, if you plan to attend, you should get to know them properly first. The Submarines get the Facebook meme treatment after the jump.

What happens when a Burton-sponsored Olympic snowboarder irreparably tears his ACL (knee) at the height of his career? My guess is that most boarders would just retreat to the backcountry for a while to hole up in haze of frustration, and eventually open up an overpriced snowboard camp for kids in Tahoe. However, if your best friend and fiancée is the hotter-than-hot musician Santogold, and she helps you rehab by channeling your rebellious snowboarder mentality into songs, you might end up finding your second calling. That’s exactly what Trevor “Trouble” Andrew did a little over three years ago, and now his group is shredding stages (and the occasional slope) with their fresh crunk-rock sound. After a show last week at the Mercury Lounge, members of Trouble Andrew sat down with us in the venue’s bunker-like basement. Amongst beer boxes filled with empty bottles, Trouble Andrew, guitarist Joao Salamao, and bassist Masa took us behind the music.

New York
● Black Iron Burger Shop opens (five months behind schedule) in the LES.
● Kurve in the East Village is open, for real this time.

Up-and-coming artist, Long Island native, and Berklee alum Matt Lowell knows how to keep it real. At his most recent Mercury Lounge performance, Matt provided fans with a fresh new sound. His gripping lyrics and sensational touch on the guitar are a relief from the new generation of attention-grabbing musicians. His songs -- such as his latest, "Falling Through the Cracks" -- are particularly sincere. Lowell's laid-back yet lively stage persona makes his fans truly feel the music, as his genuine smile and natural ability come alive through his performance.