Speaking of free showcases at the Delancey, SESAC, whoever they are, are ensuring that the cavernous basement stage of the club is chockablock with area up-and-comers next Thursday night. There are roughly 34 bands on the bill that evening, and it also happens to be doubling as a Coheed & Cambria afterparty (!), so bring earplugs.

We'll all have places to be, so let's get to the good stuff.

11.30pm - Now, I've written about Goes Cube plenty of times on this blog before, but a few things have changed over the last year. Most significantly, they've stopped numbering their songs. Gone is "Goes Cube Song 46", in with actual titles like "Clenching Jaws." As the material is getting hookier than ever, without sacrificing any of the heaviness, it was probably a smart move, even if it kills my bingo-hopper / random-set-list idea I always wanted to try. What hasn't changed: the quality of the songs. Both recorded and live, you will *feel* the riffage.

Going on right before them - at 10.45pm - is Asa Ransom, a not-even-remotely-metal band comprised of 3/4ths of the late, very great Death of Fashion. Twisted, talented guitarist Jacob Bills has assumed the sole lead vocal position, as the previous band's rhythm section remains blissfully, tautly intact. The new outfit finds them stripping away their pop-structured leanings of their previous work and moving slowly toward a PIL/Can direction, where one driving riff, strummed chord, scraping single-note lead or demented chorus lyric become the base for droning, up-tempo epics. A captivating group with a bright future, and absolutely hypnotic on stage.

The tasty notes-and-noodles prog-onslaught of Villa Vina and angular violin-wielders Kiss Kiss wrap up this visceral and musically-complex evening. It's at Delancey, so bring a flask.