Price and Seating: $12, general admission

Parking Situation: There's always free street parking nearby, so why do people pay the valets?

Slam Potential: At the peak of D4's set, there were two friendly pits. There was also one shirtless guy, two stage divers, and a few "I sang onstage with D4" hams.

Potential Ear Damage: The Troubadour has pretty good sound, but it won't be breaking anyone's eardrums.

Lawrence Arms' Chicago band lineage includes Slapstick and The Broadways, but they actually sound more like an East Bay punk band circa '91. The singer has some serious Crimpshrine and Jawbreaker tendencies with sloppier arrangements. There's also a second, higher voice to add some extra dimension to the songs. My friend Kiyoshi swears Lawrence arms played a Dillinger 4 cover, but I think he was drunk. D4, the headliners, are a fucking army when they play onstage. The four beer drinkers from Minneapolis really pour on the power and personality. It's like you hear a million kids playing pop punk when you're switching between sports radio stations all day, but these guys show what happens when grown-ups play. The lyrics have brains, the musicianship is solid, the set is totally focused, and they manage to have fun, too. Okay, so Paddy didn't get naked this time around, but the music is enough to make the show. If you want ass, go to the strip club. If you want high-energy, nitro-burning, top-quality punk rock that's not just about girls, go see D4. (Note: one of them wears a Giant Robot monkey button in the booklet for the band's newest CD, Situationalist Comedy.)

Price and Seating: $6 to stand or sit on the record store floor

Parking Situation: There's a ton of free parking on Sunset in Echo Park, but you might not want to take your Jag.

Slam Potential: No way, this is indie rock. Everyone in the crowd looked like they came out of the Ghost World movie.

Potential Ear Damage: Your eardrums would be tickled at worst.

I didn't see all of Little Wings' set, but it appeared to be a dude getting sensitive with his guitar. Then Jason Traeger, another K Records singer-songwriter, made people laugh with his song about getting down with a sexy chicken. Calvin Johnson came on last. The indie rock god from Olympia didn’t play anything from Beat Happening, The Halo Benders, or Dub Narcotic Sound System, but he did perform some funny and sweet acoustic tunes from his new LP. It's cool that Calvin is doing it on his own, but he doesn’t get to dance as much when he is behind an acoustic guitar. Too bad, because he has some crazy moves. Nonetheless, his slow and low baritone grabs attention like bricks are flying out of his throat. The two highlights were non-musical. First, a vato came out off the street to do some heckling, but wound up becoming a fan. Then an angry and bitter lady tried to argue that "everyone aspires to be bored." When she scooted back across the politely seated indie-rock masses, about four inches of ass crack rose out of her low-rider jeans! Everything became good again when Calvin got back into his warm, fuzzy, and weird indie minstrel action.

Price and Seating: $8, general admission

Parking Situation: The newly zoned parking around Spaceland has made parking on Silver Lake Boulevard a real ordeal. Next time, I'm walking to the club.

Slam Potential: This was a 21-and-over show, and everyone was over slamming.

Potential Ear Damage: I stood in front of the Rye Coalition's maxed-out guitar amps, and my ears will be ringing for days.

Golden is a DC band that mixes math rock and country rock. Mix up Nomeansno and Lynyrd Skynrd or fIREHOSE and ZZ Top, and you'll be on the right track. The drummer was particularly amazing, and he practically sat on the edge of the stage. Jersey City's Rye Coalition closed the night out and they were full-on rock gods. The sweaty singer, who looked like the bastard son of Bruce Springsteen and John Belushi, and screamed at full blast all the way, jumping around the stage like an animal and falling off it with every other lunge. Style-wise, the sound was like the Laughing Hyenas doing AC/DC covers, and the guitar players were all over the stage and even running around the sparse crowd. Somewhere in the middle, the singer said, "I like this city. We've only been here for a few hours and I already feel like we're the best band here." It's true; they are one of the best live bands I've ever witnessed. Rye Coalition came to town and showed Los Angeles how to rock, and you missed it, clown. When the set was over, guitar wires were tangled all over the stage, amps had toppled onto the ground, and at least one mic stand was busted. It looked as if there was either a riot or a great set, and in this case it was both.