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Forecast: Sunshine Tonight at 9:30 p.m.

By Sarah Dahnke in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 17, 2007 4:45PM

Alert: This post is not about Pitchfork. We know you are disappointed.

Tonight's show at the Empty Bottle is designed to get us back into club mode — where we watch bands play on small stages in small venues and are able to tie their shoelaces or count their beads of sweat if we want to.

2007_7_17_sharks.jpegTo begin, we have Empty Bottle virgins The Sharks, who have been in the middle of quite an upswing on the local scene, most notably beginning with their "mainstream venue" debut at Subterranean in May. This five-piece is known for their abilities to charm the pants off their audiences, partially because of their incredibly obvious bond on stage and (Pitchfork haters will hopefully appreciate this) partially because they are the epitome of non-hipster. For every naysayer who called out a skinny dude in a neckerchief this weekend, there's a band member in The Sharks rocking a white Hanes T-shirt. These kids don't dress for the after party.

The Sharks' steady, upbeat keyboard lines mixed with classic guitar riffs and male and female vocals, often in unison, are basically irresistible. We just hope you're wearing elastic waistbands because three songs into the set, we're pretty sure the band will have charmed your pants to an entirely different state, causing you to reassess your favorite bands immediately, making room for this under-the-radar local set.

The Sharks precede the more minimalist Asthmatic Kitty darlings Shapes and Sizes, who may not make you want to dance, but they will definitely captivate with multiple instrumentation and nonsensical lyrics: "I like eating fruit off of trees when I'm with you/Children gone mad, children gone bad, it's a sad, eating mom, eating dad, children gone mad." It's a given that everyone on the label sounds like a combination of Sufjan and someone else, a descriptor that we're sure Shapes and Sizes are quickly growing tired of.

Headlining the night is Canada's own circus rock aficionados They Shoot Horses Don't They? Imagine if Tom Waits' band and Win Butler had babies who grew up to be a band. Well, there you have it.

It's shaping up to be a grey, rainy Tuesday, and you deserve a little sunshine. Tonight's show is about as sunny as it gets.

They Shoot Horses Don't They?, Shapes and Sizes and The Sharks play at 9:30 p.m. tonight at the Empty Bottle.

The Sharks' photo courtesy of the band.