Fri. Dec. 21 -- Eddie Spaghetti's Supersuckers sure do rock hard, with tightly written tunes and a manly sense of humor ("I'm a F*cking Genius"). With roughshod L.A. vets The Hangmen, plus J.D. Bender. At the Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 90069; doors 7:30pm; $20; 21+; (310) 652-7869; www.viperroom.com.
Sat. Dec. 22 -- Metal legionnaires resurrect the Adversary just in time for the Nativity: 1980s Cal thrashers Hirax and L.A. powermen Agent Steel, L.A. death stars Demoliton, plus the more recently arrived but reliable Bonded by Blood. At the Key Club, 9039 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 90069; doors 6:30pm; $22; 18+; www.keyclub.com; (310) 274-5800.
Sat. Dec. 22 -- Kinda like Kenny Barron used to do with Stan Getz, Gerald Clayton & Ben Wendel, the pianist son of John & the sax teaser from Kneebody, duel it out. At the Blue Whale on the third level of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $15; parking $5 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
Sun. Dec. 23 -- Jazz Funk Fest features a wild lineup of avantitious music, video, etc. with Blue Moon Crescent, Black Shoe Polish, MAP, Eric Ahlberg's Jazz Workshop. At the Talking Stick Coffee Lounge, 1411 Lincoln Blvd., Venice 90291; 6-10pm; free; www.thetalkingstick.net.
Tues. Dec. 25 -- How many Bethlehems were there in ancient Palestine? If you guessed two, you win a stocking stuffer. Read my extrapolation here.
Wed. Dec. 26 -- Warm & subtle pianist Josh Nelson closes out his Wednesdays residency with two trios featuring his favorite mates: Hamilton Price & Kevin Kanner, and Dave Robaire & Dan Schnelle. At the Blue Whale on the third level of Weller Court Plaza, south of East First Street between South Los Angeles Street and South San Pedro Street, Little Tokyo 90012; 9pm-midnight; $10; parking $5 underneath off Second Street at the sign of the P in a circle; (213) 620-0908; www.bluewhalemusic.com.
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Read Don Heckman’s jazz picks here and MoshKing's metal listings here. Read John Payne's plutonic Bluefat.com (featuring an interview with the late great Ravi Shankar) here.
A year ago, recognizing that the main purpose of television is to help you sleep, Congress enacted a law prohibiting commercials from being louder than the programs in which they are embedded. That law, the CALM (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation) Act, went into effect December 13. Nothing will change unless you speak up, so the next time you're slammed awake by a commercial for loan sharks or boner pills, COMPLAIN HERE. Select the second-to-last option (Broadcast) on the first page, and the last option (Loud Commercials) on the second page. On the third page, be specific about the cable system, the channel, the advertiser and the time. Bookmark this FCC complaint site, cuz you'll be needing it. (You can use it against phone solicitors and other stuff, too.) Thank you, reader. And thank you, California Representative Anna Eshoo (D-Silicon Valley), the bill's sponsor.