They're often billed as alt-country, but the track from the Old 97s that appeared on the 106.1 The Corner sampler a coupla years back, "Dance with Me," seems like power-pop and pretty far from Nashville. And speaking of that video, who can't identify with the nerd who wreaks havoc (at least in his own mind) on the bouncers at a snooty nightclub? On their ninth studio album, The Grand Theatre, Volume Two, they seem more thrasher than crooner. Anyway, these guys from from Dallas will have Charlottesville's unsnooty Jeff rocking this Saturday night.

It may seem like a steeper than usual price point for vocal performances. However, this multi-act event also features some celebrities in the form of local students gone off to college to sing: Patriots Drew O’Donnell and Jeremy Weiss at Yale and Saint Stacey Hahn at UVA. The main act is a male group from Yale University called the Spizzwinks(?) whose 1914 launch, five years after their school's better-known Whiffenpoofs, seems to have motivated them to inject more humor into their songs and that annoying question mark into their name. Also appearing at this Saturday night vocal-fest near Hydraulic Road is UVA's female a cappella group, The Virginia Belles, with additional appearances by Albemarle High School's a cappella groups, No Fella A Cappella and The Minutemen.

An acclaimed documentary on the controversial subject of underground fracking, Gasland, will be screened at the main library along with commentary by an activist from the Shenandoah Valley, where geologists have found rich reserves of the underground but tricky-to-extract energy. Although this film by Josh Fox earned an Oscar nomination and an Emmy victory, the state of Colorado issued a rebuttal to the film's money shot-- flames from a water faucet-- as merely a natural occurrence of methane. With America's natural gas reserves widely touted as a replacement for Mideast oil, this debate matters. Bruce Richie of Land, Air, Water Stewardship Action Group will speak after the film; so prepare your hard questions.

"I'm for people who are tired of serving meals without compliments," says chef Terre Sisson, whose company is offering a pair of season-appropriate Thursday night cooking classes at a popular Preston Avenue pasta shop. After a snack-and-drink welcome, attendees at the two upcoming events will be invited into the kitchen to learn the techniques. On January 26, it's soups and stews; and on February 7, it's hearty beef fare. Students will be sent away two and half hours later with a recipe packet and, it's claimed, the confidence to replicate the meal.

Sorry, we're writing about this one a little early, but for your sake we're worried this Thursday-nighter will-- like most or all of their prior Charlottesville shows-- sell out. Although they released their first album in 1986, They Might Be Giants say they're celebrating their pearl anniversary: 30 years. That's triple the age of some of their youngest fans and half the age of some of their oldest; and this show is open to ages 14 and above. They're touring the wake of a newish album called Join Us, penned from the point of view of various loonies. "Mucking around in the mind of an unreliable narrator," says half of the duo, John Flansburgh, "is about halfway between a pleasant short vacation and self-induced mental illness, and this album is about as chock-full of that as anything we've ever done." Opener: Jonathan Coulton.