We were way late to the Paramore bandwagon, and only picked up on them a few weeks before Riot! hit stores this year, but for shit's sake, you knew we were gonna love this band: shamelessly pop, adorable teenage girl singer, and a hit song that bounds onto Top 40 radio despite being a) complicated, b) sung by a girl in a rock band who's not Avril Lavigne, and c) a song that casually smashes to smithereens a host of stereotypes about what nice girls are supposed to sing about.

We were way late to the Paramore bandwagon, and only picked up on them a few weeks before Riot! hit stores this year, but for shit's sake, you knew we were gonna love this band: shamelessly pop, adorable teenage girl singer, and a hit song that bounds onto Top 40 radio despite being a) complicated, b) sung by a girl in a rock band who's not Avril Lavigne, and c) a song that casually smashes to smithereens a host of stereotypes about what nice girls are supposed to sing about.

If you're headed to M.I.A. at the Palladium tonight, get there early: Cool Kids have cancelled, but we're dying to see what C440R's monster party-rap duo have in store when they step in tonight as a last-minute opening act. Big Digits at the Palladium: who'da thunk it? For an idea of how much awesomeness is in store, check the video above to see what happened the last time someone offered TD and Mac Swell a nice big stage.

DOWNLOAD: The Sprained Ankles, "Randy, The Rock and Roll Pizza Wolf" (mp3)

We can't tell you much about Randy that you couldn't glean from the song title: he loves AC/DC, he makes a really great pizza, and he turns into a werewolf when the moon is full. We can tell you even less about the Sprained Ankles, a recent and welcome addition to the pantheon of certifiably loony Boston garage-punk maniacs.

Sure, it was only two songs. (Turns out they had a third ready to go, but decided against it. What, the applause wasn't loud enough? "Exactly," said Chris Brokaw.) But since this was the first time Come have performed since their 2 1/2-hour farewell gig at the MidEast's downstairs room back in -- what, 1998? -- well, this was pretty fucking rad.

VHS or Beta stopped by the FNX studios last week to play a couple tracks from their neu new record Bring on the Comets. And you thought those guys would be lost without their sequencer.

Another blow was dealt to Boston's hip-hop reputation last week when Epitaph indie-rapper BUSDRIVER walked out on a Harpers Ferry gig after the club's soundman made a racist remark to one of Busdriver's crew members. Yesterday, the club released a formal apology to the rapper, stating that the club has a "zero tolerance" policy towards such remarks, that the soundman in question had been fired, and that the club is committed to further sensitivity training for its remaining employees.

Our old pals (and former PHX tourbloggers) Tigersaw are off again, this time to Europe (dates below for our Continental peoples), but they threw down at PA's Lounge before embarking, and trotted out a new song, "Words Not Used In Books," that'll be on their next album.

We've watched those Dead Trees kids since they were but little pups playing far better Pavement knbockoffs than a bunch of 16-year-olds had any right to

The Rat's Last Stand: November 15, 1997

Any good scenester can tell you that November 15, 1997 was the date of the final gig ever played at Boston's legendary, notorious punk club, the Rat. The final band onstage was, appropriately enough, Gang Green, who probably drank (and sold!) more beers at that joint than anyone.