ITP: Vacation Week! So much to do...

I Posted rundown of what I'm up to while on vacation next week, but didn't (or was prohibited from) mention Cascada at Rain next Saturday, the start of Devils hockey or the various pill-related events. Regardless, this week ahead is just lovely... Read on:

For the next 10 days, Hotline has gone fishin’.

Amazingly, the powers that be here in Heraldland have granted this writer a vacation, and when the whistle blows this afternoon I won’t return until Tuesday, Oct. 13. It’s bittersweet timing, since the hits to Hotline have doubled since last month, positioning it among the Most Read blogs on the Herald website. Figures now I ghost for a bit.

However, aside from a DJ gig in New York on Tuesday, I’m spending the nights of my vaykay the same way I would as if I was working – by going to awesome shows every night of the week. And what a week to do it, as there’s some pretty cool stuff going on, not even including the FNX Disorientation series. Here’s where I’ll be, and what I recommend. Come have a drink, because I’ll be off the clock:

Saturday, Oct. 3: Videodrome at the CommonGround --
A fairly new Saturday night dance party at Allston’s “House That Mod Night Built,” Videodrome is heavy on the visuals and heavier on sweet synthy new wave goodness. It's a break from the usual in-your-face party scene, and dancing has been known to break out.

Sunday, Oct. 4: Lights, Stars of Track and Field and Andre Obin at the Middle East -- Ontario’s Lights is a pixie darling who makes irresistible bubble-gum synth-pop ballads (think the girl version of Owl City), while opener Andre Obin, formerly of Matters & Dunaway, plays what he calls “Soviet bloc techno.” It worked as a bill earlier this year, and it won’t be long before the super talented and insanely beautiful Lights is playing much larger rooms. There will be many keyboards on stage this evening, and even more boys in the crowd ready to have their hearts broken.

Monday, Oct. 5: Twin Berlin at the Middle East -- One of my favorite new bands, Twin Berlin is a Connecticut-based garage rock quartet making some Strokes-like noise down in New York, and as one of their drummer continues his education up here in Boston, it might not be long before we can claim them as one of our own. For fans of the Libertines and other danceable modern indie rock, Twin Berlin comes highly recommended.

Tuesday, Oct. 6: Heading to NYC to spin the Rock Candy party launch, but if I were local I’d likely check out San Francisco’s The Oh Sees at Great Scott. Featuring John Dwyer formerly of the Coachwhips, the Oh Sees do the experimental psych-folk thing with sparkling results. They’re bringing the Fresh and Onlys out with them from San Fran, and locals Reports and Hospital Rats round out the bill.

Wednesday, Oct. 7: We Were Promised Jetpacks, the Twilight Sad and Brakes Brakes Brakes at Great Scott -- Three fantastic bands on a Wednesday night in Allston, and the one who could end up being the biggest will open the show. We Were Promised Jetpacks are a Scottish post-punk band who sound like what Bloc Party should be sounding like these days, and their blistering dance-romp single “Quiet Little Voices” is one of the finest tracks of the year. You may have heard a snippet (“I’m young again / I’m young again / I’m young a-gain!”) in promos for the MLB Network. Brakes Brakes Brakes feature ex-members of British Sea Power and Electric Soft Parade, and their new disc “Touchdown” recalls the glory days of Britpop.

Thursday, Oct. 8: Manic Street Preachers at the Paradise -- The legendary Welsh rockers haven’t been stateside in more than a decade, and folks in the UK are flying over to catch this show because there’s no chance the Manics would play a room this size across the pond. They still have a pointed message, but to this day no one knows the whereabouts of guitarist Richey Edwards, who disappeared in 1995. Legendary stuff, right here.

Saturday, Oct. 10: Happy Mondays and Psychedelic Furs at the House of Blues -- The original "24-Hour Party People" return, and really, how can you expect anything but a train wreck performance by Shaun Ryder, Bez and the rest of the reformed Madchester beat club Mondays? It’s one of those shows that, if it ends in total disaster, well, that’s what you’re there to see. If it rules, then even better. The Furs are an added bonus (1981’s “Talk Talk Talk” still holds up), but really, seeing the Mondays live? We can all dream about the Hacienda, for just one night.

Then it's back to reality. Catch you back here Oct. 13.