Tonight, Tonight: Boyce Avenue at House of Blues, FUnk NUg at Hailey's Club, Heartless Bastards at Dan's Silverleaf and Genitorturers at Trees

Boyce Avenue, Megan & Liz and Tiffany Alvord at House of Blues
Brothers Alejandro, Daniel and Fabian Manzano make up the majority of the acoustic rock trio known as Boyce Avenues, and, although the brothers call Florida their home, Daniel actually graduated from Harvard Law School in 2004. Since then, the Manzanos have spent a lot of time posting videos of original and cover songs on YouTube. These videos have attracted over 230 million views in total, and have turned Boyce Avenue into an internet sensation. Whether or not the attention is well-deserved is another matter, but the band's overly somber pop-rock sounds as good as anything the Goo Goo Dolls have put out recently. Nothing earth-shattering here, but good background music for hobnobbing with the younger set.

FUnk NUg, Immigrant Punk and Top Hat Ted at Hailey's Club in Denton
Oh, these crazy local bands with their strange capitalization practices. Yep, FUnk NUg are from Denton, and, after playing a funk set last night at Hailey's, the band promises a punk set at the same venue this evening. Helping out are Immigrant Punk, a worldbeat/folk act lead by the talented Rocio "Roe" Aranda. Aranda comes across as a misplaced Bay Area flower child with some serious anger issues, but her music can be captivating. Same goes for Coppell's Top Hat Ted, a punky outfit that can work an old-school ska groove like it's nobody's business. Actually, Top Hat Ted may well be the best band on this interesting triple-bill.

Heartless Bastards and Record Hop at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton
After Erika Wennerstrom left Ohio and reformed Heartless Bastards in her new home of Austin, she also reworked the band's image to fit her new surroundings. 2009's The Mountain featured a rootsy sound that was a far cry from the blues rock of her band's early incarnation. The banjos and mandolins incorporated on tracks such as "Could Be So Happy" and "Out to Sea" fit perfectly with Wennerstrom's new Americana vibe. She's a talented gal with a strong set of pipes and a nice way with words. And that's a killer combo in any genre. So is pairing Record Hop with Heartless Bastards.

Genitorturers, Hunzel Und Gretyl, Razor Blade Dolls and S.C.A.B.B. at Trees
If seedy is what you're looking for this evening, then head down to Trees and catch Orlando's Genitorturers. For nearly 20 years, Gen and her sordid crew have been dispensing with anything resembling restraint as they hit all the lows most commonly associated with industrial metal. This is the musical equivalent to shock and awe, as songs such as "Lecher Bitch" and "Cum Junkie" aptly demonstrate. Buyer beware.