Kevin Bronson on November 26th, 2008

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[Apologies for the relative scarcity of reading matter — the soundtrack around Buzz Bands HQ this week has been coughin’ ‘n’ sneezin’, not rock ‘n’ roll. I clear my throat long enough now, however, to wish Tina Turner a happy birthday …]

Matthew Sweet [left] occupies top-shelf real estate around here — I think my cassette of 1991’s “Girlfriend,” the first of his great five-album stretch in the 1990s, should be enshrined my car for most commuter miles logged. His release this past August, “Sunshine Lies,” could easily fit into that mid-’90s catalog. Tonight, Sweet plays the El Rey Theatre, and he’s joined by Bangles Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson. Bring a can of food for the L.A. Food Bank, and you’ll get $5 off your ticket price. … Should be another busy night downtown: New Kids on the Block are at the Nokia Theatre, and Nas raps at Club Nokia (oh, and there’s a basketball game across the street at Staples). … Ascendant local indie-poppers the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra head an excellent bill at the Echo, while the emo kids will be out in force for Pierce the Veil at the Troubadour. … And O.C. quintet Hellogoodbye winds up its long tour with a date at the Knitting Factory.

On (and off) the radio: The Buzz Bands show on Little Radio takes the night off. I’ll be back next Wednesday at 6 p.m. Meanwhile, I encourage you to tune into Jason Bentley’s show on KCRW-FM at 8 tonight to get the lowdown on the “Give. Listen. Help” double-CD compilation released in October. Here’s my item from October on the album; Dangerbird Records co-founder Jeff Castelaz will be Bentley’s guest on KCRW tonight.