The Map Room.

Friday night, we went bowling. Afterwards, we decided to stop at a nearby bar called The Map Room. Turns out, they had four local bands playing that night, along with some pretty decent beer specials. So we decided to stick around, and had fun trying to guess what each band would be like, based solely on their name, apparel, and instruments.

The first band was basically just two solo artists who perform together. They were alright, but we only heard their last two songs, so it's kind of hard to judge them based on that.

The second band was named Rosemont. One of my guesses - Greendayesque - turned out to be pretty accurate. Mike's comment was "definitely pop-punk, with shades of Jimmy Eat World".

The third band was named April Invention. Mike thought they were going to play blues. I thought they might sound somewhat like the Killers. We were both wrong. Turns out they were Oasis imitators. Haven't heard that kind of music in a while. I really think it would have been better if they had played a cover or two, though.

The fourth band showed a great deal of promise right away. They were named The Fire Apes, and were wearing matching ties and jackets. They also had a synthesizer. Mike's guess was that they would sound like Fountains of Wayne, which was pretty much correct. They were awesome!!

The bar was pretty interesting - lots of empty space and a very eclectic crowd. Not enough maps to satisfy Mike, but it was a fun evening and I suspect we'll be back.