Who let these crazy rock kids into the wine bar? A crowd of fewer than 50 caught the pAper chAse, Baby Dayliner, and Wolves of Greece show last Sunday at Needles Wine Bar. Low ceilings and no stage made for a loud show no matter where one stood, which seems to be a trend for such (literally) underground shows by the new DIY promotion group Upset the Rhythm. They've got only a few shows under their belts, but considering they're already brought us Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, they're one to bookmark on your browser.

Baby Dayliner proved a shocking contrast to the hardcore headliners the pAper chAse, but as evidenced by the crowd's energetic dancing, no one seemed to mind the difference. From NYC, BD is just a man and his drum machine whose appearance - a bouffant hairdo and smart dress - makes him look like an aspiring lounge singer. And he kind of is. Even his first few songs caused me to snicker - did Vanilla Ice produce a son now trying to follow in his father's footsteps but can't put down that Elvis Costello record? About halfway into his set, I realized he could only be appreciated with a sense of humor and then was able to shake my groove thang along with the rest of the crowd to his sweet pop-hop tunes. BD's tracks integrate cheesy synths and hip-hop bass in a surprisingly simple yet interesting way, and his half-crooned, half-rapped melodies are quite catchy. Fans can look forward to his first full-length in May.

The pAper chAse hail from Dallas, Texas. The quartet produces the kind of sound that could cause fights in the never-ending "is it emo?" debate, but leaving ending the argument there would be selling them short. Sure, their vocals are high and angsty, but they've got a twangy bass and tinny keys to go along, not to mention an intense and dense lead guitar. Think Conor Oberst on steroids and speed. They rock hard in an artfully experimental way along the lines of Les Savy Fav, The Rapture (before they went disco), and Lifter Puller.

What left the greatest impression on me at this gig was the feeling that the pAper chAse had brought the TX indie scene with them, where most gigs are like this: raaaw guitars; a knock-out mix of emo, post-punk and post-rock (just think LOUD); and tiny venues where you're so close to the band you feel like you could easily be mistaken as part of it. Oh yeah, and some girl wearing a Jackie-O dress. Yes, there were even a couple of those.