You probably hated them the first time around, and you would have been right to do so, but don’t count Hanson out this time around. The sibling trio has grown up since their pre-pubescent mmm-bopping took the world by storm – New York’s Village Voice, the daddy of all alt.weeklies, recently called the group “the finest straight-up rock band in America.” Yes, checking them out this Friday, September 12 at MacEwan Hall could lead to some cognitive dissonance for those who can’t help but think of the band as a less fictional version of The Archies, but sometimes it’s worth having your expectations shaken.

Speaking of defied expectations, it’s nice to see that melodic hardcore heavyweights Bad Religion are still going strong. The band helped define the genre, first through its bluntly political and blatantly catchy punk anthems and then through the founding of Epitaph records, America’s largest punk label. Twenty-eight years of thrashing has honed the band into a powerful live force, and though they’re as heavy-handed as any other idealistic punks, they have the brains to back it up. Singer Greg Graffin holds a PhD, and earlier this year won the Harvard Secular Society’s Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism. Expect to be preached to when they play Flames Central on Tuesday, September 16, but feel free to mosh mindlessly.

Lastly, don’t miss Dave Lang this Saturday, September 13 at the Palomino. Lang has a knack for deeply sarcastic country tunes, but unlike most “funny” musicians, he puts the songs first and the jokes second. He’s played with local favourites like Matt Masters and Corb Lund, and has worked on albums with Luke Doucet, Neko Case and Carolyn Mark. He’ll be joined by Calgary’s Kris Demeanour, another country songwriter with a fondness for punchlines, and Vancouver’s Tom Holliston. Holliston used to be in a couple of punk bands, namely NoMeansNo and, oddly enough, hockey bruisers The Hanson Brothers — not to be confused with those former mmm-boppers who will be playing the day before. How’s that for timing?