It’s official. Summer is here. The undergrads are gone. Damn, it’s quiet now…

That doesn’t mean that nothing’s going on by any means. There are still plenty of happenings to be happened. It does mean the crowd at the bar will be a little smaller, the tables at the Java House are up for grabs, and there’ll be a whole lot less vomit on the Ped Mall this weekend.

Thursday
Lakers v. Nuggets / ESPN / 8 pm
I know this seems a little weak, especially with our usual emphasis on music, but did you see the Nuggets make the Lakers look like amateurs the other night? (Granted, LA eventually came up with a victory as Denver got sloppy.) This is the set to be the second or third best match up— after the Bulls making things difficult for Boston and potentially whatever two teams (LA v. Cleveland) meet in the finals—of what has already been a crazy as hell NBA Playoffs. The plus of all of this: FREE.

Friday
Viking Fuck w. Dunebuggy, Horsebladder, and Nude Sunrise / Public Space One / 9 pm / $5
Viking Fuck (ex Bear Weather) have been making some serious noise as of late, and it’s been all over the place. Also on board are Nude Sunrise and Eyes out of the Quad Cities and two local acts Dunebuggy and Horsebladder. Get down with your DIY-self hardcore.

Saturday
Netherfriends w. Exercise, Capybara, and Pacific Proving Ground / Public Space One / 9 pm / $5
Chicago’s Netherfriends are making a name for themselves here in good ol’ Iowa City; after Saturday they’ll have played in three of IC’s downtown venues—having alreay hit The Mill and The Picador (the latter opening for No Age during the 2009 Mission Creek Fest)—and garnering a handful more indie-pop appreciators with each and every visit. Opening: Exercise, Capybara, and local boys Pacific Proving Ground.