**This party is Sun., not Sat., as was previously reported.

Due to finalization of city permits (sort of important when it comes to these kind of events), word is just now getting out belatedly on Sunday’s Chiang Banger block party, hosted by Chiang Mai Thai restaurant in Calhoun Square. The event is taking place in the parking lot at W. Lake St. and Girard Av. from 2-10 p.m., and it’s a pretty cool lineup: Polara, Solid Gold, Ouija Radio, the Mood Swings, Frontier, Shortcuts, Caroline Smith and more. It’s free but 21+.

The Hold Steady rocked “The Late Show With David Letterman” last night, and they didn’t just do the usual one song (”Sequestered in Memphis”). They were also featured in a skit earlier in the show where comedian Andy Kindler, a fan of the band, visited them on the road with a film crew.

Click here to view the skit. And click here to view the performance, which was damn impressive and had a pretty funny little intro from Dave.

“Stay Positive,” the band’s fourth album, came out Tuesday. I’d rate it just above “Boys and Girls in America” and just below “Separation Sundays” as their best, but those are pretty fine lines. Musically, a few of the tracks are mellower but actually darker than on previous albums. Look for a sizeable feature on the album/band in the Variety A&E section or the Vita.mn print tab, or over the weekend at www.startribune.com/music.

As promised (by both singers), the album that Gary Louris and Mark Olson made together with Chris Robinson as producer will come out this year. It’s called “Ready for the Flood” and is due Sept. 16 on Hacktone Records, the rootsy L.A. indie label that issued Olson’s last, excellent solo album, “The Salvation Blues.”

The press release for the disc includes a nice quote from Robinson, who also produced Louris’s solo record that came out in February, “Vagabonds,” but was actually recorded after “Ready for the Flood.” “I was completely thrilled when Mark and Gary asked me to come on board,” the Black Crowe said. ”I think fans of their music will find them at their very best while also expanding their songs into some new colors.”

Hopefully, the album’s release will also mean the former Jayhawks singers will finally perform together on stage here in town. Neither of their two previous tours together included a Twin Cities date.

Can’t say I’m an avid watcher of “Last Call With Carson Daly,” but I’ll definitely tune in tonight. Local rockers Cloud Cult are set to make their network-TV debut on the show, which airs at 12:35 a.m. on NBC (technically Friday morning). The band reportedly taped “Story of the Grandson of Jesus” — my own favorite from the new record — for tonight, plus they played “Everybody Here Is a Cloud” for another episode that will air in September. Of course, those of you heading out to Rock the Garden on Saturday get to see them play a whole set (I believe they go on second). My prediction: They’ll steal the show.

(**Note date change from previous posting)

The Electric Fetus just announced today that both Atmosphere and Brother Ali will perform at their Minneapolis location next Tuesday, June 10, at 9:30 p.m. to kick off the store’s 40th anniversary celebrations. Passes are being given out for free at the store the morning of June 10 and are limited to 350 people. Slug used to work at the Fetus, but the Rhymesayers crew has always been big proponents of indie stores (they own one themselves!).

This is the first of a series of in-store gigs this week at the Minneapolis store, 2000 4th Av. S. Haley Bonar will be there June 11 at 7 p.m., followed by Roma di Luna on June 12 at 7 p.m., Charlie Parr on June 13 at 3 p.m., the Teddy Bear Band (kids dig ‘em!) on June 14 at 10 a.m. and a nice jazz pairing on June 15 with Donald Washington at 2 p.m. and the James Buckley Trio at 4. Sales, giveaways and other reasons to shop for records are going on at the Fetus all this month.

The 40th celebration will culminate with a show next Friday, June 13, at First Avenue with acts from each of the store’s decades in business (’60s-’00s): Tony Glover & V3, the Hypsterz, the New Standards, Polara and Doomtree, plus more bands in the Entry. Sounds like a blast. Tickets are $5 advance or $10 at the door. You know where you can buy them. 

Can we go ahead and say that Rhymesayers officially knocked it out of the park with Soundset ‘08 today? No pun intended on the Metrodome location, either.

The turnout was by all accounts a smash success (12,000 people). The production on both stages ran almost seamlessly, with breaks lasting mere minutes and pretty terrific sound for an outdoor gig (the only snag I witnessed was Crescent Moon’s mike going out during Kill the Vultures‘ set, which cooly resulted in him yelling out his song at vein-popping volume).  Even the weather cooperated in downtown Minneapolis as storms kicked up all around Minnesota (proof that God really does love Ugly?!). As for the music, it seemed like all of the acts were trying their damnedest to rise to the occasion, including out-of-towners like Dilated Peoples, who I hadn’t seen in years and thoroughly dug.

I probably only saw a fourth of Soundset’s 35 sets because I had to do the reporting for a news story in tomorrow’s Metro section (look for it online at www.startribune.com/music). So please go to the comments section below and fill in the gap of who/what the standouts were musically.

I did catch all of Atmosphere. I couldn’t believe how well the crowd knew all the words to the new songs. I was also impressed with the overall flow of the 70-minute set, as Slug and guitarist Nate Collis started out slow and moody with “Guarantees” and then gradually built up the tempo in ”Puppets.” Both “Your Glasshouse” and “Always Coming Back Home to You” made for an intense mid-show pairing. And the all-star rendering of “Crewed Up” (from “Strictly Leakage”) provided Soundset with the big, fun, cocky finish it deserved. Here’s Atmosphere’s entire set list:

Guarantees  /  Puppets  /  Shoulda Known  /  Sunshine  (w/ Musab) /  Like Today  /  Guns and Cigarettes  /  Between the Lines  /  You  /  Your Glasshouse  /  Always Coming Back Home to You  /  Bird Sings Why the Cage I Know  /  Little Man  /  Lovelife  /  Godlovesugly  /  Shrapnel  /  Not Another Day  /  Crewed Up (w/ Brother Ali, Blueprint, St. Paul Slim, Toki Wright, Muja Messiah, Stage One)