Margot & The Nuclear So and So's

This is a great weekend to check out some unusual acts that will be hitting Denver's Bluebird Theater.

Where else could you see groups with names like Margot & The Nuclear So and So's and Yard Dogs Road Show?

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's' record label wouldn't let the band release the CD of its choice, so the group instead will be issuing two separate projects Tuesday.

Epic Records pieced together the band's poppy Not Animal, but the group really prefers its vinyl creation, called Animal! That record features Margot & The Nuclear So and So's favorite songs and comes with a digital download card.

"We started this band in 2005 in Indianapolis," bandleader Richard Edwards said. "We didn't have any idea what we would do, but we knew we wanted to play pop music."

Margot & The Nuclear So And So's prefers to call its brand of music "chamber pop."

If you like art-pop bands such as the Decemberists or the Shins, you'll like this act.

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's have cranked out four records in the past two years, but the Animal! and Not Animal projects are gaining the band some powerful ink in the music industry.

"The songs are produced and sequenced differently on Animal! and Not Animal," Edwards said. "Animal's! really much better, because it's the record the band wanted to make."

The band plays the Bluebird tonight.

Yard Dogs Road Show

The Yard Dogs Road show is part music showcase and part vaudeville act. The group usually plays Boulder, but Saturday, the Yard Dogs will hit the Bluebird.

"We're like a rock 'n' roll cabaret show," Yard Dogs' ringmaster Zebu said. "We started out as a three-person jug band, but now we're a full-on stage show. We're always changing up the show and we all collaborate on ideas."

The Yard Dogs Road Show has featured everything from burlesque acts to hula-hoop dancers, and the group's shows always sell out the Boulder/Denver market.

The act traveled to Europe this summer and showed off its stuff at the Glastonbury festival and select Euro theaters.

"We're now back with a new show," Zebu said. "This show has sword swallowers and the 'Black and Blue' burlesque review. We're also making some magic with our full eight-piece band."

Check out Yard Dogs Road Show before the act takes its winter break.