Blowing up on MySpace is so over

Ever since small-time bands started receiving national coverage by means of blogs and MySpace pages, many groups have actually found it harder to garner attention, simply because of the ocean of competition. It’s just so easy for anyone to put their home recording online—so easy, in fact, that it is rare for any band to stand out and have the kind of success that story-line bands in the past have had. The guys in Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, though, went a different route: They chose to withhold their music from MySpace, and instead posted a series of spoof instructional videos on YouTube. This unconventional method seems to have worked: Their new album is Spin magazine-approved, and they toured with Cursive earlier this year. Check out their melancholy-sweet pop style this Sunday. Sunday, December 6, at Luigi’s Fun Garden, 1050 20th Street; 8 p.m.; $5.