The first time I saw Hands In, it was in a basement in South Tacoma. All I knew about what I was going to see was that it was a one-man band from Portland. In practice, Hands Is made up of one guy, a series of pre-programmed beats and melodies, and a guitar - nothing that should be much to write home about. But, the energy that's imbued in the music of Hands In is undeniable. Expect pop songs that have been crafted as tight, spirited, and effortlessly catchy, leaning in equal reverence toward jumpy post-punk and singer-songwriter journaling. Leaving that basement, I took with me a Hands In cassette EP. Popping it into my stereo at home, the sounds coming out of the unmarked cassette could be easily mistaken for a relic found buried at a yard sale - a document of a long-forgotten soloist.

HARMON TAPROOM, W/ NOT FROM BROOKLYN, ROWHOUSE, 9 P.M., $5, 204 ST. HELENS, TACOMA, 253.212.2725