I'll never forget how excited I was when I heard the Riffbrokers, something like four years ago.

Singer-songwriter Nick Millward achieved all of the requirements of my simple, music-loving mind. With a voice that resembles a more nimble version of Elvis Costello's nasal croon, Millward drew me in, sonically, before I had a chance to really appreciate the beauty of his lyrics. With the rest of the band consisting of Nick's wife Heather Millward (bass), as well as Chris Cline (guitar) and Ryan Maxwell (drums), the Riffbrokers like to refer to themselves as "powerpop twang," which works just as well as anything else. They sound like what would happen if Tom Petty earned his stripes in the indie punk underground.

Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Riffbrokers in the Music & Culture section.

THE RIFFBROKERS, w/ the Dignitaries, the Oly Electric, 5 p.m., Sunday, July 13, The Swiss Restaurant & Pub, 1904 S. Jefferson St., Tacoma, cover tba 253.572.2821