Holy Happy Hour, Batman!

Best happy hour in recent memory: today from 5-7:30 at Garnett's.

Because during the arsenic hours, wine is only $3 a glass.

Because all the time, they have appetizers that only cost $6 or $7.

Because it ends up qualifying as dinner it's so satisfying.

And when the check comes, you'll marvel at how full and wine-happy you are for so little cost.

A couple of glasses of shiraz, a couple of malbecs, the smoked salmon plate with tomato, capers, red onion, brown bread, Benedictine spread and Mac's fabulous pickles as well as the cheese plate (Gorgonzola, Brie and Muenster) with oil-brushed toast points and we had enough food to keep my girlfriend and me occupied for most of our visit.

It also fueled the required girl talk, which was why we met up in the first place.

Perennial Garnett's customer Cy came in and sat down next to me with a companion.

He and my friend kept eyeing each other until they both acknowledged that they recognized the other.

A few quick questions and hints and voila!

The two degrees of separation in RVA were revealed. "Your were at so and so's party! You're the one who was dancing with all the middle-aged women!" my friend exclaimed when she figured it out.

Cy's blush and ducked head confirmed every word. Hilarious.

Up next was Gallery 5 and what an interesting experience that was.

The bands playing were Shark Attack (firmly rooted in the 70s), Duchess of York (technically proficient but seemingly without any passion) and Trillions (formed from the ashes of Prabir and the Substitutes).

Fear not, though, Prabir may be long-gone, but the rest of the band's coifs remain firmly in place.

I say that with tongue in cheek only because I remember seeing a Prabir gig in NOVA listed as a "must-see" in the Washington Post's "Going Out" section, with a reference to the band's poppy sound and hipster haircuts.

Present and accounted for.

Trillion's sound is still plenty poppy, but with a more recent angular heritage, including a lot of The Strokes' influence.

Appealing voices and well-played instruments made for the best set of the night.

I had met Charlie, the singer and organizer of the show, earlier and stumped him when I asked him what he was listening to lately.

"Romantic period classical," he finally said.

Anything recent. I wondered? Not that he could name, to his embarrassment.

Oddly enough, the same thing had happened when I'd asked the sound guy Matt that exact question earlier.

After he acknowledged his parents' classic rock and a few jam bands, he had a hard time citing any current music he's listening to.

Does this strike anyone else as odd?

If a 20-something musician or sound guy isn't paying attention to the music his generation is making, who is?

I probably already know the answer, but I think it needs addressing.

Talkin' 'bout your generation.