We got double Daily Diversions today! Here are six reasons to dig yourself out of the snow and head to either the Bottom Lounge OR the Double Door tonight to get your Wednesday night rock on….

Three reasons to screw shoveling your driveway and head on over to the Bottom Lounge tonight to get your face melted…

1. Because if it is really snowpocalypse ’10, might as well go out hearing some kick ass local metal right? Well tonight, the Bottom Lounge welcomes Chicago’s own Shifting Totem, a heavy metal trio that take most of their influence from old school acts such as Metallica, Deep Purple and Motorhead. Lead singer and guitarist Aaron Block does a great job of not overdoing it on the vocals. Instead ear-bleeding screams, Block delivers Lemmy-type vocals, but most of the time he simply lets the gritty riffs, boomy bass and machine-like drumming do the talking. Check out this clip of Shifting Totem performing at the Elbo Room last year after the jump…

2. Because it’s so cold, you need more rock to keep you warm tonight. Also on the bill are Chicago’s Heavy Bombers who cleverly combine punk riffage with a down home blues and rockabilly attitude. You gotta check out, “Whiskey” from their Myspace page, which just kills with a chorus of “I like the Whiskey, but it don’t like me.” Check out the Heavy Bombers music video for the track “Drive”:

3. Because also performing tonight are local Chicago prog-rockers Poundcake, whose name might not imply it, but they are freaking heavy. Real heavy. Like so heavy that when they start playing you just have to stand and stare with a a smirk on your face. I’m sure we’ll be talking more about Poundcake in the very near future, but in the meantime check out their cover of the Flaming Lips’ “Bad Days” from their Myspace. Finally, opening the show will be Lemont’s Pheta Morgana. They tend to take things slow and set the mood in a very Pink Floyd-esque style before their songs erupt into a usually viscous bridge with rapid-fire blues guitar leads.

8:00 PM. Wednesday, 2/10. The Bottom Lounge. 21+. $8.
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Three reasons to head on over to the Double Door tonight to get your body rocked…

1. Because Earth Program open tonight’s show. You might remember Earth Program from our 10 Chicago Bands To Watch in 2010. Well now you can check them out for yourself. They’ve just released their new album INVADE! are are ready to take Chicago by storm with their energetic, experimental indie rock. Check out the video for their light-hearted, noisy rock epic, “Eat Your Make Up,” and get an early taste of tonight’s outer space party that is Earth Program:

2. Because you can’t miss Evil Beaver. Hailing from Los Angeles, Evil Beaver skew towards the heavier end of the spectrum, and although they have a female lead singer and list ABBA in their influences, Evil Beaver seem to be far more into the LOUD-QUIET-LOUD, big riff motif. Check out their fuzzy guitar attack of “Handz of Fate” form their Myspace page.

3. Because headlining tonight’s show are those whacky kids from Japan, the Polysics. Remember when you were a kid and would drink a shitload of pop, eat pixie sticks and chocolate bars and play Nintendo for hours on end? Yeah, well the Polysics are that in band form. They play with a sugar rush-like intensity and combine rock, electronic and new wave elements for maximum power! Check out their video for “Young OH! OH!” if you’re still skeptical:

8:00 PM. Wednesday, 2/10. The Double Door. 21+. $13.