Due to my limited amount of free time and other strains upon my schedule, I?ve opted to review another show at the True Love Coffeehouse. Why? Because I can, and because it?s one of the best live music venues in town.

Friday night at the True Love served some tasty music, as well as tasty waffles. First up was Razor Lily, a band I hadn?t seen or heard of before. They had a good, solid sound, though it was nothing to write home about; just your everyday pop rock/punk band. The one nice thing about Razor Lily, that I?ve rarely seen, was the combination of a female lead vocalist with two male vocals backing up. This provided a nice, fresh sound to what would normally just be rote punk songs. They also played pop, rock and blues songs to round out their varied set; a good band, if a bit unoriginal. In the band?s defense, this was their first show with a new drummer and bassist, so they?re still working things out. I have no doubt they?ll improve with time.

Next up on the bill was Umpteenth, whom I covered in my column a few weeks ago. Umpteenth rose out of the ashes of Go National, one of my favorite local bands and, like Go National, is fronted by Kevin Seconds, who has a stereotypical punk rock voice that really carries the music.

That?s not to say that the rest of the band didn?t play well too; they actually rocked … given the circumstances. The band was forced to play minus drummer Brian Machado, who was replaced by a standard drum machine. Even the band admitted this wasn?t their best performance.

During the set, Seconds assured the audience, “We sound better with a real drummer. I swear to God we do!” Nonetheless, it was a quality performance. Umpteenth is a collaboration of musicians from Go National and Popgun, along with Cary Rodda and David Houston. This was only their second show as a band, but they were still solid. The band carries on in the tradition of Go National with a sound that?s a beautiful mix of punk and pop.

Rounding out the show was Sacramento?s favorite pop-funk-disco band, Popgun. I love these guys. Every Popgun show I?ve seen has floored me. Lead singer Mark Harrod is one of those very clever songwriters with lyrics like “I dream of Molly Hatchet chopping up the Backstreet Boys,” that tend to result in uproarious applause from the audience. Backing up Harrod is a crew of great musicians. His brother, Kevin, always impresses me with his mastery of the keyboard. His sounds give Popgun that funk-disco feel that I enjoy so much.

If you only go to see Popgun for one reason, other than for the great music, go to see what Mark will do. During performances, Mark has been known to ?molest? the mic stand (use your imagination). He also has a tendency to wander away from the stage, allowing the rest of the band to go into an instrumental break while Mark goes off to chat with his wife or grab something to drink. His cockiness adds a humorous aspect to the show. Popgun is a must-see.