My posting on today’s Phoenix in-store set at the Electric Fetus marks the end of Poplife and the beginning of a new, all-things-A&E blog called Artcetera, which debuted today. Click here to reset your RSS feeds to the new blog.

Once there, you can set the category to just “Music,” and thus not have to read about Joe Dowling’s favorite brand of licorice or whatever fascinating topic the theater guys are writing about. But we’re actually hoping this promotes a little cross-pollination between all the local arts worlds. Jon Bream and I will be doing the same post-concert posts with set lists, gig announcements and other matters to spout off about. Please stay with us and continue posting your own comments, although you’re going to have to log in to the Strib mothership log-on center to do so (pretty easy).

So cool: Fresh from his Warped Tour summer, P.O.S. is playing three West Coast shows with (African American) punk-rock legends Bad Brains starting tonight in San Francisco. So, do you non-indie-rap fans believe the guy’s a bad-ass yet? Meanwhile, he has confirmed a headlining show at First Avenue on Oct. 24. He’s also playing tour dates with Eyedea & Abilities next month, including Duluth (Oct. 23) and Mankato (Oct. 26).

As if Rhymesayers didn’t already have enough on its plate this year, the label is issuing Brother Ali’s new one, “Us,” on Tuesday. There will be the usual midnight sale at Fifth Element on Monday night (with Ali there to sign and perform), followed by a tour kickoff Tuesday night at Pizza Luce in Duluth. He’s not performing in Minneapolis until the tour finale at First Ave on Nov. 20. 

Keeping a low-profile of late while working in a new drummer and working on a third album, The Gleam is finally performing again tonight at the Hexagon Bar, and it’s for a great cause. The rowdy country-rockers hope to raise money for Rosie, the Hex’s den-mother-like waitress, who has amassed some medical debt of late and now has to retire to maintain her health. The Gleam is bringing along its pal Rich Mattson and his band the Tisdales. Dusty’s regulars the Bill Patten Trio opens. Showtime is 9:30. There’s no cover, but do pony up some green for the cause.

What a lineup, what free-wheeling fun, what a night. The stars — local and national — aligned Wednesday at the Cabooze to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Willie’s American Guitars, the St. Paul must-stop for pickers of persuasions and skill.

The big names, of course, were Joe Ely and Dos Lobos, i.e. David Hidalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos. Supported by his longtime lead guitarist Rob Gjersoe (who also plays with the Flatlanders), Ely rocked the house, ending with the always rollicking “The Road Goes on Forever.”

In a rambling 80-minute set, Dos Lobos worked in various combinations and permutations (including with two local drummers and bassist Jim Anton) and with a variety of instruments (including Willie’s specially built electric ukulele and both Louie and David played drums on one song).

Hidalgo and Perez did Los Lobos tunes, Latin Playboys numbers, a Neil Young cover (with Molly Maher harmonizing) and a couple of unreleased tunes due on a winter rareties disc entitled “The Long Goodbye.” (see set list below).

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman read a proclamation declaring it Willie’s Guitars Day in the Capital City, citing various Willie’s customers including the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and himself. Coleman later joined show coordinator extraordinaire Maher, local guitar hero Chris Osgood, singers Andra Suchy and Dana Thompson, drummer Dave Ahl and others for the John Prine/Nanci Griffith number “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.” In introducing the song, acoustic guitarist Coleman (bagpipes are his main instrument) said: ”This is not for musical posterity.”

Many other locals followed, including Jack Knife & the Sharps (nicely spiced up by 2007 addition Erin McCawley) and Phil Solem of Rembrandts fame.

I tried to leave early but it took me nearly 45 minutes to get out of there because I ran into Osgood, promoter Gene Hollister, State Fair booker/Trailer Trash frontman Nate Dungan, Cities 97 club crawler Greg Burke, Cabooze booker Taco Martin, drummer Stan Kipper and the inevitable Paul Metsa.

Big props to Willie’s owner Nate Westgor (who played a mean guitar with Dos Lobos on “Mas y Mas”) and Willie’s ace employee and superstar in waiting Molly Maher, who, in an opening set, proved that she is Lucinda Williams without the baggage.

Dos Lobos set list:

How Will the Wolf Survive/????/Saint Behind the Glass/The Valley/A Matter of Time/Big August Moon (unrecorded oldie due on “The Long Goodbye” in January)/Chinese Surprise (Latin Playboys)/Tony Y Maria/Take My Hand/Ten Believers (Latin Playboys)/???/Cuca’s Blues (Latin Playboys)/The Long Goodbye (unrecorded)/Mas y Mas (with Nate Westgor sitting in)  ENCORE Cinnamon Girl (with Molly Maher sitting in on the Neil Young song)

One of the Cities’ hardest-working and best-loved country bands, the Killer Hayseeds, are having a truly horrendous year. First, bassist Ross Florand passed away in July from heart failure. Now comes word that singer/fiddler Darin Essery fell from scaffolding on a job last Friday and suffered a brain injury that has left him in the ICU at North Memorial Hospital. According to the CaringBridge site set up for Essery’s friends, he is scheduled to have more surgery this afternoon. Check the CaringBridge site for updates, and leave your well wishes there.

He took his name from a crappy old local mall, and now he’s returning to town to play the Uptown Bar one last time before it’s paved for another retail development that we could probably live without: Har Mar Superstar lands at the soon-to-be-toppled club on Sept. 13, just a couple dates into his tour behind the Oct. 13 album, “Dark Touches” (dig the cover art below … oh my!). Tickets are $14. Mystery Palace and MC/VL are also on the bill. This is apparently just the warm-up to his tour finale and official release party at the Varsity Theater on Nov. 6, preceded by a gig with Kool Keith at the Triple Rock a night earlier.