It’s not often that, on your way into a punk rock show, you have to carefully skirt around the band members, for fear of interrupting their ping-pong match. Or that, while waiting for the bands to finish setting up, you join a roomful of families in a rendition of “Happy Birthday,” directed at a beaming girl seated in front of an ice cream sundae. Then again, Comet Ping Pong, the noted upper Northwest pizza parlor/ping…

MONDAY >> The City Veins are a strong local outfit that’s been making their debut around town over the course of the past few months. They just formed in March and are already more mature and ready to bring the rock than a lot of bands with a lot more stage time. And hey, they have a blog! See what you’re missing tonight at Solly’s Tavern on U Street. 10 p.m. >> Do you…

FRIDAY: >> We’d be remiss if we didn’t note that tonight will be the last time that Kathryn of Kathryn On will host one of her famous Blogger Happy Hours. It starts at 7 p.m. at Lucky Bar. Fans of the regular happy hour shouldn’t fear, however, as Kathryn says she has “a couple of fledgling social chairs waiting in the wings.” Thanks for all the hard work you’ve put in, Kathryn, to making the…