Pokey LaFarge and the Off Broadway go together like slingers and diners ... like Ted Drewes and parking lots ... like Stag and, um, more Stag.

Don't miss LaFarge and his South City Three tonight at the band's favorite venue as they toast the release of their newest (and best) album, Middle of Everywhere.

Recorded in Mississippi, Everywhere has already made a splash in the U.S. and internationally, getting coverage in several major outlets, including NPR.

Seeing Pokey perform is key to the experience. It's as close as one can come to time travel. As NPR put it best, "he seems to gaze at you out of a dusty archival photo."

I asked Pokey the other day that if he could bend time, what five people would he most like to share a train car with while passing some time riding the rails.

"I would like to meet my great grandfather Frank Lux. He was a barber with a handlebar mustache - it's where we get our passion for hair," said LaFarge, himself about to get clipped at his favorite South Side barbershop.

"I'd like to meet my other great grandfather, Joseph Heissler III. He was a Chicago accountant who was instrumental in the XIT Ranch transaction that helped build the State Capitol building in Austin. The final three would have to be Mark Twain, Jimmie Rodgers and Emmett Miller."

Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three

2 shows tonight, Off Broadway, $12

Note: The early show (seated) starts at 7 p.m. The later show (Colonel Ford opens) is at 9:30.

www.pokeylafarge.net