I wasn't surprised to walk into the Bug Jar early last night and find it almost completely empty. It was a Thursday, the Bug Jar's "Indie Dance Night," which usually starts around 11:30 p.m. and means nothing of importance happens beforehand. I'm starting to believe that not even Morissey could pull those kids in before the wee hours. But Josh Netsky, a local musician who's covered a lot of ground at the Bug Jar and other venues, was opening for Portland, Oregon, band Archeology. Unfortunately at 8 p.m., the publicized time the show was supposed to start, the prospects of a large crowd were not looking good.

Thankfully, Netsky and his band, consisting of another guitarist, bassist, drummer, and accompanying drummer and keyboardist, took a while to sound check as a few more people trickled in throughout the hour.

The bar looked slightly less dismal, but still fragmented. All anyone at or around the merchandise table seemed to talk about was how poorly attended these shows always were, but solutions were stifled by shrugs, "Oh well"s, and the dodgy, yet always effective, line, "I'm going to get another drink." A lone hooded kid who maybe inched in over 21 years of age clutched a soda and played Space Invaders with admirable intensity. Friends of the owner dipped into some pizza meant for the bands before carrying it over to the merchandise table for the taking.

At around 9:15 p.m., Netsky and his band took the stage. I've seen them at least half a dozen times by now, but they consistently get tighter and more impressive with each performance. Their delivery of a folk/pop/indie mix has always been refreshing because of how genuine it is, emphasizing just why these guys don't fit in with the crippling New York City scene that every Bug Jar attendee who rolls through after 11 p.m. dreams about.

The crowd stood back about 10 feet from the edge of the stage, but the band obviously didn't notice or didn't care as it played with surprising energy. Guitarist Sam Snyder, who plays his guitar overhand, is worth the ticket price alone. Netsky, the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist, has morphed his sound over the years, but always retains his core direction with a steadfast devotion that shows on stage. When he pulled out a harmonica for a folk-infused pop track, it felt far from gimmicky; it was a nice nod to his versatility.

Netsky's set ended and the completely arbitrary bar music began to gush once more from the speakers. Back out at the bar, more people were taking seats and the rising volume of conversations was coloring the place up quite nicely. Archeology arrived near the end of Netsky's set and a quiet blond girl was setting up their suitcase on a table to sell CDs.

Archeology, who I had only a little research on before coming out, was rather unassuming on stage. The band members looked like they had just walked out of the woods -  ruffled flannel shirts, no shoes, hair down to their necks, and beards creeping up their cheeks. Well, all except the technical guitarist on the far right, who had short hair, no beard, wore a sleeveless shirt, and also manned a lap-top equipped keyboard.

The music was a mix of feel-good folk and pop with surprising levels of depth. The two guitarists and the bassist were masters of vocal harmony, and that was only amplified when guest vocalist Heather Myllenbeck from Seattle-based band Honey and the Moon joined them on stage. The bassist and drummer built the rhythms with such power that you really had to stop and think about what you thought of these guys after each song.

The strangest, yet most entertaining, part of the night was when Archeology had to deal with a group of infamous bar hoppers dressed like Elvis, sideburns and capes included, descending upon the bar. They rolled through like a hurricane and had everyone laughing, including the band. They had shown up on bicycles and stormed into the back to begin furiously dancing; one even held a stringless guitar and played it on stage with the band, while guest vocalist Myllenbeck gave him a little mic room for the group harmonies. Their departure was marked by one of the guys going up for a stage dive that, two seconds in, seemed like it would be utterly disastrous. But his friends caught him just before his head rocked the floor and they swept out as fast as they had come in. Archeology finished the set in stride, with smiles on their faces.