Couches (San Francisco), The Funeral Homies, The Smokes,

For music geeks, one of life’s simple pleasures is discovering some kickass crew totally by happenstance, just being in the right place at the right time. When I came across Couches, the right place was lurking over the upstairs railing at Mootsy’s, and the right time was last spring during Volume, when the San Francisco trio knocked out a set of catchy-as-hell, straightforward rock tunes they like to characterize as “slacker indie-rock meets soft grunge.” That’s tongue-in-cheek, I presume, but not necessarily inaccurate. “Soft Grunge” is also the somewhat sprawling but winning closer of the band’s new Motivational Speaker release, a tune that recalls early Modest Mouse. They deliver loud enough for hard rock fans, catchy enough for the indie-pop-inclined — Couches bring people together! Joined by the Smokes and Funeral Homies, this show has the makings of one fine Friday night.