yowza! just take a look at Saturday’s options. plus, we hear that there are a couple of festivals vying for your attention:

• It is completely bizarre that Nada Surf is playing a free show tomorrow at Sonic Boom in Ballard. Stranger things have happened — such as their escaping novelty one hit wonder status that seemed inevitable after “Popular” to turn out one fantastic indie pop album after another. Rather than contemplate the weirdness (which may be related to their playing at Sasquatch), just accept it and be there by 2 pm.
• Remember when the kid from Rushmore was in Phantom Planet. Before Jason Schwartzaman left the drums, his band recorded a song that became the opening theme for the O.C. Now the kid from the O.C. has a band, too. See Adam Brody in Big Japan [myspace] (not to be confused with Big Korea, a fictional band on the O.C.) tonight at the Crocodile for an early show. [ticketswest]
• It’s another SIFF gala! A Prairie Home Companion [siff] screens at the Neptune; party to follow at a yet undisclosed location. Let’s all hope that the very vocal fellow from the opening night audience (the wizard in the utilikilt, turban, and renaissance faire armbands who spent the entire showing of the Illusionist yelling at the screen and avoided the mad rush to sample the gala food stops in favor of starting the disco dance party) skips this one. As of Friday afternoon, a few tickets were still available.