Was that a band of traveling gypsies dancing down the street and around the corner at Bimbo's last night? Oh, no that was just the cult of feather and banjo-clad Edward Sharpe enthusiasts. And if the scene outside wasn't enough, the at-capacity venue was brimming with positive energy and eclectic personalities.

Hipster bar mitzvah. A cool-kids-only prom. Stadiums with gaggles of screaming teenaged girls. These are the places one can imagine Piedmont-popsters Dizzy Balloon playing in the near future. Now if they only didn’t have to go to college.

On Sunday afternoon at Bottom of the Hill, Dizzy Balloon took the stage after three opening acts that included The Hounds Below (the latest band of The Von Bondies frontman Jason Stollsteimer) and watched anyone between the ages of 19 and 45 flock politely to the exits. Lucky for the band, Dizzy Balloon’s rabid following of teen and tween girls and their parental supervision stepped right in, ready to squeal and dance.

Both Friday and Saturday's free Noise Pop Happy Hours at Bender's laid the foundation (hello, $3 beers) for a pretty rockin' city-wide indie takeover this weekend. The happy hours paid homage to some of the best emerging local talent and gave us occasion for some pretty legit hometown pride-ing.

The crowd at Bottom of the Hill last night was overwhelmingly dude, with just a spattering of female support.  It’s been twelve years since Far released their critically acclaimed second album, Water and Solutions, but the nostalgia for the emotive (though never weepy), post-hardcore album was very, very present. Last night’s show wasn’t just a reunion for the band; it was a reunion for the fans, some of whom have been waiting like, a decade to be in the same room with the Sacramento natives.  Case in point: Matranga breaking mid-song to belt out his own rendition of Beyonce’s “Halo,” an improvisation that provoked sporadic hoots and hollers from the few girls in the room.