Beirut plays at Turner Hall tonight and I'm kicking myself in advance because I will miss it.

On the band's new disc, "The Rip Tide," frontman Zach Condon sings his way through a nine-song slate of catchy melodies that draws on warm brass arrangements – thanks to Condon's high school trumpet days – tick-tocking keyboards and the kind of carnivalesque approach perfected years ago by The Decemberists.

I expect the show will be a rewarding spectacle. But, if like me, you don't yet have tickets, you may be out of luck.

According the Andrew Nelson over at the venue, the last few tickets went this morning. Maybe you'll get lucky and find someone willing to part with one.

If not, you'll have to settle for watching the band's recent performance on Jimmy Fallon's show. See it here at the band's website.

Dear Tim,

Looking over at your desk – which has always been mostly empty, with you working at home and all – it feels a different kind of deserted this morning, as I sit here alone in the office thinking about you. There are a few papers, some stray free promotional T-shirts. There's silence, except for the sounds of traffic out the window. And there's that orange box of tissues.

I don't think I'll use those tissues and I bet you're cool with that. Knowing you, I'm sure you'd rather we find good memories and some trademark Cuprisin quips for a chuckle rather than a good cry.

When I heard the news last week, I was home, sitting alone, while a kid napped upstairs. It was a shock and it wasn't a shock, of course. But despite the journey you traveled – a journey we hoped we could make even a little less arduous – the end still seemed raw and wrong.

But, I think you know that you were a bright light here in this place. Among these people who became your friends. In this culture that does not suit everyone but into which you injected yourself fully, bringing your clear-minded judgment, your sage wisdom and your brilliant, brilliant rapier wit.

We will miss all of those things and our lives will dim a bit at their loss. But, that's OK, because you illuminated us from the minute you walked through the door. You encouraged us when we needed it and you told us when to step back and look at the bigger picture, too.

You were one of us from day one. We asked you to do all kinds of things you never had to do in your previous, tightly focused, position. And you did them. More than that, you did them with a smile.

Our editorial meetings were never the same when you weren't there and not a single one of those occasions passed without some – or all – of us asking, "Where's Tim? Should we wait to start?"

You had a hard-coded schedule. Everyone knew what you'd be doing from week to week. We didn't want to wait to start the meeting for that. We wanted to wait because…

On Jan. 23, 2010, Turner Hall Ballroom hosted Milwaukee's first Pablove Benefit Concert, with The Gufs, Willy Porter, Fever Marlene, Maritime, The Lackloves, Pet Engine, Truth in Fiction, Mark Waldoch and The Mike Benign Compulsion.

A number of performances from that evening are now out on DVD, interspersed with interviews with Jeff Castelaz. You can buy copies of the disc, produced by Mindpool, on the Pablove website. They're $12 each and proceeds benefit childhood cancer research.

In related news, The Mike Benign Compulsion, which made its public debut at that show, is nearly ready to launch its second disc. "Martha" will be mixed by Chris Stamey of the legendary dB's and should be out in the first few weeks of the new year.

You can see the Compulsion on Friday, Nov. 25 at Shank Hall opening for Semi-Twang.

If you head to the Turner Hall website to buy tickets for Friday's show by Milwaukee's own .357 String Band, you'll get some big local music news.

The site – also on the group's Facebook page – has a statement by the band that reads:

"Dear Fans, Friends and Family,

"It breaks my heart to have to make this announcement, but Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 will be The .357 String Band's final two shows. Joe (Huber) has decided that the aesthetic of The .357 String Band no longer represents him; he will be returning to school to study woodworking, and pursue his own musical interests part time. The other three of us could not agree on a way to continue The .357 String Band without him.

"Keep an eye out for solo projects/tours/etc, and we may occasionally make an announcement or two on here. Thank you all so much for the support over the years, it has meant the world to me. I hope to see you all at one or both of the shows next weekend, so we can celebrate 7 years of Streetgrass, whatever the hell that means."

The band has toured extensively throughout the world and was one of the first – if not the first – local band to sell out Turner Hall. Take advantage of one last chance to see them here at home.