-It appears that the new owners of Shorty's Saloon mean business about booking touring country acts. Singer Joe Diffie is slated to perform June 27 at the Garden City bar. Diffie has enjoyed 17 Top 10 country hits, including No. 1 smashes such as "Home" and "Bigger Than the Beatles." Nice job, Shorty's! Fans of the country genre will need to support concerts like this in order for Shorty's to keep spending big bucks on name performers. Update: Shorty's says this isn't confirmed yet, even though Diffie's publicist tells me it's happening.

-Synth-powered, new-wave revivalist band The Faint will return to The Big Easy on July 31. The Omaha band, which lured about 500 fans to its Boise show last June, cranks out a dance-friendly sound that has a lot more to do with rock than pop. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday for $18.50 at TicketWeb.

-Two Sub Pop bands in one night? Believe it: Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone will perform May 29 at Neurolux. That one is $8 advance at TicketWeb.

-Beginning this week, local singer Paul Peterson, who was sidelined recently by a heart attack, will return to the stage Tuesdays at Ha’Penny Bridge Irish Pub in Boise. Peterson and his band — Rico Wiseman, Lawson Hill and Bill Liles — will perform blues and possible oldies and surf music. The affable Peterson is calling it his "Not Quite Dead Yet 2008 Tour.” Music runs from 8 to 11 p.m. All ages, no smoking, no cover charge.