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WEDNESDAY

Apparently no one told the ladies of Mr. Airplane Man that all bassless punky blues duos had to follow the “Color + Plural Noun” name rule. Of course, Mr. Airplane Man is a pretty assy moniker, even if it is derived from a Howlin’ Wolf song. But unlike, say, the Negro Problem, Mr. Airplane Man gives you the feeling that it could ultimately get out of the shadow a bad name can cast. Margaret Garrett and Tara McManus were discovered by Mark Sandman in 1998 while busking in Boston. Since then, the duo has earned a reputation for crafting authentic blues stompers with a guitar sound so greasy you’ll feel obliged to swab out your earhole. The fact that two originals, “Not Living at All” and “Very Bad Feeling,” stand out among well-played covers of tunes by the aforementioned Wolf and Mississippi Fred McDowell on the band’s Moanin’ is a sign of good things to come. Mr. Airplane Man plays with 20 Miles at 9:30 p.m. at the Black Cat’s Backstage, 1811 14th St. NW. $8. (202) 667-7960. (David Dunlap Jr.)