Did he say free beer?

Like cable and cell-phone providers, promoters increasingly turn to “bundling” to attract a wide selection of customers. Events like the Exchange series offer a variety-show format that mixes music, spoken word, comedy, foodie fare, and art. “Exchange is all about bringing groups of people together to experience art, be it music, writing, something visual, or otherwise, and to socialize and share ideas and influences,” says Jakob McWhinney of the Field Trips band collective. “We wanted to create a place and an event that emphasized inclusiveness, and strove to be not only engaging...but affordable.”

Priced at seven bucks and co-produced with Bleeding Gold Records, Exchange No. 2 takes place at the Merrow on January 16. “It combines music, art, fiction, and poetry, as well as boasting an hour of free beer, free pizza, free vegetarian food, and a free record and merch giveaway,” McWhinney tells the Reader. “We have some bad-ass readers and artists, including writing professors from Grossmont College and art from Justin Cota of Gloomsday.”

The bundling principle also applies to the band lineup, which includes Bleeding Gold’s Tape Waves (coming in from South Carolina) paired with locals Glass Spells, Shady Francos, Flaggs, and Space Heat/TRIPS guitarist Ren Rogers with his solo project, Kooties. “We wanted to put together a roster of local bands that bridge the gap from Tape Waves’ dreampop beach riffs to Flaggs burnt-garage pop. Even with the range of styles, all of the bands belong on the same bill, something that will be apparent when you hear them back-to-back.”

Kooties just made its concert debut on New Year’s at the Tin Can. They combine girl-group garage pop, Strokes riffage, and a touch of Smiths-y lyrical aloofness, candy-coated and delivered at under two minutes a pop. Kooties’ debut EP, Yearbook, is set to drop over the next few weeks.

“The night will start with an hour of reading, free beer starting at 8:30, and music starting at 8:45, with each band getting 30 minutes apiece to melt some faces or hearts,” says McWhinney. “As far as the food, we’ll have some chow around the same time as the beer until it runs out, with a planned re-injection of pizza later in the night.”