QUICKIES

My Soul Screams Hallelujah! is the new CD by M.C. Praise and the Praise Gospel Group, and they'll be celebrating its release on Thursday, Aug. 26, at the Spotlight Concert Hall and Ballroom, 8370 N. Broadway. The disc is new-school gospel soul, replete with hip-hop beats and the rhyme skills of Du Season. Mixed in with the beat, the praise and the rhythm are a touch of funk and a whole lot of old-school passion, and the result is a high-quality CD that will sit well beside your Kirk Franklin discs. For more information, call 427-8425.... A late addition to this week's concert calendar is Chicago's great jerky punk band the Nerves. They mine the same territory as the Urinals, the Minutemen, early Pere Ubu and Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments: quick guitar spasms, overwrought drama and electric energy. Their new record, New Animal (Thrill Jockey) is a boss addition; they play the Rocket Bar on Saturday, Aug. 28.... A big shout-out to Mississippi Nights for their stellar fall lineup: So far, in addition to all the usual guitar-noodling jam bands, they've booked Billy Bragg; Cibo Matto; Tricky; Richard Thompson; Medeski, Martin & Wood; and Pavement — the best lineup the club's seen in ages.