Chuck Cleaver used to be an Ass Pony.

Now he's a Wussy.

The Cincinnati singer-guitarist certainly has a knack for the self-effacing band names.

Asked about the new one, he says in an e-mail exchange, "Hoobastank was already taken."

Regardless of what he called it, critics are calling it good. Wussy has been drawing raves for its second record, "Left for Dead," and they're well-deserved. Robert Christgau, the dean of rock critics, named it his No. 5 personal favorite of 2007 and Magnet wrote that it was "alive with the gritty, imperfect glow and wry humor of coed combos X and the Mekons."

"We're sort of beside ourselves," he says of that kind of acclaim. "Better than being compared to Blink-182."

Cleaver, with his tender voice, works magic with young singer Lisa Walker and you can hear the influence of the Mekons, as well as Yo La Tengo and the Velvet Underground in the band's range of soft-to-driving jangle-rock.

"It just clicked immediately," he says of the new band's chemistry, "and gets more rewarding as we get better."

Wussy plays the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern Friday, in its first show after playing at South by Southwest.

"We treat SXSW as a vacation and as such, it was really great," he says. "Good crowds at both of our shows, sold enough stuff to pay for the trip, ate some great food, met some nice folks and saw X (astounding) and Roky Erickson (transcendental) plus it was warm with no rain. We couldn't have asked for better."

Wussy will be joined by the Shake It labelmates Last Funeral Song and Teen Riot, featuring Sean Lally, former guitarist of the Frampton Brothers and Legion of Superheroes, now living in Baltimore. It begins at 9 p.m. Call 412-682-8611.

• Philadelphia noisemakers Man Man, also fresh from SXSW, plays Mr. Small's in Millvale Saturday at 8 p.m. with The Extraordinaires and Ball of Flame Shoot Fire.

Man Man, bearded and covered in warpaint, describes its live venture as a "junkyard-doo-wop-carny-spoon-bending show." The band is about to release its third album and and first on Anti-, "Rabbit Habits," on April 8, so now it can say it shares a label with Tom Waits and Nick Cave. Next up for Man Man is a spot at the Coachella Valley Arts and Music festival and then All Tomorrow's Parties in England. Admission at Mr. Small's is $12.

• The Choke, a New York City punk band that toured last year with the Buzzcocks, plays the Smiling Moose on the South Side tonight at 10 with the Cheats.

• Glorytellers, featuring Geoff Farina and Gavin McCarthy of Boston veterans Karate, plays Gooski's, Polish Hill, Sunday at 8 p.m. with Allies. Glorytellers has a debut record out on Southern, showcasing its literate and lo-fi indie-folk.