The Apples in Stereo will be at the Middle East Downstairs tonight at 8:00 pm.

It's hard not to smile when you hear the music of the Apples in Stereo. The band's music is relentlessly sunny and irony-free. Yet Robert Schneider and company have managed to win over skeptical hipsters with sheer joy.

The Apples in Stereo are already stars in the Ist-a-Verse - check out SFist's interview with bassist Eric Allen and DCist's concert review But what sealed the deal for good was Robert Schneider's ode to Stephen Colbert during The Colbert Report's infamous "Guitarmaggeddon" episode:

In that episode, Schneider performed with his direct musical ancestor - Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick. Given the Apples' heritage, you could probably take your mom and dad to an Apples in Stereo show, and they would enjoy it, too. But you'd still die of embarrassment.

Video from Comedy Central. Not from YouTube. Sumner Redstone, please don't come after us.