I don’t think I’ve ever walked into such an empty venue, especially considering that I came almost an hour after the doors opened. It was a bad start — I’m hoping Charlottesville’s new Satellite Ballroom takes off; it seems to be the only place within 60 miles willing to host the kind of shows I want to see. In the emptiness, I sat in the cold, complimented myself on finding free parking, and thought about the things I would make up for this review.

[Note to Satellite Ballroom: I don’t need to hear “Creep” twice before the show starts. Thanks.]

Doris Henson came on first, announcing something about Becky Thatcher being stuck in a well. If Tom Sawyer were Lassie, then, yes, this would be important. The band quickly went into “The Power,” a steady attack that announced that a soon-to-be-buzz band was here. I enjoyed the use of the trombone, which I’ve rarely, if ever, seen used so well in a live rock setting.

Over the course of their 45-minute set, Doris Henson blended its math-pop, punk, and New Wave influences into a cohesive show that stayed charged from start to finish. One track I don’t know the name of (something about a “Yellow Brick Highway”) updated the classic rock sound in a good way, using contemporary influences without restraining the anthemic urges.

It was a show that unknown bands are supposed to do, but seldom achieve. Doris Henson managed to set themselves apart from the pack through their energy, performance skills and originality, making me want to go back to that album I haven’t played enough, Give Me All Your Money.

At the intermission I went for a drink. Apparently the Satellite Ballroom is catering to the local indie crowd by selling only hipster piss-beer.

Then to Travis Morrison, who immediately got on my good side with a nice peach, button-down shirt. I thought he could be the boy next door who eventually goes mad. I’ve never heard Travistan, but that was okay, as nearly every song he and his Hellfighters played tonight is from an upcoming album called All Y’All (to be recorded in Atlanta in a few weeks).

The Hellfighters sound nothing like the Dismemberment Plan (Morrison’s old act), but they’re very tight, mixing some Talking Heads-style percussion with some more experimental rock. Morrison’s lyrics are as unique and good as ever, and he seems to be having a blast playing with this band, who swap instruments pretty regularly and skillfully, and Morrison’s letting his technical skill shine just the right amount. Prompted mainly by local band Cataract Camp (with whom they’ve been touring), the group did an encore of a slower, affective song titled, I think, “East Side of the River” that used parallelism perfectly.

I don’t have much to say about this part of the show — the Hellfighters were solid, and are bound to produce a strong album, if the songs they did last night translate well to disc — but I’m still excited by Doris Henson’s performance. Expecting solid rock, but with no great hope for the set, they blew me away. The Travis Morrison Hellfighters followed up well, so I got two unexpected joys on one night.