originally published March 7, 2007

Here comes another week of news headlong and headstrong. I don’t have anything more clever than that to say, so we’ll just end this right here. Jump in below…

Cheeseburgers For Me: As of this moment, American Cheeseburger is the best Athens hardcore band in the world. Plowing the musical territory first strip-mined by Septic Death, Crumbsuckers, D.R.I. and many other late-1980s/ early-crossover thrash and hardcore bands, American Cheeseburger continues to blast through me every time I see it (which isn’t often, because the band keeps hitting the road). Case in point: the guys will head out for over a month's worth of shows in April, but before that, they will play four shows in Athens. Now, two of ‘em, I can’t even mention because they’re being held in places that just can’t withstand publicity (i.e. house shows, fool!) but I am happy to report that you can catch the band in its pre-tour glory on Thursday, Mar. 8 at a midnight Little Kings show with the band Shellshag following an earlier comedy event, and then again on Saturday, Apr. 7 over at Repent when it plays with The Skuds and Birdflu . Rock over at www.myspace.com/cheeseburgersrule, and then kick it to here for a review of the band's new self-titled 7".

Cookies Go Rolling: Interested parties, not to mention interesting partiers, should head over to the fabulous 40 Watt on Monday, Mar. 12 and catch long-running but recently rising phenomenon Casper & The Cookies before the band takes off on tour. The pop group will embark on a journey that will take it through the entire West Coast and the Pacific Northwest, then return for a couple for weeks, then take off again for a jaunt through the Midwest and up the East Coast. Anyone who has seen these folks in the last several months can attest that they're one of the best live acts in town. See all kinds of stuff over at www.myspace.com/casperthecookies or www.casperandthecookies.com.

Open Up: Up-and-coming local photographer, Flagpole contributor and rock-show enthusiast Mike White sees his first-ever "Rock Photo Show" open soon. Featuring photos he took of Cinemechanica, We Versus the Shark, Pegasuses-XL, I Am The World Trade Center, Titans of Filth, Maserati, Music Hates You, Dark Meat, Deerhoof and a cast of others, the show opens this week at the Mercury Lounge on Saturday, Mar. 10 and runs through Tuesday, Apr. 10. White anticipates an opening night of to-be-announced live music and drink specials, so dress up, get loaded and look at pictures of your friends. Pretty much sums up Athens right there, huh? For more info, please see www.deadlydesigns.com.

Switcharoo: So those Drive-By Truckers acoustic shows you heard about here a few weeks back? Turns out they're taking place at the Georgia Theatre , and not the Melting Point as previously reported, on Apr. 27 and 28. Billed as The Dirt Underneath Tour , the show will feature the Truckers performing classic numbers in acoustic arrangements (upright bass, banjo, etc.). "This year is the first time since before Southern Rock Opera that we aren't out promoting a new album," writes Trucker Patterson Hood on the band's MySpace blog. We are all committed to taking some time at home to recharge, write and spend some Family Time… We also wanted to go out and do something a little different. Maybe revisit some songs in a different light, maybe try out some new stuff on a smaller scale, maybe tell some stories and sing some songs. Pull up some chairs, have a few drinks and tell some stories to each other and some friends… A chance to reconnect with some songs and maybe each other a bit." Tickets cost $20 per person, per night, and are available via www.georgiatheatre.com

That's Like 20 Bucks After Taxes: Congrats are in order for $hamrock , the Atlanta rapper who spent several years here in Athens honing his skills, attending UGA and serving as an orientation leader at the University. $hamrock - T-Mo to his friends, Timothy Rasmussen to his government - was last week's winning finalist on VH1/ EgoTrip's reality show " The (White) Rapper Show ." His prize? A cool $100,000. Not bad at all. Check out his bouncy Dirty South sounds at www.myspace.com/shamrockmusic.

Clean And Efficient: Parade , a band that was once half-Athenian and has been pretty much absorbed and adored by the Atlanta scene, has a few new things going on. First, folks can check out the new track off the forthcoming EP online right now. Answer Me will most likely bear absolutely no resemblance to the hilariously brutal yet defunct magazine of the same name. Parade is many things but brutal ain’t one of them. But, anyway, that’s probably going to be released in July, but the band is looking forward to a full East Coast tour next month. In other news, Parade speaks endlessly of the benefits of musician-artists collective Industrial Strength Promotions , located in East Atlanta. Founded by Eric Holder of former local band Urban Henry , ISP offers promotion, art gallery space, record distribution, retail sales and live shows, all out of its one building. For more on all this, please see www,myspace.com/paradeband or www.industrialstrengthpromo.com.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Commerce-based singer and guitar player Ricky Fitzpatrick is anticipating his coming download-only, all-instrumental release. The album Speechless needs a little boost from fans, neighbors and countrymen, as Fitzpatrick has set up a way for y’all to vote on which "cover art" will accompany the disc. The album is promised to be a temporary sideways move from his James Taylor style (as in: "Is this a cover band? That guy sounds just like James Taylor!") and will delve more into the intricate, finger-picking style that Fitzpatrick also favors. Check him out over at www.rickyfitzpatrick.com or www.myspace.com/rickyfitzpatrickmusic.

God Bless This Woman: Local rocker Carla LeFever is organizing a benefit for the Athens-Clarke County after-school program on Saturday, Apr. 14 at Little Kings . The good thing is that slots are available for folks to play, and you don’t even have to bring anything! LeFever reports that drums, amps and a bass rig will be provided. Okay, so you might have to bring your guitars. Big deal, right? Anyway, if you’re interested in playing, please contact LeFever ASAP via 706-540-0908 or carla@carlalefever.com.

Correction: A couple of weeks back, this column ran a piece that said the latest album by funky Atlanta R&B band Entropy was mixed by John Keane . Well, that was wrong. I’ve been dutifully informed that the album was indeed mixed at John Keane’s studio, but by sound engineer Jay Murphy . So that’s that.

Look’s Like Someone’s Got A Case Of The Wednesdays: The Melting Point continues to roll out its Wednesday night “Uncorked & Unplugged” shows with host Ken Will Morton and inexpensive bottles of wine. Shows cost $5 and begin at 8 p.m. Upcoming shows are Mar. 7 with Ben Reynolds (Workhorses of the Entertainment/ Recreational Industry), David Koon  and Sonia Leigh ; Mar. 21 with Cary Ann Hearst and Hoots & Hellmouth and Apr. 4 with Brilliant Inventions and Moore & Williamson .

Changing Stripes: A few years ago, there was a band in Athens called The Neat Stripes . Then everyone left the band except member Paul Walker , so it became Neat Stripe . Well, Walker has continued to play music through the years and even released an album of tunes last year called Onanon , and he plays all the instruments on it. Currently working on the tentatively titled release Smoke and Mirrors , Walker looks forward to gigging in the spring. In the meantime, check his tunes over at www.myspace.com/neatstripe.

Remember: Just a gentle reminder, folks. The deadline for news items you want/ wish to see covered in Threats & Promises is, at the very latest , a week before the item should run. I’ve gotten so many emails from people these last few weeks who will send me something on a Tuesday and hope for it to be mentioned in the next day's paper. By then, Flagpole 's already off at the printer, and them's the breaks of this weekly thing we do. Just thought you should know. Again.

Bishops and fishops and bye bye’s and bye bye. All I am saying is be sure to keep your news coming in and always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the subject line of all emails. Give peace some pants via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 706-549-9523, ext. 203, or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb