originally published December 12, 2007

Another week in and only a couple more until 2007 is out the door. Here's the stuff you need to know to make sure your time is spent wisely. Get your wisdom below…

Small Packages: Okay, so I'm walking through UGA's campus last week and a guy walks up beside me and hands me a plain, black cassette tape wrapped in brown paper and says, "Hey, here's a demo I made." Since I love surprises like this, I thanked him and went on my way. Written on the front was simply the name Owlbear and the title This Energy. Upon arriving home, I pulled out the old tape player and threw it in. I had to grab the headphones to hear it fully because the thing was so quiet, but found this to be, perhaps, the only proper way to listen to it. Owlbear's songs are grievously pretty, emotive, relatively simple and thoroughly engaging. The next time you boot up your computer, make your first destination www.myspace.com/owlbears.

Triple Play: On Friday, Dec. 14, Flicker Theatre & Bar will host a show by William Tonks, Daniel Hutchens and Eric Carter billed, reasonably and efficiently, as the Carter/ Hutchens/ Tonks Review. The show will feature the three playing "all together and all apart," which means as a trio and any possible other combination. The show will also double as a CD release party for Tonks' new record Catch, his first as a solo artist.

Such Nice Boys: Local band Misfortune 500 booked multiple local shows here for the month of December for the express purpose of donating all earnings (including door monies and merchandise sales) to local resource center Nuçi's Space. So far, the band saw successful shows this month at Tasty World and the Caledonia Lounge, and supporters can catch Misfortune 500 locally once more before the year is out. The group will perform again at the Caledonia on Wednesday, Dec. 19. While you're there, it wouldn't be a bad time to pick up the band's not-half-bad debut album Before This Winter Ends, released earlier this year. Besides, all the money goes to Nuçi's Space, so that's doubly good right there. Visit the Misfortune 500 online at www.myspace.com/misfortune500.

Their Grass Will Be Cold: The local bluegrass guys of Packway Handle Band have finished the recording of their third full-length album. The release is simply titled Packway Handle Band, and folks should be able to pre-order the album later on this month - the record's official release will be sometime in January. In other exciting news, the band's traveling to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands on a tour that will last from late January to mid-February with its first show happening in Glasgow, Scotland at the Celtic Connections Festival. Get a whole list of dates and song samples over at www.myspace.com/thepackwayhandleband.

I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight: Local reggae/dub act Dubconscious will perform with Telepath on Monday, Dec. 31 at the Georgia Theatre. What makes this show significant and not just another beer bust is the evening's theme of "ReSolution:Solution," under which the band says it will "ring in the New Year with a theme of Solution-Based Philosophies." Basically, the question of the night is, "How do we resolve to make the world a better place in 2008?" While that's a hard one to answer, it's certainly still worth asking. Joining Dubconscious will be local musicians Carl Lindberg (Squat, Grogus), Shelley Olin (Lotus) and Jonathan Lloyd (Cadillac Jones). Also onstage that night: artists Catherine Stinson and David Hale. In other news, Dubconscious began the week-long recording process for its newest album Non Violent last week, and is looking toward an early 2008 release.

Well, Pass The Jam-Balaya!: Widespread Panic announced its newest album, Free Somehow, is underway for an early 2008 release. Recorded by Terry Manning at Compass Point Studios, the album features songs the band has, largely, not performed live yet. And speaking of live Panic, the band's Dec. 29 show at Philips Arena is sold out, but some tickets remain for the Dec. 30 and 31 shows. Details available over at www.widespreadpanic.com.

And They Finally Deserve It: Go ahead and shoot me if you want to, but I stand firmly by my feeling that the Atlanta music scene has had pitifully little to offer in terms of quality over the past 20 years. That said, Atlanta is currently home to an incredibly vibrant, explosively creative, cohesive and similarly minded underground scene that is seriously rivaling the quality of the Athens scene from any era. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Bill Cody, the man behind the Tony Gayton-directed film Athens, Ga.: Inside/Out, is currently giving Atlanta the same treatment he gave us back in 1987. Currently in production is the film We Fun: Atlanta, Ga.: Inside/Out. The film will feature Mastodon, King Kahn & BBQ Show, Black Lips, Deerhunter and, presumably, others. Sure, there's bound to be sour grapes thrown at this one, just like the Athens film received, but damn if this isn't a solid slice of what's currently happening 65 miles to the west.

(And we're out. Be sure to keep your news coming in and always mention either Threats & Promises or my name in the subject line of all emails. Filming and screening I picture the scene 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