Although I've written a good amount of anti-Eminem stuff in this column I finally gave up and saw 8 Mile. Folks, it's worth your nickel. Marshall Mathers is surprisingly good at this acting stuff, even though he pretty much plays himself. That said, let's get on with it:

Very Close To Home: Former Athens über-trendsetter and least pretentious rocker Laura Carter passed away on December 3. Carter, who is not to be confused with the other Laura Carter of Athens' Orange Twin label, was a fixture of the Athens music and social scene for many years before she relocated to St. Croix in

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the mid-1990s. The official cause of death was reported as asphyxiation. Carter was instrumental in creating the hard rock sound that was the polar opposite of the "Athens sound." Longtime close friend David Barbe has remarked, "Before the Bar-B-Que Killers, circa 1984, that whole hard rock side of Athens music did not exist." Barbe also informed Flagpole that "There will be some sort of memorial service, wake or show in her honor sometime soon." Carter was 37 years old and is survived by her mother, two sisters and her five-year-old son, Conrad.

Consistent synth: The X-Ray Café had such a good turn out for their first "indie electronica" night, the little book/comic/avant-garde chotchke store will be hosting its second laptop electronic extravaganza on Friday, Dec. 13. Word is that it may become a monthly thing offering the future of music to Athens every second Friday of the month. For all those geeks who loved the metallic sound of a Casio keyboard as a kid, this may be your kind of gig. [Sarah Lee]

GReecy Benefit: Redneck GReece (the country genius that brought Athens the touching love song "Don't Let Another Penis Come Between Us") will be hosting a benefit for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Athens on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 8:30 p.m. at Locos Eastside (on Barnett Shoals Rd.). Redneck will be backed by an all-star bluegrass band this time around: Redneck Blue-GReece Delux. It just wouldn't be Yuletide proper in Athens without Redneck GReece and Locos' annual Christmas

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get-together, now in its thirteenth year. [Mike Andrews]

Unspeakably Sad: Atlanta band The Black Lips, who made their mark on Athens during the Back To School Rock-N-Roll Bash at the 40 Watt, have reported tragedy from their camp. On December 1, guitarist Ben Eberbaugh (also a veteran of Atlanta band The Blastoffs) was driving on Georgia 400 when a woman traveling in the wrong direction, reportedly drunk, struck his car head on. Eberbaugh was killed in the accident. The band, slated to begin a short tour, has vowed to continue as a three piece for the time being. The Black Lips had recently been gaining national notoriety for their explosive stage manner and songwriting. Their debut album will be released in February 2003 on the legendary Bomp! label. Please be careful out there, folks. And if you catch the Black Lips live anytime soon, offer your condolences.

Fightin' The Good Fight: Athens rockers The High Caliber have been keeping busy lately. Their debut 7" single is available at Low Yo-Yo Stuff and Schoolkids Records and they just finished shooting their video (!) for the track "16 Miles." Described by engineer Chris Bishop as "the Byrds meet The Jesus and Mary Chain," the band is gaining ground with every show and you can get the full scoop by checking out their website thehighcaliber.com. Also, if you'd like some free MP3s of the band, just write them at TheHighCaliber@aol.com and honcho Tom Salmon will send you some.

There's No "I'm Too Hungover To Build A House" In TEAM: Nelson Wells and the gang over at Team Clermont are hosting their 2nd Annual Holiday Habitat For Humanity Day on Friday, Dec. 13. The build will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Stonehenge Subdivision. No construction experience whatever is needed. Team Clermont will be hosting its 2nd Annual Holiday Bash the next night and, in order to be invited, you must participate in the build. Seriously, only participants are privy to the details of this event. For more information contact Team Clermont at 548-6008 or Habitat For Humanity at 208-1001.

Hey Man, You Sure This Thing Works?: The do-gooders over at Nuçi's Space will be hosting their 2nd Annual Garage Sale on December 14. The event begins at 9 a.m. and continues until it fizzles out. You can rent a table for $10 (with proceeds going straight to Nuçi's Space), or you can donate your used (working!) musical gear for them to sell and make some money. Apparently this event was a great success last year. Also of note, the guys from athensmusic.net will be selling all the local music that is currently available on their website, so if there are some local records you've been waiting to buy this would be a perfect opportunity to do so.

The Night Chicago Died: Erik Hinds, boss man of Athens' label Solponticello Records has been up to quite a bit lately. His group SS Puft will be in Chicago between December 11 and 16 for a trio of performances and a live set on the air at WNUR. Also, Hinds himself has just finished up his new record with John Keane. It's entitled Khonsay, and will be released soon on Solponticello. For more info head on over to solponticello.com.

Back On The Good Foot: After being de-railed back in September due to "a pressing recording commitment of one of the artists," the Lyricist Lounge Tour is up and running again. The tour, which spotlights different hip hop MCs, was birthed from the vision of the original Lyricist Lounge showcases that began in New York over a decade ago. This tour will feature Erick Sermon, Scarface, Poverty, Blest e Nation, Killah Priest and Grafh. The tour will find itself at Atlanta's Cotton Club on December 26.

Cruel And Unusual, But Cheaper Than Bullets: In perhaps the most bizarre case of musical vandalism I have ever heard of, Norwegian "sound artist" Leif Inge has managed, by way of computer software and remixing, to stretch Beethoven's 9th Symphony to last an entire 24 hours. Thankfully, it has been divided into 19 different segments so one can torture one's self a little bit at a time. It boggles the mind to think of the law enforcement possibilities here, doesn't it?

Licking The Hand That Feeds Me: Considering that this is, after all, the season to be jolly, you might want to pick up some of the fine locally produced Christmas records that have come out over the years. Notable titles include The Flagpole Christmas Album and The Mother Of All Flagpole Christmas Albums, Kindercore's Christmas 2, John Berry's My Heart Is In Bethlehem and O Holy Night and the Sleep In Heavenly Peace compilations. Most titles should be available at local stores, but you can also pick 'em up at athensmusic.net.

My Name's Robert And I Fought Godzilla: Former Athenian and musician Robert Duckworth informed me that his new "powerbook duo" Tog will be touring Japan all December with European group Hypo. Duckworth was instrumental a few years back in bringing some pretty darned good shows to Athens and has been a forward thinking tunesmith for years. Unfortunately, I doubt anyone reading this will be able to attend any of the shows. However, if you want to check out what he's been up to march your hands over to tognet.org.

This Is More Like It: Keeping with the fine tradition of indecisiveness of Athens bands, Doll Farm will not be breaking up as reported last week. At least not anytime soon. While who is in the drummer's seat seems to be up in the air right now, the Farm will continue to rock its way into the hearts of their fans. Watch this page for further developments.

As always, folks, you can bring it all back home via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 549-2360; via fax at 548-8981; or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb