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Autumn turns to winter then winter turns to spring, yadda-yadda, Brady Bunch, etc. Fightin' back the flu this week so I'm gonna keep it on the tip top for y'all and be out quick.

New Sheriff In Town: After a long and arduous search for a new music editor here at The 'Pole, the editorial tribunal has made its decision. Everyone, please welcome Chris Hassiotis. Chris comes to us after a long stint at The Red & Black where he was a managing editor and entertainment writer. [Gee, go ahead and pigeonhole me, Gordon. Don't even mention the tiger-hunting expeditions in Kalimantan or the Great Tunisian Orphan Rescue of 2002. That's fine. I don't mind. Really. - Chris] We're all glad to see him come on board. [Glad to be here. - Chris]

But They Were Really Well Dressed: As of midnight on Saturday, March 1, 2003 Interpol was the worst band to cross the stage of the fabulous 40 Watt this year.

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Six years ago you couldn't have given away tickets to a half-cocked New Wave band, but in the 21st century it seems all bets are off. Snore.

Pickin' And Grinnin' And Makin' Dat Cheeze: Athens acoustic-roots band Stewart & Winfield have been kickin' up the dust lately. Most recently, the band kicked off the bluegrass portion of BreastFest 2003 at The Georgia Theatre. They had plans to open for Willie Nelson (!) down in Metter, GA, this past Saturday, but the show was postponed due to Willie's poor health. A May concert might be in the works. On the recording tip, they've cut a track for the independent Catherine Owens film Louie The Moon. Actually, there should be a total of five or so of the band's songs in the movie, and word is the film will be showcased at Cannes and Sundance. So, maybe S&W are the next John Mayer or something. Either way, they're giving it all they've got.

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King Henry's Decree: The newest issue of Atlanta's favorite (even if people won't admit it) music magazine, Chunklet, has just hit the stands. Former Athens resident and thorn-in-the-side Henry Owings has been pumping out Chunklet for 10 years now. To celebrate, he'll host a three-day music and comedy bash at The 40 Watt Club over the first three days of April to celebrate the occasion. True to its hilarious, irreverent and sardonic nature, the current issue features a cover story "Pay (Not) To Play", which isn't about bands being forced to pay high upfront fees to book a night at a club. Rather, it's about which bands Owings and contributors would gladly pay if they would only break up and not play ever again.

WAGz Gets Beefy: The Wireless Athens Group Zone (WAGz), created by the University Of Georgia's New Media Institute, has beefed up its exclusive content via a "walking video tour" of the Athens music scene. Featured are histories of The 40 Watt Club, The Georgia Theatre and The Uptown Lounge. Notable is the interview with former 40 Watt co-owner and Flagpole founder Jared Bailey. I swear, the man is not only a living legend but also a walking encyclopedia of Athens music history. If you can't access WAGz via the e-cloud downtown, you can see this cool stuff over at www.nmi.uga.edu/students/history/wathome.htm.

Athens Or Atlanta? Or Both? Well, it's that time again, for Olympic hopefuls in the music game to sign up for festivals in the mad hope of being chosen and then maybe getting to play on a completely mismatched bill in front of a half-full club of drunks. To help those young bucks realize this dream the folks over at Atlanta's Atlantis Music Festival are accepting applications as of now. Sell your soul over at www.atlantismusic.com.

Athens' own festival, which is also replete with corporate sponsors and hype, but doesn't come across nearly as sleazy, AthFest is accepting applications for its outdoor showcases over at www.athfest.com. Whichever you choose, just know that this curmudgeon really does wish you well and yes, I do want fries with that.

DJ Over Here, DJ Over There: Athens scene fixtures Dan Geller and Justin Panic, both of Athens street gang The Agenda, have started their own DJ offshoot gang called Teenage Kicks. According to the pair, their DJ nights will consist of "punk, Brit-pop, 60's pop, etc." While it's doubtful that there will be any Minor Threat or Necros on the turntables, you can expect a good time when these two play out, as they both have rather enviable record collections. They made their debut a couple of weeks ago at The Caledonia Lounge and should be back at it real soon.

And that's all for this week folks, wake me when the war starts. Send your WMDs 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