First of all let me welcome all the transients back to Athens. Hopefully you'll have a good time this year and support our local music scene. Or at least not do it any harm. For all you new folks out there, welcome to Athens and the same goes for you, too. Yes. You. Let's get started…

I Love The Sound Of Lasers Hitting Plastic: A couple of releases you guys might be interested in are coming up. First, local favorite Drive-By Truckers are featured on Under The Influence: A Jam Band Tribute To Lynyrd Skynyrd. The album, to be released by Sanctuary Records, features nightmarish/ questionable acts such as Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Les Claypool and Galactic, but also solid talents such as John Hiatt, the aforementioned DBT, Gov't Mule and the Yonder Mountain String Band. Just program this thing when it comes out. Drop by www.drivebytruckers.com, or www.sanctuaryrecords.com for more info.

On a Jelly Roll: In other "jam band" news, local group Tishamingo will have its new album released by Magna Carta Records; it was recorded and produced by master engineer David Barbe. The tentative title is Wear And Tear. Please do not misconstrue any of the above information in such a way as to think I approve of the term "jam band" at all. Ever. For more information please see www.tishamingo.com.

Good News On The Label Front: Local Athens label Community B Records has now released the vinyl version of Chicago rockers We Ragazzi. This is release is a limited edition and each copy features a hand-printed jacket by drummer Aliana Kalaba. Community B has also just sent off the debut album by Mass Solo Revolt to Silver Sonia Studio in Washington, DC to be mastered for release. (Silver Sonia is operated by former Smart Went Crazy member and current Beauty Pill member Chad Clark. Most recently Clark mastered the 20-year Dischord Records retrospective.) The album will be released on October 30. Please check out the Community B website; the folks do good work. www.communityb.com.

Defined As The "Inevitable And Steady Deterioration Of A System Or Society:" Local band Entropy, who have declared that they "create original urban music that inspires life, celebrates diversity, and perpetuates all things funky" will be celebrating the release of their debut studio album LiveRebelFunkLove with a release party/ show at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta on Thursday, Sept, 2 and an Athens release (location TBA) party on Friday, Sept. 24. Entropy has really been working their collective ass off for the past couple of years, so put down that bong and give 'em a hand. Or two. For more information please see www.entropyfunk.com.

Potential Drama in The Making?: Longtime Athens musician/ actor/ DJ David Ferguson, best known in Athens for the very popular early 1990s band The Go Figures, has started a dance night that seeks to create a positive environment "for young gay students, their friends, and the non-frat crowds to mingle, dance, and have a good time." The recurring event, know as "Disco Confidential," had its debut a couple of weeks ago at Go Bar and reports say that a crowd of approximately 50 had a blast. (To put this in perspective, The Go Bar's capacity is approximately 50 people. So that means it was packed!) Ferguson has created this event specifically to combat what he sees as the destructive influence perpetuated by much of the current gay dance/ disco scene. Indeed, he says he has "had too many promising young friends get caught up in the sticky web of drugs and alcoholism, class-skipping and depravity" that has been, if not necessarily encouraged, certainly tolerated by Athens' current gay scene. He says that his night's aim is "to be cleaner, more intelligent, less-self-destructive. With better music, too." While I applaud Ferguson's effort to foster creativity and positivity, it seems to me that it would be difficult to combat things such as "alcoholism" during an event held at a bar. But I could be wrong. At any rate, kudos to him and all involved. Please check Flagpole's ABC listings for future events.

Is Breaking Up Hard On You, Too?: Two of my favorite local groups have announced their breakups in the past couple of weeks, and even though the news has spread around I figured I'd let it be seen in print, also. Passionate, guitar-driven Reading will play one last show at Tasty World [see story in this issue]. They've amassed a sizable local following over the past year and will be missed. All is not lost, however, as members of Reading have gone on to form Iron Hero, which can best be described as, um, a passionate, guitar-driven band. Their second show a couple of weeks ago at the Caledonia Lounge was a rousing success; look for more from them. Please see www.readingtheband.com for info (pending updates, of course).

Splitsville: In other breakup news, hardcore band Community Chaos is calling it quits. The announcement on their website gave no details as to why they're splitting and bandmembers couldn't be reached for comment. Their last show will be Thursday, August 26 at Lunch Paper with The Knife Trade and Another Broken Vehicle. Community Chaos was one of the few bands in the last few years to play honest-to-old-school hardcore in Athens. They too will be missed. Drop by www.communitychaos.com.

Long Time Coming: We Versus The Shark will release its album on Wednesday, August 25 at the Caledonia, and fans have been waiting for this one. This is like 95 percent guaranteed to happen, as the guys still might be having "technical manufacturing problems," but members promise they'll do all in their power to secure some copies for the crowd. (Also appearing that night will be the hilariously named Bling The Children Back Home and the seriously named Marriage). The members of We Versus The Shark have worked their collective asses off over the past year to grow into the powerhouse they have become, so please go to the show and give it up for them. This release also marks the official debut of Hello Sir Records, which is the joint effort of We Versus The Shark and cohorts Cinemechanica. For more information please see www.wevstheshark.com.

Final Notes: Southern Bitch gets my vote as the single most improved Athens band of the past six months. Not that it was horrible before - far from it - but that the Bitch has now incorporated so much more rock into its sound that there is no denying the power. Psychic Hearts are recording a three-song EP with studio master Andy Baker and are planning on releasing the songs on both CD and vinyl in the coming months; Amy Dykes, siren-voiced member of I Am The World Trade Center, would like to thank Psychic Hearts in particular for the support they have shown her. Dykes is, as has been reported on this page in the past, currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which she was diagnosed with this year. For updates on her situation and progress, please see www.Iamluxe.com/amy.

That's all for now, folks. Please get your news in to me early and often and always reference either me or Threats & Promises in the subject lines of all emails. Boogie with Stu via email at music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 549-9523, ext. 214; or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.
Gordon Lamb