Hey gang. 'Sup? Same here except this week there's some interesting stuff you should pay attention to. Why? Because I said so, which is good enough reason for most folks so it's good enough for y'all. Now on with the show...

So This Is What Progress Sounds Like: Local band Susurrus has found itself in that position that most Athens bands find themselves in at one time or another. They need a new drummer. Now before all you Buddy Rich and Max Roach fans go contacting them, let it be know that they are self-described as a "progressive metal" band. Basically solid hardcore vocals laid over increasingly artsy, and somewhat self-indulgent, mayhem. Good in short doses, but if we were to flashback 20 years, there's no way this would have passed for hardcore. But, y'know, that's progress for you. At any rate, you'll need some skills to play with them as they have musicianship and technique dripping off them. Which is to say, they know what they're doing. If interested please visit www.hxcmp3.com/susurrus or write to binkie@uga.edu.

Speaking Of Drummers...: Let me direct y'all's attention to Drums 101. Located on Atlanta Highway just past Alps in the Athens Business Center, these guys have been meeting local drummers' needs for a couple of year now. They give lessons Monday through Friday all day and long into the night. They have a huge selection of new and used drums and associated equipment. They specialize in restoration and repair, also, so don't be shy about taking your trashed stuff to them for a refurbish. The focus isn't exclusively on rock drumming either. They claim to meets the need of jazz, marching band and other drummers, too. The pedigree of the employees seem to be pretty top notch, too, as they are all college graduates with music degrees. Word is that they all actually earn their living from playing also and work at the store for fun (sounds almost too good to be true, but who knows? That's just what I heard.) Drums 101 has a sister location in Gainesville and will open a Gwinnett County location in the fall. The store is open Monday-Friday from 12-7 p.m. and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday. Go see 'em.

Last Call For Real This Time: All you folks in woodshedding bands out there, or even some of you fairly established people, listen up. The deadline for submissions for the 2004 AthFest CD is rapidly approaching. Ghostmeat Records head honcho Russ Hallauer has been giving young bands their first exposure via his compilations for years and the AthFest CDs are no different. All you have to do is submit something on a CD to Ghostmeat for consideration. Just do it. You've nothing to lose. The absolute deadline for submissions is Sunday, Feb. 29, so gather your rosebuds while ye may over at www.ghostmeat.com.

Another Label Welcomed Into The Fold: Local-by-way-of-Michigan label Community B Records has their plate full this spring with vinyl releases by NYC/ Chicago rockers We Regazzi (who will be at the fabulous 40 Watt on March 15 with emo/ pop warlord Ted Leo) in May and Radical Face,

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which is the name renaissance man Ben Cooper is giving his music nowadays, in late April. Why am I telling you now? Because cool news can't stand still. The cool thing about all this is that the CD release of the We Regazzi album, titled Wolves With Pretty Eyes, is being released by Seattle label Suicide Squeeze (Les Savy Fav, Elliott Smith, The Unicorns) and Community B is doing the vinyl. This is enabling Community B to gain larger distribution for future releases, and as anyone who's ever been in the record game knows - distribution is pretty much the only thing that matters. There's a lot of cool stuff and information at www.communityb.com.

No, It Doesn't mean He Lives There: Sometimes I'm amazed by the way things seem to come full circle in the music scene. For example, Drivin' N' Cryin' leader, songwriter, tearjerker and rocker Kevn Kinney will start his Sunday night residency at Atlanta's EARL soon. Each week, Kinney will perform both by himself and with special guests, some of whom will not be able to be advertised either because of short notice or because they're simply too famous to have their name sullied by being printed with mere ink.

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At any rate, the shows will only be $5 and I can guarantee you they will be worth every damn cent. Oh, the reason I mentioned things going full circle was because the first time I ever saw Drivin' N' Cryin' was because they were doing a residency of sorts at Atlanta's long, long lost Metroplex. They would play almost every Wednesday night and, if memory serves, they were really cheap shows if you brought a can of food for the Atlanta Food Bank. But that was about 17 years ago, and all I remember, really, is having a hell of a lot of fun and hopefully this new residency by Kinney will inspire some young folks the way Drivin' N' Cryin' inspired me.

Final Notes: It's good to see Vomit Thrower back on the scene. Even if seeing them around does make feel about 100 years old; Has anyone noticed that the design for the proposed skate park looks like the head of Mickey Mouse? Just sayin' is all.

Had enough? Well, there'll be more next week, so get ready. Keep you news coming in and I promise to get to it. Be sure to always reference me or Threats & Promises in the subject line of all emails. You'd be surprised how many people don't follow simple directions. I like the way you move via email to music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 549-2360; or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb