Hello from SweatFest 2004! This is the only Athens event that runs all summer long and well into the fall, so be sure to have a good time all the time. Put on some cool dub and settle in for this week's read...

Lineups Change With The Seasons, Too: Moody and powerful Athens band Polemic has undergone yet another lineup change. Bandleader and founder McKenna Mackie seems to have found a solid group of folks who share her vision and hopefully this lineup will propel the band further into the spotlight it deserves. Rounding out this change of teams is Ashley Wentworth (formerly of the sadly-short-lived Doll Farm) on guitar, Gabe Sonnenberg (from Athens street-rockers Service Industry) on bass and John Lueke (from Atlanta's Ampathy). Mackie herself will still be on drums and guitar. The new crew recently made their debut at Atlanta's Echo Lounge and will rock Athens on Friday, June 11 in celebration of the birthday of Athens scene fixture John Boy. Head over to Tasty World that night and get your face rocked and wish him the best. You can also catch the band performing for AthFest 2004 on Friday, June 18. For more information and MP3s please see www.polemicmusic.net.

When I Was A Kid We Only Had Toys In The Attic: Of Montreal, one of Athens' hardest working bands, just finished up tearing up the highways and byways of the United States taking the road show to the people. Among the many road stories they brought back was one in which they played with fellow Athenians Elf Power and Summer Hymns in Austin, TX, and rain proceeded to pour through what I can only assume was a Texas-style thatched roof and ruined a Moog synthesizer. The most recent Of Montreal release Satanic Panic In The Attic peaked at No. 2 on the CMJ (College Music Journal) charts and was apparently kept out of the number one slot by the irrational attention afforded the pointless Washington band Modest Mouse. However, if the Internet buzz is to be believed, Satanic Panic In The Attic will resonate in fans' minds as permanently as any previous one deemed a favorite. That is to say, people really like this one. For more information, please see www.ofmontreal.net.

Speak Of The Devil: And mentioning Elf Power and Of Montreal, swing by the Orange Twin website to check out videos from the band... You might have some problems navigating around, as the Orange Twin site is constantly under update, but just go to www.OrangeTwin.com/video.html and

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you should do fine. Nick Canada has turned the Elves' "Never Believe" and Of Montreal's "Disconnect the Dots" into some highly animated psychedelic trips. Canada's videos borrow heavily from the "Monty Python" animations of Terry Gilliam, utilizing the same primary colors and the same hand-hewn, cut-and-paste aesthetic, but they also maintain the same exuberant energy. Check 'em out. [Chris Hassiotis]

Give Me The First One Outta The Bin!: R.E.M. will be in the news quite a bit for the next several months, as the band is up to so much stuff it's not even funny. News this week is that singer Michael Stipe has recorded a duet with teen pop-singer Mandy Moore for the soundtrack of the upcoming, Stipe-co-produced film Saved. Moore stars in the film, which actually looks to be very funny (I can't yet tell if it's funny-ha-ha or funny-strange). The track covered is the beautiful Beach Boys track "God Only Knows" and while I have massive reservations about anyone covering a song that was so perfectly realized in its original incarnation, I'm going to trust Stipe on this one. Ms. Moore also stars in an upcoming John Turturro production. The world gets stranger by the moment. For more information please see www.savedmovie.com.

What's In A Name?: Count Kellam has parted ways with his longtime musical companion Bain Mattox, leaving Mattox's band (also called Bain Mattox). Kellam - whom you may have known as Gary for a good while, but who now goes by his middle name in honor of his grandfather - performed his debut show at Tasty World on Wednesday, May 26.

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Kellam's new project is, as would be expected with all this name-shifting, called Count. In an email sent to Flagpole, Kellam expressed disappointment with the direction in which Bain Mattox was progressing, saying, "I decided to get back to my music after realizing that Bain and I were on two very different paths..." Over the past two months, Kellam recorded an album on a 16-track in his living room, put down some drum beats in a studio and is getting Don McCollister to mix. Expect to hear more from this talented songwriter soon; given free reign over his own songs, good things should come to pass. [CH]

You Have Precious Little Time: LOOK! It's time for all you procrastinators to get your votes in for the 2004 Flagpole Music Awards. The deadline is Thursday, June 3, and you can vote by either using the ballot on p. 22 of this issue or at www.flagpole.com. Do it now.

Okay, that's all. And, look, I know the last thing anyone wants to do in this weather is sit down and write emails about their news, but if you've got something going on, please remember that school may be out, but the rock goes on. Forever. Send all your stuff to me, remembering to reference either me or Threats & Promises in the subject line of all emails. Down on the disco floor they make their profit via email at music@flagpole.com, voicemail at 549-2360; or by post at P.O. Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603.

Gordon Lamb