Hello again from Threats & Promises land, where the news flows like so much muck dripping down a storm drain. Okay, so I'm not the king of similes. Sue me. But before you do, sit back and read this week's scoop…

You Won't Scratch Your Head Saying "Who?" Much Longer: At the most recent Flagpole Athens Music Awards a band very few (if any) in the audience had ever heard of managed to walk off with awards for "Best Pop Band" and "Best Up And Coming Act." Who were these strangers? Well, folks, they call themselves The Modern Skirts. The band originally formed in 1996 under the name Founder's Feed & Seed, but as the band changed their sound they decided to change their name. (Good thing, too, 'cause ain't no one gonna pay attention to a band with a name like "Founder's Feed & Seed". Or, for that matter, "F.F.S." ) At any rate, the Skirts have just signed onto the management team over at Nomad Artists and are working with longtime Athens promoter/manager Troy Aubrey. The band has entered the local Epi-1: Ecosystems Studio and is planning on releasing a five-song CD, which should be available via AthensMusic.net later this fall. Most recently the band performed over at Tasty World on Saturday, Sept. 4 and if you wanna catch them live their next scheduled date is Friday, Oct. 8 at Eddie's Attic in Decatur.

We Could Just Click All Day On This Thing: Athens band The Good Ship has unveiled its new website and it appears very nice. You can catch up on all the usual items like pictures, news, press clipping, etc. But there's also a section called "Ask Brent" where fans, or anyone really, can write in and ask a question of bandmember Brent Jones. On any subject, too, I believe. While I will never, ever, ever feel comfortable seeing pictures of bandleader Rob Lomax in a full mustache, I must say the new site looks mighty fine and we all wish them well with it. Check it out over at www.goodshipmusic.com, and catch the Good Ship playing with Hope For Agoldensummer and Astra at the 40 Watt on Thursday, Sept. 16.

No Clapping, Just Snapping: Athens jazz ensemble Kenosha Kid has quite a bit of stuff coming up, so pay attention. First, on Friday, Sept. 10, the group will perform in a stripped-down version on WUGA's "It's Friday" program at 4 p.m. This will be sort of a teaser performance showcasing what sounds will be present during upcoming shows. On Monday, Sept. 13, the band will unveil two brand-new live film scores for two 1920s-era short films by puppeteer and animator Ladislaw Starowicz. This performance takes place at the fabulous 40 Watt. Previously the band has scored Charlie Chaplin's The Kid. Finally, on Thursday, Sept. 16, the Kid will play an acoustic set over at The Healing Arts Centre on Prince Avenue. All these performances will feature visiting New York saxophonist Peter Van Huffel. For more information on all of this stuff please see www.dromedarymusic.com, and pick up a copy of next week's Flagpole for more Kenosha Kid info.

I Do Believe They're Serious: Athens country/ rock/ etc. band The Bearfoot Hookers have been working very hard all summer long over at Chase Park Transduction Studio. The new album, titled Life At The Bar, is the follow-up to last year's Sweet Pickle Grits. The new album is being recorded entirely by Marcus Thompson (Lona, The Chasers). With this release the band hopes to "shake the 'funny country' label." While I wish them well, that label will probably continue to stick if they keep their name. At any rate, the band playing on this album is a huge cast of folks including Scott Nicholson, John Neff, Brenda Tonge, Steve LaBate, Erica Williamson, Jesse Lee, Jon Tonge, Ty Manning, Mark Durfield and Josh Skelton. Bassist Jon Tonge describes the new album thusly, "It goes from straight country to hard-rockin' blues to gospel and cock rock and back." Surely I can't be the only one thinking that some 'cock-rock' would be appropriate on a Hookers album, can I? For more information, please see www.thebearfoothookers.com.

Finally, Some News: Radium Recording honcho Chris Bishop has been packed to the walls with projects this summer. Here's an update on what's been going on with his studio. First, Marietta homeboys Deerhunter recorded their entire album in two days; expect to see it on vinyl in the next couple of months. Austin, TX, band The Casting Couch squeaked out five songs over the course of a week (bandmembers Wendy Mitchell and Lynn Boland are Athens ex-pats). Summer Hymns continues to record their next album and is now shooting for a January release date. Reading (R.I.P.) recorded their super-long "Life Is Colder Than Beer" which most of you have probably already heard on the WUOG. Flash to Bang Time started work on some tracks. Venice Is Sinking is working on their new album. Athens old-timer Wes Whitener (Rock-N-Roll Summer) came down from North Carolina to attempt yet again to finish that band's second album; word is that he's almost made it. And a bunch of other stuff has been happening over at Radium. Check out the news for yourself over at www.radiumrecording.com, and read Flagpole's profile of Bishop in this issue - it's the second in a series of profiles of local producers.

All Shine On: Karma Salon has been a supporter of local acoustic musicians with their "Fun Fridays" series, a weekly afternoon performance at the Milledge Avenue salon, and they're looking to expand into a full-day affair near the end of the month. On Friday, Sept. 24, Karma will kick off their "Art on the Lawn" weekend with Joel Byron performing, and then the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 25 sees performers like Megan Baer, Carla LeFever and Calliope Fair's Betsy Inglesby and Noel Beverley [read more about those two on p. 23] perform, along with others. See issue of Flagpole out on September 22 for more details. [Chris Hassiotis]

Superhighways And Byways: Thanks for making Flagpole the No. 1 choice on AthensCloud.com! Visit the web site to sign up for free text-message updates and recommendations for live music from the Flagpole staff sent straight to your phone. It's totally free and totally awesome. Promise. [CH]

And that's it for this week, folks. Keep your news coming in and I'll keep it going out. Try not to breathe 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