Hope all you guys have been doing well. I know I have. Athens seems positively infused with high spirits and goodwill nowadays, especially at recent dance parties. I don't know about you, but there's just something about seeing a couple of hundred folks decked out like the front row of an Echo and The Bunnymen concert (circa 1983) that makes a smile creep right across my face. A fashion revival? Sure. But at least it's not hippie fashion, and thank God it's not disco. At any rate, on with the show.

Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?: By now, you've likely heard of the sad passing of Johnny Cash - he died Friday, Sept. 12, due to complications from diabetes resulting in respiratory failure. It's been only months since the death of his wife June Carter Cash; the legacy the two left to American music is immeasurable. Cash's iron integrity and gentle grace evolved out of years of honest life, and he influenced legions of musicians. Check next week's Flagpole for a look back at the Man in Black. And local artists, get cracking on an Athens tribute to Cash. Here's a start: Don Chambers, your rendition of "Long Black Veil" is terrific; Phosphorescent would do a great "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky"; Patterson Hood, you and Joseph Plunket were made to sing "Southern Accent" or "Sunday Morning Coming Down" or "Cry, Cry, Cry"; Eryn McHugh, you must perform "Redemption"; I'd kill to hear Hope For Agoldensummer doing "Give My Love to Rose." Share your thoughts on Cash and what he meant to you - email music@flagpole.com [Chris Hassiotis]

Coming Home, Coming Home: The University Union's just released the performers for the annual Homecoming Concert, and this year's not bad at all - on Friday, Oct. 24, Busta Rhymes

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and Blackalicious will perform at Stegeman Coliseum. While Busta's skills as an entertainer sometimes outmatch his musical talents, Blackalicious' great Blazing Arrow was one of last year's highlights and still has a spot in our stereos. So a big "Right on!" to the Union. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Sept. 20, at 10 a.m. at the Tate Student Center Cashier's Window, and range in prices: between $10-20 for University students, between $20-30 for non-students. [CH]

What? Uh... Huh?: Although we've all been warned for years about the danger loud music can do to our hearing, let's face it: most of us ignore that warning. On top of that most of us won't even go to the doctor when we think something might be wrong with our hearing. So to help out all you hearing-impaired and money-shy musicians out there, Nuçi's Space will host Dr. Lawrence Crockett on Wednesday, September 17. Dr. Crockett is a hearing specialist and he will conduct free hearing tests for musicians from 4-6 p.m. Nuçi's Space also can get specially fitted musician's earplugs at a discount for you, should you need them. For more information or to sign up for a free screening, please call 227-1515.

That's OK. You Can Keep The Card: Athens band The Eskimos is planning on wreaking a little havoc at a couple of high profile gigs soon. The band recently was confirmed to play at the CMJ Music Marathon Showcase in New York and as part of the compensation package will receive "free passes and shit to the big shmooze fest." What they mean is they will be allowed to attend, for free, all of the industry panels and workshops that CMJ is loaded with. According to the band they will also be handing out business cards featuring photographs of their, ahem, scrotums (scrota?) to any interested A&R folks. Those inclined to make the trip up North can catch the band at The Arlene Grocery on Thursday, October 23, and The Baggott Inn on Saturday, October 25. In other Eskimos news, the band is still working on its newest album and has not as yet set a release date. For more info please head toward www.theeskimos.com.

Not Your Fathers Cowboy: Athens duo blackcowboy recently wowed audiences in both Los Angeles and New York while opening for our own Drive-By Truckers. Seems head Trucker Patterson Hood insisted that blackcowboy go on the road with the band after seeing the duo open for Jucifer during AthFest 2002. Apparently audiences didn't quite know what hit them,

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but reacted overwhelmingly positively to blackcowboy's "surreal mix of big beats, vocal samples, lush soundscapes, freaky performance art, hot dancing, twisted turntablism and raw sexual energy." Also, viewers of The Cartoon Networks' Adult Swim programming might recognize blackcowboy's sounds from the cartoon "SeaLab 2021" (still showing weekly, thankfully). For MP3s, news and other information, click it over to www.blackcowboy.com.

Formal Wear Drive For Burn Camp: On Friday, Sept. 19, I Am The World Trade Center will once again be pumping out some of the most distinct pop this town has ever seen along with The Agenda and Myrtle Beach, SC, goth-dance act Something About Vampires And Sluts. I have reliable information that informs me that the last time I.A.T.W.T.C. played with S.A.V.A.S., not only were there numerous fistfights in the audience and multiple nude folks dancing, but a few punters decided that the show was a good place to just start having sex. Yes. As in during the show. All this goes down (no pun intended!) at the fabulous 40 Watt. In addition to all this, I.A.T.W.T.C. will be collecting donations of prom/formal wear in a clothes drive for the annual prom held at Camp OO-U-LA (translation: "cool water") which is a Summer Camp managed by the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation. The camp functions as a safe place for kids who are burn victims and allows them a chance to attend summer camp. The annual prom is a big shindig and all camp attendees look forward to it the whole time. Local hairstylists and make-up artists regularly donate their talents to the camp as well. Please bring any formal clothes (for girls and boys) you have to donate to the show. For more info on Camp OO-U-LA, please visit www.gfbf.com.

Cadillac Athens Just Won't Stop: The past month's been a good one for Athens folk, as far as national press goes. Take the latest issue of electronica/hip hop/"urban culture"/etc. magazine URB: the mag with an OutKast cover has a feature on the "coolest" 11 college towns in America. Athens came in at No. 2 (Damn you, Ann Arbor!) with musical mentions of Low Yo Yo Stuff, The 40 Watt Club and a special shout-out to Boneshakers as a place for a night on the town. Also this: Magnet magazine turned 10 years old this month, and they looked back at the best 60 albums of the past decade. Tops on the list? Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. No arguments from Flagpole... [Chris Hassiotis]

Midnight in The Beer Garden Of Good And Evil: All local bands that want to take a trip to beautiful Savannah, GA, this coming spring take note: O'Connell's Irish Pub wants you. The owners are looking for around 15 bands to participate in the annual Kiss A Pig Campaign, which is sponsored by the American Diabetes Association. Bands willing to play the charity event will get a tax deductible letter for their time, free food and drink and be helping a worthy cause. For information on participation please contact Shelley Carroll Lowther at (912) 231-8499 or visit www.oconnellirishpub.com.

Local Lyric For This Week: This week's lyric come from a man most of you have heard of even if you've never actually heard him. Not exactly local, but not exactly not, songwriter Warren Zevon had definitely left his mark on Athens both by virtue of his temporary residence here several years back and his membership in The Hindu Love Gods which was comprised of Zevon and R.E.M.'s Bill Berry, Peter Buck and Mike Mills. Many thanks to the Flagpole reader that suggested I include Zevon in these pages. Often compared to other writers of his ilk (acerbic wit, unselfconsciously romantic and general music industry rebel), Zevon could write a lyric that could resonate years later with its sense of timeliness. By way of illustration, dig these lines from the track "Trouble Waiting To Happen" from his 1987 album Sentimental Hygiene: "I turned on the news to the Third World War / Opened up the paper to World War Four / Just when I thought it was safe to be bored." Warren Zevon, 56, passed away on Sunday, Sept. 7, after a long battle with cancer.

Final Notes: The Agenda just flew up to play a few sold out shows with British labelmates The Darkness (not to be confused with Je Suis France's The Darkness), who they became friends with on their recent overseas jaunt; Dromedary just returned from a successful two-week tour out on the West Coast and will be hitting the road again in November for a tour with Jonathan Byrd; Get out there and see some shows this week. You'll be glad you did.

And that's it for this round folks. Send all the news to me referencing either "Threats & Promises" or me in your email subject line. Hit me with the magic stick 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