"I had a shoe thrown at me by a mean old man/I get my dinner from a garbage can."
– Stray Cats "Stray Cat Strut"

40 WATT CLUB (549-7871)

· Friday: Jimmy’s Chicken Shack/Five Times Down. Jimmie’s Chicken Shack is a real place in Harlem where Charlie Parker used to play and Malcolm Little used to hang out (you may know him better as Malcolm X). The band embraces the big-rock sound without all the silly big-rock pretentiousness.

· Saturday: Six Shades Blue/The Stoutbeats. There won’t be any big-rock sound tonight. Only big-band swing performed by members of the School of Music who know what big-band swing should sound like.

· Monday: Douglas Martin Book Release Party – The Sample Boyz.

· Tuesday: Gritty Kitty/Kissing Book. Two guys, two gals and a plateful of indie-pop to go. If you’ve got a gritty kitty, you should put it in the dishwasher and clean it off (See Partly Cloudy playing at Gasoline Alley for the sordid details). Oh, did I just end a sentence or two with a preposition? What state of mind am I in?

· Wednesday: Of Montreal/Fable Factory/Marshmallow Coast.

· Thursday: Memory Dean/The Goodies.

ALLEN’S HAMBURGERS

(353-9341)

· Friday: Brian Burke.

· Monday: Will Rehberg & Jim Garland.

· Tuesday: Jeff & Gary Andrews.

BOARS HEAD DOWNTOWN BAR (369-3040)

· Friday: Kip Jones.

· Saturday: Flo.

· Tuesday: Velvet Jones.

· Wednesday: Everyday People.

· Thursday: Kip & Josh.

DT’S DOWN UNDER (543-9276)

· Friday: King Daddy Zeb.

· Saturday: Creekwater Sound/ Grout.

· Monday: Mishap. At the end of the month, local favorite Mishap will have a big CD release party at The Georgia Theatre. For those of you who can’t wait until then, the band’s CD will be available at the show on Monday, and the band will play in a more intimate environment.

· Tuesday: Walking For Days.

· Wednesday: Dimestore

GASOLINE ALLEY (354-6760)

· Friday: Jump Steady/BTUs. Jump Steady plays upstairs, and The BTUs play downstairs. It’s as simple as that.

· Saturday: Mad Margritt & Partly Cloudy. Mad Margritt plays downstairs and Partly Cloudy plays upstairs unless it’s really sunny and then they’ll play outside – just kiddin’. Partly Cloudy definitely will be playing upstairs. My uncle once had a cat named Partly Cloudy. He lost it and thought it had run away from home. One day he heard a strange noise coming out of his dishwasher (which he hadn’t used for awhile). The cat had been stuck inside for a few days, and Partly Cloudy was all wet. No joke.

· Thursday: Greg & The Grunt Tones. After a few days of being stuck inside a dishwasher, you’d be making some heavy grunt tones too.

GEORGIA THEATRE (549-9918)

· Friday: Mel & The Party Hats. Love them ’80s covers. Maybe Mel will play something by the Stray Cats. And while we’re tellin’ cat tales, let me tell you another tear jerker. During my senior year of high school, I was sitting in my room. All was quiet until I heard a horrible grief-stricken wail from my mom. I immediately knew that either my brother’s cat or my stepdad was dead. I was hoping that it was my brother’s cat because stepdads are harder to come by. Sure enough Binkley was no longer with us. The next morning as I drove my brother to school, "The Stray Cat Strut" came on the radio. My brother was an emotional wreck. He loved that cat, but I loved that song and hoped he wouldn’t notice (he usually fell back to sleep as soon as the seat was buckled and reclined). A few years later, after we got our new cat, Cesena, I told him about my dilemma. He didn’t remember and had since developed an equal appreciation for "The Stray Cat Strut." And as soon as Cesena dies, I’ll let you know.

· Saturday: Kinchafoonee Cowboys. Boots, spurs and hats with big brims will be out in full force to see the twangin’ activities of the much loved Kinchafoonee boys.

· Thursday: Michael Ray & The Cosmic Krewe/Grogus.

HIGH HAT MUSIC CLUB

(549-5508)

· Friday: 6 String Drag/Todd McBride/Jimmy Davidson.

· Saturday: Donkey/Poor Little Fools.

· Monday: Thumb Of The Maid.

· Tuesday: Dylan Hicks/Marah.

TASTY WORLD (543-0797)

· Monday: Blue Condition.

· Thursday: The Great Electric Show And Dance/**** Volcanic.

THE WINERY (613-0095)

· Saturday: No Where Fast

· Tuesday: Legitimate Businessman’s Association.

FIVE STAR DAY CAFE (543-8552)

· Friday: Spoon River

· Sunday: Chris Springfield & The New Poor.

– Daniel Pulliam