Sound Menu September 05 2001 Wed week out

THE COMAS, THE STARLIGHT MINTS — Shifting from languid emo-core to loop-enhanced singer/songwriter melodies, co-ed Chapel Hill indie darlings the Comas sound like the Velvets if Nico hadn't left so soon. Shimmering, dreamy post-alt strumming with violin and languorous melodies that cautiously float but never drift off into thin air. It's self-described as "stoner-pop" — and that about nails it — but it's just as effective if you're straight. The Starlight Mints follow in the footsteps of fellow Oklahomans the Flaming Lips with delicious orchestral pop that works both as engaging eclectic pop and as easily digestible ear candy. Their 2000 album, The Dream that Stuff was Made Of, is exactly that. Echo Lounge (Horowitz/Sarig)

GARGANTUA — If the lovable clods of Spinal Tap ever had their equivalent in a local Atlanta rock group, that band would without doubt be Gargantua. As ridiculously overblown as their name suggests, this big-bottomed combo attacks its audiences with two — count 'em, two — bass guitars and enough cartoonish Wagnerian heavy-metal histrionics to raise a smile on a poster of Gene Simmons. (Or, in tonight's case, Elvis.) Star Bar (Nicoll)

PUSH KINGS — See Record Reviews, p. 98. MJQ Concourse (Ware)

JIMMY THACKERY — See listing for Tues., Sept. 11. Blind Willie's (Horowitz)

BAYOU ROOM: Shyanne

BILLY'S: Martay's Partay

BLIND WILLIE'S: Jimmy Thackery

BRIDGES: Piano with Bruce

BUFFALO'S-PLEASANT HILL Live entertainment

CAJUN KITCHEN: Occams Razor

CALLENWOLDE FINE ARTS CENTER: Poetry rading

CHURCHILL GROUNDS JAZZ CAFE: Pursuance with Lee Hogan & Dan Furman

CLUB GENO'S: The Brethern

COMEAUX'S: Sal Gentile & Rick Bell

COWBOYS: Darrin Robbins, Kickback

DARWIN'S: Open Blues Jam

ECHO LOUNGE: The Comas, Starlight Mints

ECLIPSE DI LUNA: Bonaventure Quartet

FAT MATT'S RIB SHACK: The Electromatics

40 WATT CLUB-ATHENS: Call

FUZZY'S: Motor City Josh

HARD ROCK CAFE: Bertie Higgins, Island Bound CD release party

KARMA: Cream

KAYA: Wind Down Wednesday - live jazz, spoken word, poetry

METROPOLITAN PIZZA: Metropolitan Wednesdays

MJQ CONCOURSE: Push Kings

NOMENCLATURE MUSEUM: Reunion - featuring dark wave, ether pop and trance

NORTHSIDE TAVERN: Daniel "Mudcat" Dudeck

PECKERHEAD BREWERY- DOUGLASVILLE: Open-mic with Debone

RAY'S ON THE RIVER: Waveform with Doc Samuels, Larry Jackson, Tom Woodruff

SOMBER REPTILE: Subject to Change, Hybrid

STAR BAR-L5P: Gargantua

THAD AND JOE'S: Trivia

VIOLETTE RESTAURANT: Jus Jazz featuring Dave Wallis, Eddie Taylor, Dan Coy, Shack Lewis, Rita Graham

Contributors to this week's Menu are Jamie Allen, Bill Clifford, Hal Horowitz, Matthew Hutchinson, James Kelly, Gregory Nicoll, Justin Robertson, Roni Sarig, Lee Smith and Tony Ware.