by Inlander Staff & r & & r & Raccoon Vapor From Chaos & r & There's a sweet little show Friday, made all the more poignant by the looming shuttering of the B-Side. Brimming with significance, tropes of old and new, rebirth, etc, etc. Friday night, the omnipresent Belt of Vapor is gigging with two relative newcomers, Raccoon and Ordo Ab' Chao. The latter contains the former members of Endswell, Death Kills Time, Death to Grays and Intifada, while the former includes ubiquitous scene beat-meister and one-man rhythm section Dave G (Weight, Chinese Sky Candy, et al.) on the bass.





Offstage at the Shop & r & It's a rare treat these days, what with the renovation and all, to take a trip to the delightful Perry neighborhood and catch a show at the Shop. The deeply personal one-woman-one-name-band (and heroic shirker of major-label contracts) Ellis will reopen the joint in grand style tonight and will begin anew the torrent of wonderfully eclectic fare the shop is known for (including Rocky Votolato on Jan. 25 and Chris Sand, the Rappin' Cowboy. on Jan. 29). There's no stage yet, but that's a minor thing.





A Cautionary Something & r & In the wake of some very loud rumors about certain bands being treated unfairly by certain establishments -- rumors that we can neither confirm nor deny -- we believe it's time to issue the following local band advisory. If you're approached to play a gig anywhere in town, regardless of how close it is to your house/school/practice space, regardless of how tight you are with the promoter/owner/bartenders, make sure you get your agreement in writing. As idyllic as rocking often is, you've got to protect yourself. For most people, music is a business, and, as we've learned from PG & amp;E, Halliburton and Enron, business is cutthroat, often sketchy as hell, and sometimes downright unfair. If we may quote Wu-Tang Financial: "Protect ya neck."