<The Flyer's music writers tell you where you can go.
by Jim Hanas & Mark Jordan
Space will be the place Saturday in the plastic cavern in the
basement of the Bon Ton Restaurant downtown. That's when machine-age avatars the Clears
will celebrate the release of their eponymously titled debut, which hit stores last week.
The trio's synth-driven space-pop comes with a stage show to match that always makes them
a good bet. The opening act will be the Satyrs, who aren't synth-driven, but are
spacy in their own right. After languishing on the Cooper Street punk strip for a while,
they're beginning to find an audience for their moody and hypnotic guitar rock, and are
currently working on a record at Easley. 
This show is a virtual replay (minus Delorean)
of a Barristers show a few months back that turned out to be one of the better all-local
lineups in recent memory. It all gets started around 10 p.m. and there's some talk of an
appearance by a high school marching band.
-- Jim Hanas
Steve Earle's Nashville-based E-Squared Records has established itself in a very short time with some very good releases; earlier this year they put out Ross Rice's shockingly underappreciated Umpteen. But while Rice's record was pure power pop, for the most part E-Squared is a country-rock label, reflecting the style of its owner. This Thursday two of E-Squared's most lauded artists will be making an appearance at Newby's. The V-Roys from Knoxville won best rock band, best country band, and best local release honors this year from that city's weekly paper, the Metro Pulse. And their debut CD Just Add Ice, along with constant touring, have made them a regional favorite. Opening for them will be Raleigh, North Carolina's 6 String Drag, whose debut release High Hat shows off their peculiar punk, rock, country sound, not to mention guitarist Kenny Roby's uncannily Elvis Costello-sounding vocals. -- Mark Jordan