The Flyer's music writers tell you where you can go. Time was when you could just be sitting around in a bar somewhere, wishing something would happen, and then it would. Jason D. Williams would wander in, over to the keys, and start pounding out the craziest hillbilly boogie this side of you know who. But then the casinos came to Tunica and the money went to Tunica and the counterfeit Killer followed. I’m sure he’s making the money he should, but he’s just wandering in less than he used to. Now when you’re in a bar, waiting for something to happen, you might as well get ready to be disappointed. Unless, of course, the bar happens to be Blues City Cafe, where Williams is scheduled to make an increasingly rare local appearance this Friday. Not quite as spontaneous, but it’ll do. – Jim Hanas Well, it’s July 4th weekend, and no one is having any music. Or at least that’s what it seems like. I don’t really understand this. What else are people doing? It’s too damn hot to stand outside and roast wienies. Somehow mobbin’ down to some crappy TVA lake where you’ll probably get pureed by the blades of some drunk’s power boat doesn’t have the proper patriotic resonance. Plus, it’s too hot to go even to a lake right now. Of course, there’ll probably be a parade or something, but frankly I’ve never really dug parades; they are, in short, boring and, frankly, a little pointless. If you want to thank a veteran or honor your country, there has got to be a more meaningful way to do it, like visit a veterans’ hospital or a military base or something. And, again, it’s just too damn hot for a parade. So if you want to do something comfortable, educational, patriotic, and music-oriented this week – short of going to Washington, D.C., where it’s probably hotter than it is here – rent or buy a copy of the musical 1776, starring the guy who did the voice of the car on Knight Rider as John Adams and the White Shadow as Thomas Jefferson. It’s a really good, informative movie with some great songs. If, however, you really are looking to this space for some kind of live-music recommendation, try the Tyrone Smith soul revue at Newby’s on Thursday or the pop/rock group Madison Blue at the High Point Pinch on Wednesday. But even if you go to either one of those places, as you sit smugly sipping your beer, take a moment to reflect on the hardships our forefathers had to endure to establish this great land – the uncertainty, the threat to their personal and family’s safety, and, of course, this damn, unbearable heat. – Mark Jordan