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Teen Dreamers Moodfrye goes upbeat on new EP By Sarah Quelland THINGS ARE PICKING UP locally after a fairly slow holiday season, but there's a lot of crossover in the lineups at local venues. Upbeat pop punk band Moodfrye releases its debut six-song EP Teen Dream at the Campbell Community Center this Friday (Jan. 7) with the Wunder Years, Guilt Trip and Dr. Fleshbone. An entertaining addition to the local punk scene, the young five-piece outfit (featuring Mo on vocals, Mike Segno on bass, Dave Trayer on drums and Leonard Guzman and Anthony Allamandola on guitars) delivers summery punk music with slight nods toward bouncy new wave pop. The first 25 people on the scene to sign Moodfrye's mailing list get a free copy of the album, so get there early to catch all the bands. Stitch, Down2None, Syk Lyfe, Sixkiller and Swig take the stage at the Cactus Club that same night. Stitch is getting a bit of a buzz with its heavy, aggressive sound backed by tribal beats that should appeal to fans of bands anywhere between System of a Down and Soulfly. The following night (Jan. 8), Stitch and Down2None are at it again, this time joined by dredg and Local Oddity at the Gaslighter's Music Hall in Gilroy. After a successful Halloween show at the Edge with Remoter and Dave Meniketti, Spitkiss finally shows its face again this Saturday (Jan. 8) at the Cactus Club with 419, Breach and Drist supporting. Ten in the Swear Jar, a five-piece comprised of former members of IBOPA, performs at the Usual next Tuesday (Jan. 11) with Triple Seven and dredg. Just as IBOPA took an unusual approach to music, XITSJ's Don Dias, Tim Kirby, Cory McCulloch, Jamie Stewart and Kurt Stumbaugh create intense music that's eccentric, eclectic and erratic by incorporating guitars, bass, drums, baritone saxophones, banjos, accordions and more into its innovative sound. The band released its debut, My Very Private Map, on vinyl and CD, but already sold out of vinyl. Another release on vinyl, titled Inside of the Computer Are All of My Feelings, which features members of Duster, IBOPA and Korea Girl, is on the way from Random Order Records. Here's something that might interest local bands: The Music Resource Group is the publisher of The Musicians Atlas 2000, a comprehensive music resource created for the independent music community that includes more than 10,000 music business contacts across the nation in categories like clubs, radio stations, national and regional press, producers, studios, artists managers, associations, distributors and other businesses that support the indie music scene. The Y2K edition is priced at $19.95 and is available at the www.MusiciansAtlas.com. More importantly, perhaps, the Music Resource Group is launching the Independent Music Awards to recognize the achievements of musicians who record and release music either on their own, or through independent labels and distributors. Awards will be presented to top-ranking artists in pop, rock, jazz, country/bluegrass and a variety of other categories. Producers, publishers and music journalists will review the first round of entries, and those finalists will be evaluated by a panel of celebrity artists (among those scheduled are Ben Folds, Aimee Mann, Pat DiNizio, Robbie Fulks, Charlie Hunter, Eileen Ivers, Joshua Redmond and Lisa Loeb). Entries for the Independent Music Awards must include a completed application, a CD or cassette and a $15 processing fee, and must be received by March 31. Visit the website for an application or call 800.954.9321. Award-winning recordings will be distributed nationally to press, labels and key industry representatives, and winners will be featured in the 2001 edition of The Musicians Atlas. Special award categories go to top regional artists and best indie label of the year. PLAN AHEAD: Dance Hall Crashers and Groovie Ghoulies, Jan. 7 at Palookaville; TLC and Christina Aguilera, Jan. 8, at the Oakland Arena; the Forgotten, Jan. 8 at the Cocodrie in San Francisco; Papa Roach, Broken Vision, dredg and Downstream, Jan. 15, at the Cactus Club; The Mr. T Experience, Jan. 15 at Slim's; The Kids in the Hall, Jan. 15-16 at the Warfield; Guster, Jan. 20 at the Edge; Stitch, True to Form and DIELAB, Jan. 21 at the Chemical Free Zone in Campbell; Monkey and the Brownies, Jan. 21 at Cactus; Misfits, Jan. 23 at the Edge; Groovie Ghoulies and Pansy Division, Jan. 28 at the Gilman in Berkeley; the Hi-Fives, Jan. 29 at the Gilman; Cher and Lou Bega, Feb. 5 at the San Jose Arena; Anthrax, Feb. 5 at the Warfield; Boy Kicks Girl, Feb. 16 at Cactus; the Judds and Jo Dee Messina, Mar. 3, at the San Jose Arena; Korn, Mar. 3, Oakland Arena. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]