Each month, we'll bring you an inside look at the music you hear on The Zone @ 107.1 and the artists that make it.

by Leroy Grey

Insider here, coming down from a sugar buzz. My head hurts, and there's so much to talk about. Ohhh...

First off, did anybody out there dig the NICKELBACK show? THREE DAYS GRACE was a decent warmup, I guess. I had the most fun during the TRAPT set, trying to crank up the pit with five other guys. However, most of the time was spent hoisting plebes up for crowdsurfing (Kudos to singer, for taking a dip in the pool.) No pit for Nickelback: everybody was too busy reeling from the explosions, watching the wall of flame, or singing along with the band. By the end of the night, there were more horns flying in the arena than a dozen rodeos.

If you dug the show, hope you got some rest. As if the Nickelback show wasn't enough rock n' roll in your backyard, there's more shows to come before the year's out. Evanescence is bringing some friends to Carbondale in early December, and Matchbox 20 is playing Cape Girardeau that same week! Here's the lowdown:

Zone artist EVANESCENCE is headlining, and it's amazing to think that it's only been a year since they hit the radio waves. I can barely remember the movie "Daredevil", but I definitely remember Evanescence's song for the film, "Bring Me to Life." Big question is, does Evanescence's success mean that Goth is the 'new sound'? All I know is, they take the catchiest elements of opera and grunge, keep it in English, and sound like nobody else (and yes, I've heard of Lacuna Coil.) SEETHER's another popular Zone artist, but they don't impress me so much. They sound like Silverchair covering Staind songs. That's not a bad formula, and the guys have certainly had enough success, kicking the South African dust from their heels to tour the world. But I'm putting my bets on FINGERELEVEN to steal the show: they kick it up a notch, like Emeril LaGasse. Rounding out the foursome is the malevolent GODHEAD, which has a handle on that disco metal sound (Static X, Powerman 5000). Godhead does a real scary cover of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," too.

Evanescence and friends hit the SIU Arena on December 1st, check your local ticket outlets for prices and whatnot.

December 7th will live in infamy in Cape, because MATCHBOX TWENTY's hitting the Show-Me Center that night. First off, do I really need to tell you who Matchbox Twenty is? Okay, maybe you're Amish. They've been called "the new Eagles" by Spin magazine. Their first monster hit was "Push", which inexplicably became the prom song of 1998. Their last single, "Unwell", is still nestled in Top 40. In an interview with an Australian magazine, M20's drummer said that the band's separating for the next two years, working on side and solo projects. Now, I'm not saying that this may be their last tour, but I remember what happened when Mom and Dad said that they were separating for a little while...

Don't show up late, or you'll miss FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE. Right now, "Stacy's Mom" is all over the place (sorry, Stacy), but FOW's been making smirky songs for years. My favorite: it's a tossup between "Leave the Biker" and "(I Want an) Alien for Christmas". For alternative connoisseurs, think of They Might Be Giants, but not as silly. For rock fans, imagine if Matchbox 20 were the kind of guys to dig out Dungeons and Dragons for the after-party.

One of the band's co-vocalists was nominated for an Oscar for "That Thing You Do". I gotta admit, that would be a guilty thrill to hear live...

Some music news:

Elliott Smith died last month. One of his songs was nominated for an Oscar the year that "My Heart Will Go On" won. In about ten years, half of your favorite songwriters will say that Elliot Smith is one of their favorite songwriters. If you like Morrisey or Dashboard Confessional, or the sensitive side of Kurt Cobain, you should give him a listen. He died too soon.

More music news:

There's a new band getting some notice called The Network. They're one of the first acts on a new record label started by Green Day singer Billie Jo Armstrong. The Network wear wrestling masks in public. The Network sing in American and conduct press conferences in German. Now, rumors abound that the Network is actually a supergroup featuring all of Green Day and two of the members of Devo. Green Day, of course, denies this...

Guilty pleasure of the month: the video for The Darkness' "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." The Darkness must be the only band that actually thought that Spinal Tap was a documentary. In three and a half minutes, they manage to throw in spaceships, a heart shaped Jacuzzi, giant crustaceans, laser-shooting guitars, a wall of speakers, slo-mo guitar solos, and more over a falsetto that hasn't been matched since the Castrati of the 18th century.

CONTESTS!!

I've got a couple of Living Dead Dolls Pencil Sharpeners, and you can win one if you win the "Evanescence Sentence" contest! Just send me a sentence using the word "evanescence". And no, "I want tickets to see Evanescence" does not count. We're looking for something along the lines of "Eating Taco Bell after 9 PM gives me evanescence." E-mail your entries to djelvis@sbcglobal.net by Nov 12th.

Oh, and The Zone is giving away a four-pak of Matchbox 20 tickets in the "Front Yard for Front Row" contest! Check 1071thezone.com for details.

I'm out of space, so I'll save the rest for next month. Gobble gobble, and open your ears...

Quote of the month:

"You should only put your kids' names on your body." - Brody Dalle, Distillers