FYI, Black Stone Cherry are releasing their second album and they're what we could call a modern Southern Rock band, which means it's time to look at ALL southern rock bands.

This is like walking into a hornet's nest. By geography lots of great music can be classified as "Southern" rock. Over the years country music has merged with rock to the point where there isn't much difference between Toby Keith and the Black Crowes and I'd defend your assertion that he's more "Southern Rock" than many of the bands who come closer to defining the term in the strictest sense. But I'm also not looking to give myself that headache. I'm sure there will be time to discuss country artists under a country music banner. Besides, when you see the mess I've gotten myself into with only 10 slots, you'll see that I'm actually a good person underneath it all, just trying to make my way in the world and do nobody no harm.

Not wanting to list every variation of a Lynyrd Skynyrd offshoot and keeping a promise to

Summer has always had an unfair advantage as a season. From the time we're small children, we're indoctrinated with the joys of summer vacation. Two and a half months to do nothing but get into trouble. No school. No work. Until the coal mines come calling and your parents mistake you for their own personal ATM machine.

Anyhow, whereas it takes a person of strong mental and physical character to survive the brutalities of an Alaskan winter, any lazy, indifferent slacker can lounge under a tree during the "Dog Days of August." Songwriters are always quick to capitalize on a trend. They write for the radio. They write for the seasons. There are plenty of great "Summer" songs. I stuck with lots of obvious ones, since they're the ones that come immediately to mind. Nostalgia's one of those things where no matter how indifferent you are to something, once it's in your memory it often changes into something better than it was. (Except for those long, sweaty black lung days in the coal mine,

At this point, U2 seem to exist merely to remind us all how old we're getting. After all, there was a time when they were considered a promising young band from Ireland and people marveled at the youthful hubris of its charismatic young singer Bono. That was 25 years ago or more, as the reissues of their catalog remind us. Yes, War celebrates its 25th anniversary this year (as does the live Under The Red Sky).

Bono is now an elder statesman, feeding the hungry, healing the sick and adjusting the economies of war-torn nations and designing superior sunglasses or whatever elder statesmen do on their time off. The band is now more legend than anything else. People who don't know their music go to see them in concert because it's culturally important to them to be there.

So is it possible that yesterday turns out to be even more yesterday than we thought? 1983 doesn't exactly sound like we were just there, but when you look back and you see the videos and hear the songs, it doesn't seem

Have you ever walked into a room and within seconds of entering been hit with the feeling that you've just made a terrible mistake? That once you've committed yourself to entering this space that you can't just turn around and leave because everyone would notice? That's kinda how I feel about these "State" songs I've been finding lately. You're probably wondering why Randy Newman hasn't been mentioned for the thirteenth time this month. He hasn't written a song about Maine from what I can find. I might not get around to Randy until, say, Baltimore. So instead, we plow ahead with what is lukewarm enthusiasm for a state that deservers better. I mean, look at this opener.

"From Maine To Oregon"--Her Majesty's Royal Marines: This is a John Philip Souza tune. I had a high school history teacher who upon discovering that I was a bit of a music buff suggested I check out Souza since his marches "really get the blood pumping." Yes, the kind of music that inspires one to mow the lawn. That's