Jackson Free Press

If your New Year's resolution was to indulge in your favorite nightlife vices, you can crank things into high gear this week. The perfect prescription to get your rhymes in prime is with the Memphis based Hip-Hop, Funk R&B Rockers Free Sõl on Thursday. They will start with a 4 p.m. free sampling at Be-Bop Maywood Mart. If you can't make the taste test, you'll just have to trust me that they will throw down and blow up Hal & Mal's at 10 p.m. Free Sõl starts with a Prince, Isley Brothers, and Sade influenced smooth and soulful R&B groove (the old school Prince with the backing female vocals), then they kick into an eclectic high energy hip-hop-funk fusion of OutKast, Sugar Hill Gang, and the Chili Peppers. Think of them as Jay Z meets Rick James, with jazzy horns, and a shot of Linkin Park, Staind, and Bob Marley. The transitions are so diverse there truly is something for everyone…regardless of race, color, age, old or new school creed. C'est revolution de la soul.

105 Capitol will host a triple bill of 93.9FM style heavy alt. metal on Thursday with N, Atomship, and Storage 24. If you're ready for heavy crunching guitars and fan of Tool, Metallica (circa Black album), Galactic Cowboys, A Perfect Circle, or Deftones, $8 will give you a long night of music.

If you haven't heard yet, The Lyric Lounge Open Mic Poetry, hosted by Ken Stiggers has a new home at Santiago's on Thursdays. Neo-soul Open Mic night at Santiago's is every Sunday, down the road from the main post office on South St. in downtown Jackson.

Continuing this week's trend of intense high energy line-ups, on Friday The Joint will host the first of two CD release parties for Alexander's Dark Heart. Joining ADH for this all-ages show is new alt.rock and roll by King Elementary, Misha Hercules, and Futuro Boots, beginning at 9 p.m. The 21 and up CD release party with Alexander's Dark Heart, Misha Hercules, and King Elementary will be at W.C. Don's on Saturday night. Which ever night you go, you're in for some of the best up and coming rock bands that Jackson has to offer. These guys are the buzz on everyone's alt. rock lips.

Hal & Mal's will have Scott Albert Johnson, Brian Coleman, and Rufus Mapp on Friday. Fenian's hosts the Juvenators alter-ego's of Big Juv Trio. The hottest R&B super group to emerge from JSU in a decade, Compozitionz will be at Soop's on Friday, at the Horizon Casino in Vicksburg on Saturday, and dates all over the state the rest of the month. Check the JFP music calendar online for details.

Other highlights for Saturday include Buffalo Nickel and the CD release party for Goodman County in the Hal & Mal's Red Room. Subway Lounge blues night with Jimmy King and The Houserockers are officially a success at Schimmel's, every other Saturday night, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Experience the homage to "Last of the Mississippi Jukes," each and every Saturday night this month.

That brings us to Sunday with the man and myth who took on Prince in Purple Rain, with "The Bird" and "Jungle Love." Morris Day & the Time will perform at the Isle of Capri Casino in Vicksburg, Jan. 16; at 6 p.m. call 601-630-4438. The legendary Al Green will be at the Pearl River Resort in Choctaw, near Philadelphia. Call 866-44PEARL to reserve your seats, 8 p.m. There will also be an All-Ages, Indie-Alt.Rock show at the Horizon Community Church in Ridgeland, on Sunday, with Colour Revolt (formally Fletcher), As Cities Burn, Tandem, and Encomium. Baton Rouge based As Cities Burn is the latest regional band to be courted by the Seattle based Solid State Records, the harder rock division of Tooth & Nail Records.

Next Wednesday, The Joint will ring in another triple bill of guitar grinding, high energy, national rock and roll, with Future Leaders of the World, Edgewater, and Absence of Concern, $10 door, $8 advance ticket from Be-Bop. You may know Future Leaders of the World by their hit 93.9 single, "Let Me Out." If you listen to 93.9, Saliva, Alterbridge and the like, this will be a good night.

Now that the holidays are behind us, its business as usual with all your regular favorites, with Jesse Robinson at Field's Café on Mondays, and Pub Quiz at Hal & Mal's on Tuesdays. Ironing Board Sam, Smokestack Lightning, and Jackie Bell do it old school at 930 Blues Café, every Wednesday and Thursday. Its singer/songwriter night at W.C. Don's every Thursday. Fenian's host the best Irish music the region has to offer every Thursday. You'll find die hard Open Mic nights and jam sessions all over town most any night of the week. You have to try them all on to see which one suits your tastes. There's probably one at your favorite clubs. We'll do our best to fill in the gaps from there. Stay tuned for a glorious 2005.

Herman Snell