SXSW's caravan rolled into town last Thursday, then descended upon the Showbox and staged a mixer masquerading as a forum on whether NXNW should happen in Seattle in 2002. The forum turned out to be nothing more than a printed survey full of questions and multiple-choice responses, all of which assumed that the subject's support of NXNW was a given. No outlet for negative responses was provided, but several naysayers spent a portion of the evening scribbling in what they felt to be the most appropriate answers. DJ Cherry Canoe did her best to entertain the crowd of industry folk with some new and classic rock, but that didn't stop Bedazzled Discs owner Al Millman from marching up and criticizing her for spinning Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog." Who does that guy think he is? Anyway, Raft Of Dead Monkeys, Pretty Girls Make Graves, and Aveo played the live music portion of the event.

***

What do Murder City Devils, Botch, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Fastbacks, Carissa's Wierd, Visqueen, The Stranger, Kill Sadie, Presidents Of The United States Of America, Super Magnificent Action Trio, Juno, Gun St. Girls, C.O.C.O., Seattle Weekly, Dub Narcotic Sound System, Raft Of Dead Monkeys, Love as Laughter, Sunny Day Real Estate, 764-HERO, Minus the Bear, Death Cab For Cutie, eXBeSTFRIeNDS, and Ursula Android & Jackie Hell have in common, besides celebrity? On Saturday, September 15, folks from each of these bands and institutions will be playing in a rock-star softball game to raise money for Jampac, from 3 to 7 pm at White Center Park Stadium (1321 SW 102nd). Following the game will be a homecoming dance at Graceland (at 9 pm), and you can dress formal or regular, but a formal or themed dress knocks three bucks off the $8 admission price. The game is free, but donations to Jampac are recommended.

***

Glory be, hallelujah! One non-big-time band around here has recouped its album costs. Alien Crime Syndicate (featuring Joe Meice--the only guy in town who can rock the hell out of a lavender tuxedo shirt while uttering the words "Let's go somewhere else, the girls are all played out at this club!") is in the black with its last release, Dust to Dirt (Collective Fruit). Here are some more fortuitous ACS revelations (the band also boasts Sonic Boom Records co-owner Nabil Ayers as a member): Dust to Dirt, plus three bonus tracks, is about to hit the charts Down Under, as the album has recently been licensed by Australia's Rhythm Ace label. AND, the band's song "When I Get Home" is on the soundtrack to the upcoming Twentieth Century Fox film Joyride, starring Steve Zahn and Leelee Sobieski.

Wait... there's more. That Joe is a golden boy, and here's proof: His former band, the Meices, are to be featured on not one, but TWO upcoming movie soundtracks: "Wow" from the album Dirtybird will be heard in Junk, and "Daddy's Gone to California" from Tastes Like Chicken is in Porn Star: The Secret Life of Ron Jeremy. There's proof that at least one band in this town isn't afraid to act professionally--unlike a certain quiet little ensemble that's being all covert about their meetings and contract negotiations with a well-known label. I'm not saying you need to wear lavender shirts, but stand up and be proud of your accomplishments, for chrissakes. After all, you've earned them.

kathleen@thestranger.com