TOP 10 GIGS OF THE YEAR. Through June, I kept up with last year's breakneck gig-going pace, but saw only four gigs during the second half of the year. In my present state of mind, this could be the last time I make such a list, for I may never again see enough gigs to warrant such a list. On that somewhat down note, here's the list:

10. Neil Halstead @ Soundscapes, February 16. As the rain drizzled down during his solo acoustic set, Neil Halstead provided an entrancing reading of his weary, weathered debut solo album. Lovely tunes, although I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have traded the entire fourty-five minutes for one three-minute take on "Alison".

9. Merzbow, Promonium Jesters, DJ Skeeter, noCore/Schizoid, Unitus @ Kathedral, September 20. A mixed bag with some tumultuous peaks and valleys. Local noise bands, local crap metal bands, and Masami Akita. I'd be lying if I said the volume was cranked high enough.

8. Do Make Say Think, Creeping Nobodies @ Lee's Palace, April 4. My hippie self let his hair down and just couldn't stop the boogie. DMST really wig out live, they jam, now where are the crusties? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't honestly thinking that stuff throughout their whole set.

7. head/phone/over/tone, Cabana, The Electric Shoes, Hollowphonic @ B-Side, November 14. What might have been just another night out with a few nondescript local indie bands became a memorable night thanks to blowaway performances by Hollowphonic and head/phone/over/tone, not to mention some damned fine fuzz-pop by the Electric Shoes. I'd be lying if I lumped Cabana in with those accolades. I'd also be lying if stated I wasn't a bit embarrassed that so few people were in attendance.

6. Low, Mark Eitzel @ Lee's Palace, October 15. Low were their usual quiet but stunning selves, but Mark Eitzel arguably stole the show with his usual outspirts of verbal bile posing as lyrics for songs. I'd be lying if I denied that I honestly believed the gig's early start time (7:30 PM on a Saturday) was due to Alan and Mimi wanting to be up early for church the next morning.

5. Hood, I Am Robot and Proud @ Horseshoe Tavern, March 11. Hood's newest material hits this lo-fi hip-hop krautrock groove, and it's infectious to watch live. You can dance, but it feels kinda wierd to do so, because the music is funkadelic almost by accident, much like Joy Division's "Unknown Pleasures". I'd be lying if I told you that I Am Robot and Proud looked cool sitting crosslegged on the floor smiling a goofy smile and ripping off Boards of Canada.

4. Jon Langford and the Sadies @ Horseshoe Tavern, February 2. Beer-fueled, rocking out, no nonsense, red blooded pub rock. I went to the show based on Jon Langford's semi-legendary reputation, and I'd be lying if I said he wasn't a billion times better than I thought he'd be.

3. Mens/Koolwyk @ SAT (part of MUTEK 2002), May 30. Pumping, minimal, nearly industrial, with the flickering seizure-inducing visuals to match. This year's MUTEK wasn't as much about the music as it was about the merging of visual arts with the supposedly boring live demeanour of laptop electronica. At least that's how I'll remember it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't rack my brain to figure out how I could better represent MUTEK on this list, for there were a good two or three other performances that might have merited their own inclusion on this list, but I didn't want to unbalance the Top 10 in the direction of any one single festival or event, so I considered just putting MUTEK itself as #3, but finally settled on representing the festival by my own personal highlight.

2. Bardo Pond, Mean Red Spiders @ Lee's Palace, July 3. Ahhh, I could listen to bands open their sets with "Two Planes" from now until the end of time. By the time they cranked out "Tommy Gun Angel", even the most stoic in attendance were swaying in a trance. Isobel Sollenberger remains the sexiest woman in rock. I'd be lying if I claimed I knew what the big deal is with Mean Red Spiders.

1. Scion + Tikiman, Tomas Jirku, naw @ Mockingbird, May 11. Scion and Tikiman were simply godlike, that's all there is to it, and I'd be lying if I said that any gig this year came even remotely close to touching their magnificent work.