After five years of touring with such notable acts as Bruce Hornsby, Cake and Josh Kelley, indie-folk artist Dean Fields is in the studio recording a new batch of songs. He takes a break Feb. 23 to headline at the Capital Ale Music Hall for his hometown friends.

Beerwagon played one last set of classic country at Mojo's before vocalist/guitarist Rob Wilson heads to study in Vietnam. The dry spell is not indefinite; the band has a new six-song EP coming out that was recorded at Minimum Wage Studios, with help and drumbeats from Lance Koehler.

If you like the music of Revelation Records as much as Memorial does, then this group is going to be your new favorite indie rock band. Same goes if you miss The Silent Type or Renee Heartfelt or are in the front at Worn in Red shows (Memorial is made of ex-, ex- and current members, respectively). Look for the band's first release any day now.

A little less country and a little more folk describes the latest from Fred Pinckard and Jason Steed (Mason Dixon Disaster, Tri-State Killing Spree). The duo formed Black Aggie about six months ago with the idea of keeping it as raw and as heartfelt as possible. Work is almost complete on a five-song demo and Pinckard and Steed's first show is March 11 at Empire.

The guys behind Richmond's Forcefield Records are stoked about the upcoming release from Cough called "Sigillum Luciferi." Recorded in Chicago by Sanford Parker (Buried at Sea, Minsk), the band guarantees every riff you hear will be pure, unadulterated doom! Forcefield also expects the latest from Cannabis Corpse (members of Municipal Waste, Battlemaster, Parasytic), "Tube of the Resinated," on, of course, 4/20.

Parasytic will head south of the border into Mexico on tour for its first full-length, "Hymn." The group will be back in time for Kollapse Fest, a punk festival at Alley Katz March 7-8. Bands from the United States and Canada will shred alongside Richmond's own Direct Control, Thrall, SSR, Social Dropouts and Aghast.

Richmond rockers Conditions are also leaving the States for a tour. Even sweeter, they'll return from England to release their self-titled debut CD at one of the first shows at the National, Feb. 29. Asleep at the Bottom of the Sea, a new post-rock band made up of former members of Holinshed and Skylines, will support them, along with Love & Reverie and Against Grace.

You may have heard lounge-twangers Cashmere Jungle Lords on local radio stations WRIR 97.3 FM and WDCE 90.1 FM promoting their new disc. The CD combines the re-release of the vinyl-only "Cashmere Jungle Lords" and "Oodjie-Boodjie Night-Night" along with three unreleased tracks. -- Compiled by Mike Rutz of "Activate" on 97.3 and Jay Smack of "Studio B" on 102.1.

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