Despite having the worst local band name since Tacos with Heidi, Las Cruces groove-metal quartet, New Mexican Erection, have just released their second skull-shattering full-length, titled Codependent (Nasty Cactus Music), and are gearing up to hit the road on an extended tour. For dates, where to buy the CD and other good stuff, visit NME on the web at www.newmexicanerection.com or www.nastycactusmusic.com. ... Local bandguy/music supporter and, for the past four years, webmaster of RockSquawk.com Dandee Fleming has announced that he's shutting his site down as of March 22. Fleming cites a busy schedule as the main reason behind his decision. Over the years, RockSquawk.com provided local musicians with a virtual meeting place where they could post upcoming shows, air dirty laundry, review shows, sell and buy gear, search for band members and discuss freely the ins and outs of the local scene. Fleming did a more than admirable job of attempting to keep the site positive and useful, and you should thank him and buy him lots of drinks the next time you see him. At press time, the site appears to be frozen, but it could just be my stupid computer fucking with me.

Kentucky-born guitarist Adrian Belew has played with just about every progressive and avant garde rock troupe that's mattered—Zappa, middle-era Bowie, King Crimson, Projekt, Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club and so on—while releasing a steady stream of solo albums, and lending his guitar work to various projects floating just under mainstream radar. Frankly, he's made some pretty annoying music along the way. But Side One, rumored to be the first part of a trilogy, is among the least grating of his solo works. It's still pretty out there, as expected, but it's of keen interest once past the bravado.