Airwaves

by Brian Goslow

As the world waits for the official release of Be Here Now, Oasis' third CD, David Lyon's already gone over the edge for the disc's first single, "D'You Know What I Mean?" (Creation-import). "Best song of the year," declares the co-host of the Dave and Dave Show, heard Thursdays from 9:30 to 11 p.m. on WCUW (91.3 FM). "I really admire Noel Gallagher's songwriting. It speaks to me, especially the line, `I met my maker made him cry.'" Lyon takes his new obsession with the British supergroup to extremes. "I went to my barber, showed him the cover of the NME, and said, `Make me look like Noel.'"

Earlier this month, Lyon was in Provincetown, spinning discs for bicyclists at the Pan-Am Challenge. Spring Heeled Jack's Static World View (Moon Ska NYC) helped participants recover from the more than 100-mile trek. "It was a big winner, people were bumping and grinding to it." Speaking of grinding sounds, the DC Score: Ten Bands Twenty Songs compilation (DCide) is one ripping disc. It features "Perfect Person" and "One Thing" by Nothingface and "Mayor of Attitude" by Scuttl'butt. "It's headbangin', in-your-face attitude music that reminds me of Cobalt 60."

DJs live to "discover" someone before they make it big. Lyon was a big Sugar Ray fan before "Fly" took over the airwaves and Floored (Lava/Atlantic) went gold. "I thought Lemonade and Brownies [their first CD] would go through the roof, but it went nowhere. " His favorite track is their rave-up cover of Adam and the Ants' "Stand and Deliver."

Speaking of the '80s, he can't say enough about Evergreen (London), Echo and the Bunnymen's comeback CD. "It stands out [when compared to their earlier material] if you go back and listen to Crocodiles [their 1979 debut]. Ian [McCulloch] has the same magic, he hasn't lost anything over the years. When I'm down and depressed and on rainy days, I listen to Echo -- it comforts you." Lyon's favorite track is "I Want To Be There (When You Come)."

He's not so happy with Exene Cerenkova's latest project, Auntie Christ. She's joined on Life Could Be a Dream (Lookout) by former X-cohort D.J. Bonebrake on drums and Rancid bassist Matt Freeman. "They don't waste any time kicking out the jams. It's a pretty aggressive rock record. All the songs are pretty much the same, 1-2-3, let's go -- not that I don't enjoy it. But I expected something more melodic." For the time being, he can only decode the lyrics to "The Future Is a War."

Earlier this year, Lyon looked askance at the incoming flood of techno recordings. Now he wants to repent, thrilled by the latest recordings by Crystal Method and Spiritualized. "I had called a track from the Lords of Acid glorified disco, but I take it back. There's a lot of great music happening with the beats on their new CD" Voodoo-U (American). That's not all that is crawling around the track "The Crab Louse." "They're singing about their problems with crab lice -- that speaks to me the most. Jim Carroll calls them `papillons d'amour, the butterflies of love.'" We'll stick to the music, thank you.

WGMC-TV3's STUDIO 3 LOCAL Music Showcase, hosted by Toni Ballard, kicks off its new season with a series of Jazz at Sunset and Brown Bag concerts. This week's program features trumpeter Lou Columbo. Upcoming weeks spotlight the Joe Parillo Ensemble (week of August 25), Valerie and Walter Crockett (September 1), Joyce DiCamillo (September 8), and Lynne Jackson and Mike Palter (September 15). The show airs Mondays at 8:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. on Greater Media Cable.