River of Sorrow

"That's our venue," Adames boasts. "Whenever we write a song, we think, 'What's it gonna sound like at Ray's?' We love playing there." The amour foubetween Pygmy and the venue's namesake is genuine. "He completely understands us," Adames says. During that performance, Carbone poured beers and mixed drinks with a proud-papa smile. "Every time they play," he said, "I walk out from behind the bar because I never know what they're going to do."

The band currently is out of state, playing club gigs in New Orleans, Panama City, Ocala, and Mississippi this week. Pygmy's next show upon returning will be at Ray's on Sunday, August 18. You know for sure one huge fan will be taking notes.

"These guys are just... they're... I don't even know what the word is," Carbone sputters. "An enigma?"

Count on a thorough examination of Pygmy in these pages in coming weeks. Until then, all the songs on the band's stunning, eight-song CD Pygmy Performsare available for listening at www.mp3/pygmy. Learn even more by cruising over to www.i-am-pygmy-org. Up north, the Planet Radio show on WLRX-FM (92.1 on the dial, also at www. planetradio921.com), which airs 8 to 10 p.m. Sundays, has been a reliable place to hear Pygmy. Further south, check out WVUM-FM (90.5) and WRGP-FM (88.1).

Only 15 minutes into the band's U.S. tour, Oasis singer Liam Gallagher apologized to the sellout Pompano Beach mass Friday, August 2, and left the job in more capable hands. And no one seemed to care, especially not the well-lagered Union Jack-waving Brits who made up most of the crowd. They chanted support for brother Noel, who finished the show on his own -- rather well too. No doubt, the debacle was far more interesting than a perfect Oasis concert (is there even such a thing?) and made more than a convincing case for Liam's permanent dismissal.