I go through manic bursts of binging and purging with music - and probably everything else in my life. I often fast before a bout of overindulgence. And I frequently cleanse, exfoliate, and purge after, just before doing a face plant right back in it again. It's more of a teetering than a balance, but hell, I haven't fallen off yet. I just don't want it to be over.

For example, James Ellroy is my favorite author, yet I've only read half his books. I don't want them - and the thrills they deliver - to be gone.

Musically, it's hard to balance that fresh excitement with the urge to overdo it. I wanna like it, I just don't wanna like it too much. However, sometimes I can't help it. I can't keep my rocks on for long.

I'd seen Lou Lou with Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad before. Her voice was lovely, nocturnal, and narcotic. I'd heard some Thievery Corporation as well. But it wasn't until last Wednesday night when Lou Lou and the Sharp Sword played Dub Land Underground that I saw a problem emerge. I really, really, really like this band. It grooves jazzual and sexy. You can thank the young lady's velvety lyrical forays into French for that. It is the type of music that makes all the promises and lies of romance and cocktails plausible. This was my first time seeing this band. It won't be my last. I feel a binge coming on. I'm definitely going to over do it again.

Just like I've done with New York City's Paul Mark and The Van Dorens. I've been following this cat's storied blues for 20 years. Mark and crew blew loud 'n' proud to an enthusiastic Friday night crowd as they dined on swine at The Dinosaur. Mark's got that Jimmie Vaughan terse Texas twang down tight while roaring with the voice of a 10-foot-tall lumberjack. And his ass has got class, always with the natty threads, this time looking a bit like Liberace if he sold real estate.