By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

It was 1986 when Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith fused rock and rap on "Walk This Way" and launched a popular style of music that would pave the way for genre-twisting acts like Faith No More, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Fugees and Beck. Now, 20 years later, Them vs. Them is on the verge of taking it to new heights with an amped-up, pop-punk-rap sound that incorporates everything from Elvis Costello and Rod Stewart to Fugazi and the Beastie Boys.

"This is 'Friday night, get ready to go' music," says singer JAQ, a.k.a. Foul Mouth Poet, who recently toured with the Grommits and composed HBO's "The Bomb-itty of Errors" and "Scratch and Burn" for MTV. "It's a lot of fun."

Having a good time and expanding your creativity is why most musicians form a sideband, says JAQ, and the Chicago-based Them vs. Them is no different. Its members hail from indie groups that are on hiatus like Oh My God, the Grommits, Samsara, and Whitsend, fusing a variety of influences and sounds. It also marks the first time in 26-year-old JAQ's career that he's singing more instead of rapping or spinning a turntable full-time.

"Hip-hop has consumed my life since I was 6, so it's taken some getting used to, but I really enjoy it," he says. "We've been averaging a song a day when it comes to writing. We're all on the same wavelength and work well together."

The newly formed group seems to have a shared interest in writing tongue-in-cheek tunes about relationships gone awry. Their self-titled debut album, which they recorded last fall, includes tunes like "Hey, Life (I Want to Speak to the Manager)," "Makin' the Worst of a Good Situation" and "Damsel in This Dress."

"A lot of them are true to life," JAQ says. "The world is a crazy place and messed up all the time, so why not celebrate the good things about it along with the screwed up stuff."

Scene notes

Keysters, the rock and country music venue in Urbandale launched its Live Country Saturday Nights country music series last week where a touring band performs there every Saturday at 9 p.m. This week's installment includes a performance by Chad Lee. Other scheduled performers include Kendall Meyer (Jan. 21), Jason Brown & Red Rock (Feb. 4), Hannah McNeil (Feb. 18) and Fortytwenty (Feb. 25). Cover varies. Keysters has also locked in a series of Wednesday night performances by Minneapolis pop-rocker G.B. Leighton, who is scheduled to play each Wednesday of this month as well as March 1, 15 and 29. Call 252-1403... Singers interested in participating in the Drake University Community Chorus don't have to audition to join; they simply have to show up for rehearsal Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Monroe Recital Hall on the lower level of the Harmon Fine Arts Center. Call 271-2841... Folk singer-guitarist Christopher Williams returns to The Lighthouse Coffeehouse for a performance Jan. 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door and may be ordered at www.iowatix.com. Tickets for children ages 12 and under are half price. The Lighthouse is located at West Des Moines Christian Church, 4501 George Mills Parkway... Summerset Winery in Indianola will host its annual Jimmy Buffet event on Jan. 21 where fans eat dinner and dance to the music of Jimmy Buffett. Festivities start at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $35. Call (515) 961-3545... The Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association announced the inductees to its 10th class last week, including local acts ROZE and Rural, as well as KFMG Radio. Dan Nissly, a member of hall of fame band The Pelican Peace Band, says KFMG's induction is well deserved, citing the effort it made to promote the local live music scene over the years. "It was impossible to crack a playlist as a local artist," he says. "But they played local bands, promoted local concerts and did a lot of unique things." They'll join a number of other honorees, including Willie Leacox, drummer for the classic rock band America who hails from Shenandoah and Junior's Motel Recording Studio in Otho. A ceremony will held on Labor Day weekend in Okoboji. CV

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