Former Lackloves bassist Jack Rice, now resident in Madison, alerts us that his new band The Pugilists debuts Saturday night at Points East Pub with West of Rome.

Rice is joined by singer and guitarist Jack Rodee and fellow former Lackloves, drummer Nick Verban and guitarist Don Moore in the band, which has backed up Nick Pipitone at some recent gigs.

"We're playing mostly covers at the moment -- with a few new originals mixed in here and there -- because we're old, jaded and and feel like we've earned the
right to do whatever we want," Rice wrote in an email to fans and friends. "It'll be fun."

Rice says that the band's original tunes have so far been penned by Rodee and Moore, but that's not really the point.

"We put the band together basically just to have fun, drink beer and play songs we like -- never mind whether we wrote them ourselves or not. Most of our
covers are in the 'twang' vein -- Steve Earle, Los Lobos, etc. -- but the originals are sounding, to me at least, like Big Star, strangely enough. It will be interesting for the first couple shows, playing in what is ostensibly a cover
band (for now, at least). I've never really done that before, not since high school anyway."

He adds that the band has yet to hit the studio but will get there at some point.

"We will record eventually, but we're in no particular hurry. Right now we're just planning to add a couple new originals each time we play out, and by about the 5th gig the set should be mostly originals. When we have enough good ones to record, that's when we'll record."

The band also is slated to play at Shank Hall on Thursday, Nov. 2 with Michelle Anthony and Friday, Dec. 8 at Points East with The Singles.

Meanwhile, Rice's long-time band, The Carolinas, will play Saturday, Oct. 21 at Points East Pub with New Harmony Indiana and Dead Man's Shoes. The re-formed Loyal Order of Water Buffalo was slated to perform at the gig but backed out.

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