True to form, veteran Valley songwriter Jose Ayerve says that he and his Spouse-mates J.J. O'Connell and Ken Mauiri are brimming with song ideas for their scheduled recording session later this summer. But how will they decide what will make the cut for what will be the ever-evolving indie-rock outfit's fifth full-length effort?

In a decidedly Beatle-esque fashion, it seems.As the singer/multi-instrumentalist goes on to explain, Spouse has taken up residency at The Elevens in Northampton and plans to utilize the series of consecutive May Tuesdays to hash through all the possibilities in the grand hope that "We can work it out."

"It's a free-form type of event that will also give audiences the chance to hear some Spouse tunes in development," the affable Ayerve adds.

Additionally, the series is slated to contain a slew of special guests that Ayerve says he intends to "interview" and generally "have some fun with" each evening. Among those lending some Spouse-al support for the remainder of the month are Portland, Maine's Abi Tapia and Drunk Stuntman-fronter Steve Sanderson (May 12), Lesa Bezo of The Fawns (May 19) and Fancy Trash-man Dave Houghton (May 26).All Spouse residency shows are free and run from 7 to 10 p.m.

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In other news, Kathy Chapman, widely known for her work as the coordinator of the Franklin County Musician's Cooperative, is decidedly further along in her quest to crystallize the sonic sugarplums that have been dancing in her head. In fact, her second full-length recording, Fertile Ground, is complete and pressed, an achievement she plans to celebrate with a CD release party soon. For updates, check out Myspace.com/kathyandgeorgechapman.

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Meanwhile, at Mocha Maya's in Shelburne Falls this Sunday, May 10, AdME Chief Marketing Officer Christopher Payne-Taylor says why he thinks it's great you have a band, and maybe even a semblance of a plan. But, these days, it don't mean nothing if you ain't got a "brand."

"There is a perception out there that branding is a fake image created to make a performer what they are not," the architect of the "Brand The Band" seminar planned for that evening explains. "But every artist has a brand whether they know it or not… it's just that some were created by accident and others by design. And with an abundance of musicians and paucity of music outlets, the music and marketing are fast becoming each other's new best friends."

Culling from his more than two decades of experience on "both sides of the equation" (a punk rocker in New York during the first wave turned acoustic garage rocker and professional marketer), Payne-Taylor says that his hands-on seminar will familiarize attendees with many of the imaging, messaging and identity-creation tools currently used by industry professionals world.

"The entertainment world is changing," he says. "It is no longer about what one does, but who one is. Confused? Think Paris Hilton…"

The cost for Brand The Band is $10, and that fee also includes admission to a follow-up seminar June 7.

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Lastly, in the altruistic audio department, Dino Bambino checked in to report that a special evening planned for Friday, May 8 at UMass' Bowker Auditorium will serve to both introduce some new faces to the local scene and hopefully raise some much needed green for a worthwhile cause.

"I'm in a new band called Crescent Hill with my cousin, Justin Morin," explains the man most commonly known for his stints with Disaster Simulator and Shoot The Dancing Bear. "And Justin had a good friend, Darby Fassett, who passed away. So we are honored to both participate and premiere our new band May 9 at this show in honor of Darby on the anniversary of his accidental death."

In addition to the Crescent Hill crew, Fasett's father's band, Doctors of Flight, as well as Danny Pease & The Regulators, Bunny's A Swine and many more have signed on to the bill. Proceeds will benefit the UMass Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention. For advance tix, visit umass.edu/fac.

Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.