Now that the fervor of the Fourth of July has passed,and everyone has returned from the beach, or the mountains, or your mother-in-laws' bungalow, it's time to get back to some serious show-going.

July 7th and 8th brings us the pairing of two performers who have reemerged this year with fine new releases, and their fans couldn't be happier. STEVE FORBERT's new CD "Evergreen Boy" returns him to the songwriting form of his early records, and his new material has a wise quality that can only come from experience in the world and years on the road.

VICTORIA WILLIAMS' new CD "Musings of a Creekdipper" comes to us after a six year absence from the recording scene.In the meantime she has appeared on the Lilith Fair circuit, bought a few acres out in JoshuaTree, California, and done quite a bit of travelling and writing with her husband Mark Olsen of the Jayhawks. Her unique vocals and charming take on life, even in the face of its' occasional hardships. remains at the core of her work. And like she says, "Take a dip in the creek..it'll make ya feel good".

WAR (huh, good god, y'all...what is it good for??). Well, on July 10th you can find out when the original low riders of west coast soul hit the stage of the Bottom Line. The band is riding a newfound wave of popularity as the hip-hop community has rediscovered and sampled the grooves of platinum hits like "Why Can't We Be Friends" and "The World Is A Ghetto". Thirty years in the music business proves the adage "Everything old is new again" WAR has always been a great live band, so come on down and check 'em out

And speaking of hitmakers, ALEX CHILTON, who plays the club on July 11th had several as lead singer of "The Boxtops". He recorded "The Letter" ('Gimme a ticket for an airplane...) when he was only sixteen!! That was followed by "Cry Like A Baby". In the 1970"s, he formed the British pop influenced band "Big Star" in Memphis. The band was a critic's darling and released three acclaimed albums of gorgeously melodic guitar-centered pop before disbanding in the late 70's. Those records are still considered great finds among vintage vinyl collectors. In recent years, Alex Chilton"s popularity has taken an upswing as bands like R.E.M. and the Replacements cite him as an influence, and college radio has picked up on his quirky solo works.

On July 12th, longtime Bottom Line favorite JOHN HARTFORD brings great old-time music to the stage with legendary blugrass vocalist RHONDA VINCENT also on the bill. Traditional music continues on July 14th with THE DEL McCOURY BAND. They are without dispute the best bluegrass band in the world (unless there's some outfit in Japan I ain't heard of) and have garnered every award you can think of in their field. Each band member has also won accolades for their individual achievements. Put 'em all together around one microphone and it's an evening you won't want to miss. As an added bonus, acoustic blues master ROY BOOK BINDER rounds out the evening with his vast repertoire of classic and original material.

July 25th and 26th, MOXY FRUVOUS hits town with their infectious pop sensibility, biting wit and seamless harmonies. Their modern day vaudeville approach has been tempered and deepened with the release of "Thornhill", an album that establishes their musical credibility, while they continue to cement their reputation as great entertainers, playing to thousands of loyal "Fruheads" each year in the United States and Canada. Two hundred and fifty dates a year can lead to two things. You either kill each other in the van, or you become an incredibly tight road unit. Lucky for us, Moxy chose the latter, and we're all better people as a result.

Moving to the end of the month, we have seminal West Coast jam veterans QUICKSILVER (nee Messenger Service) coming in on July 27th. As recent Jefferson Starship shows have proven, the San Francisco scene still has some legs, and the Quicksilver shows promise to show the new crowd of jam band upstarts where it all began. Following the West Coast theme, two original members of the BYRDS come in back to back. On the 28th, CHRIS HILLMAN, and long time Desert Rose partner HERB PEDERSEN will bring their band in for a show that covers the full range of material from Chris's long career in bluegrass, country and rock. On the 29th, ROGER McGUINN continues the Byrd's attack with songs that continue to confirm the band's berth in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Well, if that ain't a month of down home, get in the groove, jam your butt off shows.....See ya next month