NOISE

"You know, it's been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black ... With the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible ... We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way. And they've given them permission to go down and shoot us!"

If history serves, didn't these fellas first usher in the new year around 1806? (We're guessing Dick Clark cut in around 1872.)

Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians set the New Year's standard for festive "Auld Lang Syne"-ing for years/decades/OK-maybe-not-centuries. Founded in (no foolin') 1923 and a New Year's TV staple since 1954, they're still doing the ringin'-in thing, this year at the Orleans. Though the band's namesake passed away in 1977, the orchestra continues under the direction of Al Pierson, featuring vocalist Keaton Douglas.

For the $139 price tag, expect a four-course dinner menu (presumably not also founded in 1923) including a "seafood extravaganza," Caesar salad, filet of beef Borolo and the Orleans "Perfect Sampler." And, of course, dancing, party favors and midnight champagne toast.

Here's to you, Guy. We still don't know what the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne" really mean, but after a couple magnums of champers, who really cares?

The veteran, Latin roots-rock outfit is in the midst of a short West Coast tour leg comprised of full live performances of 1992's Kiko and the Lavender Moon, widely considered the band's best album. The Weekly caught up with their longtime saxophonist to discuss the project.

Why did you guys decide to resurrect Kiko in its entirety some 13 years after its release?

We were in England in July and bands were doing a series of concerts like this there [in conjunction with the All Tomorrow's Parties festival]. Like they had all the remaining Stooges back together to play (Funhouse) ... And I thought that could be fun to do sometime. And then two months later, we were talking about what to do for our Fillmore Christmas shows and we said, "Hey, why not that?" Because we're making a new record but we're not ready to play it yet. And so far, so good. The Fillmore shows were great; the fans really seemed to like it. And we're looking forward to doing it next week in LA and Vegas.

What has it been like to play those 16 songs, in sequence, after so many years?

There were a couple of songs we had only played, maybe, twice, and then put away. "Reva's House," "Short Side of Nothing," "Whiskey Trail" .... These are songs that, for whatever reason, we never really brought out. And boy, they really sound good now. I guess we just had to be older to play them.

I hadn't even gone back and listened to Kiko until, to be honest with you, last week. Then getting ready to start playing it again, I listened to it a bunch, and it's a really good record. I'm very proud of it. All of us are. It holds up pretty well. And it was a real pleasure to make. It was effortless.

It's nice going back to revisit that process and think about what it was like to do that, because it was a different time and we were all quite a bit different people when we made that record.

As a white sax player from Philly in a band of Mexican-Americans, have you gained an appreciation for a music and culture you probably would have missed out on otherwise?

Absolutely. I've been really blessed to learn about this culture and music from the brothers, and it's an ongoing process. I'm learning more and more every day. Quite literally, I knew zero about it growing up. There wasn't even a Taco Bell in the part of town I grew up in, so there was no exposure whatsoever prior to meeting these guys. But I did have good musical teachers and friends, and I knew it was important to be ready for anything. That background helped me a lot when I met these guys. I understood that this was stuff I needed to learn about and immerse myself in.

In a street fight, Matchbox Twenty would bring five brawlers to the fray while the Goo Goo Dolls have three soldiers to send into battle. But with Twenty's drummer Paul Doucette fracturing his hand punching a garbage can and the Dolls' frontman John Rzeznik breaking his arm after falling on some garbage cans, the answer is clear: any aluminum drum would be able to take both bands out.

Matchbox Twenty


Where: The Joint, Hard Rock


When: December 31, 10 p.m.


Price: $75


Info: 693-5066

Goo Goo Dolls

w/The Juliet Dagger


Where: House of Blues, Mandalay Bay


When: December 31, 9:30 p.m.


Price: $75-$125


Info: 632-7600