On Friday, at MoCo''s newest nightclub, club owner Kathi DeMaria will open the doors at STARZ for the very first time. Sharing the bill on opening night are two local bands, The Mudskippers and Amazon Mollies, both of which I''ve been told, will have a few surprises in store for you to celebrate the occasion. Seems like the combination of The Mudskippers'' protopunk, and the folk/pop punk of the by-now famous Molly Rock was a successful one last time, when they joined forces at the Amazon Mollies'' release party in April. The Mollies, by the way, have been quite busy around town as of late, performing a number of times at Borders Books Music & Caf‚ in Sand City and packing the place with anxious fans in need of their Molly Rock fix. Seems like this band is on its way to becoming a cult of sorts, especially judging from the online following they''ve accumulated. After performing at Border Books Music & Caf‚, tomorrow will the perfect time to turn up the volume once again.

The Mudskippers open for the Amazon Mollies, Friday, 9pm, STARZ, 375-3056.

The opening celebration continues on Saturday with another local band, The Filth. According to guitarist Johnny Moezzi, The Filth was just supposed to be a band for the fun of playing, and could mostly be observed at Viva''s Thursday Night Rock Jam. People liked what they heard and the band is ready to jam for you--seriously. Opening for The Filth, and making its MoCo debut, is the northern California rock ''n'' roll band Za Za Ya. This three-piece ensemble was born merely a year ago and has spent most of the time in a recording studio in London. Recently they''ve returned to California, ready to play some of their latest songs. If their sound is as cool as their name, we''ll be set for a great show.

The Filth with Za Za Ya opening, Saturday, 9pm, STARZ, 375-3056.

The Santa Cruz-based band, The Unknown Jeromes knows about commitment. This became obvious when I had the pleasure of meeting all six members for a little interview last week. Initially co-founded by drummer Jason Tobosa and bassist Richard Hall in 1995, the band received its final lineup in 1997, creating a tight-knit musical family. Seeing the UJ''s interact offstage is the real deal. They display a certain intimate friendship and an amazing feeling of being at ease with one another. This tight-knit bond definitely shines through during their live performances, when all the energy and talent become focused, and each distinct personality manages to exist individually and, at the same time, merge with the band. The end result is a mixture of old school funk and a let''s-have-fun vibe that spills over into the crowd, pulling everyone along, turning each performance into another electrifying show.

Unknown Jeromes, Thursday, 9pm, Long Bar, 372-2244.

Attention punk rock fans! Coming at you on Tuesday night is the high-energy core rock band Lavish Green. Born in Lake Tahoe a while back, this self-proclaimed "superpunkafunkadelic" band seems to have come a long way in a short time. Their debut album Warning, released in 1997, caught people''s attention pretty much immediately, which resulted in the band''s single, "Huck-Spin," being used on a snowboarding video, Simple Pleasures, that was distributed worldwide. While their local fan base grew steadily, Lavish Green kept busy getting the word out by performing with artists such as Third Eye Blind, Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth, to name a few. They''ve participated in the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR) concert as well as headlined the Freeair Festival at the Tacoma Dome in Washington. This year marked the release of their second album, Lavish Green, on ALIDOG Media, Inc. and set out on another ongoing West Coast tour. This latest CD has already hit the airwaves and, like its predecessor, is being featured on new upcoming television spots. Now their act is making its debut at the Long Bar and is perhaps something you shouldn''t miss. Opening for Lavish Green will be The JonBenet Stranglehold. These local punksters shook Doc''s house successfully back in January, and now they''re more than ready to give you some more of their medicine.

Lavish Green with The JonBenet Stranglehold opening, Tuesday, 9pm, Long Bar, 372-2244.

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