POWERING UP

Only a year ago, plans like this would have seemed like fantasies. Now that they are not, Edwards, Soll and Tola are tackling them with the same deliberation that marks their approach to their songs. Tola, for instance, notes that the band will self-finance a seven-inch single that they want to ship to fanzines around the country prior to the A&M album's release. "It will let people know what's coming," he predicts. "We want to move slowly and steadily. I don't think we'll go double platinum in the first month or anything, but if A&M sticks with us like they did with the Gin Blossoms and Soundgarden, I think it can work."

"Yeah," Edwards says with a grin. "1995 will be the year of the horse."
Laughing, Soll notes, "Actually, I think it's the year of the dog."
The mutts outside bay their approval. But the horses inside sound a hell of a lot better.

Violent Femmes, with 16 Horsepower. 9 p.m. Friday, January 20, Ogden Theatre, 935 East Colfax, $18, 444-SEAT or 830-2525.

16 Horsepower, with Slim Cessna's Auto Club. 8 p.m. Saturday, January 21, Bluebird Theatre, 3317 East Colfax, $5, 322-2308.