Nick of Time

Oliveri penned much of the material on Drug Problem while Deaf was being assembled, and the fact that it didn't make the cut is no indication of subpar quality. Indeed, it's quite a personal disc, making frequent reference to the deterioration of Oliveri's marriage. The cover photo of Oliveri is ripped and torn (ironically, his current girlfriend, Deborah Vierek, did the damage), and the title is a marital metaphor: "Our love was like a drug problem that never existed, because it never existed, either," he explains. Several songs unflinchingly explore the conflicting emotions the divorce churned up, most notably "So High, So Low," whose lines range from "I'll never, ever hit you" to "I wish you'd die."

"I was just letting it out," Oliveri maintains. "My friend Brad Cook recorded me and helped produce that one, and he did a great job. I asked him to just roll tape, because I didn't have lyrics on that one. All I had was 'Been so high, been so low.' That's why a lot of the words get behind the music, and then I have to catch up again. All of that kind of popped off the top of my head, and I wanted to change it, but Brad was like, 'No, dude, we've got to keep it -- it is what it is.' And I'm glad we did.

Deborah Viereck

The power station: Dave Catching (from left), Nick Oliveri, Molly Maguire and Brant Bjork are Mondo Generator.

Details

With Like Hell and Black Lamb, 9 p.m. Monday, December 1, Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer Street, $12, 303-291-1007

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"I think it's important to let that stuff out," he continues. "I've got a song that goes, like, 'I don't want to live unless I can kill' [called "Unless I Can Kill," from Cocaine Rodeo], and by singing about it and letting it out that way, I don't do it. So it's like musical therapy." He laughs again as he says, "Deep Inside the Mind of a Retard. That's going to be the third record."

He's probably joking, but maybe not. After Mondo Generator finishes touring the U.S., the quartet will head to Europe, plus the Queens will be cruising to Australia. Along the way, Oliveri plans to write songs for new albums by both of his bands, and he's hoping to squeeze in more solo performances as well. When it's suggested that he try one in the buff, he immediately brightens.

"The totally nude acoustic show!" he exults. "That makes a lot of sense. Maybe I'll have to do that."

A new side project is born.