WYEP WINNER

• The new home on the Schenley Plaza was a winner for the WYEP Summer Music Festival last Saturday night.

The station packed an estimated 3,000 people into the one-acre space for a concert headlined by The Old 97's.

"It was great on every conceivable level," says Lee Ferraro, WYEP general manager. "The Parks Conservancy was great to work with. It was a big open space, there were gardens to walk around in, food kiosks, the merry-go-round for kids. It was also centrally located, so people could bike there, walk or take mass transit very easily."

In previous years, the concert was held at the Riverfront Park on the North Shore, in conjunction with World Cafe at The Warhol, which did not happen this year because host David Dye wants to spend more time with family.

The show got off to a good start with Good Night, States, a local indie-pop band getting a strong push with the single "Killer of the One." Juliana Hatfield played a moody duo set that probably would have worked better in an intimate club but was bolstered by the piano work and harmonies of Pittsburgh native Elizabeth Steen. The Watson Twins, promising newcomers from L.A., came on strong with bright folk harmonies.

When The Old 97's hit the stage with songs like "Timebomb" and "Barrier Reef," it was a bona fide rock concert with blankets and chairs tossed aside and everyone up for a high energy set of Texas-style alt-country twang. The Dallas band, which had taken a break for Rhett Miller's solo career, seems to be back with new vigor, rocking as hard or harder than it did in the early '90s.

On top of that, Ferraro says, the band gave them a break on the fee to make their set possible.

He adds that as long as the Parks Conservancy is willing and the sponsorships are there, the festival will return to the same spot next year.

MORNING LIGHT APPEARS

• Pittsburgh band The Morning Light brings its youthful, sugary pop-rock sound to Diesel on Monday on the extensive Dance Across The Country Tour with The Hush Sound (from Chicago) and The Cab.

The band released its EP, "The Sounds of Love," on Fearless Records back in March. The full-length, self-titled debut drops on Aug. 5, so this show should be a good preview of what's to come.

ON THE COAST

• Now magazine said that Toronto band The Coast occupies "a territory somewhere between the emotive Brits like Verve and The Smiths and rugged roots rock a la Ryan Adams." Let's add that the band sometimes bears a resemblance to '80s jangle-rock greats like Miracle Legion (remember them?).

The Coast headlines the Brillobox on Saturday at 9:30 p.m., playing songs from its upcoming debut, "Expatriate."

Also on the bill are Power Pill Fist of Black Moth Super Rainbow, who released the solo project "Kongmanivong" in February and played SXSW, and The Red Falcon Projects (South Bend, Ind.). Admission is $5.

MODEY LEMON-ADE

• Some reviews of the new Modey Lemon album:

gigwise.com: "'Season of Sweets' is a chaotic, superiorly intense non-stop ride of garage rock genius from a band that sounds more like a battle-scarred marauding army than a trio. There are potential side effects from listening to this album, but the risk of personal injury is well worth the gamble."

antimusic.com: "a fuzzed out, driving masterpiece with catchy hooks beaten to death by guitar/synth mayhem and the anchor of Paul Quattrone's drums of passion."

Dusted: "these are real, well-constructed songs, wrapped in undulating waves of psychedelic turmoil."

Pitch Weekly: "somewhere between the Knack and the MC5."

spin.com: "'It Made You Dumb' is a perfect sampler of the Lemon's noisy, sickeningly sweet racket. Shambolic drumming and jangly guitar lines complement each other perfectly as vocalist Phil Boyd's voice climbs up and down each verse's melody; before you know it, everything explodes into one grin-inducing chorus" Spin.com

Time Out NY: "True to the CD's title, [Phil] Boyd, [Jason] Kirker and drummer Paul Quattrone balance the heavy-metal tonnage with catchy psych-pop tunes."

-- Scott Mervis