Pop Quiz Answer: Cover Boys on Metroland’s Local Music Issue 12 Years Ago?

Nope, nobody got this one right.

It was the Clay People, who were celebrating their freshly inked record contract with SlipDisc Records. Metroland music writer Mike Goudreau penned the story, and Leif Zurmuhlen (who had just published his book, “The Right Side of Forty”) provided the “Abbey Road”-like walking-across-the-street cover photo.

What else was going on in the local music issue back then?

J. Eric Smith was writing about multi-instrumentalist Annie Wenz and Style Martly. The live review section included Tom Flynn on Fishbone at Bogie’s and Ann Morrow on the Mighty Mighty Bosstones at Siena College. And sadly, it was longtime music (and more) writer Mike Goudreau’s final week at Metroland.

Performers at Metroland’s Feedback charity bash at Valentine’s included Lughead, Subduing Mara, Treaty, the Lawn Sausages, Rocky Velvet, Rosanne Raneri, Meg Hutchinson, Michael Eck, Kim Palladino, Bryan Thomas, MotherJudge, the Explosives, and Frank McLoughlin.

And to put it in a broader cultural context:

Strawberries had a sale on the “Star Wars Trilogy.” A box set of three VHS tapes for $29.95.

“Boogie Nights” was the hot new movie in theaters.

Photographers Martin Benjamin and Donna Fitzgerald were featured in the two-person art exhibition “Made in Italy” at LuLu Cafe.

Northern Lights was still Park West.

Other now long-defunct nightclubs of the day included the Scoreboard, Doc McCutchen’s, Castaway, Pauly’s Hotel, the Big House Brewing Company, QE2, Aiko’s, Caffe Dolce, Eamonn’s Loudon House, Saratoga Winners, Rolls Touring Co., the Yorkstone Pub, Mother Earth’s Cafe, La La’s, Opus Cafe – all now missing-in-action.