As of May 1, the Barley Pub will be “100 percent” nonsmoking. Owner Scott Mason, who says he’s been a bartender and second-hand smoker for 12 years, was a proponent of recently failed legislation to ban smoking in N.H. bars and restaurants.

Camarojuana (www.camarojuana.com) will turn Dover into Paradise City for Karaoke lovers starting April 1, when the Seacoast’s favorite anachronism returns with their second annual, four-month-long Karaoke Kontezt. 

If you happened to visit PureVolume.com last week, you might’ve seen The Minus Scale on the front page as a “PurePick” for the week. You and thousands and thousands of other people, who clicked “play” to the tune of 6,000 to 8,000 times a day. A.J. Tobey says the push boosted their total plays from 15,000 to more than 60,000.“(It’s) been surreal, to say the least.”

There are a few changes to local series for 2006. Dave Talmage is moving his Old-Time Bluegrass Jam from the Barley Pub in Dover to The Stone Church in Newmarket. Doors open at 7 p.m., dinner music begins at 8 p.m. The old-time jams are still free and musicians are welcome. Dave’s slot at the Barley Pub will be filled by acoustic songwriters, though room booker Chris O’Neill is waiting to announce specific performers. Also in Dover, Liz Parmalee is booking singer/songwriters, many of whom we usually don’t get to see solo, Mondays through Thursdays at Dover Soul. 

The folks at the Thomas Eaton Recording studio, based in Newburyport, have tipped us off to a number of notable endeavors in the works at their facility. For starters, singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert is currently recording his fifth album. Also, Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk winners Rob Laurens (out of Somerville, Mass.) and Erik Balkey (from Philadelphia) are in the middle of new projects.

Drummer Shawn Mitchell reports that the Gray Davies are looking to reconfigure. He and guitarist/vocalist Adam Wade are on the prowl for a new bassist after the departure of founding member Brian Charles. While they find the right fit, friend Brian Scanlon, who plays in Deck Eleven, Craving and Wicked Automatic, will be filling in.

Tom Daly, proprietor of the popular Rollinsford-based album replication business, Crooked Cove, reports that Chicagoan Jerry Short has moved back to the area to work with Daly full time. You may recognize the name; Short has been sojourning locally for more than 20 years, making a name for himself by his talents as a singer-songwriter and guitarist.

This week, PJudd release their fifth album, Dan Crary comes to the Seacoast via SGS (but it will cost you a bit more) and the Music Association of New Hampshire launches.

While there are no proven theories on the subject, someone should point out the unusual coincidence between the now-famous (and oft-referenced) Pitchfork.com column touting Portsmouth’s indie music scene and the sudden flight of three of the area’s most venerable figures (two of whom were mentioned in the article). First, it was The Hotel Alexis’ Sidney Alexis who, with little warning, skipped town earlier this summer for an undisclosed Western locale. Then, a month or so later, it was The Guts’ Nate Doyle who up and left, also for the sunnier skies and warmer winters of California. Last week Unbunny’s Jarid del Deo, after coming back to Portsmouth a year and a half ago, turned tail, once again, for Seattle.