Mark Bates' new band Lonely Town

L-R: Frank Miller, Aaron Fisher, Jonathan Wood, Bill Dean and Mark Bates of Lonely Town

We just got word about a new Charleston-area five-piece band called Lonely Town. Fronted by the hugely talented Mark Bates (of Mark Bates and the Vacancies) and featuring, among others, Aaron Fisher of 101 Productions on drums, the band is set to play a gig at The Blue Parrot Saturday night.

Bates told us over e-mail that the band has just finished work on their debut CD in Athens, Georgia, and it will be set for release in the very near-term future. We got to catch Bates and his Vacancies at the Glass back in like February, and judging by their eponymous track "Lonely Town" on their MySpace profile, Lonely Town should be quite rockin' as well.

Take a second to listen to the tunes, and maybe catch 'em out somewhere around here if you can. It's great to write about a cool new band here in Charleston. Check 'em out.