Munster's Pete Smith is getting some well-deserved attention lately in the region, even though he plays guitar in the New York-based rock combo, Band Of Thieves.

And he owes it all to Don Clark, a savvy local radio programmer with an ear for good music.

Smith, who left the region a few years ago with $500 in his pocket and dreams of musical stardom, came across four kindred spirits while forging his way through NYC clubs.

Vocalist Tyler Rann (ex-Midtown), guitarist Gitano Herrera (a transplant from Argentina), former recording studio session drummer Anthony Riscica and bassist Leigh Nelson (ex-Billionaire Boys Club) became fast friends and soon cofounded Band Of Thieves in Manhattan's Lower East Side during fall 2006.

The quintet began getting radio play in U.S. markets following the release of their three-song indie EP -- but not in Chicagoland.

That changed last month when "CHR" radio station, WZVN-FM/Z-107 Program Director Don Clark played the Band Of Thieves song "Woman" as the "Fresh Brew Song Of The Day" on his popular "Wake Up Crew" morning show (5 to 9 a.m.).

After getting an "immense amount" of requests for the song, Clark shifted "Woman" to mid-day air play, where it remains in light rotation.

Thanks to Clark, Z-107's classic rock sister station WXRD-FM/X-Rock 103.9 recently began airing the Band Of Thieves' harder rocking, newly recorded single, "Oh, Oh, Oh," on its Sunday night program, "Night Rock," which features region-made music.

"Pete Smith is a musician from here in the region and it's a great song, so we're playing it and getting great phone and e-mail response to it," said "Night Rock" cohost "Hegewisch Lisa" Sotiros.

"We had Chicago rock legend and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jim Peterik (Survivor/Ides of March) in as our studio guest the night we debuted 'Oh, Oh, Oh'. Jim said on air that he thought it was a good song with great hooks, and that Band Of Thieves had much promise."

Since getting added to region airwaves, even MTV has taken a liking to the group, placing two songs from the aforementioned EP in two separate episodes of "The Hill's" this season.

And according to Band Of Thieves' Wilspro Management company, the song "Woman" is set to air on A&E's "Parking Wars" later this winter, a new show about the streets of Philadelphia.

Band Of Thieves also will take part in the annual Lynyrd Skynyrd" Simple Man Carnival Cruise" (www.simplemancruise.com), spending four rocking days on the waves with headliners Skynyrd and other top groups, including Cowboy Mouth, Georgia Satellites and the Marshall Tucker Band.

FYI: www.wearebandofthieves.com

Music notes

* Crown Point's resident rock stars, Asteria, who have made some major waves in modern rock on a national level in the last year or so, spent this past week in New York, demo-ing three new songs at the Broken English recording studio with producer John Naclerio.

Final takes on those songs and others will be recorded in January, when Asteria returns to the Big Apple to begin work on its second full-length national CD, slated for release later in 2008. The album is as yet untitled.

Local fans can catch Asteria Saturday at the Lake County Fairgrounds' Fine Arts Building with fellow indie-rockers The Morning Light (Pittsburgh) and Holiday Parade (Atlanta). FYI: www.MySpace.com/asteria.

* Musically gifted Valparaiso University students will compete in the campus "Battle Of The Bands VII" at 7 tonight in the VU Student Union building. Finalists return to perform extended sets at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Open to the public and all ages with each nightly round costing $5. FYI: www.Valpo.edu

* Fifteen-year-old aspiring country singer Megan Nicole (Kaczmarski) of Valparaiso has wrapped up work on her demo in Nashville, which is being pitched to A&R departments at both indie and major record labels by her producer Peter Bordanalli. One song on the demo CD was written by local Merrillville tunesmith, Harry Dickenson. FYI: www.MySpace.com/megankacz.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at beatboss@aol.com.