Having observed the slow career progression of Northwest Indiana's Amy Davis over the years, I'm happy to report she appears confident enough to step out from the shadows and take her place front and center.

Quite the singer, Davis has been too long in the background while a member of the region band, Lonesome Jubilee.

Maybe it was her experience last year competing in the national qualifying rounds for the 2007 "Nashville Star" television show, or maybe it has been the steady progression of her parallel professional modeling career, but something has kicked this gifted Lowell native into high gear.

Moving slowly no longer, Davis e-mailed Localscene this week to report that Lonesome Jubilee and The Sound Gypsies have merged as first reported in this column two weeks ago.

The new sextet, The Sixth Element, will have Davis doing more lead singing.

Davis also has put together an as-yet-unnamed acoustic trio with Chris Grove and Billy Ozelli, currently members of the national group, Survivor, for weeknight gigging a few times a month in area haunts like Northwoods.

"I've also been asked to join a Chicago-area cover band, Firststreet," she said.

"We won't be playing any shows until the beginning of the year, because we are going to take the rest of this year to practice and get a solid show down, while booking gigs for 2008."

Localscene recognized Davis's talent years ago when she sometimes sang with the Crown Point teenage group, Free Reign. FYI: www.amydavismodel@yahoo.com or www.myspace.com/amydavisvoice.

Music notes ...

* Believe it or not, the region's one-time kings of the region's aggressive nu-metal scene are back after a hiatus of nearly two years; at least for one show this Saturday.

Mas Kaos have regrouped with former guitarist Stevenvy, drummer Jeff Triolo and bassist Derek Ferguson. Back behind the microphone is hulking, chrome-domed stage-stalker, Bryan "Bubba" Price, who embodies the fury of Mas Kaos.

Catch the band throwing it down at 10 p.m. Saturday at McCool's on Route 6 in South Haven.

* While it's not rock and it may be a bit of drive from the region, those with even a passing interest in classical music will not want to miss violinist Rachel Barton Pine perform at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the Music Institute of Chicago, Evanston Campus.

A Chicago native, this petite diva has toured the world and performed incredibly complex music with some of the world's greatest orchestras. Pine's virtuosity is nothing short of amazing. FYI: www.rachelbartonpine.com

* Chicago recording group, Marzene, has been picked to open the show at the Pearl Room in Mokena on Sept. 29 for national artist Mushroomhead. FYI: www.myspace.com/Marzene.

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