Indie-cision [n]: a state of confusion over the question of what the heck is what in the music business

Category creep [n]: the process whereby a category expands to include more and more instances and eventually all instances, whereupon it ceases to be a category

Kenyata has mastered networking and the art of focus. Originally from a small Texas town and now based in Wilmington NC, he talks at a New York City clip - but about anything except his music, which he leaves to speak (and scream) for itself. That, whether he realizes it or not, makes him more interesting.

A cherub-faced Southern gentleman with piercing eyes, Kenyata turns into a monster of rock on stage. He and his band The Majestic Twelve played a full-throttle 30-minute set recently at Club Midway. Though he hadn't appeared in New York City in a decade and was largely unknown to the local press and tastemakers, the room was filled with fans, hob-nobbers and well-wishers. Why?

Force of personality, for one thing. Kenyata's, mostly. But creative public relations played a major part. The band's publicist joined forces with a New York-based trade publication and artist development company called Music Dish to promote a series of showcases for indie bands deemed worthwhile for no other reason than being interesting, and good.

But what does it mean to be indie?

The traditional distinction between indies and majors has lost its meaning, according to Kenyata, who mentions by contrast some underground indie labels from the "good old days" that grew, more or less organically, out of a scene: Bomp, SST, Alternative Tentacles. Today things have changed: everyone wants "indie cred," including labels that are distributed by or even owned by the majors. Matador, says Kenyata emphatically, is not an indie. That's not technically true, but the point is that large, mainstream independent labels with big-selling artists have access to the same - or equivalent - brick-and-mortar distribution channels as the majors. Kenyata's band, along with the vast majority of musical acts, does not.

I named my CD review column "Indie Round-Up" on purpose to give myself enough latitude to cover practically anything I was interested in. I'm not interested in writing about the music that's coming out on the major labels today, even when I like it. What would be the point? It's already everywhere. I dig Shakira, but you sure don't need to hear me talk about her. Whereas you'd probably never heard of The Majestic Twelve - and now you have. And it's a great band. So, chalk one up for me.