A knife-fight in Toronto. A poisoning in New Orleans. A on-board fire on the seedy side of the Baltimore harbor.

In recent weeks, a flurry of press releases have flowed out of the Wallace Bros.’ Detroit office, announcing the sudden death of their longtime manager, Noah Antieau, and diverting national attention from the release of their fourth album, "Popular Songs That Will Live Forever, Volume 4: Country and Western," an ambitiously-imagined and poorly-executed record which makes a brave attempt to span and capture the history of the American country, from the searing fanaticism of the first pioneers, to the hopelessness of the lonely women left on today’s vanishing ranges, and everything of note in-between: blizzards, rifles, striptease. Their unorthodox country melodies are paired with lyrics that run from despairing, to mean-spirited, to down-right chilling.

But the record has taken second-place in the national media to the myriad reports of Antieau’s death: at the hands of Mexican bandits, a jealous New Orleans husband, a West Texas lightning storm--even a pair of enraged Southern-California sorority-sisters.

"If I had to guess," Mark says, "I’d say he owes someone some money. More than we’ve been making him."

"Or he got married," says Carey. "And then thought better of it."

Neither seem to give much credence to the reports, or show much dismay at their manager’s disappearance.

"Mostly he’d get drunk and yell at us," Mark says. "He wanted us to both wear bolo ties, so we’d have ‘a look.’ That was his big idea."

"Did you read those articles about Billy the Kid a couple of months ago?" Carey asks. "I didn’t, but Noah did. I guess they think now he faked the whole thing, so he could live a normal life again? Whatever that is."

Although neither Carey nor Mark claim responsibility for them, funeral arrangements have been made for next Sunday, 4 pm, at Detroit’s Fritz Funeral Home (246 E. Ferry). Instead of flowers, the organizers have requested that donations be made to local chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In the meantime, the band plays on, although they’re not sure when.

"Well, he hasn’t done it, so I guess we’re going to have to get some bookings on our own," Mark says.

"But that’s how it always is."

The Wallace Bros:

The Nashville Scene Interview

NS: This is a beautiful album. Congratulations.

MW: Thanks.

NS: The first thing I notice about it, going through the liner notes, is you’ve got quite a “special thanks” list this time around. Did this record take more than the usual amount of inspiration?

MW: Well, since it’s a country record, we decided we ought to thank everyone we’ve ever been involved with.

NS: Involved with? Romantically?

CW: It seemed fair.

MW: Or wanted to be involved with, really.

CW: That made the list a little longer.

MW: A lot longer, actually.

CW: In your case.

NS: So this is a list.. of everyone you’ve ever loved?

CW: That’s not what he said, was it?

MW: Hoa Li, she was the one.

CW: Second grade.

NS: So you went pretty far back with these lists, I guess.

CW: She was a Vietnamese refugee. The Free Methodist church brought over a bunch of them to the town we grew up in.

MW: She’s the only girl I ever met who could beat me at badminton. And spelling.

CW: Mark’s a real speller.

NS: Really?

CW: I’m not.

NS: So, on your list, I guess, did you go back that far in your history? Bryan Steinfeldt?

CW: I stole his shoelaces. Not from him. From my best friend. She stole them from him.

MW: She still has them.

CW: I really think you’ve lost something when you start throwing away that kind of thing.

NS: So.. second grade, also?

CW: Sixth.

NS: Mark, I see you’ve got a lot of "Sara’s" on your list.

MW: Not really.

NS: I count four.

MW: Not if you divide them up. By "with h" and "without h".

NS: And a "Robin Williams?"

MW: She spelled it with a "y".

NS: And it looks like, the Flintoft.. sisters?

MW: Yeah, but neither of them would go out with me. You know what isn’t quite as obvious when you just read a list of names like that? Best friends.

CW: Piss off.

NS: "Snake?"

CW: My first boyfriend.

NS: He go by any other name?

CW: Not that I know of.

NS: How about you? The one that got away?

CW: Matt Ericho. He might have been my one true love.

NS: How do you know?

CW: He gave me free cider once.

NS: So are there any of these that you actually went out with?

CW: Seems to me like being a reporter’s gotten pretty easy these days.

NS: There are only two more names on the list here. Any stories?

MW: Well, we sold back the jewelry I gave the last girl.

CW: And we used the hundred bucks to make our country record.