The end of summer camp for Doom in the A.M.

You don't normally see grown men crying and hugging each other at a punk-rock show. But when Doom in the A.M. ended their nearly year-long reign of terror at Ragsdale's on Jan. 25 (playing on a triple bill with Minus the Star and Moodminder), the crowd -- many of whom had been getting drunk alongside bandmates since their first practice sessions in drummer Jon Thrower's basement last spring -- turned surprisingly wistful for a bunch of twenty-something punks and poets.

"It feels like the last day of camp," someone shouted. And in a way, it was. No longer, or at least for a while, would songs like "Wide As She Is Tall" and "Put A Nickel In Me" rock the socks, and occasionally other articles of clothing, off of Cape Girardeau's biggest music fans. In their half-dozen shows at Broussard's, Rude Dog, Pour House and Ragsdale's, as well as the famous basement jam sessions, Doom in the A.M. managed to offer Cape Girardeau something it rarely sees -- rock and roll that's actually creative, intelligent and funny.

It was Jon Thrower's project from the very beginning. Thrower, an occasionally professional-looking grad student and intro-level English professor, lived a seedy double life as the drummer for bands with creative names like Deathwish, the Honey Offering, Chemical Billy and Suburban Flu. He recruited guitarists Curt B. and Jason Copsy and bass player Chris Talley, and Doom in the A.M. was formed.

No one grew more during this extended week at camp than Amelie Bertram, or "Loud Anne Kleer," as she prefers to be called. The group's female vocalist joined the band after they'd already formed. She had a background in classical piano, but her hard-rock experience was limited to singing along loudly with System of a Down in her car. The band accommodated her -- she'd jump in between verses on a cheap Casio keyboard.

"If I was reading about this band, I'd think that girl up in the front was a total poseur," she says. "I had limited knowledge of this kind of music when I jumped into this band. But it's let me in on a culture I never expected to be a part of."

She wistfully recalls her awakening into the world of Doom in the summer of 2006.

"This is a band that had worked on their music for months and months before I cut into the fold. They were already a fully formed project." She sighs. "That was the best summer of my life. It's a little nostalgic, just thinking about it."

That wonderful, drunken summer lasted into the fall and winter. Amelie learned about the band, and they learned from her as well. It was a magical experience.

But all things must pass, and Doom in the A.M. finished their last set with a cover of "Schizophrenia" by Sonic Youth. For the first time in the band's history, they were asked for an encore, and they obliged with "Good Head," a song by Turbonegro. We may see more from Doom someday; we may not. But for now, they belong to the ages.