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Michael Hines, lead singer, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for Ring, considers “Ladies in the Church Singing,” a cut from the Arlington-based quartet’s eponymous introductory EP, his finest moment as a composer. Considering that Hines majored in theology at Georgetown U. (class of ’90), it doesn’t seem an unlikely choice. But according to the songwriter, the links between his formal schooling and his band’s output are few and far between. “What I studied affects my music about as much as it affected my day job,” he laughs. “Now I’m in construction.” Much of the cassette-only EP recalls those Velvets-worshiping Athens bands of a decade ago. “Hypnotic Meltdown,” for instance, is carried by lead guitarist Chuck Fields’ Buck- ish strumming and Hines’ mumbly delivery (bassist Dave Buskell and drummer Marino round out the group’s lineup). Ring, according to Hines, is intended as a prelude to the band’s first full-length CD—tentatively titled Bird, Bird, Bird—in early 1995. Ring performs Jan. 20, 1995, at Asylum in Exile. The EP is available for $5 from Ring, 1114 North Vernon St., Arlington, VA 22201.