Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know: What is "alternative" anymore? Nipple rings and tattoos? Uh, no. Punk rock? No way, man; that's yesterday's news. Some "electronica" club? Not since the scene made the cover of Time. Chances are the most "alternative" club in the city is some dingy members-only club buried on the East Side where we wouldn't be able to gain entry. In its stead, though, we offer the shining spot on the Hill, right around the corner from Hanneke Hardware, where the shows gotta start early and keep the noise to a minimum: the Centro Sociale, where you can find a remarkable mix of angst-filled rock heads one night, a loose confederacy of free-jazz musicians another, a touring emo squad the next. It's so alternative, it's got a shitty PA, a State Farm Insurance sign out front and enough free-thinking geniuses to keep the cooperative running semismoothly at least most of the time. The Centro's so alternative that its artists and creative types actually (apparently) get along with the semiconservative neighbors. Wanna see music that'll make you scratch your head? The Centro's the joint.