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Local Music News... by Tom Lounges Bands! Sometimes I’m hard to nail down by phone with all the running around and club hopping I do, but now you know where to find me every Thursday night! I’ll be spinning the rock ‘n’ roll every THURSDAY night at The Backdoor Lounge in Griffith beginning March 7th. Stop in and chat up your bands to me and bring in your press kits. Also...bring in your band’s CD and we’ll spin it that night for all to hear. I’ll be doing trivia for free drinks, champagne dances for ladies and other fun stuff...plus lots of rock ‘n’ roll music of all eras – from retro to heavy rock MIDWEST MUSIC AWARDS WEEKEND! This year our annual gala honoring regional music talent will take place at The Backdoor Lounge in Griffith, IN on March 29 and not March 30, as announced last issue. But we WILL still have a party going on that night as well! Here’s the scoop! We’ve decided to present the Reader’s Poll Awards and Publisher’s Awards on March 29 and have three of this year’s top award-winning bands – Steepwater, Soundz Of Santana and Inzane – perform for your rock ‘n’ roll enjoyment. Of course, we will have our usual free food buffet laid out for patrons to indulge themselves (9-10:30 p.m.) that night. We will keep the celebration rolling the next night (March 30) at the Backdoor Lounge so that everyone can kick off their shoes and party. Midwest BEAT will buy the first celebratory keg of beer (to be tapped around 10 p.m.). We’ll buy the suds until the keg runs dry. Playing that night will be – Sadie’s Cage, Grape Soda and Wookie Luv – three retro-party bands who will not disappoint! BATTLE WAGES ON... The first month’s round of the “Battle of The Backdoor” went very well. Porter County’s Mas Kaos took the win in a very tight contest. Midwest BEAT Magazine and Zion Productions along with Music Lab in Lansing are co-sponsoring a monthly band battle one Sunday a month at the Backdoor Lounge in Griffith. The second round takes place on March 31/Easter Sunday with the groups –– KNIGHT FALL, EGNARO, AUTUMN DAWN and UNCLE SNEAKY. Monthly winners receive a $100 gift certificate from Music Lab. The Grand Finals in December will have a prize purse of $1,000 cash for first place. For info call J.D. of Zion Productions at (219) 962-6563. MORE FUN HEAD... From the many things listed above, it’s evident Midwest BEAT is doing a lot of stuff at The Backdoor Lounge, but we’re still out and about at the region’s other rock ‘n’ roll watering holes. On April 20, we’ll be rockin for the first time at Bookies Sports Bar in Dyer, IN with two modern rock bands we’ve heard a LOT about, but never had the pleasure of including in a BEAT Bash –– Egnaro and Dema’gin –– who will be joined by a third band. On April 27, we’ll host our annual “Cabin Fever Break-Out Bash,” a multi-band metal night with my old buddy, Vince Kelley. This will give everyone a chance to check out the newly remodeled J.J. Kelley’s in Lansing, IL. Bands for this will be announced in the next issue. On May 17, Midwest BEAT will host it’s first bash in seven years (gulp!) at Bin Willy’s in Valparaiso, IN. The ultra-cool club has resumed doing live music on Fridays and we’re there to join in the fun! Watch for bands to be announced in next month’s issue. LAKE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS SERIES CONTINUES Local rocker Aaron Hedges has organized the March 10 “Lightnin’ Bob Memorial Concert” at the Lake County Indiana Fairgrounds to benefit the family of local blues/rock guitarist Lightnin’ Bob Hoadley of Sunhouse fame. Performing at the all-ages event will be Hedges’ two bands – Bravo Johnny and The Crawpuppies – along with local faves Takabite and History’s End. For more info, call Hedges at Broadway Music – (219) 736-7706. That’s just the first show of the year for the L.C. Fairgrounds. Local promoter, Jeff Popka, had such a great time promoting concerts at the Fairgrounds last summer, that he’s announced plans for a new series of shows. A preliminary show in the Industrial Building takes place April 20 with Monkey Cocktail and Free Raine. It’s a warm up for the second season of Popka’s outdoor “Friday Night Bash” series, which kicks off May 24th. HEAVY HITTERS...GET HIT HARD Our good buddies in Low Twelve, Central Illinois’ premier hardcore band have had a rough year. First vocalist/bassist Pete Altieri was hit with cancer (which he’s beat) and endured chemo treatments which put some restrictions on the band. Now they’ve been hit with the death of founding guitarist Tim McCleland, who in late fall had left the band to carry on as a trio. The Low Twelve boys deliver the Midwest BEAT every month to all the wild rockers in Peoria. Along with this month’s bundles, we send our condolences to Altieri, guitarist Les Aldridge and drummer Wes Pollock. And also to the McCleland family and the fans and friends of the band. Those who enjoyed the band on their visits to Chicago haunts like Champs and Smiler Coogan’s, can send condolences via their web site: www.lowtwelve.com The coolest thing about Low Twelve is not even their music (although it slams!), but their community attitude. The group founded Heavy Core, an international organization of nearly 400 heavy music bands who team up to hold concerts that raise money for various charity organizations. Among those holding membership in Heavy Core are such international heavies as Venom, Pro-Pain, D.R.I. and Dying Fetus. Metal Bands wanting more info on Heavy Core or metal fans wishing to subscribe to the organization’s weekly email and monthly print newsletters, should contact Pete via email at: contact@lowtwelve.com or via the organization’s web site at: www.heavycore.org BAND BITS... • Singer/songwriter/guitarist Eric Lambert is not only the newest member of Chicago’s historic roots rock band, Heartsfield, but also convinced that band’s multi-instrumentalist leader Perry Jordan to step out acoustically. The pair have not only begun playing out as The Heartsfield Acoustic Trio (along with instrumentalist David Nelson), but are in the process of recording a full length acoustic album. It will be the first project tracked at Lambert and Jordan’s new commercial studio in Crestwood, which has yet to be named. Local acoustic jammers can join The Heartsfield Acoustic Trio as they host “Wood & Steel Roots Night” at O’Malley’s in suburban Alsip every Sunday. “There’s nowhere on the South Side for acoustic musicians to play anymore,” said Jordan, “so this is a way for us all to gather ‘round, pick some songs and have some fun.” • How cool is it that Disturbed’s double-platinum-selling debut album The Sickness, has been entrenched on Billboard Magazine’s “Top 200 Albums”chart for 97 straight weeks as we go to press. This makes them the senior chart holders over 198 other chart contenders. Only the Dixie Chicks, have had a longer chart run with their album, Fly, which has held on 131 weeks. • Guitarist/vocalist Tony Troncozo has announced that his old-school metal group, Fatal Order, are calling it a day after many, many years of banging it out on the regional scene. Catch their final show at J.J. Kelley’s on March 9, where they will kick you in the balls one last time. “We’ve had a good run,” said Troncozo when we caught up with him last month at Oasis One-Sixty. Indeed they have. To the end, Fatal Order remained one of the most energized live rock acts on the scene and will be missed! Thanks for always doing a great job on Maiden’s “Rhyme Of The Ancient Mariner” guys! • Local old school metal faves, Winterkill, are now facing a similar situation, according to vocalist Randy Baron. The group parted ways with founding bassist Brent Sullivan and are now seeking a new low end man to slap strings for them as they prepare to start recording their third full-length CD. Anyone interested in auditioning can contact the group via the web at: carnevil3@aol. • Cryptic Visions, the Hoosier metal group who lost their lead singer Russ Barron to Quickchange two months ago, has found a replacement in Joe Lawson (formerly with Blind Rage, Skullview and Dragonlore). Guitarist Jeff Bagherpour reports Lawson is doing wonders on the band’s older material and has already started writing new songs with them. Watch for the band to get back into local clubs again real soon! • After a few shaky weeks of winging it with guest players, Wookie Luv, reports in that they have finally established a solid rhythm section. New to the Wookie line-up are bassist Mario Sameneigo and drummer Tony Mullert. They also recently added Danielle (ex-Taxi) on vocals. • Former Cheap Trick bassist Jon Brandt (who was with Rockford’s fave sons while original/current Trickster Tom Petersson was off doing his failed Another Language solo project during the ‘80s) has joined ranks with super Chicago pop talent Kevin Lee. Also on board with Lee is veteran Chicago drummer Chuck Acosta. Lee’s latest album is set for a mid-April release. For more info, log on at: www.kevinleeonline.com • Sadie’s Cage, guitarist Joey Miroballi (whose history includes stints with Joker, The Burn and Monkey Cocktail), has taken to doing occasional solo acoustic shows between regular band gigs and has even pressed up a six-song demo of his own material to shop to owners of clubs and coffeehouses. The original songs on his unplugged demo are solid offerings... ROLLING TAPE... • Chicago’s music innovators – Ministry – who essentially created the crossover genre of Industrial Hard Rock with their fusion of menacing guitar riffs and electro-industrial samples and loops, is celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year. Resident godhead, Al Jourgenson, announced Ministry has found a new home at Sanctuary Records, best known for recycling old-school metal icons like Megadeth and Rob Halford. Ministry are one of three industrial bands the label has pick up (the others being Gravity Kills and Pitchshifter). On March 19, they will release Sphinctour, a live CD taped at venues all over the globe. Ministry will promote Sphinctour with a summer headline tour, before unleashing their new studio record Animositisomina in late fall. • There’s been a healthy buzz on the street for a while that a California indie label had been wooing local alt-punk rockers, Egnaro, who voted as one of the region’s top three “Most Promising New Artists” in our 2001 Reader’s Poll survey. Well...the spunky young outfit tell me they have inked a one album deal with Jet Speed Records. The label is putting them up with producer Dave Morse (engineer for David Bowie, Aerosmith, Guns ‘N Roses) with the hopes of having an album in the can by June. This high-energy combo are moving up the food chain fast. Meet ‘em March 29 when they claim their Reader’s Poll Award at the Backdoor Lounge in Griffith. Catch ‘em live April 20 at our BEAT Bash at Bookies in Dyer, IN. For more info, log on their web site – www.egnaro.3rd-realm.com – or surf to – www.jetspeedrecords.com . • XSEED, who headlined at The Metro last month, report they are putting the finishing touches on their first-ever recording project. The five-song EP tentatively titled, Integrate, will be released in Spring of 2002 on indie label, The Shape Records (www.theshaperecords). • Regional modern rock trio, Sometimes Seven, has begin recording their latest CD, The Songs I Was Telling You About. The band will spend the first two weeks of March with producer John Carpenter at Hammond’s Thunderclap Studio. Pre-orders on the disc are being taken on line at: www.sometimesseven.com • 10 Daze Late should be back from Minneapolis by the time you read this. The Hoosier rock combo was there in February recording their debut album with producer Freeman James, who in the past has worked with such names as The Doors and Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad. • The ever-busy original rock duo of Reed Marcotte and Steve Crabtree (who record as Return Of The Dinosaur) have offered up a song which touches a soft spot in any patriotic heart. “Bye Bye” was recorded with former Heartsfield band leader, J.C. Hartsfield, guesting on lead guitar. Written in memory of Jeff Crabtree, Steve’s elder brother and a Vietnam veteran, the song is dedicated to all of our nation’s veterans. Listen to the song online at: www.mp3.com/returnofthedinosaur . • South Side hard rockers – Flathead Fillups – has almost completed recording thier second CD. The as-yet-untitled collection of original new songs is expected to be released in late April/early May. • Blues trio, The Kingsnakes are following up their house-rockin’ last CD, Blues Island, with the unplugged blues release, The Coffeehouse Sessions. Now being recorded at The Spot Studio in Schnieder, IN with John Huber engineering, the acoustic disc is expected to be competed by last summer/early fall. • Late last month, South Side blues guitarist/vocalist Billy King released his second full length CD, Life Ain’t Easy. The ten tracks on the collection sprang from King’s own pen and were recorded late last year at PTD Studios with Lonnie Brooks’ drummer Patrick Doody producing and mixing. King wisely recruited Doody to pound out the beat on these tracks. Former Hounds’ guitarist turned bluesman, Don Griffin, pops up as guest picker on a National Steel guitar. • Guitarist Chuck Tipton of Chicago’s slammin’ alt-metal band, Rock Star Club, reports that they are presently in negotiations with Mark Borchardt (the star of “American Movie”) to direct the band’s first ever music video. More info available on: www.rockstarclub.com And that’s all for this month! See you March 29!!! |
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