Post Halloween Metal Madness Scheduled At Rafters – November 1st
On Saturday November 1 Metal Madness will be coming to Downtown Rafters. An ambitious project put together by Doug Fletcher of local metal band DownBleed, Metal Madness will consist of a six-band jam session with both local and regional metal bands. “We just want to jam with our friends - this is not about the money, this is for area metal fans,” Doug Fletcher said during phone interview.
Taking the stage first is Tribus out of Southwest Virginia. Tribus’ music has been compared to a raw sounding Pearl Jam. Rex Mundi, from the local website to promote local music [http://teamrock.blogspot.com], wrote that they have a “hard rock sound with its roots planted firmly in southern rock…kind of a Molly Hatchett meets Seven Mary Three.” Both comparisons make them a must see local band.
The second band will be Deadlevel from Johnson City, TN. From the songs sampled, they have a slow, methodic style with deep growling lyrics. Deadlevel will remind you of a heavier sounding Jackyl or one of the many hard rock bands that toured through the area at the club that was known as Richard A’s or Pretzels. But don’t let the above description fool you; they also have a fast and furious sound with a “take no prisoners” attitude.
Third up is Skrog. Their sounds are influenced by many well known artists: Metallica on Guitar, Led Zepplin and Tommy Lee on Drums, Phil Anselo and Sully on vocals, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest on bass, Jimmy Page and Randy Rhodes on second guitar. There was not a sample song to listen to, but if they are on this bill, they need to be seen.
AntiTrust, also from Southwest Virginia, is up fourth. An independent record label about a possible deal for their first full record has recently contacted these guys. They cater to a multi-genre audience ranging from hard and heavy guitars to blistering drum solos. Multifaceted harmonics giving way to haunting vocals will leave you with a very favorable impression of AntiTrust.
Fifth to play is downBleed from Kingsport, TN. Doug Fletcher down bleeds his furious vocals behind his drum set while Dawg and Leona keep up with guitar and bass respectively. Their set is a total jam session with each tune consistently harder and heavier than the previous song. If you haven’t seen these guys (and gal) you are really missing out.
Bull Rush is the last band to play the night is certainly not the least. They are signed with Namaste Promotions out of Nashville and are from Asheville, NC. From Namaste’s website, http://www.namastepromotions.com/, Bull Rush is described as having a “wide variety of musical and personal influences to create a new sound unlike any you've ever heard before.” Their music is described a being seeded in deep emotion ebbing from spiritual experiences without losing their hard-hitting, no-holds-barred edge. Front man Geoff Dilts was quoted to say, “We try to make the music exciting and positive, while staying true to our metal roots.” Namaste Promotions is both nationally and internationally known.
Metal Madness will be a true metal for the fans. The first band will go on at 7:00 and the last band will end about 1:30. The full lineup is listed below – Tickets will be $10, which is more than fair for six bands (roughly $1.67 a band) and the only money the bands recieve is the door money. Again – This show is for the fans. Come out and support local music and experience some of the areas finest metal bands.
Lineup and Times of Bands
7:00-7:45 – Tribus
8:15-9:00 – Deadlevel
9:20-10:05 – Skrog
10:25-11:10 – AntiTrust
11:30-12:15 – downBleed
12:35-1:20 – Bull Rush
Xyon
PRESS RELEASE
Local band from Nashville - Mink bring home Album of the Year Award
The first ever IMMIE Award recipients were announced during an awards ceremony in Philadelphia, PA. Local rock band, Mink, brought home the award for Indie Album of the Year for their current release Full Rock Power.
The award ceremony was part of the five-day Independent Music Conference. Presented by online independent music store, IndieGate.com, the IMC2003 focused on empowering independent artist with the means to have a successful career in the music business.
“It is such an honor to receive this award” states Jonda, lead singer of Mink. “We had such a great team on this project (Roger Nichols/Emil Shapach) and the best fans who support us. We’re very thankful to our friends and family who support us and to IndiGate.com for this award.”
Other nominations included National Artist of the Year and Regional Artist of the Year.
Since their formation in 2000, Mink has established themselves as Nashville’s hottest alt/pop rock band. They have gained regional and global success by participating in events such as Dancin’ in the District, the Buzz Fest, and several USO tours.
Mink’s album Full Rock Power is available for purchase at Tower Records stores across the country.
