The Black Diamond Heavies

It was one of those humid June evenings where it would be just as easy to go naked as to put anything on, I did the next best thing. Wife beater, no bra, wafer thin cotton Capri’s, commando as the boys like to say, and flats. My roommate Cupcake was severely strapped in, I don’t know what the hell she was thinking. On the advice of Big and Polish we are taking in a band called The Black Diamond Heavies, cool name huh? I had very little prior knowledge of the Heavies, the aforementioned large one turned me on to their debut disc “Every Damn Time” on Alive Records and I was down. I like keyboards and gravelly vocals so it wasn’t a stretch for me but I wasn’t expecting anything spectacular.

And that’s how it started in the lair of the trashy trio at 222 on the Sirloin strip, the conversation is easy, cocktails are cold, the leaf is sweet and we are in a…yeah, this should be ok, different anyway, kind of mood. We have invited a couple of friends to meet us at the show who live in Green Bay, which is where we are headed, downtown. Say what you will about downtown Titletown, it’s easy to park. We do, right across from the venue and saunter in fashionably late. Two opening acts were cute young local boys. Caught two songs from the first band, whole set of the second. Sorry guys, don’t remember names. Didn’t hate either of them, I will say this about both, they had balls, it wasn’t shit.  Bass player for the second band with no socks was ooolala and I see the drummer for the first band walking in downtown Appleton on occasion. I think his name is Amos or something like that anyway, well worth supporting. It was cool that the members of the opening acts hung out, it was stupid that the 15 or so friends who came out to support them left, maybe they just couldn’t handle the filth

Blueheels

With an Americana sound that varies from alt-country to rock n’ roll to indie rock, Madison-based band Blueheels sound perfectly modern and vintage at the same time. The band has two recordings under their belt (2006’s Long Gone and Lessons in Sunday Driving released in April of 2008), a live album soon to come, and a third studio record in the works. They seem to be keeping themselves busy creatively, while also keeping a regular and extensive performing schedule.

Hollywood Undead

John Schlesinger said “Hollywood is an extraordinary kind of temporary place.” Robert DeNiro says he only goes to Los Angeles “when he gets paid for it.” Jay Leno said, “If God doesn’t destroy Hollywood Boulevard, he owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.” Slithering out of this cauldron like the rumored first cell from primordial soup is a band called Hollywood Undead.

If you haven’t heard of them yet, prepare to be blindsided. The day they created their MySpace profile, several thousand new users signed on. In one week they crested to the top of the MySpace music chart like a wave on the Santa Monica shore. Their first official album called “Swan Songs” was released Sep. 2 by (A&M/Octone Records). They consist of six members identified only by street aliases. Their music is a collision of hip-hop, metal, and rock and sounds like the Beastie Boy’s Licensed to Ill getting pistol whipped by Eminem.

Donk Floyd

If you’re a Pink Floyd fan, Maximum Ink and some of Madison’s finest musicians are collaborating to give you a gift this holiday season. El Donk and Jeff Muendel, organist of the Motor Primitives, are teaming up to pay tribute to Pink Floyd organist Richard Wright, who passed away in September of this year. The Cardinal Bar on Dec. 20 is the venue of the Maximum Ink Holiday Party where The Falcon of El Donk states that they will play two sets consisting of 12 to 15 Pink Floyd songs in honor of one of the finest musicians of our time.

Children 18:3

Children 18:3 are a dream come true for nearly any general fan of music. The music is easy to swallow but exciting and stands up listen after listen. They are, however, a critic’s nightmare.

This Minnesotan three piece shamelessly (and rightfully so) defines themselves with elements of pop, punk, rock and aesthetics that can be so polarizing it’s kind of a wonder they have the massive fan base they do.

If a Children 18:3 newbie doesn’t run when they hear “Christian Rock” they might when they see the band’s long haired, greasy, mascara’ed front man. Or, if they don’t turn the other cheek when comparisons to Alkaline Trio turn up they might turn the page when they hear this trio is a band of siblings.

36 Crazyfists

The Alaskan-based heavy metal thrashers, 36 CRAZYFISTS, have taken a unique approach to their music and their performance. As Brock Lindow (vocals) explains, they have a very raw attitude, and admittedly are often too close to their music to fully understand what they are creating. Avoiding the negativity and anger that often surrounds the musical term “metal” and, rather, creating a positive ideal with a heavy sound. Their surprising rise to the heavy metal circuit is not that shocking, explains Lindow, “metal is the number one resource up there, nobody looks to Alaska as a musical hotbed, but that is what makes it the best place.” Lindow credits a lot of their inspirational drive to the small but thriving music scene in our nation’s largest state. Lindow compared the passion and energy of Alaskans to metal fans in Texas, and says, “Texas has got nothing on Alaska, the people are what make the music and the scene.”