With the dust still settling from the recent conclusion of his third annual Happy Valley Showdown, area talent buyer Mark Sheehan says he is now setting his sights on… Ziggy Stardust?
“This year’s showdown was quite possibly the most eclectic year musically,” Sheehan reported after the series finale Feb. 21 (where experimental power trio Graph was crowned winner), “which was great, because the whole point every year is to expose local concert-going audiences to a wide array of previously unknown talent.”
This Thursday, March 4, Sheehan returns to his home base, the Sierra Grille, to oversee a Bowie/Velvet Underground tribute that local notables Sitting Next To Brian, The True Jacqueline and a host of others have already signed on to.
“This one is actually a gift to Sierra Grille owner O’Brian Tomalin,” he revealed. “He has been asking me to do this particular show for more than a year, and since he basically gives me no restrictions and lets me book whatever I want no matter how weird or big or loud, I felt I owed him.”
The Bowie bash kicks off at 10 p.m.
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In other news, amidst all the (American) Idol chatter about this year’s crop of crooners, Guitar Center is offering unsigned area rock bands the opportunity to quite literally slash their way through all the industry red tape and get noticed.
“The formula that used to work for discovering new artists has been decimated,” states six-string icon Slash in a recent release regarding the current “Your Next Record With Slash” contest that is being held in conjunction with the popular guitar shop.
As a means of remedying the injustice, bands that enter Slash’s sonic showdown have the chance to record a three-song EP with legendary producer Mike Clink (Guns ‘N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Megadeth) and have the infamous top-hatted fretboard wizard write, record and perform on the winning artists’ single.
For more info on the event, including how to enter, kindly point your browser to yournextrecord.com.
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Speaking of iconic axemen, Western Mass’ own John Sheldon has amassed some impressive bullet points on his musical resume—not the least of which are a stint with Van Morrison and having James Taylor record two songs he has written. Each Thursday from 9 p.m. to midnight through the spring, Sheldon can be found holding court at the Amherst Brewing Company, hosting a series he calls “Masters of Stratocasters.” Admission is free.
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Meanwhile, in Northampton, talent buyer extraordinaire Donal Rooke is doing his darndest to get things wild at the Deuce.
“Recently, I’d been getting the itch to get back involved with the local music scene,” Rooke says of the origins of the new open mic series he recently launched at the venue better known as the World War II Club. “I was remembering how much fun they were when we had them at the old Baystate, and I wasn’t aware of many others around… so hence, here we go!”
Open Mic at the Deuce continues this Sunday, Feb. 28 with host Henning Ohlenbusch. Signups begin at 8 p.m., then the host (who will change weekly) takes the stage at 9 p.m. to perform a half-hour set.
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Last up, two tidbits with, shall we say, universal appeal. The first features a March 6 performance at the Universalist Church (orangeuu.org) in Orange by veteran performer Richard Chase. An artist who has performed in theatre and genres ranging from R&B and folk to brass band and contra dance, Chase promises to borrow liberally from his mixed bag of tricks for this special, one-night only solo outing, as well as bringing up at least one very special guest.
The second concerns Roadrunner Records recording artist/local metal fave Killswitch Engage. And the official word from the Killswitch camp is that frontman Howard Jones has left the band’s current U.S. headlining tour “due to unforeseen circumstances.” All That Remains vocalist Phil Labonte has stepped in to fulfill the band’s commitments through month’s end, but what happens from there is anyone’s guess at this point. Stay posted for more details on that one.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or e-mail Garycarra@aol.com.
