Yr. (Late) Weekend, Pt. 1: Save KTRU/Fitz Relaunch II + Ghost Town Electric + Defending the Kingdom + More

Got the fam in town today (Friday, September 24th), so I’ve been a bit occupied, I’m afraid, and I’ve gotta keep it somewhat brief for the rundown… Been a rough week, folks, and I’m still playing catch-up.

Before I go on, though, I just wanted to mention that the Katatonia show that was scheduled for The Meridian next Saturday, October 2nd, has been moved over to Warehouse Live. All the same bands are playing with ’em, I believe — Swallow The Sun, Orphaned Land, & cool-ass local guys {The Lotus Effect} — just at a different venue. I’m honestly not sure what the heck’s going on with the Meridian these days; hopefully the place is still in existence & booking shows.

Anyway, here’s what’s worth checking out tonight, as far as I’m concerned:

Save KTRU Benefit, featuring Golden Axe, The Roller, Venomous Maximus, Two Star Symphony, The Energy, Omotai, Free Radicals, & DJ Meshak @ Fitzgerald’s (free/$5)
Talk about a double-whammy… Not only is this show part of the aforementioned Fitzgerald’s re-launch, but it’s also the fourth benefit I’ve seen so far for the Save KTRU folks who’re fighting to keep beloved local college-radio station KTRU on the air. Which is always a good cause, in my book…

It’s free for the 21-and-up set, apparently, but only $5 besides, and that’s a small price to pay for some fine, fine bands — instro-metal icons {Golden Axe} are headlining, and flat-out punk rockers {The Energy} are opening, alongside the awesomely heavy, doom-y {Omotai}, funk-jazz-salsa heroes {Free Radicals}, and quirky, offbeat classicists {Two Star Symphony}, all of whom are worth checking out all by themselves.

Ghost Town Electric/Defending the Kingdom (split-LP release)/Venomous Maximus/Hell City Kings @ Rudyard’s
I got to see both {Ghost Town Electric} & {Defending the Kingdom} at the first-ever Lost In Space Fest at Khon’s last year, and they turned out to be two of the best surprises of the whole thing… Defending the Kingdom were a little rough around the edges at the time — I don’t think they’d been together long then — but I truly dug the sludgy, heavy, thrash-edged metal sound and skullcracking rhythms.

Then there’s Ghost Town Electric, who swing between good-old-boy Southern rock and Mastodon-esque metal, with the end result that they sound kinda like Priestess, Federation X, or Early Man; heavy, psych-tinged rawk, not truly metal, but all the more badass for it. And tonight marks the release of both bands’ split-LP on Cutthroat Recs; I’ve heard it (there’ll hopefully be a review up very soon), and it’s pretty fucking great.

Runners-Up:
The Dead Revolt (CD release)/Giant Battle Monster/Handsome Beast/Shishka @ Walter’s (8PM; $8)
The Wiggins/Rayon Beach/Tyvek/The Little Dead Room @ The Mink
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/ZZ Top @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
The Black Crowes @ Verizon Wireless Theater