by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Being in a local band, more often than not, is heartbreak every step of the way. You sink a large chunk of your paycheque into rehearsal space, gear repairs etc. After scrimping and scraping, you finally squirrel enough money away to actually record, master, package and press up your music. God love ya, but sadly, at least from where I sit, a lot of these gluttons for punishment just plain suck. In fact, some local acts that shall remain nameless have put out some of the worst, and most predictable and derivative, discs I have ever heard. For instance, you would not believe how many emo bands there are in this city with a Pro Tools rig, convinced they’re going to get signed to major labels with songs that are destined for landfill.

On the other hand, just this week I got lucky and snagged three great, eponymous local discs that are guaranteed to curl your wig:

Karmadoza GrimSkunk/Floating Widget member Vince Peake drags some Widgeteers along with him, but clears the stage and lets singer Vicky Martel take the spotlight. As heavy as it gets (and it does pack a wallop), Martel brings melody to the ballast, making Karmadoza a highly exportable product for the bong-bubbler market. For fans of Kyuss and those who have stonerrock.com bookmarked on their computer machine.

Kickers Having been more than impressed the last time I saw them at a Mandatory Moustache night at Divan Orange, this newly- hatched trio actually step it up here, with a nice addition of keyboards to the previous guitar/drum duo setup. The brittle production does give a little ear fatigue over this EP, but songs like “Still Steal” and “There is No The” more than make up for the lack of sonic hoo-hah.

Surferigno I was warned that Surferigno actually hide heavy metal tendencies under their wall of reverb and twang, but I ain’t hearing it. These guys live up to their name, but instead of just sleepwalking through “Walk Don’t Run,” they simply use the surf sound as a touchstone throughout the hefty 21 songs here. If you ever wondered what surf music could sound like if it wasn’t from staunch retro record-collecting snobs with their hands firmly gripping the whammy bar…

This weekend is a perfect double-nighter at the Barfly, for those who like it hard and heavy. Friday night, March 10, you can check out the old-school metal sounds of Mad Parish, who play with Horrible Black Void. Best of all, it’s totally free. If you dig Goat Horn and locals Metallian, you are going to love Mad Parish, and as for Horrible Black Void—well, just check out the sheer heaviosity of their name. Saturday night, the Barfly slams it home when they host Last Days, Ottawa’s Take One For the Team and the doomy instrumental torture of Squalor. Hint: Bring earplugs and expect to smell like an ashtray by Sunday.

FEEL THE HEALING POWERS THAT ARE… TRIUMPH LYRICS! jonathan.cummins@gmail.com

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