Brazos County’s Rock FM 103.9 is the only radio station we listen to here at the Ol’ Stoners & Metalheads retirement home. Only because I tuned it there and then bondo’d over the tuner knob, pissin’ off the nursing staff. This 105 year-old, gray haired, wrinkled up Thrasher loves listenin’ at 10pm on Sunday nights to the “Homebrew show.” What makes this show stand out from all the other bullshit radio shows? Host, Chris Pate, of local band Signal Rising, only plays area & regional Rock/Metal bands’ music during the two-hour show. For a lot of bands in our area, this is the only free radio airplay they can get. Other radio stations claim to support their local scene but in reality, do very little. Rock 103.9 actually has a kickass concert series with LSM & Grand Stafford Theater, to showcase these bands once a month. The first Homebrew of the year was on Friday night and this ancient headbanger was front stage as the music started.

Time with Addy – photo by David Lynch

Time With Addy, a new local Rock band of 17-18 year-old boys opened the show, their first time onstage, and instantly started rockin’ out. Tyler Wise, the pipes/frontman, let out some really great sounding vocals in the beginning two songs, but afterwards, his voice started going horse/cutting out during certain pitches, but he finished the set.  The bassist, Matthew Hennessey, joined the band on January 16. He quickly learned the riffs from the five songs that the band recorded last summer with Bain Marze on rhythm guitar, Nathan Ybarra on Lead guitar, and Phil Bruxvoort on drums. For their virgin run onstage, the boys did an awesome job, performing for some 70 people as this night got started. The local scene has produced some badass teenaged rockers over the years. These boys proved just how high the entertainment level has been raised in the Brazos County music scene by their debut performance. Keep watching the band ya’ll, as they mature and get more stage experience. They do have a future in the music industry. Check out the video TWA did in the recording studio:

Eclipse, is another new band to the local Metal scene who formed last year after Andrew Ferguson -vocalists/frontman and songwriter teamed up with Adam Holmes, a local legendary, crowd surfin’, hardcore metal bassist. Together they scanned Craigslist looking for other talented, dedicated musicians. They found experienced drummer, Shaun Preston, wicked guitar shredder from Mexico, Zorro Alvarez, and Jason Turner, formally of local Metal bands Illysium & Stoneset. Eclipse just returned this week from the recording studio with seven amazing sounding tracks, of which, six they performed Friday. After watching the Jason Turner onstage over the last 4 yrs, he has always reminded me of a little shy lapdog chained to a tree, just there hiding in the shadows onstage. Well, Folks, he broke his chain tonight onstage while he commenced to shreddin’ the stage and everyone’s eardrums like a rabid coyote with his six string weapon. The bands high-energy stage presence and trying to follow all the action left his Ol’ man kinda dizzy, but seriously Thrashed. This made my third time seeing the band perform, Folks. I can see the improvements this unique band has made, and predict them returning to the recording studio before year’s end with even heavier riffs which I’ve heard myself. Here is some video I got at the show:

Artificial, a band from Houston that totally rocked the Rock 103.9 Halloween party last year, returned to the GST for this first show of the year. I got to interviewin’ area musicians and diggin’ for local news between set change, and totally lost track of time doing so. I missed all but the last 2 minutes of Artificial’s set. Judging by the smiles on everyone’s faces and vocal response, it looked like a badass performance.

Artificial – photo by David Lynch

Signal Rising lead guitarist, Lenny Palmer, announced weeks ago that Friday would be his last show performing with the band. Over 200 people packed into the GST to see this local badass work his “Brain Surgery” with his six-string mind tuner on his last set. Lenny joined in January 2012, and played many shows including two major motorcycle rallies at Lake Sommerville during the year. He even played a wicked ass version of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the wall” at Daisy Dukes opening for the Velcro Pygmies. Lenny has been part of the local scene for many years, and is known for being a mature, very humble, highly skilled musician and stand up guy. He said he’s leaving to pursue his other interest and endeavors. There’s no “bad blood” between him and the band. Chris was really outgoing onstage and off Friday. When he put that microphone in his hand, opened up the vocals, it was all business. Ethan and Lenny went to shreddin’ along with Ryan’s heavy attack on the skins with his wood sticks. That’s when Eric transformed into a madman with his six string bass. The energy levels maxxed giving all us Metalheads an exciting show. Signal Rising performed twelve songs ending the Homebrew show for the month of January.

Signal Rising – photo by David Lynch

Next month’s Rock 103.9 Homebrew is taking place on February 22 at GST. Burning Midget is returning from the bowels of hell to perform their brutal death metal after a two-year disappearance. In The Trench, from Central Texas, and newcomers to the Brazos County Metal music scene, Myra Maybelle, will be performing their third show to date on this card lineup. Stay tuned here at Lone Star Metal for an upcoming interview with this new Progressive Hardcore Metal band in B/CS. Houston’s Six Gun Sound will also be returning for this show.

Thanks for to the Grand Stafford Theater for keeping a place for Metal Music in Brazos County. Get out and support the local scene ya’ll!