Skipping over all of the boring stuff, the line-up was figured out, a date was set, and a venue was booked for the show. Okay, now you can get excited again because I'm about to tell you some important information about the gig.

Between me and Bill (my partner for TSS), we managed to get 6 amazing bands for this show. Who are they? I'm glad you asked, they are: Lo-Pan (Columbus, OH), Devil to Pay (Indianapolis, IN), Death Valley Dragline (Lansing, MI), Forged in Flame (Cleveland, OH), Chapstik (Detroit, MI), and Low of the Low (Chicago, IL). These are some of my absolute favorites from the Midwest, and I have had the pleasure to see most live before, and they don't disappoint. The ones that I haven't seen, I've heard are awesome, as well.

All of these bands will be sharing one stage on August 07, 2010 at Mac's Bar (2700 E Michigan Ave, Lansing, MI 48912). The doors, as of right now, are slated to open at 7, and the first band to go off will be at 8. Each band will be playing approximately 30-40 minute sets.

We will be selling tickets ahead of time for the show. At this point in time, they will cost you a very reasonable $5 if you pre-order. If you wait until the day of the show to get your ticket, it will cost you still reasonable $8. To pre-order your tickets, please send an email to fuzzapalooza@thesodashop.us. We will provide you with any information required. Please note that ticket prices are subject to change. However, if you get your tickets now and the prices go UP, you will not be charged the difference. Ticket sales are NOT refundable.

Any other information requests can be directed to the same email just mentioned above. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the show.

FUZZAPALOOZA LINKS

VENUE:
Mac's Bar: www.macsbar.com

BANDS:
Lo-Pan: www.myspace.com/lopandemic / www.lopandemic.com
Devil to Pay: www.myspace.com/deviltopay / www.deviltopay.net
Death Valley Dragline: www.myspace.com/deathvalleydragline
Low of the Low: www.myspace.com/lowofthelow / www.lowofthelow.com
Forged in Flame: www.myspace.com/forgedinflame
Chapstik: www.myspace.com/chapstik / www.chapstikbomb.com

SPONSORS:
The Soda Shop: www.myspace.com/sodashopradio / www.thesodashop.us

EVENT LINKS:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fuzzapalooza / www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=125893564092899
MySpace: events.myspace.com/Event/4106206/Fuzzapalooza-w-Lo-Pan-Death-Valley-Dragline--more
Last.fm: www.last.fm/festival/1535994+Fuzzapalooza

The name of the radio station is, you guessed it, 'The Soda Shop'. The station was not my idea. It was mentioned by Ron, my industry contact/business partner, that I should start up my own radio station online. I thought the idea was brilliant and thus born was The Soda Shop. Of course, I couldn't just band wagon jump. It's only natural that my station be as  unique as myself. The station is going to be unique in several different ways, and in two ways specifically. The first is that it's going to focus on stoner rock and doom metal, but it will also play other great rock acts, as well. Why stoner rock and doom metal? Simple, that's the music that I love, and I feel that it's entirely underrated. The second unique aspect of The Soda Shop is that the intention is to bring attention to the lesser known stoner bands, the up-and-coming stoner and doom bands. If the genre is going to thrive, new blood needs to be exposed, and that's what we want to do.

The station's progress is rapidly picking up. We've been gaining quite a bit of band support from all around the world which is always a great motivation. We have received nearly a dozen separate albums from bands, and that number continues to grow every week. The station currently is streaming 24/7 on ustream (or, as reliably as one can expect on ustream). There's no set programming schedule yet, but along with the site coming up here in the next couple of weeks, the station should have a set programming schedule.

I am extremely excited about the site coming online. It's going to be greatly interactive. The biggest feature that should set us apart will be that bands will be able to have their own pages that they can edit themselves. Bands will be able to update their bios with current tour dates, discographies, links, and will be able to upload some sample tracks for visitors to play. Eventually, we hope that the site will also allow for fans to buy music downloads (and even physical copies?) of music from the site, which should also be available on band pages. The site will have a forum that will allow for great discussion amongst fans and bands. It'll also have sections for bands and venues to connect for gigs, for bands to look for new members, promote new albums and tours, and much more. Of course, this is only a small bit of what all will be available on the site.

I will have more information in the upcoming days and weeks, so hopefully I'll remember to keep posting updates on this blog for all to read.

LINKS TO STREAM/SITE/SOCIAL NETWORKS

MySpace | last.fm | facebook | Twitter | thesodashop.us | stream

First and foremost, I need to support the three bands that I just found out about in the last week.

Venomin James (Doom Metal)
[ Last.fm | MySpace ]
Venomin James comes out of Cleveland. They are one of two American doom metal bands that I listen to. Their debut album, Left Hand Man is brilliant, and their new album, Crowe Valley Blues, looks to be promising. That album should be out within a week, after some delays.

Graveyard (Stoner/Progressive/Psychedelic Rock)
[ Last.fm | MySpace ]
Graveyard is yet another brilliant band out of Sweden. I would classify their music as Stoner Rock, but they have a definite throw-back sound that is sure to please anybody that enjoys Classic Rock. Graveyard sounds remotely familiar to Witchcraft, another Swedish band I love. They only have one album out, Graveyard, and it's probably one of the best that I've listened to this year.

Spirits of the Dead (Stoner Rock)
[ Last.fm | MySpace ]
One of the few bands, anymore, that doesn't hail from Sweden (or America). They are Norwegian. This is definitely a band with a unique sound. Much like Graveyard, they do sound a lot like a throw-back. They're not just a cheap knockoff, though. They are the real deal. So far, their album, Spirits of the Dead, is an absolute must buy.

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Besides those three bands/albums, this is what I've been listening to as of late:

Firebird - Hot Wings / Firebird / Deluxe (Blues/Stoner Rock)
[ Last.fm | MySpace ]
This is a great band out of England. They're pretty much a supergroup. They're formed by Bill Steer (Napalm Death, Carcass) and is a far departure from grindcore and death metal from his other bands. I love the three albums that I have listened to... those listed above.

Sasquatch - II (Stoner Rock)
[ Last.fm | MySpace ]
A great stoner rock band on the Small Stone label that I love so much. Their second album is brilliant, and I've been listened to it solidly since I bought the CD.

Roadsaw - See You in Hell! (Stoner Rock)
[ Last.fm | MySpace ]
Yes, another stoner rock band from the Small Stone label. Their latest album, named above, is great. I don't really know what I can say. Stoner rock doesn't vary a whole lot, so I can't say that they're entirely unique. They do lay down some heavy riffage, and that's always appreciated by me.

Corrosion of Conformity - Wiseblood (Stoner Metal)
[ Last.fm | MySpace ]
I don't really think COC needs much introduction. Fronted by the amazing Pepper Keenan, COC is always a treat to listen to. I'm still hooked on Keenan's sophomore album (on vocals). It's not as heavy as they usually are, but that's one reason why I love this album.

Mississippi Kings - Long Time Comin' (Soft Rock)
[ Last.fm | MySpace ]
This is probably one of the softest albums you'll ever see me promote. This album caught my eye when they added me to their MySpace. If you don't mind relaxing to some nice vocals and guitar, then I highly recommend Mississippi Kings.

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There you have it, 10 albums and 8 bands that I'm currently listening to on rotate. If I didn't like them, I wouldn't recommend them.

All of the albums that are links have the full album that you can listen to for free on last.fm. Well, Wiseblood is missing one song ("Drowning in a Daydream"), but you can watch the music video for the song on youtube here.