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

It all started back at the end of July when I bought some CDs from CD Baby's constant CD sale involving buying 3 (or more) specially marked CDs for $5 ea. I ordered 4 CDs, including one that I've been wanting for a bit, but it was out-of-stock. I figured this was fine, I was going to save some money on that album, and they'll just ship it to me at the sale price when it comes back in stock. After a month of waiting for it to be back in stock, I looked to check on the stock. The site had it marked as "just a few left". I thought I was going to get my CD, but I wanted to check as I hadn't received an email stating I would be shipped that CD (like their site says they do on backordered items). I call today and I find out that they weren't shipping me a CD. After talking to the customer service agent, I was able to get him to reserve a copy for me and have it shipped. Turns out, it was the last one in the warehouse. Had I not done their job for them in making sure I get my product, I would have had to wait for who knows how long. Trust me, I know first-hand that it's not always the fault of the workers, but I should have been informed at some point, or so you would think.

The next episode is more recent. I was on deviantART and noticed there was a sale on a pretty cool poster. After much debate, I decided that I wanted to buy it and promptly purchased it. This was on the weekend, so I figured it wouldn't be shipped out until Monday or Tuesday (08/31 or 09/01). I get an email on Monday stating that it would be shipped out. "Great," I thought, "it should be here by the end of the week, and even the FedEx site states the same." I check in my building's office on Friday, no product. Later that night, I get on FedEx's site (silly me, trusting FedEx and deviantART with being honest with me), and the poster wasn't shipped yet. Uhh, it's the day that I was supposed to have my poster, and it wasn't even SHIPPED? I was just slightly annoyed, even moreso knowing that it was going to be a long weekend, and it would take an extra day because of Labor Day. I check back on it today, and it ended up being shipped out late Friday, and now is enroute. It's now slated for this Friday. I know, it's not a whole lot to complain about, but it's still annoying when you consider the previous story.

You would think that this would end my troubles, right? Nah, not quite yet. Fate had one more bitter twist for me. Granted, this one isn't really all that tragic, and it doesn't really have a lot to do with shipping, but it does involve more bad news. I decided to order some more CDs from Small Stone Records, Sasquatch's self-titled debut, Throttlerod's latest "Pig Charmer", and Greenleaf's "Secret Alphabets". I get an email from Scott Hamilton stating that Greenleaf's album is newly out-of-stock and won't be back for another 3-4 months. Great. I finally was able to find another worthy replacement of that CD in Dozer's "Beyond Colossal", so, as I said, it's not really that terrible. Still, it wasn't like everything was running as a well-oiled machine.

We'll see how the rest of the week goes now. Seeing as I haven't received any of my products, it still stands to reason that the FedEx truck could blow up, and the USPS could destroy my packages as they have to know by now how much I hate them. I have CDs coming from 3 different areas of the nation, so it'd be interesting to see how well they all ship in comparison to others. My backordered CD is coming from Portland, OR. 3 CDs are coming from North Carolina, and my Small Stone are coming from Detroit Rock City. With my Small Stone CDs being shipped today, I wouldn't be surprised if my NC albums come first just showing how inconsistent the USPS is. Though, by posting this, I hope my pessimism makes the USPS be ultra-efficient and I'll get everything this week like it should. In a perfect world.

As is the usual, most of these bands are stoner rock. I think there's only a couple of exceptions, perhaps only one. I can't help  myself, I just love the fuzz. Unlike the last journal entry about music, I'm just going to post the band names and links to their last.fm and/or MySpace. I'm too lazy to actually write out descriptions for all of them.

Countach - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Mos Generator - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Witch - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Halfway to Gone - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Barbarella - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Zeus - Stoner/Grunge Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
The Valley - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Oaks - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Backwoods Payback - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Bullets for Baby- Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Bigelf - Progressive/Psychedelic/Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Bones of Freedom - Classic Rock - MySpace
Gozu - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Hellrancho - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
3D Witch Hunt - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Steel in Mind - Classic Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Stone Axe - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Leaf Hound - Classic Rock - Last.fm | MySpace
Sun Gods in Exile - Stoner Rock - Last.fm | MySpace

Enjoy.

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.

-------------------
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.

----------------------
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.