Tired of the same old cover bands? Saturday is a night to support original music played by area musicians at Gilroy’s District Theater. San Jose’s MobLand headlines. The melodically metal band is releasing a new CD, which fans who buy tickets for the show will get for free at the door.
MobLand is a four-piece featuring singer Rayne, guitarist Alan Kuczer, bassist Bryan Lujan and drummer Bill Mickesh. They’ve been compared to Scorpions, Def Leppard, Led Zep and Foreigner, with a mix of metal, rock and catchy tunes. We hear some Alice in Chains in there too.
According to their bio: “After jamming with some local rockers for several months, Alan met Rayne (former singer of the Burnpool and White Noiz) through a Craigslist ad. In the first jam session, it was clear they made a powerful and cool guitar/vocal combination.”
They take metal to some surprising places, like a cover of Billy Joel’s “Big Shot,” you have to hear.
Also on this triple header is MAXX12, a San Jose band that doesn’t just bring hard rock, but has a whole apocalyptic world view. Check out the trio’s bio, which places it in a world where every nuclear reactor on the planet malfunctions and the survivors unite: “From the blackened sand of a fallen land, from a slaughtered people rises hope! Enter now the metal warriors, defenders of the MAXX12 Nation.
“Rooster crows fiercely at dawn’s light awakening our sleeping minds, Mongoose quickly strikes the snake long cold in the grass coming to steal the warmth of our homes.”
We said original, right? Yes, it’s good to see bands doing something new and not the same old covers.
The third act of this triple crown is San Francisco’s Bradford, a name to which we are partial. They are a solid heavy-hitting five piece, whose members are Bret Bradford, vocals; Mark Randall, rhythm guitar; Tom Spencer, lead guitar, Scott Garbutt, bass; and Bill Morrissey on drums.
They sound like a modern version of Van Halen and with some Pearl Jam thrown in. These are the kind of bands you used to have to drive to San Jose or Campbell to see, but they are right in our backyard at the District Theater. Don’t miss it.
The show goes from 8-11 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10, a steal of a deal.
