Column for September 23, 2009

The big concert this week is at the El Rey Event Center in Blackfoot, ID. The national recording group Shinedown headlines, with the Sick Puppies and Cavo on Thursday, September 24. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., and the concert starts at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for Shinedown are $32.50 plus fees, available online at www.eastidahoconcerts.com.

Shinedown, originating from Jacksonville, FL, is a popular southern alt. rock, post-grunge band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001. The band has released three albums on Atlantic Records featuring the well-known and radio friendly singles "45," "Save Me," "Devour," "Sound of Madness," and "Second Chance," all of which have climbed into the Top 5 of the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

“Leave a Whisper” is Shinedown's best-selling album, certified platinum. “Us and Them” is their second studio album released in 2005, now certified gold. And in 2008, Shinedown released their third effort with three #1 singles. To date, Shinedown has sold over six million albums worldwide. For more, visit www.shinedown.com.

Sick Puppies are an Australian alt. rock band from Sydney, formed in 1997 and Cavo is an American post-grunge/hard rock band from St. Louis, MO.

On Friday the 25th, three metal bands take the stage at the Benton Street Bar & Grill, corner of S. 2nd Avenue and Benton Street. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. with Final Underground from Boise, followed by the wildly popular local metal bands Haxsaw Ridge and Neckbrace. The concert is open to all ages; cost is $7 for those under 21 and $5 for 21 and over.

The weekend concerts at Benton Street coincide with their week-long Great American Dine Out fund raising effort for the charity, Share Our Strength. 5% of all food and drink sales will be donated towards ending childhood hunger in America. For more, visit www.myspace.com/bentonstreet and strength.org.

On Saturday the 26th, Pocatello’s Oktoberfest Block Party gets under way starting at 4:00 p.m. on the 600 block of S. 1st Avenue in the warehouse district. Festivities continue until midnight. Oktoberfest is a sixteen-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September, running to early October. In American culture, it is without a doubt the most famous event celebrating German heritage and, well, beer in general.

Musically, Pocatello’s Oktoberfest features three bands: the Oompah Loompahs, the locally popular American folk band Bender and The Shook Twins, from Sandpoint, Idaho.

Tickets for Oktoberfest are $8 at the gate or $6 in advance, available at Portneuf Valley Brewing, Barrie’s Ski & Sports, The Raven’s Next, Budget Tapes & Records and at The Grapevine; children under 12 are admitted free. Proceeds from the event benefit the Pebble Creek Ski Patrol. For more information, call 637-8984.

The Shook Twins, Katelyn and Laurie Shook, play acoustic folk, rock and pop with breath-taking harmonies. Forming their band some three years ago, they opened for Ryan Adams at the well-known Festival at Sandpoint music festival, and their career has taken off since.

The Shook Twins take a twist on folk music with Laurie’s beatboxing and looping her guitar and vocals. Listen for one of their biggest crowd-pleaser, “Beatbox Medley,” where they mix R&B and rap together.

The Shook Twins feel the best way to get their music out to the fans is through MySpace. “As far as all of Idaho goes, we feel very accepted and appreciated.” The duet will have their CD, “You Can Have the Rest,” for sale at the show. For more on The Shook Twins, visit www.myspace.com/shooktwins.

The roots rock and reggae band, Bender, has been a regular favorite at Portneuf Valley Brewing, the recent concert for Riverfest and around the area. They are relatively new to MySpace, so add them as a friend at www.myspace.com/benderpocatello.

Also on Saturday, acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter Dan Hillebrant performs at The Sandpiper on Bench Road in Pocatello starting at 7:00 p.m. Keep up with Hillebrant’s performance schedule at www.myspace.com/danhillebrant. And Ande Conda, found online at www.myspace.com/andeconda and one of the area’s best-known rock cover bands performs at the First National Bar on W. Center Street in Pocatello starting at 9:00 p.m.

And on Tuesday of next week, the Vinyl Perk on Main Street in Pocatello is pleased to host The Hand That Bleeds, an Americana, indie rock band from Portland, OR, on their stage starting at 7:00 p.m. Find out more at www.myspace.com/handthatbleeds.

Risingson, the locally-based blues and psychedelic rock band known best for their incredible Hendrix covers, plays at Hooligans just off Center Street on Tuesday starting at 9:00 p.m. Find out more at www.myspace.com/risingsonlive.

Linda Alexander
slowloosegravel@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/showmetheband
http://slowloosegravel.blogspot.com