Youthful Bend snowboarding and metal enthusiasts start the night off with Toxic Holocaust, move on to Kingdom of Sorrow, view Mack Dawg's Down With People, get tossed snowboarding gear then end the night spattered in (fake) bodily fluids and blood from their GWAR "experience" all while being entertained by Jackass's "Danger" Ehren McGehee.
"I think people just want to be entertained and have a good time," says McGehee. You don't go out to be bummed out, you go out to party out."
With not one but three metal bands guaranteed to produce plenty of mosh-worthy action, Bendites will definitely have the opportunity to party out, starting with Portland's Toxic Holocaust, Joel Grind's black metal band. Expect straight-up old school thrash metal played fast and hard in the footsteps of Slayer.
Kingdom of Sorrow brings their all-star lineup to Bend including Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, Down/Crowbar guitarist Kirk Windstein, Derek Kerswill from Unearth and Steve Gibb from Black Label Society. KoS plays some heavy-hitting fusions of hardcore punk and doom metal leading up to the night's two biggest draws: Down With People and GWAR.
From the looks of the Mack Dawg productions Down With People teaser trailer, snowboarding fans can expect plenty of big air, gravity-defying tricks and some spectacular crashes. The film also features local snowboarder Austin Smith and, in case the Warren Miller flick didn't do it for you, more Mt. Bachelor sightings. Then come the $5,000 in free goods handed out by McGehee. Jackass fans know him as the blind skateboarding, pogo stick jumping, extreme scootin' member of the crew who always loses his hair in one way or another.
"I end up not planning too much in advance but it usually ends up being a pretty wild time," says McGehee about his experiences as an MC. "I'll maybe do some stupid hilarities on stage and yell at people," he says "I'm definitely looking forward to the show in Bend."
McGehee says he's seen GWAR many, many times and is definitely a fan. So can you expect to see McGehee shoved into a meat grinder or sacrificed on stage during the over-the-top guitars, guts and gore shows this otherworldly metal act is known for?
"There's nothing planned, but I'm sure when they get there that I'll probably try to convince them to let me die onstage or something," says McGehee.
And since we know you were wondering, in a be-all, end-all battle to the death between Knoxville and his Jackass crew and Oderus Urungus, Beefcake the Mighty, Flattus Maximus, Balsac the Jaws of Death, Jizmak Da Gusha (and recently returned Sleazy P. Martini), McGehee acknowledges that GWAR would win.
"I think the guys from GWAR would actually win in the fight but we would definitely take a very good beating and come back for more," he says. "Actually I don't ever want to have to fight GWAR since they're not even from planet Earth..."
Down With People Premier with GWAR,
Kingdom of Sorrow, Toxic Holocaust
7pm. Thursday, November 13, Midtown Music Hall,
51 NW Greenwood Ave. 388-1106. All ages. $20. (Tickets available by phone at 800-922-TIXX or ticketswest.com.)
