Category Archives: Fundraising

In Memoriam: Woods of Ypres Merchandise Available to Benefit Family of David Gold

Posted by valleyofsteel on

 
The following information comes from Clawhammer PR:

On Dec 21, 2011, there was a shock wave felt around the world when David Gold of Ontario’s Woods of Ypres died on Highway 400. In loving memory of this immensely talented artist and beautiful human being, the family of David Gold has made available a range of merchandise bundles at this location.

Paypal information is included, so please make a purchase in memory of the man that meant so much to so many with his creative, emotionally deep contribution to music. All proceeds from the sales are used to cover funeral costs and other expenses resulting from David’s death.

David’s mother Esther Gold wrote about her son in her e-mail to us and we are honored to assist in spreading the word.
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Upcoming Shows: What To Do In Pittsburgh This Weekend (25 May 2012)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Hello there, Pittsburgh-area readers. Once again, it’s time for me to share my weekly digest of shows and events that are happening in town. As it turns out, I’ve got a few pretty interesting ones, and they’re all taking place Friday night (the 25th). Below you will find all the necessary information and details, and then YOU can decide which you want to attend!

And once again, I can only write about what I know about — so if you work for a local promotion company, a venue, or a band, please be sure to get in touch with me with anything you want to share.

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Upcoming Shows: Warriors of Metal Open Air (WOM Fest V)

Posted by valleyofsteel on

…and while we’re on the subject of metal festivals on American soil that don’t suck…

Here’s the latest info on Ohio’s Warriors of Metal Festival, which is being held on the 29th-30th of June this year (which is, coincidentally, the same weekend as the birthday of a certain metal blog writer/editor!) in Pataskala, Ohio (just east of Columbus). Tickets are on sale now at this location; $50 for both days or $30 for either Friday or Saturday ($40 for both or $25 each if you buy your tickets in a four-pack, and youth tickets are also discounted).

This open-air festival is now in its fifth year, and this year’s headliners include two legends of American heavy metal: Wichita’s Manilla Road and Helstar from Houston, Texas! Plus, there will be a pre-show in Columbus on Thursday night, the details of which have not yet been announced can be found here.

UPDATE, 15 MAY 2012: I’ve just learned that the 2012 Promo Video for Warriors Of Metal Fest V Open Air has been released. The video was produced by the vocalist & guitarist of the Brazilian Thrash Metal band Machinage.


 

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Upcoming Shows: Iron Atrocity Benefit, Vulture CD Release, Ernie and the Berts

Posted by valleyofsteel on

This post goes out to anyone who will be in or around the Pittsburgh area this weekend and can’t find anything to do: GET YOUR ASS OUT TO SOME SHOWS, because there are some awesome ones happening all three nights!! Check out the details below, and get excited!

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Iron Atrocity Vol.2 Benefit Show

at The Smiling Moose bar on the South Side
1306 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Friday, 30 March 2012 – doors open at 9:00, show runs until 1:30am
21+ only, $5 per person (suggested minimum donation)

For more details, see the Facebook event page.

You’ve seen me talking about Iron Atrocity, the free compilation of the Pittsburgh metal scene many times before, and for good reason. There’s lots of great stuff on the first volume (don’t belive me? Download it here!), and there promises to be just as much awesomeness when the second one rolls around.

Innervenus, the local record label and music collective responsible for assembling this compilation, held a Kickstarter fundraising campaign recently to help finance the production of the CD. That was mostly successful — at least, enough pledges were made to cover about two-thirds of their target, while the Innervenus staff ended up supplementing the remainder out of their own pockets.

Well, some nice folks decided to throw together another benefit show to help offset some of those costs, and that show is happening this Friday night.

The Smiling Moose Facebook

Iron Atrocity Facebook
Innervenus Facebook, Website

 
 

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If that isn’t already too much excitement for you to handle, there’s plenty more on the way…

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REPOST: Help Make Iron Atrocity v.2 a Reality!

Posted by valleyofsteel on

Ladies and Gentlemen, one last time I am bringing this to your attention, because this fine organization who is so instrumental in supporting great local music could really use some support from all of you right now. 

There is now less than one day remaining in this fundraising campaign.  If you have been waiting until the last minute, THIS IS IT.  Don’t put it off until tomorrow (Friday), because the deadline is 5am tomorrow morning.  As of the time I am posting this, they have only raised approximately HALF of their original goal.  That leaves less than twenty-four hours to make up the other half!

For those unfamiliar with exactly how Kickstarter works, you don’t need to worry if maybe you don’t get paid until tomorrow and you’ve been trying to wait until then to send in your donation.  This is just a pledge, you aren’t paying anything yet, until after the deadline has passed.

Note: If the pledge drive doesn’t meet its goal before the deadline, it will fail, no money will change hands at all, and the terrorists will have won.  We can’t let that happen.

So get to clicking: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/240758996/iron-atrocity-v2, and show your support for local music.  Please, if you have anything to spare — $10, $5, even $1 — it all adds up.  But do it now, there is no more time to put it off any longer.

Thank you.
—Valley of Steel

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(previously posted on 15 February, 2012):

You might remember I talked about this project before — back in November I posted about some upcoming Molasses Barge shows which included a benefit show in Decmeber to support the Iron Atrocity v.2 compilation.

If you don’t remember, Iron Atrocity is a digital download (available free by visiting www.ironatrocity.com) or CD compilation (I do not know if any copies are still available, but it was given out for free at shows associated with Innervenus or any of the bands on the CD) which highlights some of the best in Pittsburgh-area metal music today.

Well, the second compilation in the series is currently in the works, and the folks at Innervenus are trying to raise a little extra capital to get this thing off the ground…
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Help Make Iron Atrocity v.2 a Reality!

Posted by valleyofsteel on

You might remember I talked about this project before — back in November I posted about some upcoming Molasses Barge shows which included a benefit show in Decmeber to support the Iron Atrocity v.2 compilation.

If you don’t remember, Iron Atrocity is a digital download (available free by visiting www.ironatrocity.com) or CD compilation (I do not know if any copies are still available, but it was given out for free at shows associated with Innervenus or any of the bands on the CD) which highlights some of the best in Pittsburgh-area metal music today.

Well, the second compilation in the series is currently in the works, and the folks at Innervenus are trying to raise a little extra capital to get this thing off the ground…
Continue reading →

Upcoming Shows – Don’t Miss Molasses Barge!

Posted by valleyofsteel on

image

Pittsburgh’s own Molasses Barge is kind of a recent discovery for me.  I had become aware of them a while back by virtue of the fact that singer Brian ‘Butch’ Balich is also the frontman for the fucking awesome Pennsylvanian doom band Argus.  But, I hadn’t actually heard them until this August when I saw them open up for Pentagram.

In a clear case of truth-in-advertising, Molasses Barge sound just like how something with such a name should sound.  The main thing that struck me as I witnessed this sludgey beast in action was the setup drummer Wayne Massey was using.  He seemed to have all the drum and cymbal hardware adjusted to the lowest possible height, so that it was all barely above the level of his throne.  In this way, he constantly seemed to be hunched over the kit, throwing everything he had into a downward motion as he struck each beat.  While it seems this would take a lot out of a person – in fact, before the second song began, Massey had already cast aside the t-shirt he’d begun the set with, and also by this time he was looking as though he might have benefitted from a jug of water like the one Butch was constantly taking swigs from between sections of vocals – nevertheless the technique was very effective in laying down a thundrously driving rhythm underneath the rest of the band.

Guitarists Justin Gizzi and Ken Houser mainly hung off to their respective sides of the stage, out of the spotlight, but their combined crunchy riffs and melodic soloing built a substantial wall of noise that more than made their presence felt.  And Butch sort of bounced around the area between the two guitarists,with an imposing presence and also very impressive singing; meanwhile, occupying whatever real estate the vocalist had vacated at any given moment, Amy Bianco sort of meandered through the middle of it all, offering up basslines that similarly filled the empty sonic space between the others.

Of course, I can say all the words in the world describing the show these folks put on, but nothing would help you envision the experience as much as an actual video of the event.  Well fortunately, some kind soul recorded the show I saw, and then made it available on Youtube for all who had missed it.

Part One | Part Two

Anyway, now you pretty much know all you need to know, in order to know that you need to get out there and see this band live, as soon as possible!  And you are in luck, because over the next few weeks you’ll have not one, but TWO opportunities to do so – as long as you are fortunate enough to be within driving distance of the greater Pittsburgh area.  See below for descriptions and details for each of the upcoming shows.

Molasses Barge on Facebook

You might also be interested in:
Molasses Barge – Jewels (download)
Argus – Boldly Stride the Doomed (CD | download)

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