Clockwise from top left: Brimstone Coven, Icarus Witch, Aris Paul Band, Horehound
Who: Brimstone Coven, Icarus Witch, Horehound, Aris Paul Band + School of Rock House Bands
What: Heavy Metal Matinee all-ages fundraiser concert to benefit School of Rock student tour
Where: Crafthouse Stage & Grille, 5024 Curry Road Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15236
When: Saturday, July 2. 11:30 AM - 5 PM
Why: The School of Rock doesn’t just teach kids how to play, it teaches them how to play together on stage and on tour. Though taking the show on the road costs money. The value of the lessons these young students experience by traveling as a band in a safe, supervised environment will help them grow both musically and personally in ways that are worth investing in.
The instructors at the School of Rock are seasoned music business professionals with years of experience recording, touring, and promoting concerts. For this event, they were able to rally their respective bands to perform at a fundraiser to promote the next generation of young rockers getting a headstart as traveling musicians.
The show kicks off at noon with the house bands for School of Rock (both South Hills and Castle Shannon) playing sets that will impress even the most die-hard rock fans. They are the future of the concert industry and you won’t want to miss listening to these dedicated young musicians display their well-rehearsed skills on stage.
Next up, fresh from a successful road trip to NYC, Aris Paul Band brings a blend of bluesy soulful hard rock to the afternoon’s lineup. Killer musicianship with chops honed on the road, this group is more than just riffs, they’re award-winning songwriters who won best rock song honors in the recent Hollywood Music in Media Awards.
You may have caught the riff-heavy, morosely melodic Horehound at the Crafthouse a few weeks ago opening for the legendary, Voivod, last weekend’s journey to the Maryland Doom Fest or perhaps the recent Descendants Of Crom festival that’s organized by singer Shy Kennedy. If this is your first time catching these crushers, buckle up, you’re in for a wild ride.
Anchoring the show is the band Metal Hammer Magazine described as “leaders of the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal” – Icarus Witch. They recently paused the recording of their 7th Cleopatra Records release to play their first show in three years at Stormbringer Metal Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts. Crafhouse will be the Witch’s first hometown gig of the ‘20s. After this, the Witch flies to Germany’s Headbanger’s Open Air Fest and a run of European dates, so see them off in style before they take off to represent the Steel City on the global scene.
Closing out the matinee will be the heavy mellow harmonies of West Virginia road dogs Brimstone Coven. With multiple national tours under their belt in support of releases on the legendary Metal Blade Records, this talented tri-state power trio delivers what Ghost Cult Magazine describes as a “unique mix of hypnotic grooves, otherworldly atmosphere, and well-crafted vocal layers.” In other words, the perfect buzz to come down after an afternoon of hard-rocking heavy metal madness.
Tickets for this all-ages afternoon extravaganza are just $12 at the door and all proceeds go to the touring fund for the School of Rock students.
