Something Wicked This Way Comes – Three Days of Monsters, Metal, and Mayhem!
By Jillian Locke, Music Editor

What do Kevin Barbare, Mushroomhead, and Beware the Ides all have in common? They’ll all be setting up shop at the 5th Annual MassConcerts/WAAF Rock and Shock Convention on Oct. 10th, 11th, and 12th at Worcester’s DCU Center and The Palladium, the only convention that ties horror and metal together for three days of pure dark side glory.

And the mastermind behind this fiendishly ingenious idea? Many of you know him by his celebrity impersonations and his voice on WAAF’s “Hillman Morning Show.” “I’ve been going to horror conventions since I was a teenager,” says Kevin Barbare. “I wanted to do one of my own.” Along with a few friends, Barbare has created a diabolical tour-de-force of horror stars, top-notch vendors and metal music. With the help of Gina Migliozzi, who wears several hats as Co-Founder, Event Manager, Palladium General Manager, and leading lady in charge of booking the musical acts, Barbare scouts other conventions, does endless advertising, and makes sure that the convention ~ which gets bigger and badder every year, attracting more star power and more audience each time ~ is THE most bad-ass gathering of horror and metal aficionados and lovers in the Northeast.

This year’s major attractions include FX madman Tom Savini, Bill Mosely and William Forsyth of House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, Tony Todd of Candyman, Daeg Farech (Michael Myers) of Rob Zombie’s 2007 Halloween, the Hellraiser I and II cast reunion, and Derek Mears, the newest formidable actor to portray Jason Voorhees in Marcus Nispel’s remake of Friday the 13th, slated for a February, Friday the 13th, 2009 release. “This movie is really a reboot for the franchise,” Barbare explains. “Derek Mears is 6’5”, has a shaved head, and is a really foreboding-looking dude. But you talk to him and realize he’s just the nicest, friendliest guy. I think there’s going to be a big turn-out for him.” Aside from the obvious killah guests, the convention will include horror and metal vendors, tattoo-artists, Q&As, and the 2nd Annual Rock and Shock Film Festival.

Now let’s turn an ear over to The Palladium. Friday night’s bands will transform The Palladium into a metal inferno starting at 6pm, featuring Obituary, The Black Dahlia Murder, Between the Buried and Me, headliners Children of Bodom. Saturday boasts classic RnS style starting at 6pm with Beneath the Massacre, Suicide Silence, Kingdom of Sorrow, our favorite traveling metal circus, Gwar, and the masked marauders, Mushroomhead. “Gwar are old friends of ours. It’s gonna be a maniacal monster show! And we’re all huge horror movie freaks, so it’s gonna be killer,” says M-head drummer Skinny. Not only are they buffs, but they’re also participants. They were featured on 2007’s Return to House on Haunted Hill, and their three-minute video for “Simply Survive” is featured on the DVD extras, complete with clips from the movie. They appeared on the Freddy vs. Jason and 2003’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre soundtracks, and performed in director/producer/FX creator Robert Kurtzman’s 2007 B-Horror gore-fest The Rage, and even got to use one of his sets for their video “12 Hundred.” Rabid Mushroomhead fans have something else to look forward to – the release of Volume 2, a follow-up to 2005’s Volume 1, on Oct. 28th. Also, don’t forget about Sunday’s musical guests, the original Killer Clowns from Outer Space, Insane Clown Posse, at 7pm. mushroomhead.com, myspace.com/mushroomhead

Making vendor headlines this year is Worcester’s own metal contribution to the convention, Beware the Ides. Who are these local maniacs? They’re guitarist Matt Petrillo, bassist Tim Spring, guitarist Brian Bettencourt, drummer Craig Lindberg, and vocalist Swede. These self-proclaimed horror buffs are the first local act ever to reserve a booth at Rock and Shock, which they are using as a catalyst for their break-through demo, Cast From Anger. “We’ll be giving the demo away at the booth to get people interested. Our first show is going to be at the Lucky Dog on the 17th, so we want to get the word out,” Lindberg explains. “We’re bringing the heavy back to Worcester and beyond.”

Citing such influences as Slayer, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Jagermeister, Beware the Ides is raw, dirty, and swimming in a horror-induced cesspool. They’re heavy, dark, and taking no prisoners. But hold on – BTI has a little something more in store for your gluttonous appetites. “One of Swede’s side projects is building electric chairs for Halloween outlets and haunted houses. We’ll have a functioning prototype at the booth,” says Lindberg. If you can’t make the convention (blasphemy!) or the Lucky Dog, check them out on-stage at Rock the Ink in Providence, RI, Oct 24th. BTI will also be crushing skulls at Cat’s/KC’s Tap in Pawtucket, RI on Oct. 25 as part of Dirtnap Entertainment’s Helloween Spooktacular 2008. bewaretheides.net, myspace.com/castfromanger, rocktheink.net

So, are you ready for your proverbial nads to be pumped?? Jump on the ‘nerd and check out rockandshock.com, myspace.com/rockandshock, and massconcerts.com for show times, full band listings, ticket prices and schedules, and get your arse down to Woo-Town for three sick and twisted days of horned heaven! Happy Saiman!

Photos:

Mushroomhead (top)
Beware the Ides (right), photo by Ryan Hough