One thing that's certain about RIBCO is that metal doesn't play there. Well, that sentence is about to become obsolete, as the resurrection of the "Homegrown" local-music showcase at RIBCO features a new edge. The event's goal is to give an opportunity to bands that normally wouldn't be able to play the RIBCO stage. Oden Flachs, who books bands at the club, said he convinced owner Terry Tilka to resurrect the idea after a several-year hiatus, and he hopes to make it an every-other-month event.

Three local bands will take the stage on Friday, August 20, and they run the gamut. The pop-rock outfit Driver of the Year released an EP on the Future Appletree label last year and has a full-length record in the can for release in October. Metal act Speedfinger has been around for two and a half years and has generated quite a bit of buzz. And Blind the Sun is a new band featuring members of Purkle and Stonefish.

"It should be a good mix," said Jason Parris, singer and pianist in Driver of the Year. The spectrum ranges from the kitchen-sink rock of Driver - which Parris describes as "middle of the road" - to the "extreme heaviness" of Speedfinger.

Brandon Loveless, who plays bass in Speedfinger, performed at RIBCO as a member of Strange Neighbors and thinks it's a good time for harder rock at the venue. "Hard rock and metal are spawning styles ... and starting to get popular again," he said.

Speedfinger was formed about two and a half years ago, Loveless said, although the quartet spent the first year writing material and didn't play shows. The group is certainly still fledgling - it only has 10 songs written - but it has a fierce intensity, good chops, a pulsing groove (particularly on the song "Underdog"), and a strong sense of composition and variety. If Speedfinger doesn't yet have a clear identity - elements of sludge, thrash, progressive metal, and older Metallica intermingle - it certainly bears watching. Loveless is joined in the band by singer Ron O'Tool, guitarist Andy Cowan, and new drummer Eric Sparks.

Loveless said Speedfinger will probably take a month off after the RIBCO show to write new material and plans to head into the studio this fall. "I'm hoping by the end of the year to have an album and a demo," Loveless said.

"Speedfinger has a lot of people talking about them," Flachs said.

Driver of the Year's Some Girls Would Say ... EP from last year would also suggest a band looking for its stylistic niche. Parris described it as a document to show people that the band could go "from Point A to Point Z," and, he admits, "a couple of the songs might have gotten lost in the jamming."

For the new record, set to be released October 12, the band - Parris, drummer Justen Parris, guitarist Seth Knappen, and bassist Jamie Salsbury - went for a sound that is "a lot more stripped down," he said, something along the lines of indie-popper John Vanderslice and avant-garde rockers Television. When recording, the band worked toward something "as bare bones as we possibly could," he said.

Parris promised the record would be "a lot more cohesive. I think it's going to be a great nighttime album."

This will be the first official show for Blind the Sun, which includes singer Steve Krug, lead guitarist Dayne Burton, rhythm guitarist Ian Bishop, drummer Chris Cushman, and bassist Darrel Lenninger. The group has only been together for about three months, and Krug described the sound as something you might hear "if you stick Incubus, Sevendust, and Tool in a blender." He said the band prides itself on adding melody and complex structures to the hard-rock sound.

Blind the Sun, Driver of the Year, and Speedfinger perform at RIBCO on Friday, August 20. The show starts at 10 p.m.

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