Lair of the Minotaur's WAR METAL BATTLE MASTER Release Events

by Wayne Graham

Chicago's own Lair of the Minotaur have a couple of Windy City-area events lined up to celebrate the March 25th release of their latest kick-in-the-ass, War Metal Battle Master. (courtesy of Southern Lord Records)

Tomorrow night, March 18th, @ 10pm, Southern Lord will present a listening party at Kuma's Corner (2900 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago). The event is free, and there will be food and drink specials all night. (I presume one could partake of Lair's namesake burger which has brie, pancetta, carmelized onions, and whisky-soaked pear slices on a pretzel roll) Metal DJ sets will be provided by Laurent Lebec (of Pelican) and Ben Eastman. Limited edition versions of the CD will be on sale.

Additionally, on March 25th @ 5:30pm, Lair will play a short set at Reckless Records (1532 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago). Also free. Also awesome.

Both events will be great. If you're in the area, drop by, won't you. And say hi to me! I'll be the guy with the beard!

Please enjoy "Horde of Undead Vengeance" from War Metal Battle Master.

This Weekend's Notable Chicago Shows

by Wayne Graham


FRIDAY 2-29
Bang Camaro (w/ Thunderwing)
Double Door - Chicago, IL
(tickets)

Yakuza (w/ Dirge, Dead for Days)
Metro - Chicago, IL
(tickets)

Middian Legal Defense Benefit (okay, not a show, but still)
Kuma's Corner - Chicago, IL
(info)

SUNDAY 3-2
W.A.S.P.
Pearl Room - Mokena, IL
(tickets)

Middian Legal Defense Benefit TONIGHT @ Kuma's Corner in Chicago!!!

By Wayne Graham



As has been widely reported on a good number of sites, Portland doom merchants Middian are entangled in a messy legal clusterfuck regarding their name. They've received a cease and desist order from Midian of Milwaukee LLC, and, as one can imagine, are having a bit of a tough go of things.

Apparently this "Midian" (note the single "D") is a band that has not updated any of their online content since the year 2000, have not performed outside of Wisconsin at all, and are huge douchbags, as they have sidestepped any attempts on the part of MiDDian to settle out of court, and are suing the Oregon band's three members, Metal Blade Records (their label, who have been forced to drop them), their booking agent, and an online merchandiser. Needless to say, the legal fees are probably overwhelming.

The amazing people over at first-rate Chicago burger spot Kuma's Corner are flying Middian out to town for this weekend, and the guys will be at the restaurant tonight to meet with fans and chow down on some amazing burgers. Any tips left on the bar in between 6pm and 2am will go towards Middian's legal defense fund.

All you Chicagoland Metal Maniacs need to raise some horns and get your asses out to Kuma's tonight. It's for a good cause, and, if you haven't tried out one of Kuma's scrumptuous metal-themed burgers and a delicious brew from their extensive beer list, well, what better time than now? (Try the Mastodon burger.....soooo good)

If you live outside of the area, or cannot make it, drop by Middian's MySpace page, or their official site, and donate. Pick up their fantastic album Age Eternal. Go see them if they're doing a gig near you. (tourdates below) Given that guitarist/vocalist Mike Scheidt was a founding member of Yob, any fans of that group will love Middian.

Here's the Kuma's Corner info

Friday Feb 29, 2008 at 6:00 PM

2900 W. Belmont
Chicago, IL 60618
(view map)
(Kuma's Website)
(more particulars)


Middian on the road

March 7th --- Eugene, OR @ The Samurai Duck
March 21st -- Portland, OR @ Berbati's Pan
March 22nd-- Seattle @ El Corazon
March 25th --- Eugene, OR @ The Samurai Duck
March 26th --- Medford, OR @ Music Head
March 27th ---- Oakland, CA @ Maxwell's
March 28th ---- LA, CA @ The Mountain Bar
March 29th----- San Fran, CA @ Annie's Social Club
March 20th --- Eureka, CA @ The Alibi

Middian on MySpace
Middian Official Site
Age Eternal for sale at Amazon.com