Unfortunately, I had to cut short  an excellent show by bluesman Jim Byrnes to catch a sold out  show with  the Zolas and the Dudes, April 9 at  Bo Diddly’s.

 The Vancouver based power pop band’s show was a marked contrast to the thriving mosh pit in front of the stage at the Real McKenzies show the last time I saw a show there.

This time instead of moshers,  the dance floor was full of young women standing in front of the stage, enraptured by Zolas frontman/ guitarist Zachary Gray and the sweet, pop  inspired indie rock he sang. While their set wasn’t as “experimental” as I thought it would be based on last week’s interview with Gray, it was an entertaining set of guitar powered pop music which had much of the audience singing along with lines like “you’re like a ghost to me.”

The title track of their new CD “Ancient Mars” was s a highlight early in the set.

Calgary rock band the Dudes were who everybody was waiting for though. They were greeted by a chorus of rousing cheers from the audience and blasted into a rock solid set of  power pop and rock, very much inspired by ’70s bands like Cheap Trick and even began  their show with what sounded like a few bars of Dream Police.

 Hirsute and glasses wearing frontman Dan Vacon leaped all over the stage, trading guitar licks with the lead guitarist.
 They put on an energetic and very enjoyable  show of rock and roll, with lots of guitar, catchy melodies and boundless energy.

This is another week with several fundraising shows taking place however both of them  are April 20. Lethbridge country band Trevor Panczac and Rough Stock will be playing a special show at Average Joes for the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Women’s soccer program. Tickets are only $10. The show begins at 9 p.m.

 The other big event is Leo Lives at Studio 54, April 20 featuring Michale Graves, former lead singer for horror punk icons the Misfits. Frightenstein, End of Empire and the Pindolls will also be performing as well  with all proceeds going to the  family of Leo Del Pinto, a 24-year-old Calgary man and Misfits fan who was killed by an off duty policeman in Thailand. The money will help cover extensive legals costs of the case.
If you  are in the mood for jazz and love Frank Sinatra, the third big fundraiser is for the Alzheimer’s  Society, April 19-20.  A 36  piece big band orchestra and numerous Lethbridge singers will be singing the music of Broadway and Frank Sinatra.

 Performers include Mark Campbell, Arlene Bedster, Morgan Day, Jess Ens, Ian Fundytys, George Gallant, Kade Hogg, Jordana Kohn, Sheena Lawson, Diane Lewellyn-Jones, Dave Mikuliak,  Jason Ragan, Mike Richey, Camille Rogers and Anna Vanderheide. The show begins at 8 p.m. each night in the Yates Memeorial Theatre. Tickets are $42.

 Other excellent shows this week including a wicked punk rock show at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, April 20  where  the Ruby Plumes, the Yeah Dads and Calgary punk band  the Pine Tarts.

There is a lot going on on April 20. As in addition to all of the other shows and the One Act Play Festival at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre, it is also Record Store day. So Lethbridge independent record store Blueprint will be  hosting a  lot of local bands throughout the day beginning at 1 p.m. with Unbroken Circle. Unbroken Circle. Leigh Doerken follows at 2 p.m. followed by Matthew Robinson, the Ruby Plumes and Lustre Creame, who finish things off at 5 p.m.

 If you want to hear some excellent local metal music, Death Pledge and Penitentz, who were highlights of the most recent edition of the Lethbridge Student’s Association Band Wars, will be at the Slice, April 19.
there are a couple of options for classic rockers this week as well. Harlequin make a special mid week appearance at Casino Lethbridge, April 18 where they will be playing an array of their hits including “Did It For Love,” and “Superstitious Feeling.” The show begins at 8 p.m. There is no cover for the show.

Lethbridge classic rockers the Chevelles also return home for an April 19 show at Average Joes this week.  There will be a five dollar cover after 7:30 p.m. The show begins at 9:30 p.m.
For stranger indie rock and blues, Ghostkeeper return to the Slice, April 20 with Church. Tickets cost $10.

 The other highlight of the week is John Wort Hannam who plays the Geomatic Attic, April 19. Unfortunately the show is sold out.

As you might expect, former Misfits vocalist Michale Graves is a bit of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character.
 While he is best known for  giving classic horror punks the Misfits a new life from1995-2000, or else fronting Marky Ramone’s band Blitzkrieg, he is also a well known acoustic  performer.
His latest CD “Vagabond” shows off his acoustic side, but when he comes to Lethbridge to play the Leo Lives Memorial show at  Studio 54, April 20 — the lone Canadian date on this tour — he will be showing off his Mr. Hyde side.
Leo Lives is a fundraiser of  Leo Del Pinto, a 24-year-old Calgary man and Misfits fan who was killed by an off duty policeman in Thailand in 2008. All money raised will be donated to Del Pinto’s family to cover extensive legal costs.
 Frightenstein, the Pindolls and  End Of Empire will also be performing. Tickets are $40 in advance.

“ It will be the full on monster show,” said Graves from the road somewhere in Arizona en route to a show in San Diego.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun, it’s going to be  exciting. I’m going to play some of the songs I  played with the Misfits, some solo songs, some punk rock,” he said.

“  I haven’t played these songs in years, but when I put that mask on… I’m going to show what separates me from the rest ,”  he enthused.

“If ‘Vagabonds’  is my Dr. Jekyll, then this show will definitely be Mr. Hyde,” he said adding it will be very different than his acoustic shows.
“With the acoustic show, I’m pinned down by the guitar, I’m free to jump around and put on a performance,” he continued.
This show is also  the beginning  of a tour for the impending June release of his next CD “The Lost Skeleton Returns” which is  a collection of  some of his earlier punk songs from “Punk Rock is Dead”, some the songs he wrote with the Misfits and six new songs.

He was always attracted to the theatrical aspects of monster rock.
“I come from a theatre background. I liked the sound, I liked the energy and I loved the aggression of  it ,” he said adding he didn’t actually know a lot about the Misfits when he sent them his audition tape.

“ I didn’t know a lot about them. I was just a young skate kid. My older brother knew all about them and I learned really fast,” he said.
“ Danzig’s song ‘Mother’ was starting to get really big on MTV,” he said adding stepping into Danzig’s shoes was a terrifying experience.
“It was very scary. Everything I’d do was to  try to not get beat up. Of course I got beat up anyway,” he said adding his goal,whether playing with the Misfits, or Marky Ramone, is to do the music justice.

Calgary based indie-rock band Ghostkeeper have been keeping a low profile as of late , what with creating children and a new CD “Horse Chief Way Thief!.”
 But they will be back at the Slice with Church, April 20.

“We’ve got a new album we’re very excited about,” said guitarist/ lead singer  Shane Ghostkeeper.

 The new music is  more experimental and keyboard driven, rather than guitar based, but Ghostkeeper is especially excited about  the live show which includes a multi-media aspect  designed by Alberta College of Art and Design instructor Joe Kelley.
“He’s been a friend of ours for a lot of years,” Ghostkeeper said, adding his art work for the show was directly inspired by the new music.

“We definitely took more chances on this CD,” Ghostkeeper continued adding they will be doing a short Albertan tour including Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge.

“For the new record, we definitely experimented more,” he continued adding it is also a more of a band record instead of just songs written by Ghostkeeper and drummer Sarah Houle and submitted to band mates guitarist/ producer Jay Crocker and bassist Ian Jarvis.
“We‘re a tighter band now. We’re really a band now,” he said.