deadhouse

Thu, Aug 5, 2004

Metal Mayhem
Savagefest comes to the Cabaret


By David Paulsen
Wausau Daily Herald
dpaulsen@wdhprint.com
Metal returns to central Wisconsin on Saturday, and we're not talking alloys and alkalines.
Stevens Point-based rock journalist Jason Mansavage covers the state's heavy metal music scene in numerous underground publications, including X-Press Magazine. Now he's trying his hand at concert promoting with Savagefest, a five-band tailgate party that gets started with brats and burgers at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cabaret bar.
Mansavage said he has attended outdoor concerts at the Cabaret in the past and decided it was the perfect place for his metal showcase.
"I was impressed by the way they ran everything," he said. It isn't huge, he said, but the fenced-in area behind the bar makes for a great rock venue.
And the five bands on the bill will be ready to rock. They hail from as far away as Detroit, and all tout their own brand of musical aggression.
The show marks the homecoming of Wausau band beyondTherapy after a gig last weekend at Milwaukee's Metalfest, but Savagefest also will feature other up-and-coming regional bands, like Led Devil and Scapegoat.
"I love playing outside," said Drew Lemke of Stevens Point, a guitarist with Scapegoat.
The concert is for people 21 and older. The music begins at 6 p.m., and the afternoon and evening will include food, beverages, people, bands - all the things that make for a great outdoor concert.
"You can't ask for anything much better than that," said Lemke, 25.
Scapegoat has been together for about two years and features a lead singer, two guitars, a bass, drums and - here's the ace up the sleeve - a violin.
The guys in Led Devil, meanwhile, have been around the Wausau music scene for a decade, but they have played together as Led Devil only since Halloween. Guitarist Jeff Sandbom, 31, said the band is a regular at the Cabaret's outdoor events.
"We're veterans there," Sandbom said. "There's not really a lot of places in town to play at, and that's one of our favorite stops."
The other bands on the bill are Deadhouse from Detroit and Onus, with members from Stevens Point and Appleton. Jason Mansavage says: "Deadhouse rides the border brilliantly between alt-metal and hardcore for a trip that you will never forget. Combine equal parts of Prong, Rob Zombie and Static X and it still doesn't do them justice."
Metal fans will come for the music, but they also might see a few cameras catching the action. Mansavage said a film crew has followed him around, as he put the show together, to document the action.
And despite the seemingly ominous band names and gothic imagery, everyone is just out to have a good time.



- Wausau Daily Herald