Get Ready to Rumble! If we could describe the Volbeat, Iced Earth and HELLYEAH show at The Fillmore last Tuesday in one word, there is no better way to put it than "MOSH!" The floor turned into one giant pit, and there was no backing away unless you were safe and sheltered on the balcony. Openers Iced Earth killed it on stage, bringing the metal with loud guitars, screaming vocals and long hair. Then metal supergroup HELLYEAH (the heavy hitters that make up this band are vocalist Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribett from Mudvayne, guitarist Tom Maxwell from Nothingface, bassist Bob Zilla from Damageplan, and drummer Vinnie Paul from Pantera) had the crowd throwing up the metal horns – especially when Vinnie Paul was introduced on stage! And when Danish rockers Volbeat took the spotlight and opened with their traditional intro, "A Warrior's Call," the wild within everyone broke loose – and it didn't stop there! They played a high-energy set with their metal rock n' roll-a-billy style, and it was nonstop crowd-surfing, moshing and thrashing around for the next two hours (17 songs in total!). We give mad props to the 10-year-old boy, kept safe by his father, who was front and center in the pit – way to go, champ! D-Days escaped with a few bruises and some minor cuts, but hey – it was worth every second. And for the record, we caught tattoo artist Bob Tyrell hanging out at the show as well as Mick Stone from Soldiers of Scrape. We think it's safe to say that Tuesday night rocked!

Hey Hey My My! As Hey Rosetta! took the humble stage of the Magic Stick this past Friday, their distinct, dedicated following erupted in excitement. The rhythmic melodies of the night's performance danced around the venue while their string section finely threaded itself into the fringes of the fabric we adorned, making it impossible not to carry the sound with us as we left. And how could we not wrap their warm indie-rock scarf around our necks as the bashful lead vocalist dimmed the lights and sang just for us, carrying our worn souls to a better place, at least for that moment. As their energetic stage performance settled to the dust, the crowd chanted until the meticulous balance of instrumentals reverberated the stage with one final song.

The Four Bs Thursday night was filled with beer, babes, beards and backpatches as Valient Thorr and Holy Grail invaded Smalls Bar in Hamtramck. These are two of the best live, high energy, in-your-face, bands currently touring, and to see them play a tiny place like Smalls was crazy fun! We melted our faces off with all the headbangin and celebrated the birthday of one of our favorite bartenders in metro Detroit – Melody Malosh!

And an Announcement This week's big announcement came in the form of a stellar upcoming festival on August 18, celebrating music and autos (what could be more fitting on Dream Cruise weekend, right?). The Music and Motors Experience will be taking place on the ground of the Pontiac Silverdome, and has an incredible musical lineup planned. Stone Temple Pilots, Chiodos, Shiny Toy Guns, Hush, Trick Trick, Kaleido, The High Strung and more – plus DJ sets by Mayer Hawthorne, the Lions' Dominic Raiola and Letz Massacre (featuring hottie Megan Massacre from NY Ink). All that plus some entertaining, educational and enlightening exhibits! So, keep your schedule open for the third weekend of August.

Emergence Complete! Marianne Audrey Burrows brought the first round of the Scarab Club's Emerging Artist Showcase to a dignified conclusion on Thursday and we've been duly informed by VATO that a new lineup of exhibits is already in the works. The evening devoted to MAB also succeeded admirably in giving this worthwhile project a focused assessment with ideas and opinions expressed by such guests as Linda Mendelson, Sean Bieri, A. Owen Layne, Ryan LaVoisin and Donald Mendelson.

...And More Beer Another summer weekend has passed and we were drinking (in moderation, of course) for a good cause. This time we returned to the Royal Oak Farmer's Market for Summer Beer Fest. Over 80 beers were being sampled along with small bites from some of metro Detroit's most interesting food vendors. The market was near capacity all night long as folks came together to raise money for Camp Casey while trying new beers and having a merry time together. Beers from all over the world were present including some gems from Belgium – but Michigan had a huge presence as well. From the ceremonial keg tapping done by Bret Kuhnhenn from Kuhnhenn Brewing to the ultra rare Sobrehumano Palena Ole being poured by Jolly Pumpkin, Michigan showed their beer is definitely among the world's best. After all of that "sampling," this week might be a good time for a detox...probably not. | RDW