Local folk-rock trio Rusty Belle rang in the New Year writing and recording tunes for a new record they hope to release this fall.

“We spared no expense, but spent everything we had in the studio,” reports drummer/guitarist Zak Trojano of the impending album that currently bears the working title Common Courtesy. “Now we need to pay for the mastering and production, and the hope is also to go vinyl with this one, too.”

As a means to that end, Trojano says that he and bandmates Matt and Kate Lorenz are hoping to parlay their May 18 Parlor Room (parlorroommusic.com) performance into a Kickstarter campaign proper that will raise the $10K necessary to finish the job.

To prime the pump, Kate Lorenz adds that the Amherst-based outfit will offer up a sonic sampler of sorts—debuting one new tune and corresponding video from the forthcoming full-length.

“The song is called ‘Change of Heart,’ and we are really excited about it,” she reports. “It—like the rest of the songs on the record—indicates that the band is going in a new direction, yet keeping our junky roots feel.”

The Suitcase Junket and Maine’s Scorcha will kick things off. Tix are $15 for this 8 p.m. show.

 

In other news, John McMahon—father of area musicians Sean Selig McMahon and Griffin McMahon (the former is best known as guitarist/singer for Tidwell’s Treasure, the latter is a renowned keyboardist)—has a launched an online fundraising campaign for his daughter, Ryan McMahon.

“She broke her back and both arms as a result of the Boston Marathon explosions,” he reports. “She is in a lot of pain and has a lot of medical appointments.”

Those wishing to contribute to the cause should visit gofundme.com/Ryan-McMahon.

 

 

e_SDLqW e look forward to sharing this tour with our old friends and brothers in metal, As I Lay Dying,” declared vocalist Jesse Leach, speaking of the Bay State’s own Killswitch Engage and its upcoming tour with the West Coast rockers slated to start later this month. “I personally have never had a chance to tour with them and I am looking forward to having such a quality band out with us to give this tour even more fire.”

In light of a press release issued by the San Diego County sheriff’s office May 7, however, Leach may have to wait a little longer than he expected to share the stage with his brethren in decibel delivery. Titled “Murder For Hire Plot Foiled,” the sheriff’s report states that As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis was arrested for allegedly conspiring to have his estranged wife, Meggan, murdered.

“The information came to us late (the week prior),” Jan Caldwell of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department told Reuters. “We acted quickly on it. I believe that we averted a great tragedy.”

According to the police, Lambesis had asked an undercover detective to kill Meggan Lambesis, who is believed to have started legal proceedings for divorce last September. The 32-year-old frontman was charged with solicitation of another to commit murder and arrested without incident at an Oceanside, Calif. store at 2 p.m. May 7.

As I Lay Dying had just returned from a short tour that included stops in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea and wrapped up in Shanghai. The band has released six albums since its inception in 2000, including the commercially successful An Ocean Between Us in 2007, which spawned the Grammy nominated track “Nothing Left.”

Killswitch’s headlining tour in support of its recently released Disarm The Decent will kick off in Oklahoma May 30. Also on the bill are Ohio metalcore notables Affiance and Miss May I. At press time, the closest area play appears to be the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire June 8. To monitor the possibility of additional dates, the handling of the Lambesis dilemma and more, kindly point your browser to killswitchengage.com.•

Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.