Greetings from the pit! It's been a wild week for Pacific Northwest music fans, and here's my rundown:

My ears are still ringing from last Saturday's Psychonaut Deathtrip show at Hell's Kitchen. Hundreds of headbanging mosh-maniacs sweated their butts off to every band! Openers After The Fallout and Portland's 10 Speed Warlock got ‘em warmed up for Unhailoed and American Wrecking Company (now fronted by ex-De-Krep-It screamer T.J.). I was sure the crowd was spent, but was pleased to see stage diving for the headliners. Good job, Tacoma!

Last week's Rockstar Mayhem Fest sure lived up to it's name, leaving me with a concussion and a gushing head wound! HELL YEAH!!! Local band Drown Mary sounded awesome and got the early crowd pumped. Oregon's the Athiarchists drove the kids nuts, but things started to get serious when Straight Line Stitch‘s female-fronted metal got the pit going! Portland's Red Fang hit the stage and the thunderous drone lured in about 1,500 more moshers to the front of the stage. By the time the band played its hit "Prehistoric Dog" (Best Video Ever!), the mob of sweaty bodies was pulsating like a 1990's Melvins religious experience! After the Fang, I took my super-cool self backstage (yawn) and got to hang with the lonely Jäger Girls (FUN!!!).

The crushing sounds of Kingdom of Sorrow (featuring ex-member of Crowbar and Jamey Josta from Hatebreed) lured me away from the hot girls and back into the hot sun for more circle pit activity. It was only when I tried to mellow out and step out of the pit that I got my head busted open by a cartwheeling crowd-surfer, losing my fave Tacoma Rainers hat in the process. The geyser of blood shooting out of my head made for several great photo ops before I staggered to the medics.

No concussion was keeping me from Machinehead and Megadeth - both thrash overlords, it was a no-brainer. The pit was in total chaos and I was glad to be watching it from my comfy seat by the soundboard. I tried to stick it out, but the driving rain that came when Godsmack hit the stage was my cue to head for the ER and I was back in T-town before Disturbed even took the stage.

This coming weekend is the NXNW Metal Fest at the Backstage Bar & Grill on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma. Do not miss this show that features more than 40 unsigned metal bands from all over the Northwest and beyond, Friday through Sunday. Expect three days of extreme face-melting metal and hardcore ... and my band, I Defy, plays Sunday at 6:30 p.m. with our old-school lineup. So come scream "I need a beer!" with me!

THIS WEEK'S MORAL: "It ain‘t metal unless you bleed!"

NEXT WEEK: Is Dorky's for real? Who is Lonnie Local? Top 10 local CDs and more!!