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Three's Company Mr. Roper played fast and brutal at Sunnyvale's Quarter Note last week By Sarah Quelland LOCAL METAL BAND Mr. Roper took the stage at the Quarter Note in Sunnyvale last Saturday (May 27) for the first time as a trio. It was the best performance by the band I've seen yet. Guitarist Mike Garnica has taken on vocal duties indefinitely, and his gruff style brought a new hardness to the band's sound. Moving closer to metal and further from punk, the new dynamic gives Mr. Roper a whole new identity. The band, which also features Dave Craig on bass and Andy G. on drums, is still raw in some ways, due largely to recent changes in lineup. Mr. Roper could be compared to local metal champions True to Form. Fast and brutal, Mr. Roper appears to have reached a new platform musically that makes it definitely worth a second look. If Saturday was any indication, the band is finally ready to be taken seriously. Currently, Mr. Roper has a five-song demo available; it includes the tracks "How to Make a Serial Killer," "Minor Threat" and "Go Postal." The YMCA in San Jose hosted Spitkiss, the Beat Officers, Stitch, Genocide2000 and Dilemma that same night (May 27). Apparently still searching for a permanent drummer, Spitkiss performed with former Sucapunch and NinePastNine drummer JoJo Townsell. With his muscular playing and strong presence, Townsell could prove to be a real asset to the band. In addition to the standards ("Pain," "Respect," "TLF" and Digits") and its two more recent songs ("Disenchanted" and "Planet Earth"), Spitkiss also whipped out a new song titled "Just Want You" ("I just want you to love me, to love me") Tormented, hurt and haunting, songs like this and "Deeper Scratch" are Spitkiss' versions of a ballad. Santa Cruz appears to be the hot spot this weekend for local music. Spitkiss will take part in organizing the Rockslut Festival, a concert to benefit HIV prevention and awareness. The all-day event will be held this Saturday (June 3) at the Student Center at UC-Santa Cruz, noon-7pm. The lineup includes South Bay bands Insolence, Salmon and Los Bastardos de Amor, along with the Huxtables, Oliver Brown, the Thrill, Hate Mail Express and Tracer Bullet. Tickets are $5 and the show is all-ages. ... That same day (June 3), a benefit concert for Safe Sleeping Zones in Santa Cruz will be held at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Sponsored by the Green Party, the show includes WYRM, Naked Ape, Exploding Crustaceans, Burlacticus Undertow and Dilligaf. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. ... This Sunday (June 4) brings the Punk-o-Rama Festival to Palookaville with Dropkick Murphys, Bouncing Souls, the Dwarves and the Distillers. On this side of the hill, the Vim CD-release show Saturday (June 3) at the Cactus Club looks like a real winner, with Krenshaw opening. The night is set to include belly dancers, fire jugglers and other entertainment. The Cactus is holding a couple of special early shows this weekend as well. On Friday (June 2), the Philippines-based Eraserheads perform with Love dAriA, Nuisance and Acid Rain. That show kicks off at 5pm. ... OuttaLine, Sloe, the Accidentals and Drain 26 hold an all-ages show at the Cactus on Sunday (June 4) with doors opening at 4:30pm. Rancid is putting the finishing touches on its latest Hellcat Records release, and the tentatively self-titled album is due for release on Aug. 1. ... Keanu Reeves' rock trio Dogstar has a new album titled Happy Ending coming out July 11; look for the first single, "Cornerstore," on the radio by June 12. ... AC/DC is touring soon. On Sept. 22, the band will perform at the Oakland Arena; on Sept. 23, it will be at the San Jose Arena. PLAN AHEAD: Idle Disposition, Falling Tower the Curbs and Ethra, June 1 at the Cactus Club; Zen Guerilla, June 1 at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco; the Cure, June 2 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View; Queensryche, June 6 at the Warfield in San Francisco; Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle, June 7 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco; Down Factor, Breach and others, June 8 at the Cactus; the Demonics, Streetwalkin' Cheetahs and Operator: Generator, June 9 at the Cactus; Skinlab, True to Form, Broken Vision and others, June 10 at the Cactus; the KGB, June 10 at the Fishbowl in Sunnyvale; Remoter and Triple Seven, June 13 at the Usual; Creed and Sevendust, June 15 at the SJSU Event Center; BFD, June 16 at Shoreline; Roger Waters, June 25 at Shoreline; Smash Mouth, July 3 at Discovery Meadow; Summer Sanitarium tour, July 14 at 3Com Park in San Francisco. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]