If you’ve been up early enough in the morning — something I absolutely don’t recommend unless you’re still up from the night before — then you’ve seen it and perhaps even felt it.



Summer’s done for, bubba. Better brace yourself for fall.



Fall, mainly for pigskin reasons, is my favorite season. I’m also a pussy in the heat. Bottom line. When the grass starts crackling, the days get shorter and the kiddies go back to class, I’m one happy camper.



But, there are plenty of things about summer I enjoy. Vacations. Barbecues. Women wearing next to nothing. Who can argue with stuff like that?

No one I care to associate with.



3 Inches of Blood will play Hell’s Kitchen on Saturday. It’ll be a homecoming of sorts for the Canadian band — who are, basically, honorary Tacomans at this point. It will also officially mark the end of their summer. After releasing Fire up the Blades on June 26, supporting the hell out of it, and surviving the most bizarre Ozzfest ever, 3IOB, no doubt, has all the makings for the most kick ass “What I Did This Summer” essay of all time.



“From the shows we played on Ozzfest this summer and the off dates with Lamb of God, the crowd reactions to the new songs have been overwhelmingly positive. And upon re-listening to the record, which I haven’t listened to much since it came out, I’m more proud of it than ever,” says 3IOB bassist Nick Cates of the band’s new material, otherwise known as Fire Up the Blades — 3IOB’s second full length released by Roadrunner.  



“Everything came out the way it did on the record for a reason, and honestly I wouldn’t change anything.”



While you went camping, got drunk, and got sunburned this summer, 3IOB hit the road with Ozzfest. In case you haven’t heard, Ozzfest was a little different this year. First of all, it was free. Secondly, the fact that it was free made it a gawd-awful mess.



Cates, however, seems to have fond recollections.



“Ozzfest was the best possible thing this band could have done this summer. Absolutely awesome! Ridiculous fun! The overall vibe was nothing but unity between the bands and a festival that I must say ran pretty smooth everyday considering the circumstances. We made so many amazing new friends on the tour and met many amazing new people who turned out to be new fans of our band. Couldn’t have planned it any better.



“Tacoma is a special part of this band’s history. We wrote a lot of the songs that ended up on fire up the blades there. We’ve played at Hells Kitchen probably 15 times, if not more, and the crowds never disappoint. Tacoma knows how to bring it.”



3 Inches of Blood will play Hell’s Kitchen on Saturday. Expect a heavy load of Fire up the Blades. This equates to a slightly less tongue-in-cheek vibe and a prominent black metal tinge that wasn’t featured on Advance and Vanquish. The show should equate to a homecoming well worth the hangover.



[Hell’s Kitchen, with Wolves in the Throne Room, Severus, and Goat Throne, Saturday, Sept. 8, 5 p.m., all ages, $12-$15, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

Hip-hop at Hell’s Kitchen

I’ll be the first to admit it. When it comes to hip-hop, I know squat.  When it comes to writing about hip-hop shows, I don’t because as I mentioned, I don’t know a damn thing about them.



What is a tight beat? What is keeping it real? What makes the difference between good hip-hop and manufactured crap?



I really haven’t the slightest.



When it comes to hip-hop, this is the rule of thumb I write by. I don’t know anything about hip-hop, so I should probably leave it alone — or at least leave it to fellow Weekly Volcano scribe Paul Schrag.



For once in my career — impeccable logic.



However, on Friday, Sept. 7 at Hell’s Kitchen — a brick and flames building known for its unspeakable urinals and punk rock attitude — not one, but two hip-hop shows will go down. At 6 p.m. Can-U and DJ Reign will celebrate the release of a collaborative mix tape with an all-ages show also featuring Nasty Left and John Crown; and at 9 p.m. Big John, Friday Knights, and Top Left will let loose.



I’ll let more qualified writers at the Weekly Volcano delve into the musical aspects of Friday at Hell’s Kitchen, but for the record, whether you like hip-hop or not, it’s nice to see Hell’s Kitchen allowing anything to fly on stage, and not limiting the club’s potential to strictly punk or metal.



“There are no real genre limitations at Hell’s Kitchen. Whatever is capable of drawing a crowd,” says Flash, HK’s booking agent.



“Hip-hop shows go pretty well at HK as long as the acts are either very local or have a big name.”



Here’s to diversity. It’s the spice of life, as they say.



And check out Schrag in this week’s Weekly Volcano for a legitimate story on Can-U.



[Hell’s Kitchen, Can-U, DJ Reign, Nasty Left, John Crown, Friday, Sept. 7, all ages, $7, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]