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8-31-08 TWO NEW SHOWS
Our next show will be on Friday, Sept. 12th.
This will be an all local band show, some old, some new.

And BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE will be back
on Oct. 12th, with a new Rise Records band call
A DIFFERENT BREED OF KILLER.

Check the events page for more info.

Stellar Kart (Friday, Sept. 26th @ the State Theater)

Gwen Stacy (Sunday, Sept. 28th)

8-27-08 LOOKING FOR BANDS
I'm looking for bands to play at the Underground on Friday, Sept. 12th. Fill out the booking form if you are interested in me considering your band.

8-24-08 NEW PHOTOS
Check out the new Haste The Day photos, you might see your self in the huge crowd.

3-27-07 THIS FRIDAY
Don't miss the show this Friday, March 30th, we have a lot of good bands. Vast Array, Altivolus, A View From Falling,
Mystic Cantaloupe, Double B, and The Rivelry

3-17-07 NEW PHOTOS
We have new photos from the INHALE EXHALE show on the media page.

I am sending a big sorry out to everyone that came to see THE GREAT ESCAPE last Friday and to the guys in TGE.
It was a misunderstanding and some miscommunication too. I did not know they only played two songs. I hope to get them on another show soon, and I will make sure they get to play their whole set. Click here and shoot me a note.

2-26-07 NEW SHOWS, NEW PHOTOS, NEW SHIRTS
We have new photos up on the media page.
We also got new Underground T-shirts, you can check the new design out on the store page.

12-31-06 FREE iPod! YES, I SAID FREE iPod
Before I talk about this FREE iPod, I would like to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The new year can be a tuff time for some people. Some of us look back on the past year and don't find anything good in it. I personaly look back and wonder if I spent all of my time wisely, and to tell you the truth, I am not always happy with the answer. I then promise myself that I will do better this coming year. I promise myself that I will make more time for other people and less time for my own selfishness. I usually blow it in the first week. It is enough to make me wonder why I even call myself a Christian. It also makes me appreciate what Jesus did for us even more, because I can not do it on my own. The fact that Jesus Christ the son of God came to earth and did not live for himself, but for God and for us, gives me hope. It gives me hope because if He has the power to live for God and others over Himself even with all the crap He had to go through. He has the power to change me. Even if it takes years and years, and I know he will never give up on me.

If you need someone to pray with you about anything, you can grab one of the Underground staff on Friday, or you can shoot me a message. We are always willing to pray with you.

Okay, on to the iPod. I will be giving away a free iPod to one lucky winner this Friday, Jan. 5th at The Honour Recital show. Just one more reason you shouldn't miss THR's last hometown show ever. See you Friday.

12-22-06 TWO GREAT BANDS SAY GOOD-BYE
I thought this show was just going to be Mark's last hometown show with The Honour Recital, but I have just come to find out that it is THR's last hometown show.

THR isn't the only band calling it quits. Last Tuesday will be playing their last South Bend show on Feb. 9th.

12-9-06 SEE YOU ON THE 5TH
Jan. 5th 2007 will be Mark Burkey's, lead singer of The Honour Recital, last hometown show before he says good bye to the band and starts a new chapter in his life. I hope to see you there, it is sure to be a night to remember.

There are new photos up on the media page.
Click here and shoot me a note.

12-1-06 NEXT SHOW
The next show will be Friday, Dec. 8th.
I wish I had more to say, but that's it.
Click here and shoot me a note.

10-28-06 GREAT!
The bands that played last Friday were great, I almost peed my pants when Future of Forestry was playing. They were that good! It is to bad the crowd didn't match the bands in greatness. That was the first and last time I will do a college night. Only 10 college students came to the show. I even gave away around 60 tickets to bethel students.

The next show will be on Saturday, Nov. 11th when we watch the 6 battle of the bands finalists face off in a massive knife fight. Or maybe we will just have them play a few songs and let the judges pick a winner. I am not sure yet. Anyway, we need you here on the 11th to help make the night a great time for every one.
Click here and shoot me a note.

10-16-06 SEMI-FINALS
Last Saturday was the first of two semi-final shows for the Battle of The Bands. The judges selected Led By Last and Withoutabreath to go on to the finals, and the crowd picked Better Than Fiction to battle it out in the finals also. We will be picking three more bands this Saturday, so come to the show and let us know who you think should win.
Click here and shoot me a note.

10-2-06 PICK ME A WINNER
The next two shows at the Underground will be the semi-finals for the Battle Of The Bands. The judges will pick two bands each night to go on to the finals and you will pick one band each night to go to the finals. Everyone that pays to get into the Underground on Oct. 14th and Oct. 21st will get one free vote, if you want to vote more than once you can pay $1.00 for each extra vote.

I spoke to the Victory Records rep. at The Honour Recital show on Friday. She told me that she could not make the B.O.T.B. finals on Nov. 11th because she was asked to be in a wedding. But she will judge both semi-final shows in October to make up for it.
Click here and shoot me a note.

9-28-06 THE REAL REAL STORY
Okay, Aaron didn't really start the van fire, and Mark has never started a fire at The Underground. But I still don't believe the tire story. I think the combined hotness of Matt, Josh and Tim just set that baby on fire.

Seriously though, the "real story" was just a joke, I made it up because I thought it was funny. Mark and Aaron thought it was funny, so you should think it was funny too.
Click here and shoot me a note.

9-16-06 THE REAL STORY
I am sure most of you have heard about The Honour Recital's van. And I am also sure that most of you heard a false story about how the fire started, something to do with the van's tire. Well, I know the real story. So, gather in and I will tell you how it happened.
Aaron their new drummer was playing with matches while the other guys were sleeping. If that wasn't dumb enough, he was doing it while he was driving. A match fell from his hand still lit and the whole van was in flames in a matter of seconds. The rest of the guys didn't want Aaron to feel bad, so they made up the story about the tire. Even though that is how the fire really started, I don't feel the blame should be put on Aaron.
If you know The Honour Recital at all, you know that Mark is a pyromaniac. I personaly have had to put out a couple fire at the Underground that Mark sarted. Anyway, I had a long talk with Mark at the last show. I knew that Aaron was feeling a little out of place because he was the new guy, and I told Mark he should start acting more responsible around Aaron because he might emulate Mark's behavior in an effort to feel more like a part of the band.
Mark would hear nothing of it though. So, I put the blame squarely on Mark for influencing such a young mind like Aaron.
With all that being said I still love them, so the next show will be a benefit show for The Honour Recital on Friday, Sept. 29th. Spread the word, let's get these guys a new van.
Click here and shoot me a note.

8-31-06 SEMI-FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
The battle of the bands judges have selected the 12 semi-finalists. You can see who they are and what day they are playing on the events page.

We should have had 18 semi-finalists, 6 from each of the three genre groups. But we only had one application for the hardcore/metal genre, and the judges did not feel that the band was qualified to be in the battle.

I also put up the photos from the last show, so go check them out on the media page.
Click here and shoot me a note.

8-23-06 SEPT.15th
Well, I have three bands booked for the the 15th, and I am working on a few more. It looks like most of the bands will be hardcore / metal. Check out the event page for the band list.
Click here and shoot me a note.

8-19-06 SHOWS SHOWS SHOWS
I actually have no other bands scheduled right now, but I am working on it. However, the next show will be on Sept. 15th. So, keep an eye on the web-site for band updatets.
Click here and shoot me a note.

7-18-06 NEW PHOTOS
Check out the new photos from the past two concerts on the media page.
Click here and shoot me a note.

7-11-06 SHOW SATURDAY
Don't miss the show this Saturday, July 15th with
HOPE FOR AUGUST, LED BY LAST,
CHAPEL HILL TRAGEDY, NORTHERN LIGHTS,
OUR HEROES END, and OFFERING BY FIRE
Click here and shoot me a note.

6-26-06 HONOUR RECITAL SHOW
This Friday we will be saying goodbye to Andrew as he plays his last show with The Honour Recital. If that isn't reason enough to come, there will be five other great bands playing. THE FOLD, THE USEFUL SOUND, THE ELATION, SUBURBANITE, and THURMAN.

I have added a couple other concerts to the events page, so go check them out.
Click here and shoot me a note.

6-21-06 NEW PHOTOS UP
The Hawk Nelson / Project 86 show was great!
751 people packed in to see one of the best tours that has ever stopped at the Underground. All I can say is that it was crazy, and really hot too. REALLY HOT!
Check out the photos on the media page.

4-30-06 MORE PHOTOS UP
I put more of the Rock Fest 3 photos up, but I still have a lot left. So, check back in a couple of days for more.

4-2-06 Big News
I liked Leper and I thought they did a good Job Saturday.
Okay, that wasn't big news.
I know a lot of you didn't like Leper, but I did, and so did a lot of other people. So, I will have them back to the Underground if I want. Deal with it.

WHO'S READY FOR A ROCK FEST?
Check the events page for a full band listing.
Click here and shoot me a note.

3-29-06 SATURDAY CONCERT
We have a full line up for the show this Saturday, April 1st.
The New Ending, Leper, Double B, Romeo Meets Juliet, Melbourne Ave., and Color By Numbers.
It is going to be a very interesting night.
I personally am eager to see Leper perform.
Click here and shoot me a note.

3-20-06 PHOTOS
A few new photos have been added to the media page.

3-15-06 CONTEST
A new concert date has been added for Saturday, April 1st.
Check the events page for more info.

3-9-06 CONTEST
Well, since the next concert is on Friday, March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. I though it would be fun to have a little contest. I am going to give one free ticket, for Rock Fest 3, to three people that have the best St. Patrick's Day costume on.
I want to see green, lots and lots of green.
(there will only be three winners, one free ticket per winner.)
Click here and shoot me a note.

2-28-06 STUFF - DRAMA - STUFF
First, I want to let you know that Donmoyer Church of Christ is changing their name to Living Stones Church. I thought you should know this, so you don't get confused when you see fliers that say the Underground is at Living Stones Church.

Second, I want to make sure everyone knows what happened at the show on Saturday. I know there are some people out there that like to make things seem bigger than what they really are. So, just to set the record straight, there were no fights at the Underground. There was however a lot of DRAMA. I swear, I've seen less drama at Hollywood Video. I'm sure the drama could have led to a fight, but the staff was on it and everything was good, for the most part, in the end.

Third, I want to apologize to everyone that had nothing to do with this drama. The issues that arose because of a small group of people, forced me to throw out a blanket punishment on everyone. I have never stopped all the moshing and hardcore dancing before, and I am not happy that I had to on Saturday.

The staff and I are trying to think of something that will keep the mosh and dance alive, while keeping everyone safe and happy. But I want you to know that moshing and hardcore dancing is a privilege we give you at the Underground. Buying a ticket does not give you the right to mosh or hardcore dance. It only gives you the right to see a concert. But whatever we decide to do, we will need your help, so you can keep this privilege.

Fourth, I have a special word for the drama club. Especially to those that wanted to do nothing but lie and throw fuel on the fire. If this happens again, we will start banning people from the Underground.

Now on to some other stuff. Justin a good friend and staff member of the Underground has decided to spend more time on some things that are closer to his heart. So, Justin will no longer be helping out at the Underground. You can show him your appreciation, for all the time he spent here, by coming to his solo performance at the Underground on March 17th.

One more thing, my wife, Jess Strantz now has a purevolume site with a song up. She would love it if you stopped by to listen to it, www.purevolume.com/jessstrantz. She also has a few shows coming up, so check out her schedule and go to one of the shows, or all of them. Click here and shoot me a note.

2-27-06 ONE WORD
DRAMA!
That is the one word I use to describe last Saturdays show.

2-14-06 HARDCORE PLEASE
Well, the last few shows have been dedicated to those that longed for music that is a little more, how should I say this, vocally clear. And each night was jam packed with people. However, Saturday, Feb. 25th will be the night that hardcore rules the Underground. I am very interested to see how the turnout will be for this show. If you are a hardcore lover, spread the word.

And just so you know, I added a show for Friday, March 17th. Check the events page for more info.
Click here and shoot me a note.

2-9-06 A QUESTION TO ME
Here is a comment I had sent to me on 2-9-06.

comments:
Who is in charge of these concerts?And what type of message are you teaching our teenagers about God?And why is your web page of a skull that doesnt seem very christain like to me?Just a concerned parent more info would be helpful.Thanks

This person left no name and no contact info.

I would like to address these two questions.
First, what message are we teaching people about God.

In the book of Matthew 22:35-40, which is found in the Bible, some teachers of the law ask Jesus what the greatest commandment is. Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

In 1 Corinthians 13, it is to long for me to type, Paul talks about the importance of love. He talks about how it is more important than all the gifts of God, how we are nothing without love.

I think it is made clear through these two portions of the Bible that love is pretty important to God. Hopefully, that is what we are teaching people that come to the Underground. If people are not seeing the love of Christ in us, through every encounter they have with us, then there is no reason for any of this. It would all be a big lie. We want to show people the two most important things, us loving God, and us loving them because of God.

I hope that takes care of the first question.
Now on to the second question, why is there a skull on our web page.

I have to say, that this question makes me laugh.
There is a reason behind it, but first I would like to ask a question.

Who is the inventor of skulls? Who came up with the design of the skull, who put time and thought into it and called it good. The answer to that question is God himself. Here is a second question. If the skull was made by God, why would it be unChristian to have one on our web site?

Okay, now for a little explaining about the skull. The skull and the flower, are some what an abstract picture representation, of a biblical teaching found in many places of the Bible. The skull represents death to self, death to the old way of living, a life without Christ. The flower represents the new life, a life of beauty shared with everyone around, a life in Christ.

I personally just like the skull and flower because it is cool.
Click here and shoot me a note.

1-23-06
I want to thank everyone that helped clean up and everyone that helped bring the chairs back into the auditorium after the concert on Saturday. It cut an hour and a half off our clean up time. THANK YOU!

I have to say, that these last two shows went really well. Almost 400 people were at the 13th show, and about 500 were at the 21st show.

I am really excited about the next show we have scheduled.
Spoken, Staple, and Last Tuesday are all coming back. They played at the Rock Fest 2 and I personally think they owned that day. There are also two bands that are new to the Underground who are coming: Trouble With Ferguson and Color by Numbers. I hope to see you all there.

One more thing, I have a list of bands that I want to invite to play at the Boink CD release party, but I would love to know who you would like to see play at it. (If you are in a band, please don't tell me that you would like to see your band play, and please don't ask for The Honour Recital, because it won't happen, they just played here.) Click here and shoot me a note.

1-16-06 SHOWS SHOWS SHOWS
The Underground's blood is moving again! I am so happy about all the shows we have coming up. I just added a show for April 22nd, that will be the Boink CD release party, and I will be booking 12 other bands for that date. Jess and I made a list of what bands we want to invite for the 22nd show, and let me tell you, if even half of the bands that we want to play can make it, IT WILL BE ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS EVER. But that is only in my opinion.
Click here and shoot me a note.

1-5-06 HAPPY NEW YEAR
I want to thank everyone that took the time to email me the past few weeks. It was good to hear what you gusy are thinking.

From the emails that I received, most people think
The Honour Recital still have what it takes, and are excited about their show coming up.

I also found that most people still love Boink, and they would like to see the CD release party happen, though a few dislike the missing horn section.

I found out that a whole lot of people are tired of Hardcore. At the same time I found out that there are still many of you that will not be happy until everything is Hardcore.

I will tell you how I feel about it.
I like Hardcore, just not every time, all the time.

So, for all of you that are sick of Hardcore, Jan. will contain two, Hardcore free, shows just for you. Well, except for one band on the 13th.

For all of you that like to two step, Feb. 25th will be a great day for you.

And for all of you that just like music, Feb. 10th will have a little of both worlds.
Check out the events page for updates on bands and show dates. Click here and shoot me a note.

12-12-05 TALK TO ME!
I was just wondering if any of you had any suggestions or ideas on how we could better the underground experience while we are waiting for the new building to be finished? Let me know what you are liking or what you would like to see changed.

I would also like to know what bands you would enjoy seeing at the underground, and please don't suggest bands that cost thousands of dollars (like Story of the Year or Hawthorne Heights, etc.)

While we are talking about bands, I would love to hear who you think is the best local band.

Here are some other questions just so I know what you all are thinking. The Honour Recital, do they still have what it takes? Are you excited that they are coming back for a show in January? Does Boink play here to much? Should we have Boink's CD release party here at the underground? What did you think of Mikoto? Is there to much hardcore? Is there not enough? Click here and shoot me a note.

12-05-05 SHOW ON FRIDAY
I was hoping I could get some of you out there with Myspace accounts to help me out. I wasn't able to get a lot of fliers passed out for this show on Friday. So, I was wondering if you could maybe send a bulletin out to your friends, from myspace, telling them about the show. If you could, it would help me a lot. You can just copy and past the info from the events page, or come up with something cool yourself. Thanks! Click here and shoot me a note.

11-29-05 SHOW UPDATES
Kingston Falls has been added to the Dec. 9th show.
And we have a show scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21st with The Honour Recital. I will be adding more bands to that date as the weeks go on. Hope to see you at next weeks show. Click here and shoot me a note.

11-22-05 PHOTOS
We have new photos up on the media page.
Go check them out.

Our next show will be on Friday, Dec. 9th, and I highly recommend that all you hardcore fans check out MIKOTO.
I personally like them, and I'm really excited about this show.
Click here and shoot me a note.

11-18-05 A LOT TO SAY
I added IN THE FACE OF WAR to the show for this Saturday. So, all in all there will be seven bands playing. It should be a very good show. Not like the other sucky shows we usually host. That was a joke, but I can think of a few very bad shows that we have hosted. Does anyone remember Royal Ruckus?

We will be having a show on Friday, December 9th, and it will be at Donmoyer Church. I'm pulling some bands together for that show now.

Now, on to some things that have been bothering me.
The Underground staff and I work really hard at trying to make the Underground a safe place that parents can trust and a fun place for kids to hang out. And to accomplish this delicate balance of fun and trust there are a few standards that we expect you, the people that come to the shows, to help us with. I think this is all common sense, but the way some of you act at the Underground has made me realize that is not the case.

First, drugs and alcohol do not belong at the Underground. You don't even belong there if you are under the influence.

Second, Yelling the F word and other four letter words is not socially acceptable anywhere. Accept for maybe in your own house, but the Underground is not your house.

Third, the Underground is a place to hang out with your friends and listen to music. It is not a place to make out and engage in foreplay with your girl friend or your boy friend. This goes for heterosexuals as well as homosexuals. If you can't keep your hands off of each other stay home.

Fourth, the moshpit is not a place for you to work off your anger of the day or week.
(That list is for all of you that didn't realize that we have standards for the way you can act at the Underground. )

Now for all of you that not only thought we had no standards, but somehow think we also encourage kids to act in this destructive behavior. All I can say to you is, stop yelling at us from the sidelines. Volunteer at the Underground, and get in the game with the rest of us. We need your help not your criticism.
If you are an adult that would like to start helping at the Underground, click here, shoot me an email and we can talk.

And to all of you that think we have some hidden agenda. Wake up, there is no hidden agenda. We are trying to live our lives for Jesus Christ though serving you and the local bands of the area. There is nothing hidden about that.

I would also like to know what regional bands you would like to see play at the Underground. Give me your suggestions.
Click here and shoot me a note.

11-8-05 SHOWS ON THE HORIZON
Well the pastor of Donmoyer Church told me that I could use their auditorium for shows until the new building is ready. So, I will be working on booking at least one show a month until we can move into the new place. However, I may not be able to book a show for December because Donmoyer Church will be doing some remodeling in their auditorium that month. I may be doing a show at River Valley instead.
I'll keep you posted on that.

Anyway, don't forget about the show this Saturday, Nov. 12th with THE CROSSING, ELLIOT EVANS
and JESS STRANTZ. Like I said before, this show is going to be a little different from what we usually have at the Underground, but it will be fun. It will be more of a dance with your friends, and less of a push your friends on the ground kind of thing. The show is FREE too.
Click here and shoot me a note.

10-28-05 TWO SHOWS FOR NOVEMBER

OTHER NEWS: The Battle of the Bands was a very close race between The Notions, Northern Lights and Remember Arlington. But Remember Arlington took the $500 with a three point lead on Northern Lights and only a two point lead on The Notions. That is what I call a good Battle of The Bands. A band by the name of Hold Fast took the $200 for crowd choice.
Click here and shoot me a note.

10-18-05 BOTB THIS FRIDAY
Well the Battle of the Bands is this Friday, Oct. 21st at River Valley Church (next to Penn High School). I have a feeling it is going to be a very close race between two bands for first place. However, I have nothing to do with the judging, so I could be totally wrong. Don't forget that you guys get to vote for the second place winner. ($1 per vote) Here is a list of the bands that are playing: HOLD FAST, SOLEMN PROMISE, NORTHERN LIGHTS, THE NOTIONS, BECAUSE WE'RE LOVED, REMEMBER ARLINGTON, and VICTORY IN VENICE

Other News
Despite how bad a few people acted at the Road Show. (Throwing a bottle of ink in the mosh pit and graffiti in the girl's bathroom) Donmoyer actually still wants to work with me and the Underground Café. To tell you the truth, I didn't even want to do another show after last Saturday. I was so angry about the ink and the graffiti. I got over it though, because I still love seeing all of you. However, if I ever find out who threw that ink and who wrote the graffiti, they will not be welcomed back to the Underground, unless they personally apologize to me and the pastor of Donmoyer.

Sorry, I got off track a little. What I wanted to tell you is that we will be having another show at Donmoyer on
Friday, Nov. 18th. I'm work on getting the bands right now.
Click here and shoot me a note.

10-4-05 DIRECTIONS
Well, this Saturday is THE UNDERGROUND ROAD SHOW. I'm sure you will all be there for The Honour Recital. If you are not there to buy their new EP, you will probably come to throw stuff at them. It makes me laugh how a lot of people will like a band until they get a little popular, and then they hate them. It doesn't mater if you're a lover or a hater, you should come to this show, because there are a lot of good bands.

Here are directions to Donmoyer Church, from the old Underground location.
If you turn right on Ireland Rd. and then turn left on Miami, go down two stop lights and turn left on Donmoyer Ave. Donmoyer is a block down on the left side.

9-26-05 JUST SOME STUFF
The Underground Road Show is only two weeks away.
I think I may wet my pants!
Things are looking good for the BOTB too.
I have a few of the bands, playing, listed on the events page.
There is one spot left open on it. Your band could win $500 or $200. Go to the contact page, and fill out the booking form if you are interested.

I want to thank Donmoyer Church and River Valley Church for letting me use their buildings for these two shows. These two Churches really have a passion for the community, and both of them have done everything in their power to make sure these shows go well. With that in mind, I would like to ask you to make sure you show respect to their property. I will need a place to hold concerts at until the new building is done, and both these Churches are interested in helping with that. So please respect their property.
Thanks, you make me smile!
Click here and shoot me a note.

9-19-05 TICKETS AND THANK YOUS
Underground Road Show tickets are now available at
El Vegas Music Store for $10.

I want to thank everyone that has been helping pass out fliers and hang up posters.
First I want to thank who ever it was that got Mishawaka High School to announce the concert on their morning TV news thing. That was great, Thanks!
I also want to thank all these lovely people for their help.
Jess Strantz, Reuben Strantz (even though you let some girl write crap on the back of the fliers. Crap like Reuben is way cooler than Judah.) WHAT EVER. (You will never make it on the staff page now, never.) Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest. Zak, Sarah Kletka, Danny Byrer (even though you are only doing it for your band.), Amanda Sommers,
Ashleigh Northcutt, Laura and Bryan (I love that photo of us.), Keith Kalberer, David Valdez, Alex, Andrew Bowering, Marshall, Casey Pritchett, Jamie Freck, Ethan (man face) and your mom, David Hunt, Matt Brummett, Rachel, Stacy Lohman, Nathan Smith, Chris, and Josh LaPlace.
You all rock and I love you. GROUP HUG!
Click here and shoot me a note.

9-9-05 BOTB INFO
I have more info on the Battle of The Bands.
First, this show will be free, only because I love you.
Second, the date of the show is Friday, Oct. 21st.
Third, it will be held at River Valley Church, 55855 Bittersweet Rd., Miskawaka, IN, from 7 pm to 11 pm.
That info was for all of you that will be coming to hear the bands.

Now, for all you bands that want to play the BOTB,
this is for you.
First thing you need to know is that there will be a $40 entry fee, if your band is selected to play. You will need to fill out one of the booking forms found on the contact page. I will check your band out, and let you know if you have been selected to play. If your band comes in first place you will receive $500 in cash. If your band comes in second you will receive $200 in cash. For more info on the BOTB check out the events page.

9-2-05 Name and Place

The Mini Fest is going to be held at Donmoyer Church, it's about a half mile away from the old Underground Cafe. The Address is 718 E. Donmoyer Ave., South Bend. I also have a name for the Mini Fest now. We will be calling it THE UNDERGROUND ROAD SHOW. You know you like it.
Anyway, here is an updated list of bands playing at the show. The Honour Recital, Boink, The Ivy League,
Kingston Falls, Led by Last, Brett Jones & Band, Remember Arlington, Solemn Promise,
The House Effect, Sound The Siren, Victory in Venice, and 2D2E.

I have fliers and posters made for The Underground Road Show. If you want to help us promote the show, shoot me a note. Make sure you give me your address so I can mail the fliers and posters to you. Also tell me how many posters and/or fliers you want me to send you. I really need your help to make this a great show.
Click here and shoot me a note.

8-22-05 More Mini Fest News
Well, things are getting a little more nailed down for the Oct. 8th show. I'm pretty sure of the location now; I'm just waiting for the final word of approval. I know of a few of the bands that will be playing for sure. The Honour Recital, Boink,
Kingston Falls, Led by Last, Brett Jones & Band, Remember Arlington, Solemn Promise, and 2D2E. There will be 5 more bands added to the show. However, the price of gas has made it very difficult to book bands from out of state. Some of the bands that I listed in the last post, like Hit the Lights; will not be able to play the show. I know, it sucks. This concert is going to be a benefit show for The Underground Café, so the tickets are going to be higher than they usually are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

I'm trying to book a Battle of the Bands for Saturday, Sept. 17th. River Valley Church on Bittersweet told me I could use their place for this show. That is all the info I have at the moment, and it may not come together but I think it will. So, keep an eye on the web site.

Also, I hope to have some very exciting news to share with you in a week or two. Very exciting news.
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7-25-05 Mini Fest on the way!
The Underground Café will be hosting a concert on Saturday, 0ct. 8th. I don't know where it will be held at, at this point. Basically because we still don't have a new place yet. But I know of a few places that would let me use a building for one day. The concert will be kind of a small rock fest, with just one stage. The Honour Recital will be playing for sure, with a new 5 song ep for sale. A few of the bands that may be playing the show are Hit the Lights, The Ivy League, Never Say Never, Boink, Every Avenue, and about 7 other bands. I will really need your help getting the word out about this show. So, keep an eye on the website for more info as it comes, and spread the word.
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This is one of the photos taken at our reception. You can click here and check out more of the photos.

7-5-05 IT'S A LONG ONE!
I think this is going to be a long one, so get your reading glasses. I just got back from the Cornerstone Music Festival, and I had a blast. I ran into so many people that came to the Underground Café, it was crazy. Every time I turned around there was someone else yelling my name. So, I just want to thank everyone that stopped me and asked how things were going with the café. I was so happy to see you guys, even if our conversions were short. I haven't heard anything back from the Church since the last meeting, so I don't have any new news on that. However, I do have some news about my personal life that you may want to know about.

Do any of you know Jess Silk, a.k.a. Super Guitar Girl? she played at every open mic night, and both Rock Fests.
Well, I started to ask myself if I really thought the Super Guitar Girl was super, and the answer was yes. So, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes, and then we got married. It was a little wedding right outside of my house, on May 27th, with only nine people to witness the event of our lives. Anyway, seeing so many Underground people at Cornerstone made me want to see you all again so badly. So, Jess and I talked it over, and we want to invite all of you to our wedding reception. It will be on Friday, July 15th, from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at The Res, 13950 Scout Lane, Mishawaka, Indiana. (Scout Lane is on Capital between Lincolnway E. and 12th Street.) All the Underground staff will be there, and we would really love to see you there too. You don't need to dress up; I personally will be wearing a t-shirt and shorts. There will be food, and as much fun as you bring. So, bring a lot of fun with you.
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6-22-05 UPDATE!
Well, my meeting with the Church lawyer went good. He is very excited about the Underground now. And I don't think the concern he had is an issue with him anymore. I don't know how his meeting with the elders went though. I'm sure the elders will have concerns of there own that they will want to voice. I'll keep you posted.
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6-20-05 UPDATE!
Things seem to be moving at a snail's pace, I can barley stand it. I miss all of you and the Underground staff so much. I don't have much new info, but I will be meeting with the Church's lawyer tomorrow at 10:30 am. He read the business plan that was written up for the Underground and he has a few questions and concerns. One of the concerns, I won't mention what it is at this time, seems to be pretty major in his eyes, but I think I have a pretty good argument to stand against the concern. We will see! Anyway, after talking to me, the lawyer will have a meeting with the Church elders later that day about everything.
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5-25-05 UPDATE!
Well, I met with the head pastor of that Church by Penn last week. He was very excited about the Underground Café and what we do. And he totally understood why I didn't want the café to be way out there, and he completely agreed with my reasoning. We had a great talk, and he really wants to get behind us on this. I told him about all the goals and dreams I have for the Underground, and he want to help us reach those goals. He offered me one of the Church rooms to continue the Underground at, until we are able to secure a new location in South Bend. I discussed this with the rest of the Underground staff, and we all agreed that this would be the best thing to do at this point. However, all this will have to be approved by the Church's board of directors before we can start using the room. So, I have to write up a proposal and give a little presentation to their board. I'm not looking forward to that.
We have to have some fundraisers or something for the Underground, because we just don't have the money.
Got any ideas? Click here and shoot me a note.

JUST A THOUGHT
When I was at Church on Sunday the pastor quoted a portion of text from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, a book by C.S. Lewis. In the book, Lucy speaking to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver tells how she is nervous about meeting Aslan. For those of you that haven't read the book, Aslan is a lion that represents Jesus Christ. Anyway, Mr. Beaver tells her that she is right to be nervous. Lucy asks why, is he not safe. Mr. Beaver replies No he is not safe, but he is good.

That really spoke to me in my current situation with the Underground Café. I want to find a new building to continue the Underground at, but as I look around and figure out cost, it just doesn't seem possible. I do not have the money for this. $400,000 just for a building, plus everything I would need to fix it. How in the world is this going to work? Jumping into something like this is totally unsafe. I could lose everything, and be in debt for the rest of my life. I should just find a nice job working as a graphic artist somewhere. Somewhere that has a good dental and health plan. That would be great. But Jesus Christ being unsafe himself asks us to join him in unsafe places and in unsafe situations. He asks us to join him in an adventure filled with unsafe things. So, I ask myself, will I trust myself to someone so unsafe? The answer is yes, I will, because he is good.