Audio By Carbonatix
What a grate idea!
WED 7/7
As metal in the nu millennium increasingly phases out the traditional rock sounds of its distant ancestors, no sacred stone is left unturned. Even the cornerstone of rock — the electric guitar — is slowly losing its long-held monopoly as the one, true heavy instrument. So to further the push toward sonic evolution, a band of five Texans based its sound on a new instrument, from which the group took its name: Motograter. The combination string/percussion instrument, built by band founder Grater, is an assortment of cranks, gears, and two giant cables that make bass strings look like dental floss. Not wanting to toe the line of the conventional band format, Grater made sure his new instrument is the band’s focal point. Though that doesn’t mean the songwriting’s exceptionally innovative; it rarely ventures outside the confines of the nu metal genre (attention, metal bands — now’s a good time for a thrash revival; Exodus, where are you?). But Motograter has the aesthetic fortitude to embrace the otherworldly aspect that many metal bands neglect, resembling a tribe of apocalyptic Sioux warriors ready to rumble with the Four Horsemen. Motograter grinds up the Culture Room (3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale) after Bad Acid Trip and Deadstar Assembly. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and $12. Call 954-564-107. –Jason Budjinksi
Pitcher or Catcher?
Play covers gays in baseball
SAT 7/3
In 2002, Mets’ catcher Mike Piazza came out. Came out to bash rumors, that is. In a well-crafted public statement, Piazza said that, although he thought major league baseball was ready for gay players (think Seinfeld’s “not that there’s anything wrong with that”), he himself liked the ladies. Doesn’t the self-defense motive of such a public statement of heterosexuality actually seem to contradict the PC rhetoric of a public declaration of acceptance? Is it really possible for the Major Leagues to accept a gay player? Its answer may be fictional, but Take Me Out, the 2003 triple-Tony award winning play, takes on the question. Take Me Out runs at the Caldwell Theatre (7873 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton) through July 18. Tickets start at $31.50. Call 561-241-7432. –Dave Amber