Carnival of Soul

With the marriage of talent and passion among all bands on the bill at PK’s on Saturday, Feb. 1, those looking for a chance to rock out in Southern Illinois have more than ample opportunity. Welcoming out-of-town rockers Drilling for Blasting to Carbondale for their third time alongside two new acts, BERB and Sad Max and the Brass Tacks, rock in all its various forms demands to be heard at the local watering hole.

“They are exciting to see every single time,” says Brett Heely, mastermind behind BERB, of Chicago rock duo Drilling for Blasting. The duo says they have been described in disbelief by those who’ve caught their act, explaining people are often heard exclaiming, “Two people make all that noise?!”

“We love playing Carbondale,” said Kammy Lee, drummer/vocalist for Drilling For Blasting. “All of our bands have played there. We love the music scene … no one is standing around waiting for someone to tell them what to like.” She and her husband, Douglas Ward (guitar/vocals/octave pedal), have performed as Drilling For Blasting for six years, previously having played the Lost Cross 30th Anniversary weekend, as well as now defunct DIY basement venue The Taco Stand. The two recently released their first LP, “Fingers Are the Best Eyes,” on Underground Communique and Let’s Pretend Records — the latter being a label with its roots and beginnings in Carbondale’s own iconic Lost Cross punk house in the early 2000s.

Arguably the most prevalent theme among the evening’s scheduled performers is equal parts mastery and passion for the music itself, plus mutual love and respect among the musicians. Coalescing apart from their other professional musical endeavors, Sad Max and the Brass Tacks and BERB offer a veritable all-star lineup of some of Southern Illinois’s hardest rocking musicians.

“It’s definitely not any old-time banjo music,” said Max Senteney, who plays guitar and sings for Sad Max and the Brass Tacks. The Southern Illinois native is referring, of course, to his “day job” playing drums with internationally-touring trio. Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band.

“I have a great time with the Damn Band, but I always crave playing the rock and punk I grew up playing,” Senteney says. “This group is really an evolution of a band I’d had for years, some years ago, The Broken Bricks.” Rounding out the Brass Tacks alongside Senteney are Mike Lighty (of Buzzzard and Baby Head and the Feathers) on guitar, and Danny Brown (of Buzzzard) on drums.

Along with guitarist and singer Heely, BERB features Nathan Gill (of Toy Cowboy) on guitar, Cody Beckman (of Buzzzard) on drums and Carly Gregory (of The Black Forties) on bass.

Passion and mastery come together in the show’s promoter, as well.

“I’ll do whatever I can to keep the Carbondale music scene thriving,” said Matt McNeil, who booked the event under his business moniker, Fat Jesus Productions.

PK’s is located at 308 S. Illinois Ave. in Carbondale. Patrons must be 21 or older to enter. Music is slated to begin at 10 p.m., and there is no cover for the event.