Beerijuana. Yes, you read that correctly, and if the name alone sent tingles down your spine that was the correct response. While some sources date the origins of the San Jose band to, “Before the dawn of time (Optimus Prime Voice),” a quick read through the Sumerian texts will reveal that boast as a possible fallacy. More accurately, the band started in 2007. Its four members are: Dr Crazyfingers, Paul the Prophet, Zack Hicks, and Frank Resina. Their music is a breed all its own. Sure, Death Metal, Crustpunk and Thrash come to mind; but, like most original bands, it’s tough to pin down the sound of Beerijuana.

It’s definitely not something you’d have playing in your car while on a blind date. By the same token, it’s probably something you’d enjoy blaring from your car speakers on your way home, or with good friends. That kind of intensity can be a dangerous thing to reveal to ones you don’t trust. The theme of “trust” seems to be a big focus for the band, and while countless artists croon about love and love lost, Beerijuana gets to the crux of human existence: trust, deceit, revenge and friendship.

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Paul’s vocal delivery is sometimes hard to understand, bordering on cryptic.

“Language is loaded with meaning, and can sometimes be limiting,” says guitarist Dr. Crazyfingers. “The definitions of the lexicon are built by consensus and it hampers how much space you have to express with them. But a perceived wordless sound lets the listener’s mind assign the proper values to it. On our latest recording (EP out this spring), he is a bit more audible, by design. We also try to include a lyric sheet for those who wish to decipher the written meanings as well. The lyrics provide Paul the rhythmic and amplitude keys he performs to.”

So, while Paul is belting out inhuman vocals, Dr. Crazyfingers utilizes his neck-thru Kramer (drop-tuned to Bb of course) as a polyphonic back up. The guitar work is so fast Bach would flip his wig. If that wasn’t enough, Zach’s drums create a salvo of percussive tones reminiscent of WWI trench warfare, and Frank’s 300Watt GK rig can probably set off seismic sensors.

When asked about the more “caring” side of Beerijuana, Frank provided deep insight into what drives him as an artist. While seemingly intense and lewd, his answer can be interpolated via the use of editorial parentheses. In all fairness, the answer he provided was by email, but we can only assume the true meaning was:

“Soft, caring side? No! My interests are pussy (rescuing feral felines), weed (the eradication of intrusive species, which suffocate native plants), alcohol (denatured, for the specific use as an antiseptic in lower Saharan conflict zones), and motorcycles (electric and/or bio-diesel), not necessarily in that order.”

That exercise in editing is, most likely, something Beerijuana does not appreciate. That’s the beauty of this band. They’re all thoughtful human beings who pride themselves on crafting music, which is as honest as they can bring it, no editorial excuses necessary. Whether you like that honesty or not, it is meticulously crafted, and it is meant to incite powerful emotions.

Beerijuana plays the Blank Club, March 16^th.

Megadeth has had a lot of ups and downs over the years, which is probably fitting for a band that started basically as a grudge after Dave Mustaine got thrown out of Metallica. It’s been one crazy story after the other, but the craziest yet may be that Megadeth is back in top form, a decade after Mustaine broke up the band to undergo a year of shock therapy and re-training on his arm for severe nerve damage that could have meant he’d never play again.

Instead, their latest, Thirteen, has been nominated for two Grammys and is easily their best album since 1990’s Rust in Peace. To support it, Mustaine is restarting his heavy metal festival Gigantour, with Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil joining Megadeth for a tour that comes to the San Jose Event Center on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The first song off the latest record. “Sudden Death,” was released in 2010’s “Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock” game, and was nominated for a Best Metal Performance Grammy. Now the single “Public Enemy No. 1” (which features a pretty hilarious video starring an outlaw monkey) has been nominated in the category as well.

Tickets for the San Jose Event Center date are on sale now. The band is coming off its historic “Big 4” shows that saw the once bitter enemies Megadeth and Metallica joining up with Slayer and Anthrax, uniting the four biggest bands in thrash metal. Megadeth also toured with Slayer on the recent “Carnage” tours.

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