Get Van Stoned

Our introduction into the SF nightlife came last Saturday - we went to see a random band called "Van Stone" because a friend of a friend recommended it. We eyed the $12 cover suspiciously, but went in anyway.

The bill turned out to be the most random amalgamation of bands. The opener was Count Dante and the Black Dragon Fighting Society, which consisted of a fat dude in a smoking jacket that looked like a cross between Oliver Platt and Ron Jeremy, playing metal.

The headliner was Arnocore, a punk/metal tribute band to Arnold Schwarzenegger movies (they were geared up in "Predator" face paint and army boots), but we were there to see the middle band: Van Stone.

How to explain this band? It's a theatrical throwback metal band, with a made up back story about how they're the "3rd best metal band in Palmdale California - beat out by WyndJammer and Skirge." A blend of KISS, Van Halen and a smidgen of GWAR, this band was seriously something else. Rocking out in full metal gear - including a machine gun-shaped guitar, metal spiked shoulder pads and a mace dangling off the bass - they charged through songs like "Show Us Your Tits for Freedom." Who could ask for more, really?

The best part about it was the lead singer - "Randy Van Stone". Does anyone remember the movie "Ghost World"? Remember the scene in the convenience store, when that redneck with a mullet came in with nunchucks? Well, that's the lead singer of this band. He had the whole schtick down to a science.

Here's the website, if you want to see more: www.getvanstoned.com

All in all, a fantastically campy evening. The best part was that Jeremy was wearing his Van Stone t-shirt in our neighborhood a week later, and as we walked by, a girl screamed "Van Stone rules!" I guess it's a small world when you rock.