Six bands, one cold February 6, 2004 night. If anything was gonna warm yer bones, this was the show. Outside, in the cold hollow’s of Detroit’s allies, rat’s scurried for food, but a few steps down inside the SHELTER, Gibsons’ jammed and amps hummed. Headlined by cover upstarts The Fondas‘, the event hosted by 89x’s Kelly Brown was one of the years best so far.

First band up – THE GIANT JUDYS, an import from Cincinnati Ohio. Seen recently at Small’s, they were well received enough to warrant a return to the Motor City. A welcome classic sound – which reminds me of R.E.M. meets The Replacements – they got the ball rolling at about 7:30. The best part of their set was the last tune…..keyboards are a welcome addition to many of the bands these days – and this was no exception. A well rounded sound and great harmonics, along with the best one liners around (“We have shirts for sale, but we’re too lazy to put up over on the merch table……track us down, we need to eat breakfast”) made them a welcome warm up.

Next up was the GT-40′s,headed by lead guitarist/singer Frank Mitchell, who organized the event. Lead singer Therese was reminiscent of old school Janis Joplin meets Grace Slick – and had the pipes to prove it. Their harder edged “garage sound” was a great pick me up after the mellower entry by the Judys. Rhythmic drums by Sean (also of the Chasers), and basslines rounded out by Bruce (also of Planet of Fun), the band opened for Detroit City Council at the Magic Bag this past Saturday.

JETTISON RED was up next. If you live in Michigan, you should have seen them by now. Drummer Nicky Stixx (also of the Gore Gore Girls – I sense a multi band trend…) wallops a mean back beat, and the trio of John, Chris and Paul is a sting attack to look out for. One of the more theatric bands of the night, Jettisons dueling attack is one The Doors and The Beatles would be proud of. Very Foo Fighter in structure, their new Tune “Looked to the Sky” is a standout. Jettison Red played at Small’s for their cd release party on Saturday.

Now 9:45, local favs THE MUGGS batted next. Bassist turned keyboardist Tony Denardo’s heavy ivories attack, perfectly compliments Danny (The Paybacks) Metric’s Gibson song and dance. Their “White Boy Blues” is a great reminder of the power behind this super trio that never disappoints. With Danny leading the way in his Mickey Dolenz t-shirt, you knew it was going to be a fun time with The Mugg’s. Bless them for getting back together!

Headliners, The Fondas took over at 11:00, just as the ice storm outside did likewise. Platinum haired lead singer Julie sashayed through the hits on their new cd, like a vixen. Ex-Cobra Steve Shaw wears his soul on his sleeve, and in his guitar. From the covers, to the originals – this is one band who never disappoints. Surprising the lucky audience (which featured John Szymanski of the Hentchmen and Paybacks, and members of The Sights) with a NEW SONG, their first run through in public. Lucky us, the tune rocked… the people danced, and the ice outside melted.

A great night for rock n roll, for the lucky few who ventured out in the arctic cold of Detroit. This was one night that indeed, the rock came OUT OF THE GARAGE.

– Christopher Chouinard.