2-day musical party marks release of new HNMTF CD

Hammer No More The Fingers cordially invites you to help pillage Durham.

The Bull City band is spearheading Viking Storm, a two-day event that is both a release party for the trio's new album, Looking For Bruce, as well as a celebration of their friends' music.

The first of two concerts is set for Friday at the Pinhook. Headlining the show will be Durham punk-metal band Tooth, supported by Washington, D.C., experimental-punk instrumental trio Caverns, Durham power-pop girl group Pink Flag (think Be Your Own Pet, but better) and instrumental Greensboro duo The Bronzed Chorus.

The main event comes the night after, with performances by Durham's acousticore Future Kings of Nowhere, rock four-piece The Dry Heathens, hip-hop/jazz band The Beast, D.C., pop foursome Deleted Scenes and the event's patriarchs, Hammer No More The Fingers at Duke's Coffeehouse.

"It's a Viking-themed two-day festival and our CD release party happens to be a part of that on Saturday night," HNMTF guitarist Joe Hall said.

Hall, as well as bassist/lead vocalist E. Duncan Webster and drummer Jeff Stickley, all stressed that Viking Storm is more of a festival than a celebration of their new album.

"All of [the bands] are great friends of ours, and the festival is almost a 'Friends of Hammer' festival," Webster said.

Viking Storm is made possible through the sponsorship of Triangle Brewing Company. Co-owner Rick Tufts places considerable importance on community involvement.

"Right from the beginning, we've been a big supporter of local industry... and local music happened to fall into that category," Tufts said. "We happened to meet Kyle [Miller] and Steve [Jones] from Churchkey Records [the Durham-based label releasing Looking for Bruce] through Troika Music Festival, which we sponsored in 2008. From that we formed a relationship... and we agreed to do Viking Storm."

The Viking theme, while seemingly unrelated to anything Hammer, is not a joke. Well, it is a joke, but it's a joke that's being carried out in full.

"We were back in the woods, and we were like, 'Man this is primal, just walking around back here in uncharted territory, it's very Viking,'" Hall said. "It's not really supposed to make sense. It's just supposed to be fun."

Hammer is hoping that the theme will encompass the entire festival. To celebrate the Nordic spirit of the weekend, HMNTF wrote and recorded a death-metal song for the occasion called "We Pray for Viking Storm" which is on the group's MySpace and will be performed live. There are also plans for costumes from multiple bands' members as well as ship decorations and an accordingly festive beverage.

Concertgoers will have the opportunity to taste Viking Storm Ale, a beer Triangle Brewing Company created specifically for the Saturday night show. Tufts described the drink as "a lighter to medium body ale, lightly filtered with a nice hop flavor to it, [which] makes it nice and balanced."

He emphasized that it will be a beer for the connoisseur as well as the novice, "a little bit more flavorful and full-bodied than a typical domestic, but not overpowering."

Vikings may be the name of the game, but not everyone-or even anyone, except possibly HNMTF-seems to know why.

"I don't think anybody in this group of people takes themselves too seriously," Future Kings of Nowhere guitarist/lead vocalist Shayne O'Neill said. "There are costume plans. It's gonna be a blast."

Dry Heathens guitarist Steve Oliva is similarly confused-and excited. "I'm clueless. Those dudes, they are about the nicest guys I know, but sometimes I don't know what in the hell they are thinking about," he said. "I've been growing a stupid beard for two months for this party, so I'm more than happy to go along with it. That's dedication, man. It's gonna be serious."

Tooth, Caverns, Bronzed Chorus and Pink Flag will perform at 8 p.m. at the Pinhook Friday. Tickets are $5. Hammer No More The Fingers, Future Kings of Nowhere, Dry Heathens, Deleted Scenes and the Beast will perform at 10 p.m. at the Duke Coffeehouse Saturday. Tickets are $10.

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