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METAL | Kevin Warwick

When guitarist Mat Arluck lost his battle with cancer and died at his parents' Seattle home on Thanksgiving 2009, his friend and Sweet Cobra bandmate Jason Gagovski knew right away that Chicago owed him a show of thanks for his contributions to the local metal scene. He helped put together a bill at the Beat Kitchen called Arluck Time on February 4, 2010 (what would've been Arluck's 40th birthday), where all the bands were either tight buddies of Arluck's or groups he'd been in; Lynyrd's Innards, for instance, reprised a set of Black Flag covers they'd played with Arluck as a guest member, this time calling it "Mat Flag." Gagovski says, "Mat had to move once things took a turn for the worse, but because he'd lived in Chicago for over a decade and most of his friends were here, the show served as a memorial and a celebration."

The whole thing was captured on video that's since been edited into a DVD, and this weekend—exactly two years later—Arluck Time returns as a combination concert, benefit, and release party. The DVD will sell for seven bucks and includes footage from Sweet Cobra, Cooler by the Lake, and Deminer, all of whom are playing this year's Arluck Time show; it's being released by Gagovski's label, Hawthorne Street, in association with Deminer's Randoman imprint. (There's also a CD compilation of studio recordings from Arluck's bands.) Records, shirts, and skateboard merch will be raffled off throughout the night. The show starts at 9:30 PM on Sat 2/4 at the Empty Bottle, and cover is $8. Cooler by the Lake headlines; Sweet Cobra, Deminer, Full On, and the Party Downers open. Proceeds benefit Grind for Life, an organization founded by skateboarder Mike Rogers that provides financial help to cancer patients and their families.