SCRAP METAL - Mister Sister Christian Assistin'
by Martin Popoff

Get yer white cowboy boots out of the closet - not long to go until a special star-studded performance of '80s metal greats commences in South Bend, Indiana (I'm goin' - see ya there). Headliner of the concert is a consort called Scrap Metal - namely Eric Martin, Kelly Keagy, Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson and Mark Slaughter - who will crank the gold and platinum hits until wee into the sugary rock night.

This special gig (more guests than usual bulging that lineup to insane proportions) is for Melodicrock.com's 10th Anniversary Party (see www.melodicrock.com/southbend/index.html for all the travel info you will need - very helpful!). On tap for this one gathering only - and tickets are going fast - will be Joe Lynn Turner, Jack Blades, Jim Peterik and Jimi Jamison. Also, playing their own sets: Harem Scarem, Jeff Scott Soto and 7th Heaven.

"Scrap Metal came together about two years ago when the Nashville Songwriters Association called us up and asked us to represent the rock community here in Nashville," says Night Ranger drummer and co-vocalist Kelly Keagy. "Because they've been doing these symposiums which are about five or six days long and it is all just songwriters and all country. So they wanted to branch out into something different, so Gunnar and Mark and I were contacted, and I hadn't talked to Gunnar in a long time. But I've known Mark because we had done a tour with them. So we talked about it and said, 'OK, let's do this thing.' We asked up a bunch of guests, some of these great songwriters and rock songwriters, pop songwriters, who live here in Nashville. And so that's where the idea was spawned. And that was a couple of years ago. And then we did the second year of the Nashville Songwriters Association, called Tin Pan South; we did it a second time, and that's when we really knew that we wanted to do this. And we got Eric Martin involved in that one, and it's really going to be a great little project. Because one thing, it's really fun. We always have a really good time and laugh and play each other's hit songs."

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