Airbourne March 12, 2008

SXSW SPILLOVER ON WED., MARCH 12 @ MERIDIAN:

FEATURING AIRBOURNE (AUSTRALIA/NEW JERSEY),

Rock:
Airbourne vocalist Joel O?Keeffe first realized rock ?n? roll was worth defending at the tender age of nine. Born and raised in the rural Victorian town of Warrnambool ? population: 32,000 ? the local pastimes revolved around playing football and falling down drunk. For young Joel, however, his only interest was devouring the albums he?d stolen from his uncle by Rose Tattoo, AC/DC, The Angels, Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs and Cold Chisel. ?It?s hard to explain, but that?s always what I wanted to hear,? remarks Joel. ?Straight-ahead Aussie pub rock.? By the age of 11, Joel had picked up his first guitar and was trying to emulate the riffs of his Oz-rock idols. Paying close attention was younger brother Ryan, who?d also fallen under the spell of his brother?s ?adopted? record collection. Instantly convinced that their futures lay in rock ?n? roll, it would take the O?Keeffe brothers several years to find like-minded musicians in their hometown. After a few false starts, Joel was introduced to guitarist David Roads, [and] bassist Justin Street completed the picture in 2003. Finally, Airbourne were ready to fire. One-off shows in the Melbourne pubs became one-off gigs in enormodomes such as the Rod Laver Arena supporting the Rolling Stones and the recently destroyed legendary Aussie nightclub The Palace opening for Motley Cr?e. National tours with the likes of Dallas Crane, Jimmy Barnes, The Living End, You Am I and Magic Dirt helped further hone their rowdy live show ? it is, after all, not an Airbourne gig unless Joel has jumped on the bar mid-song at least once ? while a main stage slot on the 2006 Big Day Out festival confirmed Airbourne?s reputation as one of the country?s fastest rising bands.

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS EndeverAfteR,





StoneRider,





& SPECIAL LOCAL GUESTS, MERCURY DOWN featuring ex-members of SLIM & CHLORINE!


DOORS ARE AT 7PM AND TICKETS ARE $10 FLAT. THIS WILL BE ONE KICK-ASS SHOW, SO MAKE SURE YOU COME SEE IT!

Official Website: http://www.meridianhouston.com