Starkweather April 20, 2007

Starkweather is a hardcore/metal band from Philadelphia that formed in the late '80s/ early '90s. Although almost totally unknown and unrecognized in underground circles, Starkweather is one of the few bands (along with groups like Rorschach) that pioneered the hardcore/metal crossover sound that would later be known as "metalcore." Brooklyn-based doom quintet Bloody Panda is a strange animal. A hybrid of experimental atmospherics and cold, evil metal, they're equally at home opening for Soilent Green and playing with local avant-folk acts. Bloody Panda has been turning heads since 2003 with its live show - an intense, theatrical experience in which band members perform in executioner's hoods. However, the nucleus of this dirge is vocalist Yoshiko Ohara, whose deep and sorrowful chants belie her diminutive stature.