My City Buzz hasn’t had too many bands that can say they have been featured in the Guinness Book of World Records, in fact; we probably haven’t had one yet. But there’s a first for everything as the band who holds the record for most gigs in 12 hours as England’s the Buck Brothers invade Detroit tonight at the Lager House.

During that 12 hour period on March 5, 2007, the Buck Brothers played an astounding 28 gigs in the London area that day. The band is currently supporting their debut, full length album Me. Lead by guitarist and bassist Andy Duke, the band gives a fun and tight punk feel as the band gives so-called modern “punk” bands a swift kick in the ass with tracks like “Girls, Skirts, Boots and Bikes” and the highly infectious “Gorgeously Stupid.” The songs sound reminiscent of early English punk, and Duke’s vocals as well as tight percussion from the aptly titled drummer Stixx gives Me a raw and unpolished feel to its music.

The band formed in 2005 and had released an EP prior to Me entitled The World According to Buck, released in 2006. The band is currently working their way around the States, with a kickoff last week at the Texas showcase South by Southwest. Now that SXSW is done and blogged to death about, the Buck Brothers can commence with their proper tour. The band will be touring in the States through March 28^th, when the tour finished in New York. But Detroit is in the band’s sights tonight as the band plays the Lager House in Corktown.

If you get a chance, check out a band that stays true to the punk game and puts those Hot Topic wannabes to shame.

The Buck Brothers are playing at the Lager House TONIGHT (March 19^th). Tickets are available at the door. Additional dates can be found at www.myspace.com/buckbrothers.

After being a part of tours such as Warped Tour and OzzFest, So-Cal hard rock mavens Avenged Sevenfold headline the bill as the band continues to support their self-titled release. The new album is a departure from the thrash of their City Of Evil album and goes off in many different directions. Lead by the smash first single, “Almost Easy,” A7X saw their new album debut at #4 in November. If they bring their usual fire to the show, expect the crowd to keep their energy throughout the entire day.

Avenged’s So-Cal compatriot, Atreyu will play on their second RTOC. After appearing in 2006 along with the Deftones, Atreyu’s sound has changed a bit since their appearance two years ago. With their new Lead Sails, Paper Anchor album, the band has shifted to more of a mainstream hard rock band. So far, the move has worked. Their single “Becoming The Bull” has become the band’s biggest single to date and the new album debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard Album Chart.

England metal stars Bullet For My Valentine are riding high right now and will be a part of this year’s bill. Their latest album, “Scream, Aim, Fire” also hit paydirt last month as their album matched Avenged’s #4 on the Billboard charts. The new record continues to blend the band’s heavy yet melodic sound with moments of torrential fury..

This years bill also features 2007 Warped Tour sensations BlessTheFall. The band is out supporting last year’s His Last Walk record. What’s really different about this year’s bill is the addition of the JRock group of bands playing this year. The Japanese hard rock bands will play the main stage and try and infiltrate U.S. crowds. The JRock bands on this year’s tour are MUCC, D'espairasy and The Underneath.

The tour is in full swing and hits the East Coast this week with dates in Maine, New York and Massachusetts. Bang it here for a review of Detroit's Cobo Arena show, RTOC’s home in the D since its inception. So, if you want to see some of the hottest bands in modern rock and see what Japanese rock fans are going nuts over, check out the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour.

The Rockstar Taste of Chaos is currently on the East Coast and will work its way across the South and West Coast soon. Find out when they hit your city at www.tasteofchaos.com.

DOOMSDAY: In the action-packed new thriller DOOMSDAY, from writer/director Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers), authorities brutally quarantine a country as it succumbs to fear and chaos when a virus strikes. The literal walling-off works for three decades‹until the dreaded Reaper virus violently resurfaces in a major city. An elite group of specialists, captained by Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra), is urgently dispatched into the still-quarantined country to retrieve a cure by any means necessary.  Shut off from the rest of the world, the unit must battle through a landscape that has become a waking nightmare (UNIVERSAL STUDIOS). Rated R.

DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO! : The makers of ICE AGE, and comedy giants Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, bring to life DR. SEUSS' beloved HORTON HEARS A WHO. An imaginative elephant named Horton (Carrey) hears a faint cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Although Horton doesn't know it yet, that speck houses an entire city named Who-ville, inhabited by the microscopic Whos, led by the Mayor (Carell). Despite being ridiculed and threatened by his neighbors who think he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to save the particle......because "a person's a person no matter how small". Voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell. Directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino. (20TH CENTURY FOX) Rated G.

FUNNY GAMES: In this provocative and brutal thriller from director Michael Haneke, a vacationing family gets an unexpected visit from two deeply disturbed young men. Their idyllic holiday turns nightmarish as they are subjected to unimaginable terrors and struggle to stay alive. Remade from his own acclaimed 1997 film, "Funny Games" is written and directed by Michael Haneke ("Caché"), and stars Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet and Devon Gearhart. (WARNER INDEPENDENT) Rated R.

NEVER BACK DOWN: Is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid who leads with his fists, and, often, with his heart. Jake Tyler, played by Sean Faris (Yours, Mine and Ours), is the new kid in town with a troubled past. He has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family who has relocated to support his younger brothers shot at a professional tennis career. Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler. Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a flirtatious classmate, Baja (Amber Heard), Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McDonald (Cam Gigandet). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a classmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Marshall Arts (MMA). He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America). It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he wants to master. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline, willingness and reason within him to succeed. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. His decision will not just settle a score; it will define who he is. Directed by Jeff Wadlow with a script by Chris Hauty. (SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT) Rated PG-13.

The 90s influence is no surprise; the band did contribute their cover of Third Eye Blind’s “Jumper” for the Punk Goes 90s compilation a few years back.

The band has made light of their bad luck on tour, with the band’s van breaking down a lot in 2007. They’re hoping that 2008 will bring them better luck and this first tour is the first step in that road to some better luck. The current tour runs through March 29^th, and hits Lansing on March 16^th and in the Detroit area on March 17^th. As the band makes the rounds, they do not have more than a few days off before going on tour with Kaddisfly through April 19th. The band will more than likely be touring throughout the year as they get the word out about the new record. But if you get a chance, check out some quality under the radar alt-rock from Bedlight For Blue Eyes.

Bedlight for Blue Eyes plays at Mac’s Bar in Lansing on March 16^th and the Days Inn in Hazel Park on March 17^th. Tickets are available at the door. Additional dates are available at www.bedlight.net.

Whether it’s the popular local destination Stubb’s, the Austin Convention Center or smaller dive venues, South by Southwest is sure to send someone with musical ADD into hyperdrive. Most showcases start around 8 P.M., with the last set finishing around 2 A.M. each night.

So instead of printing out a whole list of bands, we are going to pick out some highlight shows for the four major days of the conferences. You’ll know some names and others may just be bands you’ll hear about in six months (but we won't say we told you so later).

Here is the listing of shows worth mentioning for South By Southwest:

Wednesday, March 12^th:

-One of the one appealing showcases for that evening will be at the main room at Emo’s with the Akron, Ohio indie sensations The Black Keys headlining. Also on that bill is Be Your Own Pet from Nashville and the underheralded Autolux from Los Angeles.

-One of our MCB’s editors’ favorite new band from London, Lightspeed Champion, will be at Antoine’s with White Williams headlining.

-Also, Tom Morello will be taking a break from the touring Rage Against the Machine has been doing to do a set at Esther’s Follies around 11 p.m. that night.

-For Detroiters, hometown heroes the Hard Lessons will be playing at the Soho Lounge, with fellow Michiganders Great Lakes Myth Society and Child Bite.

Thursday, March 13^th:

-Before things really get going, local alt-rockers turned big time Spoon will be playing a free show at 8 p.m. at the Austin Convention Center. Expect this one to be busy.

-My Morning Jacket and the Whigs are part of a showcase at Austin Music Hall, running from 8-midnight that night.

-Hard rock fans are gonna have an issue with two competing showcases vying for your attention. The first showcase at Emo’s features a lot of up and coming bands in the metal world, with Genghis Tron and Coliseum raging out before stoner metal titans High On Fire headline the show. One band to catch in this showcase is the thrash throwback Muncipal Waste, who will ensure it sounds like 1987 in there.

-The other hard rock showcase takes place at La Zona Rosa, with Serj Tankian from System of A Down headlining. Teenage rockers Black Tide play the show along with English band Enter Shikari, whose entertaining blend of hard rock and electronic makes for one of the more diverse showcases of the evening.

-English hip-hop critical favorite Dizzee Rascal headlines a showcase over at Scoot’s Inn.

-And the band that stole Art’s favorite band name of all time, Holy Fuck, headlines a showcase at the rooftop at Wave.

Friday, March 14^th:

-This year’s buzzed out band, New York’s Vampire Weekend is part of a showcase at Antoine’s. Cant wait to see the blogosphere rave about this one.

-At the Habana Annex Backyard, a unusual showcase of established alt-rock and punk bands hits the venue, as Story of the Year and MXPX co-headline the showcase.

-Before Luther Dickinson heads out on the road with the Black Crowes, his North Mississippi All Stars headline a showcase at Opal Divine’s Freehouse.

-And just in case you want truly the most bizarre bill on the lineup, Austrailan garage rockers The Vines play before Swedish 90s pop sensation Robyn (Yeah, remember “Show Me Love”, yep, didn’t think so.) at Pangaea. Well, Hanson is playing somewhere in town that same night. Perhaps the Backstreet Boys and O-Town can show up too.

Saturday, March 15^th: 

-Hip-Hop takes over the Convention Center and the Music Hall as Talib Kweli and Strong Arm Steady play at the Convention Center, which is headlined by Ice Cube. Ice Cube? Seriously, everyone’s favorite gangsta turned kids-movie actor? We’d guess we would still go see it…. Anyways, David Banner heads up the showcase over at the Music Hall.

-Emo invades the Habana Annex asAll Time Low and Scary Kids Scaring Kids is part of a showcase there as well.

-Old school punks X headline a show at the main room at Emo’s as The Donnas support them, as well as The Ravonettes.

If you are going to tackle the insanity that is South by Southwest, we hope this is a good guide to at least get started. The actual trade conference is in the Convention Center during the day, but everyone knows SXSW is all about the music at night. So, make sure to get some rest and try and hit as many bands as possible. You’re gonna need a vacation from the conference just to rest from the good time that is sure to be had.

The early going saw a back and forth between bands playing the first and second stage (the second stage was basically a section of the main stage blocked off for the other bands, in order to keep the music flowing early on). Much of the music early on was courtesy of the J-Rock movement, or Japanese rock. By first glance at MUCC and the Underneath, it doesn’t look like emo has reached Tokyo yet. Mostly indifference was met for MUCC (pronounced Moo-Koo) as their 30-minute set was highlighted by their struggling with the English language. Fairing a bit better with the language and the connection between fans was the Underneath. The Tokyo band was a bit of Guns 'n Roses, but given a goth twist. Their half-hour long set had some pits going and a few off-color hecklers bagging on them, but had most fans at least paying attention.

The first big moment of the show happened when English thrashers Bullet For My Valentine set the place off. Their 40-minute set started off with the title track from their new Scream, Aim, Fire album and had the mostly teenage crowd enjoying it. With lead singer Matt Tuck leaving the real wailing moments to bassist Jason Jones, Tuck has more time now to work on the live vocals instead of waiting for the next time to scream. With songs like “4 Words to Choke On” and “Waking The Demon,” Bullet has thrown their name in the hat for the biggest metal band around. And for the night at RTOC, Bullet stole the show away from their headliners.

So-Cal rockers Atreyu sounded a bit off early on in their set, with leadoff tracks “Doomsday” and “Right Side of the Bed” sounding a bit amiss. But by the time singer Alex Varkatzas and company went into a new track, “Lose It,” it seemed as if the band had got back on track. The band’s 50-minute set geared towards the material from their Lead Sails, Paper Anchor album, but hit on tracks like “The Crimson” and “Bleeding Mascara” from previous records. The new material, such as “Falling Down” sounds like Atreyu drove up to Northern California and ripped off the Papa Roach playbook. Even though the new material isn’t bad, the band is straying farther away from the intense vocals and riffs that gave the band their core of fans. But if the band sticks with more mainstream songs like the single “Becoming the Bull,” Atreyu should be just fine.

Giving the fans a 15-minute warning before their set, Avenged Sevenfold got the crowd amped up for their headlining set. A7X’s 70-minute set seemed to be the full arena experience; full with pyro, video screens and sing-a-longs. The new material seemed to get most of the early treatment, with songs like “Scream” and “Afterlife” fairing better than the semi-limp opening cut “Critical Acclaim.” The band did launch into tracks like “Bat Country” and “Unholy Confessions” later on in the set, to the fan’s delight. The guys in Avenged seemed to be enjoying the arena show the best; and their music (epic at times) was probably the best suited for the size of Cobo.

But even with Avenged finally ending up in a size of a venue that suited them best, it was Bullet For My Valentine that easily took the evening.

Hatebreed is sporadically touring at this moment, which is allowing this project to get out on the road. The tour started February 27^th in Massachusetts, and will be ending right here in Detroit on Friday, March 7^th at the Magic Stick. Dates have not been announced beyond these initial dates, but it is a realistic possibility to see more dates in the near future. But you won’t get too many chances for now to see one of metal’s most talked about supergroups live, so this is a must see.

Kingdom of Sorrow will be playing at the Magic Stick on Friday, March 7^th. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional dates are available at www.relapse.com.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre has decided to retire. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that according to Favre's agent, Buss Cook, Favre informed Packers coach Mike McCarthy of his decision Monday night.

A SLOW AND STEADY DRIP [trailer] – SuperHouse Pictures (01:02) Written and directed by Greg Morrison. "A Slow and Steady Drip" is about a businessman who takes a business trip, leaving his wife to deal with a leaky bathroom faucet. The leak serves as a metaphor for the issues in their marriage. The script for "A Slow and Steady Drip" originated from Project LightStand, a screenwriting incubation program. www.superhousemedia.org

BITE ME - THE MOVIE [trailer] – DayDream Pictures (02:33) Directed by Kris Smith. In the genre of horror comedy, "Bite Me – The Movie" is a vampire flick set in the 80's. It features a suave and cool Alexander Caleb – think Tom Cruise circa 1980 – who is a closet geek that plays Dungeons and Dragons and Nintendo outside the office. Alexander and his coworkers go up north for a weekend, but soon after, his coworkers start disappearing and turning into vampires. Alexander, with his geek-dom of knowledge, must thwart the evil attacking his coworkers, but he can't let them know he's a geek by revealing the danger they're in! www.myspace.com/bitemethemovie

LaughcrY [trailer] – TriOmega Productions (01:08) Written and directed by Matthew Peach. Some memories return in an instant, with focus sharper than the clearest photo. The people who've affected our lives never really disappear. YASAMIN spent eight years dodging a single question. When she unexpectedly runs into ex-lover LENA, will she finally get her answer? Stifled in a loveless marriage almost by default, will Lena forgive Yasamin for leaving all those years ago?  They'll throw their lives into chaos for a chance to find out.  www.myspace.com/triomega

CHICKEN SUSHI – Rich Jackson (01:30) Written and directed by Rich Jackson, "Chicken Sushi" is a spoof TV commercial that appears in the feature mocumentary, "Making Buttprints." Jackson designed and animated the chicken character, recorded the chicken and announcer voice, and also composed and performed the "Asia-billy" theme song. "Chicken Sushi" won the "People's Choice" award at the 2007 SEMAFX Animation Showcase. It was also chosen as a first round finalist for Steven Spielberg's "On The Lot" TV contest and was screened at the 2007 Detroit River Days Festival. (This short is being screened again due to the technical difficulties experienced during the January Mitten Movie Project.) www.makingbuttprints.com

DEAR SON – Directed by Chris Hoyle (04:00) Beautifully shot, "Dear Son" showcases the special relationship between a father and son. Written and directed by Chris Hoyle, a current film student at the Motion Picture Institute of Michigan. www.myspace.com/christopher_hoyle

PAGE 99 – A Ramp Production (07:14) Directed by Christopher Oniciu.

GET OUT OF MY HOUSE – Bosek Productions and Sparkling Frog Media (06:19) Directed by Gary Bosek. Imagine sitting at home reading a book on the couch and suddenly . . . YOU walk in the front door. Would you run? Would you confront yourself? Who owns the house?  "Get Out of My House" is a strange and surreal film with elements of comedy. www.sparklingfrogmedia.com

THE NORM – SuperHouse Pictures (09:51) Directed by Greg Zonca. "The Norm" was originally produced as part of the National Film Challenge -- a film competition in which teams from around the country must write, shoot, and edit an 8-minute film in just one weekend (with certain requirements). The four elements that SuperHouse had to work with were: (1) Character – Cheeks, a celebrity impersonator, (2) Prop – bubble wrap, (3) Line – "It's impossible not to look," and (4) Genre – comedy. Also screening is a fantastic behind the scenes documentary of "The Norm" (10:00). www.superhousemedia.org

DISEASE ISLAND – Vendetta Studios and David Lehre Productions (08:27) Directed by David Lehre. A ridiculous and hilarious take on reality TV shows like "Survivor." www.davidlehre.com

AMERICAN PIETY – Mass Effect Productions (29:10) Directed by Steven Karageanes. This award-winning short takes a comedic look at what happens when a misguided man with more faith in his iPod than God gets hit by a car and goes to purgatory, and the only way to get back to Earth is choose a religion from three speed-dating sessions with Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. "American Piety" is packed with action, wit, and even tango dancing. With a top-notch original music soundtrack, "American Piety" will provoke thought as well as laughs. This is the world premiere of "American Piety." www.myspace.com/tantricferret

And the details: Presale tickets are available for $8 at www.myspace.com/mittenmovieproject.

Tickets at the door are $10. A pre-screening reception starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Main Art lobby where moviegoers can mingle with the directors, industry professionals, and film enthusiasts. After the screening, a Q&A session will be conducted with the filmmakers in the theatre. An afterglow party will be held at Mr. B's Pub (215 S. Main Street – 2 blocks south of the Main Art Theatre) to end the night's activities. Don’t let the snow keep you away!