Metal and punk rock fans rejoiced as a free concert was held at Kiwanis Park in Battle Ground last Friday.
Mel Becker, the singer and keyboard player of the band Filthy Rags, said the theme of the tour this year is “live (and) love.” Becker and the other musicians who participated wanted “people to understand how very valuable they are.”
“I like to sing, I like to do music, but I’m compelled by relationships. Our whole tour is compelled by relationships,” Becker said. “We want to know you. We have no ulterior motive than just to speak life and love into your heart.”
Filthy Rags and other bands came to Battle Ground on Sept. 9 as part of a nationwide tour at their own expense.
“We invite people to come to our events because we want to get to know them, not because we want to bolster our musical stylings or be famous,” Becker said.
Becker described the Extreme Tour as “a collective of artists who come together to put on free community events for at-risk communities, or pretty much anywhere they go that they want you to come.”
The bands who played came from different parts of the world. Filthy Rags is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while another band, Imari Tones, came from Japan.
Jason and Rachel Alexander, who both play for The Sun Bodies, are a couple who traveled from Tennesee to share their music.
“We’re out here spreading the love, rock and roll,” Jason said.
He said his musical influences are Aerosmith, 1980s gospel and hardcore rock music. As for Rachel, she’s inspired by Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Lady Gaga.
Jason started playing the drums when he was 10 years old and eventually moved on to guitar, he said. Before the tour, he highlighted the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted on the band and spoke about the struggles they faced to get the band going when they first started in 2017.
“Once we got moving, we’ve really enjoyed the process (and) learned a lot,” Jason said. “We live around the Nashville area, which is a music city. You learn how to tighten up pretty quick and learn your chops. So yeah, it’s been a good run.”
Renea Miller, the organizer of the event, was happy to see the turnout at the event.
“It’s hard to get the word out,” Miller said. “A lot of the folks were just busy with other stuff, especially this time of year.”
The Extreme Tour, according to Miller, lasts four months.
In the future, Miller hopes to acquire a team who can help organize the event better, as the logistics involved can be complex. She shares a fondness for the musicians who she considers family.
“They’re fantastic. They’re always exquisite artists,” she said. “They’re original artists, and they just love people and want to come out and just share their lives.”
