Move over Cain’s Ballroom. Stand aside, Metro.  And CBGB, you must have seen it coming.  There’s a new place to get your fix of the hottest new music – emphasis on hot.  It’s the local Wal-Mart Garden Center.

Australian rock trio Sick Puppies played an acoustic set in this inexplicable location on Wednesday to promote the release of their new album, Tri-Polar.  The set also featured a signing and photo-op, where those that purchased the CD at Wal-Mart that day received a free autographed poster.

The band were in high spirits, despite the muggy greenhouse conditions, onlookers scattered among aisles and lawn furniture, and unaware shoppers weaving through lugging toilet seats, groceries and gawking children.

Lead singer Shim Moore did all the talking for the band, bantering between each song and affectionately poking fun at some of the children in the audience who weren’t as enthusiastic as the adults with them.  The band played several songs from Tri-Polar, as well as material from their previous albums, including the one that put Sick Puppies on the radar, “All The Same” (from the famous “Free Hugs” YouTube video).

The crowd of around sixty – give or take a few sleeping children – was subdued but attentive, and the line for the signing stretched through the Garden Center after the set.  Most of the people in line held copies of the CD purchased at Wal-Mart, which Shim encouraged to help the album’s chart debut.

Some, however, were reluctant to purchase the CD at Wal-Mart because of the chain’s practice of editing albums with explicit lyrics.  “I’d rather buy it at the show and get the real album,” said one long-time fan after chatting with the band.

“The show” took place at Cain’s Ballroom, where Sick Puppies played along with Hurt, The Veer Union and Tunnels To Holland.  Sick Puppies played a full set that showcased their energy in a way the earlier acoustic set could not.

Unlike many over-produced rock bands of this generation, what you hear on the album is what you get live.  These kids are a rock band in the purest sense of the word, with a genuine quality to their music that makes them endearing. Bassist Emma Anzai is a wonder to behold, an aggressive yet attractive and feminine presence onstage alongside Moore’s brash frontmanship and drummer Mark Goodwin’s driving beats.

One fun highlight of the Puppies’ set was a cover of Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” mashed up with the  riff from Green Day’s “Brain Stew.”  “All The Same” got a rapturous response, with the entire crowd singing along.  Toward the end of the set, Moore stepped back for Goodwin to indulge in an arena-caliber drum solo and Anzai to let loose with some jaw-dropping slap bass licks.

By the end, Moore had heated the previously lukewarm crowd up to a jumping, screaming furor, encouraging them to release their frustrations at a society that looks down upon those who are “different.”  A recurring theme of the night, and throughout Sick Puppies’ work, is a refusal to abandon one’s individuality in order to fit in or please others.

The crowd at the Cain’s was certainly buying what the Puppies were selling, with the line to meet the band after their set still going strong as Hurt took the stage.  That passionate stance, however, makes the Wal-Mart gig that much more of an irony.

It seems we all have to fit in at some point.

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Sick Puppies are on tour through September.

See more Sick Puppies photos after the jump:

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As Kill Hannah embark on their first U.S. tour in a year, they have released a track from their upcoming album, Wake Up The Sleepers, as a “thank you” to their loyal fans.

“New York City Speed” has circulated among Kill Hannah fans for years as a leaked demo, but the finished version is an aggressive, polished track with a beat that is fresh and contemporary, thanks to the skilled production touch of John Bourke.

(Read what Bourke had to say about working with Kill Hannah in his interview with Julie Tate of Gossip [&] the Devil.)

Tune In, Make Out

The track starts with an homage to the original low-tech version, then the generic Radio Shack keyboard disco beat is swept up by Kill Hannah’s signature crunchy guitars (props to guitarist Dan Wiese for effortlessly picking up the lead licks from the departed Jonny Radtke). The dynamic drum fills keep this song far from typical dance-rock fare, but the programming still puts the listener right in the middle of a crowded dance floor.

Shut Up, Put Out

In a recent MySpace blog post, the band called the forthcoming album “the proudest accomplishment of our lives.”  It’s exciting to see such a hopeful attitude from a group of guys that survived a disastrous tour bus fire last year and has been put through the wringer of a music industry that, as they put it, “has tragically lost its way.”

According to their MySpace page, the band is now signed with Original Signal Recordings, a progressive record label with an artist- and technology-friendly outlook.  Original Signal promotes itself as a supportive, dynamic environment for independent artists with an outlook that embraces the modern musician and music consumer.

Dress Up, Let Go

Kill Hannah believe their time has arrived.  Trimmed to their barest elements, they have rediscovered their roots and reconnected with the heart and soul of what made the band popular in the beginning.  They have thrown all their faith into this approach, the new album, their future, and most of all into the hands of their fans.

Listen to “New York City Speed” on Kill Hannah’s MySpace page now, and don’t forget to check them out on tour with Lacuna Coil.

Every time someone might say Kill Hannah is down, they jump up with a vengeance and scoff in their scrappy Chicago way that they were just taking a breather.

The departure of guitarist Jonny Radtke — who left the band on good terms after nearly ten years to pursue his own projects — has left many fans biting their nails and fretting for the future of the beloved band.

No need to worry.  The boys tore through an energetic set on Monday night at the Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City, drawing on the support of friends, longtime fans, and new converts from the ardent crowd of Lacuna Coil fans there for the headliner.  (The strange mix of bands on the bill definitely led to an interesting demographic in the audience.)

KH immediately grabbed the crowd’s attention by opening with their popular first single, “Kennedy,” then continued with high-energy, rock-driven songs like “Believer,” and new tracks from their upcoming album due out this fall, such as “Acid Rain” and “Strobe Lights.”

Long-time fans who have heard the old bootleg version of the song “New York City Speed” will not be disappointed by the reworked and polished version of the track.  Oklahoma’s own DJ/producer/wunderkind John Bourke helped refine a great song concept into an aggressive anthem for this generation’s party set.  The song has “single” written all over it.

Another never-officially-released fan favorite has also been reworked and brought the show toward its frenzied conclusion.  “Welcome to Chicago, Motherf+cker” once saw the light of day tacked onto an older Kill Hannah release, but the band brought the song into the new millennium and gave it that final polish that will guarantee its status as a crowd pleaser for years to come.

Despite admittedly little rehearsal time, the band showed little sign of road rust.  Radtke’s replacement on this tour, a dreadlocked whip of energy with a hundred-watt smile named Gil Baram, seemed comfortable with Kill Hannah’s dynamic, and he jammed out an enthusiastic performance.  (The many young girls in the audience were quite vocal in their approval.)  The few miscues and nuances that were glaring only to a seasoned Kill Hannah fan will certainly be ironed out in coming shows.

(And yes, he’s a very nice guy as well.)

The entire band spoke enthusiastically about the new record, called “Wake Up The Sleepers” after a line from “Strobe Lights.”  They’ve moved away from dance-rock (think “Crazy Angel” or “Boys and Girls” – neither of which appeared on the night’s set list) to focus more on their electronic rock  and New Wave influences.  Those dance beats have taken a supporting role to the crunchy, layered guitars and refreshingly in-your-face vocals.

Kill Hannah have reached back into their roots to effect this next evolution to their sound.  Their energy and hopes are high, and it’s obvious the boys from Chicago aren’t through leaving their mark on the modern rock scene.  If you’re a Kill Hannah fan, rest assured — the band is hopeful, determined, and they sound great.

Wake up the sleepers, indeed.

For another take on the show, and the following show, check out Miss Julie M. T.’s writeup at Gossip [&] The Devil.

Catch Kill Hannah on tour with Lacuna Coil through July.