Carnival of Soul

Saturday, March 7, the well-known dive welcomes Indonesian Junk from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Rounding out the bill are Carbondale bands Helium Kites and Hans Predator, as well as Scatterguns out of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Those loving rock have their chance to get it smothered, covered, scattered and then some with this weekend’s lineup.

Located at 308 S. Illinois Ave. along Carbondale’s stretch of thoroughfare fondly known as The Strip, PKs is a 21+ bar known for its love and support of music and musicians from all walks of life.

Indonesian Junk welcomes the chance to bring their style and flair of glam, metal, punk, and all-out rock ‘n’ roll for area patrons.

“Carbondale is one of my favorite places to play,” says Daniel James, who plays guitar and sings for Indonesian Junk. “I love it.”

Indonesian Junk also features Johnny Cyanide on bass, Mike Mattner on drums, and has very recently added Adam Turetzky on guitar, as well. Having released “Spiderbites” in the fall of 2019, the band plans to release the album on vinyl this spring on its own Spiderbite Records.

According to the band’s website, “Big hooks and big riffs are what Indonesian Junk is all about, takes the best elements of glam, punk, heavy metal, and power pop, ditches the fluff to create a tuff n catchy batch of instant classics.”

“They’re (Indonesian Junk) really awesome,” said Evan Neuman of Hans Predator. “They’re really cool to watch, and Scatterguns is straight rock ‘n’ roll.” Neuman plays guitar in Hans Predator and is joined by brothers Nathan and Brandon Gill playing guitar and drums, respectively.

“We’re really excited,” said Mike Martin of Helium Kites about the upcoming show. “It’s nice to see the Carbondale music scene still going.” Martin is on guitar and vocals in the group, and says Saturday’s set will feature a lineup change with Rob Houston on bass alongside himself and drummer Aaron Champion.

“We’re feeling pretty good about it, not really sure what to expect but we’re playing with a pretty kick-ass band,” said Josh Tomlin of Scatterguns, who are returning to Carbondale for the second time. Previously, the group played now-defunct DIY venue Taco Stand. Scatterguns, self-described as “Southern rock played through a punk rock filter,” has recently released “Southeast Sampler,” a selection of assorted songs from 2016-2019. Scatterguns also features Andy Morris on drums, Joe Ettling on guitar, and Curtis Babers on bass.

All bands playing Saturday can be found on Facebook with links to streaming options such as Bandcamp, Spotify, etc. There is no cover for this event. Music starts at 10 p.m.