WhatzUp
Sweetwater

Best Metal Rock Performer

30.83% Sirface*
18.93% Lollygaggers*
11.65% Second Sun*
11.17% Tested on Animals*
10.44% Interfold*
4.13% Tri State Killing Spree
1.94% Graves of the Endless Fall
1.21% Shunned
0.73% Fog

Others with Votes (more than one):
Dash Rip Rock, Dep Chamber, Downbreed, Naked Banshees, Sealing Pandora, Shroud, Sonorous


2002 Winner: n/a
2001 Winner: n/a
2000 Winner: n/a
1999 Winner: n/a
1998 Winner: n/a
1997 Winner: n/a

* On the ballot

By the time I got to Jared Pagan, vocalist for the metal band, Sirface, to congratualte him on winning the Best Metal Rock Band Whammy, more than a few minutes had passed. Sirface had already won the Best Local CD Release by a rock band (For Reasons Unknown) and the total effect of the two was still making its way into his brain.

“I’m still in shock,” he said.

But by the time Pagan, guitarist Denny Getrost, bassist Matt Hopkins and drummer D.W. Harris took the stage for their set, Pagan had settled down enough to put on a blistering performance.

A metal rock band is a tough sell in many markets, and Fort Wayne is no exception. But for Sirface, the challenge of getting a fan base is part of what drives them.

“There could be more fans, but you need more of a metal scene and a venue to play in,” he said. “You’d be hard pressed to put a metal band in a hip hop oriented club. Fort Wayne has a good rock scene and a good hip hop scene, but there’s not a lot of heavy metal.”

For that, Sirface have had to look elsewhere. And to a good extent, they’ve found the scene they needed. On the strength of their single “Try,” Sirface got invited to the Mid West Mid Winter Meltdown with Seether, Ra, Socialburn and Noise Therapy. They’ve played on other national metal tours as well.

Pagan said they’re still looking for a label, but added that winning some Whammys should go a long way toward helping their credibility. “It’s like getting an official invite to the Fort Wayne music scene.”

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