If I couldn't go to any music festivals for the rest of this spring or summer, that would be fine with me. I say this because last weekend I attended what I can safely say is the only festival that I've ever been to where every single band was worth the price of admission and then some.

For 11 hours straight, metal bands from around the region descended upon the town of Du Quoin as part of the Southern Illinois Metal Collective's SIMC II heavy metal showcase. The collection of bands covered almost every facet of the heavy metal genre. Parents even attended the show with their kids, who were just getting a taste of what some of the veterans in the audience had already become accustomed to. But in case the regular reader hasn't figured out by now, I like metal anyway - good metal.

Some time ago I'd written in one of my columns that instead of spending $60 or more to bake in the sun, people should consider holding their own mini-festivals and showcases. There are certain things that are entailed, such as hiring the right sound people, renting a hall and putting up a deposit for that. There's also the legal necessity of having designated security staff on hand and just the overall responsibility of making sure that the musicians go on and get off when they're supposed to and making sure that the place doesn't get torn apart.

Who knows? Perhaps local venue owners might be interested in taking part. Just think of it, bar owners (whose names I know but won't mention because I respect your privacy)! Imagine all the booze you can sell and the percentage from the door. It boggles the mind.

Some venues have already hopped aboard the hip-hop showcase express. These have generated phenomenal success compared to before, when there was little action, as far as hip-hop shows go, being exposed to the general public. Although these hip-hop groups are largely "campus-based" or "campus-oriented," this is still a time when others can break out and get some much-needed exposure, particularly the homegrown rappers. This is a time and place where anything and everything can happen.

With the rest of this spring and the impending summer, there are great feats in the world of local music to come. This includes everything from releases by many fine local musicians of diverse genres to the Sunset Concert series. Even this year's Herrinfesta Italiana sounds rather appealing. This year, .38 Special and Night Ranger are headlining the event.

The group .38 Special has experienced some radio hits in the past that have kept the band in classic rock rotation, but when Night Ranger is mentioned, the sound of chirping crickets often follows. Basically, the two guitarists are the most appealing aspect of the band. Jack Blades was in Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent and Styx's Tommy Shaw. Brad Gillis toured with Ozzy Osbourne briefly in the early '80s, filling in after the death of original Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads. Gillis' guitar work for Ozzy is featured on the live "Speak of The Devil" album. So there it is. I must be one of the very few people in this world who can actually put this knowledge to good instead of evil means.

The problem with Night Ranger is they ended up falling into the mid- to late- '80s hair metal trap along with such fantastic bands as Danger Danger and Winger. Great White is in another whole league of its own. They had a cool hit with "Once Bitten; Twice Shy," toured extensively, called it quits and then revamped with a certain amount of dignity. The clubs may have been small, but at least they weren't doing birthday parties and high school dances. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

But from what I've seen, there is still a whole lot of untapped talent in this area. There is still the opportunity for people to make big things happen in the way of music careers, but nowadays the record execs are too busy slurpin' their Starbucks and weaving in and out of traffic while blabbin' on their cell phones to give a crap. You have to make it happen.