Just before the Midtown-based metal trio, led by brothers Rob Evil and Michael Murder, was due to leave town for a coast-to-coast U.S. tour headlined by Down, a supergroup of southern hard rock icons including Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, Arson Anthem, etc), Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow), Rex Brown (Pantera), Pepper Keenan (Corrosion Of Conformity), and Jimmy Bower (eyehategod), the entire tour was canceled, according to this Brooklyn Vegan blog post.

And today, it was posted on the Goner Records message board that Evil Army bassist Matt “Bones” Brown (pictured above) has died of an overdose. The funeral will be held in Brown’s hometown of Oakland, TN on Saturday. R.I.P., Matt. You will be missed.

Tonight: Start the weekend off with Girls of the Gravitron’s free show at Shangri-la Records. Also: AC/DC’s “Black Ice” tour at the FedEx Forum; Colourmusic and Good Luck Dark Star at the Hi-Tone Cafe; Van Duren at Central BBQ East; the Heartless Bastards at the Young Ave Deli (go herefor CA music critic Bob Mehr’s interview with frontwoman Erika Wennerstrom); Memphis rapper RI’m Skeem at the Crystal Palace (go here for my interview with the rising star); Thrush, Silent Haze, Distilled Blood, and more, at the New Daisy; Will Graves at Cafe Soul; Or, head down to Tunica for a country music two-fer — the legendary George Jones is at Sam’s Town, while Gary Allan is at Horseshoe.

Saturday: Get your indie rock fix from Snowglobe at the Hi-Tone Cafe, with the Bulletproof Vests opening. Also: 34-year old composer Jonathan Leshnoff will debut a composition with the IRIS Orchestra at GPAC. Violinist Augustin Hadelich, winner of the 2006 International Violin Competition, is also on the bill, performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Brahms’ Serenade No. 1. Classical pianist Terry McRoberts is at the University of Memphis’ Harris Concert Hall; Uncle Jungle is at the New Daisy; Down in Tunica, George Jones and Gary Allan wrap up their respective 2-night stands.

Sunday: At 3 p.m., the Germantown Symphony Orchestra makes its 2009 debut at Hutchison School’s Wiener Theater, at the same time that the Ceruti String Quartet and pianist Marsha Evans perform “Conversations Among Friends,” at the Memphis Chamber Music Society. Later, Rob Jungklas and Deering & Down (who have been laying down tracks at Poppa Willie Mitchell’s Royal Recording Studio this month) are at Otherlands. RI’m Skeem is back at the Crystal Palace, with Atlanta MC Yung LA.

Tonight: Kick off the weekend with a free performance from Good Luck Dark Star at Shangri-la Records at 6 p.m. Afterwards, have dinner with Bobby Rush at the Center for Southern Folklore. Later, head to the Hi-Tone Cafe for some fabulous local power pop, served up by the Everyday Parade and Van Duren. Also: Free Sol and Haymaker Project are at Quetzal, Will Graves is at Cafe Soul, and Shortwave Dahlia is at the Full Moon Club.

Saturday:Get up early and take the kids to the “Peanut Butter and Jam Session” at GPAC, with Wild Willy and the Memphis Jam Band. Shows are at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. My pick of the night is a triple bill — J.D. Reager and the Cold-Blooded Three, plus Billy Worley and the Candy Company and Dragoon — at Nocturnal. There’s also Pavement Band and Tyler Keith at the Hi-Tone; the Elvis Birthday Pops Concert at the Cannon Center; the Grascals at the Lucy Opry at BPACC (go here for Mark Jordan’s profile in this week’s CA); Facedive, Painbreak, Dark Embrace, and more at the New Daisy; a Mozart concert at St. Benedict; a performance of the Eroica Ensemble at First Congregational Church in Midtown; Reba Russell at Neil’s; a MAMA concert with Dan Montgomery at Otherlands; and Duke Hex and the Firm Foundation Riddim Squad at the P+H Cafe.

Sunday:Chris Chew’s last free Sunday afternoon show starts at the Hi-Tone at 4 p.m., and later, blues guitarist Scott Holt plays at the East Memphis Huey’s.

On Jan. 6, 1958, Gibson patented the Flying V guitar, which immediately attracted axe grinders like Lonnie Mack and Dave Davies, and southpaws such as Jimi Hendrix and Memphian Albert King.

According to Wikipedia, the Flying V, along with the Futura (Explorer) and, initially, the Moderne, made up a line of modernist guitars designed by Gibson’s then-president Ted McCarty. These designs were meant to add a more futuristic aspect to Gibson’s image, but they didn’t sell well. After the initial launch in 1958, the line was discontinued by 1959. Some instruments were assembled from leftover parts and shipped in 1963, with nickel- rather than gold-plated hardware. In 1967, Gibson reissued the guitar in mahogany with a larger pickguard and the original bridge in favor of the a stopbar tail piece, common to most Gibson models. Like other Gibson guitars the Flying V’s headstock is angled at 17 degrees to tighten string tension to increase the amount of sustain.

Tonight: Dan Montgomery, Robert Mache and Louis Meyers are at the Cove; Jump Back Jake (pictured) is celebrating his Ardent debut at the Hi-Tone; the Delta Highway Blues Band are at Ground Zero; Jocephus & the George Jonestown Massacre is at Murphy’s; Cult of the Flag, Torn Apart, Ghost Tone, Facecast, and Agent Cooper are at the New Daisy Theatre; Down in Tunica, Colin Raye and Restless Heart are stopping in to the Gold Strike Casino on their Gift of Christmas tour.

Saturday: Harlan T. Bobo’s Christmas extravaganza at the Hi-Tone. Also: Oracle & the Mountain and Antique Curtains at the P+H Cafe; Jimmy Davis and Friends’ Songwriters in the Round at Otherlands; the Bar-Kays at Fitzgeralds’ Casino; and the 2nd Annual “Applause For the Cause” at the Hard Rock Cafe, benefiting World Hunger Year with performances by Al Kapone, Tha Bank, Surrender the Fall, Zach Meyers, Cornerstone, Who Framed Sam, Dave Cowell (of Chosen View), Mike Dees, Bethilea, and Whiskey Penny.

Sunday: The Goner Christmas Party — with the Barbaras — is happening at the Buccaneer Lounge. Also: Chris Chew at the Hi-Tone; Mr. Del at Cafe Soul; Holly Cole at Neil’s; Tim Regan, Jeff Hulett and Brad Bailey at Otherlands; and Misty White’s Off-White Xmas Ball at the Poplar Lounge with the Dan Montgomery Three, Seth & the Sentimentals, the Gleaners, and more.

Tonight: Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm are at Ground Zero Blues Club. If you haven’t heard their new album, 2 Man Wrecking Crew, check it out. I interviewed the duo for this article, which was published in today’s paper.

“I’ve lived the blues all my life,” Burnside told me. “What I mean when I say that is there’s been a lot of poor families out there, and I’m one of ‘em. I grew up poor. We didn’t have a radio, so we used to wait for the house parties to start on weekends,” he says. “I can remember when I was 6 or 7 years old, and my granddaddy used to invite his friends over — guys like (harmonica player) Johnny Woods. All the grandkids would get out there and kick up dust. Even though we were poor, we never let it stop us from having our fun.”

Also tonight: Pezz and While I Breathe, I Hope are having a split record release party with Antique Curtains and Streetside Symphony at the Hi-Tone. Go here to read CA freelancer Mark Jordan’s interview with Pezz frontman Marv Stockwell.

Soul singer Lalah Hathaway — go here for CA music critic Bob Mehr’s interview — is appearing with Will Downing and Gerald Albright at the Cannon Center.

Jim Duckworth and Jim Spake are playing the opening for Made in Memphis‘ annual holiday show at 2238 Central Ave. Keep the holiday mood going with the fourth annual Jazz for St. Jude benefit is at the Memphis Drum Shop, and the Holiday Cabaret at Theatre Memphis.

Also: Todd Snider plays the Lyric Theatre down in Oxford, and Nick Lachey hosts the Q107.5 Jingle Jam (with Rehab, synth-pop band Metro Station, Cash Money recording artist Kevin Rudolf, Bajan R&B singer Shontelle, VH1 stars Thriving Ivory, Florida pop punk band We The Kings, and Martin Johnson and Paul DiGiovanni of Boys Like Girls) at Sam’s Town Tunica. Closer to home, the Unbeheld play Black Lodge; the IRIS Orchestra performs at GPAC; Falling Point is at Ubee’s; Susan Marshall, Kim Richardson, and Reba Russell play the HO HO HO Show at Otherlands; and Damn Bullets, Revelations of Jupiter Stone, and Sheriffs of Nottingham are at Murphy’s.

Sunday: Don’t miss Chris Chew’s Acoustic Soul Revue at the Hi-Tone. It starts at 4PM, and it’s free. At 5:30, the Rhodes Singers perform Advent carols at Church of the Holy Communion. At 7PM, Bartlett United Methodist Church hosts “The Word Became Flesh,” a Christmas cantata, and at 7:30, Lindenwood Christian Church presents its annual Christmas Spectacular. Later, Dash Rip Rock plays Huey’s Midtown, Big Don Valentine plays at the View, and FreeWorld plays Blues City Cafe.

Tonight: Slave to Metal Music Festival at the New Daisy with Sacrum, Dark Embrace, Kreaper, Painbreak, Sekluded, Acts of the Undead, Coffins in Transit, Alive Out of Habit, Indigent, and Defiant. Also: Ben Nichols and the Revival Tour at the Hi-Tone; Ryan Peel at Otherlands; Toni Green (pictured) at Blues City Cafe.

Saturday: Carrie Rodriguez is at the Hi-Tone early, and Twin Pilot are playing late; Papa Top’s West Coast Turnaround at Murphy’s; the Bridges at Young Ave Deli; Mark Allen at Java Cabana; Blind Mississippi Morris and Brad Webb at the Center for Southern Folklore; Jack Oblivan and the Tennessee Tearjerkers and the fabulous Haunted Hearts at the Buccaneer Lounge; the Warble at Otherlands; and the O.V. Wright tribute with Otis Clay and the Hi Rhythm Section at Ground Zero.

Sunday: The Eagles at FedEx Forum; Chris Chew (early) at the Hi-Tone, and Giant Bear and Dan Montgomery late.

Tonight: Kick off the weekend with a free performance from the New Mary Jane at Shangri-la Records. Later, record label Soul is Cheap teams up with Delta Axis, the Memphis College of Art, and more for the Born Under A Bad Sign benefit (aimed at bringing European artists to Memphis for art residencies in 2009) at the Hi-Tone, featuring Bury the Living, Half Acre Gunroom, Data Drums, Evil Wizard Eyes, Mouth Karate, and Heavy Beagle. Also: Six String Jets at Murphy’s; Shabadoo and Star & Micey at Otherlands; the Warble at Odessa; the Memphis Symphony Orchestra’s “A Trip Across the Pond” at the Buckman Center; Israeli harpist Sunita at Germantown United Methodist Church; Valerie June at Java Cabana; an anti-racism party with Pezz at Nocturnal; and Kings of the Delta at Red Rooster.

Saturday: Another benefit, this time for Music on Mission, at the Young Ave Deli with River City Tanlines, the Coach and Four, and the New Mary Jane. Also: the Harmony Brothers, Yazoo Shakes and Elsinore at Murphy’s; Song Slinger Showdown with Nancy Apple, Jake Kelly, and Chad Harvey at Kudzu’s; the Retriever Records Showcase at the Hi-Tone; the Rob Junglas Trio with Roy and Eva Brewer at Otherlands; the Venus Mission at Playhouse on the Square fundraiser Curtain Up; country singer Phil Vassar at Gold Strike; guitarist Jesse Cook at BPAC; Daddy Mack Blues Band at the Center for Southern Folklore; Preston Shannon at Ground Zero; Evil Army and Epoch of Unlight at the Buccaneer Lounge; and DJ Porter and LFO Radio at Nocturnal.

Sunday: Don’t miss North Mississippi Allstars bassist Chris Chews’ free acoustic soul revue at the Hi-Tone. Also: Cameron Carpenter at Lindenwood Christian Church, Pak Chung Chen and the Memphis Youth String Orchestra at the University of Memphis’ Harris Concert Hall, and Kent Burnside at Huey’s Midtown.

Tonight: My favorite Midtown venue, the Hi-Tone Cafe, kicks off its 10 year anniversary celebration with live performances from Jack O. and the Tennessee Tearjerkers, the Subteens, and French garage rockers Jack of Heart. Go here for CA music editor Bob Mehr’s piece on the festivities, slated to run all weekend long. Kill the City play Murphy’s; John Paul Keith and the One, Four, Fives play the Orpheum’s Rock ‘N’ Roll, Brews and Q party at the Warehouse (36 G.E. Patterson); Preston Shannon is at Ground Zero; Ryan Peel is at Otherlands; and the Charlie Wood Trio performs at the Buccaneer Lounge. Down on Beale Street, Performa Real Estate are celebrating their 25th year as landlords of the entertainment district with a free blues concert featuring Sandy Carroll, Kevin Paige, and Ruby Wilson at Handy Park.

Saturday: Honor West Memphis legacy the Plantation Inn by attending the West Memphis Blues and Rhythm Society Gala at Southland Park — Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns will be performing , and Calvin Newborn, Poppa Willie Mitchell, and Floyd Newman are among the honorees. The Four Tops — still mourning 72-year old co-founder Levi Stubbs, who died in Detroit last week — are at the Gold Strike Casino’s Millennium Theatre. At 5 p.m., the Angel Sluts are playing a free show at Spin Street. Over in Midtown, the Hi-Tone’s 10th anniversary party continues, with metal from Miami group Torche, Louisville’s Coliseum and Boston’s Cloud. Tunnel Clones perform at the newly opened Nocturnal, located on the site of the old Antenna Club. You could easily make a night of it by barhopping on one stretch of Midtown alone: La Otracina and Grunt are at Murphy’s; La Pistola is at the Buccaneer; Grace Askew is at the P+H; and Reba Russell is at Neil’s. Downtown, there’s another free Handy Park concert with Archie Love and the Bar-Kays. Further down Beale Street, the Infidelles are at the New Daisy, while Blind Mississippi Morris and Brad Webb are at the Center for Southern Folklore. Red Priest (they’re billed as a “theatrical and outrageously different baroque ensemble”) are at GPAC; and Kallen Esperian stars in Verdi’s La Traviata, Opera Memphis’ season opener at the Orpheum.

Sunday: Start the day off by attending the Fall Record Swap at Shangri-la Records, where you can browse through used vinyl and CDs and listen to the Barbaras simultaneously! Later on, country quartet Little Big Town (go here to read Mark Jordan’s piece on the group) are playing along with Carrie Underwood at the DeSoto Civic Center. At the Hi-Tone, indie rock from Magnolia Electric Co., singer-songwriter David Vandervelde and Hi-Electric closes out their 10 year celebration. The Ariel String Quartet are at Baron Hirsch synagogue; Astral Project is at the Young Ave Deli; John-Alex Mason is at Huey’s Midtown; My money is on jazz guitarist Calvin Newborn’s triumphant return to Cafe Soul on Sunday afternoon, when he’ll perform with Earl Thomas, Tony Thomas, and Tom Lonardo.

And don’t forget to tune into AllMemphisMusic.com to hear B.B. King’s latest CD, One Kind Favor. It will be played in its entirety Friday night at 10 p.m. and again on Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

The Recording Academy® Memphis Chapter will present the Indie Impact Music Conference from noon to 7 p.m. today at the Westin Hotel at 170 Lieutenant George W. Lee Ave. in Downtown Memphis.

If you are a musician, record label owner, publicist, or manager — or you’re thinking about becoming any of the above — you need to attend this event.

Throughout the day, panels, workshops and networking opportunities designed for independent music makers and entrepreneurs will be featured. Panelists include producers, managers, distributors, advertising executives, publicity agents, entertainment attorneys and record label professionals who will share in-depth knowledge designed to assist independent artists further their careers.

A variety of seminar topics will be offered, including rock and urban music demo critique sessions; Webcasting Faceoff: SoundExchange and Pandora; Cut Through the Clutter: Your Indie Promotion Toolkit; Music on Film, TV and Online; Plays Well With Others: Producers’ Tactics for Communicating with Artists; Indie Success & Sound Financial Practices; and 21st Century Distribution.

Confirmed panelists include Drumma Boy, producer/rapper; Ensayne Wayne, Drum Squad Productions; Nate Douglas, music sales director for Paste Media Group; Tom Conrad, chief technical officer for Pandora Music Genome Project; Billy Zero, Sirius XM Radio; Paul Ebersold, GRAMMY®-winning producer (3 Doors Down, Third Day); Kendrick “WyldCard” Dean, GRAMMY-nominated producer (Chris Brown, Destiny’s Child); John Hampton, GRAMMY-winning engineer (The Raconteurs, The Replacements, Jimmie Vaughn); DJ Toomp, GRAMMY-winning producer (Kanye West, T.I.); Dennis Herring, GRAMMY-winning producer/engineer (Modest Mouse, Buddy Guy, Jars of Clay); Billy Hume, producer (Shop Boyz, Ying Yang Twins, Lil Jon, Ludacris) ; Al Kapone, songwriter/producer and Memphis Chapter President; Mr. Del, GRAMMY-nominated holy hip-hop artist; Gilly Roswell, music supervisor (The Great Debaters, The Commitments); Rick Smith, manager (Saving Abel); David Preston, director of writer/publisher relations at BMI; John L. Simson, executive director of SoundExchange; Pierce Stacy, general counsel at IODA digital distribution; Ralph Sutton, engineer (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie); Jeff Powell, producer/engineer and owner of Humongous Productions; Debbie Carroll, Executive Director of Health and Human Services at MusiCares®; Michael Allenby, co-founder of The Artist Farm; Wayne LeeLoy, music services manager with Ticketmaster; Erin Frankenheimer, assistant program director at Tipitina’s Foundation; Betsie Brown, president of Blind Raccoon PR; Tonya Butler, attorney and assistant music business professor at The University of Memphis; Jay Healy, president of Century Wealth Management; Rachel Hurley, freelance music writer, Breakthruradio.com; Zac Ives, co-owner of Goner Records; David Fleischman, co-founder of AllMemphisRadio.com; and Anne Pitts, attorney, director of Levitt Shell.

Conference admission for the general public is $25, and the event is free for Recording Academy and GRAMMY U™ members. The event will be followed by an Indie Impact Producers Showcase at The New Daisy Theatre featuring Al Kapone & Tha Untouchablez, Absence of Concern, The Infidelles, Annika, MyNameIsJohnMichael, Total Savage and Perspective. Admission to the showcase is free for conference attendees and $5 for the general public.

MusiCares®, the charitable arm of The Recording Academy, will be offering flu shots to conference attendees from 1 to 3 p.m. Shots will be $20.

For more information about the Indie Impact Conference, please contact the Memphis Chapter at 901.525.1340 or memphis@grammy.com, or go to the Memphis Chapter’s website.