– Kazeem Kuteyi, staff

The Mixdown, a local record store on Colborne Street, attracted quite a bit of attention from people passing by last Thursday, as beating drums and fast paced guitars blared from the windows of the shop.

The evening’s lineup consisted of the rock duo, Bill Killionaire, from Guelph, and the three-membered Cambridge band, Hindidar. Both bands took to the stage in the small record store as headliners for the weekly live music event that is held every Thursday, aimed at showcasing local talent.

The concert was off to a later start than scheduled since setting up took more time than anticipated, as did the wait for audience members. The event finally kicked off about an hour and a half after the scheduled time with Bill Killionaire up first, and Hindidar set to follow. The small, but enthusiastic, 12-person crowd was entertained with a mix of up-tempo songs and slow ballads from Bill Killionaire and was even treated to two brand new songs that haven’t been played elsewhere.

The passion for music was evident in this duo as they focused on perfection for each guitar lick and beat of the drum.

Their set ended with the slow ballad, “The Windshield and the Frost”, an odd title for the song.

Scott Haynes, the singer of Bill Killionaire, explains his reason for the interestingly titled song.

“Inspiration from this song came randomly when I was writing as some sort of joke. It kind of wrote itself,” Haynes says.

Tristan Curtis, owner of The Mixdown and the brain behind this weekly event, says his record store is a great place to showcase Brantford musicians outside of the typical bar setting.

“I know that there are a lot of musicians in Brantford, so I wanted to provide this outlet for them to showcase their music,” explains Curtis.

As to why he opened The Mixdown a year ago, Curtis says, “I wanted to provide a place downtown where Brantford locals and students can buy music. It is something that I think is missing from the downtown core and I think I filled that void.”

Curtis invited Bill Killionaire to perform at The Mixdown, having known them for years. “I actually grew up in Paris, and I’m good friends with Tristan,” says Haynes. “We’ve been best friends for years, so he asked me if I wanted to play and why not? It’s my friend’s store and I got to support him.”

The Mixdown’s live music event had a fairly packed crowd considering the relatively small space in which it was held. It’s definitely a great place for Laurier students to unwind on Thursday night, however that might not be the case since student might at Club N.V. is a more popular choice for Thursdays among the Laurier crowd.

As for Bill Killionaire, they have plans to come back to The Mixdown to perform once again.

“I think this is a great place to perform and I will continue to come back as long as The Mixdown is open,” confirms Haynes.

The live music event continues next Thursday with Rob Michalchuk scheduled to perform.