Right up there with stringing popcorn and cranberries for the tree, Home for the Horrordays is becoming a holiday tradition. For the second year in a row, local slaughter-rock stars Schoolyard Heroes and ear-piercing trio the Fall of Troy have teamed up to throw a hell of a holiday party at El CorazĂłn the week of Christmas. It's an early present for their hardcore fans: bleeding eardrums and stopped hearts. This time they threw Akimbo and Iron Lung on the bill to ensure maximum hearing damage.
For much of the last year, both the Fall of Troy and Schoolyard have been on long national tours, far from their hometown and/or working diligently on releasing a new record, which has kept both bands away from shows in Seattle. When will you have another chance to see themâespecially togetherâagain?
In the spirit of the season of giving, I wondered what some of the best gifts the band members have ever received are and what they're hoping to get for Christmas this year. Here's what they had to say.
Jon Weisnewski, Akimbo
"I'm watching MTV Cribs as I write this, so while it's very tempting to say, 'We've always wanted a black marble foyer stamped with Master P's gold-plated No Limits tank,' I think we should probably be a bit more humble and politely request a fun, enthusiastic audience for the El CorazĂłn show. We know we're bad about playing all ages regularly, so it'd be awesome to have a good time with everyone at the show. That, or a No Limits gold tank. Either will do."
Thomas Erak, the Fall of Troy
"The best present I got was a Marshall half stack when I was 12. My dad spent half a year convincing me there was no way they could afford to give me that ever for the rest of my life. I was bummed. And then he had one of his friends bring it in when I wasn't paying attention and when I went downstairs on Christmas morning I was screaming, like, 'Oh my God!!'"
Jonah Bergman, Schoolyard Heroes
"I got myself an early Christmas present this year. I purchased some human bones at an antique shop in New York. A pelvis and a femur. They're from an old doctor's office. I'm not sure that it's 100 percent legal, but it sure is fun!" 
Home for the Horrordays is Fri Dec 21 at El CorazĂłn, with Schoolyard Heroes, the Fall of Troy, Akimbo, and Iron Lung, 8 pm, $13 adv/$15 DOS, all ages.
