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Extreme Thing Action Sports and Music Festival Returns on March 26

Extreme Thing Action Sports and Music Festival recently announced performers for this year’s festival taking place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 26 at Desert Breeze Park, 8275 Spring Mountain Road near Durango Drive. Last year, the festival debuted a fourth stage, and due to popular demand, it’s back, bringing the national bands to 21 for 2011. Also returning is the Professional Wrestling Exhibition, Ricardo Laguna’s Pro BMX Dirt Jump Challenge, large band merchandising area and plenty of food and beverage options.

Tickets are $17 in advance and $20 on the day of the show. A limited VIP Package is also available for $30 and includes a general admission ticket, commemorative event T-shirt and event poster.

Bands set to perform are Hollywood Undead, Sum 41, P.O.D., Sage Francis, Senses Fail, Suicide Silence and Winds of Plague on the main stage with Attack! Attack!, Asking Alexandria, Emmure, Chiodos, Miss May I, Evergreen Terrace and Across the Sun performing on the Atticus Clothing Stage. Black Veil Brides, Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, I See Stars, Versa and Conditions will rock the Alternative Press Stage. The XPOZ ZONE, a smoke-free zone featuring local bands, will announce its lineup closer to show date.

Local bands are competing for seven spots on the XPOZ stage during the annual Battle of the Fans competition. For additional information on performance times for registered bands, visit www.xpozlv.com.

Headlining the main stage is Hollywood Undead, a gang of six hailing from Hollywood, Calif. who mix brash hip-hop, rock and minor metalcore touches with smug thug attitudes. The band got its start in 2005 on MySpace and quickly gained a following, earning a spot on the first MySpace compilation album. The group, which was the first act signed to the social networking site’s record label, includes Johnny 3 Tears, Funny Man, Charlie Scene, J-Dog, Da Kurlzz and Tha Producer, who all usually wear masks in public.

Also on the main stage is Sum 41, a veteran of the modern rock world. The quartet, from Ajax, Ontario, hit the scene in 1996 with a mix of punk rock riffs, hip-hop poses, goofy antics and bathroom humor. The band is led by Deryck Whibley, guitarist/vocalist, with Tom Thacker, guitar; Cone McCaslin, bass; and Steve Jocz, drums. With five albums under its belt, not to mention Warped Tour dates and a harrowing escape from the Congo in 2004, Sum 41 brings maturity to the hilarity of its stage show.

Attack Attack! hits the Atticus Stage with the same screamo/metalcore style – and a strong set of Christian beliefs – that set them apart from other “Attack Attack” bands of the same name. The Ohio-based group hit the scene in 2005 and released its debut album in 2008. After trying out For All We Know vocalist Nick Barham after Austin Carlile’s exit from the band in 2008, the group promoted keyboardist Caleb Shomo to lead vocals and released its self-titled album in June 2010. Along with Shomo, the group consists of Johnny Franck, guitar and vocals; Andrew Whiting, guitar; John Holgado, bass; and Andrew Wetzel, drums.

Also on the Atticus Stage is Asking Alexandria, which came a long way – through numerous name changes and continents – to be at Extreme Thing. The band, which originally formed in Dubai in 2003, changed its name the final time in 2006 with the debut of its first album. The band briefly dissolved in 2008 before being resurrected by band founder Ben Bruce in England and made its way in the screamo/metalcore world. Today, the band also is made up of Danny Worsnap, vocals; Camron Liddell, guitar; James Cassells, drums; and Sam Bettley, bass; and it has toured with Alesana, the Bled and Evergreen Terrace. In 2009, the band signed with Sumerian Records and released its first album.

Headlining the AP Stage this year is Black Veil Brides, which borrows from its name a dark gothic image mixed with metalcore/screamo. The band was formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio and released its first EPs in 2007 and 2008, gaining the interest of record labels. The band moved to Los Angeles, and founder Andy Six began working with Sandra Alvarenga, drums; Jinxx, guitar; Jake Pitts, guitar; and Ashley Purdy, bass, to solidify the sound and the lineup. The band released its debut album in 2010 on Standby Records.

This is the 16th year the Extreme Thing Sports and Music Festival has raged in the valley and each year is bigger and better than before. Only a personal “unopened” bottle of water can be brought to the festival along with still cameras and sunscreen. There will be plenty of ATMs on site with an array of food vendors available, from barbecue to Thai, along with beverages. Alcohol will not be sold. Animals, coolers, weapons or chairs are not permitted. Re-entry will not be allowed at this event.

Event is produced by Clark County Parks and Recreation and sponsors include Alternative Press, My LVTV, The CW Las Vegas, Monster Energy, City Life, XPOZ, Pepsi, X107.5 FM and Qdoba Mexican Grill.

Those interested can visit the Web site at www.extremething.com. Tickets can be purchased online at www.extremething.com or www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (702) 474-4000 or at participating Smith’s Grocery Store(s). All tickets are subject to additional facility fees and/or service charges. Additional information can be found by calling Clark County Parks and Recreation at (702) 455-8200 or visiting the Web site at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/parks. Clark County Parks and Recreation also can be found on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook by visiting http://tinyurl.com/4dfw8ea.