2/16/07, 5:55 pm EST

Week Five Finalist: Tori Biggs on West Virginia’s Blitzkid

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Note: This is not an official Rolling Stone article. What follows is a submission to the “I’m From Rolling Stone” writing competition.

by Tori Biggs
Age: 19

The West Virginia music scene is desperately lacking in, well, everything. There is, however, one saving grace in local music. Horror rockers Blitzkid, hailing from Bluefield, VA, have been haunting fans for over a decade. Comprised of vocalist/guitarist TB Monstrosity, bassist/vocalist Argyle Goolsby, and drummer Jesco Devilanse, Blitzkid have fought the geographical odds, finding success in both local bars and international venues.

Regional predestination failed even to faze bassist Argyle Goolsby. “It set my sights at an early age to progress into something more than what everyone else settled for.”

While Blitzkid have accrued a loyal following here in the states, their European status seems monolithic is comparison, because European fans just “get” the music. “Paris Hilton has a record deal in America… we deserve all the hostility we get,” jokes Goolsby.

Despite their success, the band manages to stay humble, “because I still can’t pay the light bill. Because I still buy groceries at Big Lots. Because I know there are more important things in this world.”

Though Blitzkid have made their name in the horror rock world, Goolsby maintains a unique outlook on popular music. “Mainstream music is like a Twinkie for your ears. There’s so much prepackaged crap that goes into it. Sure, it’s golden and delicious, but it’s not made of the earth to sustain you.” As for the underground, “it’s the madman wedged between the sandwich boards professing ‘the end’ while the rest of the world drops its Twinkie wrappers on his feet.”

Blitzkid are currently touring the east coast and Germany in support of their latest album, Five Cellars Below. Though they have been touring for years, Goolsby claims their favorite tour story remains the same. “Blitzkid’s plane landed on time once. The end.”