17th annual HoliDayton is taking over Blind Bob's this weekend

TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

TOM GILLIAM / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Between playing guitar for the hard-touring Hawthorne Heights and fronting his punk trio the Story Changes, Mark McMillon is a busy guy. However, for more than a decade-and-a-half, no matter what’s going on, the Dayton-based musician always finds time to organize and host HoliDayton.

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McMillion recently discussed the 17th annual holiday show at Blind Bob’s in Dayton on Saturday, Dec. 28. This year’s lineup includes the Story Changes, Nightbeast, Legbone and Abertooth Lincoln.

Punk trio the Story Changes, (front to back) Mark McMillon, Chris Serafini and Chris Popadak, hosts the 17th annual HoliDayton at Blind Bob's in Dayton on Saturday, Dec. 28. CONTRIBUTED

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Seventeen seasons: "It speaks volumes to how much unique and great talent there is in our hometown scene that we can put together a great lineup of so many bands year after year. It's always one of my favorite nights of the year. It's really cool an event like this has lasted so long and is going as strong as ever."

Musical reunion: "I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of friends and watching everyone play. We've been traveling quite a bit this year for both touring and recording, so I haven't been around as much as I'd like to get out and see everyone. We're getting home right before Christmas this year."

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Punk trio the Story Changes, (clockwise from bottom left) Chris Popadak, Chris Serafini and Mark McMillon, hosts the 17th annual HoliDayton at Blind Bob's in Dayton on Saturday, Dec. 28. CONTRIBUTED

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Familiar acts and first-timers: "We always try to keep an eye on who is doing cool things in town and make note throughout the year. One thing I love about HoliDayton is that we can get a diverse bill together of bands that might not all play together on a show throughout the year because of the genres being a little different. That makes for a fun night."

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On the road with Hawthorne Heights: "It's been a great year. We did a fair amount of touring celebrating the band's 15-year anniversary along with some fun festival dates. We ended our year with a great tour with New Found Glory, which is a band we really respect and have wanted to tour with for a long time."

The Story Changes 2019 release: "I'm really proud of how the album turned out. I built a small studio space at home and recorded the biggest chunk of it there when home in between tours. It was the first time we've tackled that aspect of it ourselves and although it was a little scary at first, it was extremely inspiring after dove in. The entire process felt so honest and real. The songs turned out a little more aggressive than our previous album and it's been a lot of fun to play them live. We released the album with Magnaphone Records, based here in Dayton, and they've been a pleasure to work with."


HOW TO GO

What: The Story Changes hosts its 17th annual HoliDayton with Nightbeast, Abertooth Lincoln, Legbone, Yardboss and others

Where: Blind Bob's, 430 E. Fifth St., Dayton

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28

More info: 937-938-6405 or www.blindbobs.com

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