Contributed by funnelhead, Posted by Vagrant

"Taking a cue from one of their songs, Hey Mercedes will join the fight against lymphedema and breast cancer on January 26 as they play the Reality Rock Show at the Metro. The Midwest power-pop quartet is taking the place of the Alkaline Trio, who cancelled their tour last week due to illness."
Click READ MORE for the full press release about the benefit concert. Due to the Trio's cancellation, many tickets were returned for the previously sold-out show. If you are still interested in attending, check out Ticketmaster.com [or for those of you who live in Chicago, head on down to the Clubhouse at your earliest convenience].

Also, if you're a Hey Mercedes fan, keep checking the site as we'll be doing a ticket giveaway for the band's upcoming tour. Keep those eyes open!

Event organizers scrambled for several days to find an appropriate replacement, eventually hooking up with the Chicago/Milwaukee-based band. "We couldn’t be happier," says event organizer Karyn Melton.

The revised line-up for the Reality Rock Show is: Hot Water Music, Hey Mercedes, The Ghost, The Exit and Solea. The show begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at www.musictoday.com or at the Metro’s box office.

The show benefits research for lympedema and breast cancer. Lymphedema is the accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the interstitial (connective) tissue that causes swelling, usually in the arm(s), leg(s) and other parts of the body. It develops when lymphatic vessels are missing/impaired or lymph nodes are removed. Consequently, cancer patients (especially breast cancer, where 45 percent of patients develop lymphedema) often develop the disease after radiation treatment. However, the disease can appear at birth and become symptomatic at any age for no apparent reason.

Hey Mercedes has quickly risen to prominence in the independent-music scene since their formation in 2000. Playing an infectious brand of punkish power-pop with hooks galore, the band will fit seamlessly into the show’s roster. Hey Mercedes’ first record, Everynight Fire Works, was released on Vagrant Records in the fall of 2001 to wide acclaim. Their most recent record, The Weekend EP, followed in the spring of 2002.

The Reality Rock Show is presented by the Metro, MusicToday.com and Whole Foods. For more information, visit http://www.realityrockshow.com.