Aug. 22, 2006 - Jon Piotrowski peeled off his black sneakers and tossed them at the crowd, daring the audience to hurl them back. "Everyone, throw your shoes at us during this song," the convulsive Guns That Shoot Drugs singer commanded, his chest heaving, as he bounded across the stage in the Jillian's arcade like a long-haired pogo stick.

No one obliged Piotrowski's demands to chuck their Nikes at him, but you could understand where the guy was coming from: At the jam-packed Amplify music conference, where more than 80 bands performed in three downtown venues last Wednesday and Thursday, you had to do something to get noticed, even if it meant throwing stuff at people.

Guns That Shoot Drugs' corrosive, lead-pipe-to-the-base-of-your-skull rock 'n' roll was enough to make the band a standout regardless of its singer's provocations. But other bands struggled to raise eyebrows, no matter how good their tunes were.

Take the Tramlines, a young Vegas group that played with three guitarists, creating a thick wall of dissonance and piercing melodies, squeezing My Bloody Valentine's guitar squall into Beatle-esque songs.

Unfortunately, the band performed early Wednesday night in the Jillian's Cafe in front of a seated dinner crowd more interested in watching the Cardinals take on the Reds.

And then there was the Skooners, whose bright, full-bodied pop was abetted by dizzying keys and a loose-limbed guitar shuffle, though only a handful of kids took in the band's opening night set in the Jillian's arcade.

But if some bands drew only a couple of dozen onlookers, few seemed to mind -- at least it got them out of their practice spots, some of them for the first time.

Amplify catered to young bands, and the crowds tended to be as fresh-faced as the performers, which meant that some venues tended to thin out about 10 p.m., right when most clubs just get going. "The city curfew is in effect," read a posting on the door of the Celebrity, which was heavily patrolled by two police officers outside the venue and two more inside the club near the bar.

During the day, panel discussions took place with record label execs and band managers, who lectured young bands on what it takes to make it in the music business.

"If you haven't gotten into a van and eaten bologna for six weeks, driving across the country, I don't want to talk to you," said Kevin Knight, an A&R rep for Fearless Records.

The industry figures also presided over a band competition, with enveloping Lake Havasu, Ariz., rockers Black Market being named the winner of the fest, taking home cash and gear.

But there were plenty of other highlights: Chapel of Thieves' autumnal, funereal pop, which was darkened by a haunted house organ and touches of accordion; For Twenty Daze's lilting, spectral roots reggae; Never Wonder's bawdy coed rock, which was buoyed by cast-iron melodies.

It was all too much to take in, though no one seemed to complain: They were too busy dodging footwear to notice.

Jason Bracelin's "Sounding Off" column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at 383-0476 or e-mail him at jbracelin@ reviewjournal.com.