By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Index Case, the Indianola metal band that has shared bills across the country with Mushroomhead, Dry Kill Logic and Rob Zombie, is in search of a new drummer after ousting one of its original members.

The group announced it had asked founding drummer Jordan Spence to leave the band following a series of incidents throughout Index Case's seven-year tenure. In an open letter to its fans that was posted on the group's Web site (www.indexcase.com), group members Joe Ansley (vocals), Josh Parker (guitar) and Nick Borror (bass) cited irreconcilable differences as the main reason for Spence's departure.

"Being in a band on the road can truly test the limits of people's relationships. We love Jordan like a brother, but there came a point where we had to set our friendship aside and look at what was going to be best for our band.

"Our personal relationships had been pushed to their limits, which unfortunately became evident both on and off the stage. This is not the result of one isolated incident, but rather many throughout the band's seven years. After much deliberation and consideration, it was decided that in order for the band to achieve what it has set out to achieve in the long run, it had become necessary to ask Jordan to leave... We wish Jordan the best in his future endeavors and he will be greatly missed. We are confidant that this decision was ultimately made for the best, and that the band will be unstoppable as we head into the years to come."

Ansley says Index Case will continue to tour with Ryan Berrier, drummer for another local metal band, Destrophy, filling the void until it finds a permanent replacement. The singer says it has longstanding friendship with Berrier, who will work with both bands for the weeks, possibly months ahead.

"We've been goods friends with Destrophy and Ryan and we always have a good time on the road together," he says.

While Index Case looks for a new drummer, it appears as though not all of the news coming out of the band's camp is like that of a "black hole sun." The group is among 10 Midwest rock bands paying tribute to Seattle legends Soundgarden on "Black Days: Midwest Movement Tribute to Soundgarden," due in stores Feb. 21.

Index Case delivers a cover of "Jesus Christ Pose" for the album. Fellow rockers Destrophy as well as All the Way Rider, Bloodwilltell, Casanatra and White Knuckle Trip are featured, too. Ansley says the group was honored to be a part of the project and that it chose to cover "Jesus Christ Pose" because it "fit with their sound."

Last fall, Index Case released its self-titled debut album, which spawned the video single "Deserver." "Listen," the album's opening track, was featured on the soundtracks for "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Ultimate Fighting." The band was also featured in a mini-biography on MTV and MTV2's "Amp Six Pack Band Search."

Aerosmith, Cheap Trick return

Legendary rockers Aerosmith and Cheap Trick, who performed in May 2004 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, return to Central Iowa to play Wells Fargo Arena March 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $59.50 and $79.50, go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.through the arena's box office and Dahl's Foods. Call (866) 55-DAHLS.

Scene notes

Local metal band Cruciful headlines a show Friday at 9:30 p.m. at the House of Bricks that includes Left 4 Dead, Diefied and A Lifeless Design. Cruciful released its debut album, "That Which Does Not Kill Us," last fall... Folk-bluegrass group Home Grown Tomatoes plays the Anchor Coffee House, located in the Westminster Presbyterian Church, on Saturday. Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance. Call 274-1534... Hip-hop artist Kyser, featuring Tess-1, Explicit from B.O.P., Joe Fatboy from Top Notch Mob and others will perform an all-ages show Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. at the House of Bricks. Admission is $6... Frequent Dave Matthews collaborator Tim Reynolds will perform a solo acoustic show Feb. 16 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston, 8600 Northpark Drive. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 in advance through IowaTix and $23 at the door. Jerry Lorenson, lead singer for Towncrier, will open... Kim Wilson, founder of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, returns to Blues on Grand for an 8 p.m. show on Feb. 21. Doug Deming and the Jewel Tones, who backed Wilson a year ago at the club, will once again join the blues singer-harmonica player extraordinaire. Tickets, $20, go on sale at Blues on Grand on Feb. 1. Wilson's early 8 p.m. performance is one of several early mid-week shows the club has booked in February as an experiment of sorts. Other 8 p.m. shows include upcoming guitarists Joey Gilmore (Feb. 1, $8) and Hamilton Loomis (Feb. 8, $8) and pianist Deanna Bogart (Feb. 15, $10). Call 244-3092... Lara St. John, popular classical violinist whose solo albums have climbed Billboard's classical charts, plays Hoyt Sherman Place Theatre on March 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets, $29-$49, go on sale today (Thursday) through IowaTix.com and the theater's box office (244-0199). CV