Warning! The time has come to stand next to a fire, play with fire, even jump into the fire in a double take formation from Fire Fire live tonight for the band's CD release party at The Chop Shop in Charlotte.

Turn up the heat for this "head-exploding" hard rock onslaught, forged from flaming references and influences into a stripped-down, no-frills package. That's right, no light show, no backing tracks, no smoke machine, no fancy hoopla, just a hunka hunka burning hot rock from Ryan, Daniel, Kevin, Chris, and Bart -- aka Fire Fire.

Among other laudable feats the members of this relatively new band, based in Charlotte, recently found themselves raging and ranked among the Top 6 of 5,000 bands across the nation for the 2012 Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands competition.

With the simple but worthy goal of "playing live and making it important again," feel the burn of Fire Fire, along with Dirty Kin plus Sunset Trip tonight at The Chop Shop, 399 E. 35th St. in Charlotte's NoDa Arts District. Call 704-765-2467 or visit chopshopnoda.com for details, info, maps, whatever you need. Find Fire Fire on Facebook or go to reverbnation.com/firefire for more on the music.

Can't stop the inferno, spreading like wildfire to engulf a Journey tribute band known as Trial By Fire, live Saturday at The Money, in Rock Hill.

Successfully reproducing the music of a well-known classic band is no easy trick. In fact, it can be a testy undertaking full of assorted risks. But TBF takes on the task willingly, with fervent gusto. Based in Charlotte, this five-man band features Ernie Shepherd, vocals; Dan Fournier, guitar; Matthew Thompson, drums; Frank Joseph, keyboards; and Tony Newell, bass, in the guise of the '70s/'80s-era rock balladeers.

Journey is best known for guitar-driven progressive hard rock with a jazz fusion edge as much as for the melodic vocally driven style all found among a handful of classic arena bands. Hit tunes from Journey including "Don't Stop Believin," "Wheel in the Sky," "Lights," and others have easily withstood the test of time.

Naturally, this level of notoriety comes with a high recognition factor and great expectations for a tribute band to fulfill. Together for three years, the members of Trial By Fire fearlessly tout their dedicated vision to "embrace the sounds and visuals" of the mid-'90s Steve Perry era of Journey. Shepherd takes on his role with the fervor of a true fan whose first LP was what else but a Journey album.

So, when assembling a band himself, "Why not play what I like and do what I really wanted to do?" he said.

"We try to emulate Journey, be as believable as possible and do it all with a lot of energy," Shepherd said. "Journey has an incredible musical history of R&B blues-based rock. We're just trying to keep that alive. When we do a show."

"We love to interact with the audience, to make it fun, and to make it feel real." Tribute bands operate under a credibility threat. TBF takes that challenge seriously. " We aim for authenticity," Shepherd said. "We do it all live, 100 percent live, true to the music with no pre-recorded tracks, no loops, nothing.

"We're a local band inviting all our friends to come hear this great music." Turn back time with Trial By Fire, Saturday at The Money, 110 S. Cherry Road in Rock Hill. Call 329-2710 for show details. For more on the band go to trialbyfirejourney.net.

'We didn't start the fire,' but we can keep it under control with a steady stream of live music activities pouring forth.

Tonight: Open Mic Night with Frank Sciandra at Tropical Escape Café, Little Johnny Trailer Trash at The Ponderosa, RockStar at Fast Lane, EdgeOfTown at The End Zone, Astrid Haven, Toxic, more at The Money, Levi Stephens at Winthrop University, Simplified at Community Performance Center, all in Rock Hill; Early Ray at Wild Wing Café, Columbia; Evelynn Rose, Leadville Social Club at Snug Harbor, Chasing Edison, Tiny Boxes, and Matone at the Visulite Theater, CD Release Party with Dirty Kin, Sunset Trip at The Chop Shop-Noda, Hit The Lights, Moths to Flames, Sparks the Rescue at Amos Southend, Tinsley Ellis at the Double Door Inn, Austin Allsup, Baylor Drive at Puckett's Farm Equipment, Aqualads, Modern Primitives, Chalkies at the Milestone, Bass Church with Mind Elixir at The Fillmore, Franc and Woody at The Saloon-NC Music Factory, Gaelic Storm at the Neighborhood Theater, and Big Daddy Love at the Evening Muse, all in Charlotte.

Saturday: Junkpuncher at Luke's Sports Bar and Grill, Optional Illusion with Frank and Friends at Time Cruisers, both in Rock Hill; Tone Deaf at Fatbackz Sports Bar and Grill, Richburg; Coming UP Brass at Sylvia Theater, York; Nathan Hughes at Mac's-Steele Creek, Anniversary Party with First Call Kings at McKoy's, Children of Bodom, Revocation, more at Tremont Music Hall, Grown Up Avenger Stuff, Lucky Five, more at Amos Southend, Tom Principato at the Double Door Inn, Bobby Messano at Philosophers Stone, Drew Holgate at Common Market-Plaza-Midwood, Cosmic Charlie at the Visulite Theater, Tosco Music Party at Halton Theater-CPCC, Franc and Woody at The Saloon- NC Music Factory, Dangerous Days, Whiskey Hell Child, Case Federal and the Agents, More at the Chop Shop-NoDa, Boombox, Elliot Lipp at the Neighborhood Theater, and Blackwater Redemption, Brett Grier, more at Puckett's Farm Equipment, all in Charlotte.

Sunday: Carolina Vinyl and CD Show at Tremont Music Hall, Justin Powell Benefit with Actual Proof Trio, House of Fire, more at the Double Door Inn, Early Ray at Wild Wing Café, Soul Sunday-Funk Feast at Snug Harbor, Leslie Broussard, Gabe Dixon at the Evening Muse, and My Captain, Hammer NO More The Fingers, more at the Milestone, all in Charlotte.

Monday: Monday Night All Stars at the Double Door Inn, Open Mic at the Evening Muse, and Future Islands, Ed Shrader' Music Beat, more at the Milestone, all in Charlotte.

Tuesday: Jason Atkins Duo at Mac's-Steele Creek, The Mountain Goats, The Nurses at the Visulite Theater, Bill Hanna Jazz Jam at the Double Door Inn, Rocktronic at The Saloon-NC Music Factory, and Little Johnny Trailer Trash at Stooges Pub and Grub, all in Charlotte.

Wednesday: Oneppo Brothers at The Endzone, Rock Hill.

Thursday: The Swellers, Twin Atlantic, We Are The Ocean at Tremont Music Hall and Foe-Hammer, Chris Sanchez Band at the Visulite Theater, both in Charlotte.

"And that was all she wrote."