Twenty years ago, Todd Evans of Bedford Township got a call from a friend urging him to check out a band in the Tam O'Shanter sports complex in Sylvania.

Friends often called him to go and see bands, but from the moment the ice-arena-turned-concert-hall went black, this show was different.

Dense fog billowed from the stage, barbaric creatures from another world emerged playing musical instruments, and bone-crunching metal blared from the speakers. Amazed by the spectacle, during which Evans was sprayed with stage blood and fake bodily fluids, he was hooked.

Little did he know when he left GWAR's show for his midnight shift at a local trucking company, that someday he would be on stage with the band playing bass in the role of Beefcake the Mighty.

Evans had been in Toledo-area bands such as Mother Goose, Pornflakes, and Death Toll. The 1982 Bedford High School graduate was playing with the Lazy American Workers when the band opened for GWAR in 2000.

GWAR's frontman, Dave Brockie, approached him to play bass for GWAR in the role of Beefcake. "I would have played kazoo for those guys," says Evans, 42, who was thrilled to be invited.

GWAR is known for its hard-driving metal meshed with gory theatrics, simulated violence and sex, and satires of current events, politicians, and Hollywood celebrities. The band's apocalyptic stage production includes creative costuming and a cast of horrific characters with names like Oderous Urungus, Mistress Slimestra, Balsac, and Techno Destructo.

Over the last 20 years, GWAR has released a slew of albums, received nominations for three Grammy awards, and grabbed attention by being named the favorite band of MTV's Beavis and Butthead.

GWAR recently was signed to a new label, DRT Entertainment of New York, by Derek Shulman, a driving force behind another band of masked metal super sellers, Slipknot, and has just released a cover version of Alice Cooper's "School's Out."

Formed in 1985 by a group of musicians and science-fiction horror film students from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond Va., GWAR is a thinking man's rock band. With biting sarcastic political humor mixed with crunching power chords, GWAR appeals to both hardcore and metal fans as well as critics.

"Obviously Alice Cooper is one of the early influences on GWAR," Evans says. "Arthur Brown influenced Alice Cooper, who influenced Kiss, who influenced everybody else. It's natural progression."

Many fans believe GWAR is an acronym standing for "god what an awful racket."

"That's a myth I love to dispel," Evans says with a laugh. "The name GWAR doesn't mean anything, and it doesn't stand for anything. GWAR is like a space alien's barbaric guttural growl."

Brockie, who portrays Oderous Urungus, has punk-rock roots reaching to the early days of the Washington hardcore punk scene. "Dave's a super intelligent guy," Evans says. "His political influences come from the early punk days of questioning authority. The whole Dischord [record label] thing in D.C. is where it started. That's where he's from."

Evans says GWAR members still talk about their first Toledo-area show in the late 1980s. Police warned the band members that if they used profanity or brandished any costume or props that may be considered offensive or lewd, they'd be shut down and arrested.

"It was hilarious," Evans recalls. "I remember specifically on stage them accentuating the golly gee, oh my gosh, gosh darn it, shucks, all that kind of stuff in order tokeep the show PG."

On tour, Evans is responsible for setting up the dressing room and loading and unloading the costumes. "We have a semi full of equipment, and every day, no matter the size of the club, we empty it into the club and set up. It's a chore. It's not all gumdrops, candy canes, and pockets full of cash."

Along with the dream job have come several nightmares. "It has been tough this past summer playing outdoors during some gigs in the extreme heat and in the direct sun while wearing costumes," Evans says. He makes sure to take care of himself, saying, "I definitely stay hydrated, and I don't drink or smoke."

Even though he "loves living like a gypsy," Evans still calls the area his home. "I'm comfortable here. It's like a solid, wholesome, Midwestern culture. People here are real."

GWAR performs tomorrow night in Headliners, 4500 North Detroit Ave. Doors open at 8. Opening acts are Priestess, Suicide City, and 2 Cents. Advance tickets, $15, are available at Ticketmaster. Tickets will be $20 at the door. Information: 419-693-5300 or www.headlinerstoledo.com

First Published August 17, 2006, 10:31 a.m.