In the nine months College Station metal band Bonnie Blue has been together, they haven't yet played a local show.

The area used to have a more receptive scene, but these days it's predominantly country groups, bassist Nathan Ayers said. So his band is being proactive.

Things will be different on Saturday, when Bonnie Blue hosts the first-ever Lonestar Showdown at the Wellborn Community Center in College Station. They'll share the stage with fellow metal bands Prom Night Fist Fight of San Antonio, Myth & Legend of College Station and Hematidrosis of Houston, as well as ambient rock bands Dallas (which, oddly enough, actually hails from College Station and Austin) and Legacy Fails of Brenham.

Ayers said the idea came to the band after seeing a show at the Wellborn Community Center last year. The place isn't exactly known as a concert venue, but it costs $25 to rent, so it seemed like an easy enough decision to hold their own showcase.

"What we want to do is start a show at least once a month, and bring down bigger and bigger bands each time," he said, adding that he's been promoting the show pretty heavily for the past month. "There should be a pretty big draw of kids."

Ayers said he doesn't necessarily want the series to have a metal focus -- just a mix of local and regional bands, with the one constant being Bonnie Blue.

He's already working on future Lonestar Showdowns, and rock fans can expect appearances in coming months by Novista from Houston and Eldridge from Sugar Land.

Saturday's show costs $5. The center is located at 4119 Greens Prairie Road.

• Craig Kapitan's e-mail address is craig.kapitan@theeagle.com.