One year ago this St. Patrick Day, four B.C. based guys with four different musical talents collaborated to make a unique brand of music that’s been the buzz of the West Coast ever since.

Coincidentally, they’ll be playing at the Blarney Stone in Lethbridge on March 25. Say hello to Goodbye Beatdown.

They’ve fused the elements hip-hop, rock, blues, folk, soul and reggae to form a versatile brand of music, comparable to the styles of Sublime, the Red Hot Chili Peppers or even Rage Against the Machine.

Mark Luongo, bassist for Goodbye Beatdown, insists that with all the comparisons, people can’t quite put their finger on their sound.

“The different musical backgrounds are precisely what makes it work. I think we all bring something so different to the table and if you were to look at one of our iPods at any given time, you would not hear the same song let alone the same style of artist,” says Luongo.

Goodbye Beatdown has developed a strong reputation particularity with their high-energy, crowd engaging live performances.

Along with vocalist and wordsmith Dizzy Dustin Overhill are: DJ James Kennedy, Drummer Brani Shibilev, bassist Luongo, and recently acquired guitarist, 19-year-old Royce (Peaches) Whittaker.

Luongo has done most of the promotion for the group since joining in 2009.

“For now, I’ve been sort of building it myself and I’ve had the relationships and I’ve been very foreword thinking.

“We’re in our mid-twenties. We have to actually get a foothold in the Canadian scene by 2011, or we might not be able to make this work for our lives.”

They’ve done a pretty good job with making it work so far as they head out on their third western Canada tour. Last August, the quintet from Langley won the prestigious CFOX Seeds Contest, voted by a panel of industry judges.

Since, they’ve opened for the likes of Finger Eleven, Swollen Members and Sean Kingston, and most recently Sam Roberts at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

“I think we’re onto something here with our sound. The fact that we are unique helps us stand out so that we could play with Sam Roberts one week and then Sean Kingston the next week,” maintains Luongo.

They were playing at the Much Music Awards VIP lounge last year, where they stopped and asked CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos and ET Canada’s Rick Campanelli for feedback on band names. They named a few candidates and Stroumboulopoulos stopped them at Goodbye Beatdown, which stuck right away.

Last year releasing their debut album, “Whatchagwando,” and developing industry buzz, they’re set to release their second album by the end of this year. Their goal is to have a record internationally released under a label by 2011.

“There’s definitely room for a band like ours if we’re going strong and if we continue to write good music that people all over the place can identify with.”

Luongo says “Whatchagwando” was an introductory version of Goodbye Beatdown and they’ve been constantly evolving.

While they’re not quite making a living off their music yet, persistence and dedication have been the keys to the group’s success to this point.

“We don’t go out and get drunk at our shows, we’re not there to party and talk to girls. Sure we like talking to girls, sure we like having a few beers but in the end it’s about what we love doing the most and we come alive when we’re on stage.

“All of our shows in Vancouver end up being massive parties. It’s the only way we do it.”

Luongo says to expect a high-energy performance March 25 at the Blarney Stone, with songs from their album as well as a series of new ones with “a Rage Against the Machine type feel to them.”

He says they’re also working on covers of Master of Puppets, Ain’t No Sunshine and also Don’t Stop Believing.

After their current tour ends, Goodbye Beatdown plans on moving to southern Ontario to promote the name from coast to coast, before trying to expand internationally. Luongo says it’s like a leap of faith for the group.

“This is a business that’s all about having balls and taking risks and being willing to put yourself out for judgment and potential complete and utter failure.”

He adds, “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.”

The Lethbridge show starts at 8 p.m. on March 25 at the Blarney Stone, part of the pub’s Shred Night, celebrating the skateboarding and snowboarding community.

“The kind of music we’re doing is really unique. So if people want to go out and hear fresh fusion of sounds they might really like, that they’ve never heard together before, where they can really look to the people on stage to get them amped up…they would come see Goodbye Beatdown at the Blarney Stone.”