As promised, here's our second weekend concert preview post for this week, and it is 100% devoted to a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning an ongoing local talent competition's next installment, and fallout from the opening night! Here's what you should know!
Local rap metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty have advanced to the second round of this year's Soo's Got Talent competition, and thusly will return to The Grand Gardens Verdi Ballroom at 455 Queen Street West TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the one week-turnaround left me opting to hold our night #1 results for this weekend's previews. Last Friday's opening round saw the first cuts, with Des & M.J. Barry, Tyson Bastos & Jordan Palahnuk, Debbie Graham, Serge LeBlanc, and Leila Rabanez all not moving on to TOMORROW'S second round action, but The Apocalypse Afterparty will join the other 14 surviving acts as they continue their quest to win this city-wide contest, and 10 semifinalists will be chosen to return next Friday. Come on down to The Verdi Hall to see all of TOMORROW'S action from this talented roster of artists! Like last week, this is an ALL AGES event at 8:00 PM with a $10 cover charge for
adults, $5 for kids 16 and under. With all of that said, what can we show you from last week's performances?
Unlike last year, The Soo's Got Talent has a television outlet, courtesy of ONNtv, SaultOnline's over-the-top subscription TV service, which is worth considering if you miss MCTV-era local television, and they aired night #1 of the competition on tape delay on Monday night, with future rounds scheduled for the following Monday at 6:30 PM save for a Wednesday, October 9th episode. This intentionally glitchy commercial hyped the ONNtv airings as well, but if you aren't an ONNtv subscriber, you're not left in the dark, as the 2+ hours long video was posted to SaultOnline's YouTube channel on Tuesday! Each performer is featured here and linked below, complete with judges remarks afterward, and all have singers doing a cover unless otherwise stated. In chronological order, we have Andrea Dantzer (the title track from "The Sound of Music"), Coulson Perri (Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love With You"), Des & M.J. Barry (PowerSource's "Dear Mr. Jesus")...
Note that advertised performances by Madi Schomogyi, Michaela Skagen, and Marcie Tremblay are not featured here for unannounced reasons, but hopefully nothing bad happened with them to force their withdrawal! Regarding the two metal performances, I will say that I think Serge would be better accentuated with a live band and a stage setup more used to metal acts, but it's neat to see him bring that style to the table! As you can see at video's end, The Apocalypse Afterparty appear to have dropped wearing masks on stage for their return, and as such, I think it's safe to finally say that X and z are indeed "songwriters" Paul Stanghetta on vocals/bass and his wife Amanda (née Brown) on drums rather than the MPC, while Paul's ex-Keep It Lit bandmate Alice Rose (in full Tune Squad gear) has joined on the second bass.
I'll remain impartial regarding the competition here, but if you love Paul's old work as a frontman in The Fury, not to mention The A.A. and Noochin' Lanterns past runs, this should be right up your alley, and the judges give interesting feedback! Don't miss all of the action TOMORROW NIGHT at The Verdi Hall, and here's all 20 of last week's acts in action! Good luck!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
It's now time to dive into this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and things are definitely quieter this week, but we have enough concerts to fill two posts thanks to the immense write-up on The Soo's Got Talent's second round and prior fallout, so look for all of that later today. In the interim, here's what you should know re: traditional concerts, starting with a handful of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!
Local hard rock solo singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his weekly Gliss Restaurant matinee run TOMORROW
& SATURDAY, but his seasonal run of Thomson Farms Cider & Winery concerts will also continue TODAY and for the next few weeks! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only confirmed these gigs via their Facebook event page yesterday. After two prior weekly gigs inside the Third Line West mill's wine barn, Tym has confirmed that he will playing there each Thursday evening through October 17th, including TODAY and next Thursday, September 26th, though we will wait to list his October shows there until we roll his Gliss gigs next month into our concert calendar. With a triple-header of matinees both at this new-ish west end venue and at the Spring Street restaurant, fans of his hard rocking covers have lots of chances to see Tym live this weekend!
TODAY'S Wine Barn show has a 5:00 PM start time, the Gliss gigs are at 6:00 PM, and none have age limits or cover charges. Visit the Gliss engagement's Facebook event page and above for more details, and here's Tym live!
Next up, local classic/hard rock cover band Soundcheck will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only just announced via their Facebook event page yesterday, and they were not listed on the band's 2019 concert calendar from February. Just two weeks removed from their last shows at this popular west end venue, this will be the second weekend out of three that Soundcheck are playing here in just under a month's time, so fans and patrons alike will have lots of solid tunes to check out TOMORROW & SATURDAY, especially with Catch the Ace ongoing! Note that the event page says that "Soundcheck 3.0" are playing this weekend, and while that may imply that this is the third version of the band playing this weekend, that actually refers to their shorthanded nature.
This time out, Travis Sharpe will trade his usual guitar for a bass to cover for Paul Belair, who the band cited as being "busy" this weekend, hence his latest absence. Usually, Soundcheck cover for Paul by enlisting a special guest, so is this a case of no one being available, just trying things with Travis on the four string, or were these shows late notice in general? In any event, don't miss 75% of Soundcheck TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY at The Esquire Club! Expect 10:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, as usual. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!
Moving to previously announced concerts, starting with the expected continuation of Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's morning matinee run at Biggby Coffee TODAY! Though not newly plugged by band or venue at press time, "every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated, so look for Alex & Josh to deliver more hard rocking covers at the Ashmun Street coffee shop today at 10:30 AM! Note that we regrettably missed two acoustic Tarnished shows for coverage on the site in the past week, both only publically announced by the band the day of the concert. One was the Foodies United Fundraiser at The United Way on Friday (organizers never confirmed musical performers online), and the other was a special Wednesday nighter at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino. I profusely apologize for missing them for coverage on the site, but alas, if Tarnished don't give them more than a few hours notice, I can't guarantee I can cover them. I will keep better tabs, at least!
In any event, I hope they were great times for band and fans alike, but don't miss them at Biggby today for tips & coffee! As usual, this is an all ages show with no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of Tarnished covering Bob Seger's "Turn The Page" at The Signatures Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino two weeks ago! Live-streamed by fan Ted Brosco and shared by the band on their Facebook page, this is a solid cover, but muffled audio is an issue at times, and Alex often covers up Josh at this angle. Give it a look below!
Finally for this weekend, let's head to the aforementioned Northern Pines Lounge, where fellow Sault Ste. Marie classic/hard rockers Highway 63 are advertised to return to the St. Ignace Kewadin for headlining concerts of their own TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen here at the end of June, these shows have not been newly plugged by the band at press time, but are still advertised at this link by the venue. This should be another fine chance for fans to see Henry, Nathan, George, Russell, and Brian rock out with more fan favourite covers at a familiar locale, so don't miss out on all of the action this weekend in St. Ignace! As usual for regular weekend shows here, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Highway 63 live!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Soo's Got Talent second round preview later today! Thanks everyone!
Before we dive into another round of weekend concert previews, here's a new news post for your Wednesday morning! This covers some some big updates from two local punk-influenced bands, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related promoter changes to keep note of. Now, with all of that said, here's what you should know!
Hamilton hardcore punk trio Hellbent will make their local concert debut when they headline at The Rockstar Bar on Sunday, October 13th! A late addition to their 2019 Canadian tour, Hellbent are touring in support of their new EP "Dead on the Floor", and with their brutal, fast-paced, and no-nonsense original attack, they should make lots of new fans in this Thanksgiving weekend bash! Local openers are to be announced, we'll let you know when they are confirmed. Notably, this is the first punk/metal concert to be promoted by the newly-renamed Oh!No Co. following the retirement of the Six, Two, Oh. name earlier this week. Obviously taking the new moniker from the yearly festival in Leeburn, staff are citing having "great ideas" that they think will "fit better under the Oh!No banner" as the reason for the change, though note that the Six, Two, Oh. name at least partially came from inactive filmmaking company 62nd Chamber Productions, as ran by AlgomA guitarist Boyd Rendell, who hasn't visibly been involved with recent company events.
Oh!No Co.'s Facebook page is effectively the Oh!No festival page with slightly new branding (Six, Two, Oh.'s is still up, thankfully), and it gives their launch date as 2017 with the festival's inception, without crediting Six, Two, Oh.'s 2015-2016 run, or prior work as Oh! Right Arm! Productions. There, the company's current staff are given as AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent still, now alongside Oosik Records owner/DJ Al Bjornaa, Slumshine founder/veteran punk musician Brenton Ellis, and Alex Moore. The new name will take some adjusting, but for synergy reasons and to tie in with the festival, I understand the move! The first show promoted under the Oh!No Co. name will be a psychedelic concert at The Whiskey Barrel next week headlined by Poly Trap Super Six, while a gumbo night (a'la the prior "punk rock ramen" event) will be held at the Feeding Your Soul Cafe on White Oak Drive East on October 18th, presumably as the first fundraiser for Oh!No IV.
As for the Hellbent concert (which is definitely advertised to take place upstairs at The Rockstar Bar), expect a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and a 9:00 PM start time. With the holiday long weekend, there's all the more reason for hardcore punk fans to make it to this show next month, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and see above for more on Oh!No Co., which is now linked on the SMS, as is the festival proper in that section!
Next up, here's the latest from reunited local ska/hard rock band Tripod the Dog, who still don't have a newly updated online page to promote activity with (their Facebook group was manned by the departed Greg Beharriel), so what's new from their camp? Well, as it turns out, the Mark Oliverio-led band actually played their first advertised concert in five months this past Friday when they made their apparent debut at The Esquire Club. The venue plugged the show the day prior, and Mark himself had posted a Facebook event page on his personal account, but none of this crossed our radar last week. I profusely apologize for missing it on here, but hopefully it was a huge hit, and that we hear more in advance from Tripod the Dog in the future! Based on photos floating around personal accounts, it looks like Mark has enlisted ex-Cherry Crush/Soo Fighters bandmates John & Jonny Amendola as their new bassist and drummer, ostensibly replacing Sean Berlinguette and Brian Egglesfield.
Reasons for the lineup changes haven't been publically announced, but remember that Sean & Brian were only advertised for 2018's Rotaryfest Stage 1 set and never turned up in an online public form regarding their April show at The Rockstar Bar. Father and son Amendola always have good chemistry, and hopefully they fit in well with Tripod the Dog! Personal postings imply that their show on Friday was a hit, but when will we see this veteran band back out there? Stay tuned for more when/if it rolls in!
Finally for today, here's some new updates from local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback from earlier this month, starting with the reveal on their Facebook page that they have made official band t-shirts that are now on sale for $25 in all sizes! Designed by Celeste's Art & Photography (Celeste and bassist Matt Quinn pictured), the primary artwork takes more inspiration from tarot cards than traditional punk imagery, though you can easily make a tie to their song "Everlasting Despair", and it's a cool design! As well, A Dire Setback shared this new teaser clip for the studio version of "Kicking & Screaming" to their Facebook page and YouTube channel around that same time, which only runs for 25 seconds, but it shows us more of the song and music video than their prior teaser! The nicely put together video features a longer sample of the song, plus small preview images of the video, seemingly informing us that building vandalism is a running theme and expands beyond hurling a toilet off of the second floor.
We will know very soon how the video and full song have came out, as the final video will apparently be posted online this Saturday, so keep that date in mind. In the interim, t-shirts can be ordered through band members at the links above, and all proceeds will go towards physical printing costs for the CD. Give the video teaser a look below, and stay tuned for updates!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
After a quieter than expected weekend, let's get back into the swing of things by finally getting caught up on recent Chase Wigmore content from his relaunched Facebook page, so what's new-ish to report from this prolific experimental/metal solo artist? We'll first go back to July 29th, where in the second video he posted that day, Chase played five newer original songs in this 28 minutes long video. This uses two separate feeds of Chase playing guitar and electric drums for the tracks "Tubular Bells", "St. Marie Revisited", "Mt. Coyote In Chaos", "M.P.A.L.T.M.D." and "Nightshift." The fourth song has a full name as given on an old demo, but I won't write it here due to it's provocative nature. One assumes these will all feature on his upcoming official studio album "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To." The dual track nature of this video adds a little extra to the proceedings, and while the video quality is inconsistent, the performances are solid, so give this long video a look below!
After sharing a remix of Nine Inch Nails' "Last" on August 15th (which doesn't sound bad for what it is), Chase followed it up two weeks later with a new acoustic original named "Feelings With Minor Chords", which is planned to be the first song from a future release called "The Good, The Bad, and The Strange Volume Two", which would be a sequel to his 2011 demo linked above. No word on where this falls into the timeline for release plans and stature, but the song proper seems to parody indie/folk solo artists who sing about their feelings, as reinforced by the slideshow in the clip. Amusing enough track, so give it a listen below!
Also, Chase shared this Facebook video of him covering local doom metal trio AlgomA's song "Reclaimed By The Forest" on August 28th, but this isn't the first time you've heard Chase tackle this song. Back in January of last year, Chase's now-inactive industrial project The Black Lodge Masters did a version of "Reclaimed By The Forest", though this solo rendition is very different, stripping away the industrial/techno elements for a longer acoustic variation. Chase's new cover has more emotion and weight to it, but you may prefer the electronic version for your own musical tastes. Judge for yourselves!
Finally, Chase posted his new studio version of his original song "St. Marie Revisited" onto his YouTube channel on August 31st, making this the second revealed track to go public from "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To" in it's apparent final recording form. I'll hold full comment pending a review of the album after it's planned release next month, but if you like his intense folk/punk originals, you should be right at home here. Check it out below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
As promised, we are capping off this surprisingly busy hard rock concert weekend preview cycle in today's post by tackling a familiar band's St. Ignace gigs, but we also have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this and next month, an apology for a missed show, and a new live concert clip to showcase as well. Here's what you should know!
Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished have announced a few new local dates for this fall, starting with a set as part of this year's Fall Festival (formerly Oktoberfest) on Saturday, September 28th! As seen on the poster on the right, Tarnished will be playing in acoustic duo form that afternoon at 1:00 PM, as part of the Crooked Music Sound Stage, presumably outside of their Ashmun Street storefront. Of course, there's a lot more going on at the Fall Fest besides music, with family entertainment, games, contests, and activities downtown in just over two weeks' time, so click here for full non-musical details. All of the entertainment is in the daytime, with acoustic rock duo The Tavern Stool Townies (featuring I.S.O.M. alum Bob Helsten) headlining at 4:00 PM. Alt-rock musician Kathleen Connelly and folk solo artist Magnet Moslov (not Moslav) will play at 3:00 & 2:00 PM each, while student dancers from the Academy of Performing Arts will open at 12:00 PM.
This event is absolutely ALL AGES, and there's no cover to see the music. Sounds like a fun time with lots of solid entertainment from various fields, so don't miss out later this month downtown! Meanwhile, Tarnished's own Facebook event pages for upcoming solo dates largely reflect road-trip dates to Gould City and Mount Pleasant, with the November 21st Kewadin Casino date here (picked up after Banned dissolved) is still on as advertised. However, Tarnished did play at Biggby Coffee this morning, a show that they only plugged this morning at 10:07 AM, just twenty-three minutes before showtime. As such, it does appear that their "every Thursday" run is absolutely still a thing, but why not advertise these dates sooner, or at least put up a Facebook event page to list them all? In any event, I apologize for missing this week's, but to make it up to them, we now have their Biggby Coffee matinees listed for Thursday, September 19th and 26th, with October to be addressed later.
As usual for this arrangement, Tarnished's upcoming dates here for tips and coffee will be 10:30 AM matinees with no cover charges or age limits. See above for more details, and before we move on, here's a new video of Tarnished at Biggby Coffee last week covering 3 Doors Down's "Kryptonite." A bit of a slower, more laid back interpretation (even beyond the unplugged setting), Alex and Josh are on form here, and the vertical camera angle takes nothing away in this case, but I wouldn't have filmed where a table could cut off the lower section. Give it a look below!
Next up, let's take a detour north to Sault Ontario, where Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever will return to the Soo on Saturday, October 5th at The Canadian Nightclub! We're no strangers to Bon Jovi tribute acts up here, with bands like Keep The Faith and Bon Journey providing their own takes in the past decade, but Bon Jovi Forever themselves are the most recent, last playing here at The Rockstar Bar in May 2016. If you love Bon Jovi's early hair metal hits and newer contemporary material, this band will deliver the visual and auditory goods, as seen in their videos and concert reviews, so Hair Scare loyalists won't wanna miss their return next month! Notably, this is the kickoff to The Canadian's run of "Rocktober" tribute concerts next month, with Journey and Tragically Hip tributes also playing there in the following weeks, and a C.C.R. tribute in November also.
No local opener is advertised, we'll let you know if one is announced. A 9:30 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ event, which has $15 advance tickets available at The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk, with the door price jumping to $20. If you love Bon Jovi, this show is well worth your time next month, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!
Finally, let's cap off this abnormally busy stretch of weekend concert previews by heading back to Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril are scheduled to return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the Northern Michigan veterans' first local concert weekend since rocking St. Ignace in late July, and this should be a prime chance for E.U.P. fans to see Jeff, Adam, and Brooks rocking out at a familiar locale once again! It's worth noting that these shows coincide with the annual Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show in St. Ignace, so might things be busier this weekend as a result? Find out tonight and/or tomorrow! As usual for their Kewadin bookings, these shows are 9:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this weekend! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin this second weekend concert preview post (The Cancer Bats, The Soo's Got Talent, and Tym Morrison were addressed this morning), just an advance reminder that, if Tarnished's "every Thursday" run at Biggby Coffee in Sault Michigan continued today, it was not advertised online as of this writing. We do have videos of theirs to share soon, but for now, let's dive into the second half of our Sault Ontario weekend concert previews, mostly containing SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!
Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to The Whiskey Barrel for headlining dates TOMORROW NIGHT and then on Saturday, September 28th! Apologies for the short notice on the former, it was only announced one week ago today on the venue's Facebook event page, not leaving us time to preview it before it got too soon. After not playing any advertised gigs at this Gore Street bar and restaurant at all in August, these shows TOMORROW and later this month should provide ample opportunity to hear Christina, Rob, and Jesse in their natural element at their recent favourite venue! Hopefully there's no Friday the 13th bad luck TOMORROW, of course. Both shows are 19+ affairs with no cover charges and 8:00 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!
Next up, London sludge/post-metal quintet Whoop-Szo will return to the Soo when they headline at Dryer Fire on Bruce Street THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was actually announced via the venue's Facebook event page two weeks ago, but it completely slipped us by at the time. Some fans may recall seeing Whoop-Szo at LopLops in June 2018 at a merged concert following a late relocation from Outspoken Brewing, but I presume their Sault Ste. Marie encore will remain at its original locale. Playing a unique mash-up of metal, psychedlic, and experimental genres, Whoop-Szo's noisy mountain of original music should play well at Dryer Fire on SATURDAY! Hamilton folk/indie rock solo act Zoon will open in their own local debut, and while not as heavy as the headliners, their brand of "mocassingaze" (not shoegaze) originals should turn heads to kick off the night! Notably, this is Dryer Fire's third-to-last concert at their pop-up summer location, and last there with a hard rock act.
No word on if Nicole will re-rent a live events space here or elsewhere in 2020, but I've heard great things about Dryer Fire this year, hopefully there's more in the works! This ALL AGES concert has a $10 cover charge and a 7:00 PM start time THIS SATURDAY, as usual for this venue when not "pay what you can." Visit the above links for more details, and here's Whoop-Szo live!
Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock quartet Soundcheck will join their previously announced Reggie's West concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT with one more car show at the new A&W at 659 Great Northern Road THIS SUNDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, neither Soundcheck nor car show organizers Northern Lights Cruisers have publically confirmed their involvement online, but band members Terry Eaton and Glen Thomas have both indicated that they'll be playing on SUNDAY via their personal Facebook pages. No strangers to playing outside of the new A&W this summer, the Cruisin' the Dub car show is allegedly A&W's "annual car/bike show", and will feature family games, raffles, and other such entertainment alongside the vehicles and Soundcheck's set. Like with The Soo's Got Talent, all proceeds go to the ARCH Hospice. Of course, if you want a traditional nighttime concert from Soundcheck, keep their Reggie's West shows in mind too!
Note that recent advertising that I have seen for these shows only refer to them as taking place at Reggie's (no West), implying that they may have been moved to Reggie's Place downtown, but Soundcheck's own 2019 concert calendar has always said that they'd be at the Reggievelt. If they were indeed moved, I'll let you know! In any event, those shows are 10:00 PM & 19+ affairs, SUNDAY's car show is at 1:00 PM and is absolutely ALL AGES, and none have a cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live earlier this year!
Finally for today's previews (Peril are coming tomorrow!), let's tackle a show that fully and entirely had advance notice that we caught, as prolific local experimental/metal solo musician Chase Wigmore will headline a special Rednecks Saloon concert TOMORROW NIGHT to officially launch his new single! A rare headlining appearance from the Awokest frontman, this Friday the 13th event is in honour of Chase's 25 minutes long track "Stray Dog Howl" from his upcoming official studio album "Songs To Punch Yourself In The Face To." Might we hear "Stray Dog Howl" in full along with his other folk/punk acoustic songs tomorrow? "The Ghost of Chase Wigmore", as he's billed here, will be joined by C.T.W. frontman Tyler Gibson's drum & bass side project Alegendary in their apparent live debut, as well as the still-unrevealed "A Misterious Fellow", while folk solo musician Wes Armstrong was quietly added to the bill earlier this month.
Admission for this 19+ concert is on a "pay what you can" model, and an early 7:00 PM start time is advertised. A very diverse lineup has gathered for this one, and hopefully it gives Chase's single the big launch it deserves as we inch closer to his planned CD release on Devil's Night, so don't miss out on all of the action tomorrow! Check the official Facebook event event page for more details, and here's Chase live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Peril previews and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
Usually, the local hard rock concert calendar slows down in the autumn (Halloween aside), but that is not the case this weekend, as we have enough concert previews for two full posts, with at least one needing to be in a third post! As such, here's the schedule. This post has two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and our Cancer Bats preview (as that show is tonight), while we'll tackle the Whoop-Szo, Chase Wigmore, Soundcheck, and Wyld Stallyns concerts later today, with Peril's St. Ignace dates to follow tomorrow morning along with other recent stories. Hopefully that covers everything, so here's what you should know to start the weekend!
Joining his regular Gliss Restaurant matinees TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, local acoustic solo musician Tym Morrison will reportedly play at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery on Third Line West for a third straight week TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, a Facebook event page has not visibly been created to plug this show at press time, but the mill advertised Tym as performing on their Facebook page, and the show is also listed on SooToday's events calendar. Whether this is an extended weekly arrangement for the fall season or not, the third time may be the charm for fans of Tym's unplugged hard and classic rock covers, so look for him in the wine barn TONIGHT! For what it's worth, Thomson Farms will have pumpkin spice cider on sale starting today, but if you're not into that, their selection is large. Of course, Tym's ongoing Gliss shows should provide more entertaining unplugged music for your dinner-time entertainment tomorrow and Saturday, so don't miss out!
As was the case in the past two weeks, all three of these shows are age limit-devoid and have no stated cover charges (though mind the locales), and while the Gliss shows are at 6:00 PM as usual, the Thomson Farms show TONIGHT is at 5:00 PM. Visit the Gliss concerts' Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!
Next up, The Soo's Got Talent officially kicks off it's sophomore installment TOMORROW NIGHT at The Grand Gardens Verdi Ballroom (p.k.a. The Verdi Hall), and there will be one metal band/performer on the preliminary competitor roster, namely the returning Apocalypse Afterparty! Again, apologies for the short notice, their involvement only broke this week when organizers unveiled the first round lineup, and the band proper didn't publicize their Wacky Wings audition last month for us to get an advance teaser. This will be X and z's first public concert since their run of pop-up gigs in mid-2017, so can they shake off the stage rust in time for TOMORROW's talent competition? For what it's worth, their Facebook page teases a new setlist and band member, though of course, remember that they were infamous for wearing masks on stage. However, do not expect a long performance, as twenty-three acts are playing TOMORROW. I won't attempt to list all 23 here, especially as many are unfamiliar to me, but a few other familiar faces are competing!
Regarding returnees from last year, the only finalist that I can discern as playing year #2 is singer Bethany Pelletier (LeBeouf), while L!me's Madi Schomogyi is also advertised as returning. Some other familiar names may include Colin Gasparelli (from this year's Fringe North/Up The Arts music stage), 2017 Soo Youth Songwriters Contest winner Juliana Regan, and local beatboxer Killabeatz, among others. Of course, with a lineup this big, it's hard to predict who will advance, but remember that The Apocalypse Afterparty did mount a surprise finals run in 2015's VM Radio Battle of the Bands, and "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta did place in earlier battles with The Fury. However, remember that this is not a battle of the bands, and expect to see non-musicians TOMORROW NIGHT, including The Dancing Divas. Moving to The Verdi Hall after the closure of The Tech, this event is a fundraiser to support the ARCH Hospice.
Bands selected to advance at night's end will compete again next Friday, September 20th, with semifinals on September 27th, and the finals taking place on October 11th, so be sure to visit the Facebook event page for continuing updates on the competition as it progresses. The show starts TOMORROW NIGHT at 8:00 PM, with a $10 cover charge for adults, $5 for kids 16 and under, and those prices and times also apply for later rounds too. Things sound bigger and better for The Soo's Go Talent II, but who will move on to next week, and what do The A.A. have up their sleeves? See above for more details, and stay tuned for updates!
Finally, here's a big concert taking place TONIGHT at Soo Blaster, as Toronto hardcore punk/sludge metal quartet The Cancer Bats will make their long awaited return to the city for what should be a brutal time! Many fans may recall seeing these four time Juno nominees open for Billy Talent at the Gardens 9½ years ago, but this will be their first headlining show here since 2006. After too long of a wait, The Cancer Bats' hard hitting modern metal attack should melt many faces again tonight! Note that Alexisonfire's Wade MacNeil will be filling in for new dad Scott Middleton on guitar for this tour. Support will come from London post-hardcore quintet The Single Mothers and Baltimore hardcore punk band Sharptooth, who each bring proficient sounds and direct lyrics to the table for sub-genre fans, while Thunder Bay female-fronted punk quintet Forever Dead were quietly added to the bill themselves late last month. Apparently playing here last ca. 2008, Forever Dead have became a very
prominent band in Thunder Bay with their fast-paced and energetic sound, and it'll be great to see them back!
Local support will come from punk trio Redundant in their first public show of 2019, where they will reportedly unveil their new bassist, so who's handling the low end now? Find out TONIGHT! Presented by Thunder Bay's Loffredo & Associates (who brought Monster Truck here this summer), this 19+ & 8:00 PM concert has $20 tickets available at this link and presumably at the door. With this huge lineup and The Cancer Bats' positive reputation, I'm hopeful this will be a big hit at the gate and with fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Cancer Bats live!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Whoop-Szo, Chase Wigmore, Soundcheck, and Wyld Stallyns previews next! Thanks everyone!
Local rap metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty have advanced to the second round of this year's Soo's Got Talent competition, and thusly will return to The Grand Gardens Verdi Ballroom at 455 Queen Street West TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the one week-turnaround left me opting to hold our night #1 results for this weekend's previews. Last Friday's opening round saw the first cuts, with Des & M.J. Barry, Tyson Bastos & Jordan Palahnuk, Debbie Graham, Serge LeBlanc, and Leila Rabanez all not moving on to TOMORROW'S second round action, but The Apocalypse Afterparty will join the other 14 surviving acts as they continue their quest to win this city-wide contest, and 10 semifinalists will be chosen to return next Friday. Come on down to The Verdi Hall to see all of TOMORROW'S action from this talented roster of artists! Like last week, this is an ALL AGES event at 8:00 PM with a $10 cover charge for
adults, $5 for kids 16 and under. With all of that said, what can we show you from last week's performances?
Note that advertised performances by Madi Schomogyi, Michaela Skagen, and Marcie Tremblay are not featured here for unannounced reasons, but hopefully nothing bad happened with them to force their withdrawal! Regarding the two metal performances, I will say that I think Serge would be better accentuated with a live band and a stage setup more used to metal acts, but it's neat to see him bring that style to the table! As you can see at video's end, The Apocalypse Afterparty appear to have dropped wearing masks on stage for their return, and as such, I think it's safe to finally say that X and z are indeed "songwriters" Paul Stanghetta on vocals/bass and his wife Amanda (née Brown) on drums rather than the MPC, while Paul's ex-Keep It Lit bandmate Alice Rose (in full Tune Squad gear) has joined on the second bass.
