Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Lots Of Concert Lineup Changes, Plus News From Mike Haggith & WLSO!

Nope, no new concerts in today's post, but we have lots of notable news to share, mostly revolving around concert lineup changes! Three upcoming metal/hard rock concerts have bands removed or added, and those are our top stories today! Also, we have the latest news from Mike Haggith and WLSO: The Sounds Of Lake State to share with you guys. Let's begin today's post!

The first concert with lineup changes that we'll discuss is the Palms To The Sky/Breathing Apparatus concert on December 17th, as there are now two local opening bands! The first confirmed openers are local rock trio The Fury, who'll bring their bass-powered brand of music to Foggy Notions that night! Frontman Paul Stanghetta had told me about really wanting to open this show, so it's nice to see them get on the lineup! My source for this news is an e-mail by promoter Mike Gaetano to attendees on the official Facebook event page. The other new addition is local hardcore quintet As It Stands, in their first concert at Foggy Notions since their return set at August's Endast show! I should note that the promoters haven't confirmed their involvement yet, but As It Stands announced that they would be opening on their Facebook page, even launching their own event page for the December 17th show. That's good enough confirmation for us, but if something is said otherwise, I'll have it here! Remember to check this show out, as there will be lots of hardcore mayhem for you to enjoy! It's at 10:00 PM on the 17th, it is a 19+ show, and there is no announced cover charge! If I hear more, I'll have it here!

Next, here's some lineup news for the Soo Music Mash-Up concert at The Oddfellows Hall on December 28th! We'll start with the good news lineup-wise, as new local hardcore band Changing Waves have been added to the lineup! First seen live at last month's Total Chaos concert, they have been slotted third on the bill, sandwiched between RedD Monkey and Tea With Lincoln. Nice to see them gigging again, they're impressive for their age, but it'd be nice to know more about them! Now, for some bad lineup news, as local death metal quintet Bring The Fallen are now off the bill. Promoter Jeremy Hannah said they dropped out last minute on the Facebook event page, but I haven't heard a reason from the band as to why they're off. Frontman Josh Stephney seemed surprised by the news, so who knows. Sucks to see them off the bill, they'd have been a great addition! Replacing them as the co-headliners are experimental pop rockers The Crossed, in their long awaited return to the stage! I'll be honest in saying I've never dug them, but they still have a good local following, and they do have a metal connection, as former As It Stands & Stillbroke bassist Nathan Bouliane was once in The Crossed! Remember, this concert also features As It Stands, The Fury, and Ocean View, and is on December 28th at 6:00 PM! Tickets are $8, and it's ALL AGES! Stay tuned for more news on this show as we get it!

Our final concert updates concern the first announced hard rock show at The Dreammakers Theater at Kewadin Casino in 2010, which as you may remember, is on March 14th and features three very huge rock bands: Buckcherry, Papa Roach, and My Darkest Days! The first note is that the final opening band has been announced, and they are Bleeker Ridge, a hard rock quartet from Orillia, Ontario. Nice to see another Canadian band on the lineup! Signed to Roadrunner Records, they play a brand of radio hard rock which fits the show well, and though I've never heard of them before recently, I recognize that they have talent! I like them better than My Darkest Days, for what that's worth! Allstar Promotions confirmed their involvement on their Facebook page last Tuesday, and they're included on the posters for this show that you may have seen in Sault Michigan. The other note I have concerns ticket sales. Originally planned to go on sale tomorrow, it's been pushed back to Friday at 8:00 AM due to fan club restrictions. In other words, if you're a member of Papa Roach or Buckcherry's fan clubs, you'll have first dibs on tickets before they go on sale to the public. Remember, if you want to attend this heavy duty concert, tickets will be $36.50, and will go on sale Friday at this location, at the Kewadin Casino box office, or by phone at 1-800-KEWADIN! Stay tuned for updates as I hear them!

Fourthly, here is the latest from local solo artist Mike Haggith! Firstly, he has announced what will be his 44th solo album, to follow up the release of "Suspended Animation" in a few weeks! Entitled "The Blue Album", it's being described as a "cut-and-paste type of project". Three songs are currently confirmed for it, including a re-recording of his 2008 song "The Curse [Of 13]." And yes, this is the album cover, looks nice! No samples have been posted yet, but we still have a whole other album to get beforehand, so be patient! A release date of April 17th is listed on his Facebook page, and expect this to go on sale for mp3 download around then. Click here for updates, and yes, this will be in our January "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Now, back to talk about his imminent new album "Suspended Animation", as he has posted instrumental takes of the entire album onto his official Reverbnation page! I won't comment heavily on them because I wanna save major criticism for my eventual review after it goes on sale, but check them out, there's some good stuff to be had! Yes, I know there's no vocals yet, but Mike's recording those this month in Windsor, and if you want a sample of what to expect, he's posted the lyrics for the entire album at this location, so give them a look! There's some real thought put into these lyrics in many areas, I wonder how they'll sound vocally? Time will tell! Check out the above links for more on what Mike has in store next!

And finally, here's the newest updates from local radio station WLSO 90.1 FM: The Sounds of Lake State! Firstly, if you hadn't heard, WLSO announced "a new outlook" last month on their official website, to provide a better and more reliable station for listeners and LSSU students. What that entails isn't elaborated on, but it did mean the cancellation of all scheduled DJ broadcasts and programs for the remainder of the semester and a random auto-play format until January. Hopefully there's nothing too drastic going on, I've always enjoyed what they've been doing at WLSO! That being said, if you're a current student at Lake Superior State University and would be interested in being a DJ or program host next semester, contact personnel director Ramsey A've at (906) 635-7504 or rave@lssu.edu. If you're returning as a DJ next semester or are interested in DJing, you are encouraged to attend the WLSO Christmas party, which takes place THURSDAY EVENING at 6:30 PM at The Galley, which is the restaurant/convenience store area downstairs at The Cisler Center, across from WLSO headquarters. Give it a shot if you can, maybe we can get more metal shows on rotation!

Also, WLSO is still looking for a business director to manage station budgets and marketing. If you're a full time LSSU student in good standing with marketing knowledge, pick up an application at The Campus Life Office in room 125 downstairs in The Cisler Center. You have until Sunday to apply! For more info, e-mail campuslife@lssu.edu!

That's all for today, but there's more news on the horizon, including previews of this weekend's local metal and hard rock concerts, and our next CD review! Stay tuned for more!

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