This Weekend's Local Concert Previews!!

Another big concert weekend is upon us, and today, I'll let you know everything you should know in advance of your concertgoings over the next few days! There's some welcome returns, common sights, and lots of heavy and fun music for you metal and hard rock fans this weekend, so let's begin this packed post of concert previews for the next few days! (And before anyone asks, I regrettably can't hit any shows this weekend, I'll be in Detroit for some family stuff through Monday or so. I'll be at more shows in March, you have my word!)

We'll start at The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT, where the second ever bi-weekly punk night takes place! Like the first one though, there is heavy music to be had, so here's who to expect! The headliners are young local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, fresh off their Rosie debut at last week's metal night concert! Look for a hard hitting set of originals from this promising young band, who should impress any hardcore and metalcore fan in attendance! Joining them are the original crash band themselves, Sykotyk Rampage, in their first local concert appearance in 10 months! With loads of unique original material and a sound unlike any band you'll find in town, Sykotyk Rampage will put the "punk" back in "blue Chinese metal crash punk" tomorrow! Still waiting on their new albums though. Opening tomorrow's festivities are the new local stoner rock band Whiskey Skidoo, who cover classic stoner rock material, but I don't know a whole lot about them yet musically. They do cover some heavier stuff apparently though, so keep an eye on them! Like metal nights, this show will have a 9:30 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Although I still question why Changing Waves are on a punk night despite not really being "punk", this sounds like a fun and diverse night of music! I see a lot of promise in Changing Waves, I've always enjoyed Sykotyk Rampage's unique sound and humour, and Whiskey Skidoo sound original for a local band! If I could be in town for this one, I'd be there for it! Check the above links for more on this show, and for a video preview, here's Changing Waves playing their song "Lockdown" at The Oddfellows Hall in December! Remember, this show is TOMORROW NIGHT!



Now to the Friday shows, and we'll start at Foggy Notions, where "The Gayest Show On Earth" descends onto the local stage! That's literally what it's called, don't blame the messenger! Your headliners are WinkStinger, whose brand of extreme metal will be sure devastate the fans in attendance tomorrow night! They'll almost surely have their sense of humour with them as well, which is never a bad thing! Opening for them on Friday will be local grimecore trio Shit Liver, whose crusty take on death metal and punk will no doubt turn some heads on Friday, like they always seem to do! Sounds like a nice brutal show, hopefully you guys head out for it, I would go if I could! There's no cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time listed on the Facebook event page. If you're looking for a metal assault for your Friday, you can't go wrong with this show! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's WinkStinger playing their song "Cheese Grader Face" live at Foggy's from October's Zombie Walk Afterparty!



The other hard rock/metal show taking place only on Friday this weekend is the latest solo concert from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison! Continuing with his bi-weekly concert arrangements in the Heyden area, Tym returns to The Eagles Club on Trout Lake Road for another set of acoustic hard rock classics! The show starts at 9:00 PM tomorrow night, there is no announced cover charge, and I believe you must be 19 to attend. Not too much to say differently on this show, it's your standard Tym Morrison solo show, featuring loads of covers of songs of all genres, in an acoustic intimate setting! It's a bit of a drive for many of us, but while the wait continues for Caveman Morrison's return, this will do nicely! For more details, check the above links and the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym's newest solo acoustic song, "Someday"!



Let's make a brief stopover in Sault Michigan for a pair of shows this weekend at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! Tomorrow night and Saturday night, Cheboygan hard rock trio Peril will return to Kewadin for a pair of hard rocking nights of music! These will be their first local stops since the I-500 Pub Crawl, and their first shows at Kewadin of 2011, where they will return for at least four additional dates through September. This is your only chance at present to see Peril until the summer, so make it out to the casino this weekend if you can! Like most of their local shows, this should have a 9:00 PM start time and no cover, and you must be 21 to attend. For more details, check the above links and their official Facebook page! Sounds like a solid weekend of music from Peril, whose classic metal attack (with originals and covers galore) will no doubt get fans going tomorrow night and Saturday night! Check the above links for more, and for a preview, here's a video of Peril covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" in Traverse City last year!



Back to Sault Ontario to close today's post, and we'll head back to The Roosevelt Hotel, which welcomes more rocking music tomorrow and Saturday night! Local classic hard rockers Turner Up will hit The Rosie once again to deliver their brand of increasingly heavy rock music to their loyal fans this weekend! Nothing new to say on these shows compared to their usual gigs, they'll be on at 10:00 PM both nights, there's no cover, and there's a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's always good to see Turner Up out there, and they have no shortage of songs to play or future shows to headline, so make sure to check them out this weekend and have a good time! Check the above links for more, and to preview their weekend sets, here's Turner Up covering Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone" last month!



Meanwhile, at Foggy Notions on Saturday, it's the long awaited return of No Arrow! Yes, the long inactive local grunge trio hit the stage for the first time in at least two years (probably longer) when they back up local/Toronto-based classical punk rockers RedD Monkey at their "Swamp Donkey Romp" concert that night! No Arrow replaced frontman Dann Pichette's current band SBD on the bill earlier this week, and will feature Dann, longtime drummer Joe Falco, and Murder Playground-era bassist Jason Bourcier in the fold for their return! No Arrow and the always creative RedD Monkey will be joined by local bass rockers The Fury and an unknown band named "Sounds From The Green Room". I'd be lying if I claimed to know anything about them, and requests for information haven't helped, so if you know anything about them, PLEASE tell me! This concert starts after 9:00 PM, there's no cover charge, and there is a 19+ age limit. For more details, click here! Sounds like a diverse fun night of music, and the return of No Arrow has me genuinely intrigued as well! Hopefully there's more where that came from! Click the above links for more info, and for a preview, here's a classic No Arrow video from June 2007 of No Arrow playing their original song "Sikkha"!



And last but certainly not least, we'll head to The Rockstar Bar for the long awaited return of Half Past! After a ten month hiatus from the local concert stage, the local hard rock quartet are back with their classic lineup in tow, new material to share with their fans, and hopefully the same energy and talent that won them notices upon their debut under this name in 2009! We haven't seen them on stage since they opened for Garden of Bedlam in April, so this has been a long time coming, but definitely take notice! They're the only band at this show on Saturday night, which will have (oddly enough) a $3 cover charge, and it is 19+ as well. Everything starts at 10:30 PM! I guarantee that I would be at this show if I was in town, cause I've been hoping for Half Past to hit the stage again for months! Very talented hard rock band with loads of good covers and originals to share with their fans, so hit The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night if you can! For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Half Past playing their original song "War Inside My Head" at their last show in April!



That's all for today, in all likelihood, but I will have new news and notes here and there during my weekend in Detroit! If nothing else, I'll try to keep our Twitter page stocked with updates if things get slow. Stay tuned though, and go see some concerts this weekend! I'll be there in spirit! Thanks everyone!