Monday, July 18, 2011

The Flooding At The Canadian, It's Effect On Local Concerts, And More!

Alright, this post is coming earlier than I'd like (I had planned for this to go up early tomorrow), but some major news came in today that I felt I should get on the site sooner rather than later. That's the main story, but I will include this week's classic video at the end to fill things out, and check out all the details on our current poll (and last month's poll results) in the post below this one. Now though, let's get to the big news (And if anyone has any corrected or additional news on the below stories, by all means let me know!) (UPDATED, 9:12 PM)

The Canadian Nightclub on Pim Street was the victim of major flooding overnight during our major rainstorm, and as such, the entire nightclub is massively flooded. Estimates have put upwards of 100,000 gallons of water populating the inside of The Canadian Motor Hotel's downstairs bar, and though removal of the water has begun (you can see the trucks removing it outside in the parking lot), there is a long way to go from here. SooToday was covering the unfortunate incident at this article, including photos of the interior, where you can see how bad the flooding is. No pictures with the stage in view are shown, but you can see how high the water is in relation to the bar area. According to The Canadian's Jay Perron on this photo album, the parking lot of The Canadian was a lake, sewers were backed up, and the water basically came through the doors. I'm in no position to estimate damages or comment on the severity of the flooding, but this certainly is not a minor incident. This shocking news comes just 15 months after the fire at The Upper Deck Lounge upstairs, which itself didn't disrupt the bar, but the guys at The Canadian have had some real bad luck in general since the renovations in 2009.

I really feel for everyone at The Canadian right now, hopefully they can eventually restore the bar to working order, and hopefully they can come back from this stronger than ever! The Canadian has extra value to myself because it's both right near my place and was the site of my first 19+ concert (Sandman in June 2008), so I certainly wouldn't have wished any of this on them. I heard and saw the storm we got up on the hill, it was intense, but I'd never had thought it'd cause a flood inside any buildings. Obviously, how wrong I was.

I'll keep you guys posted if any updates concerning the bar's condition come to my attention, but if you're a concertgoer, you may be wondering what this means for scheduled concerts, theme nights, and events there. From what I'm hearing, any scheduled events and shows at The Canadian are now cancelled through at least the end of August. Some discussions about that are featured on our Facebook page. On the metal side of things, this obviously means that the Alcoholic White Trash all ages show on August 1st and Hollow's reunion show on August 6th are no longer happening at The Canadian, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will be cancelled outright. Stephane Vincent from The Roosevelt Hotel let me know that there was preliminary talks about the Alcoholic White Trash show being moved to The Rosie, but that's not final at present time. Hollow have yet to officially cancel or move their show, but they will try and find a new venue if possible, as indicated on their reunion shows' event page. A shift to The Rockstar Bar wouldn't surprise me, seeing as they're playing there on the 5th already, but that's just speculation. As for Full Circle's scheduled weekend there in September, I've left it on our schedule for now, as September is (at best) up in the air for possible bar events, but if I hear confirmation that it's cancelled or moved, I will let you guys know!

My other Canadian-related note is that a band that was hoping to play there next month is now without a venue. This show had yet to be officially announced, but with the venue for the show being essentially lost due to the flooding, we're hearing details about it and what is needed now. Toronto hardcore metal quartet Vilipend were apparently scheduled to rock The Canadian Nightclub on August 3rd through Dismembertainment, but the show is now venue-less due to the flood. Bassist Michael Crossley contacted me on Facebook for help in possibly helping to secure a new venue, so I sent him some contacts. I have no clue if that will lead anywhere though, so if you book concerts, work for any venues, or can help in any fashion to secure a new spot for a Vilipend show on August 3rd (even a house party or garage), contact Michael at this location! Vilipend have a good sound, a more unique and raw form of hardcore than we're used to, grittier and more sludgy. They'd definitely be worth seeing, but alas, they need a venue, so if you can help in any way, contact the above links! Let's help them out!

This was sort of a bummer of a post, but I thought I'd end it on a positive note, so here's this week's classic video a bit earlier than usual! I decided to feature Garden of Bedlam again for a classic video, seeing as they're playing at The Roosevelt Hotel on Thursday for the first time, and like last month, this week's classic video comes from their set at Hempfest 2008! This actually led off their set that August, and it's of one of their old live covers that was not previously on YouTube, as they covered Velvet Revolver's "Slither"! Garden of Bedlam do a good job, but Buzz's megaphone didn't add to anything really when it was used. They have better covers, but Garden of Bedlam can handle most types of hard rock well, and it shows here! This video, like the Helmet cover posted last month, was filmed by a Hempfest attendee at the show and was it was later uploaded to Facebook by bassist Evan Belleau. You can view the original video at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=35356975931&oid=10668648337 and NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED! This video deserves to be seen, and a wider audience should see some more Garden of Bedlam videos! So without any further adieu, here's Garden of Bedlam covering "Slither" at 2008's Hempfest!



Now that's all for today, but I'll try and get a new post in tomorrow, hopefully with a happier range of news! Stay tuned, and thanks everyone!

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