LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Stiffler's Mom & The Pixo Control) And Most Of The Weekend Concert Previews!!

Today at the SMS, we're kicking off the month of May with most of the weekend's hard rock concert previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next two nights, but with two caveats. One is that we're covering Sunday night's Fuck The Facts show on Saturday to give it proper emphasis closer to showtime, so look for it then. Also, Garden of Bedlam & a one-off Papa Fogals Chair reunion (and "more") are playing at PFC bassist Mike Bird's stag & doe at The Moose Lodge on Saturday night, but given the nature of stags & does, we don't traditionally call them as full public concerts on here. Click here for more details though, as the lineup is solid, and who knows when you'll see PFC again! Now, let's get to the rest of the weekend previews! (Updated on Friday at 5:34 PM)

Local alternative/hard rock trio The Pixo Control will be playing a special outdoor concert set TOMORROW MORNING as part of this year's Passport To Unity multicultural festival in the Soo! Apologies for the short notice, we only just heard about this event earlier this week. We haven't touched on Passport to Unity on here before as it doesn't usually feature bands we cover, but this annual festival has grown greatly and seen a rightful positive response for it's diversity and awareness, so click here for full event details! The Pixo Control's set will be at the closed off block from Spring Street to March Street for a mid-day event known as Downtown Diversity, which will feature local arts and music performers alongside cultural food sales and other diverse events. They'll be playing at the 11:45 AM start time for Downtown Diversity, though aside from local pop rock quartet The Frasiers, I'm unsure of any other performers. Admission is FREE, and this is definitely an all ages event. For more details, check the above links!

The late-morning/early afternoon timing might be rough for attendees who have work & school commitments, but it should be an interesting change of this pace for this rising young trio, so if you're in the area or are off, go check out The Pixo Control's set around lunch time, and enjoy the start of this year's Passport to Unity festival! Besides, I hear they'll have a couple new songs to debut (one called "60 Extra Chances Called Minutes"), so keep it in mind, and for a preview, here's The Pixo Control live at Dank Fest!



The other late notice hard rock gigs that we have this weekend are from local party rock veterans Stiffler's Mom, who have two concerts at two separate venues TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, I only heard about both shows earlier this week. Tomorrow's event will be a one nighter at The Rockstar Bar, which fans should be familiar with given that many of Greg, Mike, and Jon's recent gigs have been there! Like usual, their entertaining and decades-spanning covers can be seen tomorrow at 10:30 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a likely $5 cover charge, so click here for more details! There's no Stiffler's Mom gig at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday due to the Crued show we'll touch on in a bit, but never fear, as they'll still be rocking a live stage that night when they headline the Ride For Sight Vegas Night, a spring fundraiser for the annual motorcycle rally in support of blindness and vision loss, so what should you know on that front?

Held at the Garden River Community Centre at the corner of Shingwauk & Shannon Road, this event will raise money for this year's Ride For Sight in June via a poker tournament, other games, and a fish & pasta dinner, with Stiffler's Mom's set concluding the night. Tickets are $20, this is likely all ages, and while this event starts Saturday at 1:00 PM, Stiffler's Mom's set will begin at 9:00 PM. Click here for more details! It's great to see Stiffler's Mom supporting this great cause, so if you're up for a drive to Garden River on Saturday, help join in the fun, or go see them at The Rockstar Bar tomorrow! For a preview, here's Stiffler's Mom live at The Essar Centre!



Moving to previously announced shows, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue his weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill with (and we're positive on this) shows TOMORROW AND SATURDAY NIGHT! After two consecutive weeks of late word concerning the cancellation of his new Saturday half of his Harp run (following a Jay Case show and their UFC pay-per-view broadcast), Tym is definitely playing twice this weekend for the third time at the former Madison's Pub! Entering the 22nd week of this relationship, Tym's usual hosted open mic night is tomorrow, while Tym plays his usual acoustic unplugged gig on Saturday, so while you'll get his diverse hard rock covers either night, Saturday's will be most similar to his past solo gigs at other venues. Admission either night will probably be free, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time in effect for each show. Click here for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica at the former Smack Daddy's!



Finally for today, Toronto-based Motley Crue tribute band Crued will return to the Soo THIS SATURDAY for a headlining gig at The Rockstar Bar! After returning north in November for the first time since 2011, it only took 5 months for a return date for this notorious tribute band, whose faithful and explosive tribute to Motley Crue has always been well received when they've came to our area, so hopefully the same is the case on Saturday night! Like their November show at the same venue, there are not any announced opening bands, and admission is $8 via an advance ticket purchase at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, while the door price will jump to $12 (up from $10 in November.) You must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:30 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Hair metal fans would be well served to check out Crued for a great tribute to Motley Crue this weekend, so don't miss it, and for a preview, here they are playing "Shout At The Devil"!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow, plus our Fuck The Facts preview and more on Saturday! Thanks everyone!