Friday, June 6, 2014

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Ripcordz, Rotaryfest, And The Thrill Junkies), And 415E Concert Previews!!

Apologies for the slow pace of recent posts on the site, things have slowed down a bit lately, but we're back today with lots of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including the first Rotaryfest band confirmation, a big hardcore punk show for the fall, and an upcoming charity event featuring a notable returning band! Of course, a weekend is upon us, and we do have a pair of shows to preview as well today, but any other hard rock shows this weekend (including possible Tym Morrison dates at The Harp) will likely be short notice confirmations, and we'll address those if/when they're announced. Now, to the new shows in chronological order!

Local hard rock cover quintet The Thrill Junkies will return to the stage one week from tomorrow as part of the musical entertainment at this year's second annual Algoma Ride For Autism event! Last seen on stage in January at the former Roosevelt Hotel, this will also mark their first live concert appearance with their new lineup, as they added Frightlight guitarist Rick White to their lineup as their new drummer in the spring, replacing the already departed Scott McLurg. The Thrill Junkies' Facebook page says that Rick's a great fit and that he's been working hard to get up to speed with their set (playing with Redundant bandmate Justin Langlois can't hurt), so look out for an entertaining set next Saturday from these talented veterans! The Thrill Junkies' set will be as part of the musical entertainment at the Algoma Ride For Autism, which will be held at Runway Park on Airport Road, making this the first verified show there with a hard rock band that we've covered on here since the Bell Border Jam in 2008.

Obviously a fundraiser for autism research, this ALL AGES event will feature a motorcycle rally around town that will end at Runway Park, which will be hosting live music, food, prize draws, family events, and much more, so click here for all details on the event as a whole, and for details on how you bikers can participate in the rally! For the Runway Park events, I have not seen a stated cover charge, but events take place from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and I can't confirm The Thrill Junkies' timeslot yet, nor other musical performers. Much like the blindness rally Ride For Sight, I hope the Ride For Autism is a huge success, so keep an eye out for extra info, including on the musical performers next weekend!

Next up, we have our first concrete confirmation for this year's Rotaryfest performers, as The Stage at Clergue Park will be headlined by Toronto Led Zeppelin tribute band Michael White & The White on Saturday, July 19th! Continuing the usual trend of having an out of town tribute band as the headline act for our local summer festival's main stage, this veteran tribute band has been played thousands of shows since 1979, and have built up an extensive resume and skill level that Zeppelin fans should take to next month, so don't miss out on Michael White & The White this year! The band was confirmed via the banner image at this link, but Rotaryfest has yet to confirm the full main stage lineup. Like past years, I expect it to be all cover bands (any with originals won't be playing them there), with a jazz/blues focus on July 17th and a variety of bands on the 18th and 19th, and while both The Suicide Kings & The Danger Cats had applied to play this year's event, we have no finite local band details yet that are publically sharable.

In any event, this year's stage will have no age limits or cover charges, and Michael White & The White will likely be headlining at 9:00 or 10:00 PM on the 19th. Check the above links for current details, and we'll keep you guys posted on the full main stage lineup as it comes in! (Just in case anyone's curious, I have heard negative reports regarding the return of the Second Stage this year, but I'm waiting for official confirmation before detailing it too much on the site.)

Lastly for new shows, it's official: The Ripcordz are coming back to the Soo this fall! Last month's teased show will take place on Saturday, October 11th when the Montreal hardcore punk legends return to The Algonquin Pub (the site of their local return show last spring), in their first Sault date here since promoter J.D. Pearce's Halloween party last fall! For clarification, I don't expect this to be J.D.'s next Halloween show, it's two weeks too soon. Fans will be sure to welcome The Ripcordz and their well received and intense hardcore punk originals back to our area this fall, as we've done numerous times in the past, so don't miss out on what should be a packed house in October! As it currently stands, the lineup for this show will be almost exactly the same as it was last fall, as local metal/punk quintet Jack Spades and hardcore punk standouts Destroilet are signed to open, and both are fitting choices, so be there early for their sets! Note that the Facebook event page also says "TBA" for the lineup, so another band could be added.

This 19+ show will have a 10:00 PM start time, but ticket prices and availability aren't public yet, possibly as the show is still 4 months away, but we'll let you guys know when something is announced, and check the above links for more details! This should be another awesome show, as anyone who's seen The Ripcordz' 2013 Sault shows should attest to, so keep it in mind for your fall concert plans, and stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

We'll close today with previews of Sault Michigan hard rock band 415E's next live shows, as the former Hubbard-Menard band will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TONIGHT AND TOMORROW NIGHT! Remember, this weekend's shows replace former Peril concerts, after 415E's originally announced Soo Kewadin gigs next week were bumped up to this weekend. Fresh off shows in St. Ignace last week, this should be another fun weekend of Van Halen-influenced covers and originals from this talented local band, so don't miss out on the action! Note that this new picture again implies that recent gigs have been as a duo without live bass or drums, so keep that in mind for this weekend. Admission should be free, a 9:00 PM start time is likely, and you must be 21 to attend. For more details, check the above links, enjoy 415E's hard rock and classic metal sounds, and here's their full lineup's cover of The Stone Temple Pilots as a preview!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more updates and news and such in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

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