Toystock & White Cowbell Oklahoma Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we head off to TONIGHT'S Bear Hunters CD release show, here's the rest of the weekend's concert previews, concerning Sunday night concerts in Sault Ontario tomorrow, though we also have some Blood Shed Productions updates to cap things off! Here's what you need to know!

The long anticipated third annual Toystock goes down TOMORROW at The Canadian Nightclub! As has become a recent tradition, local concert promoters Maxx Entertainment are hosting this all day (and ALL AGES) charity concert event to help raise funds and donations to Christmas Cheer, with admission once again being FREE with a donation of a new/slightly used toy or non-perishable food item (though cash is accepted too.) As well, the Stuff-A-Bus will be on site to bring donations to the Christmas Cheer depot, Santa & Mrs. Claus will be present to meet the kids, and there will also be prize draws, so if you loved past installments of Toystock, get ready for tomorrow! Like at the last two Toystocks, 10 bands will grace the stage for 10 hours, and are largely comprised of veteran cover bands, giving fans a chance to see them outside of weekend bar engagements, and it's great to see them all donate their time for this year! Somewhat surprisingly though, seven of the 10 bands this year are Toystock newcomers, so here's who to look out for in descending order!

Local country rock veterans (and Toystock 2012 performers) Bone Yard will headline at 9:00 PM tomorrow, with two bands from the Rock For Dimes fundraiser earlier this month preceding them, those being progressive/jazz rock quartet Mannapool at 8:00 PM and classic/hard rock cover trio Mourning Wood at 7:00 PM. Fellow hard rock cover veterans Lucky 13 will play at 6:00 PM (becoming the only band to play at all 3 Toystocks), with all female classic rock cover quintet Domina returning to the stage at 5:00 PM, and country veterans Thin Ice making their Toystock debut at 4:00 PM. Young local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control are slated for 3:00 PM, with local country musician Lorrie Bolduc's band Lorrie Lynn & The Sinners on at 2:00 PM, Mike Case's Junior All-Stars returning from last year for a set at 1:00 PM, and local blues band The Stumpy Coldwater Trio opening the day at 12:00 PM. Nice diverse lineup to take in tomorrow, and remember, this is an ALL AGES event, and admission is via donation to Christmas Cheer!

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Though it is a little odd not seeing Boxcar Junction, Obsession, or Stiffler's Mom back this year, there's still a great lineup of bands to enjoy TOMORROW, including three or so hard rock bands, and I hope to see you guys there! I missed last year's Toystock due to family commitments, but fingers crossed that I'll be there tomorrow! For a preview, here's Mourning Wood live at March For Dimes!



Finally for the weekend's concert previews is the return of Toronto southern hard rock veterans White Cowbell Oklahoma to Sault Ontario for a headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Making their first local appearance since headlining at The Grand Theatre in 2010, this show will be in the midst of W.C.O.'s 15th anniversary tour, and if you're familiar with this band, you'll know how exciting their live concerts are! Featuring extended jams, power tool-infused songs, and energetic hard-edged southern rock, White Cowbell Oklahoma should leave a solid impression once again tomorrow night! Dutch alternative hard rock band The Paceshifters will open for W.C.O. tomorrow night with their own old school yet original sound, so be sure to come early for their set! Note that while White Cowbell Oklahoma pages also list Vancouver psychobilly band Big John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz as opening on this tour, they are only on Western Canada dates and not playing in Ontario (source here), despite opening at their local show in 2010.

This show will surprisingly have NO COVER CHARGE tomorrow night, and everything starts at 9:00 PM, but it's still a 19+ event. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I'd like to hit this show up too, but with the length and camera battery drain that I expect Toystock will be, I'm unsure if I can work both shows in. White Cowbell Oklahoma's live concert experience speaks for itself though, so don't miss out if you can help it, and here's the guys live in 2012!



Finally for today, here's some updates from the Blood Shed Productions camp, starting with a new Facebook page for the reunited original version of Brutally Fatal! As you may remember, the death metal duo featuring Revolution frontman Austin McCrae and Crucify The Whore's Ringsnaps Gibson on drums reunited at the Archspire concert in August, but only just launched a new Facebook page on Wednesday (the original one was deleted a few months prior), which also confirms that Austin will remain the band's guitarist rather than bassist, and that "Brutally" is now spelled correctly with two Ls! I still don't really know why Austin spelled it "Brutaly" for so long, but the extra letter does noticeably improve the name! Details on their next show are to be determined, but Tyler's other live two-man band Rotopsy revealed on their Facebook page this week that they have plans to record a full length demo CD next year and will apparently play at the Touch of Death Festival in Cochrane next year, which would be great exposure!

C.T.W.'s Facebook page also hinted yesterday that they and Rotopsy will be playing at a concert of some type late next month, though whether it's an Oddfellows show, a house party, or somewhere else is to be confirmed. Sounds like there's some good developments from the Blood Shed, so follow along above for more, and Brutally Fatal are back in our active band links! That's all for today, but we'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Canadian for The Bear Hunters' CD release party! Thanks everyone!