A New Local Band, Local Summer Festival Updates, And Much More!!

Here's some news and notes for your Saturday morning, including assorted updates, big updates regarding a returning summer concert event and the imminent future of some outdoor summer festival events, and leading off, a new local band, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local band to add to our band links, ans they are Caroline Divine, the new local rock trio that debuted at last night's Id Iota-headlined Gonqshow event at The Algonquin Pub, so what should you know on them? Not to be confused with defunct local hard rock band Borderline Divine (the former Stillbroke), Caroline Divine are essentially the successors to defunct pop rock band The Frasiers (albeit sans frontman Charlie Derrer), with their lineup featuring singer/guitarist Anthony Marcello, bassist Brenden Fitzgerald, and drummer Devin Williamson. Compared to The Frasiers, Caroline Divine definitely play heavier material, with their Facebook page describing their sound as "hair/glam metal infused power pop" and "party rock" that is reminiscent of bands like Van Halen and Motley Crue while remaining modern. Interesting description, and the guys have clear talent from their Frasiers run, but when can you check out Caroline Divine for yourself?

If you missed yesterday's concert, you can also see Caroline Divine TONIGHT at Lopstock II at LopLops Lounge and then at The Rankin Arena on Friday during fellow Lopstock performers The Pixo Control's fundraising concert, so definitely consider checking them out at either event! Stay tuned for more info and media on Caroline Divine as it comes in, like them above & on Twitter, and they're now in our band links!

Next up, here's some good (and bad) news regarding downtown outdoor summer concerts, starting with the good news: Rotaryfest's Second Stage is officially coming back next month! After earlier teases via The Bear Hunters' petition to get on that stage, the local summer festival's website has restored a "Stage 2" tab to their music section, which does confirm that Tenaris Algoma Tubes will return as presenting sponsors of the event. As you may remember, the Second Stage ran annually from 2005-2013 before financial issues forced it to take a hiatus last year, and it was the official Rotaryfest outlet for original local bands and select out of town acts, which will hopefully be maintained come July 16th-18th for it's 10th installment! No, the schedule isn't out for either the first or second stages, we will let you know when they're announced. With that said, will the Second Stage return to it's usual placement on Queen Street between Brock and East?

That appears to be up in the air, at the very least, as there's currently a push by some downtown business owners to disband The Sault Downtown Association, which helps organize and put on many downtown street parties and festivals on Queen Street, including some outdoor concert events like The Emergency Festival. Some local business owners want the Downtown Association abolished because they find that it's ineffective, isn't worth the cost that they put into it, and focuses on too small of an area, as they want to promote all of downtown rather than just a section of Queen Street, and there is a debate around this topic ongoing at City Hall. I won't pretend to be a scholar in finance, event promotion, or local business ownership, so visit SooToday and The Sault Star's articles for further details. While not publically stated yet, the fight to save or disband the Downtown Association will apparently result in Queen Street not hosting any further outdoor festivals or parties this summer.

No word yet on the new(?) location for Rotaryfest's Second Stage, but personal Facebook postings suggest that The Emergency Festival (which basically replaced the Second Stage for it's debut last year) will have a new home for 2015. Maybe that's why we haven't heard details on the stages and schedule yet? I hope things work out so that the Downtown Association can host events again, and hopefully there's a compromise struck that can please everyone, so stay tuned when we hear a resolution or details on upcoming outdoor concert events!

Finally for today, here's some assorted shorter updates from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or venue name:

• Remember how Waterfront Legend (the former Docks Riverfront Grill) opened a restructured live venue named Club 89 in January? Well, updates on their Facebook page haven't came since March, and now, a new Facebook page for an apparent renamed or replacement nightclub named Club Current is now active, hyping the fact that it's a waterfront patio bar with live DJs. Fun idea, but are bands still a part of the plan here? We'll keep an eye on this and let you know if we hear anything!
• Have you noticed that local punk trio Redundant haven't played live or posted any updates all year? No word on where they've been, but bassist James White has indicated on his personal Facebook page that he's moving to Toronto in September for college. No word on what this would mean for Redundant or The Elements, but we'll keep you posted, and best of luck to James this fall!
• In recent days, you may have seen references to local lo-fi/punk project Telephone & Address adding Boxes of Boom's Sam Decter as their full-time drummer (making them a duo), as well as Chris & Sam launching a separate linked new band named Are You Now? or Have You Ever? (interesting name), but all references to the lineup addition and A.Y.N.O.H.Y.E. have quietly been deleted from Facebook without explanation. Hopefully nothing bad happened between Chris & Sam, but stay tuned for updates!

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