Sunday, June 14, 2015

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Ten Kings) & Lots Of Assorted Recent Updates!!

Today's post is mostly devoted to assorted shorter news and notes that have piled up in the last week or so, but we're leading off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for one week from Saturday in Sault Michigan, so here's what you should know on this Sunday evening!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Ten Kings will play a unique concert event on Saturday, June 27th when they head to Lake Superior State University for their first ever Summerfest! Fresh off of this weekend's road trip to Manistique, Ten Kings will reportedly be among a few local artists at this event from the local university, which will be a celebration of music on an outdoor stage on the north side of the Cisler Center (the administrative & social building that hosts, among other things, their radio station WLSO.) LSSU's Summerfest will feature food, refreshments, and music from The Steeltown Silver Band at 3:30 PM, but Ten Kings' set will reportedly be at 12:00 noon that day, as per their own Facebook event page. The rest of the performer lineup has yet to be announced, but LSSU have indicated that a full schedule is forthcoming, so we'll let you know when we hear it! Given the theme and location of the event, is is FREE & ALL AGES, but remember that is is on a university.

As an LSSU graduate, I can attest to how nice and inviting the school is, and it should be a solid backdrop for their first ever Summerfest! They always hosted live bands in some form when I was there, but an outdoor festival like this sounds like a good time, so keep it in mind one week from Saturday, and if you're in the Manistique area, go see Ten Kings this weekend at their Kewadin Casino branch!

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

  • After scattered hints in recent months, local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back have apparently completed recording sessions for a new album! As per their Facebook page yesterday, the band confirmed that it's "done", and to "stay tuned" for updates. This won't be their first CD release, as they released two minimally advertised demos at concerts last fall, but this album appears to be more formal and official. Good to hear, so keep posted when more comes in!
  • Local death metal standouts The Bear Hunters confirmed on their Facebook page on Thursday that recording sessions for their second album "The Dead Testament" will begin in September! The album will feature 11 new songs (including 4 that have yet to be played in concert) and a re-recording of "Deception" from their debut as a bonus track. Other details are forthcoming, but fans should definitely stay tuned as we hear more!
  • Local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue have replaced the aforementioned Bear Hunters on the lineup for the Out Of The Ruins concert at The Rednecks Saloon on July 11th, as per a recent Facebook event page update. The reason is likely due to Justin Lam and Johnny Belanger being out of town with Jack Spades that weekend, more on that in a second. Beaumont Avenue are arguably a worse genre fit, but the former Suicide Kings' all-original set should find a solid audience in their first opening set at a local show since last year's Rotaryfest!
  • Now-defunct all-female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats posted studio versions of their original songs "On The Prowl", "Sugar Mama", and "Give Me" onto their Reverbnation page earlier this month, as recorded with producer Jamie Vincent at Six Two Oh (presumably where Bad Back's album is being done too.) The songs sound good, and it's a shame the girls wrapped things up before they could get their own EP released! Check them (and the earlier "Wanted Man") out at the above links!
  • It no longer bears directly on the Soo, but this year's 17th annual installment of Hempfest (based in Moonbeam, 8 hours north of here, since last summer) will have a tribute band theme like it did in one of the last local installments, with Rush, Rage Against The Machine, and Metallica tributes booked (the latter, Misery, have played here too.) More acts are being finalized, so if you want to take a road trip for this year's Hempfest in August, click here for details!
  • Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will take a road trip to Meyersburg, Ontario (an hour east of Peterborough) over the July 10th weekend to take part in this year's second annual Spiderfest! They also played this event this year, and they'll join such locally notable bands as IDNS, Gatgas, and The Dead Peasants Revolt on the lineup, with the classic comedy metal band Green Jelly headlining. Excellent to see the guys back for Spiderfest 2, and hopefully they jack Meyersburg once again!
  • There has apparently been construction going on recently at Mill Square to build an outdoor concert stage outside of The Machine Shop, named "The Yard" at present time. The Machine Shop's Facebook page indicates that several outdoor events are planned, as well as big events for next year, plus the hashtag tease of "Bring Back Castle Farms", referencing the famed Charlevoix, Michigan outdoor concert venue. Very intriguing, so we'll keep an eye on this apparent new venue as more comes out!
  • Local musician Peytan Andreola is looking for a metal drummer to jam with, as per his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Tuesday. No word on his music background there, but if you're interested in more details, message him above or at this link!
  • Recently reunited doom/punk trio The Revolution have quietly dropped out of the upcoming Eternal Prophecy/Lie Among Us concert at The Rednecks Saloon on August 10th, as per recent updates to the Facebook event page. A reason for their exit wasn't announced, but note that they haven't updated their Facebook page in almost two months. Hopefully all's well in their camp! They were not replaced on the lineup, so bassist Jordan Leach's other band Haggith are now the only local openers, and they now have $5 advance tickets, so contact members A.S.A.P.!
  • While we continue to wait for the reveal of this year's Rotaryfest lineups, their website now confirms that the returning Second Stage's new presenting sponsor is local roadside assistance call-centre Agero (replacing Tenaris, who remain as a sponsor of other events.) As well, their site labels it as "Stage 2 Redirected", but whether that's a new moniker or an accident from website coding is to be announced. We'll let you know when we hear more!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more soon! Thanks everyone!

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