LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood & Havadder) And New Year's Weekend Concert Previews!!

On this last day of 2015, here's our final regular post of the year, but we have our reflective post on the year that was coming later tonight, so look for that then! Now, we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows taking place this weekend and beyond, as well as most of what you should know for hard rock this weekend to end the year (Tym Morrison's Saturday nighter and even later notice shows will follow), so read on to get caught up!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will kick off 2016 with concerts at The OLG Casino THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT, which follow their previously announced New Year's Eve party at The Rednecks Saloon TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on the casino dates, we had actually listed them on the site since drummer Glen Thomas announced them on his personal Facebook page in November (prior to their last OLG Casino weekend), but we forgot to mention them in a post at the time. This is a busy weekend ahead for Terry, Steven, Paul, and Glen, who will start things with their second straight New Year's Eve concert at the former Nicolet Tavern tonight, complete with a similar masquerade ball theme, and given the occasion, there will be party favours, a poutine bar, and champagne available free with admission, which will be $10 at the door, or via advance tickets at Rednecks or through band members.

The OLG Casino gigs (which, for sake of clarity, haven't been publically confirmed by Mourning Wood's Facebook page yet) are 9:30 PM shows with no announced cover, and all three shows are 19+. For more details, visit this link and above! Sounds like Mourning Wood have a big weekend ahead, with a fun party and a return to a still somewhat unique venue to come, so keep these shows in mind, and here's Mourning Wood live earlier this year!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder will return to Studio 10 for a New Year's Eve party TONIGHT, which they'll follow with a one-nighter THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies again for the short notice on both shows, they were each only announced via separate Facebook event pages (here & here) earlier this week. TONIGHT'S New Year's Eve show brings them back to the Hudson Streeet gentlemen's club that they often rock on holidays (most recently on Halloween), and fitting the atmosphere, there will be a cold cut/shrimp buffet, drink specials, party favors, champagne, a door prize, and yes, adult dancers, so keep all of that in mind if you want to be at the Studio for this one! Tickets are $15 at the door or in advance at the venue, while couples have a discounted $25 rate. Doors open at 8:00 PM, Havadder's set will be at 10:30 PM, and this is obviously a 19+ event.

As for SATURDAY'S Rockstar Bar show (which appears to be a one-nighter with no gig tomorrow), this will be Havadder's first full show of 2016, so keep it in mind as they continue their recent streak of frequent appearances at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs bar! That show will be a 10:30 PM affair and 19+ as well, but the cover charge will either be zero or much less than at the Studio. Whether you want to ring in the new year or just rock out with Havadder, keep their hard-edged fan favourite covers in mind for TONIGHT & SATURDAY! See the above links for more details, and here's Havadder live!



Moving to previously announced concerts, let's head to The Rockstar Bar for their New Year's Eve concert TONIGHT, as local classic metal quintet Project 421 will end 2015 on a heavy note as headliners! Replacing the usual Cherry Crush New Year's show there for unannounced reasons, this will be a partial sequel to their 2 year reunion and pre-Christmas shows at The Algonquin Hotel, with Project 421 (who will play at 12:00 AM to kick off 2016) once again joined by their online pageless nu-metal side project Eclipse, who will open the show at 10:00 PM, so if you've missed these bands or want to see them again, keep tonight's show in mind! However, in The Elements' place tonight, fans will get a rare Rockstar Bar appearance from young local glam rock/power pop trio Caroline Divine in the middle 11:00 PM slot, and their old school yet fresh sound should be a nice bridge tonight, so don't miss them either! Promoted by Project 421 bassist Daniel Horton (and curiously not as a PaperClip Productions show), there is a $10 cover charge in effect, but everything's standard otherwise, including a 19+ age limit.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! If you want some heavy metal for to send 2015 out with, this may just be your best bet, so definitely consider a trip downtown to The Rockstar Bar if you want to ring in 2016 with 421! For a preview, here's Project 421 live last year!

Finally for today's previews, let's head across the border to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will end the year with their own New Year's Eve concert TONIGHT! After a quiet few months from the former Hubbard-Menard Band's camp, the Van Halen-inspired local favourites will rock St. Ignace for the last time in 2015 tonight, and if you're up for their varied and often heavy covers, you know where to be for your New Year's plans! For reference, The London Gentlemen will end the year tonight at the Soo Kewadin, and no word on who's playing this weekend at either Kewadin Casino branch, as their entertainment page hasn't been updated yet for 2016 dates (we'll let you know when it is!) No word on if there's a special pricing in effect for the occasion (if there isn't, there'd be no cover as usual), but expect a 9:00 PM start time and 21+ age limit once again. Check the above links for more details, and here's 415E live!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our retrospective look back on the big moments of 2015 later today! Thanks everyone!