LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Black Tremor, Winkstinger, Stiffler's Mom, And Project 906)!!

For this second post on this Saturday, we're covering a pile of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spring months, with some cover band action, an out of town band, a notable return to the stage, and a double shot of punk rock bingo all ahead! Read on below for what you should know in chronological order, and remember to check out current details on the VM Radio Battle of the Bands schedule below this post!

Local extreme metal band Winkstinger will make their long awaited return to the stage on Wednesday, March 16th when they rock The New American Pub as part of the third installment of Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo series! Last seen in a public live concert in May 2013, it's great to see Jesse & Jonas back on stage with this fun and explosive metal band, and while they're not "punk" per say, they should provide a solid soundtrack for the next punk rock bingo installment in their New A debut! The Facebook event page confirms that they have a new bass player (identity yet to be revealed), but there's no word there about their current singer... is Alan Wells back too, or is someone else now handling vocals? We'll let you know if we hear anything! A rescheduling of the originally planned third punk rock bingo from earlier this month (which would have seen Sam Decter and friends performing), more irreverent prizes await for winners, from CDs to skateboard decks to... breakfast with caller Brent Ellis?!

Admission is once again free (with bingo cards being 50¢ a piece) for this 19+ concert, which has a 9:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links! It should be noted that this show takes place the same night as the second semifinal of next month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands (where Jesse Cook is playing during Jack Spades' guest set), but as Winkstinger aren't expected to play at The New A until around midnight, I imagine they can schedule things so Jesse can play at both venues. It's great to have Winkstinger back after an almost three year stage hiatus, so stay tuned for more as it comes in on this punk rock bingo installment!

Next up, let's take a detour to Sault Michigan, where new local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will play their second & third live concerts when they rock Dondee Lanes on Friday, April 1st & Saturday, April 2nd! Coming two weeks after their live concert debut in Brimley on March 17th, this will be the first full weekend set from Ten Kings/Full Throttle bandmates Joe Jenkins & Will Storey's newest local band project. We don't hear about regional hard rock bands playing at the Dondee as much as we used to, so we'll have to see how Project 906 do there to start April off! Early start times of 8:00 PM are in effect for these shows, you must be 21 or older to attend, and there's no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more from Project 906 when we hear it!

Heading back to Sault Ontario, let's return to The New American Pub once again, where Six, Two, Oh. have announced the planned fourth punk rock bingo installment already, to take place on three weeks after next month's on Wednesday, April 6th! In this case, the punk rock bingo series will welcome an out of town band for the first time that night, they being Black Tremor, an instrumental doom/classical metal trio from Saskatoon, who will bring their violin-laden doom originals to the Soo for the first time. Intriguing sound with some creative flourishes, so check them out if you like the included genres! Local doom/sludge trio AlgomA will open in their first local concert appearance since December's second punk rock bingo installment, but it will actually follow a pair of out of town gigs that AlgomA are playing next month alongside bands like Empyrean Plague and IRN in Sudbury & Toronto. Great to hear, and hopefully they continue to spread the doom as they rise in prominence!

According to the Facebook event page, more info is "coming closer to the date", but this currently has a 9:00 PM start time, will be 19+, and while 50¢ cards for that night's bingo with Brent (or "Buck Norris") is to be expected, as well as the requisite irreverent prizes, the presence of an out of town band may warrant a cover charge to be announced. I hope both of these punk rock bingo installments go forth as scheduled, as too many previous attempts have had to be cancelled or postponed, but this round of "doom metal bingo" should be a fun time on April 6th! Keep posted for more details!

Finally for today's all-concert announcement post, local cover hard rock trio Stiffler's Mom will rock The Garden River Community Center on Saturday, April 9th when they provide the house music once again for the second annual Ride For Sight chili cook-off! After a successful first run of this fundraising event for the annual motorcycle rally for blindness prevention & research, this event returns in advance of the Ride For Sight proper once again, with the chili cook-off awaiting fans and foodies alike. Stiffler's Mom will be continuing their strong support of the ride with another set of partying favourites, so keep all of this in mind for April 9th at 7 Shingwauk Street! Tickets are $20 for this ALL AGES event, which takes place at 5:00 PM again, but it's not yet clear on if there will be prize raffles, or where tickets will be available outside of Ride For Sight committee members.

As for the cook-off proper, Redundant frontman Justin Langlois and his wife Monique will return as competitors, and contact the official Facebook event page for details on how you can be one of the 10 entered teams, or to get more details on what should be another fun event for a great cause! That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!