LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dumpster Mummy), Apocalypse Afterparty Updates, And New Banned Videos!!

At last, we're rounding out another weekend of concert previews with a delayed SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but to round out this post, we have big updates from a band and their upcoming debut CD, and some new concert videos! Note that this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post is absolutely coming tomorrow, recent regular posts and personal commitments have forced it's delay, just in case you were curious. Now, here's what you should know for this Labour Day weekend post!

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia metal quartet Dumpster Mummy will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline at The New American Pub! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only publically announced earlier this week via it's official Facebook event page. Notably marking the return of promoters Heavy North Entertainment for the first time since last September's Fuck the Facts show, it's great to see Tyler St. Amour promoting again after a year's hiatus, albeit not at The Oddfellows Hall, but hopefully this isn't a one-off! Dumpster Mummy's aggressive sound combines death, thrash, and groove metal influences to very solid effect, and they should devastate The New A TOMORROW NIGHT, so don't miss out during this stop on their Canadian tour! A stacked local opening lineup will include classic metal quintet Project 421, goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore, groove/death metal duo Them (last seen opening for Gorod in May), and modern hard rock quartet Eclipse to kick things off.

Note that punk/metal favourites Jack Spades were originally slated to open as well, but were replaced by both Eclipse & Them due to a family emergency, and our thoughts are absolutely with them at this time! This 19+ concert begins at 9:00 PM TOMORROW, and while a $4 cover charge is listed, promoters also list that you can also "pay what you can", so keep that in mind in case this is accurate. Despite the relative late notice, this should be a fun concert for metalheads, so keep this one in mind for TOMORROW, especially with the Labour Day holiday on Monday! See above for more details, and here's Dumpster Mummy live!



Next up, here's the latest from recently dormant local rap/metal project The Apocalypse Afterparty, as their long gestating debut EP "Bufflesnort" is progressing towards release! In their first music-related posts on their Facebook page since March, the 2015 VM Radio Battle finalists unveiled five different covers for the EP (this one is their profile photo, if nothing else) that all feature a minimalist hockey motif. The band followed that by posting their cover of Saul Williams' "List of Demands (Reparations)", under the title "Better Than The Hives Did It" onto their Reverbnation page, joining their older studio recording of "The Crowd", though no word on if the latter has since been re-recorded. The EP itself was recorded locally at Tidal Records and mixed by Fairmounts guitarist Simon Head at Insight Recorders, who have worked with the likes of The Boot Hill Crooners and Jesse Merineau in the past. Note that The Apocalypse Afterparty have indicated that their new song will be taken down before they "prep for a hard release", so listen while you can!

An earlier post also hinted that a member of defunct Saskatchewan hardcore band The Holly Springs Disaster (a favourite touring act from Oddfellows Hall shows in the 2000s) would be making a guest appearance on the EP, but the band hasn't elaborated on that since. It should be noted that "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta (a.k.a. Puablos Stancu) posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday regarding a search for a new drummer, noting that they aren't necessarily looking for someone with a high skill level, just a high fun level, and that they want to jam 2 or 3 times a week and play live. While The Apocalypse Afterparty still only credit band members by stage names, I hope it's not contraband to note that the band had briefly enlisted Amber McKay as their drummer after Steve Mozarowski left last year, as per personal conversations, but she appears to have departed as well.

Though The Apocalypse Afterparty have only played a handful of live concerts, their creative stage show and masked personas definitely help them stand out among the crowd, and aspiring drummers should definitely give Paul a shout via his Musicians Wanted group post above or at this link if you want in! "Bufflesnort" seems to be shaping up well, and it should be an intriguing EP when it's formally released! Stay tuned for updates, and here's the Facebook video copy of "Better Than The Hives Did It"/"Reparations"!

Finally for today, here's some overdue new videos from Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Banned, mostly from their show at McNeil's Hotel & Bar in Gould City (90 minutes west of the Soo) last week, but one extra video does come from their private gig in Iron River last Friday. All again shared via live streams rather than uploads after the fact (why not advertise them in advance so more fans can watch live?), two were shared via frontman Alex Traynor's personal Facebook page, while the others were uploaded to Banned's Facebook page directly. The new Iron River video has Banned covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", while the Gould City clips include renditions of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World", Journey's "Any Way You Want It", and as embedded below, Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine", all with Alex on lead vocals.

Though the band setup at McNeil's is odd (drummer, bassist, and guitarist from left to right?), Banned sound good on these covers, and it's nice to see that their recent footage dips more to older rock, which I've felt suited them better than some of the newer indie rock covers and country material that they've tackled. Solid stuff all around, so check out their newest videos above & below, and don't miss Banned in St. Ignace next weekend!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next, I promise! Thanks everyone!